Planar Bestiary
Sometimes mistaken for fey creatures due to their fanciful wings and small size, morpheusians seep from a secret realm called Marrow in the Astral Plane. In Marrow, dreams have taken on a permanent life of their own. Able to jump into and out of the minds of dreaming creatures, morpheusians are difficult to spot at night; only their wide, pale white eyes superimposed over a sleeper's eyes potentially give them away.
Malevolent dream-sprites, morpheusians are a plague in locations where they've gained a foothold, ambushing victims who remain awake while others all around them sleep through the night. As if insomnia wasn't already bad enough.
Morpheusians, like gologoths, are the willing soldiers of self-proclaimed gods of Marrow, known as the Night Lords. The Night Lords wish to extend their realm in the waking world through several means. One method is that practiced by morpheusians: digest the dreams of living creatures.
Motive: Hungers for dreams
Environment: Worlds of the Material Plane, alone or as part of a larger group
Health: 9
Damage Inflicted: Minor wound (3 points)
Armor: 5 against Intellect damage
Movement: Short; short when flying
Modifications: Speed defense as level 4 due to size
Combat: The morpheusian attacks with a dagger-like dream blade in melee or at short range, inflicting 2 points of damage plus 1 point of Intellect damage (ignores Armor) and, on a failed Might defense task, the target falls into a magical sleep. The sleep lasts for about a minute, or until a victim is roused by an ally's action, or the victim takes physical damage.
The morpheusian can dive into the dream of a sleeping creature within immediate range, completely disappearing. The only telltale is the morpheusian's eyes superimposed over the sleeper's closed lids. In this state, the morpheusian can't be targeted by any attack, ability, or other effect, despite their visible eyes. At their option, the morpheusian can inflict 3 points of Intellect damage (ignores Armor) to the victim each round, which doesn't wake the dreamer. The dream dive lasts until the sleeper wakes up, dies, or until the morpheusian ends it as part of another action. When the dream dive ends, the morpheusian reappears next to the victim or, at the creature's option, appears in the Astral Plane at the gates of Marrow.
While ensconced in a living creature's dream, the morpheusian regains 1 point of health each round.
Interaction: A morpheusian knows most common languages. They may deign to taunt or speak to a victim whose dream they digest. Every now and then, a morpheusian can be convinced (because it's true) that they're no more than a dream that's come to life. This realization makes some turn their back on the Night Lords, or even vow to fight against them. Others, however, simply will themselves to fade to nothing, as all dreams eventually do.
Use: A sleeping sickness is striking down priests at a local monastery. Despite all the curative magic they have brought to bear, more and more clergy are dying in their sleep.
GM Intrusion: A sleeping character encounters the morpheusian in their dream, and discovers that each time the morpheusian inflicts damage, the character forgets something. Was it important? Impossible to say.