Alien Bestiary
Table of Contents
Bahgra (CR 1/2)
Source: To Worlds Unknown
XP 200
Bahgra ranger 1
N Medium humanoid (bahgra)
Init +2; Senses low-light vision; Perception +4
Defense
AC 14, touch 12, flat-footed 12 (+2 armor, +2 Dex)
hp 13 (1d10+3)
Fort +4, Ref +4, Will +0
Offense
Speed 30 ft.
Melee scimitar +3 (1d6+2/18–20), bite –2 (1d6+1) or bite +3 (1d6+3)
Ranged longbow +3 (1d8/x3)
Special Attacks favored enemy (humans +2)
Statistics
Str 15, Dex 14, Con 15, Int 10, Wis 10, Cha 10
Base Atk +1; CMB +3; CMD 15
Feats Pack AttackUC(B), Point-Blank Shot
Skills Climb +6, Heal +4, Intimidate +4, Knowledge (nature) +4, Perception +4, Survival +4
Languages Bahgra, Common (can’t speak), Ultari (can’t speak)
SQ track +1, wild empathy +1
Ecology
Environment cold or temperate forest, hills, or plains
Organization solitary, pair, or pack (3–12)
Treasure NPC gear (leather armor, longbow, scimitar, other treasure)
Bahgra or “dog folk” stand upright with fully dexterous hands, but their canine heritage is evident in their bestial snouts and teeth. They communicate through barks, growls, and soulful whines, but struggle to make themselves understood in other languages, lacking the ability to make certain sounds or facial expressions. Standing 5 feet tall, bahgra flourish in both temperate and cold environments thanks to their natural fur, the coloration of which can vary as widely as the ethnicities of other humanoid races.
Though often dismissed as savages, bahgra are cunning and intelligent predators. Bahgra are excellent trackers, skilled laborers, and warriors, possessing a natural “team” instinct which makes them well-suited to construction and manufacturing. This trait also manifests during combat, as bahgra excel in pack-based tactics.
Elali (CR 4)
Source: To Worlds Unknown
Strange tattoos belie this humanoid’s alien nature where the midpoint of its head splits like a flower with lavender skin overlapping its exposed brain.
XP 1,200
NG Medium humanoid
Init +7; Senses darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision; Perception +7
Defense
AC 17, touch 13, flat-footed 14 (+3 Dex, +4 natural)
hp 37 (5d8+15)
Fort +3, Ref +4, Will +7; +2 versus mind-affecting effects
Immune paralysis; Resist electricity 10, fire 10; SR 15
Offense
Speed 30 ft.
Melee +2 dagger +8 (1d4+1/19–20)
Special Attacks mental paralysis
Spell-Like Abilities (CL 4th; concentration +7)
At will—levitate (self only)
3/day—disguise self (humanoid only), suggestion (DC 15), vocal alterationUM
1/day—shield, modify memory (DC 17), vanishAPG
Statistics
Str 9, Dex 16, Con 15, Int 18, Wis 17, Cha 16
Base Atk +3; CMB +2; CMD 15
Feats Improved Initiative, Toughness, Weapon Finesse
Skills Diplomacy +7, Heal +9, Knowledge (arcana) +7, Knowledge (planes) +7, Perception +7, Sense Motive +10, Spellcraft +8, Stealth +6, Use Magic Device +10; Racial Modifiers +4 Sense Motive, +4 Use Magic Device
Languages Celestial, Common, Elali, Ultari; telepathy 100 ft.
SQ psychic enhancement
Ecology
Environment any land
Organization solitary, pair, or cluster (3–12)
Treasure NPC gear (+2 dagger, other gear)
Special Abilities
Psychic Enhancement (Su) Any weapon wielded by an elali receives a fraction of its psychic might, manifesting a +1 enhancement modifier as an immediate action on each strike. For every 5 HD the elali possesses, this bonus increases by +1 to a maximum of +5 at 20 HD.
Mental Paralysis (Su) Elali can assail the minds of lesser creatures with waves of psychic energy to temporarily restrict conscious control of their bodies. As a standard action, an elali may use this ability to target a single creature within 30 feet as a mind-affecting effect. As long as the creature has an Intelligence of 3 or greater, but still less than that of the elali itself, it must make a DC 15 Will saving throw or gain the paralyzed condition for 1d4+1 rounds similar to a hold person spell. Each round, on its turn, an affected creature may attempt a new saving throw to end the effect, but this requires a full-round action which does not provoke attacks of opportunity. Once targeted by this ability (whether successful or not), a creature is immune to further mental paralysis from that elali for the next 24 hours. An elali may only maintain one instance of mental paralysis at a time. The save DC is Charisma-based.
A powerful psychic species—and the elder statesmen of the accord—elali have long cultivated a reputation as benevolent shepherds of the multiverse. Ages ago, they evolved on a lush, mountainous world with vicious predators, forced to rely on cunning and intellect to survive. As a result, they also prefer to remain in the shadows of interplanetary affairs, often shaping events on other worlds through proxies and intermediaries until native species are ready to accept their presence. The true agenda of the elali is sustain the master plans and prophecies of the ascended Patrons, moving the multiverse towards a similar enlightenment and joint commonality.
