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Bats were a group of wild, flying animals of generally small size that fed on other small mammals, insects, reptiles, or fruit. Although the majority of bats were small, a few larger varieties existed.[5] Bats were almost all nocturnal.[6]

Just rats with wings if you ask me...

Description[]

Most bats were roughly the size of a small bird although larger bats existed. All bats were adept at perceiving their surroundings in the dark though the precise mechanics differed by species, with most bats using a form of blindsight[6] involving sound[8]—or darkvision in the case of shadowhunter bats.[5]

Species[]

There were many varieties of unusual bat species, some of which are listed below:

Azmyth
A species of deep bats that could turn invisible.[9]
Deep bat
Dangerous bats native to the Underdark.[10]
Dire bat
Enormous bats with a wingspan of roughly eight to nine feet.
Doombat
Large bats with a barbed tail.
Fire bat
An unusually large bat native to the elemental planes.[5]
Gloomwing
A species of fey bats who served as messengers of dark creatures.[9]
Hundar
A heavy large carnivorous bat that resembled a wyvern.[9]
Night hunter
Carnivore deep bat from Underdark.[9]
Shadowhunter bat
A type of large, predatory bat touched with the power of the Shadowfell.[5]
Sinister
A type of large magical bat with unnerving appearance that fed on carrion.[9]
Vampire bat
And giant vampire bat were a species of bats that fed on mammalian blood are believed to be related to stirges.[11][12]
Wykeen
Sea bats native to the underground port at Skullport.[13]

Ecology[]

Habitats[]

Cute bat nwn

A bat in flight.

Beyond the Prime Material plane, bats could be found in the Domains of Dread and some claimed that they were more numerous there than in any other plane of existence.[14] Bats also inhabited the caverns of the Blood Tor, the Abyssal realms of Beshaba and Umberlee.[15]

Usages[]

Some magic stores were known to sell the fur and guano of bats as a sort of material component, both at a price of 10 gp per 1 oz (28 g).[16] Spells that required a bit of bat fur to cast included arcane eye, darkness,[17] and the illusionist version of continual darkness.[18] Those that required a bit of bat guano to cast included fireball,[19] delayed blast fireball,[20] Darsson's fiery cube,[21] and explosive cascade.[22]

Circa 1365 DR, the owner of the restaurant Maid of the Moors in Mornbryn's Shield, Beldora Thiiruin kept pet bats she allowed to freely fly around the dining hall, using the flying critters as a means of pest control.[23]

Halfling kids often fished for bats using a light, durable twine string, and bait of live moths.[24]

Appendix[]

Appearances[]

Gallery[]

External Links[]

Smallwikipedialogo Bat article at Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia.

References[]

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 Mike Mearls, Jeremy Crawford, Christopher Perkins (2014-09-30). Monster Manual 5th edition. Edited by Scott Fitzgerald Gray. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 318. ISBN 978-0786965614.
  2. 2.0 2.1 Skip Williams, Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook (July 2003). Monster Manual v.3.5. (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 268–269. ISBN 0-7869-2893-X.
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 Doug Stewart (June 1993). Monstrous Manual. (TSR, Inc), p. 15. ISBN 1-5607-6619-0.
  4. Gary Gygax (August 1983). Monster Manual II 1st edition. (TSR, Inc), p. 15. ISBN 0-88038-031-4.
  5. 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 Mike Mearls, Stephen Schubert, James Wyatt (June 2008). Monster Manual 4th edition. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 27. ISBN 978-0-7869-4852-9.
  6. 6.0 6.1 Skip Williams, Jonathan Tweet and Monte Cook (October 2000). Monster Manual 3rd edition. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 192. ISBN 0-7869-1552-1.
  7. Ossian Studios (June 2018). Neverwinter Nights: Darkness over Daggerford. Beamdog.
  8. Victor Milán (October 1995). War in Tethyr. (TSR, Inc), p. 72. ISBN 0-7869-0184-5.
  9. 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 Ed Greenwood (October 1984). “Bats that do more than bite”. In Kim Mohan ed. Dragon #90 (TSR, Inc.), pp. 20–23.
  10. Elaine Cunningham (July 2003). Daughter of the Drow (Mass Market Paperback). (Wizards of the Coast), p. 157. ISBN 978-0786929290.
  11. David "Zeb" Cook, et al. (1989). Monstrous Compendium Volume Two. (TSR, Inc), p. 125. ISBN 0-8803-8753-X.
  12. Allen Varney (May 1989). Knight of the Living Dead. (TSR, Inc.). ISBN 978-0880385985.
  13. Elaine Cunningham (April 1996). Tangled Webs. (TSR, Inc), chap. 1, p. 11. ISBN 0-7869-0516-6.
  14. William W. Connors (1996). Monstrous Compendium - Ravenloft Appendices I & II. (TSR, Inc.), pp. 12, 70. ISBN 0786903929.
  15. Kate Novak, Jeff Grubb (December 1997). Tymora's Luck. (TSR, Inc.), p. 111. ISBN 0-7869-0726-6.
  16. Michael Dobson (January 1984). “Living in a material world”. In Kim Mohan ed. Dragon #81 (TSR, Inc.), p. 60.
  17. Mike Mearls, Jeremy Crawford (2014). Player's Handbook 5th edition. (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 214, 216. ISBN 978-0-7869-6560-1.
  18. Gary Gygax (1978). Players Handbook 1st edition. (TSR, Inc.), p. 96. ISBN 0-9356-9601-6.
  19. Gary Gygax (1978). Players Handbook 1st edition. (TSR, Inc.), p. 71. ISBN 0-9356-9601-6.
  20. Mike Mearls, Jeremy Crawford (2014). Player's Handbook 5th edition. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 231. ISBN 978-0-7869-6560-1.
  21. Tom Prusa (1993). The Shining South. (TSR, Inc), p. 16. ISBN 1-56076-595-X.
  22. Sean K. Reynolds, Duane Maxwell, Angel McCoy (August 2001). Magic of Faerûn. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 93. ISBN 0-7869-1964-7.
  23. Ed Greenwood (1993). Volo's Guide to the North. (TSR, Inc), p. 67. ISBN 1-5607-6678-6.
  24. Jeff Grubb, Kate Novak (October 1988). Azure Bonds. (TSR, Inc.), p. 263. ISBN 0-88038-612-6.

Connections[]

Bats

True Bats
Mundane bats: DoombatGiant batIce batMobatVampire bat
Magical bats: Deep bat (AzmythNight hunterSinister)
Planar bats: Shadowhunter bat

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