The Pocus poppet is a recurring monster in the Dragon Quest series. First appearing in Dragon Quest IV, it is an animated clay figure imbued with mysterious powers.
Reappearing from Version 3.3 onward, Pocus poppets are first encountered in the Darkness territory of Nagaland. The dolls are able to cast Kafuddle and Kasap, put characters to sleep with Lullab-Eye, and perform Tap Dance. They can also be recruited for the first time since V by Item Masters from Version 4.2 onwards with the Pocus Poppet Book, dropped by their rarefied Shako demon counterparts.
Mystery: 22-29 / 32-99 Major Mystery: 22-29 / 32-99
Abilities
Can permanently reduce Torkenko's strength or HP.
Description
Malevolent mannequins that roam the dungeon aiming to cause chaos and misery for all comers. Every other turn will see a pocus poppet perform a special attack that either reduces your maximum strength by one or your maximum HP by five. These reductions will not be reverted even when the pocus poppet has been defeated, so be sure to wave a sealing stave as soon as possible or keep your distant and stick to using ranged attacks. The most effective way of dealing with these menaces is to throw an antidotal herb at them. Not only will doing so inflict an enormous amount of damage, it will also prevent them from performing their special attacks.
Clay figures that have been invested with the minds of their own. They are used by sorcerers and necromancers for various purposes, and it is believed that long ago, they were used to summon up powerful spirits of the dead.
A statue of a pocus poppet is Treasure No. 534 in the Monster Statues category. It can be found on the Wingswept Moors and its base value is 80,000 gold.
Game
Description
A statue of a monster of mysterious provenance.[1]
The pocus poppet and its palette swaps are based on the Dogu (土偶), a clay figure made during the Jōmon period of Japanese history, ranging from approximately 14,000 to 400 BC. The word dogū itself literally means "earthen figure". In addition to their archeological significance, they have entered pop culture thanks to ufologist Erich von Däniken dedicated a chapter to them in his 1968 book, Chariots of the Gods?. The presumption being that the unusual shape of the humanoid figures owes to them depicting people wearing complex space suits.