The Edge
First Post
"A small blue and faintly glowing creature drifts in the sky, resembleing a ghostly translucent squid. it floats weightlessly, ignoreing the wind."
Xellios (Don't realy like the name much) are tiny ethereal blue squid like cretures, originlay from a demi plane that disappeared long ago, they have spread to the ethereal plane where they drift feeding harmlessly on the planes basic essence. They are atracted to 'strong spirits', often meaning particular liveing beings, and will attempt to attach to them. Bonding with a Xellios is not harmful dirrectly, they feed from their hosts spirit, but don't consume it. As part of this they become stronger and will atempt to protect their food source. Infact a Xellios is almost more of a symbiote, although their exact effects and actions depend on their alignment. Good Xellios will cuase minimal bother to their host and will posibley help when they do not have any self gain. Evil ones can be malevolent; although protecting their host, they may interfere with their hosts affairs or even try to assert dominance and take control.
They aren't easy things to lay certain stats on. Many will be similar to the ghosts, but I need to take this home to look at them, and find the correct names for special qualites etc. Here are some loose stats so far.
Tiny ... (extraplanar? whats appropriate)
Hit Dice: 1d? (dont want to be too tough, hp wise)
Speed: fly 20 (perfect)
Attack: Soul Bite (see specials)
AC: 18 (+2 tiny, +4 dex, +2 natural)
Ability Scores:Str -,Dex 19,Con -,Int 1,Wis 10,Cha 19,
Special qualities: Ethereal, DR 5 / Cold iorn or ghost touch weapons
Special Attacks: Enter host, Soul bite, Dominate
Alignment: neutral good, neutral, neutral evil
Enter host: To aquire a host a Xellios must enter the targets body. Doing so provokes an attack of oppertunity, if the attack deals damage the attempt is failed. If the attack is unsucessful or deals no damage then the Xellios enters the body and attempts to bond itself to the potential host, the target may roll a will save to evict the Xellios DC16. If the save is sucessfull then the Xellios is forced out into an adjacent square. The Xellios may attempt again in its next turn, each time the save DC is increased by 1 (max 20).
Soul Bite: A soul bite deals 1 point of temporary con damage. To make a soul bite a Xellios must be either attempt to enter the tagets space and body, or be bonded to a host. Entering a targets space is like the above but without a will save. "Doing so provokes an attack of oppertunity, if the attack deals damage the attempt is failed. If the attack is unsucessful or deals no damage then the Xellios enters the body and makes its bite"
(Doesn't have to be bonded, the first method mentioned implys a 'fly in, fly out' attack.)
Ethereal: All the normal efects (hitting, need for special weapons etc) that apply to a ghost apply to a Xellios.
Bonded Xellios: Being bonded with a Xellios, whether willingly or otherwise, is indeed a very bizarre feeling and carries several implications. For most people the idea of ‘sharing your soul’ is not a comfortable thought. The state itself is not harmful directly, and in some cases can be beneficial for both involved. A bonded Xellios slowly grows in strength and power the longer it is attached to its host, also slowly getting more intelligent.
A host may choose to use either her own save modifier or the Xellios’s modifiers, which ever is better.
Xellios have varying ability to communicate with their hosts, limited by their intelligence. At 1to4 Int a Xellios can only convey basic empathic messages, at 5-8 Int they can send more complex or specific feelings, and basic telepathic messages (language is not an issue since these are direct thoughts). At 9-12 Int a Xellios can comunicate fully with its host, conveying detailed concepts, images and even memorys. At 13+ Int im thinking of the idea of giveing them telepathy with others as well as the host, with the host being able to broadcast his thoughts via the Xellios too.
Shared Knowledge - A Xellios and host properly able to communicate can share any knowledge they have, therefore are able to use each others knowledge ranks. Either can withhold their thoughts if they wish.
A Xellios gains all the sensory abilities of its host, seeing, hearing, feeling (etc) what the host experiences. As the Xellios develops in intelligence they often begin to care about their hosts well being. They also develop personality quirks such as disliking certain foods, sending empathic messages of discontent to their host, which is sometimes enough to put the host of that food.
Dominate - Evil or uncooperative Xellios may attempt to take control of the body for themselves, rangeing from a simple disire not to go somewhere, to full blown domination. At any time a Xellios may attempt a dominance check to gain control; D20 + Hit Dice + the Xellios's Cha modifier, Opposed by the hosts check, D20 + Hit Dice + host's Cha modifier. If the Xellios suceeds it takes total control of the hosts body, and can perform any action the body can (although it may be limited by its own low Int if so. Also unless Intelligent enough to read its hosts mind, it will not be able to make use of learned skills, knowlege, spell casting etc). Certain actions will provoke another check as the host strugles to regain control, eg attempting suicide, attacking close friends or that old movie cliche "Don't, its me! Im your friend. Try to rember".
This check can also be used to deny access or force access to certain things such as sensory information or memories. For example, a possessed character may attempt to shield her memories from a prying parasite, or temporally blind the Xellios to what she’s doing by denying its use of her eyes. Extra bonuses or penalties on the check may apply depending on the ease of difficulty of the effort. The host could get a small bonus for trying to hide a minor personal memory from the Xellios that it wasn't specifically looking for. Or the host might receive a penalty on the check for trying to hide a strong memory that the Xellios is intent on uncovering.
----
*snip*
Something that still needs doing is a good advancement system. The idea is that they gradualy get stronger and smarter while bonded, so they need to gain hit dice and Int as time passes. Perhaps 1 each time the host gains a level? For every so many Xp the host gains? Advancement as character? Every month? Just match the hosts Hit Dice? Dunno.
