Buy me a coffeeBendith y Mamau
The Bendith Y Mamau (“The Mothers’ Blessing”) is a rather unpleasant clan of Welsh fairies. They steal children and substitute them for their own ugly ones, called Crimbils. Bendith Y Mamau are most readily identified with the Brownies, or the West Country Pixies, although also regarded as the result of interbreeding between goblins and fairies.
They belonging to the Unseely Court of Carmarthenshire.
Behavior
Mothers had to take precautions not to leave their babies unattended in fairy country as Bendith were particularly ready to steal small children and replace them with their own changelings known as Crimbils.The Bendith envy beauty, and are sometimes consumed by jealousy, but they generally treat their captives well.
They would raise the child, teaching it of music and song in an extended Reverie, only returning the child much later, with only faint memories of sweet music. It was thought that they needed to improve their stock with mortal blood. The Bendith are also known to be astounding brilliant musicians and singers.
* There were various methods of retrieving mortal children from the clutches of the Bendith Y Mamau, many of them barbaric to the poor child suspected of being a Crimbil. Through the intervention of a witch, the parents can regain the stolen child, who will remember nothing of its time with the Bendith Y Mamau, except for a vague recollection of sweet music.
* Calling the fairies by the flattering title of the ‘Mothers Blessing’ was thought to appease them.
| Bendith Y Mamau | |
| Small Humanoid (Goblinoid) | |
| Hit Dice | 1d8-1 (3 hp) |
| Initiative | +2 |
| Speed | 20 ft. (4 squares) |
| Armor Class | 15 (+1 size, +2 Dexterity, +2 natural, +1 small wooden shield), touch 12, flat-footed 14 |
| Base Attack/Grapple | +0/-4 |
| Attack | shortspear +0 melee (1d4) |
| Full Attack | shortspear +0 melee (1d4) |
| Space/Reach | 5 ft./5 ft. |
| Special Attacks | Spell-like abilities, memory loss |
| Special Qualities | Low-Light Vision, Spell Resistance 11 |
| Saves | Fort -1, Ref +4, Will +1 |
| Abilities | Strength 11, Dexterity 14, Constitution 9, Intelligence 10, Wisdom 13, Charisma 10 |
| Skills | Hide +7, Listen +2, Move Silently +4, Perform (sing) +8, Sleight of Hand +7, Spot +2 |
| Feats | Dodge |
| Environment | Temperate hills |
| Organization | Solitary, gang (2-4), band (6-11), or tribe (20-80) |
| Challenge Rating | ½ |
| Treasure | Standard |
| Alignment | Usually chaotic neutral |
| Advancement | By character class |
| Level Adjustment | +1 |
A squat, ugly humanoid, this creature has a dour face only a mother could love. It has long, knobby limbs, thick bones and joints, and a coarse gray flesh. Its face has a bulbous nose, thin lips, heavyset eyebrows, and large, pointed ears.
This particularly ugly breed is a mix of goblin heritage and fey traits. They are squat creatures with heavy, awkward bones, a gray flesh, and thick, curly reddish-brown hair. Their face is particularly unpleasant to look upon, with pronounced features; a large, bulbous nose; thin, frowning lips, and heavy eyebrows. The ears of the bendith are outsized, with the distinctive pointed tips of fey creatures.
The bendith y mamau are a selfish species who care little for the troubles of others. They envy beauty in all its forms and seek it for their own. Jealousy comes easily to this race. They are also frequently grumpy, but can be patient and slow to anger. Their most redeeming quality is the beautiful music they can produce, an ability undoubtedly a gift of their fey-touched blood. They practice music at every opportunity, striving to achieve new levels of talent yet never quite attaining the ability they desire.
Bendith y mamau speak Common, Goblin, and Sylvan.
Combat
Most bendith y mamau would rather avoid a fight, even one they could win handily, and are not particularly noted for their martial qualities. They will use weapons when necessary, but prefer to fight at a significant advantage. Their spell-like abilities are put to good use when escaping an fight, or surprising a foe.
Spell-Like Abilities: At will- ghost sound, lullaby (DC 10).
2/day- invisibility, ventriloquism.
Caster level 3rd. The save DCs are Charisma-based.
Memory Loss (Su): Bendith y mamau have the unique ability to erase a creature’s memories by singing. Starting a memory loss song is a standard action requiring Concentration. The song must be targeted at a foe within 90 feet who can hear the music.
The Perform check result for the song is the DC for the affected creature’s Will save against the effect. If the saving throw fails, the creature sits quietly and listens to the song, taking no other actions, for as long as the bendith y mamau continues to play and concentrate. Whether or not the save is successful, that creature can not be affected again by the same bendith y mamau’s memory loss song for 24 hours. This is a mindaffecting effect.
The duration of memory lost must be specified before the song is completed, and can be no longer than one full day per round of continuous singing.
The subject retains its skills, languages, and class abilities, but forgets everything else learned during that time period until he or she receives memory restoration with limited wish, wish, or miracle.
Skills: Bendith y mamau have a +4 racial bonus on Perform (sing) and Sleight of Hand checks.
Advanced Benefits
In addition to the standard changes due to Hit Dice advancement, bendith y mamau also gain the following special benefits.
- Spell Resistance equals creature’s HD + 10 (maximum 25).
- The caster level of the spell-like abilities equals 3rd, or the class levels, whichever is greater.