General:Creating ESO: The Scamp

The original article was posted here on July 26, 2013.

Discover more about the creatures of The Elder Scrolls Online in this look at the small but malevolent scamp.

The creatures that inhabit Tamriel come in all shapes and sizes, from massive beasts like the wamasu to small—but still potentially deadly—enemies like the scamp. In this article, we're going to take a closer look at the mischievous little Daedra and how it weaseled its way into ESO.

Fans of Morrowind and Oblivion will definitely recognize this Daedra. Scamps are small, and they aren't particularly intelligent, but they're agile combatants who delight in cruelty just as much as any of the larger Daedra. They're often summoned to perform simple tasks, and make good (if sometimes unruly) messengers and servants.

In ESO, we wanted the scamp to have a big personality despite his diminutive stature. As always, we looked carefully at the existing art and lore for the scamp when we began creating concept art. Our artists wanted to capture the scamp's agility and attitude in their concepts to give our animators a good base to work from, since animations would be so important in giving the scamp a unique feel.

Even though the Elder Scrolls setting is generally serious, we all know that there's plenty of humor to be found. The scamp's behaviors (especially its melodramatic death animation) can be comical, but they fit its size and attitude very well. Its abilities— like fireballs launched from its hands and raining from the sky—are intense and serious, and make it feel bigger than its voice and actions really are.

The scamp's voice also has a little humor to it. Several of the monsters in ESO speak their own special languages that aren't comprehensible to the player. Every now and then, you'll hear the scamp gibbering away crazily in its own little language, which is known to get a laugh or two when noticed. Be careful, though! The scamp is still dangerous, and you may find yourself locked in a deadly, fiery battle if you spend too long giggling.

You can see a video of ESO's scamp in action below. Thanks for checking out this edition of Creating ESO, and stay tuned for our next creature feature!

(A video is embedded in the article. The video can be viewed here.)