Dungeons and Dragons Lore: Sliver

Slivers, an iconic and fearsome foe from the earlier history of the Magic the Gathering game, now that we have some crossover between the MtG multiverse and the Dungeons and dragons multiverse, with the release of the Guildmasters Guide to Ravnica, there is a possibility that slivers could be included in your D&D campaign. So lets have a look at the history, ecology and some game stats for these creatures. For an excellent suppliment with a comprehensive menagerie of Sliver types check out
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[@namenddr4172]

I'm not sure the D&D world is ready for Slivers.

[@damianmorningstar3150]

all slivers gain +12/+12 flying, trample, double strike, first strike, vigilance, regenerator, can not be targeted by spells and ability

[@morganmcconal4785]

Slivers are what demons want to be.

[@thedarkmaster4747]

That adaptation is actually too fast, it's kind of universe breaking.

[@lorekeeper685]

Defeatable

[@LostSoulNexus]

@@damianmorningstar3150 this has a counter plague sliver and/or hivestone,

[@Reddotzebra]

I've always loved the Slivers, then again I also love the Myr and the Saprolings... Something about weenie and token decks that interact with each other in new and interesting ways to create unstoppable monster armies just speaks to me.

[@kingmasterlord]

kavus were my thing

[@antwan1357]

I remember having a sliver deck since they use all the mana colors it was a struggle to get anything out except the artifact slivers at first. Slivers work best not in one on one deck games but in multiple player group games where multiple players with sliver decks can gang up on other players stacking abilities.

[@user-rv8yv4yh9n]

nothing got a player evicted quicker from the cafeteria game table than a sliver tribe deck

[@AJPickett]

Oh there were some truly broken combos.... what am I saying? There are ALWAYS truly broken combos.

[@malbogia8003]

My bounce/sliver/ eye of the storm deck broke the souls of many people back in the day. That deck never lost

[@largo778]

@@malbogia8003 Sliver/Aluren/Recycle if you really want to be evil, throw in Decendent's Path for that final touch. Especially in a 5-color Sliver Commander deck

[@malbogia8003]

@@largo778 oof. That is pretty evil

[@largo778]

@@malbogia8003 I also use Heartstone and Sliver Queen, Stormtide Leviathan, and Ameboid Changeling and Sliver Overlord

[@CrudusViscus]

...and now Slivers are officially in D&D lmao

[@Scortch-lo3xy]

really where?

[@Greenscyth22]

I remember HATING my friends Sliver deck back in the day. My poison counter deck couldn’t compete.....

[@LostSoulNexus]

I mained slivers before commander format came out then switched to a horde of notions elemental/flamekin build, stoked and terrified to know they are in D&D

[@justinjacobs1501]

With The Guildmaster's Guide you can use the Krasis templates and have each one have a single adaptation that it shares across the group...

[@justinjacobs1501]

The Category 1 can be basic slivers and the Category 2can be a lesser hive lord. The Category 3 would be equivalent to a Queen or Legion.

[@AgentGreen13]

That link to the homebrew just saved me about 60 hours. Came for old Dragon Lore refresher, subbed for Sliver love.

[@jameswhite-pv3sq]

"life finds a way" at that moment i laughed so hard my coffe came out my nose

[@andycates7923]

you forgot the signature "uh" in the middle. but I agree!

[@alariatcg5853]

Question for you Aj! Have you ever considered doing a versus video where you actually PLAY two monsters against each other and you play them exactly how they would play and then see who wins? That could actually make for some really interesting videos! Especially you explaining what they choose to do and how they choose to fight.

[@AJPickett]

Hmmm, I shall consider it.

[@alariatcg5853]

AJ Pickett that would be awesome because of a few reasons. A guy like you, an expert, shows, or rather explains, how the monsters fight in a battle. It would totally help other DMs and inspire them to play better their npcs. Say you use a Beholder vs a white dragon, for example. You stick them in a scenario where they duke it out and I’m sure loads of people would get a better glimpse on how these characters REALLY act. Just a thought. You’ve got EXCELLENT content AJ keep it up!

[@thedarkmaster4747]

I second this notion.

[@ClassicMagicMan]

Of all the ideas on the internet, this is not the worst.

