Red-bristled gremlin
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Description
The gremlin stands waist-high to a Human, though its perpetually hunched figure indicates it could possibly look one in the eye if it bothered to stand up straight. Black leathery reptilian skin covers its entire body, reflecting little light. Spindly legs would appear to be too thin to support its wide-shouldered frame, but its easy, predatory grace belies any implied clumsiness. A wide, triangular head with large pointed ears sits atop a short narrow neck, and it glares about with squinting yellow eyes.
Anatomy Chart
The gremlin as depicted stands waist-high to a Human, though its hunched figure indicates that it might look one in the eye if it were to straighten. Black leathery reptilian skin covers its entire body, the pigment the artist has used reflecting little light. The creature's spindly legs seem too thin to support its wide-shouldered frame. A wide, triangular head with large pointed ears sits atop a short narrow neck, and it glares from the page with squinting yellow eyes. The author has noted in one corner that the creature has seen to cast magical flame at those it attacks.
In Depth
Area Information
Red-bristled gremlins are found on Derbycrop's Farmlands, an Illithi Province Premium hunting area (PREMIUM 6 3), accessed via a guarded gateway in the Fallow Fields (boggle, goblin, kobold, jackal area). From the path leading to Steelclaw Clan, go S, CLIMB the STILE then go E, S, and S to reach the entrance. GOing through the GATEWAY bestows a 4 second roundtime (only on entry) as the guard greets and checks guests' Estate Holder status: A uniformed guard glances at you and says, "Ol' Derbycrop sure would appreciate your help in reclaiming his farmlands, <Adventurer>. The gods be with ye."
- Gremlins have a good spawn rate and spawn in all fifteen outside rooms.
- The one inside room, the farmhouse, serves as both shelter from the weather and sanctuary from the gremlins as they neither spawn in nor enter it.
- The farmlands are suitable for foraging, but are not suitable for lumberjacking, or mining.
Spells
Red-bristled gremlins regularly cast tiny Fire Balls. They can do so from any engagement range yet commonly advance to engage opponents in melee instead of lingering at range. They do not HANGBACK (4/25/2021).
- Spell prep - A red-bristled gremlin begins to wave its arms in a magical fashion, focusing on you!
- Spell cast - A red-bristled gremlin gestures rudely at you.
- Magical defenses are very useful. Veil of Ice can negate all casts. Aether Cloak can do the same while also reflecting many fireballs at the caster.
- Absent prevailing magical defenses, a shield expert (300 ranks) with an arm-worn round sipar can solidly block most fireballs (negating all damage) and partially block the rest (preventing a direct strike, mitigating damage). Likewise, an evasion expert (300 ranks) can dodge most casts.
- Ethereal Shield will mitigate fire damage that bypasses other defenses, like that from a glancing block.
If red-bristled gremlins once cast Fire Shard, as of 437y, 395d AVL (04/25/2021), they no longer do.
Skill Caps
At 200 Short Bow and 50 Agility / 50 Reflex - I was hit once and took 3 capped Basilisk head arrows to kill them. The taught me will gaining me 21/34 Short bow in 7 kills. Assuming about 250-360 skill range. Nothing trained except MO at 359
- Weapons: Viable hunting and reasonable mindlocking with skills at 230 (400/430 Mastery) - about 60-70% hits vs. gremlin evasion. Only about 30-40% hits vs. parries and shield blocks; however, debilitation spells and tactical maneuvers sufficiently counter the reduced strike rate (04/22/2021).
- Defenses: around 300 [296-306] mindlock quickly and are sufficient for sustained enagement with multiple gremlins (04/22/2021). Max cap still seems to be correct in 3.1, evasion soft capped at 360 ranks exactly [12/29/2014]. Defenses slow but reach 400 before dabbling [15 January 2021].
- Targeted Magic: mindlocked at 290 (04/20/2021).
- Debilitation: mindlocked at 305 (04/20/2021).
- Tactics: mindlock at 359 (04/20/2021).
- Locksmithing: Required skill to DISARM / PICK CAREFUL 205 (value pulled from creatures with boxes table). Skill at 280 safely opens boxes and mindlocks using CAREFUL (04/25/2021). See Equipment/Loot section below for further details.
- Skinning: Skinned successfully repeated times at 263, but failed 1 ARRANGE multiple times at same ranks. Consistently skinned skillfully without arranging at 373, learning little in the process. Able to fully arrange and ARRANGE ALL at 373, quickly mindlocking the skill; however, arranged results vary wildly (ranging from nearly ruined to sterling examples) and are often less than skillfully retrieved (04/22/2021).
APPRAISE CAREFUL info:
- Weapons at 230 (400/430 Mastery) easy (-2) to very easy (-5) opponent that would train acceptably (4/7) (04/22/2021).
