Glass Nymph| AD&D 2e Edition Monstrous Manual Masque of the Red Death (Ravenloft)

Nymph, Glass

Nymphe de Verre

Book of Sorrows



Glass Nymph
Climate/Terrain:Shadow Rift
Frequency:Very rare
Organization:Solitary
Activity Cycle:Any (night)
Diet:None
Intelligence:Exceptional (15-16)
Treasure:Varies
Alignment:Neutral good

No. Appearing:1-2
Armor Class:9
Movement:13
Hit Dice:7
THAC0:13
No. of Attacks:1
Damage/Attack:1d4 or special
Special Attacks:Spells
Special Defenses:+1 or better weapon to hit, immune to silver and crystal weapons
Magic Resistance:35%
Size:M
Morale:Steady (12)
XP Value:5,000

Glass nymphs, called fand by the fey, are always invisible while in their watery homes. They can only be seen if they emerge from the water, use some sort of body paint, or wrap themselves in shadows. Any of the above options reveals an elfin woman whose looks can kill, literally. Fand can also transform into a swan or crane, and are visible while in these forms.

Combat: Glass nymphs exhibit powers and behavior similar to the standard nymphs, able to cast dimension door once per day, and capable of casting spells as a 7th-level druid. The beauty of a glass nymph in her true form can cause permanent blindness unless the witnesses save vs. spell. The sight of a glass nymph's nude body will strike onlookers dead if their save vs. spell is unsuccessful. Assuming the witness survives the sight of the fand's beauty, she can then charm any male onlooker. Targets of this charm are allowed a save vs. spell to avoid its effects.

Glass nymphs can be harmed by magical weapons for +1 enchantment or better, or any weapon coated with coal dust. As opposed to most Arak, sunlight poses relatively little threat to glass nymphs, inflicting only 1 point of damage per turn even if the fey is exposed to direct sunlight.

Habitat/Society: The shadowed lakes of the Rift make up the homes of this vain fey race. Every body of water inhabited by one of these creatures sports a haunting, shadow-shrouded beauty, rivaling that of the sun-flooded glades of true nymphs.

Ecology: Fand are quite curious about their neighbors. If a fand hears the sounds of activity she will leave her waters, so long as she deems it safe to do so. After she leaves her lair, she will try to lurk in the shadows, secretly spying on the visitors to her home, hoping they can satisfy the one trait even stronger than her curiosity: her vanity. If a fand considers the visitors to be deserving of her beauty, she reveals her presence. She starts asking her guests not to be afraid, then shows them parts of her body, using her charm ability if necessary to guarantee cooperation. After this display, compliments normally flow towards the fand, making her one of happiest beings in creation, for a fand cannot see herself and her vanity relies entirely upon the opinions of others. Other good-aligned fey are usually fond of the glass nymphs, but sometimes find it quite boring to talk endlessly about the beauty of either nature or that of someone they can't even see in their entirety.

Glass nymph-kin

A glass nymph selects the beautiful and the kind as her kin, but only rarely does a mortal live up to the standards of a glass nymph. Assuming a fand does find some mortal worthy, a glass nymph-kin becomes immune to the killing effect of a glass nymph's beauty. However, as time goes by they also start to vanish, fading from existence. These changelings lose one level each year; when all their levels are drained, they are absorbed into the glass nymph's being, adding their knowledge to her thoughts and memories.