Old Idea, Need Some Feedback

[Hell_Born]

Amongst my earliest posts at this site was a way to render the creatures of Kenzerco's "Fairy Meat" wargame into Ravenloft critters. Unfortunately, things kinda slipped away. This is a posting of the profile I worked out as well as a few ideas I came up with for using them: I'd like some feedback on making this more... "Ravenlofty"?

Background
What world these strange creatures came from is not known, not even they can remember. What they do remember is that once they were happy, cheerful little creatures, who fed upon fruit and honey and whose lives revolved around play and sleep. All of that changed when one of their number found a dying mouse and accidentally tasted its blood. Overwhelmed by a sudden dark urge, she tore the rodent’s throat out and devoured its raw flesh, savouring the never-before tasted delicacy. Try as she might to sate her hunger with fruit and honey, the fairy couldn’t help but crave the rich taste of fresh meat and flowing blood. Soon she began to hunt, stalking and killing animals to sup upon their cooling corpses and indulge her vile appetite. Though secretive at first, she eventually grew careless and was discovered crouching over a squirrel, blood splattered upon her chest and drooling from her mouth. Rather than explain, she persuaded the other fairy to try the meat, and he too became addicted. Soon the craze swept the forest, and fairies who had once been friendly towards the animals began hunting and preying upon them. This would have been tragic enough, but for the arguments that swept the fairies about which animal tasted best. Each fairy advocated a different type of meat, and eventually all decided to get the queen’s opinion.

For after having corrupted all the fairies, the first one to eat meat had been declared ruler of all fairies, in return for having introduced them to this wondrous new food. She decided the best way to find out would be to hold a banquet, where each advocate would present their favoured flesh. It was a grand revelry, but her inability to decide eventually began to upset her subjects, not aided by the vast quantities of mead and ale flowing down their throats. Discussions led to arguments, which led in turn to insults then finally to blows. Within minutes the entire gathering was fighting furiously, ending only when one of their number was dead on the floor. All were deeply upset, for one of them had died by their hands and the queen still had not found the best meat, despite having tried everything. Then someone suggested she try the dead fairy. Under normal circumstances this would have been unthinkable, but the fairies were all so drunk they agreed to the idea.

The queen tried the cooling flesh… and declared it the sweetest, most succulent and delicious meat she had ever tasted. Instant anarchy broke out as the strongest fairies turned upon their weaker brethren and tore them apart, lapping the blood and greedily devouring the flesh. It is unknown whether it is then that the Mists of Ravenloft engulfed the fairies or if it happened later, all that is known is that a new and unlikely form of predator has come to the land of mists.

Cannibal Fairy
Tiny Fey (Sprite)
Hit Dice: 1/2 d6+1 (2 hp)
Initiative: +4
Speed: 20 ft. (4 squares), fly 60 ft. (good)
Armor Class: 18 (+2 size, +4 Dex, +2 natural), touch 16, flat-footed 16
Base Attack/Grapple: +0/–11
Attack: Short sword +6 melee (1d3/19–20) or longbow +6 ranged (1d4/x3)
Full Attack: Short sword +6 melee (1d3–3/19–20) or longbow +6 ranged (1d4–3/x3)
Space/Reach: 2-1/2 ft./0 ft.
Special Attacks: Wounding Bite
Special Qualities: Damage reduction 5/cold iron, low-light vision, spell resistance 17
Saves: Fort +1, Ref +6, Will +3
Abilities: Str 9, Dex 18, Con 14, Int 10, Wis 10, Cha 17
Skills: Bluff +7, Concentration +4, Escape Artist +8, Hide +8, Listen +8, Move Silently +8, Ride +8, Search +9, Sense Motive +6, Spot +8
Feats: Dodge, Weapon Finesse
Environment: Cannibal Fairies can be found in forest and woodland regions throughout Ravenloft, within the Core they are found mainly in Kartakass and Sithicus, though colonies have been reported in Invidia and Tepest.
Organization: Circle (2–11), Warpack (12-19) or Swarm (20–80)
Challenge Rating: 4
Treasure: Varies, usually about 3D4 GP (or whatever the domain equivalent is) in shiny stuff. If the Circle includes a Glitter Fairy there is a 2% chance a (very) minor magic item is found amongst the debris.
Alignment: Always Chaotic, most (85%) have a Moral Alignment of Evil, the remainder (15%) have a Moral Alignment of Neutral
Advancement: 1–3 HD (Tiny)
Level Adjustment: +3
Cannibal Fairies wear whatever clothing they feel like, most of what they wear consists of ripped pieces of material stolen from humans, stitched crudely together.
A Cannibal Fairy stands 1-1/2 feet tall and weighs about 1 pound.
Cannibal Fairies speak Sylvan and Common, and may know other languages as well.

