The Tales of the Teeth of Dahlver-Nar

 

The teeth of Dahlver-Nar is a powerful magic item that has made an appearance in every edition of Dungeons and Dragons--and changed drastically with every appearance. In its most recent appearance in Tasha's Cauldron of Everything, the teeth are described as "Stories Given Form". The teeth have the ability to summon creatures if sowed in the ground, or grant a special power to an individual who implants a tooth into their own mouth. Each tooth has its own unique magic and pulling a tooth from the bag in the game selects one at random. Everything we know about the 20 teeth featured in Tasha's Cauldron of Everything are detailed below.

1: The Staring Cats of Uldun-Dar

This tooth grants nine lives to whoever grafts it into their mouth-or summons 9 cats if planted in the ground. As for its legend, the cats of Uldun-Dar were described in more detail in Van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft where they might be summoned as a result of magic going awry in the domain of dread known as Hazlan. They are described as sapient, hyperdimensional cats with uneven numbers of eyes. The cats aren't hostile, but share disturbing reports about how their summoner died in multiple parallel dimensions.

2: Duggle's Surprising Day

Not much is known about this particular tooth, which summons a commoner if planted in the ground and casts the Sancturary spell on the individual who plants it in their mouth every time they finish a long rest. Perhaps Duggle is the name of the commoner at the center of this tale? One can only wonder what made Duggle's day so surprising. Perhaps he gets into chaotic situations but escapes unscathed, hence the Sanctuary spell.

3: The Golden Age of Dhakaan

This tooth summons 10 Goblins and a Goblin Boss if planted or grants an ability like that of the Goblin Boss found in the Monster Manual: "When you are hit by an attack and an ally is within 5 feet of you, you can use your reaction to cause them to be hit instead. You can't use this reaction again until you finish a short or long rest." As for its tale, Dhakaan was a Goblinoid empire from the Eberron campaign setting. The Dhakaan empire dominated most of the mainland of Eberron (the continent of Khorvaire) for a 10,000 year period, which historians refer to as the Age of Dhakaan.

4: The Mill Road Murders

This tooth summons a coven of Green Hags or grants its wielder the ability to summon ghostly blades that do extra damage to a target who hasn't yet taken a turn in combat. A Coven of Green Hags who live on Mill Road, in the Domain of Dread known as Dementlieu, make an appearance in Van Richten's Guide to Witches and are mentioned again in Van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft as the "Fairy Godmothers" of Dementlieu.

5: Dooms of the Malpheggi

This tooth, which summons a Lizard Queen and 4 Lizardfolk, is based on the tale of the Malpheggi: a subrace of Lizardfolk who dwell in a swamp within the hollow earth of the Mystara campaign setting.

6: The Stable Hand's Secret

This tooth is a "sweet-tasting human canine" that gives a strange power indeed: "When you make a Charisma check against a humanoid, you can roll a d10 and add the number rolled as a bonus to the result. The creature then becomes hostile to you at the next dawn." If planted in the ground, the tooth summons a pair of Incubi. The tale behind this tooth is unclear. Perhaps it refers to a noblewoman being seduced by an incubus posing as a stablehand or perhaps a stablehand who secretly consorts with incubi.

7: The Donkey's Dream

This tooth summons a unicorn if planted or, if placed in a subject's mouth, grants them abilities similar to those of a unicorn: allowing them to heal a creature and remove all poisons and diseases from it 3 times a day and instilling within the tooth's wielder a desire to oppose wickedness whenever they see it.

8: Beyond the Rock of Bral

This tooth summons a pair of Mind Flayers, if planted in the ground or grants its wielder telepathic abilities. The Rock of Bral is an asteroid that orbits Toril, the planet of the Forgotten Realms campaign setting. The Rock is home to a large city known as Bral, which served as a port for Spelljammers, magical ships that could travel through space.

9: The Disappearances of Half-Hollow

This tooth grants its wielder a long jump distance of 30 feet and a high jump distance of 15 feet, with or without a running start, which appears to be a fitting power for a tooth that summons four Giant Toads. To the best of our knowledge, there is no location called Half-Hollow in any D&D setting, although a swamp with that name could turn up anywhere. In 5th edition, Giant Toads have the ability to eat people alive, which could explain the disappearances.

10: Legendry of Phantoms and Ghosts

Legendry of Phantoms and Ghosts is a book written by Evard, a wizard from the Greyhawk campaign setting and the creator of the Evard's Black Tentacles spell. Fittingly, the tooth grants its wielder the ability to cast that spell or summons a Mage, a Specter, and an Octopus if planted in the ground. The mage is probably meant to represent Evard himself, the Octopus is probably a nod to his signature spell, and the Specter is likely a reference to the contents of Legendry of Phantoms and Ghosts, which describes the undead, the realm of shadow, the dark art of Necromancy, and the god of death itself.

11: The Thousand Deaths of Jander Sunstar

Jander Sunstar is a High Elf Vampire, who was claimed by the Mists of Ravenloft after killing all those he blamed for keeping him and his lover apart. Arriving in the Domain of Barovia, he met Strahd Von Zarovich, who tried to enslave him, although Jander escaped into the mists after his attempt to kill Strahd failed. Now, Jander roams the mists of Ravenloft, trying to find a cure for his vampirism. One such attempt involved a magical machine called the Apparatus, which, instead of curing him, created several copies of him, which were scattered across the multiverse, each believing itself to be the original Jander Sunstar. An improbable number of these clones have already come to tragic ends, including one who appeared in Baldur's Gate Descent into Avernus, who was being tormented on Haruman's Hill.

