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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Echohawk" data-source="post: 4825524" data-attributes="member: 9849">Golem, NyraalaCLIMATE/TERRAIN: SubterraneanFREQUENCY: Very RareORGANIZATION: SolitaryACTIVITY CYCLE: AnyDIET: Special (See Below)INTELLIGENCE: Non-(O)TREASURE: NilALIGNMENT: NeutralNO. APPEARING: 1ARMOR CLASS: 4MOVEMENT: 8HIT DICE: 10THACO: 11NO. ATTACKS: 3DAMAGE/ATTACK: 2d8/2d8/1d10SPECIAL ATTACKS: SurpriseSPECIAL DEFENSES: Golem Immunities, +1 or better weapons to hit, tentacle parryMAGIC RESISTANCE: 70%SIZE: L (10')MORALE: Fearless (20)XP VALUE: 9,000Nyraala golems are a melding of humanoid flesh, psionically active illithid mucous; and a special form of Underdark fungus that can be harvested only once every ten years. From the waist up, the creature has a purple humanoid torso with two powerful humanoid arms. The skin is moist and gives off a faint odor of spoiled meat. In place of a neck and head is a very long, thick tentacle. Below the waist, these psionic creations are supported by three large tentacles in place of legs. Nyraala golems also have a second form; they can break down into mounds of seemingly inactive fungal growth. These mounds cannot move except to assume their golem form.Nyraala golems never speak but can understand the mental commands of their mind flayer creators. When moving, their bodies make a sickening, liquid squishing sound.Combat: Nyraala golems are effectively mindless, like other, lesser golems. However, the illithids' psionic engineering allows them to program the constructs to execute efficient, preset tactics in the heat of battle. When an enemy is detected, nyraala golems reanimate their bodies in a gory implosion of mucous and flailing limbs, imposing a -3 penalty to their opponents' surprise rolls. Opponents who survive this first encounter may recognize the distinctive appearance of nyraala fungal mounds in the future (with an Intelligence check at a -2 penalty). Much like brain golems, nyraala golems instinctively sense and focus their attacks on opponent spellcasters. They may strike each round with their fists to deliver two smashing punches and then whip their head-tentacles around for a powerful strike. When facing opponents with superior melee abilities, the nyraala golems are programmed to attempt to foil damaging close range attacks. They may forfeit the next rounds' tentacle strike and use their head-tentacles to parry anyone melee attack. To do so, the golem must make an attack roll against their opponent. The roll is made after their attacker makes their own attack roll. If successful, no damage is done to the golem from that attack. If the golem's attack roll falls short by no more than four, only half damage is done.Nyraala golems are immune to poison, death magic, and all forms of mental attacks.Habitat/Society: These automatons are popular with illithid communities for two reasons. One, they provide a level of protection almost equal to the enormously powerful brain golems (q.v.) without making it necessary to petition the elder brain for one and having it available for only one task. Two, nyraala golems can break their bodies down into a peculiar mound of fungal growth, providing them with a very effective form of camouflage. It is in this form that they are usually set to guard the dwellings and treasure chambers of their illithid masters. Nyraala golems have also been programmed to retrieve items from hostile areas, protect travelling mind flayers and the bodies of astral projecting ones, and capture specific targets. Programming any action into a particular golem takes at least a day, and each may be set to perform only one task at a time. The psionic programming process allows for only very specific actions to be set, and it is not unknown for a nyraala golem to stop and remain motionless when unforeseen circumstances complicate its currently assigned task.Ecology: Nyraala golems are artificial lifeforms. They neither contribute to nor expend the resources of their environment. They do, however, provide a measure of status to their illithid owners as the cost in resources to create them is usually quite high and must be provided to a member the Creative Creed by their potential owner.Ceremorph, TzakandiCLIMATE/TERRAIN: SubterraneanFREQUENCY: RareORGANIZATION: ConununityACTIVITY CYCLE: AnyDIET: CarnivoreINTELLIGENCE: Very (11-12)TREASURE: DALIGNMENT: Neutral EvilNO. APPEARING: 2-8ARMOR CLASS: 4MOVEMENT: 8, Swim 12HIT DICE: 6THAC0: 15NO. ATTACKS: 3 or 1 by weaponDAMAGE/ATTACK: 1d4/1d4/1d6SPECIAL ATTACKS: Spit acid, psionicsSPECIAL DEFENSES: PsionicsMAGIC RESISTANCE: 30%SIZE: M (7')MORALE: Fanatic (17-18)XPVALUE: 1,400Psionics Summary:Level: 5Dis/Sci/Dev: 2/3/10Att/Def: II, PH, PsC/IF, TW, MBScore:  =IntPSPs: 4d6+50 Player's Option: #AT 1; MTHAC0 14; MAC 8Psychokinesis-Sciences: detonate, telekinesis; Devotions: control light, inertial barrier, levitation, molecular agitation, molecular manipulationPsychometabolism-Sciences: complete healing; Devotions: adrenaline control, body control, heightened senses, chameleon power, cell adjustmentA popular area of illithid research involves larval implantation in a variety of host species. Many humanoid races serve as good candidates for implantation, undergoing normal ceremorphosis and developing into typical mind £layers. Quite a few humanoid races reject larval implantation or become new forms known collectively as "flayer-kin." The tzakandi are one such breed, created by the ceremorphosis of lizard men. Tzakandi resemble lizard men with more intelligence in their eyes and more deeply green skin. Their heads are longer than those of normal lizard men, tapering at the top into two long tentacles that fall down their backs like writhing ponytails. Tzakandi are always on edge, ready to pounce on any threat to their illithid masters. In addition to being able to converse with the illithids