[@chrismanuel9768]

Humanoid playable Sliver race that can hear the Hivemind but choose to ignore it in favor of their Independence. They too gain the abilities of Slivers they're within range of, but they also give their ability to nearby Slivers: sentience

[@glorbojibbins2485]

Dang bro that's tight

[@backroomgaming3305]

Thank you for all your hard work, I have a arch druid that had been corrupted by my BBEG and became a sliver druid (unique for the story) so this has really helped me put together and design the encounter for my party

[@lordgiblets7585]

Honestly, I'd love to see these make an appearance in a future crossover.

[@UnnameableGreviance]

Excellent video good sir. I've been murdered by them many times as well. Thought I do have a EDH/Commander deck of them. I think it's a fair one. 60 Slivers and 40 lands. It still murders people.

[@CitanulsPumpkin]

The main problem with Slivers in D&D is running them. Each Sliver added to an encounter increases the amount of math the DM has to do on the fly each round. And if you're not throwing at least 10 Slivers at a party at once then there just isn't a reason to use Slivers instead of just throwing a half dozen other aberrations of monstrosities. That said an easy way to Homebrew Slivers is to just use other D&D monsters and add a "Sliver Template" to their stat blocks. Basically 30 or 60 foot telepathy with all other Slivers in range and all Slivers in range gain one bonus. Muscle Sliver could be a Gray Render that gives +1 or +2 to STR and Con to all others in range. Winged Sliver is a Blood Hawk that grants its fly speed to all in range. Spinneret Sliver is a Giant Spider that grants is Web Attack to all in range. Armor Sliver is a Giant crab that gives +1 AC to all in range. (This is especially problematic with the way dice math works in D&D and it might be better to just have any number of Armor Slivers in range set the AC of other Slivers to a fixed value. Like Half or Full Plate or something.) For campaign purposes the DM needs to find a good reason for why the Sliver Swarm doesn't expand outwards in all directions and consume all organic matter on whatever planet they're on. This was the story issue in both the Otaria block and the time spiral block. Without a Queen or other powerful psychic force controlling the hivemind, the Slivers just continue to eat and breed until there is literally nothing left.

[@williambarnes5023]

Slivers should each take one of the standard spells, say for example Cat's Grace, and apply it to all slivers in range, which may be say, 30ft or 60ft, and requiring LoS or LoE. Your armor sliver has Mage Armor up, but adding more armor slivers to the mix doesn't make the AC keep going up because the spell effect is already active and they don't stack. They do swarm, but they swarm in waves, like a seasonal plague of locusts, and you might know when they're coming and wipe them out, because they're not super bright without a Queen. And when you have a Queen, she might prefer to diplomacy and stall instead of sending her progeny out to be slaughtered again.

[@AJPickett]

As I said, I just use the mob combat rules, that allows me to average out the combat and not have to roll all the dice, then it is almost like treating them as a single creature that gains and loses abilities during the encounter.

[@Varatho]

Slivers are evil and slivers are sly; And if you get eaten, then no one will cry.

[@victorvaldez8869]

- Mogg Children's Rhyme.

[@oliviabean8264]

... Frickin gem slivers.

[@johntheherbalistg8756]

Wow AJ, I forgot about these cute little fellas. I'm definitely gonna have a look at that document, because I think the Slivers will work quite nicely as Far Realm abberations. Thanks!

[@fenrirfrenzybeard3162]

My sliver deck is unbeatable. Well done.

[@coffeecaesar1443]

[[Descend upon the Sinful]]

[@anthonyromasco3528]

I toyed around with them back when I played magic. Neat concept, but i also found some of the inherent weaknesses. Especially to cards that let you specify a creature type for effect purposes

[@gerbill13]

so D&D Tyranids got ya.

[@mattmaughan6871]

Yes! Do yagmowth

[@musicforasoul.7158]

Life finds a way and it's beautiful.

[@oliviabean8264]

Just gotta say I've always really enjoyed some of the lore around magic the gathering as sparse as my knowledge may be of it, Kamigawa and Ravinca are the ones I'm most knowledgeable of but I have quite a few gaps even for those ones. Due to the sometimes chaotic and multiplanar reality both franchises exist in I think the opportunities for crossover would be amazing and I wouldn't mind hearing about some more mtg lore that could serve as a solid basis for some crazy out there adventures. Keep up the good work!

