Dungeons and Dragons Lore : Will-o'-Wisp

[@gorhath29]

I'm just glad I'm not the only one that thinks the folklore version is more interesting than what we got

[@flibbernodgets7018]

This surprised me how much more interesting they are than presented in the monster manual. you weren't kidding

[@LionaelSama]

"But liches are super friendly and willing to share useful info on Will-o'-wisps and anything else really, what about the Oracle of Ellyn'taal? Adorable." -Diary of a dessicated corpse.

[@RockyRodent333]

There's a lot more going on with will o wisps than i first thought, never knew they had any connection to boggarts. Love these sadistic little guys. Anything that has to do with the fey is always really interesting to me. Thanks for the info, AJ.

[@chaddixon9764]

The Death Lantern, that's a heck of a name.

[@MisterDTwenty]

I always thought the idea of being lured deeper and deeper into a swamp by these malevolent creatures is terrifying., Thinking you're going towards a source of light and perhaps civilization before realizing you're utterly lost and are now subject to the whims of these haunting fey

[@jgr7487]

the most evil street lights: 1) lock your Will O' Wisps in jars 2) put those jars atop poles along the streets 3) tie convicts to those poles 4) let the Wills feed on the bad feelings the prisioners have about their situation

[@ronaldgargoyle3407]

Probably would have to use a combination of spiked chains and collars to stop prisoners from escaping.

[@jacobfreeman5444]

Not all fey are connected to life. They represented all that existed. Life and death. Heat and cold. Light and dark. Growth and decay. So both undeath and fey may be appropriate for these buggers. Honestly, one should be playing any fey creature like it is an outsider. That they don't quite conform to our understanding of reality. Always a little off, which may be why they are so unsettling even if they are quite attractive.

[@savannahbrewer6161]

people seem to forget that these have a real-life source for the legend. bogs and swamps do generate lights by releasing gases. this is super creepy to watch, and bogs were often burial grounds in ancient societies.

[@mathewpoole3589]

I've always preferred the fey approach over the undead. But as a more mischievous fairy type. If they like you they could be helpful by leading the way out of a bog/forest/cave, lead you to lost treasures or warn of danger. If they were to hate you they'll get you lost, lead you to your death, attract beasts or monsters to attack you or straight out attack you themselves. I prefer this approach as they could be viewed as caretakers of their domain, seeking aid to deal with threats, rewarding those they deem worthy or remove those that they that threaten their homes.

[@elricengquist9989]

I had always kinda seen the Will-o-wisp as possibly a state that some of the fey aligned with the unseelie court might take when they are defeated. Or that all Fey take on this form, or a similar one, and progress down a different path of forms based on the court they are part of after being injured or defeated.

[@jasonniebuhr8607]

And here I thought Will’o’wisps were fire fae that are the souls of children that got lost in swamps

[@woodslore8537]

No one has ever seen one in a humid form? I sense a campaign encounter. Maybe an elder wizard or mage trying to prove their theory and hires the party to aid in their project?

[@saeyabor]

[Gollum voice] DON'T FOLLOW THE LIGHTS!

[@theshadowman0174]

It would make more sense for them to still be undead, but not evil. They can be the the disembodied spirits of dead fey creatures. That's what I would have done if I created 5th edition.

[@yogsothoth7594]

Man marsh gas can be super creepy if you see it in real life.

[@nedyse7200]

wandered around Fearun in total bliss and ignorance .Liked the game and the game enviroment. After your lore I'm hiding under my bed!!!!!!!!!!!

[@AJPickett]

Petra Rijvordt indeed!

[@drecknathmagladery9118]

should have gave the willow wisp at the end of the video thug life glasses

[@thedarkmaster4747]

i couldn't agree more.

[@dropdead234]

idea for a horror adventure for players that don't pay attention....Replace all the torches in a dungeon (that hasn't been occupied in hundreds of years) with will'owisps. Make the way in to the Massive Treasure easy. The way out, however, is a different story. No one ever asks who keeps the torches lit in abandoned areas.....

[@jessenichols9618]

dropdead234 bahahaha love it

[@elricengquist9989]

I always liked this idea of a powerful hag that is living out in a woodland area, or mash, which lures young children from the local villages into her forest/swamp an hut. Than she slowly feeds the young children food from her pot, which actually hold the stewing remains of other children, before she kills the children tossing them into the pot as well. When she does that she corrupts the children's souls tossing them into the woods/swamp around her home to form into Will-o-wisps.

[@dropdead234]

Or, keeping with the idea of combining undead/faerie, she corrupts the local pixies?

[@DracosDiabolis]

for some reason I was picturing The Tall Man from the Phantasm films. using will-o-wisps as his spheres for soul collecting

[@bailz8674]

A friend of the family owns "Boggart House" in deepest rural Lancashire.

[@lollibyte5727]

Awesome. I was just thinking about researching these fellows for my campaign, but you beat me to it! Thanks bro.

[@nedyse7200]

At first I picked the monsters I knew, but now I want to know all!!!!! Thank you mr. PIckettt (for many sleepless nights)

[@owenlockwood2250]

Loved the video! Just wondering if you are doing a video on assassins?

[@DungeonDad]

Wisp form is so OP. Great video man!

[@linguisticallyoversight8685]

I usually keep them from passing through glass as well as most of the monsters that can pass through solid matter cannot pass through glass

[@MarkATorres1989]

Yeah, always hated these things. Almost always blast them when I play either a Cleric or other magic user. My characters' reasoning? "They look so damn creepy!"

[@jacobwilson8579]

similar to the hitotama from japanese folk lore which could be a sub type for a eastern inspired campain

[@MRDicristofaro]

dont follow the light ! i have to say i prefer the old version of the will o wisp, has a lot more flare and a lot more to create with i say. i dont all in all hate the new version i would have made it a fire based and have its lore based on it being a spirit whos been changed by the elemental plain of fire and emulate the aspect of fires need to consume . now they kinda remind me of evil versions of Kodama when i look at them lol.

