D&D 5E Kuo Toa or Bullywugs? Who is more fun?
Kuo Toa, according to D&D lore, are congenitally insane. I have used them largely as minions of greater Cthuhlu-esque masters, such as kraken and aboleths. I haven't seen much merit in kuo-toa as creatures with which PCs can interact on a basis other than "invade the submerged lair of the mad cultists and kill them all" basis.
I have had some non-combat fun with bullywugs, however. In my current campaign, bullywug tribes inhabit the large area of mangrove swamp adjacent to the city-state where the PCs began the campaign (Sasserine, on the Amedio peninsula in Greyhawk, if you're interested). In game terms, bullywugs seem to be nothing more than alt-lizardfolk, in that they're a primitive tribal people who live in swamps. But whereas lizardfolk are supposed to have some unemotional reptilian mindset, I've set up bullywug society as led by a deeply insecure nobility that desperately (and badly) replicates the behaviours and trappings of the human culture that they've had contact with. Of course, being deeply insecure, the bullywug leaders are always intent on proving that they are better at everything than everyone else - which they are quite clearly not.
This has led to some hilarious gaming sessions, including one where the PCs had to negotiate with one "Blubber the Glutt", self-proclaimed king of all the bullywug tribes, for passage through his territory and a guide to help them locate a witch (hag) who lived in the swamp. (Yes, Blubber the Glutt looked exactly the way you imagine, and was carried on a palanquin that was nothing more than an old rowboat).
The party had to engage in various games of skill against bullywug champions, whom they had to beat (to avoid becoming dinner for the tribe), while also humiliating members of the king's court, and stroking the king's own ego, to solidify the king's position as premier leader of the bullywugs. The games included swimming around the moat surrounding the bullywug village faster than the fastest bullywug swimmer. Of course, the "moat" happened to be the bullywug spawning pool, and was filled with vicious man-eating bullywug tadpoles, which could not be harmed; and the bullywug champion was a bullywug which had not fully lost its tadpole tail and had massive hind legs. (Fortunately, one of the PCs had a Cloak of the Manta Ray). One of the PCs had to wrestle an ogre reskinned as a bullywug (fortunately, the PC barbarian could rage and gain advantage on Str checks). One of the PCs had to beat the best bullywug spear-thrower at target practice with a javelin (the target being a bullywug from another tribe at war with Blubber the Glutt's tribe). (The PC had a Javelin of Lightning and just incinerated the target - which very much impressed the assembled throng). And one of the PCs had to "hunt the frog" - which required using a giant frog as a hunting dog to chase down a capybara "piglet" that had been released into the bullywug village faster than the bullywug hunt master. So the games were crafted around the PCs' abilities and items, and very memorable for it.
Then the PCs had to flatter Blubber the Glutt and shower him with gifts, while humiliating and embarrassing his courtiers for their breaches of etiquette. And note that you don't give a bullywug king gold and gems. You give him frilly lace shirts, foppish hats (feather obligatory), velvet surcoats with shiny buttons, an ornate rapier, and all of the other trappings of pretentious nobility. A lot cheaper than chests of gold, and much more fun to role play. And of course the cleric's Guidance spell got a good workout that session!
Cheers, Al'kelhar
I have had some non-combat fun with bullywugs, however. In my current campaign, bullywug tribes inhabit the large area of mangrove swamp adjacent to the city-state where the PCs began the campaign (Sasserine, on the Amedio peninsula in Greyhawk, if you're interested). In game terms, bullywugs seem to be nothing more than alt-lizardfolk, in that they're a primitive tribal people who live in swamps. But whereas lizardfolk are supposed to have some unemotional reptilian mindset, I've set up bullywug society as led by a deeply insecure nobility that desperately (and badly) replicates the behaviours and trappings of the human culture that they've had contact with. Of course, being deeply insecure, the bullywug leaders are always intent on proving that they are better at everything than everyone else - which they are quite clearly not.
This has led to some hilarious gaming sessions, including one where the PCs had to negotiate with one "Blubber the Glutt", self-proclaimed king of all the bullywug tribes, for passage through his territory and a guide to help them locate a witch (hag) who lived in the swamp. (Yes, Blubber the Glutt looked exactly the way you imagine, and was carried on a palanquin that was nothing more than an old rowboat).
The party had to engage in various games of skill against bullywug champions, whom they had to beat (to avoid becoming dinner for the tribe), while also humiliating members of the king's court, and stroking the king's own ego, to solidify the king's position as premier leader of the bullywugs. The games included swimming around the moat surrounding the bullywug village faster than the fastest bullywug swimmer. Of course, the "moat" happened to be the bullywug spawning pool, and was filled with vicious man-eating bullywug tadpoles, which could not be harmed; and the bullywug champion was a bullywug which had not fully lost its tadpole tail and had massive hind legs. (Fortunately, one of the PCs had a Cloak of the Manta Ray). One of the PCs had to wrestle an ogre reskinned as a bullywug (fortunately, the PC barbarian could rage and gain advantage on Str checks). One of the PCs had to beat the best bullywug spear-thrower at target practice with a javelin (the target being a bullywug from another tribe at war with Blubber the Glutt's tribe). (The PC had a Javelin of Lightning and just incinerated the target - which very much impressed the assembled throng). And one of the PCs had to "hunt the frog" - which required using a giant frog as a hunting dog to chase down a capybara "piglet" that had been released into the bullywug village faster than the bullywug hunt master. So the games were crafted around the PCs' abilities and items, and very memorable for it.
Then the PCs had to flatter Blubber the Glutt and shower him with gifts, while humiliating and embarrassing his courtiers for their breaches of etiquette. And note that you don't give a bullywug king gold and gems. You give him frilly lace shirts, foppish hats (feather obligatory), velvet surcoats with shiny buttons, an ornate rapier, and all of the other trappings of pretentious nobility. A lot cheaper than chests of gold, and much more fun to role play. And of course the cleric's Guidance spell got a good workout that session!
Cheers, Al'kelhar
ExploderWizard
Hero
Kuo-Toa without a doubt. What could be more fun than insane fishmen wearing diapers?
Corpsetaker
First Post
I had a Bullywug character a while back that was inspired by "Frog" from Chrono Trigger.
Christopher Olson
First Post
Im using Bullywugs for the first time in my first attempt at homebrew. They are basically being paid to allo a fat "Slob-Goblin" to live in their swamp cave and also to to protect him.
Shadowdweller00
Adventurer
Kuo-Toa. They're more sinister, more bizarre, more magical, and have a penchant for raising or empowering Cthulhu-esque monstrosities.
The_Gneech
Explorer
Haven't used bullywugs yet (just hasn't come up), but I did run a variation of "Maze of Madness" in which insane kuo-toa were a major plot element. The party even picked up a follower, a kuo-toa named Hughug, who worshipped them as gods and kept offering to feed himself to the other monsters first. Kinda like a deranged Discworldy version of Meepo. The players loved him.
-The Gneech
-The Gneech
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