ECOLOGY

Environment temperate forests and swamps
Organization solitary, gang (2–5), or band (7–12)
Treasure standard

Malicious and furtive, boggarts are believed to be brownies who were mistreated or somehow corrupted.

Unlike their helpful fey cousins, who often form mutually beneficial relationships with particular families and take up residence within those families' houses, boggarts rarely occupy homes, but instead 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 a futile attempt to escape their tormentor. Despite these habits, boggarts rarely cause serious harm to their chosen families, preferring to simply sow fear and misery. Even though these relationships are characterized by animosity, they seem to stabilize the boggarts somewhat; boggarts who lack households to terrorize are less benign and are known to devour travelers and kidnap children.

A boggart is rarely spotted unless it wishes to be seen, and 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 its power of 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 excess psychic energy in an area, in much the same way that loci spirits' powers are. Boggarts cause their mischief in order to heighten negative emotions near their homes, and thus fuel their powers.

It is theorized that if a boggart were isolated from such energy for long enough, it would revert into a brownie.

A typical boggart is 3 feet tall and weighs 70 pounds.