Drunken Toad

The drunken toad, otherwise known as the lagerhopper, is a species of toad whose skin secretes a very potent alcohol that is used in ales throughout Endhaven. The species is surprisingly violent and unpredictable for its size thanks to its natural inebriation, so travelers are warned to stay away from ponds and logs strong with the smell of alcohol.

Basic Information

Anatomy

The fully-grown drunken toad sports two pairs of legs with webbed feet framing a rotund, bumpy body on which is mounted a short head with a wide mouth and eyes.

Biological Traits

While many other amphibians in Endhaven possess poisons or toxins on the surface of their skin as a natural defense against predators, the drunken toad secretes concentrated alcohol which acts as its own predator repellent. However, the drunken toad itself is vulnerable to this excessive alcohol secretion, and is in a constant state of inebriation from maturity onwards. While this is considered an evolutionary hurdle in regards to intelligence, the drunken toad's fighting style, random and unpredictable but forceful, has allowed it to survive for this long.

Growth Rate & Stages

The mother drunken toad will typically birth several hundred of its kin as tadpoles in a body of water before leaving them to grow or die on their own. These tadpoles will gradually grow legs, first a rear then a front pair, and lungs to adapt to an amphibious lifestyle.
As tadpoles, drunken toads typically have a resistance to their natural alcoholic output, likely due to the fact that their eggs are of a 23.8% alcohol content. However, many speculate that time these drunken toads spend away from alcohol allows their natural toxins to inebriate them.

Additional Information

Domestication

Some drunken toads have been domesticated to manufacture more of its natural alcohol, though this has resulted in a sharp reduction in alcohol quality, as well as the deaths of many caretakers of this species.

Uses, Products & Exploitation

The drunken toad's natural secretions make for great ingredients in many ales and liquors, with alehouses like Ironhorse Ale and Cask Brothers offering a special brew made from drunken toad alcohol. This alcohol can be gained by slicking the top layer of the toad's skin and wringing it out, or by collecting water inhabited by young drunken toads, as their eggs and slime contain high amounts of it.

Scientific Name

Anura Vocatus

Lifespan

10-12 years

Conservation Status

Despite the drunken toad's constant inebriation and commonly low intelligence, its numbers are only increasing in the wild, leaving it a species of little concern.

Average Length

5-7 in.