D&D General Monster ENCyclopedia: Galeb Duhr

This is a series of articles about specific monsters from D&D's history. Each entry takes a look at the origin of one D&D creature, and tracks its appearances and evolution across different editions. The ENCyclopedia series is busy with an alphabetical browse through the creatures of Dungeons & Dragons, with an article on one monster for each letter A-Z. We have reached the letter "G" and the galeb duhr is our featured creature this time.​


Origins
The galeb duhr first appeared in Monster Cards, Set 2, released by TSR in May 1982. The cards themselves don’t include any credits, but New AD&D Aid: Monster Cards, a promotional article in Dragon #61, informs us that Harold Johnson oversaw the Monster Cards project, and that the new creatures were submitted by various members of TSR's Design Department, with Michael P. Price responsible for the galeb duhr.

Price left TSR in 1983, and went on to spend thirty years as a game developer, working on everything from toys to video games to amusement park rides and massively multiplayer online worlds. He retired from the game industry in 2010, and now works as a digital artist combining his background in theoretical astrophysics and his creative talents to fashion a selection of amazing artwork. He was kind enough to share his recollections of the origins of the galeb duhr for this Monster ENCyclopedia article.​

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Spock mind melds with the Horta, The Devil in the Dark (1967)​

Price’s goal in developing the galeb duhr was to explore a creature that could naturally blend into surrounding terrain, and the inspiration came from several different sources. In the episode The Devil in the Dark in the original Star Trek series, Spock mind melds with a Horta, a silicon-based life form that had been attacking a Federation mining facility. Price liked the idea that communication with a creature might not be straightforward, but that the information a D&D creature might be able to share would have value to adventurers. As ancient rock creatures, the galeb duhr could “fossilize” all of their accumulated knowledge, to be uncovered by astute players taking time to communicate with them. Price was also influenced by Tolkien’s ents, and the relationship the galeb duhr have with stone was modeled on the relationship ents have with forests. Finally, the sandworms from Frank Herbert’s Dune also influenced the design of the galeb duhr, as Price wanted them to instill a similar sense of mystery and danger when they were encountered.

The name “galeb duhr” is not, as one Internet rumor has it, an anagram. Price liked the foreboding sound of “Khazad-dûm” from the Lord of the Rings and the sense of power evoked by “Muad’Dib”, the Fremen name adopted by Paul Atreides in Dune, so his objective was to come up with a two-syllable, one-syllable cadence name for the rock creature. His French ancestry helped him settle on “duhr” as the second word, since “dur” is French for hard. Price also wanted a name that felt like it could be Gaelic or Nordic and eventually settled on “galeb duhr” as being sufficiently unknown and mysterious.

In Michael P. Price’s own words: “As someone with a physics background I have always found the universe to be a magical place just as it is. I had always hoped the galeb duhr would be an enigmatic creature that would be magical for players to encounter because of its non-human existence. That is where the story of the galeb duhr began.”​


1st Edition
Along with the land urchin and the thri-kreen, the galeb duhr is one of three creatures whose first D&D appearance was in Monster Cards, Set 2. TSR produced four sets of these cards, each containing a color picture, and statistics for one monster. Most of the featured monsters were from the Monster Manual, but each set also included three "totally new creatures", perhaps as a hook to get monster completists to buy the cards even if they already owned the Monster Manual (and the Fiend Folio).​

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Monster Cards, Set 2 (1982)​

A galeb duhr is not complicated to describe. It looks like an 8-12 foot tall boulder and has rocky appendages that "act as hands and feet". That doesn't mean it has four limbs (at least not yet) merely that the two limbs it has double up as feet (for walking) or hands (when manipulating objects). In this initial appearance, galeb duhr are large creatures (described in the text as "very large"), and ponderously slow (a move of 6”, half human walking speed) but very intelligent. Galeb duhr live in rocky or mountainous areas, where groups of up to four of them are occasionally encountered together. When encountered they are in a lair 15% of the time and may have accumulated up to a dozen gemstones and perhaps a miscellaneous magic item or a potion as treasure.

Galeb duhr have either 8, 9 or 10 hit dice, presumably depending on size, and an impressive armor class of -2. They are neutral in alignment, and it isn’t clear from the limited initial description why adventurers would end up in combat with them. In case they do need to fight, galeb duhr have two "stomp" attacks per round (which do 2d8, 3d6 or 4d6 damage depending on hit dice). In addition, galeb duhr can cast a handful of earthy spells once per round as if they were 20th-level magic-users: move earth, passwall, stone shape, transmute rock to mud, and wall of stone.

They have the ability to animate one or two nearby boulders, much like a treant controls trees. The text attributes this ability to the fact that galeb duhr can feel the "earth power" in the rocky areas they inhabit. The animated boulders move slowly (move 3”) but fight as effectively as their animator (9 hit dice, 4d6 damage and an armor class of 0). Galeb duhr are vulnerable to cold attacks, and immune to lightning and fire (but not magical fire). They have a magic resistance of 20%.​

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Monster Manual II (1983)​

All twelve of the new creatures from the Monster Cards were eventually reprinted in the Monster Manual II. The galeb duhr entry differs only by one or two words from the text on the card. It also has a new (black and white) picture, but this is clearly adapted closely from the color Monster Cards art.

The Monster Cards use “galeb duhrs” as a plural, as does the Monster Manual II. All other 1st and 2nd Edition sources use the invariant plural “galeb duhr”. In 3rd and 4th Edition, the plural changed to “galeb duhrs”, but 5th Edition (mostly) uses “galeb duhr” again. For consistency, this article uses the current 5th Edition convention of “galeb duhr” throughout.

Galeb duhr appear in several more AD&D adventures during the 1980s. In C5: The Bane of Llywelyn there is an uninspiring combat encounter with a galeb duhr. The most interesting part of the encounter is the peculiar capitalisation of “Galeb duhr” throughout the text, as if the editor thought it was a proper noun, rather than just the type of creature.

The Earth Node in The Temple of Elemental Evil is home to two galeb duhr. The description of the pair gives us a first glimpse of galeb duhr attitudes to other beings. We learn that they have little patience, but are generally only hostile to those who feed on stone or gems. So opposed are they to mineral eaters that they are willing to provide aid in return for information about offenders.

Polyhedron #26 contains the adventure Needle, which was later published in an expanded stand-alone form. Part of the story takes place on the moon of the PCs' home world, and the inhabitants of the moon include galeb duhr, who are able to inhabit both the air-filled tunnels and airless surface of the moon. These galeb duhr are adapted to lunar life, and are less vulnerable to cold.​

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Caleb, Needle (1987)​

Frank Mentzer, Needle's author, seems to be the first person to have given any galeb duhr a name: "Caleb". Caleb is initially hostile, annoyed by the sounds the intruding adventurers make, but if they manage to communicate with him (presumably using tongues as they have no language in common) he becomes quite chatty. Delightfully, Caleb’s animated boulders also have names (Thuga and Thugy). The description of the galeb duhr in I11: Needle notes that the animated boulders share the resistances and immunities of the galeb duhr.​

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Needle (1987)​

Galeb duhr continued to make mostly low-key appearances in 1st Edition supplements. Dragon #105 has an encounter with a galeb duhr in the adventure Betrayed!. This is intended as a role-playing encounter, and the galeb duhr only fights if it is attacked. They are listed in the random encounter tables for the arctic wilderness in The House in the Frozen Lands adventure in Dragon #110, confirming that they can be found in arctic climes despite their vulnerability to cold. Although it is mostly remembered as a rules supplement, the Dungeoneer's Survival Guide contained a substantial DM's section, detailing the Deepearth setting. Here, galeb duhr are mentioned as one of the denizens clustering near the center of the Dark Realms, a region on the underdark near an interplanar whirlpool.