- Defenses around 300 [296-306] difficult (0) to worthy (-3) opponent that would train acceptably (4/7) (04/22/2021).
- TM (290) train acceptably (4/7). Debilitation (305) train acceptably (4/7). Tactics (359) train somewhat poorly (3/7) (04/22/2021).
Special Attacks
Red-bristled gremlins occasionally toss naphtha:
- A red-bristled gremlin snatches a vial of naphtha from somewhere on its body and favors you with a predatory stare. A sharp-toothed grin slowly spreads across its features and, with a sharp flick of its wrist, sends the naphtha hurtling toward you!
They tend to have lousy aim, but be mindful. Being doused in naphtha is quite the unfavorable state when engaged with fireball casting pyromaniacs.
Special Defenses
NONE.
Attributes
- Strength - is not quite (-2) 40
- Agility - is not quite (-2) 40
- Discipline - is about (-1) 40
- Reflex - is not quite (-2) 40
- Stamina - is somewhat (-3) less than 40
Equipment/Loot
It is wearing nothing! or It is wearing one or more <Distressed State> <Material> <Items>.
| Distressed State | Material | Item |
|---|---|---|
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It is carrying nothing! or It is carrying a <Distressed State> <Shield> and/or a <Distressed State> <Weapon> and/or a vial of naphtha.
| Distressed State | Shield | Distressed State | Weapon | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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<--Shields |
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- SEARCHing or LOOTing gremlin corpses will only locate coins, gems, boxes and random creature drops. Doing so will not retrieve their equipment. Consequently, gremlins' worn items (armor) cannot be acquired. However, their held items (shields and weapons) can be.
- To acquire gremlins' held items, force the gremlins to drop them. Significant limb (hand/arm) damage or magic such as Tingle will do the trick. Then, GET the dropped items from the ground.
- The 'distressed' (but undamaged) items gremlins carry tend to appraise as slightly lower quality than basic versions found in stores and carried by other critters.
- Gremlins are known to steal weapons from each other, which can be pretty humorous to watch.
Box Values - Common: 2-9 gold / Uncommon: 10-19 gold / Rare: 2-13 plat. (04/30/2021)
- Common (92/100) boxes contain 0-9 copper, 0-9 bronze, 0-9 silver and 0-8 gold coins and/or 0-2 gems (valued at 0.8 to 6.8 gold each) along with occasional miscellaneous items.
- Uncommon (6/100) boxes contain 0-7 gold coins plus change and 0-2 gems valued at 5.2 to 10.8 gold each.
- Rare (2/100) boxes contain 1-4 platinum coins plus change and 0-2 gems valued at 1.9 to 4.7 plat each.
DISARM / PICK IDENTIFY difficulty ranges:
| Locksmithing | Perception | Agility | Min | Max |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 280-290 | 395-400 | 40 | (4) simple matter | (9) odds against you |
| 300 | 405 | 40 | (3) trivially constructed | (8) has edge on you |
Body Parts
ARRANGE INFO: The gremlin can be arranged to produce a part.
Messaging
- Spawn 1: A red-bristled gremlin strides into view, chuckling softly.
- Spawn 2: A red-bristled gremlin springs into view, landing in a neat crouch as it surveys its surroundings.
- Spawn 3: A red-bristled gremlin charges into the area, pointing at the sky and chanting, "Zachriedek" repeatedly.
- Spawn 4: Hissing laughter fills the air as a red-bristled gremlin lopes into view.
- Entrance: A red-bristled gremlin scampers into view, emerging from the underbrush.
- Exit: A red-bristled gremlin scampers <direction>, disappearing through the underbrush.
- Death 1: A red-bristled gremlin curses before sprawling to the ground, dead.
- Death 2: A red-bristled gremlin shrieks, "Zachriedek!" with its last breath as it collapses to the ground.
- Death 3: A red-bristled gremlin stumbles to the ground. "Zachriedek... take me?" it whispers before going still.
- Decay: A burst of flame explodes from within a red-bristled gremlin's corpse, engulfing it in a fiery inferno that renders it quickly into a blackened patch on the ground.
- A red-bristled gremlin decays away.
Recall Knowledge
You recall everything noteworthy about a red-bristled gremlin... which is apparently nothing.
They are known to cast Fire Ball.
They are known to carry loot in locked boxes.
- Incomplete articles
- Creatures with coins
- Creatures with gems
- Creatures with boxes
- Spellcasting creatures
- Melee range-attacking creatures
- Non-stealthy creatures
- Creatures with special attacks
- Creatures without special defenses
- Shard creatures
- Bestiary
- Ilithi creatures
- Corporeal creatures
- Evil corporeal creatures
- Evil creatures
- Gremlin