Tiny undead, chaotic evil
Armor Class 19
Armor Class (suggested) 22
Hit Points 22 (9d4)
Speed 0 ft., fly 50 ft. (hover)
Proficiency Bonus +2
Proficiency Bonus +4 (5th Edition Advanced Mode)
| STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 (-5) | 28 (+9) | 10 (+0) | 13 (+1) | 14 (+2) | 11 (+0) |
Saving Throws (suggested) Dex +11
Damage Immunities lightning, poison
Damage Resistances acid, cold, fire, necrotic, thunder; bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical attacks
Condition Immunities exhaustion, grappled, paralyzed, poisoned, prone, restrained, unconscious
Senses darkvision 120 ft., passive Perception 12
Languages the languages it knew in life
Challenge 2 (450 XP)
Consume Life. As a bonus action, the will-o’-wisp can target one creature it can see within 5 feet of it that has 0 hit points and is still alive. The target must succeed on a DC 10 Constitution saving throw against this magic or die. If the target dies, the will-o’-wisp regains 10 (3d6) hit points.
Ephemeral. The will-o’-wisp can’t wear or carry anything.
Incorporeal Movement. The will-o’-wisp can move through other creatures and objects as if they were difficult terrain. It takes 5 (1d10) force damage if it ends its turn inside an object.
Variable Illumination. The will-o’-wisp sheds bright light in a 5- to 20-foot radius and dim light for an additional number of feet equal to the chosen radius. The will-o’-wisp can alter the radius as a bonus action.
ACTIONS
- Shock. Melee Spell Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one creature. Hit: 9 (2d8) lightning damage.
- Invisibility. The will-o’-wisp and its light magically become invisible until it attacks or uses its Consume Life, or until its concentration ends (as if concentrating on a spell).
5th Edition Advanced Mode
Limiting the power of a character and making the overall difficulty of the game harder, does not reduce the creativity, indeed it does quite the opposite.
The Game Master has the option to use any and all of the instances proposed in this guide, or just some of them according to their preference.
It is the lack of something that move and motivate characters, not the abundance of it
DESCRIPTION
A will-o’-wisp is a malevolent, wispy ball of light that haunts lonely places such as swamps, bogs, and graveyards. It is an undead creature that feeds on the fear and despair of dying creatures. It can change the color and brightness of its glow, and it can turn invisible at will. A will-o’-wisp has a spongy, spherical body that floats in the air by means of telekinesis. It has no eyes, mouth, or other sensory organs, but it can see and hear its surroundings. It can also communicate telepathically with other will-o’-wisps and creatures that understand its languages . The will-o’-wisp language is a most unusual one, being purely optical in nature. All communication between will-o’-wisps is by means of changes in color or brightness, many of which are far too subtle for the average observer to notice.
COMBAT
A will-o’-wisp is a cunning and cruel predator that lures its prey into dangerous situations by mimicking the sounds of a person in distress or a friendly lantern. It often works with other will-o’-wisps to create a false sense of security or confusion among its victims. Once its prey is isolated and vulnerable, the will-o’-wisp attacks with a powerful jolt of electricity that can stun or kill. The will-o’-wisp can also drain the life force of a dying creature as a bonus action, healing itself in the process . A will-o’-wisp is very hard to hit, as it has a high armor class and can resist or ignore most types of damage. It can also move through other creatures and objects as if they were difficult terrain, taking only minor damage if it ends its turn inside an object . A will-o’-wisp prefers to dwell in dark and dismal places where it can find plenty of prey and avoid sunlight, which weakens its powers. It feeds on the fury of electrical activity given off by the brains of panic stricken individuals as they realize that death is inescapable. In order to prolong the suffering of their victims and increase the amount of “food” which they give off, will-o’-wisps will typically lure their victims into areas like quicksand pits which promise a slow and frightening death.
HABITAT / SOCIETY
A will-o’-wisp is not a natural creature, but a twisted remnant of a once-living being. Some legends say that will-o’-wisps are the souls of evil or greedy people who died in the wilderness, while others claim that they are the spawn of demons or fey . For the most part, will-o’-wisps will be found on their own. On rare occasions (10% of the time) groups of up to three may be found near a particularly fertile hunting ground. In the latter case, they will work together to trick victims into the traps which they have arranged. However, will-o’-wisps are not truly social creatures, and they have no loyalty or compassion for each other. They will betray or abandon their allies if it suits their interests .
ECOLOGY
A will-o’-wisp is an undead creature that does not need to eat, drink, sleep, or breathe. However, it has an insatiable hunger for the emotions of living beings, especially fear and despair. It feeds on these emotions by causing pain and suffering to its prey, either by killing them outright or by prolonging their agony. A will-o’-wisp can also consume the life force of a dying creature, which replenishes its own vitality . A will-o’-wisp has few natural enemies, as most creatures avoid or fear its presence. However, some brave or foolish adventurers may seek to destroy it for its evil nature or its valuable essence. A will-o’-wisp’s essence can be used to create magic items that produce light or electricity . It seems certain that the unusual environment found in bogs and swamps is important to the creature’s existence in some way, but the exact nature of this link is uncertain. It seems probable that the ominous and haunting nature of these places increases the fear and dread which their victims feel, and thus the energy which they give off prior to death.
Will-o’-wisp is employed as material component to empower the following spells: