Grafts

Aberrations, more than other creatures, are naturally drawn to the practice of grafting new body parts to living creatures. Some aberrations do so to enhance their own strengths or shore up their weaknesses, while others focus on thralls and slaves gathered from “lesser” races and use grafts as ways to “improve” their minions. Aboleths, beholders, and illithids are well known practitioners of these arts, and numerous examples of grafts developed by these races can be found in Fiend Folio. This section presents several more grafts developed by these races, along with those used by other aberrations such as avolakias (Monster Manual II page 28), ethergaunts (Fiend Folio page 64), silthilars, and even creatures from the Far Realm such as the kaorti. Grafts have no statistics of their own. A graft might enhance some ability or characteristic of the creature it’s attached to, or it might grant the creature some new ability. The effects of grafts are extraordinary abilities, meaning that they do not fail to function in an antimagic fi eld or similar area. However, they must be created much like magic items are. The creation process includes the act of applying the graft to the creature it is meant for. A character with the Graft Flesh feat (see the sidebar) can create and apply grafts. The creator must be in a quiet and comfortable setting, most commonly an alchemical laboratory but in some cases an evil temple or similar locale. He needs a supply of materials, which involves taking fl esh from another creature of the appropriate kind. The cost for the materials is subsumed in the cost of creating the graft. Creating a graft costs half the given market price. If spells are included in the prerequisites for making the graft, the creator must have prepared the spells to be cast, must know the spells (in the case of a sorcerer or bard), or must have access to spell-like abilities that duplicate the spells. The creator need not provide any material components or focuses the spells require, nor are any XP costs inherent in a prerequisite spell incurred in the creation of the graft. The act of working on the graft expends the spells from the creator’s currently prepared spells, just as if they had been cast. Even if magic was used in its creation, a graft does not radiate magic once completed, it does not count against a creature’s limit for magic items worn, it does not have a caster level, and it is very diffi cult, if not impossible, to salvage as treasure. It does count against the treasure value of the creature with the graft, which means that creatures with grafts are still appropriate challenges for their normal CR, but they have reduced treasure. Aboleth Grafts

Aboleths typically apply grafts to creatures that they have already transformed with their mucus, or to creatures that they have created, such as skum. An aboleth graft applied to any other creature dries up and withers over the course of 1d4+1 days, falling off at the end of this period. At this point, a regenerate spell is required to restore the original body part, or a new graft can be applied.

Amphibious Skin: This invasive graft can only be applied to a creature with the aquatic subtype. It replaces the grafted creature’s skin entirely with a thick membrane. The grafted creature gains the amphibious special quality, allowing it to breathe both air and water. Graft Flesh (aboleth), creator must be an aboleth; Price 30,000 gp. Inksac: An inksac is normally placed inside a creature’s abdomen; a vent protrudes just beyond the surface of the creature’s skin above each hip. Once per minute as a free action, the creature can emit a cloud of jet-black ink in a spread with a radius of twice the creature’s natural reach. This cloud provides concealment to all creatures in the area. Even creatures that can normally see in such conditions (such as with darkvision or low-light vision) are affected by concealment when in a cloud of ink. Only a daylight spell (or a higher-level light spell) can allow creatures in the area to see. The ink cloud does not form unless the creature is in water; on land it just spews out as a big inky mess. Graft Flesh (aboleth), creator must be an aboleth; Price 9,000 gp.A troll with an aboleth graft Mucus Projector: This graft consists of a large, fl eshy sac with a tubelike extension. It is typically grafted onto a creature’s back so the tube can extend up over a shoulder. A creature with a mucus projector can activate it once every 1d4 rounds as a standard action. When activated, it contracts violently and sprays a thin stream of aboleth mucus out of the tube. The creature must make a ranged touch attack to strike its intended target, which must be within 30 feet. On a hit, the target must succeed on a Fortitude save (DC 10 + 1/2 grafted creature’s HD + grafted creature’s Con modifi er) or begin to transform as if struck by an aboleth’s slime (see page 8 of the Monster Manual). A mucus projector works equally well on the surface or underwater. Graft Flesh (aboleth), creator must be an aboleth; Price 36,000 gp.

Waterjet: This long, thin tube is normally grafted onto a creature’s back. The grafted creature can use this graft once per minute while swimming to double its normal swim speed for 1 round. Graft Flesh (aboleth), creator must be an aboleth; Price 2,500 gp.

Illus. by D. Crabapple

Illithid Grafts

Illithids use grafts on their thralls to make them more useful in combat against the mind fl ayers’ enemies, or to make them more effi cient at whatever menial task they are best suited for. Illithid grafts weaken the will of the individual they are grafted onto; a creature with an illithid graft has a –4 penalty on Will saves against mind-affecting spells and abilities, and psionic powers.

