Windghost

Picture a cone of smoke, gray shading to purple, flying head-first with its wide end forward. That is a windghost, a creature possibly from some other plane. Its hide is rough, blotchy and pliant. Pale eyes without pupils see 120 feet in the dark and peer into the Ethereal and Astral planes, and beneath them sits a fanged maw. To either side, a tentacle-arm 4 to 20 feet long can extend to grip prey or carry things, though these arms do not inflict damage.

Their voices mix hisses, rumbles and birdsong, and they can speak common. A windghost can light its body and eyes with a faerie fire shimmer; glimpsed overhead at night, that ghostly glow earned the creatures their name.

It attacks by plunging down to gobble victims. Diving on a grounded target adds 1d4+1 hp to the bite. After that it must pull away and spend a round regaining height before it can dive again. On a diving attack roll of 19-20, a target of size M or less is swallowed.

Inside, the victim is tumbled through digestive acids for 2d6 damage before being spat back out, and each carried item saves vs. acid. Three ability checks follow, Intelligence, Strength and Dexterity. A missed Intelligence check leaves the victim blind for 1d6+1 rounds and unable to fight while inside. Pass all three with a weapon already in hand, and the victim may strike once from within for maximum damage.

When at least two are no more than 90 feet apart, they can blend their droning into windsong. While it sounds, nobody nearby can cast spells, read or even make out normal conversation. The effect kicks in 1-2 rounds after the song begins and runs 1d8 rounds, after which the singers need a rest of 1d4+3 rounds or more.

Worst of all is the windghost's magic shift, called warp dweomer. It can drag dead-magic zones over itself or over hostile casters, or throw up a field that grabs a spell in flight and relocates its area before it takes effect; a wizard's fireball may well go off around the wizard. The power handles a single spell each round, chosen by the windghost along with where to send it. Spells cast by surprise get through unless the creature was already on guard. Friendly magic may be let pass, but its magic resistance works whether it wants it to or not, so that magic must still beat it.

Roll 1d12 each time it tries. A 1-3 means the spell is unaffected. A 4-6 means it knocks the spell off course without steering it: pick a random direction and move it 4d20 feet. A 7-12 gives the windghost full control, letting it put the spell anywhere inside 144 feet. A moved spell works at full strength, though if it lands on someone guarded by magic-reflecting protection, it bounces to the caster's original target point.

Mind-reading and mind-affecting magic cannot touch them, and psionic attacks and probes must get past their magic resistance, after which any saving throws are still rolled. They regenerate 1 hp each turn. Being creatures of the wind, they take half damage from air elementals and from any spell or attack built on whirling wind, and they pass through a wind wall unhindered.

They seem to live a long time and carry both sexes in one body. Their idea of a good day is drifting high above, admiring the living world and its beauty. Treasure means nothing to them, and they keep none.

Nothing is known to prey on them. Hunger is never why they fight, though they do eat whatever they kill, along with dead flesh and entire leafy plants. To drink, a windghost plunges into water; for warmth, it sunbathes.