Mind Leech

[Vaynor]

Mind Leech

Diminutive Aberration
Hit Dice: 3d8+3 (17 hp)
Initiative: -1
Speed: 10 feet, fly 15 feet
Armor Class: 13 (+1 Dex, +2 natural), touch 11, flat-footed 12
Base Attack/Grapple: +2/-3
Attack: Bite -3 melee (1d3-5/x2)
Full Attack: Bite -3 melee (1d3-5/x2) and leech -3 melee (1d3-5/x2 + leech)
Special Attacks: Leech, Psychic Feedback, Dominate, Feed, power-like abilities
Special Qualities: Darkvision 60 feet, Partnership
Saves: Fort +2, Ref +2, Will +5
Abilities: Str 2, Dex 13, Con 12, Int 18, Wis 11, Cha 14
Skills: Hide +9 (+19 with Chameleon), Move Silently +9, Spot +6
Feats: Iron Will, Stealthy
Environment: Any
Organization: Solitary
Challenge Rating: 7
Treasure: None
Alignment: True Neutral
Advancement: -

A cross between a leech and a praying mantis, this horrid creature has prismatically shaded wings, its mouth ending in a long spike surrounded by a circle of small, gnawing teeth.Its form is slender and hard, and though it is an organic creature, its black exoskeleton has a faint metallic sheen to it.

Mind Leeches are abysmal beings, who prey on the strong-minded of society. They survive off of misery and intelligence, and often take control of high-powered members of society to create mischief. They are very intelligent creatures, entire civilizations have fallen to a single Mind Leech.

Combat

Mind Leeches are stealthy creatures. When a viable target is spotted, they activate their Chameleon ability and pursue their prey until a good location to attack is found. Using their Brain Lock ability to stun their target, they Leech into the victim’s neck and modify their memory to forget the incident.

Mind Leeches can understand most languages vaguely, and can be given simple orders and targets. They can reason well and will serve a master for years as long as they continue to show the Mind Leech tasty minds to prey on.

Power-Like Abilities: At will - Chameleon, Mind Probe, Psionic Modify Memory, Read Thoughts; 3/day - Brain Lock

Leech: When making a full attack on its target, a mind leech may choose to burrow itself into the back of the victim’s neck, allowing a DC 19 Will save or the Mind Leech will insert itself into the brain stem. Upon failing the save the victim is immediately under the effects of Psionic Charm until it is removed. The entry point is very hard to see (DC 18 Spot check (DC 13 if inspecting the target very closely with the back of the neck in plain view). Every hour after attaching itself, the target loses 1d2 Intelligence temporarily, only when the Mind Leech is removed may Intelligence points restore at the normal rate (despite the current ability score). Every hour the victim may attempt a DC 17 Will save to ignore that hour’s intelligence damage. If he/she lasts 24 hours without falling below 1 Intellect, a DC 21 Will save may be attempted to reject the Mind Leech altogether. This save may be repeated every 24 hours. To remove a Mind Leech, a Greater Restoration spell, Miracle, Wish, Lesser Wish, Heal, or similar spell (at DM’s discretion) may be used to remove the leech. In this case the Mind Leech is treated as having 20 spell resistance (or power resistance) pertaining to the spell used to remove the creature. Using any of these spells destroys the Mind Leech. If the Mind Leech is forcibly removed, the target has a 75% chance of dying, and at best loses all motor functions (this may be removed with any of the above spells, no spell resistance). A mind leech must feed every month or it will die.

Dominate: Once leeching has reduced the target’s Intelligence score to 0, the Mind Leech assumes full control (as Psionic Dominate), allowing no saving throw.

Psychic Feedback: If any telepathic/psychic abilities are used on the target while inhabited by the Mind Leech the caster receives 5d6 damage, DC 15 will save for half damage, and the victim takes another immediate point of Intelligence damage (if not already at a score of 0).