[@draxthemsklonst]

mtg.gamepedia.com/Timeline The complete timeline, is a good place to start for non video lore.

[@chrismanuel9768]

There's an official Magic DnD book, since Wizards owns both

[@derekstein6193]

Look up Teferi and his island; easy insert into any setting.

[@jacobkuhn9072]

Slivers are LIFE

[@Delumis]

It's unfortunate the guide to all slivers is gone :( link destroyed

[@Sagetower7]

Thank you for audio balancing your videos, in past years your intro would deafen me and the following recording would be very quiet. You have come a long way, keep up the good work :)

[@robertwilson2516]

Magic the Gathering is crossing over to Dungeons and Dragons dear lord the floodgates have opened.

[@javierpatag3609]

TBH, I have the same concerns- but I think Slivers being added to D&D is more a good thing than a bad thing.

[@Insane-Howl-Cowl]

Truest bliss! AJ Pickett doing a video on Slivers!

[@jamesadamsfl]

Slivers aren't Monstrosities. They're classic Abberations. I think Slivers would fit in perfectly in a Planscape or Spelljammer, or even a Ravenloft game, given those settings' world-hopping nature. But they could work in the Forgotten Realms or Ebberon too, possibly even Mystara, though that's unlikely. Regardless, on the Prime Planes, I would treat them as alien invaders. Not in flying saucers or heat-ray firing tripods or anything like that. But, I would play up the idea that they are something new and nightmarish that the people of Faerun or wherever have never seen before. Even more so than the Mindflayers because the slivers are new and even more alien with their lack of communication, inhuman forms (especially the so-called "lesser" slivers) and power-sharing abilities. Don't use slivers as mooks in a mob. They're a biological plague, an invasive species that threatens the whole planet. Also, I love the Sliver-ized version of Dogs Playing Poker.

[@Taygon45]

I see them as popping up in the Underdark because of their tendency to be experimented on. So Mindflayers see their ability as a hivemind and try to experiment on them to add their adaptability to their own hive, but only succeeding in giving them a high intelligence and unleashing them on the Underdark.

[@CoolRanchPropaganda]

As a WOTW fan I love the idea even if you said they’re not gonna have the tripods I still love the mention of them. But yes your idea is fantastic.

[@JamesAdams-nd1td]

@@CoolRanchPropaganda Thank you

[@CoolRanchPropaganda]

@@JamesAdams-nd1td you’re very welcome!

[@DudiTheGreat]

Ah, slivers. The only thing more formidable than elves when assembled in large numbers.

[@ericjkier]

I love what you said at the end about, "the hive is displeased with you". Big MTG head back in the day

[@DStrormer]

So neat. I've always wanted to throw these into a campaign and these rules might just be what I needed.

[@mr.eccentricthelich]

We are a hive now

[@Krishnath.Dragon]

Some notes from an ancient MTG player (who once adapted the slivers to 3.5): The Shandalarian (which is the proper term) Slivers are *not* the originals. We got to see the original slivers in a set released a short while after you made this video in a set called Modern Horizons. We still don't know what their original homeworld was, but we know they have spread to many worlds. Prior to an event known as the mending (which ended the Time Spiral era, and prevented the apocalypse that would have destroyed not only Dominaria, but the entire multiverse in which MTG takes place), the Slivers was usually taken to new worlds either by planeswalkers, through planar portals, or by hitching a ride with other entities traveling the planes. After the mending that made the transitive plane hostile to anything that wasn't either born there or a planeswalker, we no longer know how they spread to new worlds, or are even capable of doing so.

[@gmradio2436]

Given their ability to adapt, there might just be sliver hives living in the blind eternities. We should keep them away from the eldrazi.

[@dracoargentum9783]

Finally, my plot of a Xenomorph/Borg/Sliver/Technarchy invasion is a step closer...

[@rickeymariu1]

Thanks for the latest vid aj! I just made liberal use of several of your drow, demon, and dragon vids.

