Glaistig Perverse, and the Nocturnal Mglaistig Is No Exception
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02 Eyak to Morrigan 4/29/03 4:01 PM Page 125 any fey are strange and Glaistig perverse, and the nocturnal glaistigM is no exception. She appears as a fair and comely lass, rosy-cheeked Medium-sized Fey and unafraid of exchanging glances Hit Dice: 2d6+4 (11 hp) with menfolk. She laughs and gaily Initiative: +4 (Dex) Speed: 30 ft. dances the night away in inns or at AC: 14 (Dex) festivals. She can also be found after Attacks: Dagger +1 melee, or sling +5 ranged sunset, camped along empty roadsides, Damage: Dagger 1d4, sling 1d4 alone with but a herd of cattle or Face/Reach: 5 ft. x 5 ft./5 ft. Special Attacks: Addictive Presence, Charming Gaze, sheep she professes to take care of, and Withering Dance eager for companionship. In wilder, Special Qualities: Death Curse, Low-light Vision, more rural locales, glaistig have the Spell-like Abilities, Vulnerabilities cloven feet of goats, and must wear Saves: Fort +2, Ref +7, Will +8 Abilities: Str 10, Dex 18, Con 14, Int 13, Wis 16, Cha 20 long skirts to disguise their hooves Skills: Balance +10, Bluff +9, Concentration +6, whilst they dance; glaistig near Diplomacy +10, Handle Animal +8, Hide +8, civilization do not have this fey Listen +10, Perform (dance) +18, Spot +5 Feats: Alertness, Iron Will deformity. Climate/Terrain: Any land The glaistig will invite those who Organization: Solitary or covey (1–3) Challenge Rating: 1 seem willing to a dance, and indeed, Treasure: Standard those who take her up on her offer will Alignment: Usually chaotic neutral enjoy themselves to the fullest and Advancement: As character class (bard) dance their merry hearts out. Afterwards, though, they find 24 themselves somewhat winded, for the glaistig’s dance, though seeming Addictive Presence (Su): Those who effects of a bestow curse spell, uttered by the dance with the glaistig find it increasingly hard glaistig as she dies and turns into morning mist. innocuous, is one no mortal can to resist her in the future. Such individuals suf- Such death curses often take the form of a –6 to endure. The dance drains away the fer a –2 penalty to saves against her Charming the slayer’s highest ability score. life of the glaistig’s partner, while the Gaze and her Withering Dance. This penalty is Fey: Fey have Low-light Vision, and are glaistig draws vitality from it. The cumulative; every dance makes the next one proficient with all simple weapons and those harder to ignore. mentioned in their entries. glaistig leaves the dance fairer than Charming Gaze (Su): The glaistig, with Skills: The glaistig has a +3 racial bonus to before, with even more of a blush to her her winsome smile and honey-sweet looks, is Handle Animal skill checks. This is included in cheek. Whether she does this hard to ignore. When she chooses a partner and the stats above. he passes up the chance to dance with her, she Spell-like Abilities: The glaistig can use maliciously, or in the unthinking may force him with but a glance. This is treat- the following spells as if cast by a 10th-level sor- manner of the fey, no one can say. ed as a gaze attack, with a range of 30 feet; to cerer. The DC to resist these abilities is 15 + the avoid the effects of the gaze, the target must spell level. Later, when the glaistig chances make a Will save (DC 16) or else treat the At Will — change self, detect thoughts, emo- to cross paths with her former dance glaistig with all the affection of a youthful crush, tion, suggestion partner again, he finds himself hard- as if affected by a charm monster spell cast by a The glaistig can use the following spells as if pressed to ignore a second invitation to 7th-level caster. Usually, the glaistig chooses to cast by a 10th-level druid, but she can only use charm only one individual, but if a small group them to aid children, the elderly, and animals. dance from the glaistig. This goes on is about and the glaistig is feeling lucky, she The DC to resist these abilities is 13 + the spell until, over time, the friends of the might try to charm them all and lead them in a level. dancer notice he is weaker, and no merry reel. The glaistig’s Charming Gaze only 3/day — cure serious wounds, mending, neu- affects male humanoids, or other mortal crea- tralize poison, purify food and water, longer himself. The source of his tures that find women attractive in some way, remove disease affliction is not always obvious, as such as some ogres, certain outsiders, etc. Vulnerabilities (Ex): The glaistig is a the dancer generally notices no Death Curse (Su): If a glaistig is slain by wild, strange thing, and is vulnerable to the difference in his own health if asked. force of arms, whoever inflicts the killing blow gods of civilization; she can be Turned and even must make a Will save (DC 19) or else suffer the destroyed by a cleric, though few clerics know Then, finally, he meets the glaistig and dances one last dance — for who could refuse this sweet maid? — and 125 their dance ends with his last breath. 