by Khur

I don't really hate brownies (of any type), that's a line from one of this small article's inspirations. Scott Moore's brownies and the classic fantasy film Willow got me enthused about this critter, so below is presented another brownie variant for your pleasure.

Wild Brownie
Diminutive Fey
Hit Dice: 1/2d6 (1 hp)
Initiative: +3 Dex
Speed: 20 ft. (4 squares)
Armor Class: 17 (+4 size, +3 Dex), touch 17, flat-footed 14
Base Attack/Grapple: +0/–16
Attack: Spear +7 melee (1d3–4) or bow +7 ranged (1d2–4)
Full Attack: Spear +7 melee (1d3–4) or bow +7 ranged (1d2–4)
Space/Reach: 1 ft./0 ft.
Special Attacks: Poison use
Special Qualities: Awareness, wild empathy
Saves: Fort +0, Ref +5, Will +3
Abilities: Str 2, Dex 17, Con 11, Int 10, Wis 13, Cha 12
Skills: Climb +8*, Craft (any one) +2, Hide +16, Jump +4*, Listen +5, Move Silently +10*, Spot +5, Survival +5
Feats: Dodge (B), Weapon Finesse
Environment: Temperate forest
Organization: Pair, party (5-9), or tribe (10-100)
Challenge Rating: 1/6
Treasure: 25% coins, 150% goods, standard items
Alignment: Usually chaotic neutral
Advancement: By character class
Level Adjustment: +0

Like a tiny wild elf, this creature is slender and humanoid with tan skin. Its eyes are slanted and dark, its black hair wild and laden with decorative twigs and feathers. The hide of a field mouse, skull intact, serves as a cloak and the being sports a fur tunic and boots.

Wild brownies, also known as the killmenach, are unpredictable fey that dwell in the deep forest among sylvan creatures. Much like the grugach are technological throwbacks when compared to elves, so too are the wild brownies very different from their civilized cousins—the killmoulis. They are clannish and tribal, given to waylaying travelers for sport as much as loot. Victims of such sport are rarely permanently harmed.

An adult wild brownie is about 6 inches tall, weighing less than a pound. They wear furs, leathers, and plant materials for clothing and favor natural colors that aid in hiding. Wild brownies live a nomadic, hunter-gatherer lifestyle, one tribe claiming a wide territory in which they brook no intrusion by non-sylvan folk.

Strangely, wild brownies can be found in the service of more civilized fey and elves. Such tribes act in accordance with the law of their masters (if any), but still try to get away with as much mischief as possible. This latter tendency is especially true when the killmenach are dealing with creatures that are not fey or elvish. Wild brownies also have a love for "civilized" foods and drinks, especially breads, sweets, beer, and other intoxicants. Some say this is how killmoulis were first attracted to settle with and aid other creatures.

Wild brownies speak Sylvan, and a few know Elvish and/or Common.

Combat

Wild brownies attack with, stealth, poison, and overwhelming numbers. They prefer to use their bows from the cover of tree branches, attempting to snipe and hide again and again.

Awareness (Ex): Wild brownies cannot be surprised. This ability fails when a killmenach is intoxicated.

Poison Use (Ex): The killmenach coat their arrows and weapons with monstrous spider poison or a poison that causes unconsciousness like drow poison. A wild brownie never risks poisoning when applying poison to a weapon, but still runs that risk when preparing poison with an appropriate Craft skill. See DMG Chapter 8 for more information on these poisons.

Wild Empathy (Ex): Wild animals have a starting attitude of friendly towards wild brownies.

Skills: Wild brownies use their Dexterity scores as modifiers for Climb and Jump skills. They receive a +4 racial bonus to Move Silently checks.

Wild Brownies as Characters

A wild brownie character may exchange its initial fey HD for its first class level. So a 1st-level wild brownie sorcerer, for example, has a d4 Hit Die, a +0 base attack bonus, the base save bonuses of a sorcerer, and the sorcerer's skill points and class skills. Alternatively, the character may keep the fey HD and begin a character class at 2nd level. Wild brownies are often barbarians, druids, rangers, or sorcerers.

Wild brownie characters possess the following racial traits:
• –8 Strength, +6 Dexterity, +2 Wisdom, +2 Charisma.
• Diminutive size. +4 size bonus to Armor Class, attack rolls, +12 size bonus on Hide checks, –12 size penalty on grapple checks, lifting and carrying limits one-quarter those of Medium characters.
• A wild brownie's base land speed is 20 feet.
• Low-light vision.
• A wild brownie receives Dodge as a bonus feat.
• Special Attacks: See above.
• Special Qualities: See above.
• Automatic Languages: Sylvan. Bonus Languages: Common, Elven, Gnome, or Goblin.
• Favored Class: Sorcerer.
• Level Adjustment: +0.

