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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Faolyn" data-source="post: 9476344" data-attributes="member: 6915329">Not a template! The next creature is the crystalline cat. It’s typed as a fey, but it’s written as more of an elemental and acts like an alien life form (due to its parasitic method of reproduction). As such, it might be useful in a Voidrunner’s Codex game. (I haven’t been paying attention to VRC, but I’m assuming, what with the psionics and all, that it's built space opera and science fantasy.)I honestly don’t know why the cat is considered a fey and not an elemental or aberration—other than the fact it lives in woodlands, there’s nothing really fey-like about it.Crystalline Cat Guardians of the Wild, Dragon Magazine #304Creature by Gwendolyn F.M. Kestrel; art by Tom GianniResembling a tiger-sized panther finely crafted out of icy quartz, a crystalline cat is a beautiful, but incredibly dangerous predator. It gemstone body constantly vibrates, causing it to make chiming sounds as it walks.Harmonics. Crystalline cats communicate through the ringing noises they make; subtle changes in posture make the different sounds in their language. This language isn't learnable by any but a few rare types of earth elemental, such as the <a href="https://www.enworld.org/threads/a-leveled-up-bestiary.689467/page-3#post-8685080" target="_blank">gem-vars</a>. As crystalline cats rarely leave the Dreaming, and crystalline elementals rarely enter it, it almost never happens that any other creature actually learns to communicate with these cats without resorting to magic.Crystal Prism. Crystalline cats reproduce through strange means. Their claws sometimes break off in the bodies of those they attack. Unless removed immediately, the claws move inwards and implant into the victim’s body. Within a very short time, the claw grows into a young crystalline cat, eventually tearing itself out of the victim’s body and killing it.Climate/Terrain: The DreamingLegends and LoreWith an Arcana check, the characters can learn the following:DC 10. These elementals are easy to track, as their crystal bodies make a soft but distinctive ringing sound when they move.DC 15. Although they have powerful teeth, the crystalline cats’ most feared attack is their claws, because their claws can implant a shard of crystal that rapidly grows into a new cat, killing the host in the process.DC 20. Crystalline cats are sometimes hunted because, when slain, their gemstone body breaks apart into numerous valuable quartz gemstones.Crystalline Cat EncountersChallenge Rating 3-4 crystalline catTreasure: 4d12 quartz gems (if slain; 10 gp each)Challenge Rating 5-10 2 crystalline catsTreasure: 8d12 quartz gems (if slain; 10 gp each)Signs1-2. A ringing noise, like windchimes or a finger being dragged across the rim of a glass.3. A humanoid corpse that looks as though it was exploded from the inside.4. Thin shards of shed crystalsBehavior1-2. Hungry and hunting3. Sleeping; will awakened if approached4. Following a recently-implanted creature and protecting it until its young emergesCrystalline CatLarge elemental (fey); Challenge 3 (XP)AC 15 (natural armor)HP 51 (6d10+18; bloodied 25)Speed 50 ft., climb 20 ft.STR 16 (+3) DEX 14 (+2) CON 16 (+3)INT 8 (-1) WIS 14 (+2) CHA 12 (+1)Proficiency +2; Maneuver DC 13Skills Perception +4Damage Immunities acid, poison, thunderCondition Immunities petrifaction, poisonedSenses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 13Languages Crystalline Cat; understands Sylvan and Terran but can’t speakKeen Hearing and Smell. The crystalline cat has advantage on Perception checks that rely on hearing or smell.Ringing Movement and Shining Bodies. The crystalline cat has disadvantage on Stealth checks.ActionsBite. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 13 (3d6+3) piercing damage, and the target’s hit point maximum is reduced by that amount. This reduction lasts until the creature is targeted with magical healing. The creature dies if its hit point maximum is reduced to 0.Claws. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 10 (2d6+3) slashing damage, and the target must make a DC 13 Constitution saving throw or become diseased with an implanted crystal prism. Once the cat has successfully implanted a prism, it can’t do so again until it completes a short or long rest, and until then, its claw attacks inflict 8 (2d4+3) slashing damage. If the cat moves at least 20 feet straight towards the target before the attack, the target must make a DC 13 Strength saving throw, falling prone on a failure.Harmonics (Recharge 5-6). The crystalline cat emits a range of tones from its body in a 30-foot range. It chooses one of the following effects:• Countering Chime: Any ongoing spells or magical effects from the affliction, compulsion, sound, or thunder schools are ended. If the caster is concentrating on such a spell, it must make a DC 13 concentration saving throw to retain concentration on the spell. If a creature attempts to cast a spell from one of those schools before the end of the cat’s next turn, it must make a DC 13 spellcasting ability check or the spell fails.• Resonating Chime: Creatures in the area must make a DC 13 Constitution saving throw, taking 13 (3d8) thunder damage on a failed save or half as much on a successful one.Bonus ActionsOpportune Bite. The crystalline cat makes a bite attack against a prone creature.CombatCrystalline cats first uses its Resonating Chime, then pounces preferably from a point of ambush.Disease: Crystal PrismA crystalline cat injects a prism into the body of a Medium or larger creature. The claw can be removed within 1d4 rounds, requiring a DC 12 Dexterity (Medicine) check to do so. Removing the claw prevents the creature from being infected with crystal prism growth.While infected with this disease, the host is encumbered and poisoned. At the end of each 24 hours, the prism grows larger and the target takes 1d10 cumulative damage (1d10 after the first 24 hours, 2d10 after the second 24 hours, 3d10 after the third, etc.), and its hit point maximum is reduced by that amount. After 7 days, or when the target’s hit point maximum is reduced to 0 (whichever comes first), the infant crystalline cat bursts out of the host’s body, killing it if it is not already dead.The crystalline cat grows to maturity within 1d4 days. Until then, its AC is 13, it has half its normal hit point total, and it has disadvantage on all ability checks.</blockquote>

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