Ghoul Frog

Through a ghoul frog's clear skin you can see its bones, muscles and organs, and its big black pupils look like empty sockets. The result is a frog that seems to be undead, which it is not. It has no paralyzing touch and does not eat carrion, but the name has stuck, along with 'zombie frog' and 'skull frog.' Its skin glows faintly.

At night the glow draws flying insects, and those that come too close are snapped up by the tongue and pulled into the mouth. Like most frogs it has many small teeth, but only in the upper jaw, used for holding prey still to swallow it whole. Insects are its usual targets; if cornered it bites for 1d3 damage, but it flees most things bigger than itself.

Once per turn the frog can flare its skin into a brilliant flash. Those caught by it are left sightless for 1d4 rounds unless they save vs. paralyzation, and the frog uses that time to get away. Ghoul frogs are immune to one another's flashes and partly resistant to light and continual light; such spells aimed at their eyes reduce their attack rolls and saves by only 2 instead of 4.

They often gather in small, unorganized packs, which lets them take turns flashing an enemy. They always stay near fresh water such as streams, ponds or lakes, laying jelly-like eggs there. The tadpoles are as transparent as their parents but do not glow until they finish changing into adults, since a shining tadpole would be easy prey for fish. By day adults bury themselves in the muddy bottom, which hides their light, and come out only after dark to hunt.

Seen from afar, the eerie glow is often taken for a will o'wisp, to the disappointment of treasure seekers, since ghoul frogs keep nothing of value. Their bitter flesh is mildly toxic: a diner who fails a save vs. poison suffers violent nausea for 1d4 hours, with -2 on attack rolls, a 2-point worsening of AC and a temporary loss of 2 to 4 points of Strength. Few creatures hunt them, but many predators shadow a pack, waiting to grab whatever the flashes leave blinded.

Dried and powdered, the skin goes into magical inks for scribing spells, mostly light spells such as dancing lights and faerie fire, but also corpse visage and others that mimic undeath. Their blood is essential for skeletal potions, which make the drinker's flesh and organs invisible while leaving the bones in plain sight. It can also stand in for making potions of invisibility, though these tend to be shorter-lasting and often flicker with a faint light that spoils the whole point.