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A Dweomerborn is a creature from the Spelljammer campaign setting.[1]

Overview[]

The magical energy used to propel a spelljamming ship produces its own “exhaust” trail. Invisible to the eye but detectable, this energy sometimes forms into a sentient creature known as a "dweomerborn". These bizarre creatures wander the spacelanes of wildspace feeding on magical energy, and are especially keen on spelljamming ships.[1]

Description[]

Dweomerborn appear as warped, distorted humanoid phantoms, 8-feet tall, with long, delicate fingers. Each finger is tipped with a long talon-like fingernail. Dweomerborn do not speak.[1]

Combat[]

When a dweomerborn locates a spelljamming ship, it tries to “hitch a ride” by diving to the ship's stern and riding its exhaust trail, which can be up to 180-feet long. Once in position, the dweomerborn clings to the end of the stream and begins to work its way up. To an observer at the ship's stern there appears to be a small patch of fog following the ship, slowly drawing closer at a rate of 60-feet per minute. Once within arm's length of the ship, a dweomerborn grips the ship's hull with its claws, and climbs aboard. If forced into combat, a dweomerborn will release its hold on the hull and defend itself with its claws.

A dweomerborn can drain magical energy from spellcasters, magical items, and other sources of magic (excluding artifacts, relics, and helms). A dweomerborn may even completely drain a magical item of all energy, rendering it non-magical. When attacking a spellcaster, a dweomerborn attempts to grapple with their victim, draining them of one spell (no matter how powerful the spell). Once a dweomerborn has drained the equivalent of 20 spell levels of energy, it is sated for the next 24 hours and will leave the ship,

All dweomerborn can use the following innate spell-like abilities up to seven times in a 24 hour period each: detect magic, identify, invisibility, know school, and gaseous form.

If a dweomerborn is struck with or touches a rod of cancellation or a wand of negation, it will be severely injured or slain immediately. A dweomerborn may also be harmed by magical weapons with +2 enhancement or greater, but if such a weapon hits a dweomerborn, it may be rendered non-magical as its energy is drained away.

Due to its magical makeup, a dweomerborn is unaffected by most spells. In fact, it devours any magic aimed at it, except illusion spells. The dweomerborn are affected normally by all illusions, including phantasms. Sages have speculated that this is because illusions are in themselves insubstantial and leave nothing behind (even a divination spell leaves something behind – the knowledge it imparts.)[1]

Society[]

Dweomerborn simply wander wildspace, single-handedly seeking out new sources of magic. Their bodies are living sponges, absorbing magical energy without conscious effort. They have no society or organization; each dweomerborn looks out for itself. They have no lairs, for they require no sleep. If a dweomerborn does not consume a spelljammer's magical exhaust, the trails simply dissipate in about a week's time with no effect.

All spelljamming ships except those powered by orbi, forges, furnaces, and non-magical engines can supply the energy to bring a dweomerborn into existence. The chance of a particular magical exhaust giving “birth” to a dweomerborn is directly proportional to the experience level of the spellcaster at the helm. Some speculate that since most spellcasters are humanoid and since most spells are stored in humanoid brains, there is a sort of “racial memory” that causes the dweomerborn to adopt humanoid form.[1]

Appendix[]

External Links[]

References[]

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 John Terra, MC9 Monstrous Compendium Spelljammer Appendix II, 1991, (TSR Inc.), Dweomerborn entry
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