Vortigaunt (3.5e Creature)
Vortigaunt
| Size/Type: | Medium Outsider (Xenotheric, Vortal) | Medium Outsider (Xenotheric, Vortal) |
|---|---|---|
| Hit Dice: | 1d8+3 (7 hp) | 6d8+9 (36 hp) |
| Initiative: | +1 | +2 |
| Speed: | 30 ft. (6 squares) | 30 ft. (6 squares) |
| Armor Class: | 14 (+1 Dex, +3 natural, +2 deflection), touch 13, flat-footed 15 | 19 (+2 Dex, +3 natural, +4 deflection), touch 16, flat-footed 17 |
| Base Attack/Grapple: | +1/+0 | +6/+6 |
| Attack: | 2 claws +0 melee (1d4-1) or vortal charge +2 ranged (1d10 electricity) | 2 claws +6 melee (1d4) or vortal charge +8 ranged (1d10 electricity) |
| Full Attack: | 2 claws +0 melee (1d4-1) or vortal charge +2 ranged (1d10 electricity) | 2 claws +6 melee (1d4) or vortal charge +8 ranged (1d10 electricity) |
| Space/Reach: | 5 ft./5 ft. | 5 ft./5 ft. |
| Special Attacks: | Vortessence manipulation | Vortessence manipulation, greater vortal charge (3d10, DC 18) |
| Special Qualities: | darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision, resistance to electricity 10, power resistance 11 | darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision, resistance to electricity 10, power resistance 16 |
| Saves: | Fort +2, Ref +3, Will +4 | Fort +6, Ref +7, Will +9 |
| Abilities: | Str 9, Dex 12, Con 11, Int 12, Wis 15, Cha 8 | Str 10, Dex 14, Con 13, Int 14, Wis 18, Cha 8 |
| Skills: | Bluff +3, Concentration +4, Diplomacy +6, Gather Information +3, Heal +6, Listen +10, Search +9, Spot +9, Survival +6 | Bluff +8, Concentration +10, Diplomacy +13, Gather Information +8, Heal +13, Jump +9, Listen +17, Search+15 , Spot +15, Survival +13 |
| Feats: | Toughness | Ability Focus (greater vortal charge), Toughness |
| Environment: | Xen, Earth | Xen, Earth |
| Organization: | usually non-solitary | usually non-solitary |
| Challenge Rating: | 1 | 6 |
| Treasure: | None | None |
| Alignment: | Any non-evil and non-chaotic | Any non-evil and non-chaotic |
| Advancement: | Any HD (Medium) or by character class | Any HD (Medium) or by character class |
| Level Adjustment: | +3 | +3 |
| “ | Could you but see the eyes inside your own, the minds in your mind, you would see how much we share. | ” |
| —The All-Knowing Vortigaunt | ||
Vortigaunts are hive-minded creatures that have recently freed themselves from complete oppression by the creature known as Nihilanth. Unused to strong levels of individualism, they enunciate individuals (such as humans), by adding 'the' to their name. In appearance, a Vortigaunt is somewhat humanoid with two legs and two arms, but has an additional arm protruding from its chest. This extra limb is a feature also found in the other bipedal, sapient species from Xen, including the Alien Grunt and Nihilanth. This similarity, along with other shared features such as red eyes and back-jointed legs, is strongly suggestive of a common ancestry with other intelligent Xen lifeforms. Apparently, this third arm is used for feeding, as both Vortigaunts and Alien Grunts are often seen bending over slain victims while feeding off of it. Vortigaunts have a mottled green-brown skin, sharp teeth, and clawed hands. Vortigaunts have a slightly hunched posture, and their faces are dominated by a large, single red eye, surrounded by three smaller eyes. They stand roughly 5 and a half feet tall and weigh around 150 pounds.
Combat
Vortigaunts are powerful warriors in combat, using their potent 'vortal energies' for offense before closing in to melee range. They are usually unarmored save for their own tough skins, as any sort of physical protection that interferes with their thoracic limb results in loss of their vortal charge attacks.
Vortessence Manipulation (Su): The source of most of the Vortigaunt's ability, the Vortessence, the source of their life, stands at the heart of their disciplines. Manipulation of it is never done lightly, and yields some very impressive results. Most of these abilities require Concentration checks of varying difficulty. Vortessence manipulation has some very diverse effects.
- Vortal Charge: Their energy attacks are facilitated through Vortessence Manipulation.
- Greater Vortal Charge (Su): Tapping into what they call their Vortessence, any Vortigaunt with 4 or more HD/character levels, are able to project great blasts of greenish harmful energy. This charge may be channeled in a line that equals short range spells in length (25 + 5 ft./2 character levels), or spread in a cylinder of diameter 5 ft. and height 10 ft., that is projected anywhere within a short range distance. The diameter of this cylinder grows to 10 ft. at character level 12 and to 15 ft. at level 20, after which it no longer increases in size. Those caught anywhere within the blast are dealt 1d10 electricity damage for every two character levels or HD the Vortigaunt possesses, starting with 2d10 at level 4. The Greater Vortal Charge has a cooldown time of 1d4 rounds. The save DC is 10 + ½ the Vortigaunt's HD + the Vortigaunt's Wis modifier.
- Powering Machines: Using a nonlethal variant of the vortal charge, the Vortigaunt can restore power to a powerless machine on a successful Concentration. DC varies with the intricacy of the machine in question. This extends to generators and in limited quality to suits with personal protective shielding like Black Mesa's HEV protective systems.
