Minor deities and personifications of nature in Greek myth, nymphs map neatly onto the fey creature type in Dungeons & Dragons. Mythic Odysseys of Theros includes stat blocks for four types of nymph. Three of these—the alseid, naiad and oread—are straightforward nature spirits, but the lampad (directly related to the modern English word “lamp,” believe it or not) was a torch-bearer and companion of Hecate, goddess of night, crossings and witchcraft. In Theros, the god Athreos, a Charon analogue, supplants Hecate; instead of lighting liminal spaces in the world of the living, Theran lampads light liminal spaces in the realm of the dead, along with aboveground places associated with death.
Greek alseids were grove nymphs, but Theran alseids are associated with meadows, grassy plains and farmlands. They’re magical creatures with exceptional Charisma, high Wisdom and above-average Intelligence. Although their Strength is also high, neither their Dexterity nor their Constitution is particularly impressive, although their Con is slightly higher than their Dex. Having low scores in both defensive abilities makes for a highly unusual ability contour, suggesting that an alseid in a combat encounter seeks neither to absorb damage nor to avoid it but rather to get out of the encounter altogether. However, its Con being slightly greater than its Dex, when it does make offensive use of its Charisma, it does so by touch. Even more than a shock attacker, an alseid is a hit-and-run combatant—when it doesn’t just run, period.
Radiant Touch, a Charisma-based melee spell attack, fits the alseid’s ability contour to a T, but it has the disadvantage that it doesn’t allow the alseid to get away without provoking an opportunity attack. So let’s take a look at its Innate Spellcasting and see what other options we have.
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