Illarth

Illarth are highly intelligent Navirites with powerful psychic abilities and a predatory need to feed upon other intelligent beings. Though alien in appearance and thought, Illarth are individuals. They learn professions, practice magic, develop Talents, pursue personal interests, and possess distinct personalities.

What makes them horrifying is not a lack of individuality, but their willingness to treat the minds and bodies of other intelligent creatures as resources.

Illarth

CharacteristicsCV4
StatScore%Speed40’
STR1050HP32
CON1470Dmg ModNone
SIZ1890AV5
INT20100ClassBeing
ACU1680TypeNavirite
DEX1470Horror2/1d8+1
SOC1470TreasureRich
  • Attack: Spear 70% 1d8+4+dm; Hand Crossbow 75% 1d6+4; Syringe Tongue
  • Skills: Dodge 70%, Grapple 65%, Hide 60%, Knowledge 80%, Listen 85%, Persuade 70%, Spellcraft 80%, Spot 85%, Stealth 60%, Survival 65%
  • Special: Acidic Blood, Charm, Dark Vision 100’, Mental Stun, Resistant, Syringe Tongue, Telepathy
  • Weaknesses: Fire (×2 damage)
  • Habitat: Any
  • Encounter: Solitary, Pair, Group (3–6), or Hive

Acidic Blood

Illarth blood is yellow and highly acidic. When exposed to air, it remains acidic for 3 rounds and inflicts 1d6 acid damage on contact. Whenever an Illarth takes damage from a melee attack, there is a 50% chance its blood splashes the attacker, inflicting 1d6 acid damage. Tritium is unaffected by Illarth blood.

Charm

An Illarth can psychically alter another creature’s perception of it. The Illarth chooses one intelligent creature within 30’ and makes an opposed ACU Heroic Action. If the Illarth succeeds, the target considers the Illarth friendly and interprets its words and actions favorably. The Illarth may have only one creature Charmed at a time. Charm ends after 1 hour or immediately if the Illarth attacks the affected creature. A creature that successfully resists is immune to that Illarth’s Charm for 24 hours. Charm is an innate psychic ability, not a spell.

Mental Stun

Once per combat, an Illarth may release a blast of psychic force. All living creatures within 30’ must succeed at an ACU save or become Stunned for 1 round. Syringe Tongue

An Illarth can extend its long, needle-like tongue into the skull of a grappled or otherwise immobilized creature.

As an action, the Illarth makes an opposed Grapple Heroic Action. On a success, it begins draining the victim’s cerebral fluid. The victim loses 1d2 INT each round the tongue remains attached. The tongue is immediately removed if the grapple ends. Lost INT returns at a rate of 1 point per hour of rest. A creature reduced to 0 INT by Syringe Tongue becomes Drained.

Syringe Tongue

An illarth can use its long, syringe-like tongue against an immobilized or grappled creature. As a free action, the illarth makes a DEX Heroic Action against the victim. On a success, the tongue pierces the victim’s skull and begins draining its mind. The victim loses 1d2 INT each round until it breaks free. The tongue is removed immediately if the grapple ends.

Telepathy

An Illarth can communicate mentally with intelligent creatures within 60’. It can sense the presence and general emotional state of thinking creatures within this range. By concentrating on a creature it can see, the Illarth may make an opposed ACU Heroic Action. On a success, it senses the creature’s immediate surface thoughts.

Resistant

Illarth possess a natural resistance to magic. They take half damage from magical area effects and gain +10% to saves against single-target spells.

Illarth Professions

The statistics above represent a typical Illarth. Illarth may possess additional professional skills, Talents, magical training, or equipment.

Illarth Lord

Illarth Lords are ancient and psychically developed members of their species. Their minds can dominate lesser beings, coordinate other Illarth, and alter the perceptions of everyone around them.

A Lord is a position of development and power rather than a separate species. Individual Lords may be warriors, mages, scholars, explorers, or leaders and may possess additional Talents appropriate to their lives.

Illarth Lord

CharacteristicsCV8
StatScore%Speed40’
STR1260HP80
CON1680Dmg Mod+1d4
SIZ20100AV8
INT24120ClassBeing
ACU20100TypeNavirite
DEX1470Horror3/3d6+1
SOC1890TreasureRich
  • Attack: Staff 85% 1d8+8+dm; Mental Lance 90% 3d6 psychic; Syringe Tongue
  • Skills: Dodge 65%, Grapple 75%, Hide 55%, Knowledge 100%, Listen 95%, Persuade 90%, Spellcraft 100%, Spot 95%, Stealth 55%, Survival 75%
  • Special: Acidic Blood, Greater Charm, Dark Vision 100’, False Landscape, Hive Link, Mental Stun, Resistant, Syringe Tongue, Telepathy
  • Weaknesses: Fire (×2 damage)
  • Habitat: Illarth settlements and hives
  • Encounter: Solitary, Court (1 Lord and 2–6 Illarth), or Hive

Illarth Traits

An Illarth Lord possesses Acidic Blood, Syringe Tongue, Telepathy, and Resistant as described for an illarth.

