Lanilak
A bizarre and brutal shape-shifting race, the Lanikak are feared by the most learned of scholars and superstitious elders. They are alien creatures, from some other unknown world, that somehow found a way to transport themselves over to this one. They have kept subtle and quiet over the years, and only those truly familiar with legends and stories have even heard of them. They are dangerous, predatory and deadly.
Lanilak appear as tall, thin creatures, so without muscle or fat that their ribs can be seen almost tearing through their blackish-greenish, slimy skin. At the end of each of its thin arms are three tentacles, each with a single, tiny needle-like spike at the very end. They have a long, prehensile scorpion-like tail, complete with stinger. Its head is completely black and has an enormous jaw, filled with crooked and intimidating teeth. Its eyes are small, black and squinted, many have theorized that their original world had no light and therefore they find it irritating here.
Lanilak hide in normal society, using their Shapeshift ability to change into an average, forgettable member of the race they are impersonating. From there they develop identities, become members of the community and gain the trust of the natives. All the time they hunt the creatures they live among, by night finding victims and draining them of cerebral fluid. Somehow they find a balance; they prefer to keep the creatures that they hunt alive because doing otherwise would be “killing the golden goose,” so to speak. The drain as much fluid as they can without killing the creature, wipe their memory (see below) and apply a drop of saliva from their own mouth to the wound. The victim wakes up in the morning very sick with a barely noticeable white spot on his back, and with luck he eventually recovers. Unfortunately, this balance is only temporary.
Lanilak are both male and female at the same time. When they reach approximately thirty years old their bodies instinctually impregnate the egg sack they have carried with them their entire lives. For three months the Lanilak are pregnant, during which time they must eat twice as much as they normally do to survive (ten points of intelligence and wisdom a day as opposed to the usual five.) At the end of this three month period they lay three to five eggs, which take another month to hatch. During this time a Lanilak tries to gather up humans to feed to its children, staying in human form far more often to take advantage of its superior intelligence (see below.) The humans are kept barely alive and are constantly intimidated, fear is the best spice for these creatures. After hatching, the baby Lanilak tear into the prisoners, exercising none of the restraint of their parent. It takes one week for a Lanilak to fully mature, during which time its parent has most certainly died. Lanilak depend on their egg sacks for life. Without them they begin to die, their bodies unable to filter some poisonous chemical in the cerebral fluid of most creatures on this plane. They are slowly poisoned, kept alive only by the instinct to protect their eggs. Once the eggs hatch, the parent’s body begins to shut down, unwilling to fight off the inevitable any longer. Surprisingly, it seems like a Lanilak’s body could continue living about a month longer than it does, except for some genetic “kill switch” that goes off once their children hatch that stops their bodies from fighting off the poison. Lanilak can also mate with other Lanilak, in which case their cycle of breeding can come much sooner.
In addition to cerebral fluid, Lanilak must drink at least six liters of water a day. They are amphibious creatures, though they are apparently more at home in the water than on land. It seems that the land in this world offers them more access to prey, however, and as such a number have moved onto the mainland.
It has been theorized that the Lanilak are somehow related to Kapikan, though this has not been proven.
Medium Aberration
Hit Dice: 20d8+80 (174)
Initiative: +11
Speed: 40 ft, Swim 50 ft
Armor Class: 25 (+7 dex, +8 natural)
Base Attack/Grapple: +7/+17
Attack: 2 Slams (+12), Bite (+12) or Tail (+13)
Damage: 2 Slams (1d6+5), Bite (1d8+5) or Tail (1d12+7)
Space/Reach: 5ft/5ft
Special Attacks: Attach, Superior Grapple, Fluid Drain, Memory Wipe, Poison
Special Qualities: Damage Reduction 10/+3, Spell Resistance 24, Lightning Immunity, Cold Vulnerability, Darkvision 60 Feet, Regeneration, Shapeshift, Sleepless
Saves: Fort +20, Ref +23, Will +18
Abilities: Str 21, Dex 25, Con 19, Int 5, Wis 14, Cha 14
Skills: Bluff +13, Performance (Acting) +13, Survival +10
Feats: Track, Weapon Focus (Tail), Run, Power Attack, Expertise, Improved Initiative, Weapon Specialization (Tail)
Environment: Any non-arctic or non-desert
Organization: Solitary or with mate
Challenge Rating: 9
Treasure: Standard
Alignment: Always Neutral Evil
Advancement: None
Level Adjustment: -
Attach: With two successful hits with its slam attack in one round, a Lanilak may initiate as a free action that does not provoke an attack of opportunity.
Superior Grapple: Lanilak get a +5 on grapple checks (already calculated into its grapple attack.)
Fluid Drain: With a successful grapple check, a Lanilak can poke a small hole into the back of its opponent’s skull. Every round that it maintains the grapple (including the round it is started) it drains 1d4 intelligence and wisdom. This ability drain recovers at a rate of one per a day, with a fortitude save of 15 every day.
Memory Wipe: With a successful touch attack (or if it is already in a grapple with a creature) a Lanilak may touch the barb at the end of its tentacle to the forehead of another creature. That creature must make a will save (DC 22) or fall unconscious and forget everything that happened in the last ten minutes. The victim stays unconscious for eight hours, or until awakened.
Poison: Any creature struck by a Lanilak’s tail attack are affected by its poison, fortitude save DC 26 to negate, initial and secondary effects are unconsciousness. Lanilak are immune to each other’s poison.
Cold Vulnerability: Lanilak take double damage from cold damage, and avoid cold weather.
Regeneration: Lanilak heal one hit point per a minute. In addition, they heal five points of damage for every point of intelligence of wisdom drained from another creature. If a tentacle is severed, it re-grows it in one hour. Any other limb regrows in two hours.
Shapeshift: As a full round action, a Lanilak may transform itself into any humanoid or goblinoid of medium size or smaller. In this form, a Lanilak’s intelligence raises to 10, but it loses all of its special attacks and regular attacks. Normally, Lanilak do not like this form, even with the increased intelligence, but maintain it to pass in society.
Sleepless: Lanilak never sleep.