Dungeons and Dragons Lore : Stirge

[@skrog907]

stirges fit the criteria for ranger animal companions. so thats cool

[@itzybitzyspyder]

Also can be summoned by conjure woodland animals.

[@lucashenderson7864]

I love these ecology videos! I created stirges with legendary actions for my tougher players who take the little things in life for granted. Each colony of regular stirges may have 1d4 of these beauties with the ability to incapacitate the PC with a mesmerizing color display on a failed save. After incapacitating it's victim, this parasitic variety forces an ovipositor of sorts down the victims throat and implants it's eggs into it's digestive tract to hatch and feed before emerging (not a fatal process, but a disgusting one) several days later. The whole cycle is more of an unexpected, disgusting, and disconcerting nuisance to the players than anything, and intended to add some flavor to the encounter rather than end the adventurers career. Thanks for the great vids AJ!

[@jonathansnyder4712]

Lucas Henderson this is awesome I'm totally going to use this in my campaign... thanks

[@SyggNielsen-jg3hf]

Brutally bloodily mutilous swampstirge swarm tactics. Slippery with gore? Add oil, fire, bombards, caltrops and volleys

[@AJPickett]

Female stirges lay 4-12 eggs at a time, mating occurs twice a year, once in early spring and again at the end of summer, the eggs are buried in the rich guano on the cavern floor, take about 3 months to hatch, but they are not tended to, and only about 20% of the chicks survive to adulthood, feeding on the guano, and each other, until they are strong enough to hunt larger prey. The offspring that do survive will have been abandoned by the migratory adults, and will either form a new colony, or join with the next one that comes to the cavern to roost. Stirges reach full size in eight months, and the adults live between 5 to 6 years.

[@winggweeps]

AJ Pickett your videos deserve more likes. Some faint music would be nice though

[@That80sGuy1972]

Stirges in my campaigns are perversions of arachnids, closest "normal" relative is a scorpion. I have some divine "reasons" for it. Also, said arachnid deities are more rivals than allies, but sometimes allies. Great video, AJ.

[@wesleyferguson9678]

As a DM I personally allow players to choose the Stirge as a familiar. Also A good Option to apply to the Jungle Stirge, is the Abyssal chicken's Bad Flier ability from Descent into Avernus. It goes as follows: *Bad Flier.* The abyssal chicken falls at the end of a turn if it’s airborne and the only thing holding it aloft is its flying speed. Just swap the "abyssal chicken" part for "The stirge" and boom your good to go.

[@draxthemsklonst]

Chwinga Squidling is a new familiar (in Tasha's) that's basically a Stirge. Uses the same stats/reskinnable. No fly speed, though...

[@firetarrasque4667]

Stirges: Low level TPK.

[@brianb.2357]

I had a group of 4 level 1 PCs fight a pack of wolves. It was almost a TPK on their first encounter.

[@Hdtjdjbszh]

Not just low level, Imagine 10 of these sucking your blood and you can only remove 2 per turn!

[@flibbernodgets7018]

I like the idea of stirges leading adventurers to ruins. It makes the world feel very lived in and well thoughtbout for the party ranger or what have you to be able to tell things about the environment from the monsters found there.

[@alanschaub147]

A little known fact about Stirges is that they inject a powerful anticoagulant when they feed, and therefore even after the Stirge is removed the creature continues to lose 1 hit point per turn until a Constitution Save is made or a DC 10 Medicine Check is made to staunch the wound. 😉

[@AJPickett]

Also, the charisma loss from the massive itchy bite afterwards.

[@alanschaub147]

AJ Pickett 😂

[@mattgobel9437]

Love the video very clean and professional.

[@Olathaen]

I am playing Pathfinder.. I made a knowledge check and the DM told me i could read up on Stirges before our next session... I think im going to have to change my backstory somewhat to add me being the foremost expert on Stirges there ever was... Maybe i read some obscure diary by a madman claiming to have created them, many people have read the book, but i am one of the few that believe every word of it....

[@AJPickett]

I should make a downloadable, printable Monsterology certificate, just write in the name of the monster, and add it to your game as a prop.. when you roll 20 on your knowledge check, write down the subject on the certificate and hand it to the DM.

