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. The list here is not exhaustive, nor are the ways that a creature's powers can be used the full extent of possibility.

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 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 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 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.

by Whisper

Sholves are ferocious creatures that stalk sea and shore alike with powerful legs and jaws. They are pack hunters and rely on a carefully maintained social structure that defines how they interact within their pack and with other packs. They walk or swim using four legs and have a long, finned tail and a prominent dorsal fin. Their skin is scaled, with a sandpaper-like texture, and tends to come in grays or browns. They have keen senses above and below water that they use to hunt their prey. Once they've found it, they rely on pack tactics to maneuver it into position before biting with their extremely powerful jaws and rows of teeth.

Shogs, on the other hand, are the domesticated descendants of sholves. While they come in a variety of breeds that excel at various jobs, the most common breed looks has the rough proportions of a Corgi, but stands knee-high. Its thick, but stubby legs and lolling tongue give it an adorable appearance that have made it a favored pet of many.

While shogs are loyal companions, they retain much of their predatory instincts and enjoy hunting small creatures. This makes them a common sight on ships, where their ability to ward off pests like the gryphigeon ensures they earn their keep.

Role in Artifice

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Role in Bindings

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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

Shadowy, goat-like beasts that seem to always be covered in a veil of shadow, the bargoat is a carnivorous predator that dwells within the dark crevices and hollows on the sides of Hyborea's mountains. Despite its hooves, it is an exceptional climber and can safely make its way up sheer mountain walls.

A bargoat's form seems to meld into any shade that it stands within, making it particularly difficult to see. It can teleport short distances from one shadow to the next, so long as they are within six feet of each other, so that it can remain within shadow perpetually. Exposure to bright light blocks both of these effects entirely.

Role in Artifice

Bargoats are rarely used in artifice as anything other than a simple power source. It is possible to create artifice that allows a medium sized object to conceal itself in places of dim light, but there have been few situations that call for it.

Role in Bindings

Not particularly strong or fast, those who bind with a Bargoat's spirit are much more interested in its ability to hide in shadows and move quietly from one shadow to the next. They benefit from its sure footedness, as well, and can balance just about anywhere their feet can find sufficient purchase. The Bargoat's granted ability to hide in shadows can be performed at will, while its shadow step can be used once every five seconds - so long as a large enough shadow is nearby.

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

With a narrow body up to eight feet long, the sinuous, blue-black Blureel are mostly found within small, undersea caves or in coral formations. Their muscular bodies are able to wrap around structures or creatures alike, holding tight or strangling as needed until their powerful jaws can finish their prey or ward off a would-be predator.

The Blureel has the peculiar magical trait of projecting a ghostly duplicate of itself nearby. While the image is certainly an illusion, it is able to move and intertwine with the Blureel's true body in such a way that it can be difficult to tell which body is real and which is the fake. Depending on the situation, the Blureel may even have its false duplicate act injured to draw in other creatures or try to scare off a predator by seeming to increase its numbers.

A Blureel's illusion is surprisingly sophisticated thanks to the wide range of creatures it hunts (and is hunted by). It replicates heat, air displacement, electrical signals, and even the perception of mass.

Role in Artifice

The Blureel's illusionary ability, when combined with the appropriate artifice, can be used in creating magical displays of varying types. Given the complexity of such an artifice, they are rare and typically fashioned only by master craftsmen.

Role in Bindings

Tricksters and fighters alike enjoy the ability to project an illusory copy of themselves. While the copy must remain within sight and within fifteen feet of the binder, their movements and appearance are convincing enough to fool most people - and their sensors. When used defensively, the image can be layered on top, just out of sync, of the binder - making it particularly hard to figure out how or where to strike them.

Blureels are strong beasts, though not particularly fast or nimble. A binder benefits from this strength and can lift an additional fifty pounds.

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.

by Whisper

Hailing from the fire moon Telos, these 10-20 feet long black creatures look like a cobra full of magma. Their tails, hoods, mouths, and the tips of the horn-like protrusions that emerge from the back of its head all glow with an orange-red light that speak to the Ravighast's capabilities.

The snake's fangs do not inject venom, but instead produce a small electrical charge between them. The Ravighast can spit a highly flammable liquid that, when ignited¹⁾ becomes a type of magical napalm.

Quite capable of hiding within the magma-laden surface of Telos, it is primarily an ambush hunter. Once it has found suitable prey, it moves near enough to ensure that its napalm will strike and then sets the target ablaze.

Should a Ravighast grow large enough, its spirit may mature into that of a Greater Spirit.

Role in Artifice

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

Role in Bindings

Ravighast binders can create a mild electric charge between their fingers. By exhaling forcefully and initiating the appropriate will, they can cause a spray of the Ravighast's flammable spit to emerge from in front of their lips and expel forth in a violent spray of fire that sticks to those it touches and continues to burn for minutes.

The Ravighast is swift, powerful, and cunning - a set of traits that it passes on to its binder. Ravighast binders are able to dodge blows more easily, move more swiftly, and plan ambushes with unusual skill.

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.

Avoid creature names that are copied from other sources, especially those that are copyrighted/trademarked (ie, no Tiamats, Beholders, etc), but do feel free to mash up creature names and/or words to make your own. Try to keep them memorable. Italian, Spanish, or Portuguese can be used to give the names a more 'local' feel, but it's not strictly necessary.

Avoid creatures that just grant a wide range of magic powers. A consistent thematic is important. Hyborans may have access to other magical abilities, so it's important to not overload any one source.

==== 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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