| Bahamut | |
|---|---|
| Dungeons & Dragons character | |
 | |
| First appearance | Greyhawk (1975) |
| Created by | Gary Gygax andRob Kuntz |
| In-universe information | |
| Alias | Xymor (dragons of Abeir-Toril);Marduk the Justice Bringer (humans of the Old Empires region of Abeir-Toril) |
| Race | Deity |
| Gender | Male |
| Title | The Platinum Dragon, King of the Good Dragons, Lord of the North Wind, Wyrmking |
| Alignment | Lawful Good |
| Home | Seven Mounting Heavens of Celestia |
| Power level | Intermediate (3.5)/Greater (4e)/Greater (5e) |
| Portfolio | Good dragons, wisdom, justice |
| Domains | Air, Cold, Dragon, Good, Law, Luck, Nobility, Protection, Storm (3.5) / Hope, Justice, Protection (4e) / Life, War (5e) |
| Superior | Io (father) |
In theDungeons & Dragons (D&D)role-playing game,Bahamut (/bəˈhɑːmət/bə-HAH-mət[1]) is a powerfuldraconic deity, who has the same name asBahamut fromArabic mythology.
Introduced in the 1st Edition ofAdvanced Dungeons & Dragons (AD&D) and continuing into 2004's release ofComplete Divine, Bahamut, thePlatinum Dragon, is the King of the Good Dragons.[2] He is adeity ofgooddragonkind (usually, but not exclusively, referring to metallic dragons) and a member of thedefault pantheon ofD&D gods.[3] His counterpart inDragonlance is Paladine (though many regard the two as separate beings). Bahamut is a child of the dragon godIo. He is also referred to as the God of Dragons or the Lord of the North Wind.
In manycampaign settings, the draconic pantheon of gods consists of the leaderIo, and his childrenAasterinian, Bahamut,Chronepsis,Faluzure,Sardior, andTiamat. Other draconic gods may be present in different campaign settings. For example, theForgotten Realms draconic pantheon also includesAstilabor,Garyx,Hlal,Lendys, andTamara (among others); these five deities have expanded their influence to become venerated in many other campaign settings as well.
Bahamut's personal name is derived from theBahamut of Arabic mythology, an elegant giant fish that supports the world, with an angel that stands on top a ruby on his head to cleanse the unknown in the universe.
The character was introduced to the game in its first supplement,Greyhawk (1975), byGary Gygax andRob Kuntz.[4] In this book, he was only known as theDragon King, also called the Platinum Dragon, and did not have a personal name.
The character appears in the first editionMonster Manual (1977).[5] In this book, the Platinum Dragon was given the personal name Bahamut.
He was also identified as a lesser god for dragons in the bookDeities & Demigods (1980).[6]
Bahamut, the Platinum Dragon, King of the Good Dragons, and Angel of the Seven Heavens is further described inDragon #38 (1980).
Bahamut's role in the outer planes is detailed in the first editionManual of the Planes (1987).[7]
Bahamut was first detailed as a deity for theForgotten Realmscampaign setting in the originalDraconomicon (1990).[8]
Bahamut was detailed as a deity in the bookMonster Mythology (1992), including details about his priesthood.[9]
Bahamut is also described inCult of the Dragon (1998).[10]
His role in the cosmology of thePlanescape campaign setting was described inOn Hallowed Ground (1996).[11]
Several draconic children of Bahamut are described in the article "Spawn of Tiamat, Children of Bahamut", inDragon #260 (June 1999).[12]
Bahamut is described as one of the good deities thatcelestials can serve in the supplementWarriors of Heaven (1999).[13]
Bahamut appears in a preview article for the third edition, inDragon #272 (June 2000).[14] This information is later included in theManual of the Planes (2001),[15]
Bahamut is further detailed as a deity inDefenders of the Faith (2000)[16] andDeities and Demigods (2002).[17]
Bahamut's priesthood and his role as a draconic deity are further detailed for this edition inDraconomicon: The Book of Dragons (2003),[18]Complete Divine (2004),[19] andRaces of the Dragon (2006).[20]
Bahamut appears as one of the deities described in thePlayers Handbook for this edition (2008).[21] He is further detailed and has a stat block in theDraconomicon: Metallic Dragons (2009).