A group of four galeb duhr in Into the Fire (in Dungeon #1) are aggressively protective of their recently claimed territory, and launch an avalanche at passing adventurers without any provocation. An article on familiars in Polyhedron #43 suggests that a baby galeb duhr could be an appropriate, if somewhat unusual familiar for Gorff the dwarf. Towards the end of the 1st edition era, C6: The Official RPGA Tournament Handbook includes a peaceful encounter with four galeb duhr in the adventure The Long Way Home. The galeb duhr merely want to ask some questions, and then they will let the PCs pass.​


2nd Edition
Likely driven by the monster-per-page format of 2nd Edition's Monstrous Compendium series, the galeb duhr entry in Volume Two is substantially expanded. The basics remain the same: the galeb duhr still has just two limbs, specimens are still large creatures, 8-12 feet tall, and galeb duhr look like any other rock when not moving. When they do move, they are slow. They live in rocky terrain and can sense the power of the earth below them.

When encountered, a galeb duhr is said to prefer to avoid contact by disappearing into the ground. They generally fight only if pursued, or if "otherwise irritated", but are unhesitating once they commit to a battle. They have exactly the same spell casting abilities as in 1st Edition, with the exception of stone shape which can now be used at will. The rock men remain immune to lightning and normal fire, but now also get a save bonus against magical fire. Galeb duhr remain vulnerable to cold-based attacks. Their melee attacks and ability to animate boulders remain unchanged.​

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Monstrous Compendium Volume Two (1989)​

In 2nd Edition, for the first time, we get some insights into galeb duhr society. Rock people are quite solitary, and don't cohabit with any other creatures, not even earth elementals. At most, they live with a few of their own kind. They are active during the day, and usually encountered in small family groups in mountainous regions of the Prime Material Plane, but the Monstrous Compendium suggests that they are native to the Elemental Plane of Earth. Family groups occasionally include "young" galeb duhr, being smaller-sized specimens than normal; at this stage, the exact nature of their reproduction remains a mystery. Such groups leave little in the way of signs of their residence above ground.

Galeb duhr collect gems, which they find using passwall, and sometimes have other small magic items taken from those who tried and failed to steal their beloved gems. They are likely to know the whereabouts of many other gems, as well as veins of precious metals. Galeb duhr have no interest in such metals themselves, but are unlikely to share this information as they dislike their territories being mined. The creatures feel responsible for the smaller rocks and boulders around them, and may grow angry with visitors who disturb the area.

One galeb duhr past-time is singing. Sages are divided on the effects of the gravelly, low rumbling sounds produced by groups chanting in harmony. Some claim it can create or prevent earthquakes, while others speculate that it is a form of communication with distant relatives. Since galeb duhr often disappear into the ground before they are observed, this music is often the first and only evidence that they are nearby.

The Monstrous Compendium informs us that galeb duhr eat rock, preferring granite and disliking sedimentary rocks, and that they only need to eat such a meal once every two or three months. This is revealed to be incorrect in The Ecology of the Galeb Duhr. The Ecology article, by Robert Isaacson, appears in Dragon #172 and provides a slightly different interpretation of some galeb duhr habits. It clarifies that while galeb duhr do draw sustenance from contact with rocks, they do not actually eat (or sleep or breathe). In the same way that plants require sunlight to survive, a galeb duhr requires contact with the earth to nourish itself. If removed from contact with rock, the life force of galeb duhr will slowly begin to ebb. The less stone there is in the surrounding environment, the faster the galeb duhr will weaken. The creature will first lose its ability to manipulate stone, and eventually its connection to the Elemental Plane of Earth will vanish completely, transforming it into nothing more than a normal boulder, which cannot be restored to life by any means short of the power of a wish. If the galeb duhr returns to a mountainous environment before this happens, it will gradually recover.

The Ecology article details more external anatomy. A galeb duhr has a "rocky brow" above its stony black eyes, and a cavernous mouth capable of a mischievous grin. A galeb duhr uses digits on each appendage to grip the ground with each step, giving it a ponderous, but steady gait. When required, their digits are capable of fairly delicate manipulation. If a galeb duhr wishes to pose as a boulder, it draws its appendages close to its body, and closes its eyes and mouth. Galeb duhr speech is slow, similar in pace to that of a treant.

Galeb duhr have no internal organs, being solid stone throughout. Their body always matches the predominant stone of the area, with granite the most common, and other igneous and metamorphic types less common. Galeb duhr are never formed from sedimentary rock. If a galeb duhr is killed, the rock fragments of the creature's corpse are almost indistinguishable from other rocks. At least one sage (Liera Silvershadow, upon whose journals the Ecology article is based) postulates that the lack of anything resembling physical organs supports the theory that galeb duhr are the manifestation of animating elemental forces.

In addition to immunities to lightning and fire, and resistance to magical fire, we learn that galeb duhr are immune to poison and, because they do not breathe, harmful gasses and drowning. Acid attacks do still harm them. Because of their vulnerability to cold, galeb duhr often become dormant in wintertime, but those dwelling in underground caverns or areas strong in earth magic are protected from the chill. After more than three days in sub-freezing temperatures, a galeb duhr acts as though under the influence of a slow spell.

The Ecology article sheds some more light on the reproductive cycle of the galeb duhr, although in doing so it contradicts the Monstrous Compendium's mention of mobile "young". Galeb duhr have no gender, and do not mate. They can live many thousands of years, but if they do eventually die of natural causes, their bodies crumble away over a few days, leaving just three large chunks of stone. These are young galeb duhr and they remain immobile for roughly one century before awakening as adults—one of each size category of 8, 9 or 10 hit dice. At this point, the largest offspring usually takes over the territory, with the two smaller siblings moving off to find other homes. Occasionally, all three will continue to share one area.

A galeb duhr is a fiercely territorial creature, and is nearly impossible to dislodge once it has settled down. A typical territory covers one to four square miles, and the galeb duhr slowly patrols it, looking for signs of disturbance. A galeb duhr is intimately familiar with its land, and will usually have traps prepared for key access paths. These traps harness the natural landscape, and may be triggered by the creature's natural stone-shaping abilities. Example terrain traps employed by the galeb duhr include collapsing outcroppings, avalanches, and crushing walls of stone.

When not patrolling, a galeb duhr spends much of its time sitting in one place, watching and thinking. Intruders in the galeb duhr's territory will typically be observed for some time, to establish their intent. Peaceful travelers are permitted to pass, while those deemed to be hostile are harried and attacked by the galeb duhr from hiding. If this approach does not drive away the intruders, the galeb duhr animates boulders around it, and attacks, usually in a steep or narrow area, to limit its opponents' options. The Ecology article establishes that galeb duhr sometimes attack with a crushing bite, as an alternative to blows from its appendages.

The "earth power" mentioned in the original Monster Cards text is expanded upon in the Ecology. It is described as analogous to the strength of a galeb duhr's connection to the Elemental Plane of Earth, an unconscious link, but one which gives them the ability to shape stone and draw sustenance from rocks. Just as galeb duhr lose their powers and eventually die when separated from rock, so do they have the potential to become more powerful in areas with abnormally strong connections to Elemental Earth. In some areas where the elemental link has been magically strengthened, whole colonies of powerful galeb duhr gather. Perhaps not unexpectedly given their native elemental affinity, galeb duhr do not seem to have any religion.

Stronger galeb duhr are modeled in the article's footnotes by gaining new powers for every 500 years they live in a particular territory beyond the first 2,000, with exceptional cases gaining powers sooner. The new powers include bonuses to hit dice and armor class, improved resistance to magical fire, special resistance to cold, double the number of animated boulders and new spell abilities stone tell and stone barrier.​

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AD&D Trading Cards (1991)​

The illustration of the galeb duhr on card #475 of the 1991 AD&D Trading Card series suggests a greater size than in any other 2nd Edition appearance. It is little more than a giant face in the mountainside, stationary with small trees and grass growing on and around it.