[@michaelkelligan7931]

Ahhh...the classics,good vid! Thank you!

[@AngelRaivan8579-xh4fr]

A magical rolled up newspaper is key in taking these things on, the 'rolled daily of thwacking' is always a good choice. Otilukes swatter of smooshing is also a useful spell when dealing with Stirges.

[@samuelmeasa9283]

The idea that these guys may have been used as canon folder by casters. Gives me an idea as to use a few small nest as guard dogs around a wizard tower or at the edge of a beholders domain.

[@SyggNielsen-jg3hf]

A Vampiric Behoobler with telepathic command of swarms including the bloodsucking hemophageous prehensile parasitic proboscid stirge.... So beautiful

[@grymhild]

stirges that damage Con are much more dangerous even to higher level characters... my players fear and hate stirges

[@AJPickett]

Exhaustion levels are a really good (and scary) system for 5th ed.

[@agsilverradio2225]

Sturges look like mascitos to me. And who doesn't hate mascitos? Theyr'e like irl vampire bugs!

[@jacobfreeman5444]

@@agsilverradio2225 They do look like giant, mutant mosquitoes.

[@jgr7487]

• Stirges are listed as BEASTS by WotC • their CR is lower than 1/4 • their size is smaller than Medium *THUS YOU CAN BE A STIRGE BEASTMASTER!!!* IDK what kind of screwed-up would have a Stirge as a pet, BUT YOU CAN technically HAVE A STIRGE PET!

[@AJPickett]

I approve.

[@jgr7487]

errata: as Black Bears are listed as possible Animal Companions for Beastmasters, *the limits are Beast of CR 1/2 and size Medium*

[@AJPickett]

I have no problem with this.

[@jgr7487]

AJ Pickett "so can I be a Giant Wasp master?" "Have fun! but, as its Int is 1, the Handle Animal DC will be 15"

[@SyggNielsen-jg3hf]

@@jgr7487 Dhampir telepathy easily finds a way around. It could be Totemic as well, like One With The Stirge... Oh wait, that's a spoilerbrew

[@MindFeather]

listening to this i find myself having to immediately re-skin the stirge for a sewer environment. (i'm only at minute 4:30 right now -- maybe you'll actually suggest this change further into the video.) aquatic stirge! or semi-aquatic? i mean its more of a filth-breathing organism than a water-breathing one ... i guess that's going to require more thought. at any rate when a PC falls in the muck, they feel something below the filth-line attach itself to them and begin sucking. plus, infection and disease are much more likely in this environment. i appreciate you keeping these to just under 20 minutes when you can. while i love the added detail of the longer videos i find i can easily convert your talks into mp3s that i can play in the car. thanks for all the work you do, man. its always a ton of fun to check these out.

[@MindFeather]

