“Boggarts: Keepers of Misery and Mischief”
“Beware the Boggart: The Mischievous Spirit That Turns Your Home Into a Chaotic Nightmare!”

A Boggart is typically described in British folklore as a small, hunched creature with grotesque, goblin-like features. It has leathery, grayish skin, wiry hair, and glowing yellow eyes that pierce through the dark. Its arms are unnaturally long, with clawed fingers that scrape and snatch, while its gnarled teeth are sharp and uneven. Despite its physical form, a Boggart often remains unseen, lurking in shadows or corners, and its presence is more often felt than seen—through cold drafts, eerie sounds, or the sense of being watched.
Behaviour
The Boggart is malevolent by nature, thriving on mischief and causing fear. It takes delight in tormenting humans and animals alike, from stealing small objects like keys or shoes to spoiling food or spilling milk. Over time, its tricks escalate into physical harassment—pinching, scratching, pulling hair, or even pressing on a sleeper’s chest to invoke nightmares. Unlike more neutral or helpful household spirits, Boggarts are entirely harmful, with no interest in coexisting peacefully.
Habitat
Boggarts are most commonly found in two types of environments:
- Household Boggarts: These spirits inhabit homes, particularly dark and secluded areas such as attics, basements, or cupboards. They may attach themselves to a specific family, remaining with them even if they move.
- Wild Boggarts: Found in lonely, eerie places like marshes, caves, hollow trees, or abandoned buildings, these Boggarts act as territorial spirits. They haunt travelers, leading them astray with false trails, mimicked voices, or disorienting noises like whispers, laughter, or footsteps.
Modus Operandi
A Boggart’s tactics are deliberate and systematic:
- Subtle Presence: Initially, the Boggart announces itself through minor disruptions like misplaced items, strange noises, or a general feeling of unease.
- Escalation: As fear and frustration build, the Boggart becomes more aggressive, spoiling food, breaking objects, and physically harassing people or pets.
- Control Through Fear: The more attention and fear a Boggart provokes, the stronger it seems to grow. Efforts to confront or expel it often fail, and acknowledgment of its presence may only increase its activity.
Motivation
The Boggart’s ultimate motivation appears to be chaos and fear. It derives satisfaction—or sustenance—from the distress of its victims. In some legends, its attachment to a family or home is believed to stem from a perceived slight or broken taboo, such as neglecting rituals to ward off spirits or disrespecting the natural world. However, many accounts suggest that a Boggart can attach itself to a person or place arbitrarily, driven by its inherently malicious nature rather than any specific grievance.
The only true solution to a Boggart’s torment is often avoidance, as once it settles in, its malicious grip is almost impossible to break.
Boggart 5e
Boggart Pathfinder
Boggart

Small fey, chaotic evil
Armor Class 14 (natural armor)
Hit Points 45 (6d6 + 24)
Speed 30 ft.
STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
10 (+0) | 16 (+3) | 18 (+4) | 10 (+0) | 14 (+2) | 16 (+3) |
Saving Throws Dex +5, Wis +4
Skills Stealth +7, Perception +4, Deception +5
Senses Darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 14
Languages Sylvan, Common
Challenge 3 (700 XP)
TRAITS
- Fey Ancestry: The Boggart has advantage on saving throws against being charmed, and magic can’t put it to sleep.
- Mischievous Nature: When the Boggart hits a creature with a melee attack, it can choose one of the following effects:
- Spoil: A random object or piece of food within 5 feet becomes spoiled or ruined (useless for 1d4 hours).
- Startle: The target must succeed on a DC 13 Wisdom saving throw or be frightened until the end of its next turn.
- Disorienting Movement: The Boggart can move 10 feet without provoking opportunity attacks.
- Shadow Step: As a bonus action, the Boggart can teleport up to 30 feet to an unoccupied space it can see, but only if it is in dim light or darkness.
- Sneaky: The Boggart can take the Hide action as a bonus action on its turn. It can hide even if it is only lightly obscured.
ACTIONS
- Multiattack: The Boggart makes two attacks: one with its claws and one with its bite.
- Claw: Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 7 (1d6 + 3) slashing damage.
- Bite: Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 5 (1d4 + 3) piercing damage.
- Cackle of the Wicked (Recharge 5-6): The Boggart lets out a disturbing laugh that unnerves creatures within 30 feet. Each creature must succeed on a DC 14 Wisdom saving throw or be frightened for 1 minute. A creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success.
- Illusory Trickster (Recharge 6): The Boggart casts Minor Illusion as a bonus action. The illusion must be auditory or visual, and the Boggart can use it to create distractions, hide its movements, or mislead enemies during combat. The illusion lasts for 1 minute or until dispelled.
- Boggart’s Hoard (1/Day): The Boggart can summon a pile of stolen trinkets—coins, jewelry, and various mundane objects—that appears in a 10-foot square within 30 feet. Each creature within the area must make a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw or be distracted by the pile for 1 minute. While distracted, creatures suffer disadvantage on attack rolls and ability checks. The pile vanishes after 1 minute or when the Boggart chooses.
REACTIONS
- Unnerving Dodge: When a creature within 5 feet of the Boggart attacks it with a melee attack, the Boggart can use its reaction to impose disadvantage on the attack roll, as it suddenly shifts out of the way with a sudden, erratic movement.
- Counter Trick: When a creature within 30 feet of the Boggart makes an attack roll, the Boggart can use its reaction to create a distracting illusion that imposes disadvantage on the attack roll. The Boggart must be able to see the attacker.
TACTICS
- Ambusher: The Boggart excels at ambushes, using Shadow Step to reposition itself in dark areas. It often strikes from hidden locations and then uses its Illusory Trickster to create confusion among enemies.
- Psychological Warfare: It will start combat by using Cackle of the Wicked to frighten enemies and disrupt their concentration, often following up with Claw and Bite attacks to capitalize on the fear.
- Hoarding: The Boggart may use Boggart’s Hoard to lure enemies into a trap, creating distractions and forcing creatures to move toward a pile of trinkets. This gives the Boggart time to reposition and strike from a more advantageous location.
SUGGESTED SPELLS (Optional)
If the Boggart is allowed to use spells or magical effects, these would enhance its trickster nature:
- Cantrips (At will): Minor Illusion, Prestidigitation, Thaumaturgy
- 1st Level (2 slots): Disguise Self, Tasha’s Hideous Laughter
- 2nd Level (2 slots): Mirror Image, Misty Step
DESCRIPTION
The Boggart is a cunning and malevolent fey creature known for its ability to cause chaos and confusion. Its small size and agility make it difficult to hit, while its eerie, glowing yellow eyes and twisted grin instill fear in those who gaze upon it. The Boggart delights in playing tricks on others, whether through illusions, fright, or the theft of trinkets and valuables. When threatened, it is capable of quickly vanishing into shadows, reappearing in new positions, and creating distractions to escape or confuse its enemies.
Boggart

