Familiar Grub [MitPII]

[Umarth]

Familiar Grub
Fine (Magical Beast)
1d10 HD (5)
Speed 0 ft. (0 squares)
Init: -5
AC 10; touch 10; flat-footed 10
(size +8)
BAB -
Attack None
Full-Attack None
Space 0 ft.; Reach 0 ft.
Special Attacks: Infect, Burst
Special Qualities: Clone, Twist Host Mind, Immunities (Cure Disease), Heat Resistance 15, Domination Abhorrence, Negative Energy Weakness
Saves Fort -3 Ref -3 Will -5
Abilities Str 1, Dex 1, Con 1, Int 1, Wis 1, Cha 1
Skills NA
Feats NA
Environment: Inside a familiar or arcane caster.
Organization Spore (1) or Infection (1d10x1d10)
Challenge Rating X
Treasure None
Alignment Neutral
Advancement None

Infect: A Familiar Grub that's ingested infects it's host unless they succeed at a DC 15 fortitude save. Once a creature is infected the Familiar grub slowly makes it's way to the creatures brain (2d4 days) and begins to clone itself.

Clone: This stage of a Familiar Grubs life cycle can take dramatically different forms depending on what type of character is infected. In all cases the familiar grub clones until 100 of the grubs are alive inside the creatures brain. Each day the creature is infected it roll 1d10 to determine how many new grubs have formed. Once at least 50 grubs are in a creature they are able to Twist Host Mind.

Twist Host Mind: Depending on what type of creature is infected Twist Mind has the following abilities.

• Arcane Caster - The Familiar Grub reacts peacefully with the arcane energies and provides the caster with the following benefits:
  
  1. +1 infection bonus to all Spell DCs
  2. +4 effective level to determine familiar abilities
  3. +4 infection bonus to all Diplomacy rolls with Arcane Casters
  4. -4 infection bonus to all Diplomacy rolls with Divine Casters
  5. -1 infection bonus to all Spell DCs for each day that the infected character doesn’t spend at least 1 hour in close contact (30 feet) of another arcane caster. Max -5 Spell DCs. The penalty to DC comes from a feeling of increasing confusion about the nature and rituals of magic.
• Divine Caster - The Familiar Grub reacts violently to the divine energies and deals 1d6 damage and 1d4 points of constitution damage per day. There is no save against this effect.
• Non Caster - The Familiar Grub provides a +2 bonus to diplomacy checks with arcane casters, -2 diplomacy checks with divine casters, and then forms cysts inside the host going dormant until they gain either an Arcane caster or Divine caster level.
• Arcane and Divine Caster - The grub reacts randomly for 1d4 weeks and then Bursts. Each day before the burst roll 1d4 on a 1-2 the grub acts as if the host is an arcane caster for that day on a 3-4 the grub acts as if the host is a divine caster.
• Familiar - The familiar gains the ability to cast a randomly chosen 0th level spell the familiar's master knows and has a great deal of interest in the food it's master eats. The familiar will try and spend at least 10% of it's day near or in it's masters food stuff. Each day the familiar spends time near or in it's masters food Familiar Grubs infect the food. Anyone eating the food must then save vs. infection. Additionally infected familiars find non infected familiars fascinating and will try to touch and rub against them. Any non infected familiar coming in touch contact with an infected familiar must make a DC 15 fort save or become infected.

Domination Abhorrence: Familiar grubs react badly when the creature they are in is dominated or charmed. Unless they are in cyst form (as in non casters) they all immediately Burst when in a dominated or charmed creature.

Negative Energy Weakness: Grubs are especially susceptible to negative energy and for every point of negative energy damage the host takes a single grub bursts.

Burst: When a Grub bursts it releases poisons into it's hosts. (DC 10 fort save, Initial and secondary damage 1 point of Intelligence drain) A creature reduced to 0 Intelligence by the poison is killed. If all the grubs in a host burst they are free of the infection.


Familiar Grubs are incredibly tiny magical parasites that have recently begun to spread through out the world. These parasites are having a devistating effect on divine casters in infected areas and are resulting in a new renissance of arcane casters.

Once Familiar Grubs begin to infect an area the following changes are fairly typical:

• Formation of Arcane societies. (Guilds, Academies, ect)
• Arcane casters taking on numerous new apprentices.
• Improved relations between arcane casters and the general population.
• Sudden deaths amongst divine casters.
• Worsened relations between divine casters and general population.
• Violent relations between arcane and divine caster societies.
• Eventual elimination of divine casters from the area.

[Icewalker]

Wow. quite creepy. I like how if you kill them they burst and deal int damage. The familiars spreading infection is fun too. You need a way to remove them however, maybe cure disease or something kills them without bursting.

It's interesting, an arcane caster could take these as an advantage, but then someone casts inflict critical and they take like 20 int damage

[Lord Iames Osari]

You need to fill in the initiative section.

[Matthew]

Looks good. I really like the idea of these Grubs seeking out Arcane Energy over the usual Psionic versions.

[Umarth]

Wow. quite creepy. I like how if you kill them they burst and deal int damage. The familiars spreading infection is fun too. You need a way to remove them however, maybe cure disease or something kills them without bursting.

It's interesting, an arcane caster could take these as an advantage, but then someone casts inflict critical and they take like 20 int damage

Only problem I see with cure disease is it makes them to easy to remove. They currently can be cured through carefull use of the inflict line of spells combined with restoration to cure any ability damage they do take.

Really at a DC 10 on the save they won't take a whole lot of ability damage unless you pop a lot of them at once.

You need to fill in the initiative section.

Fixed.

[sigurd]

If you want to make them more prevalent you need a reason for them to be cultivated in certain circumstances.

ie

Euphoric Delirium (Goblin) - Among Goblinoids familiar grubs have a 25% chance of reaching a sort of symbiosis. Afflicted Goblinoids grow large heaving boils and receive a -2 to dexterity and constitution. They also are prone to receiving shared euphoric dreams which the races revere as holy. Those afflicted by the same strain of Familiar grub gain shared ideas and plans.

(something like that perhaps)


Sgurd

[Umarth]

You don't think the diplomacy bonus and spell DC penalty are enough? I wanted to come up with some semi subtle ways of encouraging arcane casters to congregate.

A +4 bonus on diplomacy checks means that most wizards and sorcerers are now going to be much better and solving personal differences and coming to some form of agreement and since they only get that bonus with other arcane casters they will find it much more pleasant to deal with another arcane caster rather than anyone else.

I did go back and add a reason why the spell DC penalty applies: The penalty to DC comes from a feeling of increasing confusion about the nature and rituals of magic.

So now we've got a group of folks who find it easier to talk with each other rather than anyone else and have a need to talk with each other on a regular basis. That should be enough of a push to shape the arcane casting society into something strongly group oriented.