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Green slaads (slaadi) are known for something very specific (aside from looking like KErmit or Godzilla). They are the most prodigious spellcasters of the species, only their magic is not entirely consistent. A slaad might TRY to cast a fireball, but instead fill the place with poison gas and then reverse gravity! Well, they are chaos monsters.
Bone Whelks are large molluscs that excrete an adhesive slime and build their "shells" from some very morbid material. Their death scream rots living matter.
In the 1600s, Jewish persecution was at its height, particularly the infamous Blood Libel (claiming that the jEws mix the blood of young boys in their food. wtf?!?!). Rabbi Lowe of Prague wanted to protect his people, and so he created a man of clay, wrote a holy word on its forehead, and sent it out to do battle. Unfortunately, it eventually went out of control, forcing the rabbi to erase its magical words and kill his beloved creation.
Actually, this is from a 1909 novel that purported to be based on 1600s legend. Crazy, eh?
Oh yeah, uh, co-opted by D&D, blah blah blah, etc.
I confess, I stopped reading Dragonlance after the first book. But even I recognize that Raistlin is an awesome character.
A wizard by choice, training, and fate, when we first meet Raistlin, he had already gone through a special sorcerous trial that has changed him forever - giving him gold skin, hourglass-shaped pupils, frail health, but incredible magical potential. He also has a unique outlook on life, far more cynical than any of his travelling companions (and especially his knight-in-shining-armor brother, Caramon). In fact, some people comment that he is probably evil, but at least he's helping the group. Through his hourglass eyes, Raistlin sees time in its entirety - when he looks at someone, he can see their past, present, and future state as a corpse (though not events, of course). All of this, the sacrifices made in his test, his new perspective, and the power coursing in his veins have given him one true goal, that of gaining the power of Fistandantilus the Archmage. But at least his brother, Caramon, can function as his conscience, for now...
Among the most powerful of demons, Balors are vicious taskmasters and generals of the mighty legions of the Abyss in the forefront of the eternal Blood War.
Kytons are some of hell's most vicious torturers. Their chains are indeed part of their body, and possess a life all their own.
Many giants are themed according to element, and based on the particular D&D edition, this may or may not mean much. Fire Giants are a famous old sgtandbye, as basically huge dwarves that can live in a volcano. You'll notice that this fellow has shoulder armor made from hardened lava, though it's the same color as his skin.
It's Orcus Vs. Durin's Bane! These two big, beefy demons are gonna have a wrestliong match, and we'll just pretend that Orcus's death wand doesn't have an effect on the other demon. But hey... Happy Halloween!