The varied magical creatures native to the Hybora system can bestow others with their powers when bound into an appropriate artifice or vessel. Known in Hyboran Magic as Spirit Bindings, they are an integral part of Hyboran 'technology' and society as a whole.

This article is intended to serve as a simple index of creatures and their uses.

Lesser Spirits come from smaller or weaker creatures, such as insects, rodents, and the like. Most of them stand less than two feet tall at the shoulder and many are small enough to fit on the tip of your finger. Despite their small size, the utility they provide when bound is such that most Hyborans will bear at least three vessels containing a Lesser Spirit.

Most Lesser Spirits offer no benefits beyond the utility they provide.

by rawolfe and Whisper

A common sight in Hyborea's waters, the Acto Jelly has a translucent, dome-shaped body with dozens of thin, trailing tentacles. Actos have no real intelligence and act purely on stimuli, but are nonetheless dangerous to those caught unaware. Creatures caught in its tentacles find themselves slowly paralyzed while their magical energy is drained out of their body to serve as food for the Jelly.

Role in Artifice

Actos are a common piece of more complicated artifice, where their powers to drain magical energy is used to transport the energy from one location to another. While the spun copper filigree that they reside in is considerably different from their original bodies, they are most commonly used to pull power from less useful spirits, typically in crystal form, and provide it to more mana-hungry spirits elsewhere.

Role in Bindings

Actos are not commonly used in personal bindings because of their tendency to drain mana from those who wear their vessel. Their low willpower and mana-draining capability makes them particularly well-suited for something akin to anti-magic handcuffs. Some binders are able to use an Acto binding to leach mana from others or other objects, but it requires a strong degree of control.

by darkfox202 and Whisper

A creature about the size and shape of a small cat, the Rabbuncle's brilliant color variety, plush fur, thick tail, and long ears make it a favorite among travelers and children alike. Rabbuncles are known for their good nature, though they can be distrustful of others until their friendship has been earned.

Popular as a pet, the adorable creature has a particular knack for hunting out metals of all varieties when allowed to consume a small quantity of it. This ability also makes it popular in binding form, though many struggle to perform the actions required to bind it properly.

Role in Artifice

For those seeking treasure, a metal-detecting artifice bound with a Rabbuncle's spirit is the tool of choice. Larger artifice have been known to use one or more of the creatures' spirits to look for larger or more distant objects, such as a ship in space.

Role in Bindings

The Rabbuncle's metal-detecting ability is a favorite among thieves and thief-catchers. With a small ingestion of gold or some other precious metal, one can detect all sources of the material within a thirty foot radius.

by darkfox202 and Whisper

A member of the elemental mander family, these red-and-black, smooth-skinned lizards can erupt with fire across their body when threatened. They often live in colder climates where their natural heat keeps them comfortable.

Their tolerance for cold and warm bodies made them a popular pet option for early interplanetary travelers until their tendency to catch on fire was discovered to not go well with the wood of the vessels of the time.

Role in Artifice

Fiammanders are most commonly bound into artifices that wish to create flames on demand. Simple lighters, lanterns, and more take advantage of the creature's ability to spontaneously produce magical fire.

Role in Bindings

When placed into a vessel, the vessel's wielder becomes able to produce minor flames on command. While these flames cannot be thrown or cast out in waves, they are an excellent source of light and are strong enough to light fuses.

by rawolfe and Whisper

These eight-inch long worms are covered in thick scales similar to those of a pangolin. Depending on their environment, the durable scales that cover their bodies come in a variety of colors, ranging from brilliant colors like the rainbow to dull browns and grays.

When exposed to a level of mana higher than that found in their environment, they begin to glow brightly. This is a natural defensive reaction that can scare off, or even blind, magical predators.

Scale Worms are one of a few creatures that Hyborans use without binding their spirits. A single Scale Worm can be put into a glass container (such as a lantern or flashlight equivalent) and will generate a varying amount of light depending on the quantity of mana they are exposed to.

Role in Artifice

Scale Worm spirits are frequently used to provide illumination as part of larger artifices. When used in a smaller artifice they are used as light sources.

