FREQUENCY: Very rare
NO. APPEARING: 1-8
ARMOR CLASS: 9
MOVE: 6"
HIT DICE: 1/2 to 6
% IN LAIR: Nil
TREASURE TYPE: Nil
NO. OF ATTACKS: 1 shock
DAMAGE/ATTACK: See below
SPECIAL ATTACKS: Lightning bolt
SPECIAL DEFENSES: Many immunities
MAGIC RESISTANCE: Standard
INTELLIGENCE: Semi-
ALIGNMENT: Neutral
SIZE: S (varies)
PSIONIC ABILITY: Nil
    Attack/Defense Modes: Nil
LEVEL/X.P. VALUE: II to V / 34 + 1/hp to 425 + 6/hp

    Duleeps are small, amorphous creatures
that resemble thick grey sheets, wisps, and
filaments of dusty cobwebs. They are nomadic
omnivores found in subterranean
and wilderness areas, preferring stony
surroundings such as caverns or ruins.
They can sense the presence of other duleeps,
vibrations, and variations in the heat
of their surroundings very keenly to a maximum
range of 8". A duleep spends its life in
an endless hunt for plant life, carrion, and
live prey. It will wait motionless to drop
onto or be blundered into by creatures it
senses nearby.

    Duleeps seem to flow over surfaces, moving
like caterpillars on millions of tiny filaments,
and may fuse together into larger
creatures. They are unaffected by fire,
water, heat, or cold attacks. Blows from
edged weapons do full damage to these
creatures, but when hit they will split into
two smaller wisps, each of which will contniue
to advance upon prey (count each
duleep "fragment" as having half the "parent's"
remaining hit points, rounding fractions
up). Duleeps attack instinctively and
cannot be subdued or repelled by fear,
repulsion, or similar spells. Blunt weapons
do half damage to duleeps; the filaments of
their bodies stretch and yield to absorb
some of the shock of the blow.

    Duleeps convert ingested matter into
electrical energy, which they use to aid them
in movement and to stun or slay prey, such
as small rodents. The touch of a duleep is
like a shocking grasp -- the electrical shock
does at least 1-4 points of damage per round
(1-6 if the duleep is of 3-5 HD, and 2-8
damage for a 6 HD type) to any creature
whose bare skin or conductive armor or
weaponry comes into contact with a duleep.

    Duleep may also fire a miniature lightning
bolt (2" range, 3-12 damage) up to
twice per turn; one with less than 9 hit
points (or one that has been reduced to 9 hp
or less) can only unleash one bolt per turn.
All duleep fragments have this ability, so a
duleep separated into two smaller ones may
unlesh two such attacks. Note that separation
occurs only as a result of an opponent's
attack or physical situation -- a duleep
cannot deliberately split into smaller wisps.
Duleeps absorb all electrical energy, magical
or natural, and will permanently gain one
extra hit die for every 8 hp of electrical
energy they absorb (the hit points gained
from the new hit die are randomly determined),
causing them to grow visibly. Duleeps
move and act independently, but they
can sense the direction and size of other
duleeps within 8", and one will attempt to
join with another wisp if the former is reduced
to 8 hp or less (adding its hit points
and hit dice to those of the larger creature,
up to a 6 HD maximum).

    Duleeps may climb the walls and celings
of any material and texture; they never slip,
and may grasp a surface so strongly that
they cannot be removed by any physical or
magical attack that fails to slay the creature.

    Duleeps have no visible sensory organs or
specialized body parts and appear to consist
of colonies of microscopic, identical cells
with limited sentience, highly developed
locomotive and sensory faculties, and the
ability to convert organic matter into electrical
energy.
 

    by Ed Greenwood