The anacoluthon are a bane to spellcasters everywhere.
| No. Enc | 2d6 |
| Alignment: | Neutral |
| Movement | 60′ |
| Flying | 180′ |
| Armor Class | 6 |
| Hit Dice | 1 |
| Attacks | 1 |
| Damage | special (see description) |
| Save | Elf -2 |
| Morale | 7 |
Fey creatures closely associated with sprites, anacoluthon stand between 12 and 18 inches tall. They share many features common to elves including a slender build, pointed ears and proportionally longer arms than humans. They have delicate butterfly-like wings in a wide variety of colors and patterns, though their skin color is almost always an alabaster white.
Anacoluthon live in wooded areas near small villages where there is an abundant supply of flower nectar and berries. They are fascinated by humans, but usually keep their distance unless they see an opportunity for mischief. They can be bribed with honey or sweet-smelling flowers to be mischievous, though their playful acts are never intentionally harmful.
When anacoluthon feel threatened they will respond with a unique curse that inhibits the target’s ability to use language. The effects of the curse are random and can affect the victim’s ability to speak, comprehend spoken language, read and/or write. If a character successfully makes a saving throw (GM’s option which saving throw), the effects will last 1d6 turns. A favorite curse of the anacoluthon is to simultaneously compel a victim to repeat what he/she hears and be unable to accurately comprehend what is said.
Spellcasters that are victims of the curse will have great difficulty casting spells, creating scrolls, using scrolls and/or regaining new spells at the beginning of the day. Clerics will be unable to understand any information gained from divination spells., regardless of the curse’s effects. Consult the table below for each victim of the curse.
| Roll (2d6) | Effect |
| 2 | Victim has no ability to understand or generate written or spoken language. |
| 3 | Victim believes that they can only communicate through singing – they are mistaken. |
| 4 | Victim cannot write or speak, but can only draw pictures to communicate. |
| 5 | Victim is compelled to repeat what the nearest creature says, but will not be aware of their actions. |
| 6 | Victim has difficulty understanding what they are reading. |
| 7 | Victim has difficulty calling things by their correct names. |
| 8 | Victim has difficulty understanding what they are writing. |
| 9 | Victim can understand what they read, but has difficulty remembering it. |
| 10 | Victim has difficulty using verbs and adjectives when speaking. |
| 11 | Victim can only speak in one language but only comprehend in a different language. |
| 12 | Choose two effects listed above. |
The curse can sometimes be removed by either a remove curse spell or a comprehend languages spell. The remove curse spell has a 2 in 6 chance of removing the curse. A comprehend languages spell has a 1 in 6 chance.
Better cures for removing the curse are available, but they involve rare substances or performing a favor for a deity. In villages that lie near anacoluthon populations, the local doctor or priest will usually be able to help victims of the curse quest for a cure.
Edited by Charles Dickey
Number 4 is my favourite. I can see my group starting a game of Pictionary mid-session