Lord Iames Osari
2008-11-19, 01:13 AM
Preface
Back when I first started to create my homebrewed campaign setting, Tyrath, it was my hope to someday get it published.
With the formation of Victorious Press, I saw a golden opportunity. Unfortunately, Victorious Press, being a third-party company, is restricted to content that's covered by the Open Gaming License - which means that mind flayers, yuan-ti, and beholders (among others) are Not Allowed. Since mind flayers and yuan-ti are fairly powerful factions in the metaplot, I need replacements for them.
So, without further ado, allow me to present the vazjura, your new subterranean psionic overlords.
[hr]
Vazjura
Medium Aberration (Augmented Humanoid, Psionic)
HD 8d8+16 (52 hp)
Speed 30 ft. (6 squares)
Init: +6
AC 17; touch 15; flat-footed 14
(+3 Dex, +2 natural, +2 insight)
BAB +6; Grp +6
Attack Tentacle +9 melee (1d4 bludgeoning) or sting +9 melee (1d4 piercing plus vazjura fever)
Full-Attack Tentacle +9 melee (1d4 bludgeoning) and sting +9 melee (1d4 piercing plus vazjura fever)
Special Attacks Extraction, improved grab, psionics, terrifying gaze, vazjura fever
Special Qualities Aberration traits, incorporation, mental redundancy 2, spell resistance 18, telepathy 100 feet, vazjura fever
Saves Fort +4, Ref +5, Will +10
Abilities Str 10, Dex 17, Con 14, Int 19, Wis 19, Cha 16
Skills Bluff +14, Concentration +13, Knowledge (dungeoneering) +15, Knowledge (psionics) +15, Intimidate +14, Listen +6, Sense Motive +15, Spot +6
Feats Weapon Finesse, Psionic Fist, Greater Psionic Fist, Psionic MeditationB
Environment Underground
Organization Solitary, pair, faculty (3-6 and 6-12 slaves), laboratory (6-36 and 12-180 slaves), university (40-800 and 80-4,000 slaves)
Challenge Rating 8
Treasure Standard
Alignment Usually LE
Advancement by class; Favored Class Psion
Level Adjustment +1
This hideous, hunchbacked figure emerges like something out of the darkest nightmares. It is not the figure's all-too-human face that makes her so repulsive, however; rather, it is the bulbous growths on her back, the wickedly glistening blade growing from one forearm and the bizzare, five-flanged tentacle in place of the other that inspires your revulsion.
http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k177/LordIames/Miscellaneous/FemVazjura03.png
Vazjura are extremely mutated humanoids whose origins are shrouded in mystery. Their own legends have it that the first of them were created - or rather, will be created - millennia from now, when a spacefaring civilization is struck by a deadly plague epidemic. Somehow, the survivors used their psionic abilities to turn the plague into symbiotes, and thus the vazjura were created. Then, some kind of catastrophe sent the vazjura back in time to Tyrath's ancient past.
Vazjura are keenly intelligent, and desire either to alter the course of history by preventing the plague from wiping out the future civilization by converting them all into vazjura, or to ensure that they are created as their legends account by deliberately introducing the plague to the future civilization. Both factions agree that they need to get to that point first, however, and so for now they work together, studying the psionic arts in all their variety. So that they can devote all their time to research and academic politics, vazjura capture members of other humanoid races for use as test subjects, slaves, and breeding stock.
Vazjura reproduce by sexual reproduction; they are interfertile with all medium-sized humanoid species, and offspring are whatever non-vazjura parent is. Offspring without psionic potential are raised as slaves; those with it are rigorously trained in the psionic arts until their 16th birthday, and then infected with vazjura fever. Those who can use their abilities to turn the disease into a symbiote then undergo the modifications to become full vazjura. Those who cannot are killed to prevent the infection from spreading through the slave population.
Typically, Vazjura speak their own language, Vazjuran, which uses its own script, as well as Common, Draconic, Dwarven, Terran, and Undercommon.
Combat
Extraction (Ex): A vazjura that begins its turn with its tentacle attached to an opponent gains a +4 racial bonus to grapple checks against that opponent until the beginning of its next turn. If, at the beginning of the vazjura's next turn, its tentacle is still attached, it can make another grapple check with a +8 racial bonus; if this check succeeds, it automatically extracts the opponent's brain, instantly killing the creature. Undead and creatures without a brain are immune to this power, and it is not instantly fatal to creatures with more than one head or brain.
