FREQUENCY: Uncommon
NO. APPEARING: 3-18
ARMOR CLASS: 6
MOVE: 9”
HIT DICE: 1
% IN LAIR: 15%
TREASURE TYPE: K on individuals;
P, Q, Y in lair
NO. OF ATTACKS: 1
DAMAGE/ATTACK: 2-5 (2-16)
SPECIAL ATTACKS: See below
SPECIAL DEFENSES: Silver or magical
weapons to hit
MAGIC RESISTANCE: 10%
INTELLIGENCE: Low to average
ALIGNMENT: Neutral evil
SIZE: S (2’ tall)
PSIONIC ABILITY: Nil
Attack/Defense Modes: Nil
Spriggans are small humanoids, each
of them having a distinctive, grotesque
appearance. Differences between the
members of a band of spriggans are
considerable; no two ever have the same
clothing, facial appearance, or height.
Spriggans form small raiding bands and
ravage the country near their lair, much
as brigands do.
Individual spriggans have the thieving
abilities of a 1st-level thief, with the
exception
of the band’s leader, who has the
abilities of a 5th-8th level (d4 + 4) thief.
The leader of the spriggans is also able
to bring down a curse one time per
month. The curse takes effect when the
leader touches a victim or is hit by the
intended victim. Once the leader first
employs the curse power, he will be
“charged” for 10 rounds thereafter and
will try to affect as many enemies as he
can in that time. The leader will usualIy
only use this ability if the spriggans’
lair
is raided and their spoils taken. Typical
spriggan curses include penalties (-1 to
-4) to saving throws, “to hit” rolls, or
the
like. Such a curse has a duration of 4-12
rounds depending on its severity, with
weaker curses having longer durations.
The effect may be negated by a Remove
curse or a Limited wish.
All spriggans are capable of Enlarge
Self, a special spell that increases a
spriggan’s height to six times normal,
generally up to about 12’. This height
increase gives the spriggan the attack
power of a hill giant (2-16 damage/round,
or +3 to hit and +7 to damage). This power
lasts 4-9 (d6 + 3) rounds and can be
used once per day, usually to scare opponents
into fleeing or surrendering their
valuables. It takes two segments for a
spriggan to grow to its enlarged height,
and the creature need only make a simple
somatic gesture (placing thumb in
mouth and puffing out cheeks, as if blowing
up a balloon).
Their use of this power has led many
peasants to believe that spriggans are
actually the ghosts of long-dead hill
giants, and some folk may use holy symbols
or holy water when confronted by a
spriggan band — for good reason, and
with good effect. Though spriggans are
not undead, they are repelled by holy
symbols and will flee if splashed with
holy water. Some sages believe this happens
because spriggans are said to have
originated on a lower plane. Holy water
does not do actual damage to spriggans,
except as it affects their morale.
Spriggans gain no bonuses for dexterity
or racial type when using the thieving
tables for pickpocketing, hiding in shadows,
etc. They have a -25% penalty to
their chance to climb walls, due to their
height. They cannot use thieving abilities
when in giant form.
These creatures are usually found in
hilly regions. They often set up housekeeping
in a lair once occupied by hill
giants. One of their other major occupations
in life besides robbery is kidnapping;
spriggans have been known to
steal the children and babies of dwarves,
halflings, and gnomes, and either hold
them for ransom or bring them up as
their own, training each child to be a
fighter or a thief. Differences between
spriggan babies and babies of other races
will be obvious to anyone, since
spriggan children are as ugly and foul-tempered
as their parents.
Spriggans have a wide variety of skin
colors; individual complexions are usually
some shade of brown, gray. or yellow-
white. They speak their alignment
language, the common tongue, and their
own language. The leader (and only the
leader) knows the thieves’ cant, since
he
may have occasional ties with a local
thieves guild to sell some of the spriggans’
stolen goods.
| Dragon magazine | - | Monster Manual III | - | Dragon #59 |