02 Eyak to Morrigan 4/29/03 4:02 PM Page 126 As dangerous as she can be, the glaistig has a strange, contradictory Glaistig nature. She is always kind to elderly folk, children, and animals. She will always aid them if they are sick and plays, the glaistig must make another Will help them with chores or shepherding. save against the performer’s music (DC equal to a new Perform check total), or keep dancing for ADVENTURE SEEDS another hour. This contin- ues until the performer fails 5¤ After a particularly nasty his Fortitude save, or the expedition, the PCs come across a glaistig succeeds at her Will save, or the glaistig dances week-long festival in a nearby city. until morning at which point Such an event is an easy meal for a she is slain by daylight. group of glaistig, as the nights of Withering Dance (Su): dancing and revelry disguise the Those who dance with the glaistig find their life slips away from feeding of the hungry fey. Will the them. After dancing a complete PCs become casualties in the revels as dance with the glaistig (2d6 min- they indulge their hedonistic utes, or GM’s determination), tendencies, or will they discover the the glaistig’s dance partner gains 1 negative level due to energy underlying threat? Worse yet, will drain. For each negative level suf- drunken adventurers start stabbing fered, the glaistig’s victim suffers a –1 every lovely dancing maid they see, penalty to all skill and ability checks, attack rolls, and saving throws, –5 hit assuming that casual flirtation points, and whenever his level is used in a disguises the vile glaistig? die roll or calculation, reduce it by one for 5¤ this. She also cannot enter holy ground. The each negative level. If the victim casts spells, he A hamlet is beset by a plague glaistig is only seen at night, and true daylight loses access to one spell as if he had cast his that takes only the healthiest of its (not the spell) instantly slays her. A glaistig can highest-level, currently available spell. When he young men. On further investigation, use none of her special abilities on a person who next prepares spells or regains spell slots, he gets wears a blessed iron ring on each finger. All of one less spell slot at his highest spell level. it’s revealed that the glaistig who these vulnerabilities are folklore that bards Negative levels remain for 24 hours or until lives nearby has used her powers to might be able to recall with a Bardic removed with a spell, such as restoration. After keep the old people and children free of Knowledge check against a DC of 20. The 24 hours, the afflicted character must attempt a the raging epidemic, but in return she glaistig’s greatest vulnerability, however, is to Fortitude save (DC 16) or the negative level bards. A bard can use his Countersong ability to becomes permanent; the Addictive Presence has taken to finding dance partners give a charmed victim of the glaistig another ability of the glaistig modifies this saving throw, amongst the already sickly young Will save (DC 16) to escape the glaistig’s influ- giving it a –2 penalty for every dance that the men of the village. Will the PCs ence, using the bard’s Perform skill if it is better dancer has had with the glaistig. If the saving decide to slay her, and hope they can than the victim’s regular save. The Addictive throw succeeds, the negative level goes away Presence power of the glaistig still modifies this with no harm to the glaistig’s partner. If the save contain the plague, or will they try to Will save, however. Worse yet for the glaistig, fails, the negative level goes away, but his level is discover source of the plague? Their bards and other musical performers easily also reduced by 1. The afflicted character questioning eventually reveals that enrapture it. A glaistig suffers a –2 penalty to makes a separate saving throw for each negative Will saves against any sort of bardic music abil- level. A character with negative levels at least one of the old men of the hamlet is at ity, including charm spells or similar mind- equal to his current level, or drained below 1st fault.