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Harpy

Harpy
Create (midjourney.com)

Harpies are grotesque, nightmarish creatures with the upper bodies of haggard women and the lower bodies of birds of prey. Their humanoid torsos are skeletal and emaciated, with filthy, bloodstained skin stretched tight over wiry muscles. Tangled, matted hair falls over faces twisted into a permanent mask of malice, their sharp, predatory eyes gleaming with cruel intelligence. Instead of hands, they possess long, razor-sharp talons caked in grime, perfect for rending flesh. The lower half of their bodies is covered in mottled feathers, and powerful avian wings sprout from their backs, allowing them to soar and dive with lethal precision. Their shrill, discordant voices resonate through the air, heralding impending doom.

Behavior:

Harpies are sadistic and chaotic, driven by a twisted pleasure in the suffering of others. They are opportunistic hunters and tormentors, delighting in the fear and pain of their victims. They exhibit a cunning intellect, often setting traps and ambushes, and using their eerie songs to manipulate their prey. Harpies are incredibly vindictive; once they have marked a target, they will pursue and taunt them relentlessly, savoring their victim’s desperation. They are not interested in a quick kill but rather in prolonging agony, toying with their prey like a cat with a mouse until they are bored or until their victim is broken in both body and spirit.

Habitat:

Harpies are often found in desolate, forsaken places such as wind-swept cliffs, gloomy marshes, dense cursed forests, or the rotting remains of ancient ruins. They prefer areas that exude decay and despair, where the landscape itself seems to whisper of lost hope. Such locations serve both as hunting grounds and lairs, the eerie songs of the Harpies echoing over the barren land to lure travelers into their domain. Their nests, twisted masses of bones, twigs, and detritus, are typically perched high in the trees or upon jagged outcroppings, providing a vantage point from which to spot intruders.

Modus Operandi:

Harpies hunt primarily using their Captivating Song, a magical melody that enchants all who hear it, compelling them to approach the Harpy despite the danger. Once a victim is entranced, they are lured through perilous terrain—off cliffs, into treacherous bogs, or directly into the Harpy’s waiting claws. Should the victim resist or break free, the Harpy will swoop down, attacking with vicious talon strikes and Flyby Attacks, retreating quickly before the target can retaliate. They prefer to isolate prey from groups, separating the weakest or most vulnerable before launching a full assault. If a victim survives long enough, Harpies will play cruel games, like dropping them from heights or leading them through thorny undergrowth, savoring every scream of pain and despair.

Motivation:

Harpies are driven by an insatiable hunger for both flesh and suffering. While they do consume the bodies of their victims, their true sustenance seems to come from the torment they inflict. The agony and fear of their prey are like a feast for their twisted souls. They relish breaking the will of their victims, savoring their screams as much as any physical nourishment. This cruel delight in causing harm is not just instinctual but almost ritualistic, suggesting that each act of violence feeds some deep-seated, sadistic need. They are inherently chaotic and malevolent, embodying the destructive, unpredictable nature of storms and tempests, leaving misery and ruin in their wake wherever they roost.


  • Harpy 5e
  • Harpy 3.5
Harpy
Create (midjourney.com)

Medium Monstrous Humanoid (fey), Chaotic Evil


Armor Class

15 (Natural Armor)

Hit Points

66 (11d8 + 22)

Speed

20 ft., Fly 80 ft. (hover)


Ability Scores

STRDEXCONINTWISCHA
12 (+1)18 (+4)14 (+2)8 (-1)12 (+1)18 (+4)

Saving Throws

  • Dexterity +7
  • Charisma +7

Skills

  • Deception +7
  • Performance +7
  • Stealth +7
  • Perception +4

Damage Resistances

  • Thunder, Psychic

Senses

  • Darkvision 60 ft., Passive Perception 14

Languages

  • Common, Abyssal, Sylvan

Challenge

4 (1,100 XP)


Traits

Captivating Song

  • Action: As an action, the harpy can sing a magical melody. Each creature within 300 feet that can hear the harpy must succeed on a DC 15 Wisdom saving throw or be charmed for 1 minute. The charmed target is incapacitated and moves toward the harpy by the most direct route. A creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on a success.

