I always felt the
Monster Manual was an excellent tool for slithery and slimy fiction ideas. Plus, it's sort of handy, when writing about things like that, for keeping track of what your slithery or slimy or other li'l buddies can and will do in a pinch!
March of the Monster Manual: Urban Sylph
Adapted Air Spirit
Hit Dice: 4d12+34 (64 hp)
Initiative: +4
Speed: 20 ft. (4 squares), fly 30 ft. (subject to wind)
Armor Class: 18 (+3 Dex, +5 natural), touch 9
Base Attack/Grapple: +1/+3
Attack: Buffet +8 melee (1d8)
Full Attack: Buffet +8 melee (1d8) and Shear +12 melee (1d12 plus ice shards)
Space/Reach: 3 ft./3 ft.
Special Attacks: Freeze effect, ice shards
Special Qualities: Can shape itself to inanimate objects for concealment, immunity to physical attacks with no modifiers, spell resistance 18, can combine with one other Urban Sylph for double stats
Saves: Fort +4, Ref +2, Will +7
Abilities: Str 9, Dex 17, Con 13, Int 9, Wis 12, Cha 12
Skills: Hide +16 (+18 near fire, smog or steam), Move Silently +14
Feats: Alertness, Combine
Environment: Towns and Cities, underground
Organization: Solitary, pair or pack (3-8)
Challenge Rating: 4
Treasure: Standard
Alignment: Usually chaotic neutral
Advancement: 6-12 HD (standard) 13-17 HD (Doubled)
Level Adjustment: -
Appearing as an unnaturally compact and resilient coud of smoke or smog, this air spirit is usually found in a cloud-like shape elongated vertically. It possesses a deal of knowledge accumulated in its drifting about the cities and towns; the problem is communicating with it. At peril, it will gather itself around the exterior of a medium-sized or large object so as to appear as nothing more than a shimmering coating.
Most creatures perceive urban sylphs as randomly wandering cloud effects, as they rarely attack unless threatened or directed. They are not social with others or each other; however, occasionally they will follow a greater spirit as a directed pack. Urban sylphs hoard and will trade knowledge, and can often be found hovering at the edge of crowds observing events to garner knowledge for later trade.
An urban sylph typically moves about in a gusting motion, at least three to four feet above the ground or as close to the ceiling as possible if lower than that. It has no conventional weight. Its color will range from a steam-like white to a smoke-like black, with its opacity dependent on its current dispersion. A dispersed urban sylph is extremely hard to see, but is also unable to defend itself easily or do much damage. It will take several seconds for a sylph to shift from its most compact to its most dispersed and vice versa.
Urban sylphs can understand Common, but require signing aids to communicate. Older, more powerful sylphs can manage to manipulate writing instruments.
Combat
Urban sylphs generally prefer to ambush their opponents from above or from a position of concealment in shadow or around objects. They start by using Ice Shards at distance, and will attempt to retreat to avoid physical contact, using freeze effects to slow pursuit. If cornered, they will attempt to escape through or around their surroundings and opponents; if there is an advantageous fighting position available they will make for it only if there are no complete escape routes.
Freeze Effects: Adjacent 20 feet square, once every 1d6 rounds, slow (duration 10 rounds). The save DC is Con based.
Ice shards: 20-foot cone, once every 1d6 rounds (1d4 in wet/humid). The save DC is Con based.
Skills: Urban sylphs have a +6 racial bonus on Hide checks.
This is a monster that the New York Magician has seen before.
With thanks and love to the Monster Manual!
Iron Noder 2010