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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Cleon" data-source="post: 6105185" data-attributes="member: 57383">Illithidae, Cessirid - Earlier VersionsCessirid [Original Stats from Dragon #150]FREQUENCY: Rare (common near Illithids)NO. APPEARING: 1-20ARMOR CLASS: 4MOVE: 18”//15”HIT DICE: 8 + 16% IN LAIR: 5%TREASURE TYPE: NilNO. OF ATTACKS: 1 biteDAMAGE/ATTACK: 2-16SPECIAL ATTACKS: Poisonous bite, psionicsSPECIAL DEFENSES: PsionicsMAGIC RESISTANCE: 5%INTELLIGENCE: AverageALIGNMENT: Lawful neutral (evil tendencies)SIZE: M (2’ at shoulder)PSIONIC ABILITY: 90Attack/Defense Modes: B,E/F,GCessirids travel in packs. A cessirid’s body is canine, with a large head, outsize eyes, and a rending beak in place of teeth. There are four short tentacles around the mouth. Short spines jut from the back. The skin is smooth, slimy, and pale gray in color. The spaces between the toes are webbed. Though small, cessirids are shockingly powerful.In combat, a cessirid leaps and bites at its adversary, inflicting horrible damage with its outer jaws. The tentacles around the mouth cause a stinging and burning sensation upon contact with flesh (save vs. poison for each bite that hits; failure yields a -3 penalty to armor class, saving throws, and to-hit rolls) that lasts for 3-12 turns.Cessirids may use the following psionic disciplines at the 6th level of mastery: body equilibrium, ESP and dimension door. They use these in the pursuit and detection of prey, or to escape if attacked by a superior force.These creatures live in tightly knit packs, working together silently and efficiently to bring down prey of any sort (they can communicate with others of their kind telepathically over distances of up to 24” at no cost to psionic strength). Though they are willing at times to negotiate with other intelligent creatures, they have little desire for anything but food and reproduction. In general, they are wily and treacherous. On occasion, if they are not hungry, cessirids will harry and torment prey for hours before killing it. Rivalry between cessirid packs is sharp, but they will generally band together against other creatures.Reproduction is accomplished by depositing 1-3 larvae in the body of a victim. The juveniles grow quickly and seem able to prevent the decay of the corpse during their development. Adults guard the larvae until the latter metamorphose. For reasons not entirely clear, cessirids prefer intelligent creatures for larval food.Thanks to millenia of training and breeding, the dogs of the githyanki (kaoulgrim, from “Hounds of Space and Darkness,” in DRAGON issue #117) and the cessirids are fanatic enemies, and will fight one another regardless of other constraints (even magical charms). Szarkel, the dogs of the githzerai (from the same article and issue as kaoulgrim) will always avoid meetings with cessirids. Szarkel can detect the approach of cessirids within one mile, probably by detecting the use of the latter’s psionic talents.Illithidae, Cessirid [<a href="http://creaturecatalog.enworld.org/cc/converted/view_c.php?CreatureID=677" target="_blank">Enworld Creature Catalog 3.0 Conversion</a>]Medium-size Aberration Hit Dice: 8d8+16 (52 hp)Initiative: +3 (Dex)Speed: 50 ft, swim 40 ftAC: 19 (+3 Dex, +6 natural)Attacks:Bite +8 meleeDamage: Bite 2d8+3 and poisonFace/Reach: 5 ft by 5 ft/5 ftSpecial Attacks: Psionics, poison, tripSpecial Qualities: Telepathy, SR 12, amphibious, slime, light vulnerabilitySaves: Fort +4, Ref +5, Will +8 Abilities: Str 15, Dex 16, Con 15, Int 10, Wis 14, Cha 10 Skills: Hide +9, Jump +7, Listen +8, Move Silently +9, Spot +8, Swim +7Feats: Alertness, Weapon Finesse (bite) Climate: Any undergroundOrganization: Solitary or pack (1-20)Challenge Rating: 07Treasure: NoneAlignment: Usually lawful neutral (with evil tendencies)Advancement: 9-16 HD (Medium-Size); 17-24 HD (Large) The cessirid is a small pack hunter, similar to canines. This monster has a large head and oversized eyes, and a fearsome jaw with a spiked beak at the end. This creature's horrible mouth has four feeding tentacles surrounding it, two on each side of the face. Its canine body is 2 feet high at the shoulder, and has smooth, slimy skin of a pale gray color. Its webbed feet help it to swim as well as run. Jutting out from its back are a series of short spines. These creatures live and work together in silent, tightly-knit, efficient packs. They are often used as hounds by illithids. COMBATCessirids like to leap at their opponents and bite with their beaks. The tentacles around the mouth hit automatically on every successful bite attack, and sting with poison that disorients foes. They use their psionic powers to locate and pursue prey, or to escape if outmatched. Psionics (Sp): At will - body equilibrium, detect thoughts, and dimension door. These abilities are as the powers manifested by a 6th-level psion. Attack/Defense Modes (Sp): At will - mind thrust, psychic crush/empty mind, thought shield Poison (Ex): Contact, Fortitude save (DC 16); initial damage 1d6 temporary Dexterity; secondary damage 1d4 temporary Dexterity. Trip (Ex): A cessirid that hits with a bite attack can attempt to trip the opponent as a free action (see page 139 in the Player's Handbook) without making a touch attack or provoking an attack of opportunity. If the attempt fails, the opponent cannot react to trip the cessirid. Telepathy (Su): Cessirids can communicate telepathically with any illithid-kin within 24 feet. Amphibious (Ex): Illithidae possess both lungs and gills, and can survive indefinitely on land and in water. Slime (Ex): The slimy coating that covers the skin of illithidae is proof against adhesion. Illithidae are completely protected against the nonmagical glues of creatures such as the mimic and the roper. Additionally, their slimy skin imposes a -4 penalty on all grapple checks against them. Light Vulnerability (Ex): The eyes and bodies of illithidae are vulnerable to normal sunlight and anything above a dim light source. Illumination equal to the light spell or brighter imposes a -1 penalty to the illithidae's attack rolls. Additionally, exposure to full sunlight causes 1 hit point of damage per minute to any unprotected illithidae.</blockquote>

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