[@chrishardy559]

OH GODS NOT THESE EVIL BUGGERS! T_T my brother has been kicking my @$$ with a slivers deck for 10 years now T_T

[@tonyromasco1735]

Perfect campaign arc Asmodeus realizes that slivers are the ultimate solution to the numbers-problem in the blood-war, and WANTS THEM!!! Your partt is charged with preventing this alliance

[@Haunted_Gallows]

Another knock out AJ! A bit off topic though, thanks for teaching me about the Tim Tam Slam! I have a coworker from NZ and was amazed that I knew what the hell he was doing with his coffee this morning.

[@chriscalvin5083]

Good video AJ

[@jacobfreeman5444]

Great old one pact with a Sliver hivemind

[@Jawn15]

Planeswankers!

[@Bake-kurijra]

Can you do the eldrazi please and thank you

[@UnnameableGreviance]

Tyranids in Warhammer 40,000 are the ultimate evolution of Slivers.

[@Giganfan2k1]

I really wish they do a Dominaria.

[@jameswhite-pv3sq]

hahaa yes .what an excellent thing to see coming back.love the content and if u need any research help just let me know aj.

[@KamekazeKuban]

Geez a sliver hydra sounds scary lol

[@danielbrown9393]

I don't follow MTG and we use these guys to great effectiveness in our campaign, thanks for the video.

[@javierpatag3609]

Instant Like. I was active in Magic when they first came out (Tempest). Made a Blue-Black sliver deck. For a deck lacking in brute strength and card power compared to sliver decks of others colors (*cough* Green), it did amazingly well. Love them to this day.

[@paintedlion4514]

because life uhhhh finds a way.. lmao had me dying

[@michaelhill6619]

I love your videos AJ you are truly a master of your craft also I would like to ask if you would be interested in doing a video for half dragons sometime in the future

[@joewhite6844]

Sigh ....you lose friends when playing with slivers..

[@ruhalajn]

I always wondered looking at the cards, do they levitate or is that just the art? The base drones

[@ironreed2654]

Missed this video the first time, Slivers are Xenomorphs + Magic.

[@draxthemsklonst]

They can be cooperative, though, but pretty much, yes xenomorphs. Zerg, which are Startcraft's version of xenomorphs are even closer.

[@ironreed2654]

@@draxthemsklonst If were talking Aliens vs Alien then Xenos are pretty cooperative when they have a queen present, just like Slivers. If were talking Order of creation then its Alien, Warhammer 40k Tyranids, Aliens then Starcraft. Disregarding likely original literary inspiration.

[@atilax6452]

THIS is one of the coolest, most unique, complex monsters I have seen. They r beautiful.

[@paulturbo7563]

Mtg, thats neat A.J. pickett. Can you do more videos on Mtg content, like the guild leaders of Ravinca.

[@AJPickett]

Eventually, probably, yes.

[@vizerandevir6422]

Slivers are great if you want a swarmy hive mind that is less of an overarching threat than say the Illithid. They are more like Tyranids from 40k in that their intelligence is singular in focus. Great vid as always AJ. "We are the squishy Borg. Your physiological and genetic distinctiveness will be added to our own. Resistance is futile."

[@andresmarrero8666]

And here comes the robots and ghosts saying "your run at ehanced adaptation has expired. Choose a stable form or pay the price."

[@Jpteryx]

I think the Slivers could make a decent True Neutral counterpart to Modrons and Slaadi. (They're certainly more interesting to me than Rilmani, although Pathfinder's Aeons are also a good option.)

[@AJPickett]

You're right, Rilmani are boring.. it's like whoever came up with them had a problem understanding the Neutral alignment.

[@VulpisFoxfire]

Hmmm. Slivers vs. the Terrasque.

[@kingmasterlord]

krosan cloudscraper vs tarrasque

[@Raghetiel]

If looking at their gameplay, slivers are universally have a line of "all slivers gain [ability]". The ability to sare individual ability. So if you have a flying sliver, and poisonous sliver, both of them will be both flying and poisonous. But they rarely do anything else

[@loki3275]

Enjoyed the Sliver in MTG. Gonna see how my party of level 13s handle getting stuck on an island with a hive. Lol.