Improved Grab (Ex): To use this ability, a vazjura must successfully hit a Small, Medium, or Large opponent with its tentacle attack. It can then attempt to start a grapple as a free action without provoking attacks of opportunity. If it wins the grapple check, it establishes a hold and attaches the tentacle to the opponent's head.
Incorporation (Ex): Brains that a vazjura extracts travel up the hollow interior of its tentacle arm to its back, where, over the course of the next 1d4+3 days, it will be ensconced in a new bulbous growth and connected to the vazjura's primary brain, and will thus increase the vazjura's mental redundancy by 1.
Mental Redundancy (Ex): The extra brains that vazjura extract and incorporate into themselves give them a number of benefits, including: A +1 insight bonus to Listen and Spot checks per brain incorporated.
A +1 insight bonus to Armor Class per brain incorporated.
A +2 bonus to initiative per brain incorporated.
The ability to store one additional psionic focus per brain incorporated.
When a vazjura would be targeted by a mind-affecting effect, it is allowed one saving throw per brain incorporated. As long as one of the brains succeeds on its saving throw, the vazjura is considered to have successfully resisted the effect.
Vorpal weapons, another vazjura's extraction ability, and similar effects are not instantly fatal to vazjura.
Psionics: Vazjura manifest psionic powers as if they were 8th-level psions; they typically specialize in psychometabolism.
Typical Psion Powers Known (power points 78, save DC 16 + power level, ML10): 1-force screenA, hammerA, inertial armorA, thicken skinA, vigorA; 2-animal affinityA, biofeedbackA, body equilibriumA, concussion blastA; 3-body adjustmentA, body purificationA, hustle, remove disease, psionic*, touchsightA; 4-energy adaptationA, metamorphosis, psychic vampire (Fort negates).
*New power described below.
Terrifying Gaze (Su): Anyone within 30 ft. of a vazjura (except for other vazjura) must make a Will save against DC 17 or be paralyzed by fear for 1d4 rounds. A character who successfully saves or is cured of paralysis before the duration ends is shaken. This is a mind-affecting fear effect gaze attack, and the save DC is Charisma-based. Vazjura can suppress or reactivate this ability at will as a free action.
Vazjura Fever (Ex): When a vazjura does damage to an opponent with its sting attack, the opponent must succeed on a DC 16 Fortitude save or become infected with vazjura fever (see below). The save DC is Constitution-based.
Vazjura Fever
Vazjura fever is the disease that makes the vazjura what they are. It is most infectious when spread by injury, but the pathogen can also be inhaled. In addition to causing a fever, it also causes a persistent cough. It has a save DC of 16 when spread by injury and 14 when inhaled. It has an incubation period of 1d4 days and deals 1d2 points of Wisdom damage. When a character reaches 0 Wisdom, she dies.
Vazjura fever is a supernatural disease and cannot be fought off naturally. The remove disease spell and similar effects work normally, with the exception of the psionic remove disease power, which turns the disease into a symbiote which grants a +2 bonus to manifester level and save DCs for psionic powers. These bonuses are included in the statistics above. This bonus can only be acquired once.
Remove Disease, Psionic
Psychometabolism
Level: Psion/Wilder 3, psychic monk 3
Display: Olfactory and visual
Manifesting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Personal
Target: You
Duration: Instantaneous
Power Points: 5
As remove disease, except as noted here.
-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Lore
{table="head"]Knowledge (dungeoneering) result|Lore Gained
18|The vazjura are a race of superintelligent mutants with astonishing mental powers who live underground and absorb the brains of their victims. This result reveals abberation traits, psionics, improved grab, and extraction.
23|Vazjura society revolves around psionic and scientific research; although their ultimate goals are a matter of dispute even among themselves, they all agree that distractions from their research are a bad thing, and so the vazjura capture and breed slaves so that they can continue their research in comfort and safety. Their gaze is said to instill paralyzing fear in any non-vazjura who comes too close. This result reveals terrifiying gaze, telepathy, and spell resistance.
28|The vazjura are the carriers of a strange disease called vazjura fever, which becomes symbiotic when exposed to certain psionic energies. Furthermore, they use the brains they absorb to magnify their powers. This result reveals incorporation, mental redundancy, and vazjura fever.[/table]
Back when I first started to create my homebrewed campaign setting, Tyrath, it was my hope to someday get it published.