Bahamut options forPCs and details of his clergy as an enemy threat are detailed in the articles "Channel Divinity: Bahamut" and "Deities & Demigods: Bahamut" inDragon #378 (August 2009).
Bahamut is depicted as a massive, long and sinuous dragon with silver-white scales and blue, catlike eyes. According toComplete Divine andRaces of the Dragon, the exact color is hard to specify and may depend on Bahamut's mood, ranging from sky-blue to frosty indigo.
About a quarter of the time, Bahamut wandersOerth in the shape of a human or some other guise. He is said to have been encountered as a frail old hermit, with the seven great golden wyrms that accompany him disguised as seven canaries singing sweetly nearby.
The Platinum Dragon is part of the core pantheon and chiefly sees worship from lawful good paladins and clerics. The dragonborn race reveres him as a creator god, while other races invoke him for strength and protection. It is also stated that kings are crowned in his name. Bahamut is also stated to take many forms, ranging from his draconic namesake, an old man, to a fully armed paladin warrior in shining platinum plate armor. He has a special feat calledArmor of Bahamut which allows the player to cancel out an enemy's critical hit once per encounter. His dominion in the Astral Sea is Celestia, the Radiant Throne, which he shares withMoradin andKord. In theForgotten Realms campaign setting, a different version of Bahamut is present as a lesser deity in service to Torm, the ruler of that setting's Mount Celestia.
Bahamut is a child of the dragon godIo, and a fierce enemy ofTiamat, his evil sister and twin.[22][23] He respectsHeironeous,Moradin,Yondalla, and other lawful good deities. Some myths claim he is the son ofLendys, god of justice, andTamara, goddess of mercy, but more commonly those deities are said to be among his younger siblings, which also includeAasterinian,Chronepsis (also said to be his uncle),Astilabor,Hlal,Faluzure,Garyx, andNathair Sgiathach.
The same edition ofDungeons & Dragons that introduced Bahamut also introduced hisantithesis, namedTiamat, the Chromatic Dragon and Queen of Evil Dragons, as well as the mother and deity of all evil dragons.[22][23] This pairing features prominently in the deity lore of the game, with Tiamat even being featured in thetelevision cartoon adaptation of the game.
This pairing of Tiamat and Bahamut as the antithesis of each other has since recurred in other fantasy settings. In both the originalFinal Fantasy andFinal Fantasy VIII,Bahamut[24] is portrayed as benevolent, while Tiamat is portrayed as malevolent, keeping close to their origins inD&D.[25]
Both also occur in the card gameThree-Dragon Ante,[26] and Aspects of them have been created as plastic miniatures.
A number of non-divine dragons and dragonlike beings serve Bahamut:
The Seven Great Gold Wyrms are the closest of Bahamut's servants, guarding his palace and escort him disguised as canaries when he is traveling the world. They also are emissaries of Bahamut in tasks that don't demand Bahamut's personal attention. Although powerful, they are not immortal: many gold wyrms in the circle have died, and new gold dragons are chosen to replace them. These are the current seven great gold wyrms:
Kuyutha is the best known of the exarchs of Bahamut. He is the Bahamut emissary to the dragonborn race. Kuyutha was the last of the greatest dragonborn paladins of the long-lost empire of Arkhosia, and he saved many of the surviving dragonborn clans after the fall of the empire. For his deeds, Bahamut rewarded him with a divine spark. Kuyutha now lives in Mount Mertion (one of the seven mounts of Mount Celestia), training a new order of dragonborn knights of Bahamut.
Bahamut is closely allied withMoradin, and together withKord they rule Celestia in a holy triumvirate. Tiamat remains his greatest enemy, and he opposes all evil and chaotic evil members of the pantheon. A race known as the Quom also hates Bahamut, due to his role in unintentionally killing their god, Lakal.
Tiamat's enmity with Bahamut dates back to their creation, when Io made them; they were made with the intention of becoming complements and mates, but their personalities were too much at odds. Tiamat murdered Vorel, her eldest brother, and tried to frame Bahamut for the deed. Io realized who was truly to blame, though, and banished Tiamat from his presence.
