Ethereal Filcher

This bizarre creature stands nearly as tall as a human, but that’s where the similarity ends. It has a baglike body that balances on a single, powerful leg that ends in a prehensile foot. Its face is located in the center of its body, with four eyes and a large mouth. Four long, multijointed arms extend from the body, each ending in long, slender fingers.

Ethereal filchers are bizarre-looking creatures with a penchant for snatching trinkets from passersby. Their ability to move quickly between the Ethereal Plane and the Material Plane makes them spectacular pickpockets.

Ethereal filchers dwell on the Material Plane, where they stuff their lairs with all manner of refuse. They prefer secluded, inaccessible spots, such as the bottom of an abandoned well or mine shaft, an alpine cave, or the basement of a ruined building. Ethereal filchers do not speak.

Combat

An ethereal filcher prowls about, using its ethereal jaunt ability to move about unseen (and often through solid objects). Upon locating a likely mark, it shifts to the Material Plane, attempting to catch its victim unaware. The creature attempts to seize an item, then retreats quickly back to the Ethereal Plane. It is not above delivering a bite to distract its target. Once it secures a trinket, it scurries back to its lair to admire its prize. When badly wounded, a filcher escapes rather than continuing the fight.

Any number of simple ruses can blunt a filcher’s attack. Quick-thinking individuals often can recover a stolen item simply by snatching it back before the filcher can escape. (Use the rules for making a disarm attempt.) Others keep a few cheap baubles available for the local filcher to snatch. Filchers are known to have a nose for magic, so items enspelled with magic aura or continual flame spells often prove irresistible, especially if they are also gaudy. Fortunately for its target, a filcher usually is satisfied with a single prize.

Detect Magic (Su): Ethereal filchers can detect magic as the spell (caster level 5th) at will.

Ethereal Jaunt (Su): An ethereal filcher can shift from the Ethereal Plane to the Material Plane as part of any move action, and shift back again as a free action. It can remain on the Ethereal Plane for 1 round before returning to the Material Plane. The ability is otherwise identical with the ethereal jaunt spell (caster level 15th).

Skills: Ethereal filchers have a +8 racial bonus on Sleight of Hand checks, and a +4 racial bonus on Listen and Spot checks.

Source: Monster Manual (version 3.5), page .