Capable of channeling their psychic talents in impressive displays of mental dominance and deception, the elali loathe to use their powers on the unwilling. This self-imposed ban on the unethical abuse of their abilities—as well as their dwindling population and slow reproductive cycle—is all that keeps them from becoming a conquering force in the universe; a well-known fact by other species, especially their enemies among the gegemony. Only marginally shorter in stature than an average-sized human, elali commonly stand 5-1/2 feet tall and weigh around 120 pounds.
Ecology
Originating on a mountainous, arboreal world, the elali developed in the shadows of massive, translucent, fungal-like trees which filtered much of the light from the world’s twin, blue-white suns. They developed nascent psychic abilities as a defense against the world’s fiercest predators, hiding in small, migrating communes among such forests. Only after millennia eking out a living while being hunted, did the first elali ascend into the mountains and skies of their planet. Settling on the tops of the gargantuan fungal blooms and highest peaks, the elali created their first true settlements, made from the picked carcasses of the colossal beasts, below. From this moment, the elali race learned what it meant to truly look down upon other creatures, safe from reprisal and able to develop their culture at a pace of their own choosing.
One of the few species to directly interact with the immortal Patrons, the elali once again adapted to the greater multiverse after accepting an interplanetary gate connected to the Weave. Mastering psychic trickery, they took the form of other humanoid species, often passing among them as idealized versions of the local culture to better influence civilizations in positive ways. Unfortunately, psychic communication with these initial species often led to misunderstandings, fear, or—in extreme cases—terrible accidents, with the elali unintentionally overriding the synapses of lesser species and rendering them in a state of permanent catatonia. Since then, the elali have grown more accustomed to neural differences within other species, though psychic intrusion still results in moments of deep shock. For this reason, elali prefer telepathy for communication, reserving the direct sharing of minds only for others of their kind.
Habitat & Society
The peaceful elali abhor war even when it proves absolutely necessary. Capable of extending psychic energy into the very weapons they wield, only a handful embrace martial traditions because of their aversion to violence. Instead, most use deception to avoid combat or turn enemies against one another. This prevents them from inflicting lasting harm on others, as they believe the mind is always far more important than the flesh. Because of this, elali particularly guard against psychic enemies, especially those among the gegemony.
Elali almost always live among the societies of other worlds, appearing as a member of the native species while manipulating events until a situation warrants their direct hand. From this position, they work to influence important leaders and improve the lives and advancement of their adopted species. When discovered or confronted about their presence, the elali use more invasive psychic powers to carefully alter memories and disappear, cultivating new identities and new relationships to continue their work. Because of this activity, members of the Hegemony often paint the elali as master manipulators, meddling in the affairs of lesser species for nefarious reasons, and the elali are then forced to repair and defend their reputation once revealed.
Small groups of more adventurous elali occasionally explore on scouting missions to discover or intervene among the neutral worlds of the multiverse coveted by rival forces. Able to remain hidden for years at a time, these agents foment resistance to brutal dictators and Hegemony incursions, especially any outbreaks of the vile assimilation strains manufactured by the jagdaline. Such atrocities always evoke a more militaristic approach by the elali, as they know full well the dangers an assimilation strain can pose to unprepared species yet to discover the dangers of the greater multiverse. On worlds not yet under the direct threat of the hegemony, visiting elali covertly act to uplift a local species in hopes of discouraging interstellar conflict and guide peaceful outcomes toward interplanetary diplomacy and unification.
Outside their sojourns across the cosmos, groups of elali also hold council among the greatest strongholds of the accord, often debating the greater actions of the coalition’s multiracial alliance while discussing the master plan of their enigmatic Patrons. Even so, the elali rarely show themselves beyond mandatory appearances among the leaders of the Accord, preferring to spend their individual time contemplating Patron philosophy and pursuing the shared revelations of the vast neural network provided by their kind.
Advanced Elali
When an elali gains class levels, several of its abilities increase as well, as detailed below.
- Spell resistance equals total Hit Dice + 10.
- Mental paralysis save DC equals 10 + Cha modifier + 1/2 total Hit Dice.
- When it is 4th level in any class combination, it gains two spell-like abilities usable once per day: dominate person and nondetection. When it reaches 9th level in any combination, it gains two more usable once per day: mass suggestion and teleport.
- An elali’s racial ability score modifiers are as follows: Str –2, Dex +6, Con +4, Int +8, Wis +6, Cha +6.
Jagladine (CR 1)
Source: To Worlds Unknown
Dark, chitinous scales cover the thin legs, multiple forelimbs, and narrow facial features of this tall, spindly creature, its inscrutable gaze peering intently about its surroundings.
XP 400
NE Medium monstrous humanoid
Init +1; Senses darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision; Perception +10
Defense
AC 13, touch 11, flat-footed 12 (+1 Dex, +2 natural)
hp 16 (2d10+5); fast healing 2
Fort +1, Ref +4, Will +4
Immune disease, poison
Offense
Speed 30 ft., climb 20 ft.
