Nixie

Small water fairies with pale green skin and dark green hair

Basic Fantasy Role-Playing Game

Armor Class	16
Hit Dice	1*
Number Appearing	Wild 2d20, Lair 2d20
Attacks	1 dagger
Damage	1d4
Movement	40' Swim 40'
Save As	Fighter: 2
Morale	6
XP	37
Treasure Type	B

Nixies are small water fairies. As far as anyone knows, all nixies are female. Most nixies are slim and comely, with lightly scaled, pale green skin and dark green hair. They often twine shells and pearl strings in their hair and dress in wraps woven from colorful seaweed. Nixies prefer not to leave their lakes. A nixie stands about 4 feet tall and weighs about 45 pounds.

Nixies are fey creatures, and thus unpredictable. However, they are rarely malicious, attacking only when they feel threatened.

Special Abilities

Powerful Charm: Ten or more nixies can work together to cast a powerful charm (similar to charm person). The charm lasts one year (unless dispelled). A save vs. Spells is allowed to resist.

Water Breathing: Each nixie can cast water breathing once per day, with a duration of one day.

Giant Bass: A group of nixies will often have a school of giant bass living nearby who can be called to their aid (see Fish, Giant Bass for details).

Other Sources

Old-School Essentials Classic Fantasy

Armor Class	7 [12]
Hit Dice	1 (4hp)
Number Appearing	0 (2d20)
Attacks	1 × weapon (1d4) or 1 × group spell (charm)
THAC0	19 [0]
Movement	120' (40')
Saving Throws	D12 W13 P13 B15 S15 (Elf 1)
Morale	6
Alignment	Neutral
XP	10
Treasure Type	B

3’ tall sprites that appear as attractive women with blueish, greenish, or greyish skin. Lair in the deepest parts of rivers and lakes.

Special Abilities

Shy: Will try to charm intruders, rather than entering combat.

Weapons: Daggers and small tridents (as spears).

Charm: 10 nixies together can cast a charm to enchant a victim to serve them for one year. Save versus spells or be charmed: move towards the nixies (resisting those who try to prevent it); defend the nixies; obey the nixies’ commands (if understood); unable to cast spells or use magic items; unable to harm the nixies. Killing the nixies breaks the charm.

Summon giant bass: Each nixie can summon one fish to aid in combat (see Giant Bass).

Bestow water breathing: Can cast upon charmed slaves. Lasts for one day, then must be refreshed.

OSRIC

Armor Class	7
Hit Dice	1d4 hp
Number Encountered	10d10
Attacks	1
Damage	By weapon type
Move	60-ft; 120-ft swimming
Alignment	Neutral
Intelligence	Very
XP	1/35+1/hp
Size	Small (4-ft tall)
Frequency	Rare
Lair	95%

Nixies are fey creatures related to sprites that make their home in freshwater lakes. They appear as strangely beautiful humanoids with lightly scaled greenish skin and webbed hands and feet. Their eyes are silver and their hair is dark green, and they clad themselves in garments of seaweed. Nixies speak their own language and the common tongue. They also appear to be able to communicate, at least on a rudimentary level, with freshwater fish of all types.

Nixies are weak in combat but make up for this weakness by attacking en masse and overwhelming their enemies. They favour fighting with long daggers and long darts which, due to the nixies short stature, function as spears in their hands. Nixies will melee with these spears underwater and above water they will hurl them like missiles then melee with their daggers.

Nixies fear bright light and fire, their aquatic nature makes these things foreign to them and a strong presentation of either will drive them away. A strong light source presented underwater will be obscured by schools of nixie summoned fish surrounding the spell effect.

Nixies lair at the bottom of lakes, where they weave living seaweed into dwellings. These dwellings blend in with the underwater growth so well they are 90% unlikely to be noted until within 20 ft of them. These underwater villages are guarded by either 1d4 giant gar (25%) or 2d4 giant pike (75%) which will obey commands from the nixies (see: Fish, Giant). Nixies can venture onto dry land but do so only with great reluctance.

Special Abilities

Group Charm: If a human or demi-human approaches within 30 ft of a group of nixies they will attempt to charm him or her with a special group charm spell. This charm requires a minimum of 10 nixies to join hands and chant, and any person hearing this fey chanting must save vs spells at -2 or enter the water to serve the nixies as slave and paramour for a period of a year and a day. It should be noted a side effect of this variant charm grants the ability to breathe water for the duration of the spell. There is a brief opportunity to break the charm; if a dispel magic is cast upon the enthralled person before they enter the water there is a 75% the spell will be broken but once the victim has begun breathing water the chances of breaking the charm drop to only 10%.

Communication with Fish: They also appear to be able to communicate, at least on a rudimentary level, with freshwater fish of all types.

Water Breathing: Besides their special charm effect, they can also cast a water breathing spell with a duration of 24 hours once per day.

Summon Fish: The nixies can also summon 20d4 small fish to obstruct both an invader’s vision and movement by massing upon them.

Fear of Light and Fire: Nixies fear bright light and fire, their aquatic nature makes these things foreign to them and a strong presentation of either will drive them away.

Hidden Dwellings: These dwellings blend in with the underwater growth so well they are 90% unlikely to be noted until within 20 ft of them.