Mite
| Species | faerie |
| No. Appearing | 6-24 |
| Behaviour | resentful |
| Range | subterranean, urban |
| Size | 2 ft. tall |
| Weight | 10 lbs. |
| Intelligence | 12 to 14 |
| Armour Class | 5 |
| Hit Dice | 2 |
| Action Points | 5 |
| Max. Stride | 8 |
| THAC0 | 20 |
| Hp/Die | d2 |
| Attack Forms | 1: fangs or with dagger |
| Damage | fangs (1–3) or dagger (1-4) |
| Special Attacks | bite, experience levels, skulduggery, stealth |
Mites are not a distinct race, but rather grotesque, spiritually corrupted beings driven by malevolent impulses and baleful desires. These creatures hate the light and prefer to inhabit dark, subterranean sewers and dungeons, where they can be close to those they intend to harm. They harbor animosity not only towards other sprites but also towards themselves.
Their minds have been warped by malevolence, so that they possess a strong urge to inflict cruelty, with little regard for their own existence. A mite would rather perish while causing suffering to others than prioritize self-preservation, all the while aiming to maximize the pain it inflicts before meeting its end.
Origin
It's a legendary belief that sprites are dedicated to purging the world of evil individuals, relying on their ability to discern good from evil. However, occasionally, a small group of sprites error in this. Seeking to make amends, the knowledge of their error preys upon their conscience. They begin to hate themselves, they brood, transforming themselves as a group, day by day, into mites.
These newly transformed mites distance themselves from their own kind and establish a "nest," where their malevolence festers. Within a year or two, they begin to perceive evil in every creature, much as they recognize it within themselves, leading them to harbour hatred toward all sentient beings.
Sprites are acutely aware of this peril and take measures to safeguard themselves against it. Above all, they are committed to locating mite lairs and attempting to restore peace to their fallen brethren, although this can only be achieved by death. Many small wars have been waged in the underground realms between mites and sprites, with victory not always assured for the latter.
Behaviour
Wherever they dwell, mites will seek to create complex tunnel systems too small for most humanoids to enter, with access to victims and stores they can either plunder or destroy. These passages may be no more than 4 inches in diameter. Mites are particularly fond of targeting a single row of houses or court, or an underground culture, waiting for their chance to kill off unsuspecting dwellers one by one. They are usually careful enough to go undetected for months, even a year or two, but eventually they will be rooted out by those who begin to recognize the signs. Whenever a lair is exterminated, a few mites will sometimes escape. If they become alone and isolated, however, their hatred becomes so consuming they'll usually expose themselves in a few days, usually by attacking a target in the open.
If mites can cause long-term suffering, they will. A chance to imprison a victim with a trap will enable them to torment the victim for days or weeks before death occurs. If given the opportunity, they will steal needful items, notes or medicines, deliberately destroying these things to wreak unhappiness or desperation.
Mites are cannibalistic by preference; if possible, they will sup upon the corpes of sprites, pixies and brownies in particular, but will eat any humanoid, including themselves, if given the opportunity.
Advantages
Of the mites encounted, 1 in 4 will have experience levels as a thief, up to a maximum of 5th level. This includes all the benefits thereto. Additionally, the mite will specialize in the sage field, Skulduggery, preferring to specialize in either backstabbing or setting traps. Those with a 16 dexterity or more will sometimes employ two weapons while fighting.
All mites have a +4 adjustment to their stealth.
The Mite's Curse
The bite of a mite is toxic with malevolence, having the possibility of imparting the mite's malefic nature unto any creature that's bitten. If bitton, the victim must make save or be cursed; thereafter, on a random hour of any given day, the victim must make a wisdom check (with a -4 modifier) or else commit a heinous act. If this fails, the character feels compelled to perform some horrific act.
In order to relate this act to the present circumstances, a cursed player should be encouraged to be creative in a manner of committing arson, murder or some other like crime with the expectation of "getting away with it." The DM should consider the proposed crime and either approve of it or ask for something more heinous or more practical; if the player cannot or will not think of something suitable, the DM should rule that the character attempts to self-harm. In this case, an intelligence check is made. If this succeeds, the character rolls 1d4, this being the number of injury points the character causes to his or her self. If the check fails, the character rolls 1d4-1 for every point by which success was missed. For example, if a character has an 11 intelligence, and a 14 was rolled, then the character would roll 1d4 minus 3 total. Again, this is the amount of injury points the character suffers. If the character rolls more injury damage than the character has hit points, then the character has successfully committed suicide and is considered dead.
See Bestiary
