Witchlight

Family: Witchlight

Tiny construct, neutral

Armor Class 14
Hit Points 10 (4d4)
Speed fly 50 ft.

STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
1 (-5) 18 (+4) 10 (+0) 10 (+0) 13 (+1) 7 (-2)

Skills Perception +3
Damage Immunities poison, psychic, radiant
Condition Immunities charmed, exhaustion, frightened, paralyzed, petrified, poisoned
Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 13
Languages understands the language of its creator but can’t speak
Challenge 1/4 (50 XP)

Special Traits

  • Dispel Magic Weakness. Casting dispel magic on a witchlight paralyzes it for 1d10 rounds.
  • Luminance. A witchlight normally glows as brightly as a torch. The creature can dim itself to the luminosity of a candle, but it cannot extinguish its light. Because of its glow, the witchlight has disadvantage on Dexterity (Stealth) checks.
  • Thin As Light. While a witchlight is not incorporeal, it can pass through any opening that light can.

Actions

  • Light Ray. Ranged Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, range 30 ft., one target. Hit: 6 (1d4 + 4) radiant damage.
  • Flash (Recharge 5-6). The witchlight emits a bright burst of light that blinds all sighted creatures within 30 feet for 1d4 rounds unless they succeed on a DC 10 Constitution saving throw.

About

This tiny ball of bright light seems to emanate from a crystalline center.

About

Wizard Servants. Also called a “spooklight,” a witchlight is a wizard’s servant created from a tiny piece of quartz. It appears as a floating ball of flickering light similar to a will-o’-wisp. The hue of quartz used during the creature’s creation determines the color of each witchlight’s illumination. After the quartz is prepared, it is animated through an extended magical ritual cast under a full moon and a clear, starry sky. Consequently, they are extremely rare by any measure.

Flashing Light Code. A witchlight always shares the same alignment as its creator. Although it cannot speak, a witchlight understands Common or another language taught it by its creator. Many spellcasters have taught their witchlights a coded cipher, so it can spell out words by flaring and dimming its light. When necessary, a witchlight can spell words in the air by flying so quickly that its trail of light forms letters. This stunt requires a successful DC 14 Dexterity (Acrobatics) check per word.

Free Roaming. If the witchlight’s master dies within one mile of the witchlight, it explodes in a brilliant but harmless flash of light. If it loses its master under any other circumstance, it becomes masterless; it’s free to do as it pleases, and it can never serve anyone else as a familiar. The statistics below represent these independent witchlights. Evil witchlights can be surprisingly cruel, not unlike will-o’- wisps. They seek to lure lost travelers into swamps or traps by using their glow to imitate the light of a safe haven. Conversely, good-aligned witchlights guide travelers to places of safety or along safe paths, and they are prized by pilots and guides. Neutral witchlights exhibit a playful nature-sometimes mingling inside the cavities of weapons, gems, or other curiosities, which means those items may be mistaken for magic items. More than one “wizard’s staff ” is just an impressive looking stick with a witchlight perched on top.

Created only by the star and shadow mages of a few schools, witchlights are precious baubles and rarely seen outside the magocracies or the confines of a wizard’s college. They are widely known as familiars to mages of the illumination school of magic.

Section 15: Copyright Notice

Tome of Beasts. Copyright 2016, Open Design; Authors Chris Harris, Dan Dillon, Rodrigo Garcia Carmona, and Wolfgang Baur.

This is not the complete section 15 entry - see the full license for this page