Monsterpedia

Harpy

Monster Level - II

Soul Type - Composite

Intelligence - Humanoid

Strength - Human level

Magic - Human level

Rarity - Common

Harpies have the torso and head of a human and the legs and arms of a bird. They are universally female and have the intelligence to use tools, though rarely the manual dexterity. Their main skill is flight, and given their size and the nature of labyrinths this isn't actually all that useful. While common they're usually killed by other monsters before delvers even reach them. In open air they're a level II threat or perhaps greater, but in labyrinths they're closer to level I...

Because of this, despite the fact that harpies are standard monsters and hostile to humanity, their instincts are more defensive than most monsters. They gather in flocks that viciously guard what territory they can claim. Only when a horde forms do they really start to aggressively hunt humans. Though their grouping instinct does cause hordes to form more often. Harpy leaders or 'queens' frequently possess magic skills, usually focusing on fire and wind.

The harpy's most dangerous ability is possibly their voice. While there's no magic involved they're masterful mimics. And since their enhanced vocal cords and greater intellect allow them to copy everything from friend's voices to a full out battle happening. They use this to lure delvers into ambushes or scare away other monsters.

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Harpy wings are actually closer to a combination of bat wings and bird wings! They have three small talons at the 'top' of the wing that allow them to grip and manipulate objects. It's not nearly as good as a human hand but you would be surprised at how much they can accomplish.

Merge

Common Name : birdfolk

Benefits : Air sense, mimicry

Weaknesses : Molting

Harpy merges have what can be considered one of the most dramatic and useless physical modifications. Their hair swaps to very fine and thin feathers, and they get additional thicker feather sets at their hips and shoulders. The coloration of these feathers can be incredibly varied, but in the end, they serve no real purpose. It's also apparently very itchy during the molting season.

More importantly harpies get a great sense of the flow of air in an area. Minute changes are immediately noticeable to birdfolk, allowing them to both navigate passages, find ventilation blocks, and guess the weather better than most humans. But the biggest change is the improvement in the merge's vocal abilities. They gain several octaves to their range and the intuition to make a number of sounds that most humans can't match.

Harpies are an uncommon merge, but almost universal. It's well liked among performing artists like actors and singers who appreciate the skill it gives them. While mimicry and more complicated voice tricks still require practice and training, the merge helps.

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One of the more common complaints from harpy and other bird merges is that their 'hair' length ends up being fixed to the point of their merge. The pinfeathers just grow to that point and stop. Some priestesses have managed to alter that process to allow longer or shorter 'hair' but styling is still impossible.