Combat
Natural Attacks: Cannibal Fairies (unlike normal fairies) possess cruel talons, vicious fangs and supernatural (by fairy standards) strength. Cannibal Fairies have 2 Claw attacks (dealing 1D3 Slashing damage) and 1 Bite Attack (deals 1D4 Piercing damage and has the Wounding aspect, opponents bitten can resist by passing a DC 6 Fort test). This is in addition to their weapons, which are typical of Sprite weapons.


Addiction to Flesh: Cannibal Fairies are driven by their ceaseless hunger for the flesh of their fellows, whenever a Cannibal Fairy encounters a creature with the Fey classification they must pass a Will test or immediately attack in a desperate attempt to gorge themselves on raw flesh. The save is DC 10 for Wild, Seasoned and Glitter Fairies, and DC 25 for Hunter and Hardcore Fairies. Whenever a Cannibal Fairy makes a successful Grapple against a Fey creature it deals Bite damage. For every 3 days a Cannibal Fairy goes without eating an enemy Fey it must make an Addiction roll or pick a fight with one of its fellows, killing and devouring it if it wins. They can sate this hunger by eating other types of flesh, but it takes 3 times as much animal meat and twice as much humanoid meat to sate their hunger.


Need to Feed: Being driven by hunger rather than any desire for battle, Cannibal Fairies have been known to ignore a raging battle to concentrate on eating the fallen. When a Cannibal Fairy kills a victim it must make a DC 15 Will test or stop whatever it is doing and begin eating the body. If the local area is too hostile (in the middle of a raging battle for instance) the Fairy is allowed to make an Int test if it fails the Will save, success means that it realises the danger and instead of feeding it grabs as much meat as it can and flees the battle to eat. If caught eating, a Fairy can do nothing until it finishes, it loses both its Dexterity bonus to AC and its ability to make attacks of opportunity.


Enthrall: all Cannibal Fairies have a special, innate magical ability, drawn from the magic of Enchantment. Cannibal Fairies can mentally enslave animals (of any species and any size up to Small) to create “Thralls”. To create a Thrall, a Cannibal Fairy must be able to see the creature it wants to Enthrall and focus on dominating its mind. This is a full-round action. The target creature must pass a Will test with a DC of 15+ the level of the Cannibal Fairy. Failure results in the creature permanently becoming the servant of the Cannibal Fairy. Thralls are mainly used as mounts, to add combat potential and, on desperate occasions, as food. Originally, Cannibal Fairies could not control reptiles or insects and could only Enthrall a number of Thralls equal to their level, but since their transportation to Ravenloft their powers have been enhanced, thus they can Enthrall any form of animal (but not sentient creatures or mindless beings such as Oozes) and there is no limit to the number of Thralls they can possess.


Sub-Types: though all Cannibal Fairies look alike to humans, they do in fact have several sub-breeds amongst themselves. Wild Fairies are the basic Cannibal Fairies; these are usually fighters or thieves of levels 1-4. Seasoned Fairies are more experienced Wild Fairies, usually level 5 and over.

Hunter Fairies feel a peculiar bond with animals and nature; consequently they are more savage and primal than “normal” Cannibal Fairies but when using their Enthrall ability the targeted animal reduces its Will save by ½. A group of Cannibal Fairies will rarely contain more than 6 of these Fairies, as they are uncommon. Hunters Fairies are almost always Rangers; those rare few who aren’t are either Druids or Wild Monks (see Dragon 324).

Hardcore Fairies are the leaders of the pack; they are the nastiest and most ferocious of all the Cannibal Fairies. A group of Cannibal Fairies will NEVER contain more than 3 of these flesh-crazed Fey, as they tend to fight amongst each other fairly often… and Hardcores always devour those they defeat. Hardcores are usually Fighter/Thief dual-classed, their combined level never adds up to less then 7.

Glitter Fairies are the spell casters of Cannibal Fairy society, their class is almost always Sorcerer, some rare few are Bards. There is nothing to prevent them from becoming Mages but for the fact they have a hard time gaining access to spell scrolls and their general lack of patience. They are usually found at a minimum of Level 3.

