Villains' Lorebook.pdf - Department of Political Science

78
Phaerimm
CLIMATE/TERRAIN: Subterranean
FREQUENCY: Very rare
ORGANIZATION: Solitary
ACTIVITY CYCLE: Any
DIET: Carnivore
INTELLIGENCE: Supra-genius (19-20)
TREASURE: T, Z
ALIGNMENT: Neutral evil
No. APPEARING: 1-3 (usually 1)
ARMOR CLASS: 1
MOVEMENT: Fl 9 (A)
HIT DICE: 9
THAC0: 11
No. OF ATTACKS: 6
DAMAGE/ATTACK: 1d4 (or by weapon)×4/3d4/2d4
SPECIAL ATTACKS: Tail sting, spell use
SPECIAL DEFENSES: Can heal themselves from magic
cast at them
MAGIC RESISTANCE: 44% (77% to polymorph and
petrification magic)
SIZE: L (up to 12’ tall)
MORALE: Fanatic (17)
XP VALUE: 10,000
The phaerimm are powerful, magic-using beings
that move by natural levitation. Normally content
with living below the ground, the phaerimm emerge
to investigate nearby spellcasting. They are deadly
adversaries that leave few survivors in their wake.
The phaerimm resemble upright cones, the widest
part uppermost and the point ending in a barbed
stinger-tail. They have four arms, two on each side,
and they frequently use their claws to hold victims
in place so that they may better sting them.
The phaerimm communicate naturally among
one another by varying the pitch of the wind that
surrounds them. They communicate with other
creatures via telepathy. The phaerimm’s natural language
cannot be learned by nonphaerimm.
Combat: Phaerimm have 160’-range infravision
and can see into the Astral and Ethereal Planes up
to 90’ distant. Their normal vision also operates to
this range, functioning as a constant detect magic.
Phaerimm are 77% resistant to polymorph and petrification
magic, such as polymorph other and flesh to
stone spells, and 44% resistant to all other magic.
Phaerimm also can reflect resisted spells back at the
source or use the spell as healing. (Damage caused by
the spell is gained as “replacement” hit points; excess
points are carried for 12 rounds as energy and
used to offset later damage.) Spells doing no damage
heal one hit point per spell level. This ability is defensive
and doesn’t take the place of an attack in the
round they occur. There is no limit to the number of
magical attacks a phaerimm can reflect or absorb in a
round.
Phaerimm also command more magic than most
wizards.
For every 50 years of life, a phaerimm increases
one level as an arcanist; most of this long-lived race
are the equivalents of 22nd- to 27th-level spellcasters.
Phaerimm experiment with and research spells
much as human arcanists do, but they can adopt a
single chosen spell of each level. This chosen spell,
which can never be changed, is retained in their
brain structure forever and can be used once per day.
Phaerimm regain these chosen spells innately, with-
out study, every day.
All phaerimm spells are cast by acts of will-most
magic study is time spent altering captured human
spells into willed manipulations that the phaerimm
can add to their own magic. This causes all spells
cast by a phaerimm to occur at a +3 initiative
penalty, but casting times don’t apply to their magic.
In addition to a spell attack and reflected magic, a
phaerimm can make six physical attacks. Its jaws, located
in the open “top” of its conical body, bite for
3d4 damage. The cone’s rim contains four retractable
arms with three central fingers and two
outside, opposable thumbs. They can punch for ld4
points of damage, wield weapons for normal weapon
damage, or grasp opponents to hold them for automatic
bites. (Each round a phaerimm holds his victim,
roll 1d20 for each phaerimm and the grasped
victim; higher number prevails-either the grasp
holds for the round or the victim breaks free.)
Phaerimm have powerful tails that strike for 2d4
damage; if a successful tail attack roll is 16 or better,
its sting impales the victim: The victim takes the
usual damage plus an additional 1d6 as the hollow
bone sting stabs deep, injecting a milky fluid. The
victim must then save vs. poison three times-first
for paralyzation (for 1d4 rounds if failed; none if successful);
second to decide if it causes the victim to
levitate three feet off the ground for one full turn,
powerless to move except by pushing against or