Tiamat is a supremely strong and powerful 5-headed draconic goddess in the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game. The name is taken from Tiamat, a goddess in ancient Mesopotamian mythology. She is the queen and mother of the evil chromatic dragons and is sometimes a member of the default pantheon of Dungeons & Dragons gods. Her symbol is a five-headed dragon. This sourcebook was written for 3rd edition.

Publication history Inspiration Aardy R. DeVarque observed that while the description of Tiamat in the game is significantly different from her mythological counterpart, the fact that she is described as the "evil mother of all dragons [...] is partly why TSR's writers made her a "prismatic" conglomeration of all of the evil chromatic dragons they created".

Dungeons & Dragons The character was introduced to the game in its first supplement, Greyhawk (1975), by Gary Gygax and Rob Kuntz.Gygax, Gary and Robert Kuntz. Supplement I: Greyhawk (TSR, 1975) In this book, she was only known as "the Dragon Queen" and "the Chromatic Dragon". She was described, but she did not yet have a personal name.

Advanced Dungeons & Dragons The character appears in the first edition Monster Manual (1977).Gygax, Gary. Monster Manual (TSR, 1977) In this book, the Chromatic Dragon was given the personal name, "Tiamat" and is stated to rule "the first plane of the Nine Hells where she spawns all of evil dragonkind". Tiamat, the Chromatic Dragon, Queen of Evil Dragonkind, is further described in Dragon #38 (1980). In the first edition of Deities & Demigods (1980) she is mentioned under the entry for the Babylonian god Marduk ("His battles with Tiamat are legendary."), formally connecting her with the Babylonian Tiamat. Tiamat's role as ruler of Avernus, the first layer of the Nine Hells, is detailed in Ed Greenwood's article, "The Nine Hells Part I", in Dragon #75 (1983).Greenwood, Ed. "The Nine Hells Part I". Dragon #75. Lake Geneva, Wisconsin: TSR, 1983 Tiamat's role in the outer planes is detailed in the first edition Manual of the Planes (1987).Grubb, Jeff. Manual of the Planes (TSR, 1987)

In module H4 The Throne of Bloodstone (1988), Bahamut tells the player characters that the Wand of Orcus can only be destroyed if it is "steeped in the black and foul blood from the heart of Tiamat, the Queen of Darkness", although if killed Tiamat and the wand will be removed from the current plane of existence for centuries, but will eventually return to existence.Niles, Douglas, and Michael Dobson. The Throne of Bloodstone (TSR, 1988)

Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd edition Tiamat was detailed as a deity in the book Monster Mythology (1992).Sargent, Carl. Monster Mythology (TSR, 1992) Tiamat was later detailed as a deity for the Forgotten Realms campaign setting in the original Draconomicon (1990),Findley, Nigel, Christopher Kubasik, Carl Sargent, John Terra, and William Tracy. Draconomicon. Lake Geneva, Wisconsin: TSR, 1990 further expanded upon for the fictional region of Unther in Powers & Pantheons (1997),Boyd, Eric L. Powers & Pantheons. Renton, Washington: Wizards of the Coast, 1997. and revisted in the Cult of the Dragon (1998) sourcebook.Donovan, Dale. Cult of the Dragon (Wizards of the Coast, 1998) Her role in the cosmology of the Planescape campaign setting was described in On Hallowed Ground (1996).McComb, Colin. On Hallowed Ground (TSR, 1996) Several draconic children of Tiamat are described in the article "Spawn of Tiamat, Children of Bahamut", in Dragon #260 (June 1999).Strohm, Keith Francis. "Spawn of Tiamat, Children of Bahamut". Dragon #260. Renton, Washington: TSR, 1999

Dungeons & Dragons 3rd edition Tiamat appears in a preview article for the third edition, in Dragon #272 (June 2000).Williams, Skip. "Bahamut and Tiamat." Dragon #272 (Paizo Publishing, 2000) This information is later included in the Manual of the Planes (2001).Grubb, Jeff, David Noonan, and Bruce Cordell. Manual of the Planes (Wizards of the Coast, 2001) She is also referenced in Faiths and Pantheons (2002) from the Forgotten Realms campaign setting. Tiamat is further detailed as a deity in Defenders of the Faith (2000)Redman, Rich and James Wyatt. Defenders of the Faith (Wizards of the Coast, 2000) and Deities and Demigods (2002).Redman, Rich, Skip Williams, and James Wyatt. Deities and Demigods (Wizards of the Coast, 2002)

Dungeons & Dragons 3.5 Tiamat's priesthood and her role as a draconic deity are further detailed for this edition in Draconomicon: The Book of Dragons (2003),Colins, Andy, Skip Williams, and James Wyatt. Draconomicon: The Book of Dragons (Wizards of the Coast, 2003) Complete Divine (2004),Noonan, David. Complete Divine (Wizards of the Coast, 2004) and Races of the Dragon (2006).Kestrel, Gwendolyn F. M., Jennifer Clarke Wilkes, and Kolja Raven Liquette. Races of the Dragon. Renton, Washington: Wizards of the Coast, 2006 Tiamat's role in the Nine Hells is revisited in Fiendish Codex II: Tyrants of the Nine Hells. (2006).Laws, Robin D. and Robert J. Schwalb. Fiendish Codex II: Tyrants of the Nine Hells. Renton, Washington: Wizards of the Coast, 2006 The spawn of Tiamat are described in Monster Manual IV (2006)Kestrel, Gwendolyn F. M. Monster Manual IV (Wizards of the Coast, 2006) and Monster Manual V (2007).

