Frequency: Rare
No. Appearing: 1
Armor Class: 5 when physical
Move: 40’, fly 120’
Hit Dice: 4d8 (18 hp)
% In Lair: 100%
Treasure Type: Nil
Attacks: 1
Damage: 2d4 + Constitution drain
Special Attacks: Life Drain
Special Defenses: Nil
Magic Resistance: Standard
Intelligence: Average
Alignment: Chaotic Evil
Size: M
Psionic Ability: Nil
Level / X.P. Value: IV / 90 + 5 per HP
Scants are ghostly and malevolent creatures that appear as faint, wispy lights that hover silently through the air. While they appear fragile and insubstantial, they possess a formidable ability to drain the life force of living creatures and weaken them to the point of death. For every successful strike, Scants deal 2d4 Hit Points of damage and drain 1 point of Constitution in their victims.In their ghostly form, Scants are difficult to hit and evade attacks with ease. They can only be harmed by blunt weapons or bright light, which they avoid due to their vulnerabilities. Scants can manifest a physical form for three rounds, during which time they can cast spells and can be harmed by all weapons.
Scants’ true weakness lies in their reliance on the life forces of their victims. Without this sustenance, they quickly become weak and fade away. Skilled adventurers can use this knowledge to turn the creature’s abilities against it, luring it into traps or driving it away with powerful spells.
Despite their weaknesses, Scants are dangerous and malevolent creatures that harbor a deep hatred for life, targeting adventurers and indiscriminately draining their life forces until they perish. Encountering a Scant is a chilling and potentially fatal experience, as their ghostly nature and life-draining abilities make them formidable opponents.
Special Abilities:
- Ghostly Form: Scants appear as faint, wispy lights that hover through the air, giving them the ability to move quickly and evade attacks.
- Life-Draining Touch: Scants drain their victim’s life force, dealing damage and lowering their Constitution. If the Constitution is reduced to 3, then the Scant will begin to target the victim’s Strength, reducing it in a similar fashion. If the victim’s Strength is reduced to 3, the victim is no longer able to resist the Scant’s life-draining effects, leading to the victim’s eventual death.
- Physical Form: Scants can manifest a physical form for three rounds, during which time they can cast spells and can be harmed by all weapons.
- Spellcasting: While in physical form, Scants can cast the following spells: Magic Missile, Push (as if an 8th level Wizard), Web, Ray of Enfeeblement, Lightning Bolt, and Hold Person.
- Resistant to Blunt Weapons and Vulnerable to Bright Light: Scants are resistant to attacks from blunt weapons, and take only half damage from them. However, they take double damage from bright light.