Feed: Once the target is dominated, the Mind Leech may, at any time, drain the mind and soul of the inhabitant, causing death. After this, the victim may not be raised by conventional means until the case of the Mind Leeches death (Mind Leeches have a life expectancy of 15-20 years, if not killed beforehand). No saving throw is allowed to negate death. After having removed itself from the brain stem, the Mind Leech gains a +1 to all DC’s pertaining to all special abilities used to attach and once attached to a target for 1d4 days. This temporary enhancement can only be used on the next DC check for each ability respectively.

Partnership: Once a target is inhabited, the Mind Leech may make use of its powers as though the victim itself has using them (power-like abilities, etc.).

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So, thoughts on the CR? Also I'm not sure how much SR is appropriate for Leech removal. Any other problems, too.

Thanks in advance for the feedback.

[Vaynor]

Anyone...?

[SilentNight]

Nice. I'd put the SR at about 17-19 so a 7th level character would need a slightly above average roll to bypass it. Also you might want to tone down the saves a wee bit. DC 21 seems a bit hight to me. Apart from that there doesn't seem to be anything wrong with it which might account for the lack of posts(me, I'm bored and love psionics). One thing though. Where do the save come from? Unless there is an unstated racial bonus there is no way that creature could get a DC 21 save on one of its abilities. SAs are usualy DC(10+1/2hit dice+ability score modifier x).

[Parvum]

Alignment: True Neutral

They survive off of misery and intelligence, and often take control of high-powered members of society to create mischief.

, a Greater Restoration spell, Miracle, Wish, Lesser Wish, or similar spell (at DM’s discretion) may be used to remove the leech. In this case the Mind Leech is treated as having 20 spell resistance (or power resistance) pertaining to the spell used to remove the creature. Using any of these spells destroys the Mind Leech. If the Mind Leech is forcibly removed, the target has a 75% chance of dying, and at best loses all motor functions (this may be removed with any of the above spells, no spell resistance). A mind leech must feed every month or it will die.

Psychic Feedback: If any telepathic/psychic abilities are used on the target while inhabited by the Mind Leech the caster receives 5d6 damage, DC 15 will save for half damage, and the victim takes another immediate point of Intelligence damage (if not already at a score of 0).

Feed: Once the target is dominated, the Mind Leech may, at any time, drain the mind and soul of the inhabitant, causing death. After this, the victim may not be raised by conventional means until the case of the Mind Leeches death (Mind Leeches have a life expectancy of 15-20 years, if not killed beforehand). No saving throw is allowed to negate death. After having removed itself from the brain stem, the Mind Leech gains a +1 to all DC’s pertaining to all special abilities used to attach and once attached to a target for 1d4 days. This temporary enhancement can only be used on the next DC check for each ability respectively.


If one of their favourite passtimes is mischeif-making they sound chaotic neutral/evil to me.

Only the most powerful spells can remove it? If so, the CR should be at a level where these spells are available (speaking out of my rectal orifice there, because actually confirming the level would require effort). All other creatures that burrow into someone allow a Heal check at a fixed DC to remove.

The last two fall under the category of 'aaaaaw'. If these weren't such malicious little bastards with the ability to permanently kill you (something that I think should be tweaked, I've always been against no-save deaths) I could see several characters (particularly melee combatants) making partnerships with them to fortify their vulnerabilities with a little power-slinging neck-slug.

[Vaynor]

If one of their favourite passtimes is mischeif-making they sound chaotic neutral/evil to me.

Only the most powerful spells can remove it? If so, the CR should be at a level where these spells are available (speaking out of my rectal orifice there, because actually confirming the level would require effort). All other creatures that burrow into someone allow a Heal check at a fixed DC to remove.

The last two fall under the category of 'aaaaaw'. If these weren't such malicious little bastards with the ability to permanently kill you (something that I think should be tweaked, I've always been against no-save deaths) I could see several characters (particularly melee combatants) making partnerships with them to fortify their vulnerabilities with a little power-slinging neck-slug.

I forgot to add heal (I didn't look up any healing spells, so I said more could be added to the list at the DM's discretion.

No saves? You get about 10 saves until it has the power to kill you outright. It's drained what's in your mind, it's attached to your brain, and has the power to suck your soul out, I don't see how any save could negate this. Also: it has power over you, completely, so I guess it could just will you to not resist it?

