Crystalline Creature (3.5e Template)
Crystalline Creature
3e Summary::A crystalline is a special psionic creature that has formed due to overexposure to psionic energy.
Creatures of this type appear to be the same as the base creature, but made entirely of millions of multifaceted crystals.
Creating a Crystalline Creature
This is an inherent template. Creatures with this template are born like this, often when the mother or egg is exposed to a great deal of psionic energies. Crystalline creatures are often found around predominantly psionic cities, where the constant presence of psionic energy is enough to alter the basic nature of the creature.
Size and Type
The creatures size and type are unchanged, but the base creature does acquire the psionic subtype.
Hit Dice
The base creatures HD remain unchanged.
Speed
The base creature retains all forms of movement, even flight.
Armor Class
A crystalline creatures natural armor increases by 1
Attack
A creature is made essentially made of deep crystal, granting them the ability to imbue their attacks with psionic energy in the same way a psionic character can imbue their deep crystal weapons with psionic energy.
Full Attack
The base creatures full attack doesn't change.
Special Attacks
The base creature gains two new special abilities:
Psionic Strike (Psi): Crystalline creatures, being made of a material much like deep crystal, they gain the ability to imbue their natural attacks with psionic energy, increasing the damage dealt by them. By expending 2 power points as a move action that does not provoke attacks of opportunity, their next attack deals an additional 2d6 points of damage. If the target has power resistance, the base creature can make a manifester level check using their hit die as their manifester level. If the target successfully resists the psionic energy, they still take damage from the actual attack.
Inner Power (Psi): Crystalline creatures, due to their overexposure to psionic energies, have a natural power point reserve. They gain bonus power points as a psion whose manifester level is equal to their hit die, using their intelligence modifier. This doesn't always yield bonus power points though.
Special Qualities
The base creature gains two new special qualities:
Crystalline Hardness (Ex): Crystalline creatures, being made of a material much like deep crystal, have abnormally hard bodies. They gain damage reduction equal to their constitution modifier against anything but adamantine weapons (DR Con Mod/Adamantine).
Abilities
Crystalline creatures are hardier and tend to be more intelligent than their mundane counterparts: Con + 2, Int +4
Skills
Being shiny and cumbersome, crystalline creatures have a -8 penalty to hide and move silently skill checks.
Feats
Crystalline creature gain Psionic Talent as a bonus feat, even if they don't meet the prerequisites.
Challenge Rating
As base creature+2
Environment
Crystalline creatures typically live near psionic civilizations or near psionicically dominant planes of existence. Though far less likely, crystalline creatures may occur spontaneously in places where psionics in a psionically talented race, village or group of people has been suppressed for far too long, as the energy has to go somewhere.
Crystalline creatures can also be created, such as when a Thought Hunter attains his crystalline companion.
Organization
These creatures often form around societies that either are or should be predominantly psionic.
Treasure
Crystalline creatures often yield deep crystal in small ammounts. A Crystalline creature, when slain, leaves behind 5d10 × 100 gp per 4 hit die. For example, a Crystalline Human Rogue with 12 class levels would yield 15d10 × 100 gp worth of useable deep crystal, whereas one with 10 class levels would only yield 10d10 × 100 gp worth of useable deep crystal. NOTE: This is resale value already.
Alignment
Crystalline creatures are usually any Neutral or As Base Creature.
Advancement
As Base Creature.