Spriggans, also known as bog sprites in the Vast,[1] were creatures descended from gnomes warped by Netherese magic.[6][7]
Description[]
Spriggans were said to resemble ugly gnomes in their normal form, when they were only 3 ft (0.91 m) tall; when they took on their larger form they grew to 12 ft (3.7 m) tall. They were thick-bodied and humanoid in form, and were variously said to have brown, black, or reddish-brown hair; some few had red hair, which they believed to be lucky. Spriggans had dull yellow skin and red eyes. They were generally unclean, with greasy hair and foul body odor. Moreover, they tended to grow out their hair to ridiculous lengths, often sporting bushy mustaches, sideburns, and ponytails.[3][4]
Personality[]
These creatures had very dour demeanors.[5]
Abilities[]
Spriggans had the unique ability to triple their size, becoming what would be considered giant for a gnome.[5]
In addition, spriggans had an innate ability to cast the spells affect normal fires, scare, and shatter. Though they could not utilize other forms of magic while in their giant state.[5]
Combat[]
Spriggans were often very skilled thieves.[5]
History[]
Some believed that spriggans originated from enslaved gnomes that had been twisted by fomorian magic,[2] but this was false. In truth, some Netherese were inspired by the god Urdlen in −3649 DR to warp their gnome slaves with magic, turning them into the species later known as spriggans.[6] The first spriggans would not appear until much later, in the forest gnome community of the Forgotten Forest and the rock gnome community of the Trielta Hills.[7] In later centuries, it would be said that these gnomes who became spriggans had succumbed to the evil taint of Urdlen.[8]
In Year of the Rune Lords Triumphant, 1487 DR, the bloodthirsty Bigger clan of Spriggans made itself known to Damara, when, posing as dwarves, they petitioned King Yarin Frostmantle for Damaran citizenship in exchange for Bloodstone that they had mined from their home of Smeltergard beneath the Galena Mountains. Although this petition was accepted at first, it turned out to be a ruse - the first step in a conspiracy between Clan Bigger, the Menzoberranyr udadrow of House Hunzrin, and the archfiend Malcanthet to cause chaos by having demons possess the rulers of surface realms.[9]
Society[]
Homelands[]
Spriggans were typically found near isolated communities or in uninhabited areas, lairing within either nearby burrows or ruins.[5]
Relationships[]
Spriggans generally only associated with their own kind. They harbored a hatred towards humans, but hated gnomes more than any other creature.[5] However, due to their limited numbers they were considered by others to be no more than a nuisance, rather than a major threat,[7] though the priests of Baervan Wildwanderer actively worked to drive them off.[10]
Religions[]
The patron deity of spriggans was Urdlen, the evil god of the Gnome pantheon,[8] and most spriggans in the Realms counted themselves as members of his cult. They both venerated and feared him,[11] seeking to cause mayhem in his name.[8]
Usage[]
The heart of a spriggan could be used as an alternative ingredient for crafting a potion of growth.[12]
Appendix[]
Appearances[]
Novels & Short Stories
Organized Play & Licensed Adventures
Gallery[]
External Links[]
Spriggan article at the Eberron Wiki, a wiki for the Eberron campaign setting.
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Ed Gibson (June 1998). A Boy and His Mammoth. Living City (RPGA), pp. 12, 14.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Rob Heinsoo, Stephen Schubert (May 19, 2009). Monster Manual 2 4th edition. (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 192–193. ISBN 0786995101.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Eric Cagle, Jesse Decker, James Jacobs, Erik Mona, Matthew Sernett, Chris Thomasson, and James Wyatt (April 2003). Fiend Folio. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 162. ISBN 0-7869-2780-1.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Grant Boucher, William W. Connors, Steve Gilbert, Bruce Nesmith, Christopher Mortika, Skip Williams (April 1990). Monstrous Compendium Greyhawk Adventures Appendix. Edited by Mike Breault. (TSR, Inc.), p. 26. ISBN 0-88038-836-6.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 5.6 Gary Gygax (August 1983). Monster Manual II 1st edition. (TSR, Inc), p. 113. ISBN 0-88038-031-4.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Brian R. James, Ed Greenwood (September 2007). The Grand History of the Realms. Edited by Kim Mohan, Penny Williams. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 28. ISBN 978-0-7869-4731-7.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Eric L. Boyd (November 1998). Demihuman Deities. Edited by Julia Martin. (TSR, Inc.), p. 137. ISBN 0-7869-1239-1.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Eric L. Boyd (November 1998). Demihuman Deities. Edited by Julia Martin. (TSR, Inc.), p. 158. ISBN 0-7869-1239-1.
- ↑ R.A. Salvatore (October 2016). Hero (Hardcover). (Wizards of the Coast). ISBN 9780786965960.
- ↑ Eric L. Boyd (November 1998). Demihuman Deities. Edited by Julia Martin. (TSR, Inc.), p. 138. ISBN 0-7869-1239-1.
- ↑ Eric L. Boyd (November 1998). Demihuman Deities. Edited by Julia Martin. (TSR, Inc.), p. 159. ISBN 0-7869-1239-1.
- ↑ Tom Armstrong (February 1988). “Better Living Through Alchemy”. In Roger E. Moore ed. Dragon #130 (TSR, Inc.), p. 40.