Will O'Dawn

The will o'dawn, sometimes called the feu follet, is the strangest of the will o'wisp variants and easily the most benevolent, a rare thing in the misty dread realm. It shows itself mostly at daybreak as a faintly shining ball of light, usually a bit smaller than its wicked cousin but almost impossible to tell apart from it. It can change its shape and color to a degree, passing easily for a lantern, a light spell or another artificial glow. It can turn invisible at will, but its light can be hidden for no longer than 2d6 rounds at once and cannot cast spells while unseen; only creatures able to perceive invisible things can spot it then.

Will o'dawns appear to talk among themselves through shifts in hue and brightness. Someone who spends long enough around them might decipher this, though most manage only the basics, such as red for danger and blue for safety.

Will o'dawns hate fighting, and no feu follet is known ever to have hurt a living creature on purpose. They fight only to defend themselves or those they have chosen to help. Their weapons are color spray and hypnotic pattern, used to stun foes or lull them into calm. Either spell may be used without limit, but only one per round, with spellcasting and saving throws both at 9th wizard level.

It also loves leading enemies on a merry chase, using the terrain to slow or trap them until it, or those it protects, can escape. Stranding a foe in a bog is fair play, but it will not deliberately harm even an enemy.

Every spell fails against it except darkness, which stuns it for 1d6 rounds when aimed directly at it, and continual darkness, which slays it outright unless it saves vs. death. Like all its kin, it can be harmed by normal weapons.

These creatures are nearly always alone; only 5% of encounters involve a pair. A will o'dawn appears only at sunrise and lingers for at most 20 minutes before it usually turns invisible and leaves. Captured ones slowly lose their golden glow and fade away entirely. Where they go the rest of the time is unknown.

A will o'dawn can sense good beings who are hurting or in danger and helps any good-aligned being it encounters, if only for a short while. It might lead adventurers to a hidden cache or secret door, guide lost wanderers from a swamp, or distract evil foes during a fight. Sadly, many it tries to help refuse to follow, taking it for a will o'wisp. If it hypnotizes someone, it can speak directly to that person's mind, though only with one person at once.

Its sustenance appears to be the energy of excited, happy or exhilarated minds, so it works to create relief, excitement and joy. This taste for positive emotion sets it apart from every other will o'wisp variant.