DCC Bestiary - Ithherian Hunter

Next critter up for the DCC treatment, the Invisible Stalker.

So the original OD&D monster was invisible, but didn’t ‘stalker’ much.  It was another wandering bag of hit points that could deal damage.  Sometimes the description said ‘faultless trackers’ or discussed dispelling them, but didn’t delve into their stalking profession.  It said they were fickle, would track down their prey for as long as it took, then disappear to non-dimension. In later editions of D&D, they tied the idea of an invisible stalker to elemental air as servants, and sometimes gave them a choking attack, or a slam.

So, as many spells do in the DCC Core Rulebook, they take multiple spells and string them together – Invisible Companion is both the original D&D Unseen Servant and higher level Invisible Stalker spell, so I took inspiration from that, reverse engineered a creature that is elemental-ish, serving Ithha, Prince of the Elemental Wind, and called it and Ithherian Hunter.

I gave the Hunter some tracking, some creepy ‘suck the air out of your lungs’ as a variant of choking someone, made them resistant to non-magical weapons (a weakened elemental trait of being immune), and if players insist on trying to figure out what an Ittherian Hunter looks like, a bit of an unpleasant surprise for them.

Thoughts, suggestions, stories of gruesome PC deaths?  Email me at archadethered@gmail.com

 

Ithherian Hunter

     Servants of Ithha, Prince of the Elemental Wind, these creatures that serve as spies, messengers or guardians can be summoned from Elfland by elves and wizards to do their bidding, sometimes becoming bound to the world here.  They are vicious and remorseless in slaying mortal creatures, and almost always have the advantage of surprise.

     Ithherian Hunters do not speak, but understand both Elven and Venterim, the language of  elementals.

     Ithherian Hunter: Init +2; Atk wind buffet +3 melee (1d4+2) or by weapon +3 melee (as weapon +2); AC 18; HD 2d8+4 (13 hp); MV fly 30’; Act 1d20; SP infravision 60’, fearsome form, invisible, deplete air, resistant to non-magical attacks, skilled tracker; SV Fort +2, Ref +3, Will +2; AL N.
     As experienced trackers and scouts, Ithherian Hunters are granted a +5 to tracking rolls, chances to hear or spot something, and are skilled in these checks.
     While an Ithherian Hunter does not carry weapons (as their invisibility does not carry to any carried object), if an effective weapon comes to hand they may use it in a moment of violence.
     As an action, an Ithherian Hunter can deplete air from around an adjacent foe, requiring them to make a DC 14 Fortitude save or lose 1d4 Stamina temporarily that round.  Any creature reduced to 0 Stamina has suffocated.
     Ithherian Hunters are permanently invisible, whether they attack or not.  Any invisible creature subject to a targeted attack has a 50% chance of missing before making an attack roll.
     Ithherian Hunters true forms are not often viewed – all that most wizards know from the spell Invisible Companion is they can fit into any spaces that a tall, thin humanoid might.  If somehow observed with a spell to see invisible creatures, or with a spell to dispel their constant invisibility, are tall humanoids, but their fearsome forms are beyond mortal comprehension.  Every observer within 60’ must make a DC 14 Will save or suffer 1d4 temporary Personality loss.