Dire stirges are much larger and formidable versions of the more common mosquito-like bats. Though far rarer, they too tend to live near large, stagnant water sources, are often encountered in swampy regions or dank underground caverns, and their relatively sword-like proboscis grievously impales foes and quickly drains their blood. The audible buzzing sound they make as they fly is much more pronounced than those of their smaller cousins.

This horrid flying creature looks like a cross between a large bat and an oversized mosquito. Its legs end in sharp pincers, and its long, needle-like proboscis slashes the air as it seeks its next meal.

Stirges feed on the blood of living creatures, attaching and draining them slowly. Although they pose little danger in small numbers, packs of stirges can be a formidable threat, reattaching as quickly as their weakening prey can pluck them off.

Blood Drain

A stirge attacks by landing on a victim, finding a vulnerable spot, and plunging its proboscis into the flesh while using its pincer legs to latch on to the victim. Once the stirge has sated itself, it detaches and flies off to digest its meal.

A single stirge is usually little more than an annoyance, but several can be deadly if they attach faster than a victim can remove them.

Weird winged creatures resembling hairless bats with tubular proboscis

Stirges are weird winged creatures that some say may have invaded from some other plane of existence. They are relatively small, just about 1 foot long with a wingspan of about 2 feet and an average weight of 1 pound. They vaguely resemble hairless bats with a rubbery tubular proboscis and no back legs (so that their body simply comes to a blunt point at the rear). If a stirge hits a living creature, it grabs on with hooked claws on its wing joints and quickly embeds its proboscis in the victim's body. The proboscis has rows of tiny serrated teeth on the inside, and literally turns itself inside out as it carves a way into the victim's body. This causes 1d4 points of damage, and the stirge then proceeds to suck the victim's blood, inflicting an additional 1d4 points of damage each round. Once attached, the creature can only be removed by killing it. The victim cannot use weapons larger than a dagger or hand axe to attack the creature, and cannot attack it at all if attacked from behind. Others may attack the creature with a bonus of +2 on the die roll, but any attack that misses hits the victim instead.

Feathered, bird-like creatures with long, sharp beaks.

Weird winged creatures resembling hairless bats with tubular proboscis

Stirges are bat-like flying mammals. They live in dark places and feed on blood.