Darkvision

  • The harpy can see in dim light within 60 feet as if it were bright light and in darkness as if it were dim light. It can’t discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.

Fey Ancestry

  • The harpy has advantage on saving throws against being charmed, and magic can’t put it to sleep.

Windborne Flight

  • The harpy has advantage on Dexterity saving throws against effects that would knock it prone and can hover in place.

Nimble Escape

  • The harpy can take the Disengage or Hide action as a bonus action on each of its turns.

Actions

Multiattack

  • The harpy makes three attacks: one with its Club and two with its Claws.

Club

  • Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target.
  • Hit: 10 (1d8 + 4) bludgeoning damage.

Claws

  • Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target.
  • Hit: 8 (1d6 + 4) slashing damage.

Luring Song (Recharge 5-6)

  • The harpy can use its Captivating Song to draw in creatures that are not already charmed. Any creature that fails the saving throw is also frightened while it can see the harpy. A frightened creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on a success.

Whirlwind of Talons (Recharge 5-6)

  • The harpy performs a swirling aerial maneuver, creating a gust of wind. Each creature within a 15-foot radius must succeed on a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw or take 13 (3d8) slashing damage and be knocked prone. On a successful save, a creature takes half damage and isn’t knocked prone.

Tactics

  • Ambush and Allure: Harpies utilize their Captivating Song from a distance, trying to lure in their prey. They often hide in trees or on cliffs, waiting for unsuspecting travelers. Once a target is charmed, they swoop down to attack.
  • Divide and Conquer: They prefer to charm single targets and draw them away from the group, exploiting their charming abilities effectively.
  • Mobility and Retreat: Harpies use their high flying speed to evade melee attacks. They engage with claws and clubs before flying out of reach, using Nimble Escape to hide or disengage as needed.
  • Team Tactics: In groups, harpies coordinate their songs to charm multiple enemies, using their Luring Song and Whirlwind of Talons to sow chaos among their foes.
  • Territorial Defense: When defending their nests, harpies create a barrier of deception, using the terrain to their advantage and potentially working with other creatures to set up ambushes.

Environment

Harpies are typically found in high mountainous regions, cliffside caves, or forests, often nesting in secluded areas that provide both a vantage point and cover.


Lore

  • Mythological Roots: In ancient mythology, harpies were often depicted as agents of punishment, stealing and tormenting the unwary. They were associated with storms and the destructive forces of nature, embodying chaos and malevolence.
  • Nature of Cruelty: Harpies take delight in the suffering of others, often tormenting their prey before delivering the final blow. Their songs weave illusions of safety, drawing travelers to their doom.
  • Sisters of the Wind: While many tales tell of individual harpies, they are often portrayed as sisters or part of a larger brood, working together to ensnare their victims and wreak havoc.
Harpies in the infernal wood, from Inferno XIII, by Gustave Doré, 1861, Harpy
Harpies in the infernal wood, from Inferno XIII, by Gustave Doré, 1861

Hybrid monsters They have winged monsters with the bodies of birds and the heads and torsos of women. Harpies like to entrance hapless travelers with their magical songs and lead them to unspeakable torments. Only when a harpy has finished playing with its new “toys” will it release them from suffering by killing and consuming them.These take great glee in the harm and suffering of others, They resemble an evil-faced old human with the lower body, legs, and wings of a bird. Its hair is tangled, filthy, and crusted with the blood of past victims. They typically wear no clothing.

The Harpies were best known for constantly stealing all food from Phineas.

The Harpies were sisters of Iris, daughters of Typhon and Echidna.

Phineas, a king of Thrace, had the gift of prophesy. Zeus, angry that Phineas revealed too much, punished him by putting him on an island with a buffet of food which he could never eat. The Harpies always arrived and stole the food out of his hands right before he could satisfy his hunger, and befouled the remains. This continued until the arrival of Jason and the Argonauts. The Boreads, sons of Boreas, the North Wind, who also could Fly, succeeded in driving the Harpies away but did not kill them, as a request from Iris, who promised that Phineas would not be bothered by the Harpies again, and “the dogs of great Zeus” returned to their “cave in Minoan Crete”. Thankful for their help, Phineas told the Argonauts how to pass the Symplegades.

