Phrenic Spawn Creature (CR +2)[3pp]

Sometimes when a phrenic scourge’s tendrils implant themselves within one of its victims, there is an eldritch mutation, and rather than becoming a larva, it becomes a parasitic aberration that assimilates other organisms and in turn imitates them. These imitations are so good that often times even the creature is not consciously aware that it is a phrenic spawn until its foes force it to reveal itself. Even the smallest part of these creatures can form an independent organism, if parts get chopped off it, these parts will grow new appendages and scuttle off. These are the phrenic spawn. Phrenic spawn creatures in their true from are inexplicably shaped to the point of defying description, with their body parts merging in unfathomable ways.

Creating a Phrenic Spawn Creature

“Phrenic Spawn” is an acquired template that can be added to any living creature (referred to hereafter as the base creature).

A phrenic spawn creature uses all the base creature’s statistics and special abilities except as noted here.

CR: +2

Alignment: Chaotic evil

Size and Type: The creature’s type changes to aberration with the augmented subtype. Do not recalculate HD, base attack bonuses, saves, or skill points. Size is unchanged.

Defensive Abilities: Regeneration (equal to its Constitution Modifier, fire) split (slashing, half its unwounded hit point total), Not subject to critical hits or flanking. Does not take additional damage from precision-based attacks, such as sneak attack.; Immune poison, sleep effects, paralysis, polymorph, stunning

Special Abilities: A phrenic spawn creature retains all the special abilities of the base creature, plus the special abilities as described below:

Horrific Evolution (Ex)

If a phrenic spawn is forced to reveal itself, it transforms as an immediate action into a horrific abomination, with bizarre and alien forms of anatomy. For example if being attacked by a weapon it could form a large maw at the point being attacked and then bite the opponent (see attack forms).

It is similar to the way an eidolon changes its form when its summoner has gained a level. The phrenic spawns gains new attacks and new abilities from this horrific form. It buys these attacks and abilities using an evolution pool equal to an eidolon with a level equal to the phrenic spawn’s CR. Its cannot add any attacks with its evolution pool that would cause it to exceed the total number of attacks allowed to an eidolon with a level equal to the phrenic spawn’s CR.

Creatures who witness a spawn reveal its horrific form for the first time in an encounter, or witness it use the split universal monster rule ability for the first time in an encounter, must make a Will Save (DC 10 +1/2 the phrenic spawn’s HD + its Cha modifier) or be subject to a fear effect based on the phrenic spawn’s Challenge Rating (see below). If a subject makes its saving throw it is shaken for one round but is immune to that phrenic spawn’s (and its split replicas’) fear effects for 24 hours.

CR Fear Effect Duration
1-5 Shaken 1d4+1 rounds
6-10 Frightened 2d4 rounds
11-15 Panicked 2d6 rounds
16+ Cowered 2d8 rounds

Duplicate (Su)

A phrenic spawn can absorb the body of a helpless victim, or a corpse that has been dead for no more than 24 hours. This process takes 10 minutes, during which time it is helpless and obviously inhuman. After this period it creates a duplicate of the consumed creature, which can be built by adding this template to the original stats of the consumed victim. The duplicate has all the powers, abilities, feats, memories, and skills of the its original (including spellcasting, extraordinary, supernatural, and spell-like abilities, and also retains its weaknesses) though not its equipment. The ethos or the phrenic deity of evil and/or trickery will take over the granting any divine spells or granted abilities. The appearance of the new phrenic creature is treated as a polymorph disguise (including the +10 circumstance bonus to disguise checks). This ability does not work on construct creatures, and attempts to duplicate an undead creature cause it to become a living duplicate.

A phrenic creature cannot create more HD worth of duplicates each day than its own HD total. If it consumed a creature with more HD than its own, rather than immediately creating a duplicate it creates a sack of ooze and jumbled organs. This sack gestates for however many days is required for its HD total to be covered by its originator, at a rate equal to the originator’s HD total each day. During this time, the original phrenic spawn cannot consume new creatures.

Abilities: Increase from the base creature as follows: Str +4, Con +4, Int +4, +6 Cha.

Skills: The base creature gains Bluff and Disguise as class skills, the bonus ranks usually gained from increased intelligence are usually assigned to the Bluff and Disguise skills so it can maintain its facade.

Section 15: Copyright Notice

Pathways Bestiary (c) 2017, Rite Publishing LLC.; Author: Steven D. Russell.

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