Will-O-Wisp
Will-o-Wisp (CR 5)
Faintly glowing lights in the middle of a dark, deadly forest.... It does not seem like simple glowing lights in the distance should be so frightening, but unless you have been lost in the woods, so very alone, and been bedeviled by a pack of Will-O-Wisp's, you have no idea the sheer terror will-o-wisp's evoke in their victims.
Will-O-Wisp's are terrible things, incorporeal fiends whose existence involves the torment and murder of innocents. They lurk in the wilds, attempting to lure the unwary to their death.
If a group of adventurers happens upon a pack of Will-O-Wisps, the encounter rarely is a conclusive one, unless the adventurers were specifically hunting he Wisps and are prepared for their odd and strange powers.
GENERAL
CR 5 Hit Dice 7
XP 1,600
CE Small Aberration (Air)
Init +3; Senses Darkvision 60 ft., Perception +8
DEFENSE
AC 21, touch 14, flat-footed 18 (+4 armor, +3 dex, +3 natural, +1 deflection)
hp 65
Fort +4, Ref +4, Will +4
Aura: -
SR: 15
Special Defenses: Innate Invisibility
Immunities: -
Weaknesses: -
OFFENSE
Speed Fly 50 ft. (Perfect)
Space / Reach: 5 ft. / 5 ft.
Single Melee Shock +10 (1d8+6 electricity damage; no crits)
Full Melee 2x Shock +10 (1d8+6 electricity damage; no crits)
Ranged -
Special Attacks Feed on Fear
Action Points 0
STATISTICS
Str 3, Dex 19, Con 14, Int 15, Wis 16, Cha 14
Base Atk +5; CMB +9; CMD 19
Feats -
Skills Knowledge (all) +10, Stealth +5 (becomes +25 when invisible)
Languages Aklo, Common
SPECIAL ABILITIES
- Spell Resistance (Su)
Will-o-wisps have a spell resistance of 15.
- Naturally Invisible (Su)
Will-o-wisps have the ability to extinguish their natural glow as a move action, effectively becoming invisible, as per the spell. Use of this ability does not provoke attacks of opportunity, nor does it require any concentration. Note that an invisible will-o-wisp becomes visible after attacking. It must spend a move action to become invisible again.
- Attacking a Stealthed Enemy
- If you know that a stealthed enemy is in a particular square, you may attack him as though he has concealment (20% miss chance). However, in most cases, you don't know (in-game) which square a stealthed creature is in. In most cases, GM's should just disallow attacks when the target's location is unknown. However, area attacks and wild swings may sometimes come up, and the GM should calculate where the target could possibly be, make a roll to see if the right square was chosen and then roll miss chance.
- For example, a stealthy enemy is somewhere within an 80' x 80' room, and the insane gnome sorcerer wants to chuck a fireball at them, even though they don't have any real clue where the enemy is. Meta-game, the players can see a miniature on the board and know the enemy is in the northeast corner of the room. However, to simulate uncertainty, the GM could give the gnome a 25% chance to choose the right region of the room (since the fireball is a 40' diameter, and the room has roughly four 40' regions). Obviously, if the room were smaller, or the fireball bigger, the chance of guessing the correct region is improved. All of this is an attempt at ignoring the metagaming knowledge that the enemy is in a particular area, and instead simulate complete uncertainty. Generally speaking, the GM should announce how they're going to determine whether the attack had a valid target, but not reveal whether the check succeeded or not, since the players wouldn't know whether the fireball hit the enemy. If the enemy is later revealed, it may or may not look a bit charred.
- Feed On Fear (Su)
The will-o-wisp gains Fast Healing 5 any time there is an enemy within 50 feet of it that is either dying or under the effects of a fear condition.
- Shock (basic attack)
Note that the shock attack of the will-o-wisp is not a touch attack, unlike the version of will-o-wisps in Pathfinder. Epic Path will-o-wisps must hit their target's regular AC. Of course, if the will-o-wisp is invisible, the target is flat-footed, so it shouldn't be too tough.
TREASURE
sell value of approximately 1,375 gp
COMBAT TACTICS
Will-o-wisps prefer to lure prey into hazardous terrain rather than confront them directly. They will try to lure travelers over cliffs, into bogs or quicksand, or into other hazards, and feed on their fear as they die. If the hazard merely injures the prey, they're more than willing to dive in and finish them off.
In direct combat, the will-o-wisp will become invisible and make use of its shock attack. Note that on making this attack, the wisp becomes visible until it uses another move action to become invisible again.
Because of their spell resistance and invisibility, will-o-wisps are very difficult opponents. Furthermore, if they feel overmatched, it is a simple matter for them to flee combat. Will-o-wisps are evil and ageless, and tend to hold grudges against those who manage to chase them off.