more bitty beasties

[taichara]

It is time, once again, for a handful of itty bitty critters to perplex, amuse or swarm ~


All of the following wee beasties have the following stats, unless noted otherwise:

HD: 1 hp, [Armour Class 10], damage 1, movement abilities as appropriate

A successful attack will, frankly, obliterate one of these critters; and if any of these critters are attacking en masse — in a swarm, for example — each hit point of damage dealt by sword, club, fireball, etc can be assumed to kill one critter.


Smoke-and-Mirror
– incredibly sharp; will deal another 1 point of damage on the next round of battle from bleeding
– staring into a smoke-and-mirror at rest will grant a vision of the past or possible future
A butterfly, large and showy, all of deepest translucent obsidian flutters by.

Rollsnail
– strike!: makes target have to check their ability to keep standing upright whenever it attacks, regardless of attack’s success
What snail moves fast enough to trip you up? One as big as a grapefruit with a shell just as round, and a habit of flicking the ground with its foot to pick up speed.

Whim-rune
– changes the colour (and sometimes the texture) of whatever it settles on or is struck by
A chiselled shape of near-invisible magic — until it changes its perch in a shimmer of rainbow light. May be contained inside stone.

The Cold Hare
– shatters metal that strikes it, leaving the hare unharmed
These icy bunnies are bad news in a field or anywhere else; where they den down, it grows winter-cold, creeping bit by bit with each passing night.

Glass Scarab
– carries an image inside its transparent abdomen, transferring it to the first target it attacks
Strange crawlers the size of two fists, and clear as the glass they’re named for; inside is a memory borrowed from the last being to touch it for a minute or more.

Fluttering Cherry
– “attack” does no damage but bypasses all armour and similar protection, causing an urge to ennui and stillness for up to an hour
Some cherry blossoms flutter free of their bough and tumble on wayward winds to spread their awareness of the ephemeral beauty of the world.

Dancing Spider
– bite causes uncontrollable itching and twitching for a day; harmless, but definitely distracting
Exactly that, a hand-sized spider of bright green and gold fluff and delicately hooked feet that tap-tap-taps its way to attracting prey — and audiences.

Bleeding Rose
– the first sight of a bleeding rose prompts a save against the horror of its beauty or else have nightmares for the next three nights
It’s a rare thing to see a rose briar climb and slither and coil like a snake, piercing with wickedly sharp thorns …

Drift-fractal
– captured in silk, the mote can be used to give a +1 bonus to save against magic; or “cast” one random (1st-level) spell of any kind, then escapes
Shifting, multicoloured paisley of pulsing energy, this spawn of clashing magics will fend magic away if wrapped in silk.

Guiding Star
– “burns” the mind when attacked, causing -2 to INT and WIS for a day
This small, flickering pale flame appears without notice, drifting ghost-like to lead the lost out of their predicament.