A Zoat armed with a Sky Stave.
Zoats are mysterious centauroid creatures of reptilian appearance that inhabit the deepest forests of the Old World and practice magic.[1a][2a][3a][4a][5]
Quick Answers
What is the origin of the Zoats in the Warhammer universe?
How are the Zoats related to the Lizardmen in Warhammer?
What is the significance of the Zoats' reptilian appearance?
What kind of magic do the Zoats practice in the forests of the Old World?
Are Zoats a standalone species or a splinter of another race in Warhammer?
History[]
Storm of Magic (8th Edition)[]
Concept art of a Zoat created for Total War Warhammer II.
There are few races in the Known World so mysterious as the Zoats. No one knows how they arrived in the forests of the Old World, why they did so or even what their goals are. Are the Zoats a species unto themselves, or some splinter of the Lizardmen? Perhaps the Slann know, but on this topic, as on many others, they remain enigmatically silent.[4a][5]
Zoats are powerful wizards, able to tap into the Winds of Magic in an instinctive manner, rather than through study and ritual. Whilst this means that a Zoat will never prove as versatile a wizard as an Elf, or even a Man, their innate control over Ghyran surpasses that of all but the most learned High Elf Mages. Indeed, many a Wood Elf Spellsinger will seek out a Zoat in order to learn from it, but as the Elves of Athel Loren find Zoats no less elusive than do other beings, very few succeed in their search.[4a][5]
In the ordinary run of things, Zoats are seldom encountered outside their woodland homes. Indeed, even within such places, it is rare to catch a sight of one. When intruders close or danger threatens, Zoats will rouse the trees and undergrowth to crush and strangle interlopers, rather than take direct action themselves. In this way, Zoats can avoid detection, and even a single such creature can imbue a forest with a reputation so dreadful that even marauding Orcs and rampaging warherds will give the area a wide berth.[4a][5]
Where sorcery alone is not sufficient, the Zoat will leave the shadows to enter the fray personally, knocking the invaders to the ground with sweeping blows. Once prone, the enemy becomes easy prey for creeping roots and vines, which swiftly entangle and throttle them. When eldritch storms erupt upon the world, it is possible to bind Zoats into service and only then will the creatures leave their reclusive forest homes.[4a][5]
Warhammer Fantasy Battle (3rd Edition)[]
A Zoat warrior
Zoats are semi-legendary creatures and are rarely seen. Everything about them is mysterious. No one professes to know how they arrived in the Old World's forests or why. What they are doing there is anyone's guess. Old World scholars like nothing more than to discuss these matters, postulating various imaginative and improbable theories about Zoat intentions.[1a]
They are uncommon, and as time goes on they seem to get fewer and fewer. Many say that their days are numbered. It is rumoured that they have occasional dealings with the Wood Elves. Most common folk believe they are powerful wizards bent upon some devilish design to the ultimate detriment of Humanity.[1a]
Zoats are centauroid beings with thick columnar legs and a shuffling, nervous gait. They are reptilian and their skins are covered in scales. They are said to have a "wry" expression because of the twisted or crooked way in which they often hold their heads. This may be due to the way in which they sway their heads from side to side, a primitive mechanism which allows them to scent other living creatures.[1a]
A Zoat wizard
Zoats seem to be well-intentioned creatures, unwilling to interfere in the affairs of others. This does not stop them from destroying their enemies or protecting their homes.[1a]
They are an inherently magical species and acquire powers naturally as they grow in age and wisdom. Their peaceful nature does not prevent them from slaying the servants of evil, or from defending their homes where necessary, but it does incline them away from a study of the martial arts. They may use Elemental or Battle Magic.[1a]
Warhammer Armies (3rd Edition)[]
Zoat standards
