6 Lesser Fae

Sprite vs nameless fighter

[1] Fairy (1 hit point, -1 AC, flight, easy to trap, revive on lethal, minor spells)

Morale- 4; 16 if companion

Number- 1d4 around magic shrine

Correlate around magic fountains and shrines; fairies are the most magical of the lesser fae. They are highly prized among adventurers for their useful quality of being forced to revive whoever has captured them, which then sets them free. Upon lethal blow, restore 1d6 hit points and the fairy flies away free. Fairies who are not captives can do this up to 3 times in one day, and do not automatically flee upon healing a companion. Fairies enjoy living around Elves; who have ambient magic and treat them with much more respect then humans.

It's very easy to trap a fairy. Roll d20 + dexterity vs fairy AC to trap it in your hand, a bottle, bag, or other simply storage item. Releasing the fairy early gets you noting, unless you command it to cast a spell on you. Fairies can cast 1d4 randomly assigned Cleric spells of 1^st or 2^nd level, or can have some other useful effect, such as fixing equipment or planting a magic toadstool.

[2] Pixie (1 hit point, AC = 21, flight, annoying, cast hexes)

Morale- 13, flee when one dies

Number- 2d6 Group, 3d10 Swarm

Appear as glowing figures of youthful girls or boys dressed in leaves or gossemer. Pixies move extremely fast and have mischievous personalities; they may steal individual coins, unbuckle your belt or shoes, blow out your torch, tie your hair into knots, or may even start a tiny fire on your cloak. Pixies are almost impossible to strike, having AC 21, meaning an average, untrained person could never hit one. If you DO manage to strike a pixie in flight, it will instantly die and the other pixies will flee in panic. Hexes can do a maximum of 1 damage.

Pixies live in woodland and natural areas, and tend to enjoy playing with people. Children are treated more gently, and may be led back home if they are lost in the woods. Pixies will attempt to make adults lose a path or trail however, and have been known to act as or cast ghost lights to lead people far and deep into the woods. Trapping a pixie gets you nothing but a pissed off Pixie. Pixies also are too wild and disruptive to live in an Elf's hollow, but they often trespass to make a nuisance of themselves.

[3] Brownies (2 HD, +1 to hit & AC, 1d4 magic bite, stealthy, animal empathy)

Morale- 8; bite once then run

Number- Usually 1; Groups of 2d6 burrow together

Brownies appear as little boys in full body animal costumes; they also appear as bipedal animals to younger people or anyone with an Int or Wis modifier of -2 or lower. The race of the Brownie appears as the viewer's own race, or sometimes as the most common race of the group that encounters them. Brownies are skittish creatures that live in the woods and eat nuts, seeds, insects, and scavenge and store food for the winter.

Brownies are mostly solitary, but groups of them live together in a single home, usually carved into a hillside or in a huge fallen tree, spending all day sleeping, singing songs, and playing games instead of being outside in the cold. Brownies love to help Elves and magicians they find trustworthy. Brownies are very closely tied to the will and health of the wild where they live, and are adept at finding things. To an Elf craftsman; the first green tree of spring and a leaf from a tree where a man was hanged are about as different as iron and copper to a human smith; Brownies collect minor magical plants and other materials in the woods like this and bring them to their friends.

[4] Knocker (1 HD, +2 AC, 1d4 knobbly stick, invisible)

Morale- 10; doesn't fight besides smacking your shins

Number- Usually 1

Knockers are hobbled, stick-carrying spirits that look like really old elves, but are almost always invisible. They carry around a stick which they knock against windows, floor boards, and trees to create noise to scare humans who encroach on them or disturb places they like. Knockers are normally helpful spirits; and often a family will hear a knocking on a specific floorboard until they check and find buried treasure underneath. The Knockers also help dwarf and human miners by knocking along rocks that have gems or hidden veins of ore within. For this; mortal races often leave out sugary treats, especially things one doesn't need to chew since Knockers are so old they lost their teeth.

Knockers don't fight, expect to smack the shins of people who swear nearby, or those who are trying to actually find the reclusive fae. This damage is nonlethal, but still causes injury and often limping. People with an unexplained limp will often be accused of angering a knocker. The Knocker's stick loses its invisibility if it is left alone for a period of time; sometimes sticks propped up against trees or stones in the wood are thought of as Knocker sticks that they forgot or put aside while bathing. Beyond their usefulness in making magic wands; most advise against taking them as this will bring the Knocker's wrath upon you.