With the formation of Victorious Press, I saw a golden opportunity. Unfortunately, Victorious Press, being a third-party company, is restricted to content that's covered by the Open Gaming License - which means that mind flayers, yuan-ti, and beholders (among others) are Not Allowed. Since mind flayers and yuan-ti are fairly powerful factions in the metaplot, I need replacements for them.
So, without further ado, allow me to present the vazjura, your new subterranean psionic overlords.
[hr]
Vazjura
Medium Aberration (Augmented Humanoid, Psionic)
HD 8d8+16 (52 hp)
Speed 30 ft. (6 squares)
Init: +6
AC 17; touch 15; flat-footed 14
(+3 Dex, +2 natural, +2 insight)
BAB +6; Grp +6
Attack Tentacle +9 melee (1d4 bludgeoning) or sting +9 melee (1d4 piercing plus vazjura fever)
Full-Attack Tentacle +9 melee (1d4 bludgeoning) and sting +9 melee (1d4 piercing plus vazjura fever)
Special Attacks Extraction, improved grab, psionics, terrifying gaze, vazjura fever
Special Qualities Aberration traits, incorporation, mental redundancy 2, spell resistance 18, telepathy 100 feet, vazjura fever
Saves Fort +4, Ref +5, Will +10
Abilities Str 10, Dex 17, Con 14, Int 19, Wis 19, Cha 16
Skills Bluff +14, Concentration +13, Knowledge (dungeoneering) +15, Knowledge (psionics) +15, Intimidate +14, Listen +6, Sense Motive +15, Spot +6
Feats Weapon Finesse, Psionic Fist, Greater Psionic Fist, Psionic MeditationB
Environment Underground
Organization Solitary, pair, faculty (3-6 and 6-12 slaves), laboratory (6-36 and 12-180 slaves), university (40-800 and 80-4,000 slaves)
Challenge Rating 8
Treasure Standard
Alignment Usually LE
Advancement by class; Favored Class Psion
Level Adjustment +1
This hideous, hunchbacked figure emerges like something out of the darkest nightmares. It is not the figure's all-too-human face that makes her so repulsive, however; rather, it is the bulbous growths on her back, the wickedly glistening blade growing from one forearm and the bizzare, five-flanged tentacle in place of the other that inspires your revulsion.
http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k177/LordIames/Miscellaneous/FemVazjura03.png
Vazjura are extremely mutated humanoids whose origins are shrouded in mystery. Their own legends have it that the first of them were created - or rather, will be created - millennia from now, when a spacefaring civilization is struck by a deadly plague epidemic. Somehow, the survivors used their psionic abilities to turn the plague into symbiotes, and thus the vazjura were created. Then, some kind of catastrophe sent the vazjura back in time to Tyrath's ancient past.
Vazjura are keenly intelligent, and desire either to alter the course of history by preventing the plague from wiping out the future civilization by converting them all into vazjura, or to ensure that they are created as their legends account by deliberately introducing the plague to the future civilization. Both factions agree that they need to get to that point first, however, and so for now they work together, studying the psionic arts in all their variety. So that they can devote all their time to research and academic politics, vazjura capture members of other humanoid races for use as test subjects, slaves, and breeding stock.
Vazjura reproduce by sexual reproduction; they are interfertile with all medium-sized humanoid species, and offspring are whatever non-vazjura parent is. Offspring without psionic potential are raised as slaves; those with it are rigorously trained in the psionic arts until their 16th birthday, and then infected with vazjura fever. Those who can use their abilities to turn the disease into a symbiote then undergo the modifications to become full vazjura. Those who cannot are killed to prevent the infection from spreading through the slave population.
Typically, Vazjura speak their own language, Vazjuran, which uses its own script, as well as Common, Draconic, Dwarven, Terran, and Undercommon.
Combat
Extraction (Ex): A vazjura that begins its turn with its tentacle attached to an opponent gains a +4 racial bonus to grapple checks against that opponent until the beginning of its next turn. If, at the beginning of the vazjura's next turn, its tentacle is still attached, it can make another grapple check with a +8 racial bonus; if this check succeeds, it automatically extracts the opponent's brain, instantly killing the creature. Undead and creatures without a brain are immune to this power, and it is not instantly fatal to creatures with more than one head or brain.