[@codyweaver7546]

I love how they are such a simple but terrifying extinction level threat.

[@volijay1019]

AJ I looooove this vid!!!! I have a silver deck in MTG! Love the vids man! So I've gotta ask, if you came across a quirky small silver and helped it take down its prey it was struggling with or even healed it after it was hurt.... would its hive mind remember you? Given some could be reasoned with?

[@AJPickett]

Probably

[@ClassicMagicMan]

Thanks for covering this, AJ! It may be worth mentioning that the Slivers were originally in a separate "universe" before being added to the MTG game. They behaved as a meteor when invading planets: splintering off into "Slivers" across a continent to evolve to conquer native life. PS: I hate playing against Slivers so much I can't even play Queen in 5c edh

[@PrimordialAnnihilator]

Tyranids come to mind

[@ClassicMagicMan]

Agreed, similar concept. I think Tyranids have them beat, though. Slivers have never been at "full power" at any point in time, Tryanids eat galaxies... Exponentially.

[@ericdavis9210]

I love the Nids. Such a good race lol.

[@zacharyhawley1693]

Deathtouch sliver deck. Muhaha made my friends rage quit

[@zacharyhawley1693]

To be fair. It was justice for a green squirrel token deck with doubling season.

[@josephweymon8020]

I wonder what would happen to a world with a Sliver infestation that ends up in the Path of a Clockwork Horror armada. Ooooh wee wee, that would be interesting to see who comes out on top; alien monstrosities, mechanical harvesters, or the native humanoids of that planet. Hmmmm, I should write this down.

[@BlinkySL]

Anyone have the pdf? The link doesn't seem to work for me

[@AvromCrovax]

I had the most awesome sliver deck

[@DmJim]

Idea engine churning....thanx

[@Thea1d2r3i4a5n6]

ohhhh i thought it said silver, dang

[@MistahBryan]

Never heard of these creatures, this ought to prove interesting. Ah, the MTG creature, that I'm aware of :)

[@colostomybaguette6122]

did you just say planeswanker?

[@AJPickett]

Highly unlikely

[@lordgiblets7585]

I do believe there's a separate video about Nicol Bolas... ,':D

[@douglasburck1611]

Spell check is a bitch.

[@docwiz]

I'm about to run an MTG world for the first time due to all of the amazing material, and your videos are incredibly informative and helpful. I started playing in the series at Ravnica and its going to be great when we get there.

[@AJPickett]

Have fun!

[@dragonballtalk8527]

Old mtg reading novels are highly collectables

[@The.Incredible.Mister.E]

I love slivers

[@daniell1483]

Insectoid, hive-minded species that connect mentally to form colonies. So, ground-based Tyranids? Not the worst idea I've seen for a monstrosity but it certainly has already been done.

[@kingmasterlord]

ancient tyranid ancestors

[@joshuamcrae7346]

Please do a video on yawgmoth. My Campaign is based around phyrexia and they currently learning about and trying to repel gix.

[@AJPickett]

Elder Evil Yawgmoth!

[@paulturbo7563]

Gix, a cybernetic demon general of Yawgmoth, nice pick.👍

[@jspear2755]

Slivers = The Brood

[@Bake-kurijra]

Who would win magic the gathering vs dungeons and dragons?

[@AJPickett]

Hasbro

[@Bake-kurijra]

@@AJPickett good point my friend

[@cody1570]

I have an idea almost like this with prawn like lobster centaurs that are formed into a hive mind mentality. Wont go into details but I have a hell of a concept for them

[@InDzienInTampa]

"Yawgmoth, a former Republican eugenicist." This aged well... lol

[@AJPickett]

Lol... yeah.

[@AzraelThanatos]

If you want something else that can give you the feel of the Slivers, look at the Vord from the Codex Alera novels...

[@davidh429]

I play both dnd and magic i hate slivers in magic so op if you don't kill right away and i play rakdos and new to dnd(3 months) and thankly not encountered one

[@gekolvr0734]

Just wondering, is there an Astral Plane video in the future, or have you already made one and I can't find it?

[@AJPickett]

hmmm, I have talked around it and through it, but never directly about it.