Melee mwk scimitar +4 (1d6+1/18–20) or mwk kukri +4 (1d4+1/18–20)
Ranged hand crossbow +3 (1d4/19–20)
Statistics
Str 12, Dex 12, Con 13, Int 16, Wis 13, Cha 11
Base Atk +2; CMB +3; CMD 14
Feats Toughness
Skills Acrobatics +3, Bluff +6, Climb +13, Heal +6, Intimidate +8, Knowledge (nature) +8, Perception +10, Stealth +6; Racial Modifiers +4 Bluff, +4 Intimidate, +4 Perception
Languages Aklo, Common, Ultari, Jagladine
SQ intuitive naturalist, multi-armed, reflexive biology
Ecology
Environment any land
Organization solitary, pair, or research enclave (3–8 plus 20 klaven)
Treasure NPC gear (mwk scimitar, mwk kukri, hand crossbow w/ 10 bolts)
Special Abilities
Intuitive Naturalist (Ex) Knowledge (nature) and Heal are always class skills for jagladine.
Multi-Armed (Ex) A jagladine has four arms. One hand is considered its primary hand, but all others are considered off hands. It can use any of its hands for other purposes that require free hands.
Reflexive Biology (Ex) Anytime a jagladine is targeted by a disease or poison effect, it may absorb the effect without suffering any ill conditions. As a swift action, a jagladine can then excrete a liquified version of the disease or poison which remains potent for the next 24 hours. It can apply this excretion to a held weapon as part of this swift action. The liquified version of the disease or poison must be applied via ingestion or injury. A jagladine can only store one disease or poison at a time. Further disease and poison effects are ignored per their racial immunity.
Of all the member species within the hegemony—save the ultari themselves—the jagladine represent the clearest threat to the multiverse. Bereft of the guiding morality found in other species, they see themselves on the cusp of becoming ‘living gods’—a self-ascribed title vacated by the more ancient creatures which preceded them. Expert biologists in the extreme, the jagladine maintain a research enclaves on dozens of unclaimed worlds, hard at work on developing a means to dominate other species and assimilate them into their growing base of power. From these scientific outposts, the jagladine routinely tamper with the natural evolution of native creatures and pathogens, caring not for the repercussions their research has on the greater multiverse.
Embodying a curious mix of reptilian and insectoid traits, jagladine have a toughened hide for added protection, and display an unnerving knack for crawling about on even the most difficult of surfaces. To compensate for their woefully average physique, they also enjoy a natural immunity to disease and poison, even cultivating an internal means of storing such toxins for future use through their enhanced biology. Typically taller than a human, a jagladine stands 6 feet tall and weighs around 150 pounds.
Ecology
From their racial roots on a now forgotten desert world, the primitive jagladine relocated enmasse to a lush planet after accidentally opening a gate left behind by the Patrons. They’ve thrived in their new home ever since, jealously guarding its unique ecosystem to take advantage of its primordial swamps which evoke mysterious evolutions in those who dwell there. Indeed, the jagladine species has collectively benefited by the transformations of this unique resource, transforming themselves to harden their bodies against disease and toxins while also extending their natural lifespans. They’ve also harvested the biomass of these protoswamps to construct more automated ‘progression vats’ used to transform other species and grow all manner of bio-organic technologies and weapons—many in use by the hegemony.
Highly adaptive to many environments, the jagladine have explored and colonized additional worlds, always seeking to control the gateways which link the planets together. Their ability to dissect newfound fauna and flora has served them well, helping them contend with high-risk threats and fend off would-be rivals vying for territory. Only first-contact with the equally amoral, psychic ultari curbed their march across the multiverse. For a time, these two factions warred against one another, but eventually they realized they could accomplish more by conserving resources and working together. The subsequent acceptance of the jagladine into the hegemony opened even greater opportunities for their species, granting them access to new technologies and resources. Keenly attuned to the nature of living organisms, jagladine also have a social knack for buying time so they can turn larger events to their advantage. Such skills have already catapulted the jagladine into the coveted position of most favored partner within the hegemony, much to the chagrin of longer-serving allies.
An asexual species, the jagladine have little regard for gender or age. Concepts like male and female mean nothing to them, and they coldly regard all other lifeforms—save a respected few like the ultari—as fodder for experimentation. Guided by a history of harsh climates and brutal regimes, jagladine believe only the strong survive, thus, they show no mercy to anyone. The only jagladine emotion easily identifiable by outsiders resembles that of pride, most typically associated with scientific accomplishments which would horrify other species as barbaric and callous in execution. Such things matter little to the jagladine, as they lack the emotional capability to appreciate such inherent weakness.
