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Legacy of the Dragons
Spelleater Medium Aberration Hit Dice: 4d8 (18 hp), dying/dead –1/–10 Initiative: +6 Speed: 30 feet, climb 20 feet, burrow 10 feet AC: 14 (+2 Dexterity, +2 natural), touch 12, flat-footed 12 Base Attack/Grapple: +3/+3 Attack: Claw +3 melee (1d6) Full Attack: 2 claws +3 melee (1d6) Space/Reach: 5 feet/5 feet (Face/Reach: 5 feet by 5 feet/5 feet) Special Attacks: Drain magic, magical strength, power surge, sap energy Special Qualities: Darkvision 60 feet, null zone Saves: Fort +1, Ref +3, Will +8 Abilities: Str 10, Dex 14, Con 10, Int 17, Wis 14, Cha 16 Skills: Knowledge (magic) +9, Search +9, Spot +8, Use Magic Device +20 Feats: Improved Initiative, Intuitive Sense, Iron Will Environment: Subterranean Organization: Solitary, pair, scout party (3–12), outpost (10–100 plus one 2nd-level overseer), colony (40–400 plus 1d10 2nd-level overseers and one 5th-level noble), or city (100–800 plus 2d10 2nd-level overseers, 1d10 5thlevel nobles, and one 10th-level king) Challenge Rating: 3 Treasure: Standard Advancement: By character class Level Adjustment: +6 Spelleaters absorb and devour raw magical energy. The power behind incantations affects them in a manner similar to a narcotic. They devour spells cast at them and can suck the ambient arcane potential from a caster. They are intelligent and have been known to harvest spellcasters, imprisoning them within their lairs and slowly leeching away their essence. From their rocky lairs, they strike out to capture spellcasters and drag them back to their domains in chains. While some spelleaters master the ability to use magic, most prefer simply to absorb the energy provided by casters of other races. A spelleater has a long, furred body, large eyes that shimmer and glow with a variety of swirling colors, and needlelike fangs. Its short legs end in claws that allow it to burrow and climb with ease. Spelleaters can survive on vegetables, fruit, and meat, and for many of them, such low fare forms the bulk of their diets. Usually only the strongest spelleaters, called nobles, regularly feast on magical energy. These nobles either develop casting ability of their own, employ a cache of magic items, or have a captive spellcaster chained to a wall inside their lair. Spelleaters
provide their captives with food and drink to keep them healthy and ruthlessly harvest their magical energy each day.
Combat Spelleaters focus their efforts on spellcasters, bearing down upon them like starving men racing to a feast. Their inherent ability to wield magic items makes them dangerous foes; many of these creatures hoard scrolls, wands, staves, and other items for use against their enemies. While most spelleaters would rather use such items as food, they grudgingly turn them against intruders. The typical spelleater is smart enough to use basic tactics against opponents. The creatures maximize the use of their magical resources, preferring to use spells and items that split their enemies into smaller groups, especially if they can isolate and carry away a lone caster. If possible, they mask their true nature with crude robes in an effort to trick opponents into using spells against them. Imbued with the narcotic effect of fresh magical energy, they throw themselves into battle with a ferocious rage. Drain Magic (Su): Spelleaters got their name from their ability to drain the energy from spells cast at or near them. If a spelleater is the target of a spell or if it is within the area of a spell, the caster must make a caster level check (DC 20). Should this check fail, the spell has no effect. The spelleater can choose either to absorb the spell and use its energy to strengthen itself or to store the energy and later unleash it in an attack. The creature must make this decision immediately upon causing a spell to fail. This ability functions only against spells cast by a character, spell-like abilities that duplicate a spell, or spells cast from wands or scrolls. If someone who is not a spellcaster uses a magic item to create a spell effect, he makes his caster level check using a level of 0. Magical Strength (Su): If a spelleater opts to absorb a spell, it gains 2 temporary hit points, a +1 bonus to Strength, and a deflection bonus to AC equal to the level of the spell. These effects last for 10 rounds. If a spelleater absorbs multiple spells, these benefits stack. Power Surge (Su): If a spelleater chooses not to use the energy of a spell to strengthen itself, the creature can expel some or all of that energy in a power surge that deals 1d4 points of force damage per spell level it spends. This is a ranged touch attack with a maximum range of 100 feet. A spelleater’s body can retain unabsorbed energy for 10 rounds, after which the energy dissipates harmlessly. If a spelleater dies with unabsorbed energy stored in its body, it explodes in a blast of raw magical power. All creatures within 30 feet of the spelleater’s body take 1d4 points of force damage per spell level stored within it. A Reflex save (DC 13) cuts