Zoats are large, rough-skinned reptilian creatures whose massive physical presence and superficial ugliness shield a cunning intelligence and deep-seated passion for arcane lore. They are mysterious creatures which are so rarely seen that for many people in the Old World they are the subject of legend and fairy tale rather than reality. They seldom stray far from their woodland habitat where they sometimes associate with Wood Elves.[2a]
One of the strange facets of Zoat society is that they have no "heroes," only wizards. Zoat leaders are warriors of mysticism as well as battle, intermingling their guttural battle cries with frightening philosophical truths.[2a]
Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay (1st Edition)[]
A Zoat
In many parts of the Old World, Zoats are regarded as creatures of legend. It is not known when or how they developed, or even whether they are really native to the world of Mallus at all. What is certain, however, is that they are incredibly ancient and very powerful.[3a]
Zoats are solitary by nature, and are occasionally encountered in the depths of the most ancient forests of the Old World. Despite their bulk, they are quiet and reclusive, and can move through the densest undergrowth with hardly a sound. Occasionally, they have dealings with Wood Elves and other forest-dwelling races, and they have been known to make contact with Human druids from time to time.[3a]
It is said that they are powerful wizards, and that they strive to keep the forests free of marauding Greenskins; ancient Elvish songs and legends tell of Zoats sometimes coming to the aid of Wood Elven settlements attacked by Goblins and their kin. They are feared by Orcs, Goblins and Lizardmen.[3a]
All Zoats seem to speak a common, grinding, rumbling tongue; they may also speak Eltharin and occasionally the language of druids.[3a]
Zoats are centauroid in appearance, having four thick, columnar legs, and a powerful torso with two manipulative arms. They are reptilian, with heavy plates of fused scales covering their shoulders, back and hindquarters, and are about 6 feet high and 8 feet long. Their heads are reminiscent of those of a snake or turtle, but with a broad, heavily-armoured skull to accommodate their brains, which are proportionally large. Their slightly domed skulls, large eyes and wide mouths give them a wry expression. Colour ranges from dark brown through maroon to purple.[3a]
Zoats do not wear clothing or armour, for their scales protect them from the elements and from the blows of their enemies. Their characteristic weapon is a long, wooden staff tipped with a metal-bound cylinder of black stone; the metal is silver and carved with strange symbols which are indecipherable by other species. These weapons are wielded as a two-handed mace, and only a Zoat can use them effectively.[3a]
Wargear[]
Every Zoat is a powerful wizard able to master the Lore of Life.[4a]
- Sky Stave - Every Zoat is armed with a two-handed, mace-like Sky Stave. [4a]
Notable Zoats[]
- Enigmas of Ghyran - The Enigmas of Ghyran are a unit of Zoats who serve among the armies of the Wood Elves. Should Storms of Magic rage over unchartered woodlands, it may be a portent that monstrous and sinister things dwell within, such as the Zoats who are forced to ally themselves with the Asrai who seek them out during such times.[5]
Miniatures[]
Canon Conflict[]
In Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 1st Edition the Zoats are said to cause terror in Lizardmen. The Lizardmen of this edition were a very different race from those described in the present-day lore, made up of cave-dwelling primitives that haunted the lower levels of Dwarf and Goblin holds with their Troglodyte cousins.
In the alternate, non-canon universe of Blood Bowl, there is a Zoat star player known as Zolcath the Zoat.
Zoats are also featured in Warhammer 40,000 where they are an advanced alien species that were enslaved or created by the Tyranids to serve the Hive Mind as slaves and diplomats.
The Zoats were introduced in The Twisted and the Twilight DLC of Total War: Warhammer II as a Wood Elves monstrous unit.
Sources[]
- 1: Warhammer Fantasy Battle (3rd Edition)
- 1a: pg. 233
- 2: Warhammer Armies (3rd Edition)
- 2a: pg. 149
- 3: Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay: A World of Perilous Adventure (1st Ed.)
- 3a: pg. 248
- 4: Storm of Magic (8th Edition)
- 4a: pg. 135
- 5: Total War: Warhammer II(PC Game)
Gallery[]