By Scott Moore

A few months back, we looked at the brownie, and its cousin race, the killmoulis. In this installment of Leylines, we look at the other Sylvan-speaking fey race mentioned briefly in the PHB, but not fully detailed anywhere in the core rules. In honor of St. Patrick’s Day, let me present…the leprechaun, version 3.5!

Leprechaun
Tiny Fey
Hit Dice: 1d6+1 (4 hp)
Initiative: +2 Dex
Speed: 25 ft. (5 squares)
Armor Class: 14 (+2 size, +2 Dex), touch 14, flat-footed 12
Base Attack/Grapple: +0/-11
Attack: Club +2 melee (1d3-3/x2) or short sword +2 melee (1d3-3/19-20)
Full Attack: Club +2 melee (1d3-3/x2) or short sword +2 melee (1d3-3/19-20)
Space/Reach: 2-1/2 ft./0 ft.
Special Attacks: Last wish, spell-like abilities
Special Qualities: Awareness, greater invisibility, low-light vision, spell resistance 21
Saves: Fort +1, Ref +4, Will +2
Abilities: Str 5, Dex 15, Con 13, Int 16, Wis 10, Cha 13
Skills: Bluff +7, Diplomacy +7, Escape Artist +6, Hide +6, Knowledge (nature) +7, Listen +4, Sleight Of Hand +8, Spot +4, Survival +4
Feats: DodgeB, Weapon Finesse
Environment: Temperate plains
Organization: Solitary, gang (2-4), band (6-11), or clan (12-20)
Challenge Rating: 4
Treasure: Standard (convert coins to maximize gold and minimize copper)
Alignment: Always neutral
Advancement: 1-3 HD (Tiny)
Level Adjustment: +8

This tiny elf-like creature has a pointed nose and ears, red hair, and is dressed in earthy tones of green, gray, and brown, from his unusual brimmed cap to his pointy-toed shoes. He carries a gnarled wooden walking stick, puffs on a long-stemmed smoking pipe, and stands no more than 2 feet tall.

Description

Leprechauns, like Brownies, are a cross between halflings and pixies, but with a strong mischievous nature. They are typically found near natural “edges”, such as those between a forest and a field, shorelines (between land and water), dusk or dawn (between night and day), equinoxes and solstices, or when rainbows can be seen (between rainstorms and periods of sun). They tend to be friendly towards elves, gnomes, halflings, and other fey creatures, but mistrust dwarves and humans as those races seem to exhibit the strongest signs of greed. As long as they are not threatened, however, leprechauns will act quite civil. They have a strong affinity for weaker creatures and will never let a weaker animal or helpless character come to harm if there is any way they can prevent it.

Leprechaun lairs are typically well furnished caves with a hearth and plenty of warm, cozy rugs. They are always well hidden. Leprechauns are typically never encountered in their lairs (only 10% chance) and will take great pains to avoid leading any creatures they encounter to their lairs.

Like dragons, leprechauns love gold. It is always the primary ingredient in their hordes. If an opponent secures their treasure, leprechauns will beg and bargain in an attempt to get it back. As a last resort, leprechauns may offer to grant up to 3 limited wishes to a character, but only after they return their gold to them. Once the wishes have been granted, the leprechaun will praise their opponent’s wise use of the wishes and offer to grant a fourth limited wish as a bonus. Once vocalized by their opponent, the effects of all previous limited wishes are reversed, and the opposing character (and their party, if applicable) are teleported 2d20 miles away in a random direction (no saving throw). The opponent (and their party) will never encounter that particular leprechaun, or find their lair, ever again.

A leprechaun’s one great failing is their love of wine. If utilized properly, this weakness can frequently be exploited to an opponent’s advantage.

A leprechaun stands 2 feet tall and weighs about 8 pounds.

Leprechauns speak Common and Sylvan.

Combat

Leprechauns are generally non-combative, but will defend themselves with magic, walking sticks (treat as tiny clubs) or short swords if forced to. As lovers of mischief, they love to attempt “lifting” items from those they encounter. If detected, the leprechaun will turn invisible and flee, discarding the item in order to put more space between themselves and their pursuers if need be.

Awareness (Ex): Leprechauns cannot be surprised.

Greater Invisibility (Su): Like pixies, leprechauns are always invisible, even when attacking, but can suppress this ability as a free action.

