It's been a while since I've posted; haven't been able to muster the energy, I guess. But my energy is mustered, and I'm posting again! Another creature based on a name-drop in the Pathfinder Chronicles Campaign Setting.
Horrorwisp
A large glowing sphere of light floats through the fog. Four long equidistant tendrils emerge from its equator, lashing in anticipation.
Horrorwisp CR 12
Usually CE Large Aberration
Init +7; Senses Darkvision 60ft, Listen +24, Spot +24
Defenses
AC 34, touch 30, flat-footed 27
(-1 size, +7 Dex, +4 natural, +14 deflection)
hp 135 (18d8+54)
Fort +9, Ref +13, Will +14
Immune magic; Defensive Abilities natural invisibility
Offense
Spd Fly 50ft (perfect) (10 squares)
Melee 4 lightning lashes +18 touch (3d6 electricity)
Special Attacks drone
Space 10ft; Reach 5ft (20ft with lightning lash)
Morale
Before Combat Like its smaller cousins, horrorwisps prefer to lure travelers into hazardous terrain, such as thick undergrowth, quicksand, deep water or off cliffs, before engaging in combat
During Combat A horrorwisp begins combat by using its drone, sending organized resistance scattering. Canny opponents, they usually fight using Combat Expertise to its fullest. Horrorwisps love to use trip and disarm attacks on victims, especially mages, as they can then use the stolen wands, staves or scrolls.
Morale Horrorwisps are inherently cowardly. If reduced to 50 or less hit points, a horrorwisp goes invisible and tries to flee.
Statistics
Str 13, Dex 25, Con 16, Int 16, Wis 16, Cha 22
Feats Combat Expertise, Combat Reflexes, Dodge, Improved Disarm, Improved Trip, Mobility, Spring Attack, Weapon Finesse (B)
Skills Bluff +27, Diplomacy +8, Disguise +6 (+8 acting), Intimidate +8, Listen +24, Search +24, Spot +24, Survival +3 (+5 following tracks), Use Magic Device +27
Base Attack +12; Grapple +17
Languages Common, Auran, Sylvan
Ecology
Environment Any marshes and forests or underground
Organization Solitary or party (1 plus 3-6 will-o’-wisps or 4-24 evil fey)
Treasure 1/10th coins, 50% goods, standard items
Advancement 19-36 HD (Large)
Level Adjustment—
Special Abilities
Drone (Su) By buzzing in multiple keys simultaneously, horrorwisps can induce fear as a standard action. Any creature within 120 feet of a droning horrorwisp that can hear the drone must succeed a DC 25 Will save or be panicked for 1 minute. On a successful save, the target is still shaken for 1 round. Creatures that succeed the save are immune to the drone of that horrorwisp for 24 hours. Other horrorwisps, will-o’-wisps and fey creatures are immune to the drone. This is a sonic, mind-influencing fear effect. The save DC is Charisma-based.
Immunity to Magic (Ex) A horrorwisp is immune to any spell that allows for spell resistance, except for magic missile and maze.
Lightning Lash (Ex) The tendrils of a horrorwisp allow the creature to make trip attempts, and a horrorwisp gains a +2 bonus when using its lightning lashes to disarm an opponent. Any object successfully disarmed is then held in a lightning lash—the horrorwisp can drop it as a free action.
Natural Invisibility (Ex) A horrorwisp can extinguish its glow, usually when frightened or startled. This functions as per the invisibility spell with an indefinite duration.
The final stage of a will-o’-wisp’s life cycle, horrorwisps lurk in the most remote of jungles and swamps. Like a will-o’-wisp, a horrorwisp is a cluster of fleshy, luminescent pods, capable of changing color as it sees fit and extinguishing its glow to become invisible. The average horrorwisp is six feet in diameter. Buoyed by lighter-than-air gasses, the creature weighs a mere twenty pounds.
Ecology
Very few will-o’-wisps live long enough to become horrorwisps. Although will-o’-wisps do not age as other creatures do, they are overconfident, and often find themselves the victims of adventurers they were trying to murder, or the target of purges by druids, dragons or other powerful magical enemies. But if a will-o’-wisp lives for more than a millennium, it may secrete a cocoon woven of gossamer threads and solidified fear. After a pupation period of three months, the cocoon splits and a new horrorwisp emerges.
Like their smaller kin, horrorwisps do not feed on material substances—only terror, despair and pain will appease their palate. And horrorwisps are connoisseurs of agony. They decry animals as too simple-minded for the complex fears they prefer, and a horrorwisp will “season” a potential victim for hours or days, tasting its fear before reaching a lethal crescendo.
Habitat and Society
Horrorwisps prefer remote locations in which to lair. The darkest forests, the thickest bogs and the deepest caves are all favored haunts. Being so rare, they do not seek the company of others of their kind; if a horrorwisp ever deigns to reproduce, it does so by budding, shedding off a new will-o’-wisp. Will-o’-wisps often seek out horrorwisps, however, in order to be tutored in its agony-inducing ways. Horrorwisps also enjoy the company of evil fey such as twigjacks, wicked satyrs and even the dark ice courtiers of the Witch Queen of Irrisen; the cruel children of the First World also know the depths of pleasure the torment of mortals can bring. Unlike other will-o’-wisps, horrorwisps enjoy collecting treasure, especially rods, wands, staves and scrolls, which they wield in their electrified tendrils.
Horrorwisps in Golarion
For reasons unknown, the forests of Molthune have a frighteningly high concentration of horrorwisps; four are known to live within that war-torn land’s boundaries. These four aberrations seem to be the masterminds of the armies of wicked fey that dwell in the Backar Forest, and rumor has it that every new moon they meet with powerful fey in a “Council of Light” to plan attacks on Molthuni forces. The armies of Cheliax would pay dearly for the location of the Council of Light, and the deaths of one or more of the horrorwisps.
The Pathfinder Chronicles Campaign Setting is copyright 2008 Paizo Publishing. Copyright 2008 Nicholas Herold.
