"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

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

"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

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

Instinct: To feed

• Engulf everything
• Fit through tight spaces
• Scatter

Who would have thought of mice the size of houses? Only a madman! Hopefully, it is just the dreams of the mad... hopefully. Instinct: To feed and breed

• Eat comically-sized food
• Disappear alarmingly

Instinct: Destroy those who defy their college

• Take magical flight
• Magically disarm an enemy
• Open a portal to their college

Instinct: Assume authority over magic activity

• Promote their college
• Enchant a weapon; gain Enchanted Weapon (d10 damage)
• Send a magical distress signal to their college

The Nomi are the easiest of the moonbound civilizations to study, for how brightly they shine. Amongst their number are the very few that have achieved the title of "Beacon", it is said. Those that can channel the divine light that the Nomi worship more directly than any other, and act as lenses that focus and tune the psionic meta-mind that the Nomi in their unity have achieved. It seems that what they say goes, and although they are generally communally minded, should enough of their number acquire different aspirations, the Nomi could achieve great and terrible things. Instinct: To perfect Nomi society

• Emanate choking, blinding, intoxicating refined Nomi Dust
• Manipulate tricks of the light to manifest illusions
• Show the world your mastery of light magic
• Usher forth radiant psi-constructs from the Burning Aether
• Utilise the collective psyche of your hive to perform terrifying psionic feats