Habitat & Society
As a greater species in the Hegemony, the jagladine enjoy a degree of autonomy reserved only for those who have gained the ultari’s trust. This stature partly exists because of the jagladine’s incredible skill at advancing the hegemony’s cause through genetic enhancement and bio-engineering—especially in weaponized applications. The jagladine have also made excellent scapegoats for the hegemony’s less scrupulous actions, as the ultari frequently deflect criticism of their expansion by blaming atrocities on their jagladine allies. With the end justifying the means, most planetary confrontations between the hegemony and accord have conveniently relied upon ‘rogue jagladine scientists’ to pave the way for ultari incursions.
Jagladine immunity to disease and their ability to absorb various bio-toxins has only increased their fascination with bio-organic experimentation. As a result, the hegemony often utilizes modern jagladine as living weapons, sending them to coveted worlds to spread assimilation strains used to transform native populations into occupying klaven footsoldiers. What was once a purely natural defense mechanism has become one of the truest testaments to the power of the jagladine race and the hegemony they quietly serve.
Most jagladine operate in two, distinct groups: the basic citizenry living in harmony with the rest of the hegemony, and the scientist caste which works alongside the coalition’s military. Both groups primarily abide by the hegemony’s laws more out of self-preservation than any moral imperative to peaceably treat with their fellow citizens. Jagladine scientists have even perfected assimilation strains to pacify and control those who defy ultari rule, constantly growing and expanding the hegemony’s reach through new pathogens and experimental bio-technology while they continue to decipher and operate the gates leading to new worlds.
Within their own culture, jagladine typically cooperate with one another by creating a strict hierarchy based on prior accomplishments and military assets granted them by the ultari. Jagladine are almost always loathe to fight among one another unless they sense a flawless victory without repurcussions is within their reach. Instead, jagladine scientists and overseers far more commonly abandon or betray any who fail to live up to the expectations of the greater group, believing the strong will either survive and re-establish themselves as respected peers, or eliminate themselves through natural selection. The ultari remain a distinct exception to this rule, with the jagladine continuing to show deference to the mind-masters for mutual gain. Most of this adoration is forced, however, as the jagladine know the hegemony’s protection and wordless sanction of their actions helps deflect the attention of other powers who would doubtless unify to stop them otherwise. By swearing loyalty to the hegemony, the jagladine have secured their place in the multiverse. Only the goal of continual advancement and achievement drives them onward, each success another step towards their own apotheosis as the new gods of a new era.
Klaven Foot Soldier (CR 1/2)
Source: To Worlds Unknown
This imposing humanoid advances with unblinking, milk-white eyes, its claws and wicked bone spurs ready to rend as green, calcified skin covers its body like a hardened exoskeleton.
XP 200
Male klaven warrior 1
LE Medium humanoid (augmented humanoid, human)
Init +0; Senses darkvision 60 ft.; Perception –1
Defense
AC 14, touch 10, flat-footed 14 (+4 natural)
hp 12 (1d10+7)
Fort +5, Ref +0, Will +1; +2 vs. disease, ingested poison, and becoming nauseated or sickened
Defensive Abilities plagueborn; Immune fear
Weaknesses malign influence
Offense
Speed 30 ft.
Melee battleaxe +4 (1d8+4/x3) or 2 claws +4 (1d6+3)
Ranged spur rifle +1 (1d6/19–20)
Statistics
Str 17, Dex 11, Con 16, Int 8, Wis 9, Cha 8
Base Atk +1; CMB +4; CMD 14
Feats EnduranceB, Exotic Weapon Proficiency (spur rifle), Iron WillB, Toughness
Skills Climb +7, Intimidate +7; Racial Modifiers +4 Intimidate
Languages Common, Ultari
SQ converted host, energy modulation (1/day), nanite exchange
Gear battleaxe, spur rifle with 5 spurs
Special Abilities
Converted Host (Ex) Klaven transformations leave nothing for restoration of a base creature to its original self. As a result, klaven cannot be killed and returned to life with raise dead or similar effects. Spells such as true resurrection, wish, and miracle still work normally.
Energy Modulation (Su) As an immediate action, a klaven may treat positive and negative energy effects as if it were an undead creature, taking damage from positive energy and healing damage from negative energy. This lasts until the start of the klaven’s next turn. The ability may be used once per day, and an additional time per day when they gain 8 HD and 12 HD.
Malign Influence (Su) Klaven receive a –2 penalty to resist charm and mind-affecting (compulsion) effects from evil creatures. This penalty increases to –6 if the creature also has the jagladine subtype.
Nanite Exchange (Su) Klaven nanites swarm around them on a microscopic level, providing a continuous awareness of the location and condition of other klaven within 60 feet, as the status spell. The range of this ability increases to 100 feet for klaven with at least 8 HD, and up to one mile for klaven with 12 HD or more. Klaven may also communicate with one another by passing memories and sensory information through their nanites, but must come into physical contact to do so. This exchange of memories requires a full-round action and only consists of perceptions and first hand experiences. Klaven cannot exchange skills, special abilities, or other individual qualities in this manner.
Plagueborn (Ex) Klaven gain a +2 bonus on saving throws against disease, ingested poisons, and becoming nauseated and sickened.
