Mephit IV [Water/Ice]

Water mephits are skinny and finned, with sea-green scales, webbed spines, goggling fish eyes and rubbery lips, and they drip brine wherever they go. Ice mephits are all hard angles, with translucent glacier-blue skin.

A water mephit can claw twice for 1d3 but prefers spitting. Every second round it hits one target automatically with caustic green water for 2d4 that round and 2d4 the next; a single save vs. breath weapon halves both. Nonmagical slashing and piercing weapons and all fire, even magical, cannot harm it, but cold deals double damage. It breathes water, drinks anything (mercury and poison included) safely, and regains 1 hp per round spent only drinking. Hourly it may try to gate in a water or ice mephit.

An ice mephit claws twice for 1d2, and each hit chills the victim for a stacking -1 to attack rolls that lasts three turns or until the victim is fully healed, whichever comes sooner. Every other round, at most three times a day, it sprays ice splinters that never miss one target within 15 feet, for 1d6 (half with a save vs. breath weapon). It may try to call a mist or ice mephit hourly. Cold cannot hurt it, but fire and heat do normal damage.

Water mephits are relentlessly jolly. Craving novelty, they join adventurers uninvited and offer tactless pep talks, such as noting that losing to fiends just means a new career as dretches. Ice mephits come from the frigid lower planes and never meet fire, magma, smoke or steam mephits. Aloof and vicious, they outdo all other mephits at torture and pointless wrecking.

Rich households keep captive water mephits as kitchen fire wardens or aquarium keepers. A confined ice mephit keeps a small storeroom cold enough to preserve food.