Succubus (Dungeons & Dragons)

Succubus
David C. Sutherland III's depiction of the succubus from the 1st edition Advanced Dungeons & Dragons Monster Manual
Characteristics
Alignment	Chaotic evil/Evil(4ed)
Type	demon/devil(4ed)
Image	Wizards.com image
Stats	Open Game License stats
Publication history
Mythological origins	Succubus

In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, a succubus is a female demon, or, under 4th edition rules, a devil. The objective of succubi is to tempt men to have sex with them. They do this for their own purposes, and it typically yields a dead mortal or a pleased demon lord (in some cases, when succubi are used as assassins, both ends result). The male equivalent is an incubus.

The succubus is based on the succubi from Western medieval legend.

The succubus appeared under the demon entry in the Eldritch Wizardry supplement (1976).

The succubus appears in the first edition Monster Manual (1977).

This edition of the D&D game included its own version of the succubus, which is known as the whispering demon, first appearing in the Immortal Rules set, in the DM's Guide to Immortals (1986). The whispering lesser fiend appeared in the Wrath of the Immortals set, in "Book One: Codex of the Immortals" (1992).

In this edition, demons became known as tanar'ri, with the succubus lesser tanar'ri appearing first in the Monstrous Compendium Volume Outer Planes Appendix (1991), and then reprinted in the Monstrous Manual (1993).

The succubus lesser tanar'ri also appeared for the Planescape campaign setting in the first Planescape Monstrous Compendium Appendix (1994).

The succubus (tanar'ri) appears in the Monster Manual for this edition (2000); in this edition, the name demon is resumed, and tanar'ri are now considered a sub-type of demon.

Savage Species (2003) presented the succubus/incubus as both a race and a playable class.

The succubus appears in the revised Monster Manual for this edition (2003).