Many myths claim that Tiamat lived for a long time on thePrime Material Plane, seeding it with evil dragons and dark magic. Eventually she was banished to theNine Hells by Bahamut and a sky/sun god (perhapsPelor or Heironeous).
Bahamut's realm,Bahamut's Palace, is said to exist "beyond the East Wind." It is unknown to most sages whether this means it is somewhere on the Elemental Plane of Air or somewhere between that plane and theSeven Heavens orTri-Paradises, but in truth it may be found traveling in a whirlwind between the first four layers ofMount Celestia. It is a wondrous, glittering fortress with windows made from gems set in silver and gold, walls of inlaid copper and ivory, and floors of beatenmithril. When they are not traveling with their master, Bahamut's seven great golden wyrms tend to the palace and its treasures.
Within the palace are open, unkeyed portals leading to all four of the first four layers of the plane as well as the Elemental Plane of Air and theAstral Plane. There are four gates nearby leading to each of the four winds, each guarded by a warden archon. The guardian of the gate to the North Wind is Yonel, the guardian of the gate to the South Wind is Kerkhoutha, the guardian of the gate to the West Wind is Moriel, and the guardian of the gate to the East Wind is Ruhiel.
Bahamut's palace is the only known shortcut to the upper layers of the celestial mountain, though he and his servants only permit those who are worthy to pass through.
In 4th Edition, Bahamut, Kord, and Moradin live in the realm of Celestia in the Astral Sea. Each rules a different mountain on the island, which they are able to change the shape of at will. Bahamut's palace is located on the mountain of Mertion, and is made of gold, platinum, and mithril, and the windows are made of gemstones; the palace also serves as Bahamut's hoard.
Bahamut is very stern and disapproving of evil. He accepts no excuses for foul deeds. On the other hand, he is very compassionate, and has boundless empathy for the weak and downtrodden. He urges his followers to promote good, but to let people fight their own battles when they can, providing healing, information, or temporary safe refuge rather than fighting alongside those who can fight for themselves.
Bahamut's own greatest priority is his endless war with his sister Tiamat. He opposes all her schemes, answering them move for move. He values wisdom, knowledge, prophecies, and song. For a dragon, he is neither vain nor greedy.
Bahamut is revered by all good dragons,[27] but gold, silver, and brass dragons hold him in particularly high regard. The evil dragons do not revere him, but respect Bahamut for his power and wisdom.
Bahamut only accepts good-aligned priests. They may be dragons, half-dragons, or other beings. They strive to constantly yet subtly act on behalf of good. They oppose evil, but their first mandate is to ensure they do no harm in the process.
Temples to the Platinum Dragon are very rare. Those few that exist are beautiful, elegant edifices characterized by clean, simple architecture and furnishings. Within them will be public rooms in which the faithful can gather and private rooms for meditation and recuperation.
Dragons will not normally build temples, contenting themselves with simple symbols on the wall that they treat as shrines. Bahamut prefers his followers to worship him with deeds, not objects.
Most of the quests that Bahamut's followers go on are apt to involve opposing Tiamat in some way. They have few formal rituals. Instead of praying aloud, they count their deeds as prayers, supporting goodness and opposing evil. Bahamut cares little for mere words.
Rarely, humans, elves, halflings, or other humanoid races may hear a call, like a faint question in their hearts, asking them if they want to devote themselves completely to Bahamut. Normally it is first heard before adolescence, but sometimes adults hear it as well. Not all those who are called answer, but those who do may undergo the Rite of Rebirth. Those who commit to this demanding ritual put aside all their weapons and equipment, dressing in a simple linen shift. They meditate for a full day and night, their head filled with reminders of all they are giving up. If they elect to go on, they then enter an egg-shaped chamber at dawn and sleep until dawn the next day, emerging as adragonborn, a noble, draconic, platinum-scaled version of their previous shape, ready to become a permanent champion against Tiamat and her spawn.
Bahamut appeared on the 2019Screen Rant top list at #5 on "Dungeons and Dragons: 10 Most Powerful Dragons, Ranked", and Matthew Guida highlighted that "As an old man and a dragon, Bahamut is level 36 with over 1,600 and 1,300 hit points respectively. He is able to teleport, can use several breath attacks and can summon an aspect of himself to fight players. With such overwhelming power, Bahamut is nothing short of a force of nature."[28]
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