Monster Geographica - Marsh & Aquatic.pdf - The Secrets of the ...

8 Mindsense (Su): An encephalon gorger can
are greatly feared by intelligent creatures for
they use such beings (their brain fluid to be
exact) to power their great cities. Many of these
creatures have constructed strongholds or outposts
on the Material Plane, though it is unknown when
they first appeared on that plane.
Encephalon gorgers have a disliking for direct
sunlight, though they are not harmed by it. When
traveling aboveground in daylight hours, they
usually cloak themselves in robes of gray or black.
The gorger’s leathery, whitish flesh is nearly
translucent and in older encephalon gorgers one
can faintly see veins and other organs pushing
grayish-brown blood through its body. Its mouth is
lined with short, needle-like teeth, with the canines
being most pronounced (perhaps the reason these
monsters are sometimes called cranial vampires).
An encephalon gorger speaks it own alien
tongue, Common, and at least four other languages.
Combat
Encephalon gorgers enter battle using their
claws to slash and tear their foes. At first chance,
an encephalon gorger grabs an opponent and sinks
its teeth into the foe’s head, draining it of cerebral
fluid. An encephalon gorger will not put itself in
danger by ignoring other threats around it, so
generally it only drinks when all of its other foes
are either dead or engaged with others of its kind.
Often times, an encephalon gorger attempts to
capture rather than kill its prey especially in the case
of intelligent humanoids. Captured prey is taken to
the encephalon gorgers’ city where it is handed over
to the Breeders who tend the slave pits.
Improved Grab (Ex): To use this ability,
an encephalon gorger must hit an opponent up
to one size larger than itself with a claw attack. It
can then attempt to start a grapple as a free action
without provoking an attack of opportunity. If it
wins the grapple check, it establishes a hold that
deals claw damage each round and allows it to use
its mindfeed ability.
Mindfeed (Su): An encephalon gorger can
suck brain fluid from a living creature with its
fangs by making a successful grapple check. If
it pins the foe, it drains cerebral fluid, dealing
1d4 points of Intelligence drain each round the
pin is maintained. On each successful attack, the
encephalon gorger gains 5 temporary hit points. At
Intelligence 0, a grappled foe collapses, helpless
and unconscious in a coma-like stupor.
Adrenal Surge (Ex): Twice per day, an
encephalon gorger can create an effect on itself
identical to a haste spell (caster level 10th).
148
gauge the relative intelligence level of any creature
within 60 feet. This ability can be dispelled, but the
encephalon gorger can restart it as a free action on
its next turn. The creature often uses this power
to locate the most intelligent creature in a group,
whom it then targets for capture (or a meal).
Mind Screen (Ex): The mind of an
encephalon gorger is an alien and dangerous place.
Should a creature target an encephalon gorger with
a mind-affecting effect (charms, compulsions,
phantasms, patterns, and morale effects), telepathy,
or psionic mind-affecting effect or attack, it must
succeed on a DC 20 Will save or be driven
permanently insane (as by an insanity spell, caster
level 15th). The save DC is Intelligence-based.
Encephalon Gorger Society
Encephalon gorgers refer to themselves as
Silians, and they make their homes deep beneath
the surface world or hidden far away from prying
eyes (cloaked by natural occurrences such as fog
or mist or hidden by magic). Underground lairs
resemble great domed cities, while those on the
surface resemble iron fortresses of exquisite
craftsmanship. Each lair, regardless of its location,
has dozens of slave pits and breeding pits filled
with captured, intelligent humanoids (or other
creatures). The slaves are maintained by a
specialized group of silians called the Breeders. It
is their job to tend to food supply of the city at all
times and to gauge the relative worth of each and
every humanoid used by the gorgers for feeding.
Encephalon gorgers sometimes trade with
other races, usually trading for slaves, which
are taken to the Breeders. Other slaves are kept
by particular encephalon gorgers and assigned
menial tasks. Once such a slave has exhausted its
usefulness, it is “recycled” in the food pens so long
as it isn’t dead. Dead slaves or those that die from
excessive feedings are discarded, ground up into a
bland paste that is fed to the other slaves.
Little is known of particulars regarding the
gorger’s society; such as reproduction, lifespan,
aging patterns and so on. A few things that are
known come from a group of adventurers that saw
one of the iron fortresses and lived to tell about it.
They spoke of large vats filled with cranial fluid
maintained by the Breeders and of young silian
being grown in these vats. They also spoke of the
horrid squalor of the breeding pits and the slaves
kept in them.