The adventure Castle of the Blind Sun in Dungeon #49 again muddies the waters when it comes to galeb duhr diet. It includes an encounter with a group of galeb duhr, in which it is mentioned that granite is the galeb duhr's favorite food. It isn't clear if that applies just to this specific group, or to all galeb duhr. Although previous sources haven’t been clear about galeb duhr’s linguistic capabilities, this adventure seems to assume they speak common in a deep, grating voice. The encounter also takes an extreme view of the galeb duhr’s daytime activity cycle. The adventure revolves around a castle that becomes solid during a solar eclipse, and this occlusion of the sun causes the galeb duhr to become temporarily dormant.

Dungeon #73 includes an encounter in the adventure Quoitine Quest which ignores the Ecology article’s claim that galeb duhr don’t sleep. The adventurers are required to awaken a deeply sleeping galeb duhr by shouting loudly. Axe of the Dwarvish Lords has a detailed encounter with a galeb duhr who is feuding with a group of goblins. His singing is described as sounding like a “soft, melodious landslide”, and notably, he keeps his gemstone treasures hidden inside his body.​

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Monstrous Manual (1993)​

The Monstrous Manual has an updated color picture of four galeb duhr, but the text is the same as the Monstrous Compendium entry. These monsters still eat rocks and have mobile young. None of the Dragon Magazine additions to galeb duhr lore are included in the Monstrous Manual entry.​


3rd Edition
When introduced to 3rd Edition in the Monster Manual II, galeb duhr were, from the description at least, very similar in form to earlier incarnations. They are described as living boulders, with dark, brooding eyes, a mouth and rough-hewn appendages that serve as hands and feet. There is more size variation here, with large specimens reaching 16 feet, and the typical example is much smaller, a medium-sized creature at just 4 feet tall.

The written description isn't clear on how many appendages serve as hands and feet, and presumably no earlier sample art was provided to the illustrator. As a result, the 3rd Edition galeb duhr has grown two more limbs. It has two arms and two legs!​

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Monster Manual II (2002)​

Statistically, 3rd Edition galeb duhr have not evolved much. They default to 8 hit dice (76 hp), but while earlier incarnations maxed out at 10 hit dice, the largest can now advance to a significant 24 hit dice. Galeb duhr of 16 hit dice or more are large in size. They have an armor class of 22, and two slam attacks, each now doing a relatively low 1d6+1 points of damage. Galeb duhr have gained a burrowing speed (a slow 10 feet to match their walking speed), the iron will feat, and, amusingly, have perform ("ballad, chant, sing, storytelling, and five others") as a skill. Their treasure is more explicitly limited to gems and potions. We learn that the name of a group of galeb duhr (3-5) is a tumble.

There are some minor modifications to the spell-like abilities of galeb duhr, with the boulder animating ability now modeled as an at-will use of the animate objects spell, but limited to stone. They retain stone shape (at will) as well as move earth, passwall, transmute rock to mud, and wall of stone (each once per day). Their ability to remain still and look like a boulder is codified as the freeze ability, and they gain tremorsense within 300 feet to supplement their 60 foot range darkvision. As elementals, they are immune to poison, sleep, paralysis, stunning, critical hits and flanking. They cannot be raised or resurrected. They are no longer vulnerable to cold as they were in 1st and 2nd Edition, and indeed, the Frostburn supplement includes them in the encounter tables for cold mountains.

Like the 2nd Edition Monstrous Compendium, the 3rd Edition Monster Manual II insinuates that galeb duhr originate from the Elemental Plane of Earth. Their reproduction is once again a mystery. Galeb duhr habits remain largely unchanged; sitting still and occasional singing remain favored activities. Their songs are described as deep, resonant, slow, and often palpably sad. Although much of the sound is inaudible to humans, the subsonic tones tend to make horses nervous. Galeb duhr remain neutral in alignment and usually slow to anger, but are highly territorial and quickly become hostile to anyone threatening their mountain homes. There is more emphasis placed on their dislike of mining than previously, and they are again described as feeling protective towards the rocks and boulders which surround them. Galeb duhr are almost never encountered outside of mountainous terrain.

The galeb duhr received an update to 3.5 Edition rules in the D&D v.3.5 Accessory Update which was available as a download and a printed freebie in game stores. This amended the galeb duhr’s magic resistance from 15/+1 to 10/magic, adjusted the skills bonuses slightly, reduced the bouquet of perform skills to just singing and added the combat casting and negotiator feats. A level adjustment of +5 is noted.​


4th Edition
Whatever the reason for the additional limbs the galeb duhr gained in 3rd Edition, they were here to stay, with the illustration in the 4th Edition Monster Manual indicating distinct arms, legs and a head. This incarnation also keeps the smaller default size ("medium").​

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Monster Manual (2008)​

Comparing 4th Edition monsters statistics to any other edition is difficult, but the abilities of the two types of galeb duhr presented in the Monster Manual are certainly more limited in scope than before. The galeb duhr earthbreaker can hurl stones (inflicting 1d10+6 damage in a small burst and creating difficult terrain) and generate a shock wave (causing 1d6+6 damage in a slightly larger burst and knocking down opponents). The slightly more powerful galeb duhr rockcaller can fill an area with rocks to make it difficult terrain or make the earth reach up and restrain an opponent. The rockcaller also has a rolling attack (2d8+6 damage and the target is knocked prone), which is a cool idea for a creature that is essentially a boulder.

When not using special attacks, galeb duhr default to slam attacks (1d8+6 damage for the earthbreaker, 2d8+4 for the rockcaller). Neither type of galeb duhr can animate boulders. An earthbreaker has 73 hit points and an armor class of 22, while the more powerful rockcaller has 118 hit points and an armor class of 25. Galeb duhr have a walking speed of 4, a burrowing speed of 6 and ignore difficult terrain. They have tremorsense and are unaligned. 5th Edition galeb duhr have lost their immunity to fire and lightning, now having immunities only to petrification and poison.

The 4th Edition Monster Manual's lore entry for the galeb duhr is a confusing mess. It starts by noting that all dwarves were long ago slaves to the giants and titans, and continues with the following sentence: "More than one variety of dwarf failed to escape during the initial revolution, including the galeb duhrs". So apparently galeb duhr are a type of dwarf, despite there being no mention at all of this relationship anywhere elsewhere in the monster entry. As it turns out, galeb duhr are indeed a form of corrupted dwarf tracing their origins back to the days of dwarven servitude to the giant races, but we have to stumble onto this information in the Player's Handbook's racial description for dwarves. Michael P. Price, the galeb duhr’s creator, is not a fan of this interpretation of their origins, noting that the idea that galeb duhr are some type of corrupted dwarf is “completely arbitrary and makes a mockery of the entire history of this creature”.

The Plane Below: Secrets of the Elemental Chaos expands on this dwarven taxonomy. Galeb duhr are relatives of azers and eisk jaats, all of whom descended from dwarves who were once enslaved by giants and twisted by elemental energy. The entry in the Monster Manual notes that while some galeb duhr have slipped away from their brutish masters, some still serve the giant races. This servitude relationship with the giants is a recurring theme in 4th Edition, and all galeb duhr speak both the dwarven and giant languages.

Galeb duhr dwell on a wider variety of planes in 4th Edition than previously. They can be found living in the Elemental Chaos on the earthmotes of Irdoc Morda and Allrock (according to The Plane Below: Secrets of the Elemental Chaos), as well as in Celestia, one of the astral dominions (see Manual of the Planes).

