"Good morning," the Thing in the Well calls, "And how are we doing this morning Mrs. Westmen?" -- "Just wonderfully. How have you been keeping, Thing?" -- "Fine, fine. A little peckish, a bit in the mood for, you know, a nibble, a bite to eat. But don't worry yourself, perfectly fine." -- "It's quite alright Thing, I was just thinking I should bring by some lunch. How does a ham sound?" -- "You are too kind Mrs. Westmen, just too kind..." -- The Thing in the Well has lived in the village for longer than anyone can remember. It is traditional to fix regular meals for the Thing, and to present it with a sheep or pig on special occasions. Years ago a boy went down the well on a dare. He never returned. The subject has not been broached in the presence of the Thing. Instinct: To devour

• Politely collect tribute
• Leverage townspeople through secrets
• Purify water
• Hide in darkened waters

"The Old Ones, they knew much. Not the alchemy of man nor the sorcery of warlocks and the like. No, this is the magic of gears and pulleys, the sorcery of science. Watch your every step in the tower: be wary or you may call to life the ancient defense systems. You'll know the Defenders have awoken long before you face them, that's for sure; they're louder than a stomping giant and their hulls scrape the stone walls. You'll hear them coming, I'm sure you can avoid them, go on in the tower. Me? I... I'll stay out here. Got to have a lookout post, right?"

Instinct: Destroy all Intruders! *click* Defend the domain!

• Display immense and uncaring strength
• Soldier on, ignoring all damage until the last
• Reveal a hidden function from the depths of its gearworks

Each individual shadow is actually a swarm of tiny, dust-sized demons. No one is quite sure where they come from, or how to kill them, but it is known that children of every species on every plane of existence know to fear the darkness . . . Instinct: To spread

• Devour flesh
• Impersonate voices
• Absorb knowledge from those it kills

Scarabaeus pyractomena! What a delightful creature—see how its carapace glitters in the light of our torches? Not too close now, they’re temperamental, you see. The fire in their belly isn’t just metaphorical, no. Watch as I goad the beast. Aha! A spout of flame! Unexpected, isn’t it? One of these creatures alone, if it comes up from below, can be a hellish nuisance to a farmstead or village. A whole swarm? There’s a reason they call it a conflagration of fire beetles. Instinct: To enflame

• Undermine the ground
• Burst from the earth
• Spray forth flames

Some are wont to lump these little, rat-like dragon-men in with goblins and orcs, bugbears and hobgoblins. They are smarter and wiser than their kin, however. The kobolds are beholden slaves to dragons and were, in ancient times, their lorekeepers and sorcerer-servants. Their clans, with names like Ironscale and Whitewing, form around a dragon master and live to serve and do its bidding. Spotting a kobold means more are near—and if more are near then a mighty dragon cannot be far, either. Instinct: To serve dragons

• Lay a trap
• Call on dragons or draconic allies
• Retreat and regroup

These guys didn't start out bigger or stronger than their siblings. They were just meaner. Instinct: Frenzy all the way

• Enter a frenzy
• Incite another demon to frenzy

Sahuagin sorcerers believethey can increase their own strength by eating the bone marrow of other sorcerers. Their leech-like mouths flare wide whenever they scent another natural spellcaster. Instinct: Steal the magic of other sorcerers

• Eat the bone marrow of other sorcerers
• Curse an enemy with the drowning curse
• Fish a ghastly concoction out of its robes and use it

The hottest fires of hell are enough to set the souls of the damned alight. Instinct: to burn the souls of the damned

• Loose a fiery bolt
• Engulf an enemy in its fiery body

Controlled by a far-off master, a stone hand rises from the floor and attempts to smash its master's enemies. Instinct: to wreck its master's enemies

• Grab blindly with the strength of an earthquake
• Crush a grabbed enemy
• Swipe blindly at several opponents

Fungoyles are mushroom-shaped creatures with hard, stone-like flesh. They have spindly enoki arms and hands and porous morel legs and feet. They will help newcomers by leading them through the caverns but only as long as the visitors play along with their games. Each Fungoyle will initiate a different children's playground staple and they will occasionally circle around a visitor with the expectation of learning a new game from them. Instinct: Play!

• Start a new game
• Circle around a PC and wait expectantly