[5] Sprite (3 HD, +1 to hit, +3 AC, 1d6 magic blast, Flight, Casts Spells)

Morale- 13

Number- 1d4

Somewhat similar to a fairy or pixie, but much more “grown up” and more powerful. Sprites appear as small humanoids but can also grow to human size. While in their small form they retain their HP but have an AC of 20 like a Pixie and can cast spells in either form. Damaging and healing spells in their small form only do a maximum of 1 damage; Fireball could roast a few rats but not people for example. Spells that do not do direct damage or healing can be cast at full strength, simply requiring multiple casts or the range of the spell is decreased proportionally to the size of the Sprite.

Sprites are though to be the handmaidens and servants of the royalty of the fae realms; the True Fae. Sprites have more human and understandable motives and sensibilities then other fairies do, but are easily bound by contract and tradition. More then once has a young woman with partially royal blood has had Sprite attendants aid her in taking a throne or simply improving her life due to ancient treaties between the fairies and the humans. Beyond casting spells; Sprites can also simply wave their wand to produce a magic blast that deals 1d6 damage but cannot kill. The final blow simply knocks the target out or transforms them into something harmless for an exploration turn.

[6] Shellycoat (2 HD, +1 AC, collects shells, drops shells instead of taking damage, goes with fog)

Morale- 7

Number- 1 or 2

Shellycoats are fae that only stalk along beaches and coasts during the foggy days and nights. They appear as short, stunted figures wearing long brown cloaks. Their face is hidden but if looked at closely they appear very gremlin or goblin like. They are cowardly creatures and do not like to fight; instead they only like to pick up sea shells. They are so named for the fact that they collect dozens, if not hundreds, of shells beneath their coats and for the great rattling sounds they make as they walk. Whenever you hit a shelly coat, it may drop a shell per point of damage to ignore that point of damage. There is a 1 in 20 chance that a given shell dropped by one is of an unusual color, somewhat rare or valuable, or an oyster with a pearl still stuck inside.

Shellycoats also seem to be able to disappear with the fog, and do not like to hang around while the fog is receding, less they be cut off from easy escape back to their fae home. While cowardly, they can speak and may be enticed to trade with humans if the human offers them a shell that is colorful, rare, or magical enough to spark their interest. Shellcoats will trade you with one of the following for a special shell;

Shellycoat Table - 1d6

[1] The location of a sunken ship just off of shore. Contains pirate gold.

[2] Magical pearl. If worn on a necklace adds +1 to Charisma modifier, but attracts thieves.

[3] Shrimp potion. Turns you into a shrimp for 1d6 hours.

[4] Slippery Shell. Can make the shell drop from you to avoid 1 point of damage, like a Shellycoat.

[5] Fog wand. Magic wand that can produce a cloud of fog big enough to hide 3 people once per day.

[6] Fairy Worrystone. Rubbing the stone in a fairy woad has 50% chance to attract a fairy to you.

20 Fantasy Pests

[1] 'Noblin. Shittier version of a goblin; about the size and smarts of a rat, but somehow more pathetic. Steals small items, tips over small objects, spreads crumbs, peel chips of paint, and do other annoying things around the house. Some claim are the reincarnated spirits of goblins who didn't do enough evil.

[2] Pixie. Very small, agile, annoying creatures that like to prank you and cast minor hexes. Live in the forests and sometimes lure people away with ghostly lights.

[3] Astral Bunny. Very cute, glowing bunny rabbit. Well liked by Wizards and apprentices, until it tears up their reagent garden and destroy all of their mana-rich plants. Need a magic trap or dog to hunt these, or Cloudkill their whole burrow.

[4] Repeater Raven. Loud cawing raven that screams a random word or phrase. This word or phrase will repeat in your head over and over until you can find a situation to use it in conversation. Whispering it or saying it to yourself doesn't work. Deals -1d4 Charisma damage if you take more then a day to say the phrase, but is restored as soon as you say the repeated phrase.

[5] Prismatic Mantids. Tiny, tiny preying mantis creatures that live on colorful flowers. Have a million different species, each with the exact same color as the flower they live on; go extinct all the time. Annoying because you can't see them before they snip at your finger and give you a tiny little cut if you tried to grab their flower.