Dungeon Magazine #198 presents two new variations of galeb duhr. The galeb duhr rockbreaker is an upgraded (113 hit point) version of the earthbreaker, with a more powerful shock wave attack (2d10+13 damage), and a new stone burst ability (2d8+6 damage in a small burst) replacing hurl stones. The galeb duhr rockspawn, on the other hand, is just a one-hit minion, with a simple slam attack (10 points of damage).

Most 4th Edition encounters featuring galeb duhr are combat encounters, but towards the end of the edition, there was a shift to more role-playing in adventures. In The Elder Elemental Eye, the eighth season of D&D Encounters organized play, there is an encounter with a galeb duhr hermit who actively avoids combat. If the heroes talk to the creature they can gain valuable information. If they attack it, it simply burrows away.

One of the last books for 4th Edition, Player's Option: Heroes of the Elemental Chaos, expands slightly on the galeb duhr origin story, building a link to the elemental magic known as "earthforging". Following their enslavement by the giants, dwarven efforts to master elemental power led to the birth of the galeb duhr. An unknown number of dwarves succumbed to the "temptation" of elemental power, losing themselves to its magic.​


5th Edition
The first 5th Edition appearance of the galeb duhr is in the Reclaiming Blingdenstone adventure from the August 2012 D&D Next Playtest Packet. These galeb duhr are a plot hook rather than active participants in the adventure. The heroes of the story must assist the gnomes of Blingdenstone in reawakening a group of ancient Speaking Stones, previously described in Drizzt Do'Urden's Guide to the Underdark (see below). There are no galeb duhr statistics in the adventure; those would have to wait for the Monster Manual two years later.​

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Monster Manual (2014)​

The Monster Manual version of the galeb duhr sticks to the medium-sized four-limbed body we've had since 3rd edition. At 9 hit dice (85 hit points), this galeb duhr is slightly stronger than its 8 hit dice 1st and 2nd Edition ancestors. It has an armor class of 16, and although—like the 4th Edition version—it has no special resistances to fire or lightning, it benefits from damage resistance to all non-magical bludgeoning, piercing and slashing damage and immunity to poison, exhaustion, paralyzation and petrification. It has a simple +5 slam attack, which does 2d6+5 points of bludgeoning damage.

The galeb duhr’s ability to look like a boulder when stationary is now called false appearance. When it moves, it has a walking speed of 15 ft., or 30 ft. when rolling (or 60 ft. downhill). The rolling attack from 4th Edition is now a rolling charge and a galeb duhr can use this prior to a slam attack to do an extra 2d6 damage and knock an opponent prone. The ability to animate boulders has been restored, with the galeb duhr able to animate two nearby boulders as unintelligent galeb duhr for up to a minute, once per day. Galeb duhr have darkvision (60 ft.), tremorsense (60 ft.) and speak the Terran language. They are neutral in alignment.

The background and lore in the Monster Manual are quite sparse, and not entirely consistent with their game history. It is said that galeb duhr form naturally in places touched by the Plane of Earth, and are thus usually encountered in rocky terrain. As well as occurring naturally, powerful magic allows galeb duhr to be summoned from the Plane of Earth, so they are sometimes used by spellcasters to act as stone guardians, or charged by druids to protect a sacred hilltop. The Dungeon Master’s Guide notes that the inner planes are populated with elemental spirits that can be bound into galeb duhr and various other creatures. Once created, a galeb duhr is permanently bound to the Material Plane, and does not return to the Plane of Earth upon death.

Galeb duhr are more intelligent than most elementals and have excellent memories. Capable of assessing threats, they are willing to communicate and share information with creatures entering their protected territory if they do not consider them to be threatening. They do not age or eat, and sometimes remain perfectly still for years at a time.

There are possible encounters with two galeb duhr in the adventure Lost Laboratory of Kwalish. These are unremarkable encounters except that the galeb duhr are said to have instinctive knowledge of each other, and their reactions to the adventurers depend on how the other was treated. In the Domains of Delight accessory, galeb duhr are listed as potential denizens of a Feywild domain.

In the course of their nearly four decade existence, the galeb duhr have morphed from mysterious stone creatures to anthropomorphic rock people to a race of corrupted dwarves and back to humanoids made of rock. The 5th Edition galeb duhr still have one of the key characteristics that their creator intended. They are intelligent creatures capable of sharing valuable information with those who take the time to communicate with them. Used properly in a game, they can evoke a sense of mystery and power. Unfortunately, the gradual anthropomorphization of their physical form detracts from this role, and makes them more likely to be used simply as monsters to be fought.

Creator Michael P. Price notes that he is very happy that the galeb duhr managed to live on well beyond the Monster Cards because it was always his fear that they would be quickly forgotten, but admits that it is hard to recognise the later iterations of the creature as the galeb duhr he intended them to be.​


Galeb duhr and other monsters
Despite their solitary natures, galeb duhr have been known to ally with other creatures from time to time in D&D history. The Ecology of the Galeb Duhr gives treants and pech as two examples of potential allies. It is just as well that pech are usually friendly towards galeb duhr, as the Monstrous Manual notes that their knowledge of stone allows them to inflict maximum damage against lithic monsters like galeb duhr. A relationship between galeb duhr and treants is supported by the adventure Things That Go Bump in the Night in Dungeon #38 which features a role-playing encounter with a galeb duhr named Rockwell and his best friend Clement, a treant. When not dealing with adventurers, this pair spend their time in philosophical discussions. Dungeon #68 suggests that a korred might persuade a family of galeb duhr to protect a circle of standing stones and in 5th Edition, korreds can both summon galeb duhr and are known to consort with them, according to Volo’s Guide to Monsters. Planes of Chaos mentions that oreads, guardian spirits of mountains, are on good terms with galeb duhr, and even speak the galeb duhr language. WG12: Vale of the Mage features grivelings, humanoid natives of the elemental Plane of Earth whom the galeb duhr consider to be kin.

The galeb duhr of 4th Edition are much less discriminating about their allegiances. The Monster Manual notes that they are sometimes encountered with gargoyles and other creatures of elemental earth, and the sample encounter group includes a bulette. Other creatures encountered with galeb duhr include white dragons, earth giants, manticores and rocs. King of the Trollhaunt Warrens includes an encounter with a galeb duhr working alongside trolls and nothics. This galeb duhr has sworn to serve the troll king Skalmad, and joins the trolls in combat against the PCs, albeit reluctantly. The Monster Manual 2 and Monster Manual 3 both expanded the pool of potential allies to include stone giants, goliaths, xorn and even earthquake dragons. A galeb duhr is under the dominion of the adamantine dragon Vanathia in Draconomicon 2: Metallic Dragons. In 5th Edition, Fizban’s Treasury of Dragons suggests galeb duhr as lair guardians for several types of dragons: copper, gold, emerald and sapphire.

Galeb duhr have been known to serve individual elemental beings. The Planescape Monstrous Compendium Volume III notes that the archomental Sunnis, Princess of Good Earth Creatures, counts galeb duhr among her followers in her fortress stronghold of Sandfall. The 4th Edition Monster Manual 3 says that some galeb duhr create shrines and claim Ogrémoch as their maker. Galeb duhr are mentioned as serving under the banner of the Great Dao Khan Kristobal in Elemental Patrons and Palaces in Dragon #408. They have not always voluntarily served dao; ALQ4: Secrets of the Lamp notes that galeb duhr are among the types of slaves captured by the sandmen who serve the dao slavetakers. As has already been mentioned, 4th Edition galeb duhr often serve giants or titans. Dungeon #198 even has a stone giant named Arnak who can call forth five galeb duhr each encounter. It isn’t always elemental beings that the galeb duhr serve; REF3: The Book of Lairs has a lich capable of summoning galeb duhr to test adventurers’ abilities.

