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The Demented One
2006-08-19, 06:06 PM
Atavathid
Size/Type: Large Aberration (Psionic)
Hit Dice: 16d8+64 (136 hp)
Initiative: +4
Speed: 40 ft. (8 squares)
Armor Class: 21 (-1 size, +12 natural), touch 9, flatfooted 21
Base Attack/Grapple: +12/+23
Attack: Tentacle +18 melee (1d6+7)
Full Attack: 6 Tentacles +18 melee (1d6+7) and 2 Claws +13 melee (1d6+3) and Bite +13 melee (1d8+3)
Space/Reach: 10 ft./10 ft.
Special Attacks: Extract, improved grab, primal telepathy, psi-like abilities
Special Qualities: Mindsight, power resistance 25, stability
Saves: Fort +8, Ref +4, Will +15
Abilities: Str 24, Dex 10, Con 18, Int 12, Wis 20, Cha 20
Skills: Autohypnosis +14, Concentration +12, Hide +10, Listen +12, Move Silently +10, Spot +14
Feats: Power Attack, Psionic Fist, Great Psionic Fist, Psionic Meditation, Improved Initiative, Ability Focus (Primal Telepathy)
Environment: Underground
Organization: Solitary
Challenge Rating: 12
Treasure: None
Alignment: Always Chaotic Evil
Advancement: 17-24 HD (Large), 25-32 HD (Huge)
Level Adjustment: –

Atavathids are the primal progenitors of the illithid race, a savage species that dwells in the shadow of their descendants. The evolution of the illithids displaced the Atavathids from their favored niche, reducing their numbers greatly. What remains of the race is a fragment of a once-great species that was feared above all else in the depths of the earth. Atavathids are basically humanoid in form, with long, double jointed arms and four similarly jointed legs, arranged in a cross formation. Their heads are barely formed, dominated by a massive mouth ringed by six long tentacles. Each tentacle is covered in primitive proto-eyes which see no light cast by torch or sun, but only that cast by the minds of living creatures. Atavathids used to eat only the brains of the most intelligent and powerful psions, but now, they will eat any mind that casts enough light to be seen.

Extract (Ex)
An Atavathid that begins its turn with all six tentacles attached and that makes a successful grapple check automatically extracts its opponent’s brain, instantly killing it in most cases. This does not affect constructs, oozes, plants, or the undead. It is not instantly fatal to creatures with multiple heads.

Improved Grab (Ex)
To use this ability, an Atavathid must hit a Huge or smaller creature with one of its tentacle attacks. It may then attempt to start a grapple as a free action without provoking an attack of opportunity. If it wins the grapple check, it establishes a hold and attaches the tentacle to the opponent’s head. An Atavathid can grab larger creatures, but only if it can somehow reach their head. If an Atavathid begins its turn with at least one tentacle attached, it can try to attach its remaining tentacles with a single grapple check. The opponent can escape with a successful grapple or Escape Artist check, but the Atavathid receives a +2 circumstance bonus for every tentacle that was attached at the beginning of the opponent’s turn.

Primal Telepathy (Su)
As a standard action, an Atavathid may unleash a savage, telepathic howl. All creatures within 30 ft. of it must make a DC 25 Will save or be sent into a primal frenzy. Those who fail their saves, along with the Atavathid gain a +6 morale bonus to Strength and may make a single extra attack at their highest base attack bonus when making a full attack. However, they take a -4 penalty to AC and take 2 points of nonlethal damage each round. Finally, they lose the ability to tell friend from foe. Instead, each round, they must attack the creature closest to them, excepting their own familiar or similar companion, deciding which creature to attack randomly if their are multiple creatures equidistant from them. The frenzy lasts for 1d10 rounds. Once an Atavathid has used its primal telepathy, it may not use it again until 1d6 minutes after the end of its frenzy.

Psi-Like Abilities
3/day–conceal thoughts, detect psionics, grip of iron, metaphysical claw, prevenom (DC 19), vigor; 1/day–body adjustment, claws of the vampire, duodimensional claw. Manifester level 8th. All abilities are fully augmented for manifester level. Saves are Charisma based.

