| Fire Mephit | Lava Mephit | - | Smoke Mephit | Steam Mephit |
The various mephits are the 
messengers and errand-runners of the
powerful creatures of the Lower Planes.
They are common inhabitants
of all these locales, from Hells
to the Abyss. Their
alignment varies, depending on their plane
of origin, but they are
always evil.
When mephits appear on the PMP,
they always have
some demoniac or diabolic mission to perform
(or a similar mission
from another such evil personage). This
can vary from a rigorous task
(for example seeking out a particular
victim and capturing him for
transportation to Hades)
to a more general mission (such as indiscriminate
iooting and killing).
Mephits are connoisseurs of the vulgar
and tasteless; they share an
extraordinarily twisted sense of humour
(to a mephit, the sight of a
creature writhing in agony is excruciatingly
funny). They delight
particularly in tormenting the helpless.
If they can obtain them (and
it is usual that they do) they will wear
clothes of the most garish
design and colour possible. They are often
seen puffing upon smoking
rolls of exceedingly foul-smelling dried
vegetation. They adopt a strut-
ting gait and have shrill voices (they
all speak a common mephit
tongue and their alignment
language).
All mephits are about 5' tall, with functional
wings && fangs. Other
forms of mephit are thought to exist though
there is as yet no positive
identification of type.
So far as can be ascertained, no particular
type of mephit is more or
less common on any of the Lower Planes
- the types appear to be
distributed in an indiscriminate fashion.
For purposes of aerial combat, all mephits are manoeuvrability class B.
Fire Mephit
FREQUENCY: Very rare
FREQUENCY: Very
rare ([Dungeon Level III])
NO. APPEARING: 1
ARMOR CLASS: 5
MOVE: 12" / 24"
HIT DICE: 3+1
% IN LAIR: Nil
TREASURE TYPE: 2-12
platinum pieces each
NO. OF ATTACKS:
2
DAMAGE/ATTACK: 1-3/1-3
SPECIAL ATTACKS:
Breath Weapon
SPECIAL DEFENSES:
[SB]
MAGIC RESISTANCE:
Standard
INTELLIGENCE: Average
ALIGNMENT: Variable
but always evil
SIZE: M (5' tall)
LEVEL/X.P. VALUE:
III | 150 + 4
These mischievious
creatures are dull red in colour, with thin streaks of black.
Their bodies are
surrounded with wisps of flame -- touching them with bare hands will cause
1 HP of damage.
They attack with
two claws (1-3 HP of damage each plus 1 point of heat damage for a total
of 2-4) and a breath weapon.
This is either a
jet of flame 15' long and 1' in diameter which automatically hits a designated
TARGET in range and delivers 2-9 HP of damage (damage halved if a save
is made) or
a blanket of flame
(5' square immediately in front of the mephit (4 HP of damage to each victim
-- no save permitted).
The mephit is able
to vary the form of its breath weapon according to the circumstances.
It can breathe three
times per day.
The fire mephit can
heat metal and use magic missile (2 missiles) once each per day.
Once every hour
they may attempt to gate in another mephit -- 25% chance of succeeding.
The new arrival
will be a fire, smoke or steam mephit (=equal= probability each type).
FREQUENCY: Very rare
FREQUENCY: Very
rare ([Dungeon Level III])
NO. APPEARING: 1
ARMOR CLASS: 6
MOVE: 12" / 24"
HIT DICE: 3
% IN LAIR: Nil
TREASURE TYPE: 1-10
platinum pieces each
NO. OF ATTACKS:
2
DAMAGE/ATTACK: [SB]
SPECIAL ATTACKS:
Breath Weapon
SPECIAL DEFENSES:
[SB]
MAGIC RESISTANCE:
Standard
INTELLIGENCE: Average
ALIGNMENT: Variable
but always evil
SIZE: M (5' tall)
LEVEL/X.P. VALUE:
III | 105 + 3
These mephits are
dull red in colour and constantly ooze
molten lava from
their bodies in small drops, just as though it were
very heavy perspiration.
The heat from their bodies can be sensed 30'
away and anyone
touching a lava mephit with bare flesh receives
1-8 hit points of
damage.
They attack using
their claws (1 hit point of damage each plus 1-8
hit points of heat
damage, for 2-9 points total) and a breath weapon.
Breath
Weapon: The latter consists of a molten blob of lava which automatically
hits
any single designated
target within a 10' range (1-6 hit points of
damage - no saving
throw permitted). If the encounter takes place in
a volcanic region
where molten lava is available, these mephits can
regenerate 2 hit
points per round simply by keeping in contact with
the lava (though
this power ceases when the mephit is killed). The
lava mephit can
use i t s breath weapon once every three rounds, but
unless in contact
with molten lava the maximum number of lava
blobs which can
be projected is 8, and when this 'supply' is exhausted
the mephit will
no longer be able to breathe that day unless
it subsequently
'recharges' by getting in contact with molten lava.