This gangly, long-armed creature has a face like a calf’s, but with large, forward-facing eyes and a mane of lank hair.
Boggart CR 4
XP 1,200
CE Small fey
Init +5; Senses low-light vision; Perception +12
DEFENSE
AC 16, touch 16, flat-footed 11 (+5 Dex, +1 size)
hp 31 (7d6+7)
Fort +3, Ref +10, Will +5
DR 5/cold iron
OFFENSE
Speed 30 ft., swim 30 ft.
Melee 2 claws +9 (1d3+2)
Space 5 ft.; Reach 10 ft.
Special Attacks abduct, sneak attack +1d6
Psychic Magic (CL 8th; concentration +12) 10 PE—aversion (2 PE, DC 16), hallucinatory terrain (4 PE, DC 18), hold person (2 PE, DC 16), invisibility (2 PE, DC 16), telekinetic maneuver (0 PE)
STATISTICS
Str 15, Dex 20, Con 13, Int 14, Wis 10, Cha 19
Base Atk +3; CMB +7 (+9 drag); CMD 19 (21 vs. drag)
Feats Agile Maneuvers, Combat Expertise, Improved Drag, Weapon Finesse
Skills Acrobatics +13, Bluff +10, Climb +12, Craft (traps) +10, Handle Animal +8, Intimidate +11, Knowledge (geography) +8, Knowledge (nature) +9, Perception +12, Sense Motive +4, Stealth +23, Swim +16; Racial Modifiers +2 Perception, +4 Stealth
Languages Common, Sylvan
SPECIAL ABILITIES
Abduct (Ex)
When a boggart hits a single target with both of its claw attacks as part of a full attack, it can attempt a drag combat maneuver as a free action.
The boggart can move more than 5 feet as part of this combat maneuver even if it doesn’t have any movement remaining for the round.
ECOLOGY
Environment temperate forests or swamps
Organization solitary, gang (2–5), or band (6–12)
Treasure standard
Malicious and furtive, boggarts are believed to be brownies that were mistreated or somehow corrupted. Unlike brownies, who sometimes form mutually beneficial relationships with particular families and take up residence within those families’ houses, boggarts rarely occupy homes.
Instead, they lurk in swamps, in marshes, and on riverbanks, favoring areas where people have vanished or drowned. A boggart’s relationship with nearby households and homesteads is almost always disruptive. It frightens livestock and breaks valuable objects, and even goes so far as to follow victims who move their households in an attempt to escape their tormentor. Despite these habits, boggarts rarely cause serious harm to their chosen families, preferring simply to sow fear and misery. Even though these relationships are characterized by animosity, they seem to stabilize the boggarts somewhat. Boggarts that lack households to terrorize are far less benign.
A boggart is rarely spotted unless it wishes to be seen, and it has little interest in fighting fair. When preying on its victims, a boggart uses its familiarity with its home terrain to its advantage, preferring to induce foes to struggle against the natural environment rather than against the boggart.
A boggart has very long arms, which it uses to pull creatures into water or onto marshy ground; it then psychically paralyzes its victims and allows the creatures to drown. A boggart is also quite skilled at setting traps and dragging its opponents into them. It sometimes uses aversion to keep people away from its home, but more often uses this power to prevent anyone from helping its chosen prey.
A boggart’s magic is drawn from the excess psychic energy in an area.
Boggarts cause mischief in order to heighten negative emotions near their homes and thus fuel their powers. It has been theorized that if a boggart were isolated from such energy for long enough, it could eventually revert into a brownie.
A typical boggart stands 3 feet tall and weighs 70 pounds.
Section 15: Copyright Notice
Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Bestiary 6 © 2017, Paizo Inc.; Authors: Robert Brookes, Benjamin Bruck, John Compton, Paris Crenshaw, Adam Daigle, Crystal Frasier, James Jacobs, Thurston Hillman, Tim Hitchcock, Brandon Hodge, Jason Keeley, Isabelle Lee, Jason Nelson, Tim Nightengale, F. Wesley Schneider, David Schwartz, Mark Seifter, Todd Stewart, Josh Vogt, and Linda Zayas-Palmer.