Greater Sententient
Size/Type: Template
Hit Dice: Base Creature
Initiative: Automatic
Speed: 40 ft. (8 squares)
Armor Class: Base Creature
Base Attack/Grapple: Base Creature
Attack: Base Creature
Full Attack: Base Creature
Space/Reach: Base Creature
Special Attacks: Detect thoughts, prediction
Special Qualities: Displacement, damage reduction 15/good and
piercing, prediction,
Saves: Fort +0, Ref +12, Will +0
Abilities: Base Creature
Skills: Concentration +20, Hide +20, Listen +20,
Search +20, Sense Motive +20, Sleight of Hand
+20 Spellcraft +20, Spot +20
Feats: Alertness, Evasion, Improved Evasion, Combat Casting, Improved Initiative, Lightning Reflexes, Dodge, Improved Uncanny Dodge
Environment: Base Creature
Organization: Base Creature
Challenge Rating: Base Creature + 5
Treasure: Triple Standard
Alignment: Base Creature
Advancement: By Class
Level Adjustment: +12
Sententients in General
Sententients are creatures that were born in multiple locations in time and space. The weaker forms of Sententients have a “clone” or “clones” that they never encounter, thus making them essentially normal creatures for all intents and purposes. Occasionally, these clones will meet up with each other, with interesting results. Because these “clones” are in different times, but the same places, they can communicate and essentially predict the future. There are stories of such clones teaming up and wreaking havoc…
Greater Sententients
Greater Sententients are those creatures that are born in the same body, but at slightly different times. A powerful Greater Sententient has another self, born a few seconds ahead that can communicate and warn “itself” of danger. The most powerful of these are shifted by up to six seconds (with even more powerful ones rumored to exist).
Sententients and Greater Sententients appear as their base creatures, but in a shimmering form, similar in appearance to displacement.
Sententients do not have a language of their own.
Detect Thoughts (Su)
A Greater Sententient has continuous detect thoughts as the spell (caster level 18th; Will DC 18 negates). The save DC is Charisma-based.
Prediction (Su)
Greater Sententients can basically see into the future, which means they can make the best decisions at all times. See the example below.
Displacement
Because there are two (or more) born in the same body, but slightly apart in time, Greater Sententients have the equivalent of the Displacement spell at all times.
Skills and Feats
With the ability to see into the future, Greater Sententients have numerous virtual abilities that can’t necessarily be quantified. See the DM tips below.
Initiative
Because Greater Sententient can see into the future, they will rarely, if ever, lose initiative. This is because the “current” initiative roll is, to the Greater Sententient, six seconds ago—and is something they already know about or can see coming. See the example below.
DMing a Greater Sententient
Because a greater sententient lives at multiple locations in time and space, and can see the future, they can be difficult to DM. They can see an entire upcoming round and how it affects them, and can make decisions based on knowing what will happen. This is difficult, but not impossible to DM.
If you don’t already do so, go around and collect actions for the upcoming round from all of the players. In other words, have them declare what they’re going to do. Then use those declarations as their actual actions. Remember, to the party, they are acting normally. To the Greater Sententient, their actions are 6 seconds ago. Do not allow the party member’s to change their actions because they are really acting normally.
Have them make their combat rolls, come back around, collect results, and determine outcomes. This generally saves time, especially at higher levels when numerous rolls are needed. The Greater Sententient can then make a choice that is least threatening to it. Make sure you introduce this technique well before an encounter with a Greater Sententient, otherwise the players will become suspicious.
Because you will be collecting actions from the players, you can create the best options for the Greater Sententient. It’s important to remember that they can use their movement during the round, which will appear to the players as if they teleported. Although they may seem unstoppable at first, Greater Sententients eventually must face the lesser of several choices and can be killed or captured. See the example below.
Combat Example
A party encounters a Greater Sententient in an open field. After an unsuccessful parley, they decide to attack it. They declare their actions and roll for initiative (you do too so they don’t suspect anything). A mage in the group casts fireball, while the other members wait to see what happens. The fighter and the barbarian declare that they will charge into melee next round. From the party’s point of view, the fireball should streak out and explode, injuring the Greater Sententient or at least revealing some of its possible defenses.
However, from the Greater Sententient’s point of view (one of them, anyway), the mage will cast the spell six seconds “from now.” Not knowing how strong the party is, and not wanting to waste any of its abilities quite yet, the Greater Sententient simply decides to run out of the blast radius of the fireball. To the party, it seems as if the Greater Sententient teleported. The fireball was cast, the explosion occurred, but the Greater Sententient was “suddenly” sixty feet away.
You can add some great atmosphere by describing the movement of the Greater Sententient as a shimmering field. While waiting for the fireball to be cast, you could describe to the party that a shimmering streak moved across the field.
Now, here’s the important part: the Greater Sententient’s action was actually before the mage cast the fireball spell. In terms of the current round of combat, the Greater Sententient hasn’t acted yet! During the time that the mage is casting fireball, the Greater Sententient (this one is also a mage) casts Magic Missile at the mage, hitting her for 19 damage.
At the end of the party’s first round of combat, here’s what they perceive happened. The mage cast fireball, which went off, but the Greater Sententient was suddenly not there and the mage was simultaneously hit for 19 damage.
The fighter and barbarian declare that they are still charging into melee this next round. The party’s mage declares that she will cast Magic Missile as well, since it seems to always hit its target. The priest in the group heals the mage.
Knowing that this coming round the fighter and the barbarian are going to charge into battleand that the mage is casting Magic Missile, the Greater Sententient casts invisibility on itself “six seconds ago.” Suddenly the Greater Sententient disappears. The fighter and barbarian arrive where they thought the Greater Sententient was. The magic missile no longer has a visible target and suddenly becomes uncastable. And the fun continues…
Confused? Probably. If you are still conceptually unclear on what is happening, see the movie Next with Nicolas Cage. That should at least make it clear what is supposed to happen, and then you can work it into how the D&D rules can make it happen.
The Greater Sententient can be a wonderful opponent, especially for high level party’s with tones of gear or players that have “seen it all.” I successfully ran a 20th level encounter with a Greater Sententient mage. The party engaged him on three separate occasions. The first two were a draw, with both groups using up all of their spells and abilities and the Greater Sententient retreating to fight another day. In the third fight they adjusted their strategy and figured out ways of making the Greater Sententient choose the least harmful outcome. After an extended combat, they finally defeated him.
Enjoy the fun!
Special thanks to Charles Fischer for writing this article