QUICKLING

Small Fey

Hit Dice: 1d6 (3 hp)

Initiative: +8 (Dex)

Speed: 240 ft

AC: 23 (+1 size, +8 Dex, +4 haste)

Attacks: Dagger +9 melee

Damage: Dagger 1d4-1

Face/Reach: 5 ft by 5 ft/5 ft

Special Attacks: Spell-like abilities, haste, special daggers

Special Qualities: Natural invisibility, low-light vision

Saves: Fort +0, Ref +10, Will +4

Abilities: Str 8, Dex 27, Con 11, Int 15, Wis 15, Cha 14

Skills: Animal Empathy +5, Bluff +6, Concentration +4, Craft (any one) +3, Escape Artist +12, Hide +16, Jump +12, Listen +6, Move Silently +12, Sense Motive +5, Spot +6, Wilderness Lore +6

Feats: Dodge, Mobility, Spring Attack, Weapon Finesse (dagger)

Climate/Terrain: Temperate forest

Organization: Gang (2-4) or band (6-11)
Challenge Rating: 3

Treasure: No coins; 50% goods; 50% items

Alignment: Usually chaotic evil

Advancement: 2-3 HD (Small)

Quicklings are relatives of the brownie (q.v.) that dabbled in dark and sinister faerie magic many ages ago. Legend relates that they were transformed into creatures of evil as punishment. Quicklings have an intense hatred of all races (especially the other fey creatures) except their own kind.

   Quicklings are small and slender, resembling miniature elves with very sharp, feral features. Their ears are unusually large and rise to points above their heads. Their skin ranges from pale to blue-white. Their hair is silver or white. Quicklings dress in fine clothes of bright colors. They are fond of silver and black, and often wear or adorn their clothes with these colors. Quicklings never wear any form of armor or cumbersome clothes.

   They speak Common and Sylvan.

COMBAT

A quickling will attack by rushing in, stabbing a foe with its daggers, and then moving out of melee range before the opponent can react.

Spell-Like Abilities: 1/day—dancing lights, daze, levitate, shatter, and ventriloquism. These abilities are as the spells cast by a 6th-level sorcerer (save DC 12 + spell level).

Haste (Su): A quickling is affected by a permanent haste spell. This grants the quickling one extra partial action, either before or after its regular action. It also grants the quickling a +4 bonus to its AC (already included in the statistics block). The quickling loses the +4 AC bonus anytime it would lose a dodge bonus. The quickling can jump one and one half times as far as normal.

   This is an inherent bonus and cannot be dispelled or negated.

Natural Invisibility (Ex): A quickling is effectively invisible when in its natural climate or when not moving. It loses this invisibility when it attacks.

Special Daggers (Ex): Quicklings sometimes employ special daggers that, in addition to dealing normal weapon damage, cause a creature struck to fall asleep.

Sleep: Any opponent struck by the dagger, regardless of Hit Dice, must succeed at a Fortitude save (DC 15) or be affected as though by a sleep spell cast by a 6th-level sorcerer.

   Skills: Quicklings receive a +8 racial bonus to Jump checks.

Feats: Quicklings gain the Spring Attack feat as a bonus feat.

The Quickling first appeared in the 1e MM II (Gary Gygax, 1983).