Also known as “Soul Larva” these sickly disgusting five-foot-long slug-like worms with faces that vaguely resemble the visages they had in life are all that is left of mortals who meet their demise and are formed anew as these monstrous creatures in the Gray Wastes. Night hags are able to transform humans into larva via a number of actions, including strangling them in a magical slumber or by invading their dreams to diminish their constitution until they succumb. However, any soul that is absorbed into the fabric of the Gray Wastes is going to be twisted into a larva. As the base element upon which all deamons are constructed from, larva are an integral and important part of the ecosystem of every one of the lower planes.

So, what happens if you are turned into a larva? How does one recover from this? Is there a way to restore your character? Let’s take a look at what the source material says. According to all written information that is the canon for AD&D 2nd Edition, becoming a larva signals the end of the line for a character. There is no method provided anywhere to reverse this fate.

This doesn’t mean all hope is lost, however. There is always the possibility that the Game Master will show mercy and provide a way out. For instance, a carefully worded “Wish” spell might do the trick. No Game Master would ever use a poorly worded “Wish” spell to humiliate a player or make their situation worse, right? Ok, yes. I would recommend a Game Master always seek to exploit a hastily thrown together “Wish” even if it means their campaign goes belly up. You basically have to.

Another way out of this is to enlist the aid of an entity more powerful than a night hag. Perhaps an even more formidable devil or a helpful demigod. Certainly, the players will have one or more of these in their Rolodex. Surely such an incredibly mighty power as this would just love to be pestered into doing something to help a player that managed to get themselves into this predicament and not merely spend their time insulting the mortals seeking their aid and possibly looking to turn them all into larvae for wasting their time.

Or there is one other possibility. Perhaps the player has been duped into believing the night hag had the ability to attack them and turn them into larva. Maybe the night hag doesn’t really have this power. Maybe the night hag was given a special dispensation to use her attack against somebody she normally wouldn’t have been able to harm in this way. The players then need to seek out this higher power and confront them with this little tidbit.

“Only humans who are selfish and evil can be turned into larva and can be subjected to a night hag’s attack in this way.” Hmmm. Makes you think.