Monday, May 9, 2011

Mythic Monday: The Drowning Fairy

Mythic Monday returns!  Back at home and back in the swing of things, here is the latest - the Drowning Fairy.

The drowning fairy is a common motif in folklore and fairy tales.  Evil fairies are often indistinguishable from ghosts and the undead.  Many times, the drowning fairy is actually the ghost of a drowned maiden that returns to haunt the stretch of river where she died; these creatures especially like to drown children, grabbing the ankles and dragging the unfortunate to a watery grave.

In English folklore, examples of these creatures include Jenny Greenteeth, Peg O'Nell, or Peg Powler.  They're described as having green skin, long hair, and sharp teeth - Meg Knucklebones from the movie "Legend" is a similar visual creature.  And you see equivalent water spirits in other European folk tales - the Grindylow, Rusalka and Vodyanoy all have similar ideas behind them.

For a modern version, how about Samara from The Ring?  She has the hideous visage, the poison stare, and the drowned origin.  "Seven days…" Staying away from the water is not enough.


The Ring:  staying away from the water is not enough...

The Drowning Fairy (for Labyrinth Lord)
No. Enc.: 1
Alignment: Chaotic
Movement: 150' (50')
Armor Class: 7
Hit Dice: 3
Attacks: 2 claws + gaze
Damage: 1d4 / 1d4
Save: F3
Morale: 11
Hoard Class: XIV
XP: 125

Surprise:  The Drowning Fairy lays in ambush near the edge of the water, just below the surface, to burst forth and surprise on a 1-4.

Hideous Visage:  Anyone seeing the Drowning Fairy must save vs Magic or lose 50% of their strength for 1d6 turns.

Drowning Grip:  A victim hit by a claw is gripped and dragged into the water.  Save vs paralysis to avoid being pulled off the shore and under the water; it requires an open doors check to break the grip (which will be difficult if the victim's strength has been reduced by Hideous Visage).

Gaze Attack:  The fairy can make one victim within 30' save vs Poison or die (once per day).  (The Sea Hag can use this ability 3 times per day, so feel free to beef it up if you think it's necessary!).

Vulnerabilities:  Like other fairy creatures in the series, the Drowning Fairy can be turned by clerics (as Special on the turn chart) and is vulnerable to cold iron weapons - takes double damage from cold iron.

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