[@AJPickett]

Adam Di'Cristofaro flare, lol!

[@HowtoRPG]

That was great. Get well soon.

[@AJPickett]

Thanks man :)

[@rickeymariu1]

One of my players charmed a willowisp once. It was interesting to say the least

[@Tiniuc]

I now have a mental image if a willowisp that feeds off the suffering of lab rats by tricking them into mazes where they expect a prize if cheese, yet there is no cheese, and to escape the maze is to simply enter yet another maze that smells of cheese...

[@smkfet]

9:35 GET OFF MY SCREEN

[@M4urMoM]

Glad i held that beer

[@Daimon-X]

Ooh shiny! Don't follow the light. Don't follow the light...

[@AJPickett]

Daimon X *follows the light*

[@Daimon-X]

AJ Pickett Cowabunga!!!!

[@idksomething8484]

here is your beer back

[@JoshKnoxChinnery]

I also love this intro as well

[@ironkeepgaming1936]

These monsters will be all over the first couple chapters at night time, the first two chapters will take place in a undead forest, and a alchemical swamp, my campaign called The Iron Keep will have a lot of undead monsters lead by the main villan who is a Demi lich

[@jspenny]

So is a Boggart like a Boggle?

[@AJPickett]

Spencer Toons I suspect they may be related.

[@firetarrasque4667]

Or... You could just separate them into three creatures. I think imma do that.

[@AJPickett]

Good call

[@skylerwade5352]

Now I see it’s no coincidence I woke up early!

[@LionaelSama]

Next time I'll bring insect repellent.

[@timothyyoung691]

you should publish your scripts on the dms guild... may i suggest a title, the mighty gluesticks grimoire of the grotesque

[@AJPickett]

Catchy Title

[@Sofus.]

I like my version they are pets who have suffered a violent death.

[@Licjr]

Sofus I may have to borrow that idea. So would abused pets fall under this as well?

[@Sofus.]

You are welcome, of course they are confused and sometimes angry spirits. They yearn for warmth and human care, many of them do not understand that they are hurting people.

[@TinyFoxTom]

Do Bogarts smoke cigars?

[@dragonballtalk8527]

Will o wisp is a magic card that is a zero/one black creature

[@AJPickett]

*plays "Squee's Toy"*

[@danielrockstrom707]

Can I summon a wilo whisp as summon fay?

[@AJPickett]

If their origin is Fey, then yes.

[@pbr-streetgang]

Thanks for the vid sir.

[@thedarkmaster4747]

couldn't you have will o' whisps and bogarts working together, kind of a commanders & soldiers mechanic, when where ever you have large groups of bogarts, after ambushes and routs just eating people alive and chomping into their souls screeching like elderitch horrors, you have the whips feeding off of their reation to the living nightmare. as far as the lore goes maybe they were the result of some fey created super weapon, like the victims of some horrendous spell. I think a good them for these critters, is when the fey wilde gets quiet, no birds, no fairies, not an animal in sight... and something is wrong, very wrong. i like the idea of whisps turning into huge bogarts aswell. say if it's ever just advantagous for them to do so. i can totally build a fairy who has some serious PTSD with this. it's like the total and complete antithesis and nemesis to all of a fairies tropes. "thats not a goblin." *head snaps around at an impossible angle, eyes glow a with hollow mono chrome light - then it screech - roars violently and scampers off into the distances as though it's puppeteering it's own limbs & you notice a vital item you can't go on without is missing, the the tune of another psychicly attuned roar*

[@AJPickett]

The Dark master absolutely!

[@thedarkmaster4747]

AJ Pickett couldn't you have will o' whisps using their electricity to stun, like a tazer? slowly locking peoples muscles in place, forcing them to watch "the show".

[@tatsusama3192]

10:40 I've seen this movie. IT was on Netflix years ago, haha. Can't remember the name of it but it was kinda creepy. Toothfairy type pixie people that ate children

[@dragonballtalk8527]

Tatsusama wee willie weiner

[@tatsusama3192]

.... I do not

[@jeremymount795]

This creature has always been a source of intrigue to me. I had no idea they had a physical humanoid form. Judging by their apetite for negative thoughts and emotions and their buoyant and spongey form, I would assume they were a denizene of the ethereal plane like an intelect devourer.

[@drecknathmagladery9118]

I know a cambien is the child of a human and a succubus/incubus but what abomination/miracle would the child of an angel & succubus/incubus be I know there alignment at birth would be true neutral but what would it be

[@AJPickett]

The offspring would either be a Succubus or an Angel since both parents are immortals.

[@drecknathmagladery9118]

wow I just edited that comment and before I finished editing it I got a like from you maybe you could do a video on that

[@AJPickett]

A video on my ability to read and comment on my vids? lol. I will be talking about the Immortals in my next vid.

[@drecknathmagladery9118]

cool

[@padalan2504]

cambion for devil offspring, nephilim for angel offspring, Nephalem is apparently the hybrid name.

[@agustinusbryansunawa3506]

Scary

[@Blackpheonix99]

The sun's getting real low

[@gregoryfloriolli9031]

A few weeks back, you mentioned that your new campaign was going to be set in Cormyr. Yesterday, Chris Perkins and co. did a video on lore for Cormyr. Starts about 2 minutes in: kzbin.info/www/bejne/ZqGbqp6Zn9GpeJo

[@AJPickett]

Yeah, a helpful person linked me that on the Discord server, was a good watch! Thanks

[@danielnevill3076]

am I first?

[@AJPickett]

*lightning Bolt* Lured into my trap!