In this form they were agents of punishment who abducted people and tortured them on their way to Tartarus. They were vicious, cruel and violent. They lived on Strophades. They were usually seen as the personifications of the destructive nature of wind. The Harpies in this tradition, now thought of as three sisters instead of the original two, were: Aello (“storm swift”), Celaeno (“the dark”) also known as Podarge (“fleet-foot”) and Ocypete
(“the swift wing”).

Aeneas encountered Harpies on the Strophades as they repeatedly made off with the feast the Trojans were setting. Celaeno cursed them, saying the Trojans will be so hungry they will eat their tables before they reach the end of their journey. The Trojans fled in fear.

Roleplaying

Source(s) 3.5E Monster Manual I, 3E Monster Manual I, Creature Collection 1, Monstrous Compendium Volume 1, Menace Manual, 1E Monster Manual 1, Basic Boxed Set, Rules Cyclopedia, Classic D&D Game, Monstrous Manual, Warcraft Manual of Monsters

Harpy
  Size/TypeMedium monstrous humanoid
Hit Dice7d8 (31 hp)
Initiative+2
Speed20 ft. (4 squares), Fly 80 ft. (average)
Armor Class13 (+2 Dexterity, +1 natural), touch 12, flat-footed 11
Base Attack/Grapple+7/+7 Attack club +7 melee (1d6)
Full Attackclub +7/+2 melee (1d6) and 2 claws +2 melee (1d3)
Space/Reach5 ft./5 ft. 5 ft./5 ft.
Special AttacksCaptivating song
Special QualitiesDarkvision 60 ft.
SavesFort +2, Ref +7, Will +6
AbilitiesStrength 10, Dexterity 15, Constitution 10, Intelligence 7, Wisdom 12, Charisma 17
SkillsBluff +11, Intimidate +7, Listen +7, Perform (oratory) +5, Spot +3
FeatsDodgeFlyby Attack, Persuasive
EnvironmentTemperate marshes
OrganizationSolitary, pair, or flight (7-12)
Challenge Rating4
TreasureStandard
AlignmentUsually chaotic evil
AdvancementBy character class
Level Adjustment+3

Combat

When a harpy engages in battle, it prefers to use Flyby Attack and strike with a melee weapon.

Captivating Song (Su)

The most insidious ability of the harpy is its song. When a harpy sings, all creatures (other than harpies) within a 300-foot spread must succeed on a DC 16 Will save or become captivated. This is a sonic mind-affecting charm effect. A creature that successfully saves cannot be affected again by the same harpy’s song for 24 hours. The save DC is Charisma-based.

A captivated victim walks toward the harpy, taking the most direct route available. If the path leads into a dangerous area (through flame, off a cliff, or the like), that creature gets a second saving throw. Captivated creatures can take no actions other than to defend themselves. (Thus, a fighter cannot run away or attack but takes no defensive penalties.) A victim within 5 feet of the harpy stands there and offers no resistance to the monster’s attacks. The effect continues for as long as the harpy sings and for 1 round thereafter. A bard’s countersong ability allows the captivated creature to attempt a new Will save.

Skills

Harpies have a +4 racial bonus on Bluff and Listen checks

HARPY LORE

Originally posted by Eric Cagle
Evandar_TAybara of the Wizards Community forums.
On this Thread

Characters with ranks in Knowledge (Nature) can learn more about harpies. When a character makes a successful skill check, the following lore is revealed, including the information from lower DCs. Knowledge (dungeoneering) can also be used, but all check DCs increase by 5.

Knowledge (Nature)

DCResult
12This filthy, wretched creature is a harpy. This reveals all monstrous humanoid traits.
17Harpies can Fly with average maneuverability and can make Flyby Attacks.
22The song of a harpy can captivate living creatures and cause them to approach it. Creatures within 5 feet do nothing, even as the harpy rends them apart.
27While not particularly intelligent, harpies are smart enough to set up ambushes. They often ally themselves with more powerful creatures.
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