Filth-Fish (or sewer-stirge) (re-skin of Stirge for a large sewer environment) despite their name they are far more like toads than fish, being closely related to amphibians. Filth-Fish are smaller than stirges, roughly 2/3rd the size of their flying step-cousins. They only drink 4 HP per round, but a larger number of them can attach themselves to an animal under attack from their swarm. they do not have wings but instead have long undulating fins similar to certain eels, and the flying speed of regular stirges is converted to a swim speed for this semi-aquatic version. their primary means of propulsion is through the fluctuation and rolling of their bodies, much like a short, fat, water snake. instead of insectoid arms they frequently have short powerful tentacles, thoough varieties with two crab-like pincers have also been found on rare occasion. as they spend most of their time in the dark they have darkvision to 90 feet. over time their outer skin has developed into an almost translucent covering, as is seen more frequently among amphibian larvae. however their innards and bones are visible when on land. they spend much of their time bobbing and floating at the top of the filth of sewer canal with only their nearly clear eyes and a bit of their probiscus emerging from the water. if water is scarce in their environment they can also be found burrowed into the mud and muck in a similar fashion. in either case someone not paying close attention might mistake them for bubbles on the surface of the scum. when they see prey they take a large gulp of air and dive below the surface of the filth. when diving or submerged in any liquid a nictitating membrane covers and protectes their eyes. if loud noises are being made near a submerged filth-fish they will sometimes raise their heads half-way from the water to better hear where prey might be. when underwater filth-fish navigate and zero-in on their prey through precise tactile changes in water pressure within 120 feet. in general they remain as unintelligent as their cousins, however, and have been known to be "tricked" by oars or paddles, large underwater fans, and paddlewheels where such exist. if a filth-fish makes a successful attack on its prey while submerged in the filth of a sewer, other nearby filth-fish will smell the blood much like a shark in the ocean. those nearby filth-fish will then churn the waters into a boiling frenzy as they single-mindedly engage their prey. even huge beasts common to sewers, such as the otyugh, have been known to succumb to swarms of filth-fish, especially when young. more mature otyughs can often withstand the attack of a filth-fish swarm by simply waiting for them to drink their fill however, and it is not uncommon to find otyughs covered in the scars of many such attacks. one positive upside of a filth-fish infestation in a sewer system is that it tends to help to keep down the rat population. filth-fish ignore insects and arachnoids, on the other hand. when no live creatures are available to feed upon, filth-fish can subsist on the waste products found in the sewer itself. as they cannot climb or fly there is very little chance of them escaping the sewers through privy holes -- despite persistent urban legends, mostly told by older brothers to their younger siblings. colonies of filth-fish range from 5 to 15 in number. they have a shorter lifespan and shorter maturation rate than their larger flying cousins as well, and they tend to breed four times a year at equinoxes and solstices. at least a third of filth-fish are naturally born infertile. colonies of filth-fish that feed or stalk prey near a sewer which is close to an alchemist's home are particularly susceptible to mutation. filth-fish need a better name. if you have a better name you may call the number on your screen at any time. a latin binomial nomenclature would also be welcome.

[@MindFeather]

also meant to say -- much like the creatures from the movie Aliens, the filth-fish have "mouths inside their mouths." their outer mouth is very wide and pliable like a toad. it has muscles which can create a strong suction attachment to their prey. the "inner mouth" is actually the blood-sucking probiscis. the probiscis doubles as an airtube and foodtube, as is seen in many creatures including mammals. despite the filth-fish's ability to digest waste the outer mouth tends to keep unintentional filth from getting into the probiscis.

[@AJPickett]

Dude, that is brilliant! I want to throw them into my campaign :D

[@MindFeather]

hahaha, man if you enjoy them, then please do use them. have at it. i'm using so many of your ideas and so much of your research -- if i can give anything back, please take it. =D

[@alanschaub147]

Whenever I am planning to use a monster in a game I look to see if AJ has made a video on it, and I am never disappointed! 😊👍🏻

[@AngelRaivan8579-xh4fr]

My party got attacked by a bunch of these things in a back alley while we were hiding out from the entire town guard. Magical bug spray would be useful.

[@jonathansnyder4712]

A farming settlement could use them for their guano as special "miracle grow" in exchange for a pig that gets sent into the cave and when the stirges finished feasting and when they go to sleep the town could harvest the guano. ...Or for fun a low level adventuring party could be tasked to find out how farmer Joe always grows the best and biggest crops and a jealous farmer wants the secret as well. Also you can use the desert stirges to burrow on pathways (either animal or humanoid) and have their needle like mouths sticking straight up waiting for a foot to step on them and they are immediately attached.

[@jonathansnyder4712]

Ooo... Also Goblins or Cobalts can use them as traps... or in a seige can be launched into an encampment to harass the soldiers

[@jacobfreeman5444]

If you know how animal poop can be fertilizer...but it can often be too rich for the plants. So you do need to know what you are doing. Just randomly using guano would likely kill a crop.

[@animorph17]

In a gurps campaign, our main fighter was a semi-immortal vampire who could comfortably go into the -140 hit points and tank like a barbarian, only fearing fire. He got glomped by a hoard of stirges. Everyone else casually pulled their own stirge off, the vampire kept rolling really low on his wrestling checks ... Vampire almost died to a hoard of mysquitoes stealing all his blood, and somehow I feel this is fitting. Afterword there were TWO things he feared.

[@mikemccoy5092]

The old style art was funny looking their expressions lol

[@NovaRuner]

So these are like a mix of bat and mosquito. The is creepy. I would not want to run into a group of them.