Klaven are an artificially created species, incrementally modified to serve the jagladine—and by extension, the hegemony—as foot soldiers and shocktroops. Their jagdaline masters perfected this process to transform natives of conquered worlds into an occupying force. The conversion protocol begins with a creature’s infection, typically by a virus referred to as an assimilation strain, which introduces nanites to remap a victim’s brain patterns and overall psychology, predisposing them towards evil. The second stage requires a fitted mindslave harness, which conditions victims towards complete obedience, reception of telepathic commands, and eventual networking with others of its kind. Those who survive these experiences become candidates for full conversion into klaven, a process which involves submersion into vats of organic mutagens to amplify the victim’s strength, alter the visual spectrum of its eyes, and grow natural claws. Klaven typically have greenish skin and milky-white eyes, with smooth hairless skin calcified into a hard, armored exoskeleton overlaying their former physiology.
The final result draws horror-worthy comparisons to an undead monstrosity, but all klaven are still living soldiers. Those familiar with klaven biology realize their appearance often signals an assimilation plague has already run its course, but klaven lack all memory of their former lives, devoid of compassion and slaying others without hesitation. Only officers possess the ability to speak, with all others communicating purely through an exchange of nanites. Their jagdaline masters also have the technological means to tap into their neural network, monitoring the condition of their soldiers while remotely issuing commands. It is believed the Hegemony’s weaponeers also occasionally download their soldiers’ memories, analyzing their experiences for further insights into those they encounter.
Klaven Warbeast (Klaven Wolf) (CR 2)
Source: To Worlds Unknown
The white eyes and calcified fur of this large wolf belies its alien nature as it advances with a menacing snarl.
XP 600
LE Medium animal (augmented)
Init +2; Senses darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision, scent; Perception +8
Defense
AC 16, touch 12, flat-footed 14 (+2 Dex, +4 natural)
hp 15 (2d8+6)
Fort +6, Ref +5, Will +3; +2 vs. disease, ingested poison, and becoming nauseated or sickened
Defensive Abilities plagueborn; Immune fear
Weaknesses malign influence
Offense
Speed 50 ft.
Melee bite +2 (1d8+3 plus poison and trip)
Special Attacks poison
Statistics
Str 17, Dex 15, Con 17, Int 3, Wis 12, Cha 6
Base Atk +1; CMB +4; CMD 16 (20 vs. trip)
Feats Endurance (B), Iron Will (B), Skill Focus (Perception)
Skills Intimidate +2, Perception +8, Stealth +6 (+10 in forests and jungles), Survival +1 (+5 scent tracking); Racial Modifiers +4 Intimidate, +4 Stealth in forests and jungles, +4 Survival when tracking by scent
Languages Common (can’t speak), Ultari (can’t speak)
Special Qualities converted host, energy modulation (1/day), nanite exchange
Special Abilities
Converted Host (Ex) Klaven transformations leave nothing for restoration of a base creature to its original self. As a result, klaven cannot be killed and returned to life with raise dead or similar effects. Spells such as true resurrection, wish, and miracle still work normally.
Malign Influence (Su) Klaven receive a –2 penalty to resist charm and mind-affecting (compulsion) effects from evil creatures. This penalty increases to –6 if the creature also has the jagladine subtype.
Nanite Exchange (Su) Klaven nanites swarm around warbeasts on a microscopic level, providing a continuous awareness of the location and condition of other creatures with the klaven sub-type within 60 feet, as the status spell. Klaven warbeasts may also communicate with their riders and one another by passing memories and sensory information through their nanites, but must come into physical contact to do so. This exchange requires a full-round action and only consists of perceptions and first hand experiences. Klaven cannot exchange skills, special abilities, or other individual qualities in this manner.
Plagueborn (Ex) Klaven gain a +2 bonus on saving throws against disease, ingested poisons, and becoming nauseated or sickened.
Poison (Ex) Klaven warbeasts are engineered by their jagladine masters to produce a nanite-based neurotoxin which interferes with the higher brain functions and central nervous system of living targets. The nanites attack a victim’s mind, racking them with terrible agony. While potent, this effect is never compounded by additional applications of the poison until the first nanites have run their course.
- Neurotoxin: Bite—injury; save Fort DC 14; frequency 1/round for 6 rounds; effect 1d6 points of nonlethal damage; cure 1 save. The save DC is Constitution-based.
Shaped by a modification of lupine species with an assimilation strain, klaven warbeasts are the most common non-humanoid klaven employed by the Hegemony. As a result of their transformation, the afflicted wolf is granted a rudimentary intelligence, thereby allowing communication with other klaven and the ability to understand (but not speak) the languages of the Hegemony. This newfound intellect means little to a warbeast, whose entire existence is determined by its jagladine superiors. Adorned with a thick upper carapace with the consistency of layered scales, a typical klaven warbeast stands 3 feet tall and weighs 160 pounds.
Variations: A klaven warbeast is the result of applying the klaven template (see Alien Templates) to a wolf. Larger, mountable creatures—known as klaven warsteeds—are created when the klaven template is applied to a dire wolf. Warsteeds are the second most common variety of animal-based klaven offspring, often used by klaven commanders as personal mounts in the field.
