psionic creatures powers...

[dren]

Hi All,

For psionic creatures such as Caller-in-Darkness, Gray Glutton and Intellect Devourer (among others) how set in stone are their powers. For example, when facing 2 or 3 or 4 gray gluttons, is it reasonable to assume all of the gluttons have all of the exact same powers? Can there be, or should there be, some variation in their powers? Or should they simply be used exactly as provided in the XPH?

I know I can use them however I want...but I'm trying to understand the pros and cons, that way I'll have a general rule. I've always thought it was a little boring if every member of a creature race has the exact same powers. So that maybe one power, per level, can be different, so they can use slightly differing tactics.

Thanks all for your suggestions and insights,
dren

 

[Voadam]

The easiest way is to assume they are all the same for every creature, i.e every drow has the same racial spell like abilities and every duergar has the same racial psionic abilities. Allowing mutant monsters with equivalent powered powers switched around is a time honored way to make individual creatures, sometimes with some story background to explain the difference (perhaps all of the souls in a specific caller in darkness were soulknives and the resulting psionic gestalt undead is able to manifest a soulknife itself).

However allowing that every individual creature could have different powers takes it from a specific racial ability and turns it into the equivalent of every creature having class levels. For example araneas cast spells as a sorcerer and so each one could have different spells known. This is distinct from every gnome having a few specific cantrips they can cast. It is a different level of monster characteristic to have powers vary for each individual and will alter the nature of the creatures in your campaign.

For example tales told about duergar will just mention they are strong psionic creatures instead of saying they can go invisible and grow large. How much racial identification you want for specific creatures is a DM choice.

 

[Spatula]

Well, gray gluttons are actually anti-psi creatures and don't have any powers. Intellect Devourers and the like have psi-like abilities, which are just like spell-like abilities. If you want to give a creature different ones, you of course can, but the assumption is that all member of a race with spell-like or psi-like abilities have the same ones.

 

[Starglim]

It depends whether the psi power really defines the creature and its way of life, or instead is a minor ability granted because the creature is psionic in nature. Powers that define a creature would only change in rare mutant individuals or variant races, and then only to something closely similar.

Races that are intelligent, reasonably close to humanoid and have a number of low-level powers would be more likely to vary than unintelligent beasts that have only one or two major abilities. Constructs are a special case. The creator could always build one that's slightly different, especially if she has exceptional power and knowledge of psionics anyway.


edit: I expect also that psi-like abilities are much more likely to change than unique [Su] abilities, other things being equal.