Name: Will O'Wisp (Magical Creature) Stats: No. Appearing : 1 or 1-3 Climate/Terrain: Any swamp Frequency : Uncommon Organization : Solitary Activity Cycle : Night Diet : Special Description: The will o'wisp is a malevolent entity that makes its home in swamps, bogs, and moors. It subsists by luring unsuspecting creatures to their deaths amid the natural hazards of such places and feeding on the ener- gies which their death struggles release. When encountered in the wild, will o'wisps normally appear as faintly glowing balls of light. They can alter their own color, shape, and size to some extent and can be easily mistaked for lanterns, light spells, and similar sources of artificial illumination. If they do not attack, will o'wisps are able to utterly blank out their glows, rendering them invisible to all those who cannot spot invisible objects. The will o'wisp language is a most unusual one, being purely optical in nature. All communication between will o'wisps is by means of charges in color or brightness, many of which are far too subtle for the ave- rage observer to notice. Because this form of exchange is almost impos- sible to mimic, it is very difficult for travellers to communicate with these creatures. Exceptional examples of this race have mastered a very simple sound-based language. They produce sounds by vibrating very rapidly and this have a shallow and ghostly-sounding voice when they 'speak'. Combat: As a rule, will o'wisps seek to avoid physical combat with other crea- tures, preferring to lead them to their deaths in the swamps around them instead. When pressed, however, they are dangerous adversaries who must be attacked with the greatest care. In combat they glow blue, vio- let or pale green. Will o'wisps are very versatiles flyers. They can hover in place with- out effort, often looking like lanterns or similar beacons to lure others towards them. When they decide to move, they can do so with ra- pid bursts of speed or slow drifting movements. A will o'wisps main weapon in combat is its ability to manifest a po- werful electric charce. In melee, it swoops at its foe and attempts to brush against the victim, discharging the stored energy. Those atta- cking a will o'wisp with any form of physical weapons are able to in- flict damage normally. Persons making use of magical attacks, however, will find their powers almost ineffective against them. A badly hurt will o'wisp will attempt to escape. If is is unable to flee, the creature will surrender to its attackers and attampt to buy its safety by offering up any treasure which it may have. It is impor- tant to note, however, that the chaotic alignment of the will o'wisp can make any agreement with the creature uncertain. Habitat/Society: For the most part, will o'wisps will be found on their own. On rare oc- casions groups of up to three may be found near a particularly fertile hunting ground. In the latter case, they will work together to trick victims into the traps which they have arranged. Ecology: Although difficult to say with certainty, evidence indicates that the will o'wisp feeds on the fury of electrical activity give off by the brains of panic stricken individuals as they realize that death is in- escapable. In order to prolong the suffering of their victims and in- crease the amount of 'food' which they give off, will o'wisps will ty- pically lure their victims into areas like quicksand pits which pro- mise a slow and frightening death. It seems certain that the unusual environment found in bogs and swamps is important to the creature's existence in some way, but the eact na- ture of this link is uncertain. Is seems probably that the ominous and haunting nature of these places increases the fear and dread wich their victims feel, and thus the energy which they give off prior to death.