Other animal breeds infected with the assimilation strain undergo conversion with varying degrees of success. Jagdaline scientists maintain hidden outposts on several unclaimed worlds, vying to successfully apply the strain on apex predators, in hopes of creating a revolutionary weapon. The very nature of their mission requires the jagdaline to occupy locations inhabited by the most powerful of creatures, ranging from dinosaurs to extinct megafauna. Thankfully for the rest of the multiverse, these experiments have met with limited success, and the hegemony employs only a handful of such death-dealing monstosities.
Tauslek (CR 1)
Source: To Worlds Unknown
XP 400
N Small aberration
Init +4; Senses darkvision 60 ft.; Perception +6
Defense
AC 13, touch 11, flat-footed 13 (+2 natural, +1 size)
hp 16 (3d8+3)
Fort +2, Ref +1, Will +4
Immune mind-affecting effects, poison
Offense
Speed 20 ft., climb 20 ft.
Melee bite +5 (1d6+3 plus poison)
Special Attacks steal memories
Statistics
Str 14, Dex 11, Con 12, Int 3, Wis 12, Cha 15
Base Atk +2; CMB +3; CMD 13 (can’t be tripped)
Feats Improved Initiative, Step Up
Skills Climb +10, Perception +6, Stealth +8
Languages Aklo
SQ sound mimicry (voices)
Ecology
Environment temperate ruins/dungeons or underground
Organization solitary, pair, community (3–10)
Treasure incidental
Special Abilities
Poison (Ex) Bite—injury; save Fort DC 12; frequency 1/round for 6 rounds; effect 1d3 Wis drain; cure 1 consecutive saves. The save DC is Constitution-based.
Steal Memories (Ex) When a tauslek kills an enemy with its bite attack, it may extract the memories and Intelligence of its victim as a free action. It temporarily gains an Intelligence score equal to its victim, all languages the victim spoke, and an equivalent total skill bonus for all skills based on mental attributes (Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma) which the victim possessed when they died (including skills like Sense Motive and Bluff ). Despite this advantage, tausleks are strictly limited in their capacity to utilize certain skills due to their physical form, much like a wizard’s familiar. The tauslek also gains familiarity with a victim’s past, their relationships with other creatures, and a sense of their personality. This awareness does not govern their actions, but may be used to trick their intended prey. Tausleks never gain spells, spell-like abilities, or other special abilities or class abilities the victim may have possessed.
The temporary Intelligence and skill bonuses last 24 + 2d12 hours, after which they fade entirely. If a tauslek slays additional creatures, it continues to acquire more memories, but only maintains the single highest Intelligence score and skill bonuses of all the creatures it devours (that is, it keeps the highest total skill bonus of any skill thus far, but never compounds them). Furthermore, devouring another victim with an Intelligence score of 6 or higher resets the duration on all of the personalities it has subsumed. When the tauslek reverts to normal, it loses all its stolen personalities and bonuses at once. This ability has no affect on spells which require a victim’s soul to restore them to life, as the tauslek only acquires a copy of the stolen memories.
Tauslek Matriarch (CR 3/MR 1)
Source: To Worlds Unknown
XP 800
NE Large aberration (mythic)
Init +6M; Senses darkvision 60 ft.; Perception +7
Defense
AC 17, touch 10, flat-footed 16 (+1 Dex, +7 natural, –1 size)
hp 42 (4d8+24); fast healing 2
Fort +5, Ref +2, Will +6
Immune mind-affecting effects, poison
Offense
Speed 40 ft., climb 20 ft.
Melee bite +7 (1d8+7 plus grab and poison)
Space 10 ft.; Reach 10 ft.
Special Attacks mesmerizing stare, poison, steal memories
Statistics
Str 20, Dex 13, Con 18, Int 7, Wis 14, Cha 15
Base Atk +3; CMB +9; CMD 20 (can’t be tripped)
Feats Improved InitiativeM, Step Up
Skills Climb +17, Intimidate +7, Perception +7, Stealth +3
Languages Aklo
SQ sound mimicry (voices)
Special Abilities
Poison (Ex) Bite—injury; save Fort DC 16; frequency 1/round for 6 rounds; effect 1d4 Wis drain; cure 2 consecutive saves. The save DC is Constitution based.
Mesmerizing Stare (Su) Creatures currently affected by a tauslek’s poison (whether from a matriarch’s venom or that of one of its younglings) who stand within 30 feet and stare into the eyes of a tauslek matriarch become fascinated until the line of sight between them is broken or interrupted (Will DC 14 negates). Creatures which become fascinated do not become immune if the effect ends. This is a mind-affecting effect. The save DC is Charisma-based.
Steal Memories (Ex) Tauslek matriarchs possess a similar memory stealing power to their lesser kin (see above). A tauslek matriarch maintains its temporary Intelligence and skill bonuses for 1d4+1 days, after which they fade into the creature’s subconscious. Unlike a normal tauslek’s ability to steal memories, a matriarch can call forth previously consumed intellects from her subconscious as a fullround action, gaining the benefits of a particular creature’s consumed Intelligence for 2d10 rounds before the intellect drifts away. A tauslek matriarch can only recall a previously consumed intellect once per week.