[@almitrahopkins1873]

Ah, the Mousequito. How wonderfully annoying.

[@Im-Not-a-Dog]

If a stirge eats 5hp of blood per round, how many rounds does it take a stirge to get full and have to rest?

[@luisvazquez4397]

He mentions 2 rounds (10hp drained). He doesn't state how long they remain lethargic as they digest. My guess would be 1 hour ler hp drained (10 hours) at least. 😉

[@waynedaly100]

What a great little nasty, I'm putting a nest of them in my next Campaign, I can see them dive bombing the party as they traverse a rotting rope bridge above a mountain pass Stirge Skill - 4 Stamina - 3 Attacks - 1 Weapon - Small Bite Armour - Monster Light Habitat - Caves,Wilderness,Mountains,Swamps,Ruins Number Enountered - 3-10 Type - Monster Reation - Hostile Intelligence - Low This horrid flying creature looks like a cross between a large bat and an oversized mosquito. Its legs end in sharp pincers, and its long, needle-like proboscis slashes the air as it seeks its next meal. Stirges feed on the blood of living creatures, attaching and draining them slowly. Although they pose little danger in small numbers, packs of stirges can be a formidable threat, reattaching as quickly as their weakening prey can pluck them off. Blood Drain - A stirge attacks by landing on a victim, finding a vulnerable spot, and plunging its proboscis into the flesh while using its pincer legs to latch on to the victim. Once the stirge has sated itself, it detaches and flies off to digest its meal. If A Sturge wins the first attack round the Hero will take a small bite of piercing damage ,no armour save, and the stirge attaches to the Hero. While attached, the stirge doesn't attack. Instead, at the start of each of the stirge's turns, the Hero loses 2 Stamina points due to blood loss. The stirge will detach itself after it drains 6 Stamina points of blood from the Hero or the Hero dies. A Hero, including the target, can make an apposed strength check to detach A stirge.

[@AJPickett]

You are really kicking my nostalgia into high gear!

[@destonlee2838]

Can we talk about the diseases breeding in a stirges gut and beak, the absolute terrifying variety ofblood born pathogens, skin diseases, sv vs ystem shock strength infections. As a DM I used to break off the odd beak and give em hell!

[@trentonmaloney3280]

possibly one of the most used monsters in dnd. great vid!

[@AJPickett]

Thanks Trenton!

[@UncleRiotous]

Really useful stuff as always AJ. Thanks.

[@AJPickett]

No problem! I realise now that I forgot to mention, as an animal, the Stirge can be summoned and kept as a familiar.. not a popular choice I imagine, but for a Vampire Wizard, it would fit so well!

[@antwan1357]

Nice it actually sounds like a very realistic creature based upon two different real creatures vampire bats and mosquitoes.

[@Giles29]

Louisiana Mosquitoes.

[@antwan1357]

@@Giles29 lol good one

[@robertbemis9800]

I accidentally killed a 1st level character with 2 of them

[@AJPickett]

"accidentally" 😉

[@robertbemis9800]

@@AJPickett well he decided to spider climb up a church by him self to fight the big bad of the first adventure Big bad was a genius mastermind so I improvised a trap releasing two hungry stirges that attacked him It did not end well This was 4th edition

[@chakatBombshell]

Stirges kill so many low level characters yet are so easily beaten by tiny nets. (and large metal fly swatters) Also easy to care for ingame pets, just have a bloody quark and they make themselves unable to attack folks. (There not smart at all.)

[@JAM_564]

what is a bloody quark

[@ded2thaworld963]

Giant skeeter...hell no

[@ethantaillefer-meyn6535]

Brought to you by austrailia

[@ironkeepgaming1936]

So it’s like the vampire bat from South America, right?

[@AJPickett]

only in that it also drinks blood.

[@TheDMGinfo]

A script! :)

[@AJPickett]

I might get into the habit, as I post written notes, stats and such on my Patreon page for subscriber(s).

[@TheDMGinfo]

two stirges, one stone

[@MindFeather]

is your Patreon page up, AJ? i didn't see a link in your description at the top ...

[@AJPickett]

www.patreon.com/TheMightyGluestick