Friday Encounter: Wispers on the Wind

If there's one D&D monster I don't think gets used to its full potential...it would be the peryton. I've already written extensively on this subject. But if I had to pick another, it would definitely be the will-o-the-wisp.

I think my issue with how people use wisps boils down to my issue with how a lot of monsters get used - people aren't able to look beyond the statblock. They assume that a wisp is there to be fought. That the wisp itself should be the danger. I mean, it has combat stats, you must be able to fight it, right? But perhaps more than any other monster, the will-o-the-wisp is one that deserves to be something more than a combat encounter. When the party encounters a wisp, it should not be a cue to draw swords and start fighting immediately. In fact, I would argue that the wisp's stats probably shouldn't come up at all. If you're fighting a will-o-the-wisp, you're doing it wrong. The wisp shouldn't be trying to pick a fight with the PCs - it should know it can't take them by itself. But it doesn't need to.

If you look at the folklore behind wisps, you'll notice that they're most commonly associated with leading travelers astray to fall victim to dangers in the wilderness. But you don't really see them attacking people directly. A wisp isn't an enemy, it's an omen. It should be a trap for gullible travelers to get themselves into trouble - or perhaps a warning sign for danger up ahead. And an effective will-o-the-wisp encounter should reflect that.

Wispers on the Wind

This encounter should occur at night, while the PCs are traveling - it can work if they are moving through the wilderness, ideally through a swamp, but it can easily fit in a number of different environments, even in a dungeon. Regardless, the PCs should notice a light out in the darkness, fluttering back and forth. It will do this to try and get the PCs' attention, lingering around until it's sure that they've noticed it - and then, it will shrink away, retreating back into the shadows.

This light is, of course, a will-o-the-wisp. But in the darkness, it should be hard to tell that for sure. It could be an unseen figure holding a torch or lantern, or, yes, even just a ball of swamp gas. PCs who pass a DC 15 Arcana check will be familiar with wisps, knowing that they are the lonely spirits of those who died in the wilderness far from home and civilization, and that they want nothing more than company. Unfortunately, they seek out such company by leading other travelers to their doom in the hopes that their spirits too may linger.

If the PCs follow the wisp in the direction that it retreated to, they will always see it in the distance - it will always seem to be one step ahead of them, staying back and darting around corners, but never staying in one place long enough for more than a passing glance. It's trying to lead them along, after all, and it hopes to do so by encouraging their curiosity, so once it knows that it's being followed, it won't let itself be studied easily. The wisp continues leading the party along a distance, until they're a good ways off from the path they were on originally.

Eventually, the wisp will hang in the air above a certain spot, staying still and waiting for the PCs to approach it. But the spot it's stopped at holds some danger for the party, in one way or another - the wisp has led them into a trap! Feel free to tailor this situation for the environment you're using the encounter in. If the wisp was encountered in a swamp (as is traditional), for instance, it could be leading them into a mass of quicksand. Or it could be encountered on a high mountain pass, where it could try to lead them off a ledge, or onto a rickety bridge that will surely give way if the PCs aren't careful (and in the dark, they may overestimate the stability of the bridge). In a dungeon, it might stop over a concealed pit or another trap. Or it could just lead the PCs into the path of hostile enemies. Whatever the case will be, the wisp will not try to engage them directly in combat. That's not what it's there for. It's already brought its targets to their doom - now, it's up to whatever other dangers are in the area to do the hard part for it.

Even if the PCs manage to escape whatever danger the wisp led them to, however, they'll likely be a good ways off their path. This is the wisp's backup plan. Whether by leading them into danger or just waiting for them to succumb to the elements, it's determined to have a new friend, one way or another...