The tauslek was first discovered by jagdaline explorers on a forgotten world many centuries ago. Since then, they’ve been subjected to repeated research and experimentation with the tauslek’s unusual ability to acquire memories and intellects spawning a number of bio-engineered technologies pertaining to memory extraction and manipulation. Young tausleks are roughly the size of a small dog, while the more advanced matriarchs rival a large horse. They most closely resemble centipedes with two scintillating eyes and a fierce set of mandibles capable of piercing armor. The plates of their carapace are green and outlined in black towards the end of their length. Although tausleks may appear as vermin, an adult matriarch proves far more cunning than any loworder animal, one of the many advantages it uses to hunt sentient prey. In rural areas, tausleks have enough presence of mind to attack less dangerous children, while avoiding guard animals and more mindful adults.
Communities of tauslek prefer remote nesting sites, located within a short distance of well-travelled roadways or small settlements. Intellect absorbed by slain prey imparts the tauslek with enough insight to seek shelter back at their nest. By the time their boosted mental capacity wears off, the now animalistic urges drive it to seek further sustenance, thus repeating the cycle. Complications often arise during these hit-and-run tactics when it slays adventurers and community guardians attempting to route them. More often than not, the tauslek use the newly acquired memories from such encounters to take advantage of what their would-be killers know to inflict further harm on the communities which sent them.
A tauslek matriarch is a nightmare to behold, a ravenous beast eager to carry off prey and devour its mind one memory at a time. Weighing nearly 500 pounds, it manages to permanently retain some of its stolen intellects, able to call on specific memories from its subconscious when necessary. A matriarch lives well beyond the hunting instincts of an animal, because it doesn’t merely hunt to survive, lusting instead for power, the savored intellects to improve itself, and the shared insights to terrorize others. As such, they prefer to grab lone opponents and retreat with them into cover where they can consume the memories of a held foe. Once it slays this initial target, the matriarch then uses the stolen memories to coax the creature’s remaining allies into an ambush, where it repeats the process.
Enhancing its own frightening reputation, tauslek matriarchs create a temporary bond with those infected by the poison of its kind, able to perform subtle sinuous motions to captivate those succumbing to the poison’s effects.
Members of the accord blame the appearance of tauslek matriarchs on their hegemony enemies, claiming such creatures never existed on other worlds before the meddling of jagdaline scientists spread their threat across the multiverse. These ‘slanderous rumors’ as decreed by the hegemony are in fact true—the mythic nature of the tauslek matriarch is directly tied to genetic modifications performed by the jagdaline intent on weaponizing the tauslek for the hegemony. Indeed, the inevitable result of these experiments created the matriarch—now considered a blight throughout worlds of both the accord and hegemony, each blaming the other for smuggling these enhanced tauslek past their respective borders.
Even among hegemony worlds, tausleks are well known and feared. Their appearance often signals extreme torture and interrogation by jagdaline inquisitors intent on breaking the will and minds of their captives. The jagdaline maintain that tauslek research has led to significant breakthroughs in intelligence gathering, the psychoanalysis of new alien species, and psionic enhancement. But cultivating and taming a tauslek nest has proven a daunting task even for their fearless klaven jailors in service to the jagladine. As a result, most hegemony worlds have strict regulations concerning the importation and trade of tauslek livestock to other worlds and ecosystems.
Xoraphond (CR 3)
Source: The Assimilation Strain
This blob of translucent flesh surges forward, stretching and reshaping its body to manifest a hood-like face and three, long pseudopods covered in foul-smelling slime.
XP 800
NE Small aberration
Init +7; Senses all-around vision, darkvision 60 ft.; Perception +11
Defense
AC 16, touch 14, flat-footed 13 (+3 Dex, +2 natural, +1 size)
hp 28 (3d8+15)
Fort +6, Ref +4, Will +4
Defensive Abilities amorphous; DR 5/bludgeoning; Immune cold, critical hits, precision damage
Weaknesses vulnerable to sonic attacks
Offense
Speed 30 ft., climb 20 ft., swim 20 ft.
Melee 3 slams +6 (1d4+1) or anesthetizing touch +6 (special)
Special Attacks disease
Statistics
Str 12, Dex 17, Con 20, Int 12, Wis 13, Cha 11
Base Atk +2; CMB +2; CMD 15 (can’t be tripped)
Feats Improved Initiative, Weapon Finesse
Skills Climb +15, Escape Artist +11, Heal +4, Knowledge (dungeoneering) +7, Knowledge (engineering) +7, Perception +11, Stealth +17, Survival +5, Swim +15; Racial Modifiers +4 Escape Artist, +4 Perception, +4 Stealth
Languages Aklo (cannot speak); telepathy (30 ft.)
