View source for Succubus

{{Creature
|name         = 
|image        = [[File:succubus01.jpg|250px]]
|caption      = [[David C. Sutherland III]]'s depiction of the succubus from the first edition ''Advanced Dungeons & Dragons'' ''[[Monster Manual]]''
|size         = Medium
|alignment    = Chaotic evil
|type         = Outsider, Demon (Devil, fourth ed).
|subtype      = Chaotic, Extraplanar, Evil, Tanar’ri
|patron deity = 
|first        = ''[[Eldritch Wizardry]]'' (1976)
}}
A '''succubus''' is a female [[demon]]. The male equivalent is an '''incubus'''.

The '''succubus''' is a type of [[demon#Tanar'ri|tanar'ri demon]]. The succubus is one of the earliest monsters to be included in the game, having appeared under the demon entry in the ''[[Eldritch Wizardry]]'' supplement (1976).<ref name=EW>{{Cite book| last1 =Gygax  | first1 =Gary  | author-link =Gary Gygax  | last2 =Blume  | first2 =Brian  | title =Eldritch Wizardry  | publisher =TSR  | year =1976  | location =Lake Geneva, WI  | edition =1}}</ref> 

==Ecology==
The objective of succubi is to tempt men to have sex with them.  They do this for their own purposes, and it typically yields a dead mortal or a pleased demon lord (in some cases, when succubi are used as assassins, both ends result).

===Environment===
Succubi are native to the [[Abyss]].

===Typical physical characteristics===
A succubus in its natural state is in the shape and form of a beautiful [[human]] woman with demonic features, such as bat-like wings, tiny horns, and/ or a tail. However, the succubus may shape-shift into many forms. They often appear in the guise of a human woman without demonic features.

In the first edition of ''Dungeons and Dragons'', it was established that a succubus shapechanged into male form was known as an '''incubus'''. However, in the third edition of ''D&D'', the succubus is the female form of the '''incubus''' (''i.e.'' the succubus and the incubus are the female and male manifestations of the same type of demon). The creation of incubi as a separate demon type was featured during the fourth edition events of the Blood War.<ref>{{cite web|title=Incubus Demonomicon Excerpts|url=https://www.wizards.com/dnd/article.aspx?x=dnd/4ex/20100709|publisher=Wizards of the Coast}}</ref>

===Alignment===
In first and second edition ''Advanced Dungeons & Dragons'', and third edition ''Dungeons & Dragons'', succubi are chaotic evil. However, in fifth edition, they are instead neutral evil.

==Society==
Succubi are [[demon#Tanar'ri|tanar'ri demon]]s, and they are quite numerous. Many are under the command of the [[Demon lord|Abyssal Lord]] [[Graz'zt]], but most are ruled by their "Queen," [[Malcanthet]].  In ''Dungeons & Dragons'' the female child of a succubus and a human is traditionally called an "alu-demon" and the male child a "[[cambion]]" (though the latter term can be applied to any demon-mortal offspring). However, the offspring of an alu-demon or cambion, as a result of a union with a human, has no specific name but falls into the larger category of [[tiefling]].

Succubi are featured prominently in the ''[[Planescape]]'' games.

==Permutations==
Though in previous D&D editions succubi were Chaotic Evil [[demon]]s, under fourth edition ''D&D'' rules the succubus is a [[devil]], and its alignment is evil. Succubi serve more powerful fiends as spies or assassins.  In fifth edition, succubi are Neutral Evil.

==Publication history==
The succubus is based on the succubi from Western medieval legend.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.geocities.com/rgfdfaq/sources.html |title=Literary Sources of D&D |access-date=2007-02-23 |last=DeVarque |first=Aardy|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071209043119/http://www.geocities.com/rgfdfaq/sources.html|url-status=dead |archive-date=2007-12-09}}</ref>

=== Original edition ===
The succubus appeared under the '''demon''' entry in the ''[[Eldritch Wizardry]]'' supplement (1976).<ref name=EW />

=== Basic edition (B/X or BECMI)===
This edition of the ''D&D'' game included its own version of the succubus, which is known as the '''whispering demon''', first appearing in the ''[[Dungeons & Dragons Immortals Rules|Immortal Rules]]'' set, in the DM's Guide to Immortals (1986).<ref>[[Frank Mentzer|Mentzer, Frank]]. ''Dungeons & Dragons Set 5: Immortal Rules'' (TSR, 1986)</ref> The whispering lesser fiend appeared in the ''Wrath of the Immortals'' set, in "Book One: Codex of the Immortals" (1992).<ref>[[Aaron Allston|Allston, Aaron]]. ''Wrath of the Immortals'' (TSR, 1992)</ref>

