Xoraphond

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.

Xoraphond CR 3

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

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; 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.

ABOUT

Environment any aquatic, land, or underground
Organization solitary, pair, scouting party (3-8), or invasion (9-16)
Treasure standard (including technological gear)

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 shock troop 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.

Section 15: Copyright Notice

Legendary Planet Adventure Path © 2019, Legendary Games; Authors: Authors: Matt Goodall, Jim Groves, Steven T. Helt, Tim Hitchcock, Jason Nelson, Richard Pett, Tom Phillips, Mike Shel, Neil Spicer, Mike D. Welham.

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