Endemic Life

Adventurers encounter many terrifying beasts in their travels. From mighty owlbears to multi-headed hydras, the wilderness offers no shortage in hazardous fauna. Some, like the elegant pegasus or a curious pseudodragon may react to the party’s presence without hostility, but even these typically benign beasts are often ready to defend themselves at a moment’s notice.

But not all creatures found in one’s travels pose such a threat, real or potential. Some are simply a part of the world, too small to offer much of a challenge against an adventurer’s might. The following creatures are what is known as endemic life: creatures, usually Tiny- or Small-size, that an adventuring party may encounter in their travels. Though some of these creatures are magical in nature and some can cause harm, none of them are combatants; rather, they are an intriguing part of the environment, meant to be admired and potentially interacted with—or avoided!—by inquisitive adventurers. Some provide boons, some may lead a curious follower to treasure— and at least one of them might steal it if you aren’t paying attention!

Each of these curious creatures is designed to be dropped into any campaign to provide Narrators with added environmental flavor, whimsical additions to exploration challenges, or merely a way to reward player curiosity and interaction with the world. While some of them can appear almost anywhere, others are tied to specific areas. A creature’s entry lists regions it is commonly found in, followed by a specific area or biome it favors. These regions are not absolute, however; as long as a region includes the correct biome, that form of endemic life can potentially be found there. For instance, a Country Shire region may have a cave system that has attracted glowbats and calcite geckos. A creature’s entry also lists its Speed and states whether it is a mundane creature or intrinsically magical, but there are also several other descriptors that may apply.

Boon. The creature provides some magical or mundane benefit.

Hazard. The creature poses some sort of environmental hazard and can be used in place of or in conjunction with an exploration challenge.

Material. The creature can provide some sort of harvestable material that can be sold or used in crafting.

Finally, most of the creatures here do not have a price assigned to them, as many have utility only in their natural habitats and several are either too delicate, too hazardous, or too magically connected to the land to be safely removed. If a creature is commonly sold, the price is listed in its description.

Table: Harvestable Materials

Awakened Teapot || Blossom Ray || Bombees || Brush Dog || Calcite Gecko || Celestial Moth || Glowbat || Emperor Porpoise || Frenzyfish || Fungal Drake || Lucite Slug || Prismatic Tortoise || Rivercat || Rosy Spinehog || Sepulchral Fox || Shadowfly || Siren Gull || Snowflake Boa || Trinket Crab || Verdant Owl || Wyverkeet