here are monsters that do not directly serve the Dragons (knowingly, anyway.) They live on their own limited wits; they hunt and kill to survive. While goblins, orcs, Abominations and the "undead" are to always be destroyed, these monsters are not on direct missions for the Dragons. Some may be reasoned with, some even witnessed to. Many are rough conversions from my old college days of Advanced Dungeons and Dragons; monsters that I have fought which, darn it, really ought to be in Dragonraid. Strap on your Armor of God, here is a full plate of new monsters for Dragonraid.

A Word on Special Attacks 

That said, here begins the list of curious creatures known to the Elders at the LightRaider Academy. The AdventureMaster may withhold this data from players if it is thought they have not yet learned it.
 

New Monsters

Harpy
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No. Appearing: d8+2
Size: 6'
Battle Ability: 5
Vitality: 25
Enchantment: Bitterness
Strength Attacked: JO
Strength Damaged: JO
Passed by: Touch
Physical Attacks: 2d4 claws, d8-2 bite
Special Attack: Song Charm
-------------------------------- 

f you ever find yourself out on the moor, or in the high places in the mountains, and you hear the most beautiful song, beware! And if the singer turns out to be a most beautiful maiden with long flowing hair, back away and make a Helmet of Salvation check, brother! That vision of loveliness may be far less lovely than your lying eyes would have you believe. It may be a Harpy!

What sad creatures these are! They really appear to be some twisted and filthy huge bird with the upper torso of a woman. The bird is bedraggled, with withered feathers, spindly legs and dirty talons. The female form might be attractive with some attention to hygiene, but brother, almost all of these creatures are an assault on the eyes! 

Their history is murky, but it is said that in the dark times past, there were actually lovely harpies that flew high in the morning sun, singing sweet songs of joy to the Overlord's world. Most modern people view this as foolish old myth, but it is said so. The Wise Ones say that somewhere along the way, the Harpies fell victim to the lies of the Dragons. "You have always been looked down on, you know," they told the majestic birds. "The other creatures think your voices are horrible, and those elves, well, they just snigger behind your backs!" After a while, the harpies believed these lies, and the more they stewed on them, the more bitter they became. They began to see themselves as rebels, as outcasts against a cruel society. (Fine, if those Elves think we aren't good enough, then we'll just show them! Why bother living up to their expectations! We'll make new customs for ourselves!)

The Harpies made themselves into victims, and began to shun whatever rules anyone else had about living, in a quest to be "individuals." Only the opinion of other Harpies mattered, and then as things worsened, not even that! Today, they have fallen completely under the Dragons' Bitterness Enchantment, and will pass it along every chance they get. They want the whole world to feel as sad and angry as they do.

Harpies are fond of white-pasty makeup, and blood-red lipstick. There are some tribes that actually dye their hair or skin bright glowing colors, in order to be even more different from the rest of the world. Many enjoy making "art", which to them consists of squashing dead bugs with rocks and then giving these artworks titles like "Filthy Elves who Mock Me" or "Life Stinks." Their lives become more and more about despising others, and they become progressively isolated from Men and from the Overlord.

They will lair in old deserted houses or high peaks in the mountains...any desolate place where they can make themselves alone to brood on how unjust the world is. They seek to draw OnceBorn to these places, to try and pass their Bitterness enchantment along so that it may spread in the world. 

Their bodies may be considered unpleasant, but their voices...it is said that praise of the Pegasi themselves is only slightly more sweet than a tune sung by Harpies. They have the most wonderful singing voices, and that is the danger. The Harpy's voice is so magical and sweet that upon first hearing it, any Raider must make a SC check vs. DL d8. (Give OnceBorn or others a flat 95% chance of being Charmed.) Failing this check does a like amount of MU damage to Self Control, (HS check to save) and the character will be so completely charmed that he/she will see the most beautiful woman they have ever seen. Men will be in love, women will admire her fashion sense and want to try her hairstyle! The young maid will become fast friends with all charmed party members and create some excuse to peck them on the cheek or gently touch their skin. ("Thank you some much brave knight for returning my scarf! A kiss to reward you? And fair woman, lean close and smell this beautiful flower!") Upon contact, the player makes a Joy check Vs the same DL as the charm. Fail and the player becomes infected with Bitterness. The Raider will begin to harbor grudges, note every slight, real or imagined, and generally view themselves as victims and outcasts. (SF check to save from MU points, but Bitter just the same!) 