[6] Sky Manta-Ray. Their bottom is light blue as the sky and can simulate clouds. Bumps into wizard towers all the time and come tumbling to the ground, or accidentally fly into open windows and get stuck in rooms. Die if they touch anything.

[7] Zamberloon. One eye, one tooth, one arm, one leg; bright purple. Try to saw the limbs off newborn infants, but thankfully too weak to do that even if they manage to hop in through the window. Still injuring infants with little bites and sometimes makes them sick. Rumors of huge ones that live far away that rip and stomp apart men.

[8] Splintercat. Extremely fast cat that slams into trees headfirst, causing splints and branches to fly off everywhere, but leave the tree still standing. Said to always have a bad headache because of this. If you piss one off, it will charge at you at such speed it does 2d6 damage and ruin your armor.

[9] Shattercat. Closely related to a Splintercat; said to suddenly burst forth from a tree when a lumberjack hits it with his axe; causing splinters to rain down on him. Many believe these two to be the same species; the Shattercat merely being a nesting or nursing Splintercat.

[10] Ratlisk. Basilisk mixed with a rat; snake that slithers around with a rat's head. It's glare can kill anything with >1 HD; humans and bigger are only stunned for a round instead. Eats housecats.

[11] Shutlid. Elastic muscle-like creature mixed with a slug. Grows inside of treasure chests, drawers, and pots and sticks itself to the lid, making it nearly impossible to open. Takes 3 or 4 of the strongest men in the village with iron prybars to open up something it nests in.

[12] Chickenfox. It's a fox that is wearing a chicken's costume. Nobody knows if foxes are actually smart enough to make a costume like that, of if it's the work of some forest spirits or something else. Live among chickens, slowly dwindling their numbers as the farmer is confused as to what is killing his chickens. But sometimes it's tail pokes out and it doesn't lay eggs; so attentive farmers can figure it out.

[13] Rust Puppy. It's a cute little red doggy that likes to play with magic wands, swords, armor, scrolls, and destroy them. Can actually damage and drain these items of their enchantments. Immortal dogs that are ignored by most creatures; if fed enough magic items can actually grow into an adult Rust Dog and be trained to use its nose to sniff out magic. Popular pets among Wizards.

[14] Invisible Fleas. Fleas that cause instant itching sensation, invisible, jump from creature to creature. Not very dangerous unless quarantined on one being; itching sensation will get so intense and bites will get so common as to cause insanity and health loss. Can be killed by invisible pesticide.

[15] Pillow Bogey. Imp that lives in pillows and beds; comes out at night to spread rheum around your eyes, mat your hair, and give you bad breath. You get rid of them by literally beating your pillows until they run out.

[16] Iron-Dick Beetles. Beetles that hibernate every few years and, during mating season, swarm outside. Climb onto rocks, bricks, anything hard enough to slam their iron-tipped penises and create a very loud, annoying noise. They do this to attract mates. Absolutely despised for both the loud noise and because they damage and destroy ceramic tiles, masonry, and cobbelstones.

[17] Ontoppers. Invisible spirit creatures that like to stack and balance rocks on top of high places and pointy roofs when nobody is watching. Sometimes the rocks fall down and injure people or break things, so to appease the spirits people in villages that have them make small cairn stones that the Ontoppers can play with.

[18] Black Laughter. Wispy spirit that gathers to places of tragedy, funerals, and sacred places. Makes low, whispering laughter to get people to accuse each other of laughing and mocking the sacred. Wizards like to catch them for use in alchemy.

[19] Hydrelephant. Huge filter feeding 'mass' that lives in rivers and swamps. It's paper thin and transparent, so whenever living creatures get near it it swells up to a huge size and spits water at them. Despite being as big as an elephant and shooting water strong enough to knock over a fully grown man, it's not really dangerous unless it knocks you downstream.

[20] Boggarts. Creatures that live in darkness and eat dust; usually hide within closets or inside cabinets. They cannot stand light, so if someone opens their hiding place they'll take the form of a creature that scares people and jump out, so they can run away and dissipate safely. Lesser boggarts take the form of things like goblins, snakes, big spiders, imps and so on, but cannot actually hurt people. It is said there are some boggarts that can actually shapeshift into very dangerous creatures.