Improved Grab (Ex): To use this ability, a vazjura must successfully hit a Small, Medium, or Large opponent with its tentacle attack. It can then attempt to start a grapple as a free action without provoking attacks of opportunity. If it wins the grapple check, it establishes a hold and attaches the tentacle to the opponent's head.
Incorporation (Ex): Brains that a vazjura extracts travel up the hollow interior of its tentacle arm to its back, where, over the course of the next 1d4+3 days, it will be ensconced in a new bulbous growth and connected to the vazjura's primary brain, and will thus increase the vazjura's mental redundancy by 1.
Mental Redundancy (Ex): The extra brains that vazjura extract and incorporate into themselves give them a number of benefits, including: A +1 insight bonus to Listen and Spot checks per brain incorporated.
A +1 insight bonus to Armor Class per brain incorporated.
A +2 bonus to initiative per brain incorporated.
The ability to store one additional psionic focus per brain incorporated.
When a vazjura would be targeted by a mind-affecting effect, it is allowed one saving throw per brain incorporated. As long as one of the brains succeeds on its saving throw, the vazjura is considered to have successfully resisted the effect.
Vorpal weapons, another vazjura's extraction ability, and similar effects are not instantly fatal to vazjura.
Psionics: Vazjura manifest psionic powers as if they were 8th-level psions; they typically specialize in psychometabolism.
Typical Psion Powers Known (power points 78, save DC 16 + power level, ML10): 1-force screenA, hammerA, inertial armorA, thicken skinA, vigorA; 2-animal affinityA, biofeedbackA, body equilibriumA, concussion blastA; 3-body adjustmentA, body purificationA, hustle, remove disease, psionic*, touchsightA; 4-energy adaptationA, metamorphosis, psychic vampire (Fort negates).
*New power described below.
Terrifying Gaze (Su): Anyone within 30 ft. of a vazjura (except for other vazjura) must make a Will save against DC 17 or be paralyzed by fear for 1d4 rounds. A character who successfully saves or is cured of paralysis before the duration ends is shaken. This is a mind-affecting fear effect gaze attack, and the save DC is Charisma-based. Vazjura can suppress or reactivate this ability at will as a free action.
Vazjura Fever (Ex): When a vazjura does damage to an opponent with its sting attack, the opponent must succeed on a DC 16 Fortitude save or become infected with vazjura fever (see below). The save DC is Constitution-based.
Vazjura Fever
Vazjura fever is the disease that makes the vazjura what they are. It is most infectious when spread by injury, but the pathogen can also be inhaled. In addition to causing a fever, it also causes a persistent cough. It has a save DC of 16 when spread by injury and 14 when inhaled. It has an incubation period of 1d4 days and deals 1d2 points of Wisdom damage. When a character reaches 0 Wisdom, she dies.
Vazjura fever is a supernatural disease and cannot be fought off naturally. The remove disease spell and similar effects work normally, with the exception of the psionic remove disease power, which turns the disease into a symbiote which grants a +2 bonus to manifester level and save DCs for psionic powers. These bonuses are included in the statistics above. This bonus can only be acquired once.
Remove Disease, Psionic
Psychometabolism
Level: Psion/Wilder 3, psychic monk 3
Display: Olfactory and visual
Manifesting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Personal
Target: You
Duration: Instantaneous
Power Points: 5
As remove disease, except as noted here.
-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Lore
{table="head"]Knowledge (dungeoneering) result|Lore Gained
18|The vazjura are a race of superintelligent mutants with astonishing mental powers who live underground and absorb the brains of their victims. This result reveals abberation traits, psionics, improved grab, and extraction.
23|Vazjura society revolves around psionic and scientific research; although their ultimate goals are a matter of dispute even among themselves, they all agree that distractions from their research are a bad thing, and so the vazjura capture and breed slaves so that they can continue their research in comfort and safety. Their gaze is said to instill paralyzing fear in any non-vazjura who comes too close. This result reveals terrifiying gaze, telepathy, and spell resistance.
28|The vazjura are the carriers of a strange disease called vazjura fever, which becomes symbiotic when exposed to certain psionic energies. Furthermore, they use the brains they absorb to magnify their powers. This result reveals incorporation, mental redundancy, and vazjura fever.[/table]