@SilentNight: Where is there a limit on how high a save can be? Save DCs have nothing to do with level, HD, CR, or anything.

EDIT: Added a new special quality, Partnership.

[SilentNight]

@SilentNight: Where is there a limit on how high a save can be? Save DCs have nothing to do with level, HD, CR, or anything.


Go look in the monster manual and find a special ability. Divide the monster's HD by two and then add the ability score modifier mentioned in the ability entry. i.e. "the save is charisma based" you will match the DC. If you can't then odds are the creature has ability focus or some racial bonus. Even spells have that. Since their DC is 10+ability modifier+spell level which is usually half of the caster's character level.

[Vaynor]

Go look in the monster manual and find a special ability. Divide the monster's HD by two and then add the ability score modifier mentioned in the ability entry. i.e. "the save is charisma based" you will match the DC. If you can't then odds are the creature has ability focus or some racial bonus. Even spells have that. Since their DC is 10+ability modifier+spell level which is usually half of the caster's character level.

That doesn't make any sense, this monster is based off of being small and fairly easy to kill, so its HD is low. It gets its CR from the high save DCs, and if I were to lower them to match your formula the DC would be something along the lines of 12 (horrible for a CR 7). Yes, sure, it works for a lot of monsters, but just because WotC found it a good formula to use doesn't make it a rule. The feat Ability Focus isn't used for monsters when their HD is too low, or they don't have enough Charisma, its used by DMs mostly to improve current monsters, instead of changing the monster itself, rather changing its bonus feats to make it more viable in a certain situation.

[SilentNight]

Then just give it a +9 racial bonus to the save. No biggie.

[Lochar]

Actually, it is the rule. It's part of 3.5e's rules.

Now you can houserule it differently, but standard it is 10+1/2 HD + Ability modifier.


Or, you could, ya know, give them a +whatever racial modifier to that ability.

[Vaynor]

Actually, it is the rule. It's part of 3.5e's rules.

Now you can houserule it differently, but standard it is 10+1/2 HD + Ability modifier.


Or, you could, ya know, give them a +whatever racial modifier to that ability.

But where does it say this? People keep saying its a rule but not where.

[Parvum]

I forgot to add heal (I didn't look up any healing spells, so I said more could be added to the list at the DM's discretion.

No saves? You get about 10 saves until it has the power to kill you outright. It's drained what's in your mind, it's attached to your brain, and has the power to suck your soul out, I don't see how any save could negate this. Also: it has power over you, completely, so I guess it could just will you to not resist it?


I was reffering to the nonmagical heal skill. I know, with all of those clerics it's hard to remember that there are still doctors in those worlds. But generally wriggle-into-your-spine/flesh/brain/little toe creatures can be noticed (at a low DC) and removed (at a moderate DC) with a heal check. I'd say success is perfect removal, failure is loss of motor functions until a more succesful heal check, and failure by 5+ is Fortitude save or die.

I missed the 'had to be dominated' part. But the general problem with the 'willing partner' idea is that most people wouldn't trust those things as far as they could throw them... not that it's saying much, but still...

Also:


When a special ability allows a saving throw, the kind of save and the save DC is noted in the descriptive text. Most saving throws against special abilities have DCs calculated as follows:

10 + ½ the attacker’s racial Hit Dice + the relevant ability modifier

Under Special Abilities.

[Vaynor]

I was reffering to the nonmagical heal skill. I know, with all of those clerics it's hard to remember that there are still doctors in those worlds. But generally wriggle-into-your-spine/flesh/brain/little toe creatures can be noticed (at a low DC) and removed (at a moderate DC) with a heal check. I'd say success is perfect removal, failure is loss of motor functions until a more succesful heal check, and failure by 5+ is Fortitude save or die.

I missed the 'had to be dominated' part. But the general problem with the 'willing partner' idea is that most people wouldn't trust those things as far as they could throw them... not that it's saying much, but still...

Oooh, ok. I didn't see what you meant, there. I'll add it in in a bit. It will be fairly high though, it IS attached to the brain stem.