Will o'wisp
Climate/Terrain:
| Any swamp
|
|
Frequency:
| Uncommon
|
Organization:
| Solitary
|
Activity Cycle:
| Night
|
Diet:
| See below
|
Intelligence:
| Exceptional (15-16)
|
Treasure:
| Z
|
Alignment:
| Chaotic evil
|
No. Appearing:
| 1 or 1-3
|
Armor Class:
| -8
|
Movement:
| Fl 18 (A)
|
Hit Dice:
| 9
|
THAC0:
| 11
|
No. of Attacks:
| 1
|
Damage/Attack:
| 2-16
|
Special Attacks:
| See below
|
Special Defenses:
| See below
|
Magic Resistance:
| See below
|
Size:
| S (2'-4')
|
Morale:
| Fanatic (17)
|
XP Value:
| 3,000
|
The will o'wisp is a malevolent entity that makes its home in swamps, bogs,
and moors. It subsists by luring unsuspecting creatures to their deaths amid the
natural hazards of such places and feeding on the energies which their death
struggles release.
When encountered in the wild, will o'wisps normally appear as faintly glowing
balls of light. They can alter their own color, shape, and size to some extent
and can be easily mistaken for lanterns,
light spells, and similar sources of artificial illumination.
If they do not attack, will o'wisps are able to utterly blank out their glows,
rendering them invisible to all those who cannot spot invisible objects, for
2-8 melee rounds.
The will o'wisp language is a most unusual one, being purely optical in
nature. All communication between will o'wisps is by means of changes in color or
brightness, many of which are far too subtle for the average observer to notice.
Because this form of exchange is almost impossible to mimic, it is very
difficult for travelers to communicate with these creatures. Exceptional examples of
this race have mastered a very simple sound-based language. They produce sounds
by vibrating very rapidly and thus have a shallow and ghostly-sounding voice
when they "speak."
Combat: As a rule, will o'wisps seek to avoid physical combat with other creatures,
preferring to lead them to their deaths in the swamps around them instead. When
pressed, however, they are dangerous adversaries who must be attacked with the
greatest care. In combat, they glow blue, violet, or pale green.
Will o'wisps are very versatile flyers. They can hover in place without
effort, often looking like lanterns or similar beacons to lure others toward them.
When they decide to move, they can do so with rapid bursts of speed or slow
drifting movements.
A will o'wisp's main weapon in combat is its ability to manifest a powerful
electric charge. In melee, it swoops at its foe and attempts to brush against the
victim, discharging the stored energy. A successful strike by one of these
creatures will cause 2-16 points of damage.
Those attacking a will o'wisp with any form of physical weapon are able to
inflict damage normally. Persons making use of magical attacks, however, will find
their powers almost ineffective against them. As a rule, the only spells which
have any effect on the will o'wisp are
protection from evil, magic missile, and
maze. A will o'wisp which is reduced to 5 or fewer hit points will attempt to
escape. If it is unable to flee, the creature will surrender to its attackers and
attempt to buy its safety by offering up any treasure which it may have. It is
important to note, however, that the chaotic alignment of the will o'wisp can
make any agreement with the creature uncertain.
Habitat/Society: For the most part, will o'wisps will be found on their own. On rare occasions
(10% of the time) groups of up to three may be found near a particularly
fertile hunting ground. In the latter case, they will work together to trick victims
into the traps which they have arranged.
Ecology: Although difficult to say with certainty, evidence indicates that the will
o'wisp feeds on the fury of electrical activity given off by the brains of panic
stricken individuals as they realize that death is inescapable. In order to
prolong the suffering of their victims and increase the amount of "food" which they
give off, will o'wisps will typically lure their victims into areas like
quicksand pits which promise a slow and frightening death.
It seems certain that the unusual environment found in bogs and swamps is
important to the creature's existence in some way, but the exact nature of this
link is uncertain. It seems probable that the ominous and haunting nature of these
places increases the fear and dread which their victims feel, and thus the
energy which they give off prior to death.
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