WILL-O-(THE)-WISP

A will-o-wisp is a glowing sphere, looking like a lantern, torch or even a dancing lights spell effect. In combat they glow blue, violet or pale green.

Will-o-wisps commonly haunt deserted, dangerous places such as bogs, fens, swamps, or catacombs where mires, quicksand, pit traps and the like are plentiful. A victim trapped by these hazards feeds the will-o-wisp as it expires, for the thing feeds upon the fleeing life force. Thus, will-o-wisps seek to lure prey to their doom.

10% of the time 1-3 are encountered, and in these cases the creatures' lair will be nearby 90% of the time. If brought to 5 or fewer remaining hit points a will-o-wisp will reveal its lair and give over its treasure.

The creature can attack, however, any hit causing 2-16 points of electrical damage to the opponent.

A will-o-wisp is able to grow bright or very dim in order to confuse prey. It can move slowly or flit about. It can blank out its glow entirely for 2-8 melee rounds if it does not attack, and at that time it can be detected only by creatures able to see invisible objects.

While any weapon will harm a will-o-wisp, most spells do not affect it. The only spells which can affect the creature are protection from evil, magic missile, and maze.

A boggart is the immature form of a will-o-wisp. One appears as a small demihuman, humanoid, or will-o-wisp as it desires. However, while a boggart has more forms than its adult counterpart, it can retain 1 of these forms for no more than 10 or 12 rounds before losing control and shifting to some other form. Of course a boggart can purposely change form anytime it wishes. 

Boggarts have normal infravision in human-like form.

Because these monsters need both meat and life force to grow to maturity, they tend to use human-like forms to lure human-like adults and larger flesh eating creatures. Once trapped or ambushed, the would-be predator becomes the prey of the boggart. The monster devours the life force of the victim and its physical body too! Thus, no resurrection is possible.

The boggart attacks by touch, delivering 2-12 points of damage with electrical energy. It can also discharge a bolt of this energy every other round for up to 10 feet. However, the opponent so attacked is entitled to a saving throw vs. breath weapon, and, if it succeeds, the victim suffers only half normal damage (1-6 points). 

The most devious attack of a boggart is confusion. A boggart can cause confusion once per day by making noise, such as yelling, screaming, shouting, whistling, banging, pounding, or thumping for 2 consecutive rounds. All creatures within a 30-foot radius of this noise will be affected if they can hear it clearly, and even covering the ears will not prevent or alter the effect. Such creatures must save vs. Spell or be confused for 7-12 melee rounds. Only a successful attack on a boggart casting confusion will cause it to stop its noise at midpoint. If more than 1 boggart is making the noise, then all must be stopped in order to foil the confusion. Saves versus a multiple casting are made at -1 for each boggart completing 2 rounds of continuous noise.

A boggart can also become invisible for up to 12 rounds, and this is possible in any form the creature is in at the time. Note that invisibility will not cease because of the noise made, so an invisible boggart can create a horrible racket. 

Just as with a will-o-wisp, any weapon will damage this immature form. However, all spells save magic missile, maze, and protection from evil are useless against a boggart. 

When reduced to 5 or fewer hit points, a boggart will use all of its wit and devices to escape further combat. This escape is usually accomplished by becoming invisible and running away or floating in will-o-wisp form over ground impassable to its enemies.

Boggarts have the ability to use a limited form of ESP to understand and speak all languages, although such speech will be very basic and limited. When in glowing will-o-wisp form, they can pass through solid, nonliving objects and even stone walls up to 2 feet thick. They cannot pass through metals, for metals ground the electrical energy of the creatures. 

In demi-human guise, a boggart typically appears as a small halfling or young gnome. In humanoid form, the creature usually takes the shape of a goblin imp, young xvart, or norker neut. As a will-o-wisp, a boggart is smaller and brighter.