Wysp

Wysp

DESCRIPTION: Wysps (or wisps) are tiny, curious elemental spirits, born whenever there is a harmonious convergence of the Inner Planes. What that actually means in practise is anyone’s guess cutter, but the upshot is this: wysps are peculiarly cooperative, both with each other, and with anyone they take a liking towards. Their very nature is one of melodious resonance—you can literally hear faint musical tones when a wysp is near. As more of the little bashers gather, their melody builds and blends, becoming more powerful and inspiring, conferring a strange kind of harmonious magic that benefits all their allies.

These creatures trace their origins to the creation of the Elemental Planes, when the first wysps are said to have roamed the Inner Sphere in vast symphonies. They created hauntingly beautiful music from their combined resonances, a sound so powerful that it drew the attention of the Elemental Lords. Tumbling to the potential of these beings, the Lords enslaved entire symphonies for use as minions whose compliance could be easily controlled. To this day, many wysps still live in servitude to these ancient masters, but increasingly small numbers of free wysps now roam the Inner Planes and even the Material Plane. These emancipated spirits are shy around strangers but will eagerly offer their aid to those who show them kindness. They are especially drawn to kineticists and spellcasters who practice elemental magic, often becoming loyal familiars or companions. Particularly devoted wysps may even sacrifice themselves to protect their companions.

Quite why wysps are so good-natured and self-sacrificing is dark, but it’s why graybeards link them to Inner Planar resonant harmonies. Other cutters suggest that wysps are simply the opposite of mephits, who are universally unpleasant—but have also largely been enslaved, except by Lower Planar spellcasters rather than Elemental Lords. Unlike mephits though, wysps seem to be intrinsically linked to the unmixed Elemental Planes, as native wysps have yet to be discovered on either Para-Elemental or Quasi-Elemental planes.

PREFERRED HABITAT: Wyps typically prefer the environment of their native elemental plane, although free wysps can be encountered on neighbouring planes, the Ethereal and the Prime. When they gather as a symphony, wysps seem happy dwelling on any plane, even ones which oppose their native elemental type.

PHILOSOPHY / SOCIETY: Wysps are said to have been made by archomentals right after the Dawn War as useful companions. The uncommon free-roaming wysps live in tight-knit communities. A small group of fewer than ten wysps is called a cloud, while a larger group is called a symphony. Most wysps, unfortunately, remain in slavery under the cults of Elemental Evil, who take advantage of their resonant auras. Powerful spellcasters are able to summon a wysp to serve as an advanced familiar.

ECOLOGY: Wyps are naturally drawn to not just others of their own element, but also wysps of different elements. Unusually for creatures of the elemental planes, there seems to be no animosity between the different kinds of wysp, in fact meeting wysps of other elements seems to delight and excite the little creatures. Mixed symphonies can be encountered with particularly strange—and hauntingly beautiful—songs, which create powerful resonant auras.

COMBAT: Wysps are able to attack with elemental tendrils which can shoot out to a short range. However, they are more useful as supportive allies, and their harmonious nature makes them natural servitors. Wysps are able to create auras of resonance, within which allies of the same elemental type become empowered. They may also sacrifice themselves to heal creatures who are benefitting from their resonant aura, although this kills the wysp. For valued allies, however, a wysp will willingly lay down their lives.

VARIANTS: When a Wysp Symphony forms, a single wysp is chosen to be a Wysp Conductor (see below), and the resonant aura from the symphony is manifested in the conductor being able to cast occult spells. Powerful spellcasters are able to summon a wysp to serve as an advanced familiar.

Aether Wysp

N | Rare | Tiny | Elemental | Ether | CR 0

Aether wysps are the rarest of the family—elusive, dreamlike beings composed of colourful light and gentle swirling essense. They are only half-present in any world, both physically and mentally. Their misty forms refract light into faint prismatic halos, like sunlight caught in a soap bubble, and their eyes swirl hypnotically. Within their bodies shimmer strange motes and ever-changing filaments or silver, violet and blue. They coil and unravel continuously, as if the wysp has not yet decided upon its final form. They have a weird way of movement too. Rather than actively flying or drifting, they seem to fade between moments, dissolving away and then reappearing nearby with a gentle transition. When they do pass through space, the world around them shimmers and ripples slightly, like the surface of water when a pebble is dropped in. Aether wyps are the most distant of all their kind, fascinated by reflections, shadows and thresholds, but less interested by creatures. Their attention, if you can draw it, is quiet and contemplative but also inconsistent, as if they are only partially aware of any one place at a time. An aether wysp might say something truly profound, and then simply stare away into the distance rather than listen to the reply.