Role in Bindings

Scale Worms are not common in vessel or rune scar bindings, but when they are it is typically for their ability to create light on demand. They can consume all of their mana to create a blinding flash, but after doing so it takes a number of hours before it can provide light normally.

Drawn from creatures ranging in size from a small cat to that of a bear, normal spirits - or just 'spirits' - provide the power and potential for larger works of artifice. Solar boards, automatic lifts, golems, and more rely on the spirits of this caliber.

When used in a vessel or a rune scar, the binder also gains a portion (~20%) of the creature's physical characteristics to enhance their own. This can greatly improve a Hyboran's speed, strength, or resiliency. The strongest and fastest creatures tend to have weaker magical powers, but for those who prioritize strength of body this can be an excellent reason to choose a particular spirit.

by Whisper

A fearsome four legged beast that stands nearly six feet tall at the shoulder, the dreaded Beagle is known for its sharp claws, keen eyesight, and hooked beak. Its body is covered in thick, protective feathers that serve as easily replaceable armor.

Beagles are fiercely territorial, especially when their young are nearby, and as such can prove to be a difficult spirit to capture.

Role in Artifice

Often found in armor artifice thanks to their natural resiliency and ability to 'mend' themselves over time. Some helmet artifices take advantage of the Beagle's keen sight to confer the same about their wearers.

Role in Bindings

Beagles are incredibly strong beasts and those who bind with their spirits become stronger and tougher. It isn't uncommon for someone to be able to lift an additional two hundred pounds or more. The binder's eyesight is similarly improved, granting their sight something akin to a 10x optical zoom at will.

by Whisper

A top predator in the oceans of Hyborea, the Iscarlin is a powerful fish that can measure up to 12 feet long or more. Its most prominent physical features are its brilliant blue sheen and its long, spear-like upper lip that it uses to pierce its prey.

Its physical attributes are not what it is most well-known for, however. The Iscarlin is capable of teleporting - 'blinking' - to a location up to thirty feet away. While this is a powerful defensive tool, it is the way the Iscarlin uses its blink in hunting that has gained it such notoriety. Most hunters need to sneak up on their prey to land a hit - the Iscarlin needs to simply build up speed towards its prey and then blink directly next to it to ensure a stab of its spear lands.

Role in Artifice

Their prodigious speed make them favored spirits when creating small water vessels. While these vessels tend to be too large to take advantage of the Isacarlin's ability to 'blink', they are nonetheless exceptionally fast.

Role in Bindings

Iscarlin are fast swimmers, able to reach speeds of 80 mph or more for long periods of time. Their binders benefit from significantly increased movement speed (+~16 mph), enhanced stamina, and the ability to 'blink step' up to 30 feet once every minute. They need to be able to see their destination and arrive with all of their momentum intact.

The largest and/or most powerful of creatures yield 'greater spirits'. The speed of a ship, the strength of its weapons, the protective field of a port, and more all rely upon these most powerful of spirits.

As with Normal Spirits, Greater Spirits bestow not just their magical capabilities but their physical ones as well. The total physical ability gained is roughly the same as could be drawn from a Normal Spirit - which might be significantly less than the creature's original body. Given that these creatures are sometimes hundreds of meters long, there is simply no way that a Hyboran can contain more than a small percent of their physical prowess.

If you wish to add a new Spirit, go for it! Please keep in mind any balance implications. Below is a simple template that you can copy. As this page is intended to be used by many people for a long time, please only add to it if you are comfortable with your additions being a permanent part of the setting.

==== Creature Name ====
<blockquote>
//by [[user:(YOURUSERNAME)]]//

A brief description of the creature, including its appearance, behavior, etc. Enough that if someone wants to go capture one of these creatures, they can write about it and stay true to your vision for them.

**Role in Artifice**

When used as the force driving an artifice, what can the artifice do?

**Role in Bindings**

When bound to a vessel or rune scar, what power does the Spirit grant? Should be the same, thematically, as what it could do as an Artifice, but the powers need not be the same.
</blockquote>

• Player Whisper created this on 2021/07/17 15:58.

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