Salient Powers: Since coming to Ravenloft, many Cannibal Fairies have developed strange, magical powers, which scholars generally attribute to the merging of their own corrupted magical essence with the strange essence of the Mists and Ravenloft. There is a 5% chance that any Cannibal Fairy encountered will have one Salient Power from the list below, Glitter Fairies have a base 15% chance plus an additional 5% for ever level over 3 they have achieved. These powers always have one or more distinguishing marks, which allow Cannibal Fairies to instantly recognise and identify these “Oddballs”.
Sparks: Sparker Fairies have a natural affinity with electricity, they tend to roam around a lot during lightning storms and are often drawn to Renaissance domains. Sparker Fairies reduce the damage suffered from electrical attacks by ½, their Natural Attacks do +2 points of electrical damage. In addition, Sparker’s can forgo their normal attacks to make a single “zap” attack. The Zap Attack can affect a target within 5ft; it manifests a straight lightning-bolt blasting from the Sparker’s hands to hit the target. This attack affects the first thing in its path, causing 1D6 electric damage. Sparker’s tend to have brilliant yellow skin or to have tiny arcs of lightning coursing across their skin. Sparkers can also Glow at will, Glowing causes the Fairy to become surrounded by an aura of light (equal to the Light spell) which is centered on and moves with the Fairy.

Ember Spit: Cannibal Fairies with this power are commonly known as Hotheads amongst their own kind. These Fairies gain the Fire subtype and can breathe a blast of flames once every 4 rounds. This is a Line attack which deals 1D6+1 fire damage to all targets in its path. These Fairies commonly have glowing red eyes, fiery-red or orange hair or deep crimson skin.

Distended Jaws: a rather popular and common deformity, Cannibal Fairies with this power have enlarged, razor-like fangs and jaws which can be unhinged, like a snake. The Cannibal Fairy’s Bite Attack does 1D6 piercing damage.

Acid Vomit: often distinguished by a constant look of nausea or seasickness, these Cannibal Fairies can make a vomit attack once every 6 rounds. This is a Cone attack which inflicts 1D4 Acid damage to all caught in its area of effect.

Snake Guts: a rare and loathed deformity, a Cannibal Fairy with Snake Guts can consume TWICE the amount of flesh a normal Cannibal Fairy can. While an ordinary Hardcore Fairy can eat an entire poodle (flesh, organs, bones, fur and marrow) before being physically incapable of eating, Snake Guts’ don’t seem to ever get full. This constant hunger makes them extremely dangerous, as a Cannibal Fairy with this Power DOUBLES the DC of the Will save needed to resist the urge to feed, and can only go 1 day before turning on its allies. Cannibal Fairies with this trait are usually rake-thin and look withered (unless they’ve eaten recently, in which case their stomach will usually be bulging), have a constant “famished” look or a “hungry” cast to the eyes.

Twinkler: can cast a Hypnotic variant of the Dancing Lights spell 3/day as a Sorcerer of the Fairy’s HD/Level. This power functions as per the normal Dancing Lights spell, but beings who see it must make a DC 10 Will save or be drawn to follow the lights. Cannibal Fairies with this power tend to constantly emit tiny little spheres of rainbow light, not enough to see by or be seen by. Other strange developments include glowing eyes, rainbow streaks in either the hair or skin and a permanent “glow” of mild light.

Leech: these Fairies have had their saliva glands enhanced, increasing the production of their bloodletting venom. The DC of the Fort save needed to resist the Wounding aspect of these Fairy’s bites is 8. In addition, if these Fairies grapple a target then they automatically deal bite damage each round they continue to grapple, as they greedily drain their prey of its lifeblood. Common features are vampire-like fangs and elongated fingers.

Shadow Meld: Cannibal Fairies with this power have an unusual affinity for the dark, and are capable of blending into it effortlessly. So long as the Cannibal Fairy is inside a shadow or suitably sized patch of darkness, they can use the Hide ability even without hiding behind something, and can, once per day, totally conceal themselves (50% miss chance to all attacks directed against the Cannibal Fairy). However, if the Fairy leaves the shadows, or a Daylight spell’s area of affect includes where the Fairy is hiding, both of these abilities are negated. Furthermore, the Fairy cannot hide inside it’s own shadow. Cannibal Fairies with this power are typically pitch-black in skin colour, though some have all-black eyes and several have been found with hair that resembles liquid shadow… and moves constantly.