Stats: [ PF 1e | 2e ] Bestiary 5 [PF1e] p283; Homebrew [PF2e]

Air Wysp

N | Tiny | Air | Elemental | CR 0

Air wysps are the most playful and curious of the elemental types, and not shy about approaching strangers to ask mischievous questions or play good-natured tricks. They appear like miniature windstorms emanating from featureless white masks, like tiny rain clouds, or flickering beings of living breeze. One moment they have gossamer wings made from cloud, the next a miniature cyclone that swirls. They can’t help but murmur and whisper continuously, with their light, sibliant voices, and even when at rest their forms tremble and undulate. They delight in motion for its own sake, ruffling hair, tugging at cloaks, and scattering papers playfully. Their attention also shifts with the breezes, one moment fascinated by a conversation, the next chasing a falling leaf as if it was a treasure. One way of holding their attention though is a new scent—these little cutters love a new smell, and can’t resist circling and inhaling deeply. The fastest flyers of all the wysps, air wysps are used as scouts by djinn, to provide early warnings of attacks from rivals, and as messengers who streak across the Plane of Air with tireless speed.

Stats: [ PF 1e | 2e ] Bestiary 5 [PF1e] p 283; Bestiary 3 [PF2e] p90; Monster Core 2 [PF2e] p152

Earth Wysp

N | Tiny | Earth | Elemental | CR 0

Earth wysps are shy, guarded and slow to trust, but become fiercely loyal, and will often sacrifice themselves to save those with whom they resonate. They look like small rolling spheres of muddy rock, with large dark eyes. They might try to disguise themselves as stones by closing their eyes and pretending not to be there, but there’s something unmistakable about their shape. While they are relatively slow moving and unable to fly, they can burrow underground quickly, and indeed their preferred habitat seems to be the lightless places of the planes—caverns, tunnels, dungeons and the like.

Stats: [ PF 1e | 2e ] Bestiary 5 [PF1e] p 283; Bestiary 3 [PF2e] p90; Monster Core 2 [PF2e] p152

Fire Wysp

N | Tiny | Elemental | Fire | CR 0

Fire wysps are tiny, sizzling spheres of flame and ash, perpetually crackling and shimmering with heat. They resemble jets of fire, ranging between six inches and one foot in height, glowing in vibrant hues of red, yellow or even green and blue. Their gaseous forms flicker continuously. Despite their diminutive size, fire wysps radiate elemental energy and have strong carefree, boisterous personalities. They are quick to action, often impulsively leaping into situations with enthusiasm—which can unfortunately border on the reckless at times when they forget just how flammable toe rest of the multiverse can be. Despite that, they generally mean well, and with their warm personalities it can be hard to hold a grudge against them.

Stats: [ PF 1e | 2e ] Bestiary 5 [PF1e] p282-283; Bestiary 3 [PF2e] p91; Monster Core 2 [PF2e] p153

Metal Wysp

N | Tiny | Elemental | Metal | CR 0

The wysps of the Plane of Metal are the most macabre of the family, looking like quicksilver skulls with streaks of rust in their tails. Their surface reflects the multiverse in miniature, catching light in sharp flashes like the glint of a blade. They tend to be more standoffish and even a little gloomy, at least to members of the wide wysp family. Between themselves though, metal wysps can form intense and lasting bonds, they just find the whimsical nature of some other wysps a little too much. Metal wysps are purposeful in their actions, preferring to glide rather than dart around, and appreciate the beauty of symmetrical objects. Since the re-emergence of connections to the Plane of Metal, the wysps of the plane have been seen in increasing numbers, as their natural curiosity gets the better of them. Just don’t expect a metal wysp to make the first move striking up a friendship, or even a conversation for that matter. But when you have forged a lasting bond with a metal wysp, you have a friend for life. They’ll polish your armour while you sleep, keep your sword’s edge keen, and ensure everything is neat and clean.

Stats: [ PF 2e ] Rage of Elements [PF2e] p152

Water Wysp

N | Tiny | Elemental | Water | CR 0

Born from the playful, restless energy of the tides, water wysps represent the lightest, most gentle aspect of the Plane of Water. They look like tiny spheres of water, free-floating and gelatinous as their surface tension holds them together. They swirl with foam and splashes and have large wet eyes which can dissolve even a stony basher’s heart. They emit a gentle splashing humming sound, and in large numbers the resonance causes them to ripple in sync. They are able to empower other creatures of the water element, and probably because of their symbiotic tendencies, free water wysps are rarely found alone. They frequently school around towering elemental behemoths like pilot fish, or serve as devoted familiars for planewalking spellcasters, or nimble scouts for marid nobles, darting through the Endless Ocean as messengers. These free spirits are shy around strangers but will eagerly offer their services to those who show them kindness.