- Hive-mind: Their collective consciousness is provided through their links to the Vortessence, which allows the Vortigaunts certain different qualities. Since the full knowledge of the Vortigaunts is more or less available to them, it may be gleaned from this collective consciousness at will through a sort of meditative discipline or certain ritualistic endeavours. Through it, Vortigaunts may learn of things through an associated Concentration check that they may have failed to learn through Knowledge checks. The restriction here is that for it to work, the Vortigaunts as a collective must have knowledge of the subject of study. For example, if no Vortigaunt has ever known that a certain apple is red, this knowledge may not be gleaned through Vortessence manipulation. The DC of the Concentration check to learn about a subject will equal the DC of the Knowledge check usually required to know of the subject.
- Telepathy: The Vortessence allows communication through telepathy, which in close and medium range is often channeled through what is called 'flux shifting' in English. This method of communication differs from any known Earth language in that it requires both speakers to vocalize at the same time. The process of communication by flux shifting is believed to use auditory imput to facilitate the channeling of the real information through the use of telepathy. For Vortigaunts to understand one another in flux shifting, no skill check is required, although for other 'non-Vortal' creatures to grasp even menially what the Vortigaunt speaks of requires an Intelligence check versus DC 20 for only the simplest of messages and even more for more intricate communication. Another use of telepathy is relaying sights and sounds to another. If a Vortigaunt detects something through the use of Listen or Spot, a Concentration check made by another Vortigaunt less than 100 ft. away with the same DC as the original detection check will make that particular individual also aware of the object or enemy detected. (For every additional 100 ft. of distance between the observer and the communiquee, the Concentration DC increases by +2 up to a maximum of 1000 ft distance. If more Vortigaunts are close by, the observation can spread from Vortigaunt to Vortigaunt as long as they are at most a thousand feet away from at least one other Vortigaunt, and as long as all succeed on their save. A Vortigaunt that failed its Concentration check to partake in the detection may not make the check again for at least one hour.
- Healing: Through Vortessence Manipulation, the Vortigaunt can increase their healing abilities in order to help an injured individual. They can stabilize dying subjects, and even provide limited Hit Point recovery. The subject recovers a number of hit points per hour equal to half the result of the Heal check. Using this ability to heal more than once per day fatigues the Vortigaunt.
Higher Vortessence Manipulation (Su): By completely immersing themselves within the Vortessence, the Vortigaunts are able of much greater feats. In this state, the color of their bodies turns into a highly luminescent blue. It is said that in this state, their telepathy no longer has limitations in the form of distance or even extradimensional barriers, and it allows them full access to the combined knowledge of the Vortigaunt race. This state of manipulation can only be unlocked if all Vortigaunts involved succeed in making simultaneous Concentation checks of DC 30. Certain imbibed substances that contain enormous amounts of energy, like the bio-extract that feeds unhatched Antlion larvae, facilitate easier access to this higher manipulation (resulting in a -5 to the required DC). In this state, every member of the ritual gains +4 to Intelligence and Wisdom, but loses their Dexterity mod and their deflection bonus to AC and can only take single move actions while they pursue the activity that requires them to use this power. Due to the steep demands of this technique in the shape of skill checks, it requires Vortigaunts of quite high level to perform this.
- Resuscitation and Greater Healing (Su): Through the higher manipulation, the Vortigaunts are able to channel all their healing ability, able to resurrect a being on the brink of death (when the heart has stopped, or even minutes after clinical death, provided the body's structure is largely intact). This restores a subject that has been 'dead' no longer than 10 minutes to life while healing up to 10 points of damage for every HD of the lowest HD Vortigaunt involved in the endeavour.
- Time Stop (Su): The higher manipulation allows the Vortigaunts involved brief respite from time's surceeding events. This functions as a time stop spell lasting 4 rounds.
Vortigaunt Traits (Ex/Su): All vortigaunts possess the following racial traits.
- +2 Intelligence, +2 Wisdom.
- Medium size.
- Base land speed is 30 ft.
- Armor Class: The Vortigaunt's skin is tough, as is the sinew that moves beneath it. They have a natural armor bonus of +3. They also have a deflection bonus equal to their Wisdom modifier to Armor Class on account of their unique brand of energy manipulation.
- traits: darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision. NOTE: Xenotheric outsiders cannot be 'banished' or 'dismissed'.
- traits. These are explained upon under Vortessence Manipulation. This broad ability allows them to do many things, including channeling energies for attacking, defending and healing and facilitating their hive-mind existence.
- Attacks: 2 Claws melee (base damage 1d4) or vortal charge ranged (1d10)
- Unaccommodating Physique: Vortigaunts seem unable to wear any boots or gloves, but in some cases can wear forms of clothing that provide some degree of cover for the torso. In most cases, their thoracic arm disallows them wearing any sort of protective gear. Such gear, or indeed any item of clothing over the torso would impair their ability to attack. Due to having no opposable thumbs, they are vastly unable to operate any sort of ranged manufectured weapons, including guns, (cross)bows. They also always treat thrown weapons as improvised due to their lack of proper finger placement, always suffering a -4 penalty to also these attacks. They may however use melee weapons normally, given they are proficient with them.
- resistance to electricity 10.
- power resistance 10 + HD.
- +2 to Will saves to counter mind-affecting effects.
- Vortigaunts adopt Concentration and Heal as class skills, regardless of the class he takes.
- +4 racial bonus to Listen, Search and Spot checks.
- Automatic Languages: Common, Vortal Flux-Shifting.
- Favored Class: Unresolved.
- Level Adjustment: +3.
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