Mindsight (Su)
Normal light sources do not register on an Atavathid’s vision. Instead, it sees by the mental “light” shed by thinking creatures. The amount of “light” a creature sheds on its Intelligence score, as shown below. In addition, they are immune to effects that use light, such as the color spray and searing light spells. Otherwise, their vision functions just as a normal creature’s.
{table]
Int ScoreBright IlluminationShadowy Illumination
0 or –––
1-2–5 ft.
3-510 ft.20 ft.
6-915 ft.30 ft.
10-1220 ft.40 ft.
13-1525 ft.50 ft.
16-1830 ft.60 ft.
19+35 ft.70 ft.
[/table]
Stability (Ex)
An Atavathid gains a +4 bonus on ability checks made to resist being bull rushed or tripped when standing on the ground (but not when climbing, flying, riding, or otherwise not standing firmly on the ground).

ghost_warlock
2006-08-19, 06:37 PM
Does an atavathid's own intelligence shed light for its mindsight?

I love the primal telepathy - I can see my players freaking out already! ;D

The Demented One
2006-08-19, 06:43 PM
Does an atavathid's own intelligence shed light for its mindsight?
Yes, which is why lone atavathids don't stumble around blindly.

The Vorpal Tribble
2006-08-19, 08:38 PM
Yeah, the primal telepathy is great ;D

Do these guys have an elder brain to? As the progenitors how did they come to be mindflayers?

The Demented One
2006-08-19, 08:43 PM
Do these guys have an elder brain too?
No, that came with the true flayers. Atavathids reproduce asexually, building a embryo from consumed brainflesh and seeding it mentally with warped fragments of the minds of all it has touched with its primal telepathy.


As the progenitors how did they come to be mindflayers?
Same way Cro-Magnons came to be Homo Sapiens--good old fashioned evolution.

Gralamin
2006-08-20, 02:37 AM
or crazy wizards both could work ;) ( or Daelkyrs in Eberron, How would these work in eberron? Would they be part of the daelkyrs armies or would they of been cast aside? I can see these guys acting as a shock trooper personnaly.)
Looks great, and defintally a scary monster, most people would freak trying to fight it.

The Demented One
2006-08-20, 08:28 AM
or crazy wizards both could work ;) ( or Daelkyrs in Eberron, How would these work in eberron? Would they be part of the daelkyrs armies or would they of been cast aside? I can see these guys acting as a shock trooper personnaly.)
Looks great, and defintally a scary monster, most people would freak trying to fight it.
In Eberron, I would have them as Daelkyr-created prototypes of the illithids, used to just introduce a whole lot of madness into everything with primal telepathy.

ExHunterEmerald
2006-08-20, 08:47 AM
I don't know psionics from anything, but just out of curiosity, how do you go about naming the subtypes of flayers? I've seen a few variants, do you use a certain language base or what?

The Demented One
2006-08-20, 08:48 AM
I don't know psionics from anything, but just out of curiosity, how do you go about naming the subtypes of flayers? I've seen a few variants, do you use a certain language base or what?
I basically took it from the word atavism, which means a regression towards a more primitive state or somesuch.

ExHunterEmerald
2006-08-20, 08:55 AM
Ahhhh...
Allow me to inform you that you are made of win and play-on-words.

MagFlare
2006-08-20, 03:52 PM
Ahhhh...
Allow me to inform you that you are made of win and play-on-words.

I second this.

Mike_Lemmer
2006-08-20, 05:10 PM
One question:
If it sees brainwaves, why does the level of illumination matter? You're saying it sees "light" shed by brains, but if it relies on illumination, it would be seeing "light" reflected by brains.

The Demented One
2006-08-20, 05:31 PM
One question:
If it sees brainwaves, why does the level of illumination matter? You're saying it sees "light" shed by brains, but if it relies on illumination, it would be seeing "light" reflected by brains.
I'm not understanding the question. The more intelligent a creature, the greater the mental "light" it sheds. The Atavathid's eyes are adapted to see only this mental light.