Lamassu

From 1d6chan
Jump to navigationJump to search

The Lamassu is an obscure monster from ancient Sumeria, also known as a Shedu. It appears as a winged bull or lion with the head of a human man and is regarded as a protector spirit, as well as being associated with a particular goddess. Its Sumerian origin is probably one of the reasons it's so obscure, as it doesn't originate from Greek/Roman, Egyptian, or Lovecraftian mythos. Muslims adopted the critter as Buraq, the creature that carried Mohammad to Paradise for a one-on-one with God.

D&D[edit]

This article related to Dungeons & Dragons is a stub. You can help 1d6chan by expanding it.

In Dungeons & Dragons, Lamassu (usually misspelled as Lammasu) and Shedu are two seperate Good aligned outsiders. Lamassu are winged man-headed lions with the powers of a 7th level Cleric, whilst Shedu are winged man-headed bulls with psionic powers.

Rules for playing a lamassu in Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 1st edition can be found in White Dwarf #17.

Lammasu Gallery

Shedu Gallery

Warhammer Fantasy[edit]

This article or section is EXTRA heretical. Prepare to be purged.
GeeDubs' more trademark friendly appropriation of a Mesopotamian monster.

In Warhammer Fantasy Battles, one of the mount options for Chaos Dwarf sorcerers is the Lamassu intentionally-misspelt LammasuTM, which is a magic-eating monster depicted as a winged bull/lion thing with the head of a chaos dwarf of Sumerian fame. Lammasu also appeared as one of the bindable monsters in Storm of Magic.

So what are these guys specifically in Warhammer Fantasy? Well, think of them as the equivalent of one of the Chaos Beasts under Hashut. A Lammasu in a sense is thought to be a rare and interesting mutation of the Great Tauri, which is the other Chaos Beast under Hashut.

In contrast to Hashut's stereotype of his pyrophilia and bull-fetish bestiality, the Lammasu is not consumed by fiery rage but rather, it is a manifestation of sorcerous intelligence. Though not as powerful as its cousin in full-on CQC testosterone fights, the Lammasu is able to employ magic instead, launching fireballs at the enemy, transporting allies on shadowy mounts in a blink or simply letting death creep through enemy ranks. Therefore, think of the Lammasu as the Tzeentch to the Great Taurus' Khorne.

They are also blessed with an uncanny, insidious charisma that can befuddle enemies akin to real-world Sphinxes.

While it takes a great amount of power to summon one, the wizards who invest it will not be disappointed, which is why many Chaos Dwarf sorcerers of a sufficient rank use them as their mounts.

Featured in the Chaos Dwarf DLC for Total War: Warhammer 3.

The Infernal Throngs of the Dawi-Zharr
Characters Astragoth IronhandDrazhoath the AshenGhorth the CruelZhatan the BlackGorduz Backstabber
Command Sorcerer-ProphetInfernal CastellanBull Centaur Taur'rukDaemonsmithHobgoblin KhanHobgoblin Big BossBull Centaur
Slaves Orc SlavesGoblin SlavesOgre SlavesBlack Orcs
Chaos Dwarfs Chaos Dwarf WarriorChaos Dwarf CrossbowmenChaos Dwarf BlunderbussChaos Dwarf Weapon TeamsChaos Dwarf BerserkersInfernal GuardInfernal Ironsworn
Hobgoblins Sneaky GitsHobgoblin Wolf RidersHobgoblin Bolt ThrowerHobgoblin WarriorHobgoblin Archers
War Machines Magma CannonDeathshrieker Rocket LauncherIron Daemon War EngineSkullcracker War MachineDreadquake MortarHellcannonJuggernaut Siege TowerChaos Dwarf JuggernautWhirlwindTenderiserThunderfire Battlebarge
Monsters Great TaurusBale TaurusLammasuK'daai FirebornKollossusK'daai DestroyerBull CentaursChaos Siege Giant
Auxiliaries Warriors of ChaosNorscaOgre KingdomsHobgoblin KhanateGreenskins (via slavery)
Daemonic Forces of Chaos
Gods Greater Daemons Lesser Daemons Daemonic Beasts Daemonic Steeds Cavalry of Chaos Chariots of Chaos
Bloodthirster Bloodletter Flesh Hound
Slaughterbrute
Juggernaut Bloodcrushers Blood Throne
Skull Cannon
Great Unclean One Plaguebearer
Nurgling
Beast of Nurgle
Plague Toads
Molluscoid
Battle Fly
Rot Fly
Plague Drones
Pox Riders
Palanquin of Nurgle
Keeper of Secrets Daemonette Fiends of Slaanesh Steeds of Slaanesh Seekers of Slaanesh Hellflayer Chariots
Seeker Chariots
Lord of Change Flamers of Tzeentch
Gaunt Summoners
Horror
Screamers
Mutalith Vortex Beast
Disc of Tzeentch Burning Chariots
Verminlord
K'daai Great Taurus
Lammasu
Bull Centaur
Daemon Prince Fury
Daemon Brute
Infernus Abomination
Chaos Beast
Chaos Hound