QUICKLING – 5e stats

Tiny fey, chaotic evil

Armor Class 16
Hit Points 10 (3d4 + 3)
Speed 120 ft.

Proficiency Bonus +2
Proficiency Bonus +2 (5th Edition Advanced Mode)

STR	DEX	CON	INT	WIS	CHA
4 (-3)	23 (+6)	13 (+1)	10 (+0)	12 (+1)	7 (-2)

Saving Throws (suggested) Dex +11
Skills Acrobatics +8, Sleight of Hand +8, Stealth +8, Perception +5
Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 15
Languages Common, Sylvan
Challenge 1 (200 XP)

Blurred Movement. Attack rolls against the quickling have disadvantage unless the quickling is incapacitated or restrained.

Evasion. If the quickling is subjected to an effect that allows it to make a Dexterity saving throw to take only half damage, it instead takes no damage if it succeeds on the saving throw, and only half damage if it fails.

Innate Spellcasting (suggested). The quickling’s spellcasting ability is Charisma (spell save DC 11, +3 to hit with spell attacks). It can innately cast the following spells, requiring no material components:

• 1/day: ventriloquism, forget, levitate, shatter, dig, fire charm

The quickling can cast these spells using its bonus action.

Partial Invisibility (suggested). A quickling is invisible when not taking any action and have advantage on all stealth checks when taking a move action.

ACTIONS

• Multiattack. The quickling makes three dagger attacks.
• Dagger. Melee or Ranged Weapon Attack: +8 to hit, reach 5 ft. or range 20/60 ft., one target. Hit: 8 (1d4 + 6) piercing damage.

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DESCRIPTION

A quickling is a small, slender fey, similar to a miniature elf with sharp, feral features. Its cold, cruel eyes gleam like jewels. Its skin is pale blue to blue-white, and its hair is often snow-white or silver. It dresses in fine, brightly colored clothing, and is fond of silver and black. The quickling has the ability to move and attack at extremely high speed, often becoming invisible to mortal eyes.

Quicklings owe their existence and their plight to the Queen of Air and Darkness, the dread ruler of the Gloaming Court. According to legend, quicklings were once brownies who were transformed by the evil power of the queen after being late in answering her summons one too many times. She made them incredibly fast, shorter in stature, and reduced their lifespan to an average of fifteen years.

Quicklings speak Sylvan, but they speak very quickly. To those unfamiliar with their speech, it sounds like meaningless noise, the individual sounds passing too quickly for a human ear to catch. Most can speak many words of Common, though this too they often speak too quickly for humans to understand. Many quicklings can also speak Pixie or Halfling, while most of them (85%) can speak true Brownie.

Quicklings are 100% invisible when not moving; when moving they are 90% invisible. In areas where they can move rapidly from cover to cover, like a forest or boulder-strewn field, they can use their speed to make their chance of invisibility 100%.

COMBAT

Quicklings typically fight their enemies with daggers or shortswords. They like to set ambushes and outwit their enemies, partially relying on their speed to do so. They generally focus their attacks on weaker-looking adversaries while dodging the tougher ones. They have only one attack, but they deal extra damage when they attack with advantage, such as when they strike in darkness against a target who lacks darkvision. Some quicklings are natural spellcasters, capable of casting ventriloquism, forget, levitate, shatter, dig, and fire charm at will. They can cast these spells using their bonus action. Quicklings are light-sensitive, giving them disadvantage on attack rolls and Perception checks in bright light. They also have darkvision and blindsight, allowing them to function well in dim light or darkness.

Quicklings are far more dangerous in combat than their minute size would lead opponents to believe. This is due primarily to the great speed at which they travel and their tremendous agility. In combat, a quickling can dart about so rapidly that it attacks three times in a single round. In addition, they are visible only as blurs when moving, giving them an excellent Armor Class. Quicklings required to roll a saving throw to avoid damage due to a hostile action do so as if they were 19th-level priests.

In combat, quicklings employ their sleek, needle-like daggers to cause 1d3 points of damage to man-sized or smaller foes and 1d2 to larger ones. Quickling leaders (see “Habitat/Society”) are 75% likely to employ poisoned blades that cause unconsciousness if the victim fails a saving throw vs. poison (must be rolled after each hit).

Quicklings have certain inherent magical powers they can employ at will. While these are truly spells, the quicklings need not preform any sort of casting ritual to invoke them. Quicklings simply will the spell to activate and it does so. Only one may be active at any given time. Once per day they may invoke the following powers: ventriloquism, forget, levitate, shatter, dig, and fire charm.

HABITAT / SOCIETY

Quicklings live in dark woodlands and wild, evil areas such as groves of twisted trees, poisoned or cursed springs, and overgrown areas once ruled by demons. Quicklings avoid contact with the outside world except when it suits their evil ends. They hate good-aligned fey and druids, attacking them without provocation. They will readily ally with evil fey and creatures like drow, fomorians, imps, and quasits on a short-term basis. Quicklings dwell in extended family units led by a skillful leader. Clans with more than ten members have two such leaders, as well as a powerful elder.

When the ancestors of the quicklings began to experiment with the dark forces that eventually corrupted them, they had no idea what the effects would be. Where once they were a gentle race of woodland beings, quicklings are now savage hunters and cruel killers. They regard all other humanoids as enemies to be hunted down and killed.

Quicklings speak Sylvan, but they speak very quickly. To those unfamiliar with their speech, it sounds like meaningless noise, the individual sounds passing too quickly for a human ear to catch. Most can speak many words of Common, though this too they often speak too quickly for humans to understand. Many quicklings can also speak Pixie or Halfling, while most of them (85%) can speak true Brownie.

Because of their vastly heightened metabolisms, quicklings have the shortest lifespans of any of the fey. They grow to adolescence within their first years of lives and are considered adults by the age of two. By the age of ten, they are elderly, and they often die before they reach a dozen years. No quicklings are known to have grown older than 15 without powerful magic sustaining them.

ECOLOGY

Quicklings are omnivorous, but they prefer meat to plants. They hunt small animals like rabbits, squirrels, and birds, as well as larger prey like deer or boar if they can find them. They also raid farms and villages for livestock and crops, as well as valuables like silver and gems. Quicklings are greedy and selfish, hoarding their loot in hidden caches. They have no respect for nature or other living beings, and will destroy anything that stands in their way.

Quicklings reproduce very quickly, as they reach maturity in a matter of months. A female quickling can give birth to a litter of two to six offspring once every year. The young are born fully developed and able to walk and talk within hours. They are raised by their parents until they are old enough to fend for themselves, usually by the age of one. Quicklings have no concept of family loyalty or affection, and will often abandon or betray their kin for their own benefit.

Quicklings have few natural enemies, as they are too fast and cunning for most predators. However, they are hated by many other races, especially good-aligned fey and druids who see them as abominations and threats to the natural order. Quicklings also have a long-standing rivalry with buckawns, another race of corrupted brownies who live in swamps and marshes. The two races often clash over territory and resources, and will kill each other on sight.