If placed in a battle situation, they will fight with their two dirty claws and a sharp bite. But usually they seek not to kill the traveler, just to infect them. Remember, despite their ugly nature, these creatures are extremely intelligent! If they charm only a few party members, they will try and separate the group so that only the infected ones see them. They will avoid the ones they cannot charm. 

There must be male Harpies, we assume, but no one has been ever known to see them! The mind boggles at the possibilities... 

Consider bonus MU to Love if anyone thinks to try and bring these creatures the Good News! They can become quite clean and lovely creatures when they see the Light and realize the Overlord loves even them! It is said that the visage of a Harpy may be made as beautiful as the idolized maiden they project, if only they will accept their place in the Overlord's world. 

There is said to be a mermaid version of the Harpies that are called Sirens, with roughly the same enchantments, however they are far deadlier. Their hatred of the world and its people causes them to sing ships onto the ocean's rocks, and do the unthinkable of taking the lives of Men! Be wary, traveler!
 

ShapeShifter
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No. Appearing: d8
Size: 4'-7'
Battle Ability: 8
Vitality: 30
Enchantment: Peer Pressure
Strength Attacked: FA
Strength Damaged: FA
Passed by: Touch
Physical Attacks: d4 bite and two d10+2 Nail attacks
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ertainly, everyone has felt the pull to "blend into the crowd" at one time or another. The fellow at the pub door, or a new friend who wants you to join in with Evil Companions might well convince you to go where you should not go. But there are creatures that can go anywhere, and be at home with anyone: they are the ShapeShifters.

No one has ever reported exactly what these creatures actually look like, but they are rumored to have huge, exposed brains. A ShapeShifter can, through a chameleon-like ability to alter his or her coloration and size, look like almost anyone, from a squat 4'-tall dwarf to an extra-tall human. With two minutes to observe a target, the ShapeShifter can scrunch or swell, alter its color and surface, and mimic the target almost perfectly. They Blend With Surroundings at 8, and are very strong, with a Strength of 7. They have a VIS of 10, reflecting their amazing ability to observe details in others and reflect the same back to the crowd. 

Long ago, the ShapeShifters were renowned diplomats and negotiators, well known for fairness in settling disputes, for they could empathize and understand both sides of an argument by mimicking the two arguing parties. But the minority faction on that world began to display the dreaded Peer Pressure Enchantment! These deviant ShapeShifters became so adept at mirroring those around them, before long they had no "self" of their own. They swayed and went along with anything those around them said or did!

Today, they are so shifty that they seek to travel the world and infect others with their enchantment. When encountered, one or more ShapeShifters will BWS in a darkened dungeon or other bleak location, eyeing the party and studying them. They will then concentrate and shift their bodies to look like some other group of adventurers or townspeople, and seek to join or sup with the Raiders. They will seek to touch the party in some innocent way, but this is only done to pass the Peer Pressure Enchantment. The enchantment is a DL d8 attack against the Raider's Faithfulness score, SF roll to avoid a like amount of MU damage to Faithfulness. An infected Raider will begin to lose all sense of self and individuality, as the Peer Pressure Enchantment takes hold.

The Raider will begin more and more to rely on others to set his standards and make his decisions. Real decision-making will slowly disappear, and the player will begin to reflect the behavior of whomever he or she is with. For every day that passes without Rescue, add an additional +1 level of difficulty to all RME and RT checks, and an additional -1 to the Wisdom score. The AM should carefully watch the role-playing done by an infected character; be sure that the player is doing his or her best to mirror those around them. 

