Living Kites

 These miniature creatures measure only 30-40cm in height when stood on their abrasive tails and prefer to flap around, gliding from place to place, rather than perching on their avian-like feet. Their enormous eyes are acclimatised to the dark, owing to their natural habitats which tend to be deep underground in the stalactite-cities of cloakers, or in dark-elf libraries. These eyes do not blink, which makes them particularly vulnerable to strong lights. They often “wash” their eyes like a frog, retracting them into their bodies one by one when they become dry.

Their similar body-plan to cloakers and tendency to dwell in the same habitats as cloakers has led many scientists to speculate whether these bizarre creatures may be an offshoot species which evolved from a common ancestor, or some wizard’s idea of a cruel joke.

Thaumavores

Living kites thrive by consuming ambient magic and the discarded waste energy that is produced through spellcasting. As a result of this, many creatures see them as somehow dirty earning them the nickname “trash napkins”.

Their need to feed on magical energy causes them to congregate in focal points of magic, where ley lines intersect, or to follow powerful spellcasters around. They are considered a particular nuisance to Drow Wizards who regularly have to scrape them off of the windows of their mage towers. Conversely; they are sometimes picked up by spellcasters native to the underdark, where these creatures tend to make their nests, due to their ability to detect and consume magic innately, and are therefore sought out to serve as familiars!

Living Kites are capable consuming magical spells to an extent; “eating” low level spells like cantrips. They use this energy to communicate; changing their colour to represent the school of magic that currently fuels them once they have absorbed a magical effect. While a trained Living Kite will use this ability to defend their allies from oncoming effects, they can only consume so much energy, swelling to become spherical if they consume too much, or even bursting if they try to eat a spell which is too powerful.

Living Kites are particularly resistant to psionic attacks; a feature which they can pass on to their allies. They will often flop onto the heads of their friends, laying like a small hat. In this way they can pass on their psionic resistance to an ally. When not worn as a hat, Living kites enjoy warm, dark, confined spaces, and have a particular affinity for pockets.

Arcane Forge.

This creature, and many like it, were created as a part of the Arcane Forge youtube channel's live streams. If you'd like to contribute to the next creature we make or watch some lore and art videos, then please head over to Youtube and check out our channel!
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