[@2o7o7dragon]

Something from Sliver lore that either you missed or has since been debunked without me knowing: "Slivers were originally a single extra planar being. At one point the being attempted to enter a plane and shattered into many 'Slivers' of itself. It is from this event that the creatures draw their name. It is also why they are able to compound their abilities so readily. As Slivers congregate, the original being is essentially being slowly reformed." I believe it's lore from circa 2009, so it may have been invalidated without my knowing, and I'm not sure how it interacts with the lore you uncovered, but it could add other interesting dimensions to encounters or including them in a story.

[@AJPickett]

Hmm, reminds me of the original Obyrith demons

[@Krishnath.Dragon]

That has been debunked, in Modern Horizons. Sorry.

[@s1e1durham]

Eww... Brings up an interesting run for your life scenario a brood infestation of slivers take down a tarasque... Would that create a new species tarasque-sliver and just for kicks hook horror, rust monster, purple worm, illithid, basilisk / cockatrice, mimic,.... Ok... I'm not playing any more... I'm officially scared... No slivers in my next game, or I'm nerd rage quitting....

[@Lobsterwithinternet]

Sliver Vecna.

[@Thoughtmage100]

A cockatrice Sliver sounds really fun actually.

[@LostSoulNexus]

Thats as scary as weeping angels and vashtanerada(shadowpiranhathings) working together

[@michaelkelligan7931]

I had a sliver deck that was a real monster!

[@ebonstone2980]

Where did you find all the art?! I've not seen half of them before!

[@anothisflame8266]

The cards man. In the cards.

[@victorvaldez8869]

The Slivers have been in SO many sets. You have the Tempest block, the Onslaught block, the Time Spiral block, & M14 + M15. There are SO many sets to pick from, & a total of 88 total Slivers unless I miscounted. This doesn't even include artwork on any tokens WotC may have printed. I am pretty sure he didn't even touch on fan art.

[@ebonstone2980]

I knew about them, I assumed I'd seen them all! Maybe they're more art out for them that I knew...I mean, I didn't know they made them for 5e D&D!

[@Heatx79]

lol "Planes-wankers"

[@dragonballtalk8527]

More mtg lore please innastrahd maybe

[@anthonyromasco3528]

If you ever get a moment, i was curious to chat with you. I've played Ad&d since 1981. I've played basic through to 2nd edition. I needed a sounding board for a character type i was piecing together called a Bermoder. The name means "motherbear" in early germanic. Imagine a neutral good order of paladins devoted to a goddess of motherhood, healing, and children. What do you think, interesting?

[@AJPickett]

Could be, sure!

[@anthonyromasco3528]

Am @RomascoAnthony on Twitter. Easiest way to reach me. Any other oldheads out there who want to give me a shout there, feel free!

[@Redrung]

Sliver picture use to be everywhere. on guitar , on the school wall , on public toilet , on school book. Now they all gone

[@dragonballtalk8527]

I had sliver in magic cards and plague rats never used any of them though

[@nvfury13]

Back when WoTC bought D&D, they released an official conversion rule set for making Magic Cards D&D spells/creatures/NPCs/Items. This was before they did 3E.

[@little_isalina]

Too bad homebrewery only works properly on chrome. I'd get that Shrill Hive document, but im not going to go through installing and uninstalling that mess of a browser.

[@theforkedman3030]

I'm thinking about becoming a DM and these things s are guna be a big part of my first champain. I'm guna make them ancient and smart enough to realize that they keep dying off but other races don't so they become more of a civilization

[@tatsusama3192]

5:25 Awwww!😊 11:03 Ahhhhh!😳 13:38 Whoooooa!😀 20:30 Hahaha!😂

[@zaqzilla1]

Looks like a Magic the Gathering version of Xenomorphs.

[@victorvaldez8869]

They kind of are, but more varied than the Xenomorphs seemed to be in the installments of Alien films I've seen. Also the sharing traits by proximity makes them VERY dangerous, if one Winged Sliver shows up, the entire swarm now has wings, a beefy Muscle Sliver shows up & they ALL get bigger. Imagine a few dozen Xenomorphs in flight, now give them chameleon skin because one with that trait joined the swarm...