Compared to this list of friends, D&D sources don't mention many galeb duhr enemies. The lunar galeb duhr in Polyhedron #26 steer clear of the neighboring spider-like chak, and there are examples of galeb duhr killing worgs (Dungeon #73) or hiring PCs to get rid of unwanted goblins (Axe of the Dwarvish Lords), but none of these are serious enough to qualify as racial enemies. The only mention of a true enemy appears to be the chaotic earth elementals known as erdeen. These creatures are detailed in the Monstrous Compendium Mystara Appendix (see below). Unfortunately, the nature and reason for the enmity between the erdeen and the galeb duhr is not disclosed.​


Galeb duhr parts
The Ecology article in Dragon #172 reveals that a spell which is cast using a fragment of a deceased galeb duhr's body instead of an ordinary stone material component becomes half again as powerful. Unfortunately, the fragment only keeps this power for a month after the death of the galeb duhr, and it is always consumed during the casting of the enhanced spell, even if the spell component would not normally be.​


Galeb duhr and magic
The Ecology of the Galeb Duhr teaches us that most earth spells (including dig, move earth, passwall, sink, spike stones, stone shape, and transmute rock to mud) have no effect on a galeb duhr. PHBR13: The Complete Druid's Handbook adds strengthen stone to that list. Of course, in 1st and 2nd Edition, galeb duhr had a magic resistance of 20%, so ordinary spells might also fail against them.

Some spells are especially harmful to galeb duhr; earthquake causes death (or, at best, merely extensive harm) and stone to flesh turns a galeb duhr into a fleshy substance, causing it considerable distress and the loss of all stone powers. Ballant's stonesplit (a 6th level wizard spell from Dragon #145) causes great damage to stone-composed creatures, and Iuz the Evil notes that although the primary use of the stone curse spell is to weaken construction, it can also be used offensively in combat against creatures such as galeb duhr.

The 7th-level priest spell antimineral shell (from Player's Option: Spells & Magic) does not harm a galeb duhr, but it is impervious to stone-based lifeforms, so is a good defense against one. Animate rock charms a galeb duhr, allowing the caster to control it. However, the galeb duhr will resent this, and attack once the effect wears off. The stone tell spell forces a galeb duhr to truthfully answer questions. The command earth spell (found in From the Ashes) gives a priest limited powers over creatures from the Elemental Plane of Earth, including galeb duhr. Stone sleep (from Dragon #187) can force a galeb duhr into a dormant state.

Fortunately, there are also some spells which benefit galeb duhr. The Bazaar of the Bizarre article in Dragon #145 includes Ballant's stonestrength. This is a 5th-level wizard spell that completely repairs any stone-composed creature it is cast upon, including galeb duhr. A spell unique to galeb duhr is stone barrier. This is similar to a blade barrier but with the form of a whirling wall of flying stones. It appears in Dragon #172.

The Encyclopedia Magica entry for gargoyle cloak, which is a slightly expanded version of the one from Temple of Elemental Evil, lists the galeb duhr as one of the creatures for which other cloaks of polymorphing may be found. The 3rd Edition Magic Item Compendium contains a galeb duhr hammer which is a +1 warhammer that causes the ground to try to grasp its targets. Playing havoc with what we thought we knew about the galeb duhr lifecycle, this hammer is said to be the nascent form of a galeb duhr, given as a gift by dwarven clan fathers to other friends of the earth.​


Birthright
In the Birthright campaign setting there are rumors that the dwarves of Baruk-Azhik have struck bargains with the resident galeb duhr to serve as spies or sentries (see Player's Secrets of Baruk-Azhik). In the adventure The Sword of Roele there is an encounter with Crusher, a galeb duhr member of the Order of the Sun. Crusher is described as having a “motherly” personality. A neutral evil branch of galeb duhr are encountered with uncommon frequency in rocky Shadow World terrain, according to Blood Spawn: Creature of Light and Shadow.​


Council of Wyrms
Galeb duhr are listed on the encounter tables for arctic and tropical mountains in the Council of Wyrms boxed set.​


Dark Sun
In the revised Dark Sun Campaign Setting boxed set, galeb duhr are listed in the random encounter tables for the Sea of Silt. The text indicates that they have a chance of possessing a wild psionic talent. The 4th Edition Dark Sun Creature Catalog notes that burrowing anakore can be found in the company of galeb duhr, and that the four-armed giants called brohgs are known galeb duhr allies.​


Dragonlance
Galeb duhr seems to be rare on Krynn, but they are listed in the encounter tables in MC4: Monstrous Compendium Dragonlance Appendix and mentioned in the Bestiary of Krynn, Revised. One of the forms favored by the exiled gold dragon Evenstar, encountered in DL4: Dragons of Desolation, is that of a galeb duhr.

A group of mad galeb duhr reside in the Screaming Valley in the Plains of Dust. According to the novel Betrayal, they lure travelers into drowning themselves in a river of mud by assaulting them with high-pitched, maddening screams. They are said to be ancient creatures, predating the Cataclysm, which prompts one of characters in the novel to suggest that it might have been living through the Cataclysm that drove the galeb duhr mad.​


Eberron
The only mention of galeb duhr in an Eberron game product seems to be in the 4th Edition Eberron Player’s Guide, which simply notes them as an example of a race that speaks the dwarven language. However, the protagonists of the Eberron novel The Shard Axe have a run-in with a dozen galeb duhr in caverns not far south of the city of Frostmantle in the Mror Holds. This encounter proves fatal for one member of the party, who is kicked into a pool of boiling mud by an airborne animated boulder.​


Forgotten Realms
Galeb duhr dwell in many parts of the Forgotten Realms, including northwest Faerûn. FR5: The Savage Frontier notes that they inhabit most mountain ranges in the region. In The North boxed set we learn that Turnstone Pass has been blocked by treants and a large number of galeb duhr, forcing caravan traffic to follow alternative routes. We discover in Dragon #248 that along with leucrotta, galeb duhr have always inhabited the Rockshaws, a northeastern region of the High Moor. In Deepest Night, a short adventure released to promote the Adventures in the Forgotten Realms set of Magic: The Gathering cards, there are trio of galeb duhr sitting and watching the world. They’ve been sitting there for five years(!) so far, and will assist in moving some boulders in exchange for a good story (told slowly). Further south, galeb duhr are known to reside along the River Lundeth in Thindol on the Chultan peninsula (see Serpent Kingdoms) and in the Alimir Mountains of Calimshan (see Empires of the Shining Sea).

The nation of Aglarond, in the area known as the Unapproachable East, has a history intertwined with that of the region's galeb duhr population. Spellbound notes that there are ancient galeb duhr living deep in the Tannath mountains, far from human habitation. Back in 1085 DR, during the time of King Brindor, these galeb duhr worked with the King's wizards to raise the black, stone fortress of Glarondar and the great Watchwall which stretches miles northwards from Glarondar to the slopes of the Umbergoth mountains (see The Grand History of the Realms). In Unapproachable East it is mentioned that in return for this assistance, King Brindor pledged the aid of his people whenever the galeb duhr might call for it. So far they have not. In the Living Forgotten Realms module AGLA2-3: Sojourner's Way, set in the same region, the heroes meet a galeb duhr named Onyx, Stonespeaker for the Diamondsoul tribe. A skill check is needed to persuade the creature that they are merely passing through.

In the novel Red Magic, two galeb duhr are responsible for the demolition of half an army of undead. They are guarding a mine northeast of Amruthar in the nation of Thay when they are magically compelled to awaken and fight by a Red Wizard. The galeb duhr send a flurry of boulders tumbling down the mountain to crush the undead soldiers.