Developed Antennae: while all Cannibal Fairies have fleshy antennae growing from their foreheads, these are vestigial and don’t function. A Fairy with this power has elongated, highly pronounced antennae which allow it to feel the movements of those nearby and to detect heat. The Fairy receives a +4 bonus to all Spot checks unless the target is hiding their body-heat and gains Blindsight 60ft.

Beast-Kin: most common amongst Hunter Fairies, this power allows them to assume the form of 1 type of Tiny animal at will. This is most commonly an insect, a bird, a squirrel or a rat/mouse. It is possible for a Cannibal Fairy with this power to assume either a Hybrid form of its beast form and natural form but this is rare. Of equal rarity are those Fairies who can transform into a twisted, hybrid monster, a creature which blends elements of two similar creatures (a wasp and a spider for instance). These “fuzors” are definitely not natural, and the magic makes it tricky for them to return to their correct form. A “Fuzor” Fairy must pass a Will test with a DC of 10 (+5 for each time the power has been used during that day). Failure results in the Fairy failing to change back and also causes it to lose 1D6 Int, which is restored at the rate of 1 point per hour after the Fairy changes back. If all Int is lost the Fairy can NEVER return to its true form, it’s Int score is returned to normal but it must spend the rest of its life as a twisted freak of nature, these Lost Fuzors are extremely hostile towards “norms” and can be quite dangerous. Traits associated with power are physical characteristics and features reminiscent of the Fairy’s beast form.


Ideas:
*Cannibal Fairies are innately magical and thus can be used as components in spells. So far only two magical uses for dead fairies present themselves:
Rending: if crushed Cannibal Fairy fangs are mixed with molten metal, the resulting weapon will automatically be a +1 weapon with the Wounding aspect. This process requires 1 pound of crushed fangs per size category of the intended weapon. (Note: I can't decide a DC to resist the wounding, it's chance of occurring or a suitable drawback, so can people please post recommendations?)
Famine: Cannibal Fairy blood can be used as a material component in the spells Cause Disease and Contagion, if used in this manner the spell(s) infect the victim with the Plague of Famine (see Dragon 319, if no body has either issues I've mentioned I can post a brief version of the rules here).

*I was also thinking about letting them become Dread Familiars, and I had an idea about a "Swarmlord", some poor sap who has a tribe of cannibal fairies tagging along behind him/her, so he/she has to keep moving as his "followers" keep eating livestock and children.

[ScS of the Fraternity]

Its pretty good, but I'm going to hold judgement until I see the gnomes with the chainkillers and stompper-clocklegs.

[Hell_Born]

Then you'll be waiting a while. I don't know enough about the Clockwork Stomp or Sugar and Vice sourcebooks to work on them. But can I have your comments on what I have accomplished? Maybe some ideas on how to use these freaks in a campaign?

[Lord Cyclohexane]

One idea, which came off the top of my head and so needs work, is to have one of the cannibal fairies manipulating an Inquisitor. This Inquisitor feels that (s)he is doing good by tracking down fairies that may cause problems for the people, but really all (s)he is doing is tracking down new food sources for hir cannibal fairy master...

Feel free to replace "Inquisitor" with "Falkovnian general" (as Drakov now has a lot of fey problems now that Falkovnia borders the Shadow Rift and so would put together *some* squads to deal with supernatural problems) or whatever else you should want to replace it with.

Adventure idea: PCs hired to give a little extra investigation help for the Inquisitor, who is running out of time. It turns out that a child had been bewitched by a fairy, as the child can't cease speaking about it. Slowly but surely, the child's mind is being affected, more and more hours of the day the child believes she is someone else altogether. The PCs must help to track down the rogue fairy at fault lest the child's mind be lost altogether. However, at some point a Vistana will inform the PCs that the child is cursed to die one week hence (leading the PCs to question whether they should even bother, as death is in the cards anyway) and later find that the rogue fairy is actually wiping the child's personality as it's convinced that if the child is no longer herself but is someone else entirely that perhaps the curse will not take hold, promising to return the child's mind after the destined day passes. But now the Inquisitor knows where the fairy is, as does the Inquisitor's cannibal fairy master, and the PCs need to try and buy the fairy the time needed, not knowing if the fairy really will return the child's mind afterwards or even if this insane idea really will save the child...

[Hell_Born]

Nice idea, though it seems a little too intellectual for these things. All they really care about is gorging themselves, though then again they aren't actually stupid...

Any more input?