Xellios (Don't realy like the name much) are tiny ethereal blue squid like cretures, originlay from a demi plane that disappeared long ago, they have spread to the ethereal plane where they drift feeding harmlessly on the planes basic essence. They are atracted to 'strong spirits', often meaning particular liveing beings, and will attempt to attach to them. Bonding with a Xellios is not harmful dirrectly, they feed from their hosts spirit, but don't consume it. As part of this they become stronger and will atempt to protect their food source. Infact a Xellios is almost more of a symbiote, although their exact effects and actions depend on their alignment. Good Xellios will cuase minimal bother to their host and will posibley help when they do not have any self gain. Evil ones can be malevolent; although protecting their host, they may interfere with their hosts affairs or even try to assert dominance and take control.
They aren't easy things to lay certain stats on. Many will be similar to the ghosts, but I need to take this home to look at them, and find the correct names for special qualites etc. Here are some loose stats so far.
Tiny ... (extraplanar? whats appropriate)
Hit Dice: 1d? (dont want to be too tough, hp wise)
Speed: fly 20 (perfect)
Attack: Soul Bite (see specials)
AC: 18 (+2 tiny, +4 dex, +2 natural)
Ability Scores:Str -,Dex 19,Con -,Int 1,Wis 10,Cha 19,
Special qualities: Ethereal, DR 5 / Cold iorn or ghost touch weapons
Special Attacks: Enter host, Soul bite, Dominate
Alignment: neutral good, neutral, neutral evil
Enter host: To aquire a host a Xellios must enter the targets body. Doing so provokes an attack of oppertunity, if the attack deals damage the attempt is failed. If the attack is unsucessful or deals no damage then the Xellios enters the body and attempts to bond itself to the potential host, the target may roll a will save to evict the Xellios DC16. If the save is sucessfull then the Xellios is forced out into an adjacent square. The Xellios may attempt again in its next turn, each time the save DC is increased by 1 (max 20).
Soul Bite: A soul bite deals 1 point of temporary con damage. To make a soul bite a Xellios must be either attempt to enter the tagets space and body, or be bonded to a host. Entering a targets space is like the above but without a will save. "Doing so provokes an attack of oppertunity, if the attack deals damage the attempt is failed. If the attack is unsucessful or deals no damage then the Xellios enters the body and makes its bite"
(Doesn't have to be bonded, the first method mentioned implys a 'fly in, fly out' attack.)
Ethereal: All the normal efects (hitting, need for special weapons etc) that apply to a ghost apply to a Xellios.
Bonded Xellios: Being bonded with a Xellios, whether willingly or otherwise, is indeed a very bizarre feeling and carries several implications. For most people the idea of ‘sharing your soul’ is not a comfortable thought. The state itself is not harmful directly, and in some cases can be beneficial for both involved. A bonded Xellios slowly grows in strength and power the longer it is attached to its host, also slowly getting more intelligent.
A host may choose to use either her own save modifier or the Xellios’s modifiers, which ever is better.
Xellios have varying ability to communicate with their hosts, limited by their intelligence. At 1to4 Int a Xellios can only convey basic empathic messages, at 5-8 Int they can send more complex or specific feelings, and basic telepathic messages (language is not an issue since these are direct thoughts). At 9-12 Int a Xellios can comunicate fully with its host, conveying detailed concepts, images and even memorys. At 13+ Int im thinking of the idea of giveing them telepathy with others as well as the host, with the host being able to broadcast his thoughts via the Xellios too.
Shared Knowledge - A Xellios and host properly able to communicate can share any knowledge they have, therefore are able to use each others knowledge ranks. Either can withhold their thoughts if they wish.
A Xellios gains all the sensory abilities of its host, seeing, hearing, feeling (etc) what the host experiences. As the Xellios develops in intelligence they often begin to care about their hosts well being. They also develop personality quirks such as disliking certain foods, sending empathic messages of discontent to their host, which is sometimes enough to put the host of that food.
Dominate - Evil or uncooperative Xellios may attempt to take control of the body for themselves, rangeing from a simple disire not to go somewhere, to full blown domination. At any time a Xellios may attempt a dominance check to gain control; D20 + Hit Dice + the Xellios's Cha modifier, Opposed by the hosts check, D20 + Hit Dice + host's Cha modifier. If the Xellios suceeds it takes total control of the hosts body, and can perform any action the body can (although it may be limited by its own low Int if so. Also unless Intelligent enough to read its hosts mind, it will not be able to make use of learned skills, knowlege, spell casting etc). Certain actions will provoke another check as the host strugles to regain control, eg attempting suicide, attacking close friends or that old movie cliche "Don't, its me! Im your friend. Try to rember".
This check can also be used to deny access or force access to certain things such as sensory information or memories. For example, a possessed character may attempt to shield her memories from a prying parasite, or temporally blind the Xellios to what she’s doing by denying its use of her eyes. Extra bonuses or penalties on the check may apply depending on the ease of difficulty of the effort. The host could get a small bonus for trying to hide a minor personal memory from the Xellios that it wasn't specifically looking for. Or the host might receive a penalty on the check for trying to hide a strong memory that the Xellios is intent on uncovering.
----
*snip*
Something that still needs doing is a good advancement system. The idea is that they gradualy get stronger and smarter while bonded, so they need to gain hit dice and Int as time passes. Perhaps 1 each time the host gains a level? For every so many Xp the host gains? Advancement as character? Every month? Just match the hosts Hit Dice? Dunno.
Last edited:
