Let’s Convert the Monster Manual: Night Hag, Nightmare, Nixie, and Nymph

This post finished off the “N”s, and was done entirely without reference to the Monster Manual due to the folkloric nature of the creatures herein. I feel a bit strongly about getting creatures like this “right”, and I hope that I have succeeded at least in part.

My write up for nymphs is from an early blog post where I was translating materials written for my own fantasy heartbreaker to DCC. I noticed a few holdovers from that earlier ruleset, which I have corrected here.

Night Hag: Init +0; Atk claw +3 melee (1d3+3) or bite +1 melee (1d4); AC 15; HD 7d12; MV 20’; Act 2d20; SP astral projection (Stamina drain, non-corporeal), immune to fire and cold; SV Fort +6, Ref +0, Will +7; AL C.

These loathsome creatures dwell in the demonic planes, but they can project their astral forms into the Lands We Know, where they drain the life from living folk as they sleep. A projected night hag is incorporeal, and can only be affected by magic weapons or spells. She squats upon a sleeper, who suffers 1d3 Stamina each night they are “hag-ridden”, while suffering debilitating nightmares which prevent spell recovery or healing. A night hag will “ride” the same victim, night after night, until they reach 0 Stamina, lapse into a coma, and, if not restored to at least 1 Stamina, die after 1d3 more nights.

The astral form of a night hag is incorporeal and invisible. On her own plane, and to those who can see her (including the victims in their night terrors), a night hag is obviously non-human, as large as an ogre, with sharp teeth, pointed ears, and sometimes (10% chance) small goat-like horn buds. If a night hag is driven off, her victim gains the normal benefits of sleep and doesn’t suffer Stamina loss that night. Disrupting a night hag is not enough; if it is engaged in combat but the assailants retreat, the night hag can continue her nocturnal activities. Lost Stamina heals normally once the victim is no longer being affected by the night hag.

A night hag reduced to 0 hp while in her astral form is not slain, but is forced to return to her material body in the demonic planes and remain there for 666 days.

Nightmare: Init +1; Atk flaming hoof +6 melee (1d6+3 plus fire damage) or bite +4 melee (1d3 plus fire damage) or breath weapon; AC 15; HD 6d8; MV 60’ or fly 60’; Act 2d20; SP breath weapon (gout of flame, 10’ diameter, 2d6 damage, DC 13 Reflex for half), fire damage (1d6 plus DC 10 Reflex or catch fire), immune to fire, cold vulnerability (x2 damage); SV Fort +7, Ref +5, Will +4; AL C.

These horses come from the hell planes, and are used as steeds by various fiendish beings. Coal black, with flaming eyes and hooves, they are the size of large warhorses, hot to the touch, and able to run on air as easily as they do on land.

Nixie: Init +3; Atk bite +0 melee (1d3) or charm or drown; AC 13; HD 2d6; MV 20’ or swim 40’; SP shapechange, charm, drown, take lovers, iron vulnerability (x2 damage); Act 1d20; SV Fort +1, Ref +3, Will +2; AL C.

Water spirits which appear humanoid in their natural form, nixies always have something animalistic about them, and their clothing always appears to be damp or wet in some part. Shapeshifters, they can appear as serpents, fish, and other creatures associated with river and lakes. Whatever appearance they take, it does not affect their statistics – a nixie in fish form can walk upon the land, and one in serpent form will is never venomous.

Nixies are only found in fresh water, although they can be found both in clear rivers and stagnant pools. Rarely, nixies can even be found in subterranean lakes and streams. Some may be helpful and good, but many wish nothing more than to lure mortals into the water and drown them.

A nixie can charm mortals able to see or hear it (as charm person with a +5 spell check), using songs or the lure of their bodies to do so – that huge trout you know you could catch if you waded into the stream could well be a nixie. Those charmed by a nixie willingly enter the water where, once they have reached sufficient depth, the nixie attempts to drown them. For every opposed Strength check (vs. +2) that the nixie wins, the victim takes 1d4 temporary Stamina damage from drowning, and dies at 0 Stamina. Multiple nixies may attempt to drown the same victim, and each additional nixie beyond the first adds their +2 bonus to the opposed Strength check. Should a victim win free, this Stamina damage heals with 10 minutes of unobstructed breathing.

Occasionally, nixies take mortal lovers. A victim with a 16 or better Personality who reaches 0 Stamina due to drowning may attempt a Luck check. If successful, the victim does not die, but is instead returned unharmed after a period of time. Roll 1d7 plus Luck modifier: (1 or less) 1d20 years, (2) 1d5 years, (3) 1d3 years, (4) 1d12 months, (5) 1d5 weeks, (6) 1d8 days, or (7+) 1d30 hours.

Nymph: Init +3; Atk spear +2 melee (1d6) or short bow +6 ranged (1d6); AC 14; HD 1d8; MV 40’; Act 1d20; SP untiring, supernatural allure, blinding, merge with nature; SV Fort +4 , Ref +8, Will +7; AL variable (often N or C).

Divine Nymph: Init +5; Atk spear +4 melee (1d6+2) or short bow +8 ranged (1d6); AC 16; HD 5d8; MV 50’; Act 1d20; SP untiring, supernatural allure, blinding, cause death, merge with nature; SV Fort +8 , Ref +12, Will +14; AL variable (often N or C).

Nymphs are nature spirits that take the form of impossibly beautiful young women.  They may have some inhuman features, such as pointed ears or unusual hair, eye, or skin tones.  They are tied into some natural site or phenomenon, or exist as the entourage of a mortal incarnation of a deity or powerful cleric.  Thus, there might be a Nymph of the Crystal Grotto, Nymphs of Springtime, Nymphs of the Darkwine River, and so on. 

Nymphs enjoy hunting and other sports.  They are noted for their skill with spear and bow.  Some 25% of encounters with nymphs will include 1d6 hunting dogs per nymph (as mastiff, the Cyclopedia of Common Animals, p. 46).

Many nymphs seem to enjoy mortal company.  Most nymphs limit this company to the presence of women, whom they allow to join in their sports, but 20% of all nymphs are also interested in taking comely mortals – both male and female – as paramours.  Nymphs can bear children with mortal lovers.  Such children gain a +2 bonus to Personality and a +1 bonus to Agility, but are otherwise treated as mortals of their race.  They may have other visible signs of their fey ancestry, based upon their mother’s appearance.

Nymphs prefer to pursue rather than to be pursued, and run away when approached by amorous satyrs and men.  When a nymph runs, she is untiring, able to run at full speed for six hours without a break.  It is difficult for any creature to harm a nymph due to her supernatural allure.  A DC 15 Will save is required to target a nymph with any attack, although once this save succeeds once, the attacker cannot be affected by the nymph’s allure again that day.  As a final method of outwitting pursuit, a nymph may merge with nature as an action, becoming reeds, an island, stalks of grain, or anything else appropriate to the area.  A nymph must succeed in a DC 20 Will save to merge with nature, and this merger is permanent.

Nymphs who are tied into a particular time, such as a season or a time of day, are only present in the material world during that time.  It is as though the intervening time did not exist for the nymph.  Thus, the last day of autumn of one year, and the first day of autumn the next year, are sequential days for an autumnal nymph.  If the nymph has a mortal paramour, she can choose either to take them with her (so that they age one year for every four, from the perspective of a mortal creature of the material plane), or not, so that they can act in the world throughout the year, but seems to age swiftly before her eyes.

Nymphs may have 1d5 class levels as (roll 1d5) (1-2) a warrior or (3-5) a wizard.

Divine Nymph: Roughly 15% of all nymphs have divine blood.  These nymphs can immediately blind any mortal being who sees them without using an action (Reflexes or Will DC 20 negates).  If a divine nymph is viewed by a mortal while disrobed, she can cause them to die (Reflexes or Will DC 15 negates).  A divine nymph may have 1d7 class levels as a (roll 1d7) (1) cleric, (2-3) thief, (4-5) warrior, or (6-7) wizard.

From this post.