=== First edition ===
The succubus appears in the first edition ''[[Monster Manual]]'' (1977).<ref>[[Gary Gygax|Gygax, Gary]]. ''[[Monster Manual]]'' ([[TSR, Inc.|TSR]], 1977)</ref>

=== Second edition ===
In this edition, demons became known as '''tanar'ri''', with the succubus lesser tanar'ri appearing first in the ''Monstrous Compendium Volume Outer Planes Appendix'' (1991),<ref>LaFountain, J. Paul. ''Monstrous Compendium Outer Planes Appendix''. ([[TSR, Inc.|TSR]], 1991)</ref> and then reprinted in the ''[[Monstrous Manual]]'' (1993).<ref>Stewart, Doug, ed. ''Monstrous Manual'' (TSR, 1993)</ref>

The succubus lesser tanar'ri also appeared for the [[Planescape]] [[campaign setting]] in the first ''Planescape Monstrous Compendium Appendix'' (1994).<ref>Varney, Allen, ed. ''Planescape Monstrous Compendium Appendix'' (TSR, 1994)</ref>

=== Third edition ===
The succubus (tanar'ri) appears in the ''Monster Manual'' for this edition (2000);<ref>[[Monte Cook|Cook, Monte]], [[Jonathan Tweet]], and [[Skip Williams]]. ''[[Monster Manual]]'' ([[Wizards of the Coast]], 2000)</ref> in this edition, the name '''demon''' is resumed, and tanar'ri are now considered a sub-type of demon.

''Savage Species'' (2003) presented the succubus/incubus as both a race and a playable class.<ref>Eckelberry, David, Rich Redman, and Jennifer Clarke Wilkes. ''[[Savage Species]]'' (Wizards of the Coast, 2003)</ref>

==== Third edition (v3.5) ====
The succubus appears in the revised ''Monster Manual'' for this edition (2003).

=== Fourth edition ===
The succubus appears in the ''Monster Manual'' for this edition (2008), although in this edition, succubi are classified as '''[[Devil (Dungeons & Dragons)|devils]]''' and appear under the "devil" entry.<ref>Mearls, Mike, Stephen Schubert, and James Wyatt. ''[[Monster Manual]]'' ([[Wizards of the Coast]], 2008)</ref> A great many succubi were stranded in the Abyss at various points of the [[Blood War]] – these were corrupted and became ferroliths and incubi.<ref>Mearls, Mike, Brian R. James, Steve Townshend. ''Demonomicon'' ([[Wizards of the Coast]], 2010)</ref>

=== Fifth edition ===
The succubus appears in the ''Monster Manual'' for this edition (2014). In this edition, they are neither demons nor devils, instead being Neutral Evil fiends that are found on all the Lower Planes.

==Other publishers==
In ''[[Pathfinder Roleplaying Game|Pathfinder]]'' the analogous Neutral Evil "succubus" is the erodaemon.

==Reception==
The succubus is described as an instance of the sexist tropes the game draws on which presented female sexuality as inherently dangerous.<ref name=PJC>{{cite thesis|last=Clements|first=Philip J.|date=December 2019|title=Dungeons & Discourse: Intersectional Identities in Dungeons & Dragons|type=PhD|url=http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1573729920432102|access-date=September 22, 2020}}</ref>{{rp|17, 94}}

Rob Bricken of [[io9]] identified the succubus as one of "The 12 Most Obnoxious ''Dungeons & Dragons'' Monsters".<ref>http://io9.gizmodo.com/the-12-most-obnoxious-dungeons-dragons-monsters-1628502769</ref>

Demons like the succubus were considered among the "standard repertoire of "Monsters"" of the game by Fabian Perlini-Pfister.<ref>{{cite book |title=Religions in play: games, rituals, and virtual worlds |last=Bornet |first=Philippe |year=2011 |publisher=Theologischer Verlag Zürich |location= |isbn=978-3-290-22010-5 |page=282 |accessdate=19 December 2019 |url=https://books.google.de/books?id=t3X18dopUoMC&pg=PA282#v=onepage&q&f=false}}</ref>

==Other media==

===Video games===
[[Planescape: Torment#Fall-from-Grace|Fall-From-Grace]] is a succubus, a notable character from the ''[[Planescape: Torment]]'' [[role-playing video game]].

===''D&D'' miniatures===
The succubus appears in the ''D&D'' Miniatures: Blood War set #59 (2006).

== References ==
=== Notes ===
<references group="note" />
=== Citations ===
<references />
=== Bibliography ===
{{Wikipedia}}
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