Leprechaun
Leprechauns look like small humanoids with pointed ears, green eyes, and a wicked grin. They carry a bottle in one hand and a club in the other.1
Leprechauns are small, fun-loving tricksters. They are most commonly found in forests and share the close connection with nature that is possessed by most fey creatures. Leprechauns love playing tricks on unknowing passers-by—almost as much as they love a fine bottle of wine and a plateful of hot food in their bellies. They often steal something of worth from adventurers just to provoke a chase. Using their ability to disappear at will to its full potential, they wait until their victims appear to be about to give up the chase before reappearing once more to let the chase resume. They are not greedy creatures, and eventually drop what they stole, slipping away while their angry pursuers claim the lost property. The exception is gold—leprechauns love gold and often hoard it in secret, hidden places. It is rumoured that a person who finds a gold coin in the forest and returns it to the leprechaun that dropped it will be granted a wish as a reward. Unfortunately, these rumours are false—likely perpetuated by the leprechauns themselves in order to trick others into bringing them gold.1
Leprechauns prefer not to kill other creatures unless the ones attacking them are malicious or known enemies of the forest or fey. They often use their powers to befuddle and annoy evil folk, tricking creatures such as goblins and orcs into thinking a forest is haunted.1
Gnomes
Leprechauns are most closely related to gnomes, although the extent of the migration of gnomes to the Universe means gnomes are no longer classified as fey. Leprechauns' dalliance with the Netherworld is still not as strong as their core tie to the First World and so they do remain classified as fey.2
References
There is a major chapter about leprechauns in Fey Revisited.
For additional as-yet unincorporated sources about this subject, see the Meta page.
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 . “Monsters A to Z” in Bestiary 2, 177. Paizo Inc., 2010
- ↑ . “Leprechaun” in Fey Revisited, 17. Paizo Inc., 2013