It should be noted that some of these creatures are very dedicated to their quest of making the world shifty; they will go so far as to take the lives of Men to better forward their plans. If a group of ShapeShifters encounters a party of adventurers, and the creatures believe they have the advantage, they may try to slay the Raiders and take their shapes so that they may move about in the world spreading their enchantment. (At the AM's choice, perhaps Shifters in your world "cucoon" that LightRaider in a sleep web, and stash them away; this would prevent the loss of a well loved player character. You will need to counsel the player on role-playing his evil doppleganger.) These creatures are very smart, and will occasionally attempt to separate a weaker Raider from the party on some pretext, try to quietly kill that person, and take their place. The Raider who suddenly wants to agree with everybody may be infected...or may be a ShapeShifter themselves!

One way to spot the horrible creatures is to do a Helmet of Salvation check. Any party member with a HS above 5 may twice a day examine specific things to see if they are what they really appear to be. The check for this creature is made at DL 8 to see if you see behind the disguise. Also, SE checks may be made at DL8 to find out that your new friend is not quite what he claims to be.
 

Tweak (Gremlin)
-------------------------------
No. Appearing: d8+3
Size: 1'
Battle Ability: 5
Vitality: 20
Enchantment: Better!
Strength Attacked: WIS
Strength Damaged: PE
Passed by: Touch of item
Physical Attacks: d8 Tools
--------------------------------

oe to the TwiceBorn who runs afoul of the Tweaks!

These little rascals are rumored to be less than a foot tall, and covered with scales, possibly distant cousins of the Dragons themselves. They skulk around in the dead of night, secretive and sly, looking for things to...fix.

It is not known why Tweaks, or "Gremlins" as some call them, do what they do. Is it some twisted plan of the Dragons, or just chance? But whatever the reason, this creature will find some common item (a pocket-watch laid on the windowsill or a sword carelessly left out by the campfires) and work some strange change upon it. The device may fail at the worst possible moment, break apart in a shower of sparks, or rarely (about 10% of the time) actually improve in some way. The more complicated the device, the more probable that it will attract the curious eye of the Tweaks. 
 

It is to be stressed that the change is a purely mechanical thing, and not magical in any way. How do they do it? ANY modern science may assumed to be involved, from metallurgy right on down to atomic physics, as no one ever sees the Tweeks perform the "fix". The AM should tailor the change to the device, being as creative as possible. The only indicator that an object has been changed is that the item is distinctly moved when the Raider sees it. ("Hey, who put my sword on the bookshelf?") For that sword, for example, a roll would follow the following table. And remember, the effects may not be even visible until the Worst Possible Moment... 

Use the basic system in this table for other items, with similar effects. Be creative! Change the effect often! This is pure R&D, AM! Do whatever you want!

These scaly little creatures would seem to the OnceBorn to be wonderful creatures to have around, but we know what the OnceBorn know about the world could be inscribed on the head of the pin with plenty of room left for an Orc's sense of honor. While "Tweeked" items are not officially illegal to LightRaiders, most avoid them for two reasons: 

• While the change is strictly mechanical/physical, the item does carry residual enchantment from the Tweeks themselves. First skin-to-item touch of the changed object requires an d8 Level ability check against Wisdom, (damage to Peace) or else the Raider slowly falls to the Better! Enchantment and becomes totally obsessed with the item and how to further improve it. The player should slowly loose focus and become absolutely maniacal about it. Rescue based on the OverLord's peace should snap the Raider out of it. 

• The other problem is that the things are so unreliable! The AM may make the Tweeked item alter, change or mutate at will. The Raider never knows what tricks the item (that is, the AM!) has waiting. This should teach the curious player to rely on the OverLord, and not the world.

If you have read "The Mote In God's Eye", these fellows are lizardish Watchmakers.
 

These are all the monsters yet revealed. As more are discovered, they will be added to the Catalog.