Mythic Elder Thing

Mythic Elder Thing CR 6/MR 2

XP 2,400
LN Medium aberration (alien, aquatic, mythic, mythos)
Init +2; Senses all-around vision, darkvision 60 ft.; Perception +13

DEFENSE

AC 24, touch 16, flat-footed 22 (+4 deflection, +2 Dex, +8 natural)
hp 75 (7d8+44)
Fort +8, Ref +4, Will +8
Defensive Abilities force field; DR 5/epic; Immune cold; Resist fire 10, force 10

OFFENSE

Speed 30 ft., fly 20 ft. (clumsy), swim 40 ft.
Melee 5 tentacles +7 (1d4+2 plus grab)
Special Attacks concussion cysts, constrict (1d4+2), mutator, mythic power (2/day, surge +1d6)

STATISTICS

Str 15, Dex 14, Con 19, Int 20, Wis 16, Cha 19
Base Atk +5; CMB +7 (+11 grapple, +9 trip); CMD 23 (can’t be tripped)
Feats Combat Expertise, Endurance, Great Fortitude, Improved Trip
Skills Craft (any one) +10, Disable Device +9, Fly +4, Heal +10, Knowledge (arcana) +12, Perception +13, Spellcraft +15, Survival +13, Swim +15, Use Magic Device +11
Languages Elder Thing
SQ amphibious, hibernation, limited starflight, no breath

SPECIAL ABILITIES

Concussion Cysts (Su)

A mythic elder thing can extrude one bioenergetic cyst from each of its five tentacles once per day as a full-round action. These cysts remain potent for 24 hours, after which they become inert. A concussion cyst can be hurled as a grenade-like weapon with a range increment of 10 feet.

A target struck by a cyst takes 3d6 points of force damage and must succeed on a DC 17 Reflex save or be knocked prone.

Creatures adjacent to the target take half damage (DC 17 Reflex negates). The mythic elder thing can instead delay the cyst’s detonation until the beginning of its next turn, usually targeting a square rather than a creature. When it does so, all creatures within 20 feet of the cyst take 3d6 points of force damage (DC 17 Reflex half). The save DC is Constitution-based.

Force Field (Su)

A mythic elder thing is surrounded by a field of force that grants it a deflection bonus to AC equal to its Charisma bonus and resistance 10 to force damage. Its natural weapons are treated as force effects for the purpose of damaging incorporeal or ethereal creatures. If the mythic elder thing expends one use of its mythic power as a swift or immediate action, its force field also protects it from ranged attacks as entropic shield for 7 minutes.

Hibernation (Ex)

An elder thing can enter a state of hibernation at will; doing so takes 1 minute. While in this state, it can take no actions and is effectively helpless, as if it were in a deep sleep. An elder thing can remain in hibernation for as long as it wishes—while in this state, it does not need to eat or drink, nor does it age. Time effectively stands still for a hibernating elder thing. If it is jostled or damaged while hibernating, an elder thing can attempt a DC 20 Will save. If it succeeds, it awakens in 2d4 rounds. Otherwise, it takes 1d4 days to awaken from hibernation. An elder thing can set the length of its hibernation when it first enters this state, so that it can awaken after a set amount of time has passed. When awakening at a set time in this manner, an elder thing needs only 1d3 rounds to rouse itself, with no Will saving throw necessary.

Limited Starflight (Ex)

An elder thing can survive in the void of outer space, and its wings allow it to use its fly speed in that environment despite the lack of air. Unlike creatures with full starflight, an elder thing’s ability to fly in outer space does not allow it to reach unusually high speeds—an elder thing that wishes to travel from one planet to another typically calculates the distance and then hibernates for the majority of the journey, relying on its momentum and inertia to carry it to its destination while it slumbers along the way.

Mutator (Su)

When a mythic elder thing succeeds on a combat maneuver check to maintain a grapple, it can inject the target with mutagenic enzymes that warp its flesh as fleshcurdle while also dealing 2 points of ability damage to any ability score the elder thing chooses (DC 17 Fort negates). If the mythic elder thing expends one use of its mythic power, it can use the mythic version of fleshcurdle and it deals 4 points of ability drain to the chosen ability score; a successful Fortitude save reduces the effect to 2 points of ability damage. If the mythic elder thing expends two uses of its mythic power when doing so, a Medium or smaller humanoid target failing its save is stunned for 1d4 rounds, after which time it is permanently polymorphed into either a grothlut fleshwarp (if human) or morlock (if not). The target retains no abilities or memories of its former self but is friendly to the elder thing, as if charmed.

This polymorph effect cannot be dispelled but can be reversed with break enchantment or limited wish. If you have the Gothic Campaign Compendium from Legendary Games, you may substitute the mutation spell for this polymorph effect.

ABOUT

Environment any
Organization solitary, pair, pod (3–8), or expedition (9–16)
Treasure standard

This strange creature has a star-shaped head and numerous writhing appendages arranged radially around its barrel-shaped body.

Elder things are strange beings with star-shaped heads and numerous writhing appendages arranged radially around its barrel-shaped body. Known by various names on various worlds, often translating to “elder things” or “old ones,” these alien creatures are interested in creating lasting works of art, architecture, and even life (such as the dreaded shoggoths). They possess a boundless capacity for war and egotism.

Elder things may possess a variety of tools and weapons, including technological or magical inventions or mechanisms that blend both.

An elder thing’s body is the shape of an elongated barrel featuring ridges that run from one end to the other. The creature’s head rests at one end—a starfish-shaped organ with eyes at the tips of the arms, stalked feeding tubes, and a mouth-like opening at the center. At the other end of its body coil five long tentacles and a wriggling mass of smaller tendrils—the creature’s primary source of locomotion on land. Five sets of wings can extend from its body, along with five sets of branchlike arms ending in numerous small feelers that work akin to a human’s fingers and hands; both sets of limbs can be retracted into the body as needed. A typical elder thing is 6 feet from head to foot, with a 7-foot wingspan. Surprisingly heavy for their size, an elder thing generally weighs about 450 pounds.

The elder things are travelers—with the ability to navigate interstellar distances, their kind has journeyed to and settled upon countless planets throughout the universe. The time required to make such journeys is significant, so once a colony arrives on a planet, they generally remain for eons, only sending new colonists out into the darkness when the urge or need to find a new home grows too strong. In some cases, elder things who dwell too long upon a planet lose the ability to survive in outer space, effectively stranding that colony for the rest of time.

Elder things have their own language—a strange sounding “tongue” consisting of haunting piping sounds and shrill cries that are difficult for humans to mimic. The written version of this language incorporates a radial pattern of markings—to the untrained eye, elder thing writing looks like a random sequence of dots in strange circular patterns.

The elder things prefer to colonize planets devoid of sentient life, for among their great sciences is the art of creating new organisms. The elder things often engage in war against other societies for dominance of such ripe planets—their histories are filled with accounts of such wars against migo, star-spawn of Cthulhu, or the aboleths.

Elder things are cited in many blasphemous texts as the creators of the dreaded shoggoth—a creature bred for its versatility and strength and used to erect vast cities for the elder things to dwell in. Yet the race’s egotism often exceeds its discretion, as in the case of the shoggoth. Uprisings of shoggoth slaves who develop intelligence over the course of several generations have spelled the doom for countless elder thing colonies, yet most elder things consider such events to be the failures of “lesser minds,” thinking themselves above the level of making such mistakes. On other worlds, the elder things are said to have created even wider varieties of life, and it may be that the elder things are the true source of entire alien ecosystems.