Last Wish (Sp): After being coerced into granting limited wishes, a leprechaun will praise their opponent’s wise use of the wishes and offer to grant a fourth limited wish as a bonus. Once vocalized by their opponent, the effects of all previous limited wishes are reversed, and the opposing character (and their party, if applicable) are teleported 2d20 miles away in a random direction (no saving throw).

Spell-Like Abilities (Sp): Leprechauns can use the following spell-like abilities an unlimited number of times per day: limited wish (only used to grant the wishes of others in “last resort” scenarios), permanent image, polymorph any object (non-living objects only), ventriloquism. Leprechauns are treated as fifteenth level with respect to caster level.

Leprechauns as Characters

Leprechauns have some rather potent natural abilities and as such, should be strongly evaluated in terms of your individual campaign before being allowed as a PC race.

A leprechaun character exchanges its 1 HD of fey for its first class level, so a 1st-level leprechaun sorcerer, for example, has a d4 Hit Die, a +0 base attack bonus, the base save bonuses of a sorcerer, and the sorcerer's skill points and class skills.

Leprechaun characters possess the following racial traits:
- -6 Strength, +4 Dexterity, +6 Intelligence, +2 Charisma.
- Tiny size. +2 bonus to Armor Class, +2 bonus on attack rolls, +8 bonus on Hide checks, -8 penalty on grapple checks, lifting and carrying limits 1/2 those of Medium characters.
- A leprechaun 's base land speed is 25 feet.
- Low-light vision.
- Skills: Leprechauns have a +2 racial bonus to Bluff, Diplomacy, and Sleight Of Hand checks.
- Racial Feats: A leprechaun receives Dodge as a bonus feat.
- Special Attacks (see above): Last wish, spell-like abilities.
- Special Qualities (see above): Awareness, greater invisibility, spell resistance equal to 21 + class levels.
- Automatic Languages: Common, Sylvan. Bonus Languages: Elven, Gnome, Halfling.
- Favored Class: Sorcerer.
- Level Adjustment +8.

The leprechaun is based on popular folklore, as well as gaming material from the following sources:

Advanced Dungeons & Dragons Monster Manual by Gary Gygax, 1977: page 60. TSR Games. (now Wizards of the Coast, Inc.).

Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd Edition Monstrous Manual, 1993: page 220. TSR, Inc. (now Wizards of the Coast, Inc.).

About Fairies (Fey)

From Microsoft® Encarta® Reference Library 2002:

Fairy, in folklore, a diminutive supernatural creature, generally in human form, dwelling in an imaginary region called fairyland; and the stories of its interventions through magic in mortal affairs. The term fairy is also loosely applied to such beings as brownies, gnomes, elves, nixies, goblins, trolls, dwarfs, pixies, kobolds, banshees, sylphs, sprites, and undines. The folk imagination not only conceives of fairyland as a distinct domain, but also imagines fairies as living in everyday surroundings such as hills, trees, and streams and sees fairy rings, fairy tables, and fairy steeds in natural objects.

The belief in fairies was an almost universal attribute of early folk culture. In ancient Greek literature the sirens in Homer's Odyssey are fairies, and a number of the heroes in his Iliad have fairy lovers in the form of nymphs. The Gandharvas (celestial singers and musicians), who figure in Sanskrit poetry, were fairies, as were the Hathors, or female genii, of ancient Egypt, who appeared at the birth of a child and predicted the child's future.

The traditional characteristics of fairies are depicted in European literature in such works as Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Romeo and Juliet (in Mercutio's “Queen Mab” speech); The Faerie Queene by Edmund Spenser; L'Allegro and Comus by John Milton; Contes de ma mère l'oye, known in English as Tales of Mother Goose, by Charles Perrault; Kinder-und Hausmärchen, known in English as Grimm's Fairy Tales, by the brothers Jacob Ludwig Karl Grimm and Wilhelm Karl Grimm; a fairy-tale series by Andrew Lang, for example, The Blue Fairy Tale Book and The Red Fairy Tale Book; and representative collections of Irish stories such as Fairy Legends and Traditions of the South of Ireland by Thomas Crofton Croker and Irish Fairy Tales by William Butler Yeats. Croker has described fairies as being “a few inches high, airy and almost transparent in body; so delicate in their form that a dewdrop, when they chance to dance on it, trembles, indeed, but never breaks.” In folklore fairies are generally considered beneficent toward humans. They are sensitive and capricious, however, and often inclined to play pranks; so if their resentment is not to be aroused, they must be spoken well of and always treated with deference. Bad fairies are thought to be responsible for such misfortunes as the bewitching of children, the substitution of ugly fairy babies, known as changelings, for human infants, and the sudden death of cattle.