Chapter 5: Constructs and Creatures

his chapter introduces several new psionic creatures and precustomized astral constructs that will prove most useful to a psionic character who knows any of the various summoning powers given in this book or the astral construct power in conjunction with the Ectopic Form feat

Detailed explanations of special attacks and special qualities found in the creature entries are fully described in the Monster Manual glossary. This chapter uses that information to describe new psionic creatures, but also relies on the psionic subtype and the two new types of special attacks (psionic powers and psi-like abilities) introduced in Expanded Psionics Handbook.

Psionic creatures have either psi-like abilities or psionic powers (or sometimes both) as if they possessed a psionic class.

MONSTERS WITH PSIONIC POWERS

Some creatures that possess psionic powers are not unlike creatures with racial spellcasting ability. Creatures with the ability to use powers are subject to the same rules for manifesting powers that characters are, but they are not actually members of a class and do not gain any class abilities unless otherwise specified.

Creatures with psionic powers generally emulate the manifesting ability of a particular psionic class. For example, a mind flayer manifests powers as a 9th-level psion. When such a creature takes, levels in that same class, it can stack its innate psionic powers and its class power progression together. For example, if a mind flayer adds five levels of the psion class, becoming a 5th-level mind flayer psion, it has the psionic ability (power points, powers known, and manifester level) of a 14th-level psion.

Creatures with psionic powers that take levels in a class other than the one they emulate combine their two power point reserves into a single reserve, but they manifest powers from each psionic class separately. For example, a mind flayer with six levels of psychic warrior has the power points of a mind flayer plus those of a 6th-level psychic warrior, but it manifests its psion powers as a 9rh-level manifester and its psychic warrior powers as a 6th-level manifester.

CREATURES WITH PSI-LIKE ABILITIES

Each of a creature's psi-like abilities has a manifester level. Each ability that allows a saving throw also gives a save DC in parentheses following the power name. Unless otherwise noted, the save DC of a psi-like ability is Charisma-based.

Some creatures might have particular powers that are manifested at a higher or lower level than their normal manifester level. In such cases, the manifester level is given in the parenthetical information following the power name.