Bestiary: Galdikin

The following was supposed to be an entry on a table of magical side-effects / results of a botched spell. I let it get out of control somewhat.

Sometimes, when a spell is miscast -- be this through a wizard trying to use a scroll beyond their ken, the vagaries of wild magic, a rogue botching their Use Magic Device check, or whatever else can cause such results in your campaign -- the misdirected energy lets something through¹. A sort of mindless spirit, given shape and intelligence by the spell that the hapless magic-user meant to cast. These creatures are called galdikins.² Each galdikin takes a shape much like a mundane animal, often one common to the area, but with distinct visual differences based on the nature of the spell that gave them their form.³ Depending on the power of the spell, they could be anywhere from virtually harmless animals to incredibly dangerous creatures with supernatural intelligence.

Galdikins “feed" on the aura emanated by magic items. This does not damage the magic items, and it is not actually necessary for the survival of the galdikin, which is entirely capable of feeding itself as mundane animals of its apparent species do. However, if a galdikin does not spend at least eight hours a day in direct contact with a magic item, it feels an overpowering hunger until it gets the opportunity to replenish... whatever it is they get from such items. This is the overriding motivation of any galdikin: to have access to as many magical items as possible at all times. This behavior is the only way the wizard who creates them might be able to control the beasts -- they feel no loyalty whatsoever to the person whose blunders brought them into the world, but the more intelligent ones are willing to negotiate cooperation in exchange for access to magical items.

The thing that makes a galdikin a danger -- or a useful ally -- rather than a mere curiosity is that they retain the ability to use the spell that originally gave them form. Once a day, a galdikin can cast its “birth spell". In addition, if they spend enough time “feeding" on magic items, they are able to absorb some of the abilities of those items and increase their own powers. It is not uncommon for groups of galdikins to cooperate in order to build up a shared hoard for this purpose.

This man is having some difficulty with a fire shield galdikin. Or perhaps he is in negotiations and is offering it access to his enchanted trident. Who's to say?
(From the 16th-century Book of Lambspring)

Stats

“Galdikin" is a template that can be applied to any animal or vermin. Normally, this is only applied to Tiny creatures, but galdikins smaller or larger than the norm have been recorded. The base animal is whatever creature the GM thinks is an appropriate thematic fit for the galdikin's “birth spell" -- i.e., the spell that the inadvertent creator of the galdikin meant to cast. Note that galdikins are often Neutral, but can be of any alignment.

To create a galdikin:

• Change the base animal's creature type to Magical Beast; they receive the d10 hit die and all other qualities that this creature type implies.
• Give the base animal Hit Dice equal to the level of the galdikin's birth spell. (Galdikins from 0-level spells get ½ HD.)
• The galdikin can cast their birth spell 1/day as a spell-like ability. The specifics of the spell it casts are always identical to the intent of the caster: a galdikin that came from an empowered spell always casts that spell as if it were empowered; a galdikin that came from a summon monster spell can only summon the monster that the caster originally intended; &c. The save DCs for a galdikin's abilities are Int-based.
• Add 1d4 Intelligence points per hit die to the base animal. (Galdikins from 0-level spells get 1d4-2.) A galdikin from a low-level spell might be barely smarter than the animal it looks like, while a galdikin from a high-level spell could potentially be terrifyingly brilliant. 

So there you go. Now, if you botch a check to use a scroll of fireball, you might end up with a sapient flaming possum... who then spits a fireball right back at you, digs your magic items from the ashes, and runs off. You're welcome.

Care and feeding of your galdikin:

• If a galdikin is able to remain in contact with the same magic item eight hours a day for a full month, it will gain a new 1/week ability that allows it to duplicate one of the spells or effects that can be cast from the item. 
• If the item has multiple potential effects, such as a staff of frost, it gains only one of those abilities, chosen at random. It can, however, spend another month in contact with the item, and repeat this process to gain another ability until it has access to all of them.
• Each time a galdikin gains a new ability, it also gains 1 HD and 1d4 Intelligence points.

Note: Calculating the CR for something that can cast, for instance, meteor swarm but has no other abilities to speak of is difficult to do with any of the guidelines I can find. I would generally approximate a galdikin's CR as equal to half of its HD. 

High-level galdikin can be unexpected and dangerous villains, as demonstrated by the galdikin shown here, using dominate person.

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1. Through from where is up for debate. One leading theory suggests that these spirits don't come from outside the Material Plane, but are always around, drifting aimlessly through the world, until they get the opportunity to take form.
2. Real-world etymology: OE galdor, “sorcery" + diminutive suffix -kin (as in mannequin/manikin). Because “dweomerling" is taken.
3. So a galdikin based on color spray might be, say, a parrot whose feathers are constantly shifting color; one based on spider climb might be a tarantula with a dozen extra-long, multi-jointed, hooked legs.