Just like you need water, these creatures need attention. But too much will drown them just like too much water will drown you. They generally live in abandoned places where unwise magic was practised in the past. They're used to surviving on very little attention.
But when unwary adventurers visit... it's like rain after drought.
Peripheral beasts are immune to all weapons. They wither if looked at directly. In battle with a peripheral beast, Wisdom bonus replaces Attack bonus. All attacks do 1d6 damage. They carry no treasure and have no other special qualities.
Eyer rose
Beautiful flowers with vicious thorns. They can grow up in seconds and entangle an adventurer completely. They vanish instantly if looked at directly. But try looking at the back of your own head where they're tangled in your hair. 1d4 damage minus AC from armour.
Squiggel
Flying things. They bounce, jump and glide at the edges of an adventurer's vision. Often mistaken for birds or bats. Numbers build up quickly, because they breed and grow to independence near-instantly. Basically harmless, except as a distraction or making you complacent about things you half-see while you're busy.
AC 9 [10], HD 1 (4 HP) Att -, THAC0 -, MV 120' (40"), SV 12 13 14 15 16 (F1), ML -, AL Neutral, XP 0, NA 0 (10d10), TT -
Bogle
Bogles will poke you in your unconscious mind. They make vague threatening shapes. When a character swings their head to look, they swing too. So they're always behind you. Their method is to make a character believe there's a threat, when it's only the bogle soaking in their attention.
AC 6 [13], HD 1 (4 HP) Att -, THAC0 -, MV 120' (40"), SV 12 13 14 15 16 (F1), ML -, AL Neutral, XP 0, NA 0 (2d4), TT -
Hungry wisp
The predator of the group. The other beasts are satisfied with attention. This one wants a bite of you as well. They often resemble wolves, bears or apes. They favour hit-and-run tactics, rushing a character to deliver a bite or slash, then darting away out of view.
AC 3 [16], HD 4 (18 HP) Att 1 x claws (1d6) or bite (1d6), THAC0 15 (+4), MV 120' (40"), SV 10 11 12 13 14 (F4), ML 8, AL Neutral, XP 350, NA 0 (1), TT -
I like these, and how they're fought with wisdom.
ReplyDeleteVery nice - a great change of pace, particularly the 'bothersome' ones could be a great trap where their only intention is to goad adventurers into making enough noise to attract real trouble!
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