Burrowing Claws: This graft replaces both of the recipient’s hands with thick-fi ngered claws tipped with iron-hard ridges. The recipient gains a –4 penalty on Disable Device,

Open Lock, and Sleight of Hand checks, but gains a burrow speed of 20 feet. The creature can even burrow through solid stone or any other material with hardness of no more than 8. The claws allow the creature to deal lethal damage with its unarmed strikes. Illithids gift thralls with these grafts when they need to expand a cavern’s size or dig new tunnels through the stony ground. Graft Flesh (illithid), creator must be an illithid; Price 30,000 gp.

Darksight Eyes: These pale, pupilless eyes are similar in appearance to the eyes of an illithid. The graft recipient gains darkvision out to 60 feet. Illithids graft these eyes into favored thralls that can more easily accomplish their jobs in the lightless underground if they can see. Graft Flesh (illithid), creator must be an illithid; Price 24,000 gp.

Mind Blast Relay: This strange graft is implanted into the depths of the grafted creature’s brain. The graft gives the creature complete immunity to mind blasts. Further, any mind fl ayer within 60 feet of a creature with a mind blast relay graft can automatically detect the graft when it uses telepathy on that creature.

A mind fl ayer can then choose to relay its mind blast attack into that creature by activating its own mind blast. Once the mind blast is relayed, the mind fl ayer can choose to either allow the mind blast to manifest (in which case it does so in a 20-foot-radius blast centered on the grafted creature) or to relay it to a new creature with a mind blast relay within 20 feet of the current creature. A mind fl ayer can continue to relay its mind blast as a free action again and again until it gets to the mind blast relay it desires, at which point the creature allows it to manifest. Each time a mind blast is relayed, the DC to save against its effect is reduced by 2. A mind fl ayer must maintain line of sight to each creature in the chain of mind blast relays, but otherwise the only practical limit to the usefulness of this graft is the number of relays available and the original save DC of the illithid’s mind blast. Graft Flesh (illithid), creator must be an illithid; Price 50,000 gp.

Silthilar Grafts

Although they once used these grafts on themselves to great success, the silthilars’ current incarnation as hivemind swarms makes it impossible for them to continue the practice. Yet the silthilar are loath to give up the skills and tradition. Silthilar have taken to providing these grafts to paying customers. They have also been known to provide grafts to allies or friends who perform services for them. Silthilar grafts function only when applied to a living corporeal creature; applied to any other creature, they rot away over the course of 2d4 days.

Chitin Plating: This graft consists of numerous interlocking chitin plates grafted onto the creature’s skin. These plates are tough, yet fl exible, and grant the recipient a natural armor bonus ranging from +1 to +5. This natural armor bonus does not stack with any other natural armor bonus the creature might possess as a virtue of his race, but it does stack with enhancement bonuses to natural armor granted by magic such as barkskin or an amulet of natural armor. Graft Flesh (silthilar); Price 4,000 gp (+1), 16,000 gp (+2), 36,000 gp (+3), 64,000 gp (+4), 100,000 gp (+5).

Flexible Spine: This invasive graft replaces the creature’s spine, including the spinal cord, with a much more fl exible and effi cient set of nerves and vertebrae. The graft grants a +4 racial bonus on initiative checks, Balance checks, Escape

Artist checks, and Tumble checks. Graft Flesh (silthilar), regenerate; Price 91,000 gp.

Extended Legs: This graft extends the creature’s legs, making it taller and faster. The creature’s height increases by 5%, but this does not increase the creature’s size category. The creature’s base land speed increases by 5 feet. Graft Flesh (silthilar), longstrider; Price 91,000 gp.

Healing Blood: This unique graft consists of a total transfusion of blood. The creature’s original blood supply is drained completely and replaced with a similar fl uid that grants the grafted creature fast healing 2. Graft Flesh (silthilar), regenerate; Price 182,000 gp.

Rudimentary Eyespots: This graft consists of several patches of light-sensitive skin placed on the back of the grafted creature’s neck and the back of each hand. These patches improve the grafted creature’s vision, granting it a +4 bonus on Spot checks.

In addition, the creature can no longer be fl anked. Graft Flesh (silthilar), regenerate; Price 60,000 gp.

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GRAFT FLESH [ITEM CREATION]

You can apply a certain type of graft to other living creatures or to yourself.

Prerequisite: Heal 10 ranks.

Benef it: Choose a type of graft: aboleth, illithid, or silthilar. You must be an aboleth to choose aboleth grafts. You must be an illithid to choose illithid grafts. There are no additional requirements for choosing silthilar grafts. Other races aside from

these three can create grafts; see the Fiend Folio for beholder, fiendish, undead, and yuan-ti grafts. You can create grafts of your chosen type and apply them to other creatures or to yourself. Creating a graft takes one day for each 1,000 gp in its price. To create a graft, you must spend 1/25 of the graft’s price in XP and use up raw materials costing half this price. pqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqrs