Harpy

Harpy

Species	beast
No. Appearing	2–12
Behaviour	malevolent
Range	barrens, steppe, Tartarus
Size	5 ft. 4 in. tall
Weight	140 lbs.
Intelligence	7–8
Armour Class	7
Hit Dice	3
Action Points	6
Max. Stride	8
THAC0	19
Hp/Die	d6
Attack Forms	talons, bone club
Damage	2–12, 2–8
Special Attacks	singing, touch, flight

Harpies, sometimes known as sirens, are winged beasts with the upper body of a woman and the lower form of a great bird. Their faces are pale and, to those unaffected by their magic, unpleasant or malformed. Their arms are thin and bony, ending in long talons rather than hands. From their shoulders grow broad, vulture-like wings, granting them powerful and sustained flight; they are known to ride the wind with ease, soaring and diving at great height.

In their natural state, harpies are filthy and degraded creatures. They nest and sleep in their own refuse, caring nothing for cleanliness. Their clothing, if any, is torn, rotted and fouled, left to decay upon their bodies. They snore, spit and speak in coarse, abusive language. Driven by hunger and malice, they appear gaunt and ragged, with eyes red and inflamed, and voices harsh as carrion birds.

Yet to those under their influence, harpies appear entirely transformed. Victims perceive them as strikingly beautiful, their voices soft and alluring. This deception is absolute; even as a harpy rends a victim’s body, the victim may remain enraptured, unable to recognise the creature’s true nature. It is this power of charm that makes harpies exceptionally dangerous.

Advantages

Harpies possess the ability to sing with unnatural clarity and sweetness. When they employ this calling, all who hear it within 120 ft. must make a saving throw against magic or abandon their present actions and move toward the nearest singing harpy. This compulsion overrides judgement and self-preservation. Sailors may leap into the sea, while others walk blindly into hazards. Harpies often position themselves upon cliffs or shoals, taking advantage of terrain that will destroy or isolate those drawn to them.

Those affected may be physically restrained by others; if removed beyond 240 ft. from the source of the singing, the influence ends and the victim regains awareness.

Charm

Harpies seek to bring victims close enough to be touched. This touch enforces a deeper and more permanent charm. Victims who have already succumbed to the song receive no saving throw against this effect. Those who resisted the song must save if struck or touched. A successful save grants immunity to that specific harpy, but not to others; each harpy encountered requires a separate saving throw. For this reason, harpies gather in groups, increasing the likelihood that at least one will succeed in establishing the charm.

Once charmed by touch, the victim cannot be freed by any means short of killing the harpy responsible. The victim remains compliant and unresisting, even to the point of observing their own destruction without distress. Harpies are voracious feeders, capable of consuming great quantities of flesh, stripping bones clean and devouring even the marrow over extended periods.

See Bestiary