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Bramble
CLIMATE/TERRAIN: Subarctic to temperate/Grasslands, hills, and prairies
FREQUENCY: Rare
ORGANIZATION: Nomadic band
ACTIVITY CYCLE: Day
DIET: Ominvore
INTELLIGENCE: Very (11-12)
TREASURE TYPE: O,Q
ALIGNMENT: Neutral Evil
NO. APPEARING: 2d8
ARMOR CLASS: 2 (8 without armor)
MOVE: 3
HIT DICE: 2 hp
THAC0: 19
NO. OF ATTACKS: 1
DAMAGE/ATTACK: 1d8 (1d6 in MCA3 version)
SPECIAL ATTACKS: Poison
SPECIAL DEFENSES: Minor spell use
MAGIC RESISTANCE: 5%
SIZE: T (3” tall)
MORALE: Steady (12)
XP VALUE: 65 (175 with poison)
So tiny that they might not appear dangerous, brambles are among the most aggressive and vicious of all faeries. Although currently breeding true, rumor has it that the first brambles were individual outcasts from “polite” faerie society (their size, name, and fixation with pointy things makes the Gorse their likely ancestor; see Dragon.s Bestiary In DRAGON® issue #180).
Brambles look like tiny, dried-out people, with dark, wrinkled skin, long, pointed finger- and toe-nails, ears that come to points much sharper than those of elves, and sticking out of their backs are a brace of spines that look like they should support miniature dragon-wings, but which are unadorned. Still, most of these features are usually hidden by the plate-mail armor that they wear under normal circumstances, and even the wing-spines that come out of holes in the armor’s backplate can easily be mistaken as longer versions of the artificial spines covering the rest of the bramble’s armor.
Combat: The spine-covered armor of a bramble is both its best defense and its strongest attack. The armor provides AC 2 protection, and the barbs on its surface prevent other creatures from coming too close to the wearer; any animal that attempts to bite or eat a bramble suffers an automatic 1d6 damage, as would any humanoid trying to pick up a bramble with bare hands. Attackers wearing armor get to make a save, attempting to roll above the AC value of the armor covering their hands (Dexterity and shield bonuses do not apply) on 1d12 to avoid injury. In order to turn the armor into an offensive weapon, a bramble merely has to hurl himself against a target, rolling attack and damage normally. When faced with opponents close to its own height (1’ or less), a bramble will attempt to wrestle, causing 1d6 points damage (1d2 dmg in MCA3 version) per round in addition to any damage as a result of the wrestling (see Player’s Handbook, pages 97-98).
One bramble in ten has another weapon to use in combat; poison. The wing-spines of these brambles secrete a strong poison that causes a painful burning sensation ( -2 on attack and damage rolls for 2d10 rounds, with additional doses having cumulative effects) on anyone hit by them (either as an attack or automatically as a result of picking up the bramble) unless they make a save vs. poison with a -3 penalty, in which case the effects and duration are both halved. As these brambles are perfectly willing to use this poison on dissenting members of their own bands, they are generally the leaders in any bramble group.
Finally, and most strangely, brambles are often found riding a peculiar selection of animals. It is not uncommon to come upon a band of brambles riding a collection of porcupines, hedgehogs, al-mi’rajs, and other creatures, looking like bizarre pixie-knights as they search for food and fights They control their mounts with a charm mount spell that each can cast once per day. When so mounted, brambles also carry barbed spears (that do 1d6 damage on a hit) that they use as lances. (Statistics for these creatures can be found in individual monster listings, under the “Mammal, Small” entry in MONSTROUS COMPENDIUM® 2 or in the Monstrous Manual.)
The final special ability of brambles is one that makes them especially dangerous to flying prey such as small birds and flying faerie creatures. One in ten brambles (not necessarily the same brambles that possess the poisoned spines) can cast a special anti-flying spell once per day, which, causes any one Small flying creature within 10 yards to be magically grounded (whether the creature flew as a result of magic or natural ability) for a period of 6d6 rounds (unless a save vs. spells is made, in which case no effects are felt). While this can be used in hunting, brambles especially like to cast anti-flying on pixies, sprites, and other faerie creatures, so that they can have the cruel fun of chasing them through the woods on the ground.
Habitat/Society: Brambles are nomadic creatures, constantly on the move searching for food and fights. When they rest, it is in camps hidden in thorny bushes and other natural protection, with their mounts posted as guards. As with other faerie creatures, bramble infants are never seen, but when a band grows too large, it splits in half with the two groups heading off in opposite directions.
Brambles sometimes will pick up small amounts of easily-transported treasure that they use to bribe other creatures into manufacturing their special armor for them. Despite their small size, brambles are supremely confident, even when dealing with humans and other “giants." They would think nothing of challenging a “giant” to a wrestling match, especially as they would have no intention of honoring any bets they might place on the fight. They speak their own language, as well as the languages of most other faerie creatures. Their knowledge of elvish is slim, but it should suffice to make business deals with, and to offer challenges to those forest-dwelling “giants."
Ecology: There are few ways in which a bramble can benefit another creature. The average bramble doesn’t have enough meat on its bones to make a good meal for anything larger than an owl, and those with poisonous spines are also discomforting to eat as their flesh has the same effects on the eater as their poison.
A poisonous bramble’s spines could be drained by a hunter to make blade poison but one bramble would only provide enough poison for a single arrowhead or dart; it would take ten or more poisonous brambles to provide enough of the substance to coat a long sword. The armor they wear is often beautiful in a dangerous way, and some collector might pay 2d8 x 10 gp for a complete, unoccupied suit.
Originally appeared in Dragon Magazine #206 (1994) and later in MC Annual Volume 3.