In FRA2: Black Courser, while they are accompanying the Tuigan army, the heroes of the adventure wander into a community of over a hundred galeb duhr, drawn by the Tuigan tradition of leaving a small gemstone (much coveted by the galeb duhr) on the rocks as they pass through the region.

On the other side of the continent entirely lie the Moonshae islands. In FA1: Halls of the High King, both the elven (Llewyrr) and human (Ffolk) peoples have legends about tall standing stones or menhirs that loom up out of the mists in open country, late at night, and only when there are mists about. Travelers who see them usually flee headlong, for they look menacing and are accompanied by the sound of wailing, unearthly voices. It isn't clear if these are a local species of galeb duhr, or something more sinister.

Galeb duhr are also found beneath the surface of Faerûn. Drizzt Do'Urden's Guide to the Underdark details the Speaking Stones, a circle of eighteen stone menhirs that predate the svirfneblin city of Blingdenstone. Thought by the gnomes to be a cluster of truly ancient galeb duhr, the Speaking Stones are venerated as manifestations of the Lords of the Golden Hills, the gnomish pantheon. Svirfneblin priests cast augury and commune from within the circle, interpreting the responses to their entreaties from subtle changes in the vibrations that permeate the bedrock below. As noted above, the D&D Next adventure Reclaiming Blingdenstone also involves the Speaking Stones, which have grown silent, no longer producing the subtle vibrations the gnome priests use for their divinations, and they feature again in the 5th Edition adventure Out of the Abyss. That adventure also places galeb duhr in a number of other locations, including the entrance to the Pickshine Mines, and in Gravenhollow library where they serve as cleaners and assistants to the stone giant librarians. Two galeb duhr guard a narrow stone bridge in The Black Geode in Princes of the Apocalypse.

The 3rd Edition supplement Underdark details a band of nomadic galeb duhr known as Durgg-Gontag, with the name referring to both their tribe and any place they stop. Although not a political group, the Durgg-Gontag are friends of the Harpers, and often act as their agents. A chance meeting with the Durgg-Gontag can be a huge boon to lost underdark travelers, as the galeb duhr are usually happy to share their supplies and act as guides. In a completely different part of the Underdark — the dungeons of Undermountain below Waterdeep — there is a group of galeb duhr allied with the dao Jarûk, the self-styled khan of rock and roll. Jarûk is, according to Waterdeep: Dungeon of the Mad Mage, a fan of both rocks and rock music.

During the Spellplague, the landmass known as Returned Abeir replaced Maztica in the west of the planet. According to the 4th Edition Forgotten Realms Campaign Guide, the city of Darrawn in the Fimbrul region of that continent is inhabited by earth giants and galeb duhr, who wage an endless war against dragons, rebel galeb duhr, and oni-led orc bands.

Several of the 5th Edition Adventurers League scenarios include encounters with galeb duhr. DDEX03-15 Szith Morcane Unbound features Grek, a galeb duhr exiled from the stone giant Lodge of Faces, located near the Underdark outpost of Szith Morcane. This galeb duhr was being carved to resemble a stone giant, but was exiled after his face cracked during the process. Neither Grek nor the stone giants are in an entirely normal state of mind. A family of galeb duhr (Ggrrkk, Hhffft and Prrrt) are hard at work constructing a pyramid in DDAL05-01: Treasure of the Broken Hoard. Prrrt could really use some assistance in dealing with an embarrassing stone boring beetle infestation in his lower extremities. In DDAL00-04: Winter’s Flame, a galeb duhr named Slab fiercely protects its friend, a fire snake called Smoll, who is quite ill. As a result of some wizardly experiments, Slab is slightly different from other galeb duhr. The galeb duhr has a large gemstone embedded in its torso, and animates lumps of coal instead of boulders.​

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Slab, DDAL00-04: Winter’s Flame (2017)​

Polyhedron #44 introduces the dragger, a slightly weaker, but more aggressive cousin of the galeb duhr. This was expanded into a full Monstrous Compendium-style entry in The City of Ravens Bluff. Like galeb duhr, draggers are native to the Plane of Elemental Earth, but are found in natural caverns and underways below the city of Ravens Bluff. A dragger typically hides in the floor in an area with some foot traffic, and disguises itself with an at-will hallucinatory terrain ability. Anyone approaching is at high risk of being grabbed, swallowed whole and abducted to be quickly dissolved by the dragger’s potent digestive juices. Pro tip: When viewing a galeb duhr and a dragger next to each other, the dragger is the one with the larger mouth.​

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Dragger, The City of Ravens Bluff (1998)​


Greyhawk
A galeb duhr is a possible random encounter in the Drachensgrab Hills on the trail between the slavelords’ stockade and their stronghold deeper in the mountains in A1-4: Scourge of the Slavelords. In 2nd Edition galeb duhr appear in the random encounter tables for subarctic and temperate mountains in MC5: Monstrous Compendium Greyhawk Adventures Appendix, and references to galeb duhr are prevalent in other Greyhawk sources.

WG12: Vale of the Mage features galeb duhr as a potential random encounter in the Barrier Peaks, en route to the Vale, as well as serving as guards of the passage into the Vale itself. These galeb duhr aren’t hostile (unless they have to be), but they are very determined not to allow adventurers into the valley. The galeb duhr in WGA2: Falconmaster are equally unwelcoming, and have a well-practiced plan to protect the territory in which they dwell. Approaching adventurers will find a convenient stone bridge to cross, and will have no reason at all to suspect that the large boulders lurking nearby are anything but what they seem. Once they are halfway across the bridge, the “boulders” will transmute the bridge into mud, dumping the would-be trespassers into the gorge below.

Three galeb duhr lead three clans of mephits in the Tower of Power in Greyhawk Ruins. Galeb duhr are listed on the random encounter tables for the Griff Mountains in WGS1: Five Shall Be One and for the mountains north of the Bandit Kingdoms in WGS2: Howl from the North. In From the Ashes galeb duhr are mentioned as inhabitants of the Stone Citadel of Dawn in the Mounds of Dawn. Krangord, one of Iuz's citadels, is occasionally attacked by renegade galeb duhr (see Iuz the Evil), and in Return of the Eight, galeb duhr are listed as one of the monster races that the wizard Tenser counts as allies. Could Tenser's allies and Iuz's renegades be the same group of rock-men?

According to the Player’s Guide to Greyhawk, galeb duhr reside in the Screaming Valley in central Flanaess. They may also be encountered in the Crypt of Lyzandred the Mad. In one of the Perrenland regional scenarios for the Living Greyhawk campaign (PERSM 5-03: The Purity of Sound), there is an encounter with an advanced galeb duhr named Oldus Rockus, who is thousands of years old. He requires that the adventurers perform an impromptu musical to entertain him, before he will allow them to pass.​


Historical reference
DMGR5: Creative Campaigning suggests galeb duhr as an appropriate creature to use for a D&D campaign set in Celtic Ireland, and The People in Dragon #205 includes them as an allowed monster in a fantasy America campaign. Galeb duhr, however, are not appropriate for a Greek setting, at least according to HR6: Age of Heroes.​


Mystara
Galeb duhr don’t feature in any Mystara adventures, but there are a couple of potential relatives detailed in the Monstrous Compendium Mystara Appendix. Erdeen are lumpy rock creatures originally from the elemental Plane of Earth. Chaotic yet surprisingly graceful beings, they spend much of their time rearranging earth and rock into new configurations, which are often not particularly stable. It seems possible that they could be related to galeb duhr, but erdeen view the relatively stodgy galeb duhr as their enemies.​

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Erdeen, Monstrous Compendium Mystara Appendix (1994)​

Far less convincing as potential relatives are the strange bipedal shell-dwellers known as geonids. Unlike galeb duhr, they are not made of stone, but are fleshy creatures with a thick, stone-like shell. If a geonid retracts its limbs inside the shell, it could be mistaken for a small boulder, but even though the Monstrous Compendium Mystara Appendix suggests that geonids may be related to galeb duhr, they don’t dwell in proximity to each other and are unlikely to be more than very distantly related.​

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Geonid, Monstrous Compendium Mystara Appendix (1994)​


Planescape
The Planescape Campaign Setting and Planescape Monstrous Compendium Appendix both list galeb duhr as natives of the Plane of Earth. The Inner Planes notes that they may also be encountered on the Quasielemental Plane of Salt. It predates the Planescape setting, but H4: The Throne of Bloodstone also mentions galeb duhr living on a rocky layer of the abyss. If the Blood Wars card game hadn’t been canceled after Escalation Pack 3, then the galeb duhr was to be card #609 of the elemental themed Escalation Pack 4.

