The banshee is a low intelligence vampire. At the instant of death, the horrible creature devours the released. They use a unique clairvoyant ablity that enable them to sense the likelihood of death. Like a demonic vulture, it is drawn by the psychic scent of death and waits. The instant the potential pyschic energy leaves the body, the banshee is there to devour it. The creature does not use the energy for magic for any other purpose other than nourisment.

The presense of the banshee does not automatically mean that there will be death or tragedy, but it does mean that the bizarre creature sensed a real possiblity of death that will usually occur within 72 hours of the banshee's arrival.

Size: 6 to 8 feet tall, weightless spirit being

Attacks only if feels threatened

Powers: Clairvoyance, sense magic and empathic transmission. the latter is the only way it can attack flesh and blood. Automatically senses emotions, as well as sickness and death.

Natural Abilities: Hovers and floats above the ground up to 100 feet. Teleports self up to 2000 miles but only when going to a new feeding site. Natural state is invisible and it cannot make itself visible.

Ethereal By Nature: This means it can walk through solid matter like walls, while physcial attacks, like arrows, swords, fire and energy blasts, do no damage... they just pass right through.

The Banshee' s Wail: the banshee is an impatient and eternally hungry creature. If a death doesn't occur within 10 hours, it will begin to moan and radiate an empathic field that creates a sensation of despair or sorrow. The powerful, undirected empathic transmission will affect everybody within 60 feet of the banshee. NOTE: The banshee wail is not born of sorrow, but of self pity, the foul being is sad because it cant's wait to eat and it is getting ever so hungry. The wail is a deep, mournful howl that can make a person's blood turn cold. The frightful moaning will make everybody nervous and jumpy, especially if they know the source is a banshee.

A banshee will leave when the person dies or if it senses that the person will recover. However a banshee may wait as long as six weeks, especially if it senses a great deal of potential psychic energy of many deaths. It can be driven away by exorcism, intensely strong emotions of love or by psionic combat. The use of a banshee can be an excellent means of creating a sense of impending danger and suspense.

Weaknesses: Banshee's are vulnerable to telepathy, empathic tranfer, bio-manipulatioin, attacks from astral travelers, exorcism, banishment, constrain being, commune with spirits, summon lesser being and cannot enter magic sanctums or circles of protection.

NOTE: It's usually fairly difficult and pointless to kill a banshee, its far easier to chase it away via exorcism or by some other psionic or magic method. These scavengers are unallied to other supernatural beings and are seldom used by demon lords.