Like their cousins, fire elementals, flame spirits are native to the Elemental Plane of Fire. Flame spirits appear on the Prime Material Plane only if they have been summoned by magical means.

The greater flame spirit looks like a pulsating ball of flame. A snaky tendril of fire, about 5 feet long, continually emerges from random areas of the creature’s body. No sooner does the tendril emerge than it is immediately withdrawn, only to re-emerge suddenly from another area of the body. The colored flames of the creature’s body are an ever-shifting pattern of yellow, red, and green. It has no facial features aside from two oval patches centered in its body, which are deep red. The patches serve as eyes.

Flame spirits speak their own language. When summoned to an area of the Prime Material Plane, they also speak languages common to that area. Their voices sound like hissing steam.

Combat: Flame spirits are fierce, savage opponents that attack on sight and will fight to the death. They attack with their flame tendril to cause 1-10 hit points of damage. Any flammable object must successfuly save vs. magical fire at a -1 penalty or burst into flames. Flame spirits cannot pass over water or any other noncombustible liquids.

Habitat/Society: Flame spirits only can be conjured in areas of open flame. To provide a greater flame spirit with a suitable shell, a fire must be built that has a diameter of at least 5 feet. Once the flame spirit occupies this shell, it swells to its full size, 10 feet in diameter.

Ecology: Evil wu jen often use greater flame spirits as bodyguards or to power huge furnaces used in magical experiments. These greater spirits consume any type of combustible material, but prefer seasoned wood and fresh parchment.

Lesser Flame Spirits

Lesser flame spirits are smaller versions of greater flame spirits, sharing their attitude and general appearance. Lesser flame spirits are 6-foot-diameter balls of fire, dull orange in color with black eyes. The creature’s tendril extends only 3 feet and inflicts only 1-6 hit points of damage; however, once per day it can cast pyrotechnics as per the 2nd-level wu jen spell, using any fire source other than its own shell.

A lesser flame sprit can consume only volcanic ash, basalt, and other volcanic rock; hence, it must be summoned in or near active volcanos. To provide a lesser flame spirit with a suitable shell, a fire must be built that has a diameter of at least 3 feet. Once the flame spirit occupies this shell, it swells to its full size, 6 feet in diameter.

If a lesser flame spirit reduces any scrap of parchment to ashes, the ashes can serve as a component for noisome spirit chasers.

Least Flame Spirits

Least flame spirits are the least destructive type of flame spirit. They appear as a 1-foot-diameter ball of fire, pure white in color with tiny red eyes. A least flame spirit’s tendril extends to a length of 2 foot and inflicts 1-4 hit points of damage. Once per day, the creature can cast fiery eyes, as the 1st-level wu jen spell.

Any candle flame is a suitable shell for a least flame spirit. Once summoned, the least flame spirit occupies the shell and swells to its full size, 1 foot in diameter. Relatively docile, least flame spirits are sometimes summoned to appear inside lanterns and then are used as light sources. As long as the summoner provides the least flame spirit with combustible materials for consumption, it passively remains inside the lantern.

If a least flame spirit reduces any scrap of pure silk to ashes, the ashes can be a component of a charm of protection from fire.