Stats: [ PF 1e | 2e ] Bestiary 5 [PF1e] p 283; Bestiary 3 [PF2e] p90; Monster Core 2 [PF2e] p153

Wood Wysp

N | Tiny | Elemental | Plant | Wood | CR 0

Wood wysps look like flying coconuts, trailed by a verdant tangle of thorny vines, moisture-seeking roots and unfurling leaves. They’re even faster when they are climbing through undergrowth, where they can also blend in with vegetation seamlessly. Wood wysps are one of the friendliest types of wysp, always willing to help a cutter in need, or even one who would much rather be left alone. Unfortunately they seem to be unaware of how sharp the thorns on their bodies are, and when you couple that with their affectionate nature, it can occasionally prove painful. Once they learn not to touch a blood, they instead express themselves through acts of care, freshening food, coaxing flowers to bloom around a campsite, or creating soft pillows of moss for their friends to lay their heads onto. Wood wysp groves are found throughout the Plane of Wood, but they are also great spreaders, and might be encountered on Earth, Water, the Prime, the Feywild, and increasingly in Arborea, much to the bemusement of the eladrin.

Stats: [ PF 2e ] Rage of Elements [PF2e] p204

Wysp Symphony

N | Huge | Elemental | Swarm | CR 3

Though individual wysps are tiny, whimsical and often unfocussed when encountered individually, when wysps encounter others of their kind they become something more remarkable. This is especially the case when they encounter wysps of different elements to their own—instead of showing the tribal animosity that is common among other elementals wysps are delighted. They join together in an excited dance, emitting resonances that echo the ancient music of their ancestors. What might begin as a handful of drifting spirits can grow into wysp symphonies, where dozens or even hundreds of wysps unite under to create transcendent songs that resonate across the plane.

Each type of wysp contributes its own voice to the symphony. Water wysps weave swift, playful currents that set the tempo; earth wysps percussive looping patterns that establish rhythm; air wysps contribute breathy high-pitched timbres, while metal wysps add structure to the music with geometric arrangements. Wood wysps bring an organic and mellow tone, fire wysps a more staccato vice, and aether wysps contribute a dreamy sound. Every symphony will create its own unique sonic landscape, depending on the composition of the group. But without a conductor, a wysp symphony is just a well-meaning cacophony of individual voices.

Stats: [ PF 2e ] Monster Core 2 [PF2e] p152 which gave no details; stats below are homebrew

Wysp Conductor

N | Small | Elemental | CR 3

When a symphony forms, a single wysp is chosen to be a Wysp Conductor, and the resonant aura from the symphony is manifested in the conductor being able to cast occult spells. A conductor is immediately distinguishable from the symphony, as they are brighter, more stable and more defined than its kin. Filaments of sonic energy arc outwards from the conductor, connecting briefly to nearby wysps like threads of light which pulsating rhythmically. The role of the conductor is to unify and synchronise the wysp symphony, reinforce the patterns the individual wysps are singing, and harmonise their voices to harness something greater. When working together like this, a wysp symphony is able to cast spells far more powerful than any wysp could on their own. The nature of spells that a symphony can cast depends on the number of wysps who are harmonising, with larger groups capable of powering higher rank symphonic spells and summoning elemental creatures to assist them. Depending upon the elemental nature of wysps in the symphony, further first rank spells are available—for example, if there is at least one water wysp in the symphony then the purifying icicle spell is available for the wysp conductor to cast. The wysps in the symphony power the spells passively by their intrinsic resonances and are free to act as they please, provided they remain within the aura of the conductor.

Despite their apparent importance, the position of conductor is a transient one. A wysp does not retain that role indefinitely—in a different circumstance another individual may take on the role. In cases of extremely large symphonies or great peril, occasionally more than one conductor may briefly emerge, creating harmonic structures that can dazzle with incredibly complexity, or just as likely unravel into chaos.

Stats: [ PF 2e ] Monster Core 2 [PF2e] p152 which gave no details; stats below are homebrew.

FULL ENTRIES FOR WYSPS: [ PF 1e | 2e ]

CANONICAL SOURCES: Bestiary 5 [PF1e] p282; Bestiary 3 [PF2e] p90; Rage of Elements [PF2e] p152,204; Monster Core 2 [PF2e] p152-152

SOURCE: Jon Winter-Holt. Canonwatch: I’ve elaborated on the personalities of some of the less-well-detailed wysps a little, and conversion of the aether wysp to PF2 and inclusion of conductor stats and wysp symphony swarm is homebrew. The creatures are from Pathfinder canon.