Dungeons & Dragons 4th edition Tiamat appears as one of the deities described in the Dungeon Master's Guide for this edition (2008).James Wyatt. Dungeon Masters Guide (Wizards of the Coast, 2008). She is further detailed and has a stat block in Draconomicon: Chromatic Dragons (2008).

Dungeons & Dragons 5th edition Tiamat again appears as one of the deities described in the Dungeon Master's Guide (2014) for this edition.James Wyatt. Dungeon Masters Guide (Wizards of the Coast, 2014). She is the main villain in the first adventure story-line season for the edition as the Cult of the Dragon attempts to bring her from the Nine Hells to Faerûn. Her potential arrival is the conclusion to the adventures Hoard of the Dragon Queen (2014) and Rise of Tiamat (2014). These adventures were updated and rereleased as a single volume, titled Tyranny of Dragons (2019), for the fifth anniversary of 5th edition. Tyranny of Dragons was released in January 2023 with new cover art that features Tiamat.

The dragon focused supplement Fizban's Treasury of Dragons (2021) revisited the origin story of Tiamat and Bahamut and expanded on the First World myth which was introduced in the supplement Tasha's Cauldron of Everything (2020). James Wyatt, the lead designer for Fizban's Treasury of Dragons, stated that the book is a "neat-and-tidy unified theory of dragonkind in myth form" and establishes how versions of the same dragon are linked across the multiverse. Wyatt also commented that they "polished and refined the story of gem dragons' origin to clarify their relationship to Bahamut, Tiamat, and the overall history of dragonkind". The book includes a stat block called the "Aspect of Tiamat" – this iteration is an avatar of the god in Material Plane while Tiamat herself remains in the Nine Hells.

Campaign settings

Dragonlance In the Dragonlance campaign setting, Tiamat's equivalent is Takhisis, the Dark Queen. In the neo-pagan press, a series of books published by Oberon Zell-Ravenheart, looks at Takhisis in the Dragonlance world and compares her to the Babylonian and Dungeons & Dragons version of Tiamat. The book is written as a school book for young wizards and witches of the neo-pagan sort. Takhisis is described for her role in the wars of good vs. evil. This ultimate source of the theme of evil is discussed again in a presentation by Dr. Stefan Ekman of Lund University in Sweden. Dr. Ekman compares Takhisis and other fantasy "dark lords", such as Lord Foul and Sauron, to the biblical Satan. In particular he states, "Even though not all of the Dark Lords above signify the ultimate source of evil, Lord Foul, the Dark One, and Takhisis certainly do. And all of them are ultimately actants, characters whose raison d’être is to provide the final threat".

Forgotten Realms In the Forgotten Realms campaign setting, Tiamat is one of the few surviving gods of the Untheric pantheon (based on Sumerian and Babylonian mythology), battled Marduk in ages past, and is also a member of the draconic pantheon, daughter of Io, the slayer of Gilgeam the God-king of Unther, "Nemesis of the Gods". In the 4th edition version of the Forgotten Realms, she is the sole survivor of the Untheric pantheon, and now spends most of her time as the goddess of chromatic dragons. Although Enlil, Gilgeam, and Nanna-Sin return for the 5th edition, Tiamat appears to have made no move to engage with them, preferring her draconic role and caring little about Unther.

Eberron In the Eberron campaign setting, Tiamat is a bound demon lord from the Age of Demons, when dragons and couatl worked together to bind the children of Khyber beneath the earth. She now sits imprisoned in the Pit of Sorrows on the draconic continent of Argonnessen, birthing evil dragonspawn and corrupting the good dragons who watch over her prison.

Fictional description

Tiamat has been known to manifest as a dark-haired human sorceress. In most Dungeons & Dragons campaign settings, however, Tiamat is the five-headed queen of the evil chromatic dragons. She has one head for each customary color of chromatic dragon (black, blue, green, red, white), and each head has the powers of a member of the respective race of dragonkind. Her body is a blending of various chromatic dragon forms with an appropriately multicolored hide. Her body also has traits in common with a wyvern, including a long tail tipped with a poisonous stinger.

Tiamat was also one of the first deities to have aspects, or lesser avatars. These aspects may appear as powerful versions of her chromatic children or as versions of her own five-headed form. One such multiheaded aspect was released in the Dungeons & Dragons Miniatures expansion set War of the Dragon Queen, with detailed role-playing game statistics in Dragon Magic.Stephens, Owen K.C. and Rodney Thompson. Dragon Magic (Wizards of the Coast, 2006). A smaller aspect of Tiamat first appeared in the Miniatures Handbook.Tweet, Jonathan, and Mike Donais, Skaff Elias, and Rob Heinsoo. Miniatures Handbook (Wizards of the Coast, 2003).

Relationships Like most other draconic deities, Tiamat is the offspring of the dragon creator deity Io. Tiamat is the eternal rival of her brother Bahamut, the ruler of the good metallic dragons. It is hinted that her overt hatred toward Bahamut has developed, over a vast period of time, into a twisted lust for her brother as well. She dwells in Avernus, the first layer of the Outer Plane of Baator (also known as the Nine Hells). The first edition of Advanced Dungeons & Dragons named her as the ruler of Avernus; later editions reserved the rulership of the layers of Baator for powerful baatezu (devils).

In many campaign settings, the draconic pantheon of gods consists of Io, Aasterinian, Bahamut, Chronepsis, Faluzure, Sardior, and Tiamat.

Three baatezu nobles (granted to her by Bel) serve Tiamat and command her armies on Avernus. Malphas leads 40 companies of abishai, Amduscias leads 29 companies of abishai, and Goap leads three companies of erinyes. With Pearza of the Dark Eight, Tiamat created the first abishai.