The demigod-like dharum suhn from Planescape Monstrous Compendium Volume III are said to be relatives of the galeb duhr. However, this relationship is likened to the relationship between the lowliest of apes and the most powerful human wizards.​

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Dharum Suhn, Planescape Monstrous Compendium Volume III (1998)​


Ravenloft
In the Ravenloft domain of G'henna, rock dancers are galeb duhr without legs who move by rolling, according to Circle of Darkness. True galeb duhr are found in the Stowndowns area of The Shadow Rift. They are sometimes employed by the erdluitle, a race of neutral good earth creatures similar to pech, who also inhabit the Shadow Rift. A galeb duhr is also listed as a potential encounter in the gemstone domain of Aggarath in The Forgotten Terror.​


Spelljammer
According to SJQ1: Heart of the Enemy, the dridge are a race of rock-like creatures resembling galeb duhr who once lived beneath the surface of the world of Lukkum in Shadowspace. The catastrophic collapse of Lukkum into a thin disk decimated the dridge and the few survivors now eke out an existence in caves on the surface of the disk.​


Strixhaven
In Strixhaven: Curriculum of Chaos, a galeb duhr is accidentally summoned by a malfunctioning wand. The creature is angry and confused at being summoned, so it heads straight for the nearest tavern.​


Miniatures
It wasn't until 2008 that the first galeb duhr miniature was produced for D&D, as figure #36 of the Against the Giants set. Since the figure appears in one of the first sets released for 4th edition, it's tempting to wonder if the desire to produce a more accessible medium-sized miniature had any influence on the decision to keep the smaller size and additional limbs introduced in 3rd Edition. A version with a slightly different paint job was released as player reward figure D&DC71.​

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D&D Miniatures: Against the Giants (2008), images from MinisGallery

A more recent galeb duhr mini was produced by WizKids as figure #32 of the Icons of the Realms: Monster Menagerie 2 set.​

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Icons of the Realms: Monster Menagerie 2 (2017), image from MinisGallery


Computer games
Galeb duhr have appeared in D&D computer games since at least 1994’s Menzoberranzan.​

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Menzoberranzan (1994), image from Byron

It is possible to obtain a galeb duhr as a companion in the Neverwinter computer game.​

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Neverwinter (2013), image from arc games

Variations including the frozen galeb duhr, lava galeb duhr, and volcanic galeb duhr are also available.​

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Volcanic galeb duhr, Neverwinter (2013), image from arc games

More recently, the Idle Champions of the Forgotten Realms game includes a galeb duhr as a monstrous boss opponent.​

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Idle Champions of the Forgotten Realms (September 2017)​


Galeb duhr names
Caleb, Crusher, Dun-Durgg, Ggrrkk, Grek, Hhffft, Hourm, Oldus Rockus, Onyx, Prrrt, Rock, Rockwell, Slab.​


Comparative statistics
For 4th Edition, the Galeb Duhr Earthbreaker was used for comparison purposes.