Greater Charm

An Illarth Lord may maintain Charm on up to four creatures simultaneously and may target creatures within 60’.

Otherwise this functions as Illarth Charm.

Mental Lance

The Lord focuses its psychic power upon a single mind within 60’. Mental Lance is a 90% attack inflicting 3d6 psychic damage. A creature reduced to 0 HP by Mental Lance is unconscious rather than killed unless the Lord chooses otherwise. AV does not protect against Mental Lance.

Mental Stun

Once per combat, an Illarth Lord releases a wave of psychic force affecting living creatures within 60’. Affected creatures must succeed at an ACU save or become Stunned for 1 round.

False Landscape

An Illarth Lord can psychically alter how intelligent creatures perceive an area within 300’. Passages may appear blocked, entrances can disappear, pits and walls may appear where none exist, and illarth structures can resemble natural terrain. A creature that has reason to question what it perceives may attempt an opposed ACU Heroic Action against the Lord. Success allows the creature to recognize the false perception. False Landscape changes perception rather than physical reality and is not a spell.

Hive Link

An Illarth Lord can maintain continuous telepathic communication with illarth within 1 mile. Anything an Illarth consciously communicates can immediately be known by the Lord, allowing groups of illarth to coordinate with extraordinary efficiency. This does not eliminate the individuality or free will of connected illarth.

Illarth Hivemind

An Illarth Hivemind is the psychic heart of a great Illarth colony. Its immense organic body is dominated by neural tissue, sensory organs, and structures whose purposes are poorly understood.

A Hivemind can connect hundreds of individual Illarth without destroying their individuality. Through these connections it coordinates settlements, controls the Drained, stores accumulated knowledge.

Illarth Hivemind

CharacteristicsCV15
StatScore%Speed10’
STR20100HP180
CON30150Dmg Mod+3d6
SIZ40200AV12
INT30150ClassBeing
ACU26130TypeNavirite
DEX630Horror4/4d6+1
SOC24120TreasureRich
  • Attack: Tendril 90% 1d8+15+dm and Grab; Psychic Blast 95% 4d6 psychic; Syringe Tendril
  • Skills: Dodge 15%, Grapple 95%, Hide 25%, Knowledge 120%, Listen 110%, Persuade 100%, Spellcraft 110%, Spot 110%, Stealth 15%
  • Special: Acidic Blood, Collective Consciousness, Dark Vision 100’, Dominion, False Reality, Greater Resistant, Psychic Blast, Psychic Network, Syringe Tendril, Telepathy
  • Weaknesses: Fire (×2 damage), Immobile
  • Habitat: Great Illarth hives and organic waygate complexes
  • Encounter: Unique or Hive

SIZ Note

Huge (SIZ 40) = -15% to Hide, Stealth, and Dodge (already applied).

Psychic Blast

The Hivemind attacks the minds of all enemies within 30’. Affected creatures suffer 4d6 psychic damage. A successful ACU save reduces the damage by half. Psychic Blast may be used once every 3 rounds.

Collective Consciousness

The Hivemind maintains continuous mental contact with every willing Illarth within 10 miles. Illarth connected to the Hivemind may instantly communicate information, images, emotions, and memories through it. The Hivemind does not directly control ordinary Illarth. They remain independent individuals.

Dominion

The same is not true of the Drained. A Hivemind can mentally command any number of Drained within 10 miles. Commands are instantaneous and require no action from the Hivemind. A Drained creature retains the characteristics, skills, Talents, and abilities it possessed in life but has no independent will. This follows the existing Illarth notes, which describe fully drained victims as retaining their abilities and statistics while becoming completely controlled by the illarth. 

False Reality

Within 1 mile of its hive, the Hivemind can continuously manipulate the perceptions of intelligent creatures.

It can conceal passages, create false structures or terrain, produce nonexistent sounds and creatures, or cause real creatures and objects to disappear from perception. A creature interacting with something that contradicts the false reality may make an opposed ACU Heroic Action against the Hivemind to recognize the deception. False Reality is psychic rather than magical.

Syringe Tendril

The Hivemind possesses long feeding tendrils capable of piercing the skull of a grappled or immobilized creature within 15’. It makes an opposed Grapple Heroic Action. On a success, the victim loses 1d4 INT each round. A creature reduced to 0 INT becomes Drained.

Greater Resistant

The Hivemind takes half damage from magical area effects and gains +20% to saves against single-target spells.

Immobile

Although technically capable of movement, a mature Hivemind has become integrated into the organic structure of its hive. Its Speed is only 10’; it cannot Dodge attacks, and it cannot easily leave the chamber or organic complex into which it has grown.