12: Nightmares of Kaggash

This tooth summons a Beholder if planted or grants its wielder the ability to cast the Eyebite spell from the tooth once a day. The name Kaggash refers to D&D 3.5e's Lords of Madness: The Book of Aberrations, where it appears as a massive hive-city of Beholders on an unknown world of the material plane. The city exists on a mist-shrouded volcanic island and is home to around 2000 Beholders, ruled by a council of ten Beholder Hive Mothers.

13: Three Bridges to the Sky

Like The Donkey's Dream, this tooth grants the wielder powers similar to those wielded by the monster it summons (in this case, 3 Oni). The tooth gives its wielder the ability to cast the Detect Magic spell at will and gives them a flying speed of 30 feet. However, it also imposes a level of exhaustion that can only be removed by attuning to 3 magic items, which could represent an Oni's insatiable desire for magic.

14: The Claws of Dragotha

This tooth allows its wielder to cast Create Undead, but also causes a zombie or ghoul to rise randomly within 5 miles of the wielder when this power is used. Dragotha is a Dracolich from the world of Greyhawk, who was first mentioned in the White Plume Mountain module, where a map was labelled "Beyond to the lair of DRAGOTHA the undead dragon, where fabulous riches and hideous deaths await". In the Age of Worms adventure path, Dragotha appears again as a servant to the Elder Evil Kyuss and makes his lair in Wormcrawl fissure. In the world of Greyhawk, The Claws of Dragotha is the title of a song that details an expedition into the lair of the Dracolich.

15: Ashes of the Ages and Eternal Fire

This tooth allows its wielder to cast Counterspell at 9th level once per day, or, if planted, summons a Dao, an Efreet, a Djinni, and a Marid. As these genies have the ability to grant wishes, and the tooth grants the ability to cast Counterspell at 9th level, there is speculation that this tooth is a reference to the final battle in the first campaign of Critical Role, in which Scanlan gave up his Wish spell to Counterspell Vecna, although it could be referencing another tale of genies and wishes.

16: Daughters of Bel

This tooth, which allows its wielder to cast Dominate Monster or summons a Pit Fiend if planted, tells the tale of Bel, an Archdevil and the ruler of Avernus, the first layer of the Nine Hells, until he was supplanted by Zariel. Unlike the reckless fallen angel, Bel is a genius tactician who carefully plots each battle. He believes that it is only a matter of time before Zariel makes a mistake and he gets another chance to take control of Avernus. The Pit Fiend summoned by the tooth, is probably Bel's "daughter" or at least his servant.

17: Why the Sky Screams

The name of this tooth invokes powerful imagery, both of a thunderstorm and an attacking Blue Dragon. If planted, it summons an Ancient Blue Dragon. If placed in a creature's mouth, it makes them immune to lightning damage (not unlike a Blue Dragon) but vulnerable to Thunder Damage. Maybe thunder is the "scream" this tooth's name represents or perhaps the tooth tells the story of a myth that claims thunderstorms are created by a mighty Blue Dragon.

18: The Last Tarrasque

In the vein of The Donkey's Dream and Three Bridges to the Sky, this tooth grants its wielder abilities similar to those of the creature it summons. The tooth allows its wielder to deal double damage to objects and structures, like a Tarrasque's siege monster trait. However, if they take 20 or more damage they are at risk of entering a murderous rage in which they must make an unarmed strike against a creature who damaged them or another creature they can see if they weren't damaged by a creature. The name of the tooth could be a reference to the fact that, in most d&d worlds, there is only one Tarrasque in existence.

19: Incendax's Tooth

If planted, this tooth summons an Ancient Red Dragon. If grafted into a creature's mouth, it grants them immunity to Fire Damage and the ability to unleash a breath weapon as powerful as that of a Red Dragon. According to the Book of Artifacts, which introduced the Teeth of Dahlver-Nar for the second edition of Dungeons and Dragons, Incendax was an ancient Red Dragon who killed a group of young wizards from a mage's guild. Outraged by the dragon's actions, the most powerful wizards of the guild entered Incendax's lair and attacked him with their most powerful magic, causing an explosion that left behind nothing of either party except the dragon's teeth. It was these teeth (and the powerful magic they contained) that were discovered by a Cleric named Dahlver-Nar.

20: Dahlver Nar's Tooth

This tooth is a dusty human molar that apparently came from Dahlver-Nar himself. If grafted into one's mouth, this tooth allows them to ask for help from a divine being. This ability is similar to a Cleric's Divine Intervention ability, although its success is guaranteed and it can only be used one a week. In the first edition Dungeon Master's Guide, Dahlver-Nar is described as a Cleric who received special power from the gods themselves. Dahlver-Nar also makes an appearance in Curse of Strahd as a vestige sealed within an Amber Sarcophagus, who bears the title "He of the many teeth". If a creature touches his sarcophagus, he offers them a dark gift: The power to live many lives. The recipient of this gift is instantly reincarnated when it dies, although it loses all its teeth until it receives its third reincarnation.

Despite his immense power, Dahlver-Nar is portrayed as a lowly 5th level cleric if summoned by sowing the teeth.