Gloom - By Bill Silvey

FREQUENCY: Rare
NO. APPEARING: 1
ARMOR CLASS: 0
MOVE: 12"
HIT DICE: 8
% IN LAIR: 50%
TREASURE TYPE: Z
NO. OF ATTACKS: Nil
DAMAGE/ATTACK: Nil
SPECIAL ATTACKS: See Below
SPECIAL DEFENSES: See Below
MAGIC RESISTANCE: Standard
INTELLIGENCE: Very High
ALIGNMENT: Chaotic Evil
SIZE: S (2' diameter)
PSIONIC ABILITY: Nil 
Attack/Defense modes: Nil
LEVEL/X.P. VALUE: VII/1300 + 12 per hit point

The Gloom is a creature not unlike the Will-o-wisp (q.v.). It too inhabits forgotten labyrinths and dismal swamps and attacks those lost there. It's weapon, though, is not the deceit and tricks used by the Will-o-wisp, rather, it derives it's nourishment from sucking the hope from it's victims. 

The Gloom will hover above a party, slowly driving each into a depressed funk. Each member of a party so affected can stave off the attack by the Gloom with a successful Save Versus Spells. Psionic defenses also prevent the Gloom from succeeding. 

Each unsuccessful Save Versus Spells costs the target(s) one point of Wisdom, and drives them deeper into a funk which they cannot seem to snap out of. If the targets are reduced to 0 Wisdom, they will simply lie down and will themselves to die - with no possibility of saving them unless the Gloom is slain IMMEDIATELY. 

Once slain, the victims regain Wisdom at a rate of one point every six turns.

Glooms are spheres of total darkness approximately two feet in diameter. They are likely (50%) to be mistaken for a Sphere of Annihilation> at a distance of more than ten feet.

Glooms hate Will-o-wisps, and will move to attack them. They do so by trying to envelop and smother these creatures. Note that these attacks are reserved for Will-O-Wisps alone.