mentally, tzakandi speak the language of lizard men.Combat: Illithids value tzakandi ceremorphs for one reasonthey are extremely vicious. The illithids provide their prize enforcers with large training halls in which to hone their abilities with live captives to practice on. Preferring to work in pairs, one of the ceremorphs focuses its attention on spellcasters and psionicists while the other engages any fighters present. They attack with a claw/claw/bite routine. Intelligent enough to use their psionic powers effectively, tzakandi often activate sensory and defensive powers and use offensive powers to soften up the competition before engaging in melee. When set against powerful opposition, the ceremorphs employ hit-and-run tactics, with one on the offensive as the other seeks cover. If they are acting as bodyguards, however, they do not retreat until the threat has passed or until they are dead. Once per day, each tzakandi may spit a glob of acid, a form of the substance illithid tentacles exude when burrowing through the cranium, that causes 2d8 points of damage (save vs. poison for half) on contact before becoming inert. Their aim is good enough to allow them to hit the eyes of their opponents on an attack roll at least three points better than needed. If successful, the victim not only suffers damage but is also effectively blinded for 1d6 rounds.Habitat/Society: Tzakandi are valued as personal guards in illithid communities but are still treated as inferiors. Still, they are happy with their lot in life. Tzakandi are housed near their master's chambers, they are kept well fed, and they frequently are called on to do what they love most: fight and kill.Ecology: The larvae chosen for lizard man implantation are usually larger and more aggressive than most, but they seem less intelligent according to some inscrutable illifhid standard. Normally these specimens would be devoured by the elder brain, as they are unsuitable for regular implantation. They bond to the first illithid they see after the completion of their ceremorphosis and serve it without question or hesitation.Ceremorph, MozgrikenCLIMATE/TERRAIN: SubterraneanFREQUENCY: Very RareORGANIZATION: CommunityACTIVITY CYCLE: AnyDIET: Carnivore (Brain Fluids)INTELLIGENCE: High (13-14)TREASURE: NoneALIGNMENT: Neutral EvilNO. APPEARING: 1-2ARMOR CLASS: 4MOVEMENT: 9HIT DICE: 4THAC0: 19NO. ATTACKS: 1DAMAGE/ATTACK: 1d4SPECIAL ATTACKS: PsionicsSPECIAL DEFENSES: PsionicsMAGIC RESISTANCE: 50%SIZE: S (3')MORALE: Unsteady (5-7)XPVALUE: 650Psionics Summary:Level: 5Dis/Sci/Dev: 2/2/9Att/Def: EW, MT/MB, TCScore:  =IntPSPs: 3d6+30 Player's Option: #AT 1; MTHAC0 14; MAC 8Telepathy-Sciences: probe; Devotions: conceal thoughts, invisibility, sight link, life detection, ESPPsychometabolism-Sciences: metamorphosis, shadow form (bonus power, does not take up a slot); Devotions: cannibalize, chameleon, heightened senses, body weaponryThe hideous, diminutive ceremorphs known as mozgriken are the targets of constant scorn despite their usefulness. Although they can often infiltrate an enemy's camp, they are treated poorly because of their origin: they were once deep gnomes. Mozgriken are as small as their gnomish precursors. They have hunched backs and twisted limbs. Their heads resemble those of normal mind flayers save that they have only three tendrils and no mouth. This is a serious deformity to illithids, as mozgriken cannot ingest brains in the normal manner. Their skin is pitch black, and their tendrils appear to be nothing more than wisps of shadow, fading into nothingness at the tips. The mozgriken are tied to the Demiplane of Shadow and draw their formidable stealth from it.Combat: Made meek by the harsh rule of their creators, mozgriken avoid combat whenever possible. They use their psionic powers of shadow form, invisibility, chameleon, and metamorphosis to hide among their foes and glean bits of vital information through the use of their other abilities, most notably sight link and probe. They are sent into enemy encampments for any number of tasks, such as estimating the size and strength of the foe, discovering their battle plans, and estimating the treasure that can be captured. If detected, mozgriken do everything in their power to escape, but if pressed into battle they can use their psionic attack forms and the body weaponry power. Even when they gain momentary advantage over their foes, mozgriken are more likely to seek escape over anything else.Habitat/Society: Because of the hatred between illithids and svirfneblin, mozgriken find little respect within an illithid community. Compounding the bias against them is the fact that they've only three tentacles, a sign of imperfection, and can draw sustenance only from the fluids of the brain. They've eventually come to accept illithid rule because they know there is no other race in the Underdark that would take them in. Even if they all united, they would be too weak to survive.Ecology: Gnomish body chemistry normally rejects attempts at larval implantation, often killing both illithid larva and the potential host. However, the Creative Breed has discovered that by using the very rare psychoportive science, summon planar energy (see The Will and The Way) to channel the essence of the Derniplane of Shadow along with a complicated process of psychic surgery and various psionic enhancement techniques, a gnome implantation can be stabilized and the ceremorph can gain a measure of power directly from the demiplane. The larvae chosen for gnomish implantation are usually the smallest, most timid specimens in the brine pool, fodder for the elder brain. Many gnomes and larvae die during the ceremorphosis, but since both are seen as inferior and expendable to the Illithid Empire, mozgriken transformation is seen as a nice alternative to simple extermination due to the effective servants the process creates.</blockquote>

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