Elali

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.

Elali CR 4

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 willlevitate (self only)
3/daydisguise self (humanoid only), suggestion (DC 15), vocal alteration
1/dayshield, modify memory (DC 17), vanish

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

SPECIAL ABILITIES

Psychic Enhancement (Su)

Any weapon wielded by an elali receives a fraction of its psychic might, manifesting a +1 enhancement bonus 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.

ABOUT

Environment any land
Organization solitary, pair, or cluster (3-12)
Treasure NPC gear (+2 dagger, other gear)

A powerful psychic species-and the elder statesmen-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 Ultari Hegemony. Only marginally shorter in stature than an average-sized human, elali commonly stand 5-1/2 feet tall and weigh around 120 pounds.

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 and 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 Ultari Hegemony.

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 the Weave 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 jagladine, as described in the Alien Codex.

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 Ultari 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, 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, 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.

An elali’s racial ability score modifiers are as follows: Str -2, Dex +6, Con +4, Int +8, Wis +6, Cha +6.

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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