References
Dragon #61, p51, New AD&D Aid: Monster Cards (May 1982)
Monster Cards, Set 2 (May 1982)
Monster Manual II, p68 (August 1983)
DL4: Dragons of Desolation, p26 (September 1984)
C5: The Bane of Llywelyn, p6-7 (March 1985)
T1-4: The Temple of Elemental Evil, p116, 126 (August 1985)
Polyhedron #26, p17-18, 21 (November 1985)
Dragon #105, p48, 50, Betrayed! (January 1986)
A1-4: Scourge of the Slavelords, p90 (May 1986)
Dragon #110, p48, The House in the Frozen Lands (June 1986)
Dungeoneer’s Survival Guide, p97 (June 1986)
Dungeon #1, p49, Into the Fire (September 1986)
REF3: The Book of Lairs, p85 (September 1986)
I11: Needle, p8-9, 44 (February 1987)
C6: The Official RPGA Tournament Handbook (March 1987)
H4: The Throne of Bloodstone, p37 (May 1988)
FR5: The Savage Frontier, p16 (August 1988)
Polyhedron #43, p30, Great Familiars (September 1988)
Polyhedron #44, p7, A Few Monsters (November 1988)
Dragon #145, p41-42, Bazaar of the Bizarre (May 1989)
Monstrous Compendium Volume Two (August 1989)
MC4: Monstrous Compendium Dragonlance Appendix (February 1990)
WG12: Vale of the Mage, p27, 41-41 (January 1990)
MC5: Monstrous Compendium Greyhawk Adventures Appendix (April 1990)
WGA2: Falconmaster, p22 (June 1990)
WGR1: Greyhawk Ruins, p68 (July 1990)
FRA2: Black Courser, p27 (July 1990)
FA1: Halls of the High King, p62 (October 1990)
WGS1: Five Shall Be One, p28 (February 1991)
Dragon #172, p20, The Ecology of the Galeb Duhr (August 1991)
1991 Trading Cards Factory Set, card 475/750 (September 1991)
WGS2: Howl from the North, p11 (September 1991)
Red Magic (October 1991)
SJQ1: Heart of the Enemy, p46, 48, 50 (February 1992)
From the Ashes, Reference Card #6 and Atlas of the Flanaess, p72 (October 1992)
Dragon #187, p34, Arcane Lore (November 1992)
Dungeon #38, p35, Things That Go Bump in the Night (November 1992)
DMGR5: Creative Campaigning, p19 (January 1993)
WGR5: Iuz the Evil, p11, 21 (March 1993)
Monstrous Manual, p102, 122 (June 1993)
ALQ4: Secrets of the Lamp, Genie Lore, p17 (October 1993)
HR6: Age of Heroes, p53 (March 1994)
Planescape Campaign Setting, A DM Guide to the Planes, p29 (March 1994)
Council of Wyrms, Card 9 and Card 10 (May 1994)
Dragon #205, p15 The People (May 1994)
Planescape Monstrous Compendium Appendix, p128 (June 1994)
Monstrous Compendium Mystara Appendix, p37, 47 (July 1994)
Planes of Chaos, Monstrous Supplement, p20 (July 1994)
PHBR13: The Complete Druid’s Handbook, p94 (August 1994)
Dungeon #49, p59-60, Castle of the Blind Sun (September 1994)
Encyclopedia Magica, Volume I, p303 (November 1994)
Menzoberranzan (1994)
Circle of Darkness, p64 (May 1995)
Spellbound, Campaign Guide, p48, 58, 59, 62, 127 (June 1995)
Dark Sun Campaign Setting, The Age of Heroes, p89-90 (October 1995)
The Sword of Roele, p51 (February 1996)
The North: Guide to the Savage Frontier, The Wilderness, p57 (April 1996)
Player’s Option: Spells & Magic, p 178 (May 1996)
Player’s Secrets of Baruk-Azhik, p10 (May 1996)
The Forgotten Terror, p20 (October 1997)
Planescape Monstrous Compendium Volume III, p21, 35 (March 1998)
The Shadow Rift, p100-101 (April 1998)
Dungeon #68, p63, Stepping Stones (May 1998)
Return of the Eight, p58 (May 1998)
Dragon #248, p60, Wyrms of the North: The Moor Dragon Mornauguth (June 1998)
Player’s Guide to Greyhawk, p62 (June 1998)
Empires of the Shining Sea, p75 (September 1998)
The City of Ravens Bluff, p94 (October 1998)
Crypt of Lyzandred the Mad, p11-12 (October 1998)
The Inner Planes, p120 (November 1998)
Dungeon #73, p16-17, Quoitine Quest (March 1999)
Axe of the Dwarvish Lords, p101-107 (April 1999)
Dungeon #74, p47-48, Night of the Bloodbirds (May 1999)
Drizzt Do’Urden’s Guide to the Underdark, p41 (November 1999)
Blood Spawn: Creature of Light and Shadow, p80 (January 2001)
The Dhamon Saga, Volume 2: Betrayal (June 2001)
Monster Manual II, p107 (September 2002)
Unapproachable East, p96, 105 (May 2003)
D&D v.3.5 Accessory Update, p33 (July 2003)
Underdark, p147 (October 2003)
Serpent Kingdoms, p129 (July 2004)
Frostburn, p213-214 (September 2004)
PERSM 5-03: The Purity of Sound, p16-17 (2005)
Magic Item Compendium, p52 (March 2007)
Bestiary of Krynn, Revised, p154 (April 2007)
The Grand History of the Realms, p118 (September 2007)
Monster Manual, p85, 114, 115, 122, 184, 221, (June 2008)
Player’s Handbook, p37 (June 2008)
D&D Miniatures: Against the Giants, figures #36/60 and D&DC71 (July 2008)
Forgotten Realms Campaign Guide, p208, 211 (August 2008)
P1: King of the Trollhaunt Warrens, Adventure Book Two, p28-29 (October 2008)
Manual of the Planes, p91 (December 2008)
Monster Manual 2, p125, 136, 215 (May 2009)
Eberron Player’s Guide, p14 (June 2009)
Draconomicon 2: Metallic Dragons, p108, 110, 116-117 (November 2009)
The Plane Below: Secrets of the Elemental Chaos, p64, 76, 137 (December 2009)
Monster Manual 3, p68, 163 (June 2010)
Dark Sun Creature Catalog, p12, 20 (August 2010)
The Shard Axe (September 2011)
Dungeon #198, Warriors of the Stone Giant Thane (January 2012)
Player’s Option: Heroes of Elemental Chaos, p42 (February 2012)
Dragon #408, Elemental Patrons and Palaces (February 2012)
AGLA2-3: Sojourner’s Way (February 2012)
The Elder Elemental Eye, p16-17 (February 2012)
D&D Next Playtest Packet (2012-08-17), Reclaiming Blingdenstone, p6, 21 (August 2012)
Neverwinter (2013)
Monster Manual, p139 (September 2014)
Dungeon Master’s Guide, p52 (December 2014)
Princes of the Apocalypse, p138 (April 2015)
Out of the Abyss, p101, 106, 110, 115, 152-155 (September 2015)
DDEX03-15 Szith Morcane Unbound, p8 (February 2016)
DDAL05-01: Treasure of the Broken Hoard, p14 (September 2016)
Volo’s Guide to Monsters, p168 (November 2016)
Icons of the Realms: Monster Menagerie 2, figure #32/44 (January 2017)
Idle Champions of the Forgotten Realms (September 2017)
DDAL00-04: Winter’s Flame, p8-12 (December 2017)
Lost Laboratory of Kwalish, p33 (November 2018)
Waterdeep: Dungeon of the Mad Mage, p249 (November 2018)
Adventures in the Forgotten Realms #4: Deepest Night, p4-5 (July 2021)
Domains of Delights, p21 (September 2021)
Fizban’s Treasury of Dragons, p100, 115, 122, 139 (October 2021)
Strixhaven: Curriculum of Chaos, p115 (December 2021)


Other ENCyclopedia entries
Visit the Monster ENCyclopedia index for links to other entries in this series.​


 
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Cleon

Legend
[h=3]Galeb duhr relatives[/h]
There are several D&D creatures related in some way to galeb duhr. The dridge are a race of rock-like creatures resembling galeb duhr who once lived beneath the surface of the world of Lukkum in Shadowspace (see Heart of the Enemy). The Monstrous Compendium Mystara Appendix notes that the strange bipedal shell-dwellers known as geonids may also be related, but the artwork makes it look as if geonids are just good at pretending to be galeb duhr.

The Mystaran Monstrous Compendium's claim that Geonids may be related to Galeb Duhr is very dubious. The only similarity is both creatures are able to disguise themselves as boulders, but that's hardly a substantial argument. The methods they use for this disguise are quite different. Geonids disguise themselves by hiding inside their shells which mimic boulders. A Galeb Duhr is effectively is an animated, intelligent boulder that pretends to be a rock just by standing still.

Ironically, the Mystara MC adds some additional information to the Geonid that makes it less likely the two species are related.

The original BECMI versions (from X5 Temple of Death (1983), AC9 Creature Catalog (1986) and so on) have very little in the way of description beyond them having a boulder-like shell, two legs, and two arms with "stony fists". At least the "stony fists" opens the possibility they're creatures made of living rock like the Galeb Duhr. The BECMI versions don't say what Geonids eat, or even if they eat anything, so they could subsist of "earth energy" like some versions of the Galeb Duhr.

The AD&D version in the Mystara Monstrous Appendix are normal organic lifeforms. The description says Geonids have "tender flesh", reproduce sexually, and eat almost any plant or animal matter. Their young are born without shells so can not disguise themselves as boulders, instead hiding within their mother's shell. Galeb-duhr are made of solid rock, are asexual, do not eat, and their young look like boulders too, only smaller.
 

GrayLinnorm

Explorer
I'm guessing that the reason why their treasure in 3e was limited to gems and potions was because they had treasure types Qx3, which has always been gems only, and X, which was "any 2 potions" in 2e.
 


TerraDave

5ever, or until 2024
Great stuff.

What about the name? It does have a celtic vibe, was it just made up or have some basis in something?
 



semi-Gaelic?

Great stuff.

What about the name? It does have a celtic vibe, was it just made up or have some basis in something?

I'm no Gaelic scholar, but it looks like the author picked a quasi-Gaelic (Irish/Scottish) sounding name.

"Rock man" in Irish is carraig fear. I'm not saying that is the exact wordshape he was thinking of, but "galeb dúr" does have a semi-Gaelic sound to it.
 

Echohawk

Shirokinukatsukami fan
The Mystaran Monstrous Compendium's claim that Geonids may be related to Galeb Duhr is very dubious.
I agree; I found the link to geonids very unconvincing. I'm not sold on the relationship to the faerie phiz either, but the possibility seemed worth a mention.

I'm guessing that the reason why their treasure in 3e was limited to gems and potions was because they had treasure types Qx3, which has always been gems only, and X, which was "any 2 potions" in 2e.
Well spotted -- that's got to be the reason.

What about the name? It does have a celtic vibe, was it just made up or have some basis in something?
As far as I know, it was just made up. There is a Twitter conversation between [MENTION=14053]ST[/MENTION]vWinter, [MENTION=11365]Alphastream[/MENTION] and [MENTION=34696]Dread[/MENTION]Gazeebo implying that the galeb duhr might be an anagram of something, but I didn't find anything to support that. Also, Dragon #61 disagrees with Steve Winter about Harold Johnson being the creator of the galeb duhr. I wonder if Mike Price is on Twitter?
 


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