The touch of the
lava mephit automatically dissolves materials dissolving
wood slowly at but
one inch thickness per hour and metals
quickly - destroying
plate armour in 3 melee rounds) and all lava
mephits may shape
change at will into a pool of molten lava (this
action will not
re-charge the breath weapon). Once per hour they may
attempt to gate
in 1-2 other mephits (equal probability each type; if
two appear they
will be of the same type) with a 25% chance of
success.
FREQUENCY: Very rare
FREQUENCY: Very
rare ([Dungeon Level III])
NO. APPEARING: 1
ARMOR CLASS: 4
MOVE: 12" / 24"
HIT DICE: 3
% IN LAIR: Nil
TREASURE TYPE: 1-10
platinum pieces each
NO. OF ATTACKS:
2
DAMAGE/ATTACK: 1-2/1-2
SPECIAL ATTACKS:
Breath Weapon
SPECIAL DEFENSES:
[SB]
MAGIC RESISTANCE:
Standard
INTELLIGENCE: Average
ALIGNMENT: Variable
but always evil
SIZE: M (5' tall)
LEVEL/X.P. VALUE:
III | 105 + 3
Like the fire mephits,
these creatures attack with two
claws (1-2 HP of
damage each) and a breath weapon.
Breath Weapon:
The latter
consists of the
discharge of a sooty ball of smoke which does 1-4 hit
points of damage
to a victim - no saving throw permitted, The ball of
smoke will automatically
hit any single designated victim within a 20'
range. The victim,
in addition to receiving damage, is blinded for 1-2
melee rounds. The
smoke mephit can use i t s breath weapon every other
melee round; there
is no limitation on the total number of times it
may breathe.
The smoke mephit
can use invisibility and dancing
lights once each
per day and can,
once every hour, attempt to gate in 1-2 other
mephits (equal probability
each type; if two appear they will be of
the same type) with
a 20% chance of success.
When a smoke mephit
dies, it coughs up 1 hit point of flame damage
to everyone within
10' (no saving throw permitted).
The smoke mephit
is black in colour and has smoke oozing'from its
body. It will inhabit
smoky and dark areas while on the Prime
Material Plane and
will never emerge into bright light unless forced to
do SO.
FREQUENCY: Very rare
FREQUENCY: Very
rare ([Dungeon Level IV])
NO. APPEARING: 1
ARMOR CLASS: 7
MOVE: 12" / 24"
HIT DICE: 3+3
% IN LAIR: Nil
TREASURE TYPE: 3-18
platinum pieces each
NO. OF ATTACKS:
2
DAMAGE/ATTACK: 1-4/1-4
SPECIAL ATTACKS:
Breath Weapon
SPECIAL DEFENSES:
[SB]
MAGIC RESISTANCE:
Standard
INTELLIGENCE: Average
ALIGNMENT: Variable
but always evil
SIZE: M (5' tall)
LEVEL/X.P. VALUE:
IV | 175 + 4
These mephits are
gray in colour and constantly ooze hot water,
leaving a trail
of water behind them when they MOVE.
Touching a steam
mephit with bare flesh will deliver 1 HP of
damage to the victim,
together with a 50% chance of his being
stunned for one
melee round.
Breath Weapon:
In addition to attacking with their two claws (each of which inflicts
1-4 hit points of
damage) they can direct a jet of scalding water at
any single designated
victim within 20' - this will hit the victim automatically.
The jet of water
inflicts 1-3 hit points of damage (no
saving throw permitted)
and there is a 50% chance that the victim will
also be stunned
for dne melee round. The mephit can use this breath
weapon a limitless
number of times at a frequency of once every two
melee rounds.
Once per day the
steam mephit can perform a 'rainstorm' of boiling
water -- treat as
ice
storm with 2-12 hit points of damage for all
victims (no saving
throws permitted). Once per hour it can contaminate
water (as the reversal
of purify wafer). Once per hour it may also
attempt to gate
in 1-2 other mephits (equal probability each type; if
two appear they
will be of the same type) with a 30% chance of
success.
serleran wrote:
Is there an elemental lord
for those which are composite creatures, such as the "quasi-elementals"
of mud or ash, for example?
Are they, elemental lords
in general, worshipped by mephits?
Well...
that's the call of the DM
using the system.
I don't envisage a series
of quasi-elemental planes that kack more potent entities than the ordinary,
so there would be a hierarchy thus--
even if not one of conscious
subservience, more akin to that of animals in nature.
As for worship, surely some
sentient creatures somewhere are foolish enough to do that 
Cheers,
Gary