SQ ooze empathy
Ecology
Environment any aquatic, land, or underground
Organization solitary, pair, scouting party (3–8), or invasion (9–16)
Treasure standard (including technological gear)
Special Abilities
Anesthetizing Touch (Ex) As a standard action, a xoraphond may execute a single melee touch attack to deliver an anesthetizing slime to a potential victim. If successful, the slime paralyzes the target for one round—long enough for a xoraphond to infect a creature with its chosen disease (see below). A creature which succeeds at a DC 15 Fortitude save negates this effect. This is a poison effect and the save DC is Constitution-based.
Disease (Ex) The xoraphond’s alien masters engineered it to carry a variety of nanite-based diseases and retroviruses, all designed to support its mission of infecting, weakening, and eventually assimilating a world’s sentient population. As a full-round action, a xoraphond can transmit a disease carried in its aberrant flesh to a helpless creature by extending a pseudopod into any orifice or open wound. Those victimized by this assault can resist the resulting infection with a successful DC 16 Fortitude save. Otherwise, the effects of the disease vary according to the exact infection it carries. Some examples are given below:
- Assimilation Strain: Anesthetizing touch—contact; save Fort DC 16; onset 1 day; frequency 1/day; effect 1d4 Cha damage (cannot reduce below 1), if more than 2 Cha damage, target must make a DC 16 Will save or change alignment one step towards evil and gain the Assimilated template (see Alien Templates); cure 2 consecutive saves.
- Occluding Strain: Anesthetizing touch—contact; save Fort DC 16; onset immediate; frequency 1/day; effect 1d4 Str damage (cannot reduce below 1), if more than 2 Str damage, target must make an additional Fort save or be permanently blinded; cure 2 consecutive saves.
- Submission Strain: Anesthetizing touch—contact; save Fort DC 16; onset 1 day; frequency 1/day; effect 1d4 Wisdom damage (cannot reduce below 1), if more than 2 Wis damage, target must make a DC 16 Will save or suffer an additional 1d6 points of nonlethal damage; cure 2 consecutive saves.
- Wasting Strain: Disease—Anesthetizing touch; save Fort DC 16; onset 1 day; frequency 1/day; effect 1d4 Con damage, target must make a second Fort save or 1 point of the damage is drain instead; cure 2 consecutive saves.
A xoraphond automatically knows when it has successfully infected a creature, but can carry only one disease at a time. Each day after resting for 24 hours, a xoraphond may organically alter its disease to a different strain. The save DC is Constitution-based.
Ooze Empathy (Ex) As a standard action, a xoraphond can improve the attitudes of oozes with a Diplomacy check, similar to a druid’s wild empathy ability. The xoraphond rolls 1d20 and adds its HD and Charisma modifier to determine the empathy check result. Oozes typically have a starting attitude of Indifferent towards xoraphonds. To use this ability, the xoraphond and ooze must be within 30 feet and capable of studying one another.
Vulnerable to Sonic Attacks (Ex) Xoraphonds are vulnerable to sonic attacks and take half again as much damage (+50%) from such attacks. If a xoraphond takes sonic damage it must succeed on a Fortitude save (DC equal to the damage taken) or become dazed for 1 round.
One of many artificially engineered creatures manufactured by the jagladine, xoraphonds are designed to spread nanite viruses, particularly a dreaded assimilation strain intended to convert sentient creatures into new recruits for the jagladine war effort. This virus weakens the minds of sentient creatures, remapping and repurposing their brains for alien influence. When the jagladine develop an interest in assimilating inhabitants of a new world, they often dispatch an invading force of xoraphonds, directing them to work independently and establish a stronghold from which to begin their mission of assimilation. A xoraphond’s resilience, ability to survive in hostile environments, and cautious, inquisitive nature makes it an exceptional scout and infiltrator.
Xoraphonds typically carry out their missions by abducting a hardy specimen from the local population, often using jagladine biotechnology to turn the creature into a willing thrall, before infecting it with the assimilation strain. The xoraphonds then direct such thralls to infect their own kind. As the virus spreads, the xoraphonds study the new world and its other inhabitants, compiling a vast amount of data for their jagladine masters, while reacting swiftly to protect themselves and their missions—even directing thralls to slay interlopers and sow discord in their communities to hide their presence. Unhindered by emotion, xoraphonds never hesitate to sacrifice thralls or any of their infected flock to ensure their survival and the success of their missions.
Creatures infected by a xoraphond’s assimilation strain carry thousands of microscopic tracker-nanites, dooming them to capture and experimentation by the sadistic jagladine in their alien bio-labs. There, the jagladine perform further tests on a candidate’s viability, before subjecting them to unspeakable procedures involving surgery, chemical infusion, radiation exposure, and psychological reconditioning. Most of these candidates are eventually transformed into a special breed of shocktroop called klaven, however, the jagladine produce an array of other creatures from these vile assimilations, including new xoraphonds.
A newborn xoraphond oozes forth from its birthing vat completely autonomous and fully functional. Though xoraphonds are amorphous and can flatten themselves to form a bewildering number of forms, most prefer to remain in a roughly oval shape, about 4 feet in diameter and 3-1/2 feet tall. Xoraphonds weigh around 90 pounds.