Phthisic

Climate/Terrain: Any underground Organization: Solitary Challenge Rating: 15 Treasure: Standard Alignment: Always lawful evil Advancement: 26-45 HD (Colossal)

A neothelid is a slime-covered, tentacled worm of dragonlike proportions. Only slightly less terrible than being dissolved by the creature's acid breath is being pulled whole into its ravenous maw.

A mature neothelid is 10 feet in diameter and 100 feet long, weighing about 55,000 pounds. Four 25-foot-long tentacles sprout from its eyeless head, writhing around a lampreylike mouth grown to nightmarish size. A revolting mucus trail marks the wake of the horror.

Neothelids are a rare result of the mind flayer reproductive cycle gone horribly wrong. Their very existence is a taboo topic among illithids. For their part, neothelids brood in darkness, minds abubble with desires too insane to record. Although they understand Undercommon, they rarely communicate in a meaningful way.

COMBAT

In battle, a neothelid forms into a coil 30 feet across. Its favored tactic is liquefying foes with its breath weapon. Against more distant opponents it may use psionics, while its tentacles make short work of closer ones.

Breath Weapon (Su): Cone of acid 50 feet long, once every 1d4 rounds; damage 14d10, Reflex half DC 30.

Psionics (Sp): At will—body equilibrium, charm monster, clairaudience/clairvoyance, detect thoughts, levitate, suggestion, teleport, and true telekinesis. These abilities are as the powers manifested by an 18th-level psion.

Attack/Defense Modes (Sp): At will—all/all.

Improved Grab (Ex): To use this ability, the neothelid must hit a creature with two tentacles during the same attack. If it gets a hold, it automatically deals tentacle damage and can attempt to swallow the foe.

Swallow Whole (Ex): A neothelid can try to swallow a grabbed opponent of Large or smaller size by making a successful grapple check. Once inside, the opponent takes 2d8+12 points of crushing damage plus 1d8 points of acid damage per round from the neothelid's fleshdissolving secretions. A swallowed creature can climb out with a successful grapple check. This places the escapee in the neothelid's tentacled maw, where another successful grapple check is needed to get free. A swallowed creature can also cut its way out by using claws or a Small or Tiny slashing weapon to deal 25 points of damage to the stomach (AC 20). Once the creature exits, muscular action closes the hole; another swallowed opponent must cut its own way out.

The neothelid's interior can hold one Large, two Mediumsize, four Small, eight Tiny, sixteen Diminutive, or thirty-two Fine or smaller opponents.

Blindsight (Ex): The neothelid can ascertain creatures by nonvisual means within 500 feet. Beyond that range, they treat all targets as having total concealment (see Concealment in Chapter 8 of the Player's Handbook).

Large Monstrous Humanoid Hit Dice: 6d8+30 (57 hp) Initiative: +5 (+ 1 Dex, +4 Improved Initiative) Speed: 30 ft. AC: 18 (-1 size, +1 Dex, +8 natural) Attacks: 2 claws +11 melee, bite +6 melee Damage: Claw 1d6+6, bite 1d6+3 and mind feed (see text) Face/Reach: 5 ft. by 5 ft./10 ft. Special Attacks: Mind feed Special Qualities: Damage reduction 10/+1, cold resistance 20, psionics, regeneration 5, scent, darkvision 90 ft. Saves: Fan +7, Ref +6, will +8 Abilities: Str 23, Dex 12, Con 21, Int 10, Wis 16, Cha 6 Skills: Listen +14, Move Silently +3, Search +8, Spot +14 Feats: Alertness, Improved Initiative

Climate/Terrain: Any land and underground Organization: Solitary or gang (2-4) Challenge Rating: 6 Treasure: Standard Alignment: Always chaotic evil Advancement: By character class

A phthisic is a repressed neurosis wrenched from the subconscious mind to walk the world in living, breathing flesh. Phthisics feed on the mental energy of other beings, leaving them permanently damaged. A phthisic stands 10 feet tall and weighs 570 pounds. It vaguely resembles the person whose mind the phthisic escaped, but monstrously distorted: Its daggerlike teeth and claws, and its hide, which resembles hoarfrost coating the creature, make identification of the person difficult. A phthisic is initially drawn from a troubled psyche via an unknown psionic power, possibly a twisted version of psychic chirurgery. Once free, it is an independent creature and may very well attack its progenitor.

Phthisics speak Common.

COMBAT

Born of a damaged mind, a phthisic constantly craves the sweet nectar of sanity to sooth its mental torment, if only for a while. As it feeds on a living being's Intelligence, the victim experiences a sensation of deadly chill.