Vessel of Stars SJ Conversion pt 10

Neogi Great Old Master
Huge Aberration (20^Ò)
Hit Dice:  20d8 (90 hp)
Initiative:  -1
Speed:  10 ft.
AC:  15 (-2 size, -1 dexterity, +8 natural)
Attacks:  0 or Bite +19 melee
Damage:  0 or Bite 1d12+4
Face/Reach:  0 ft. by 0 ft./ 0 ft.
Special Attacks:  Digestion
Special Qualities:  Low light vision, Immune to umber hulk gaze, Spawn
young, SR 13, Scent
Saves:  Fort +6, Ref +5, Will +16
Abilities:  Str 18, Dex 8, Con 10, Int 6, Wis 10, Cha 10
Skills:  Listen +22, Spot +22
Feats:  Iron Will
Climate/Terrain:  Usually Space
Organization:  Solitary
Challenge Rating:  10
Treasure:  None
Alignment:  Always lawful evil
Advancement:  None

The Great Old Master is a bloated neogi of huge proportions.  It
retains only slight resemblance to the individual it was in life and is
driven purely by an instinctive need to food to eat (carrion or fresh).
 When a neogi becomes a great old master it loses all class abilities
and several of its special qualities (including its poisonous bite),
its feats become those listed above, its hide thickens and toughens so
that it has natural armor +8, and its ability scores are adjusted as
follows:  Str +10, Dex ^Ö4, Con ^Ö2, Int set to 6 (unless already lower),
Wis set to 10 (unless already lower), Cha set to 10 (unless already
lower).  If the neogi had any umber hulk servants they are immediately
freed of its control.
        Great old masters are how the genderless neogi race reproduces.  As
the venom of many other neogi courses through the body of a victim
neogi that neogi becomes comatose (a neogi with active poison in it
from at least 5 other neogi^×failing to save against the poison of at
least 5 other neogi all active at once^×becomes comatose in two rounds).
 At this point the other neogi continue injecting their venom through
repeated bites and then leave the afflicted neogi to suffer its fate.
For the next two days the afflicted neogi will grow and expand, turning
into a great old master.  3 days after this 20-40 young neogi will have
formed inside it and will begin gnawing at its insides.  At this point
the great old master awakens and begins an instinctual feeding.  The
other neogi will usually feed it carrion, slaves, and even each other
as the opportunity permits and will keep it confined in a set area.
The great old master acts almost completely on instinct, is unable to
communicate or think on its own except to follow its instincts (its
reduced intelligence reflects its mental abilities in regards to
understanding what^Òs said to it and in following its ravenous
instincts).  The great old master will remain for two months before the
young neogi inside it rip their way out, killing it.

Combat
Barely able to drag its bloated weight about and lacking any slaves or
class abilities, the great old master is unable to conduct normal
combat.
        Digestion (Ex):  A great old master that has a creature fall in front
of it or has a body placed in front of it is able to consume the body.
Only in this case does it get the attacks listed above.
Low Light Vision (Ex):  Neogi have low light vision but not darkvision.
Immunity to Umber Hulk Gaze (Ex):  Neogi are immune to the confusion
gaze attacks possessed by umber hulks.  They are not immune to any
other sorts of confusion effects.
Scent (Ex):  In their desperate search for food, great old masters
develop an acute sense of smell equivalent to the scent ability of many
other creatures.
Spawn Neogi:  A great old master that is harmed by burning spells and
spells and weapons that do piercing or slashing damage (but not attacks
that do purely blunt damage) will cause the great old master to release
2d4 immature neogi that will fight to defend it.  This is an
instinctive act for the great old master as any surviving immature
neogi will then turn on it, causing it to release more immature neogi
until they have all been released and it is consumed ahead of time.
Any immature neogi come from the total number of neogi the great old
master is spawning and will not be replaced, a great old master only
grows young neogi when it first transforms.

Society
As noted above, great old master neogi are how neogi reproduce.
Theoretically ^Ómaster^Ô neogi become senile or even insane as they grow
older and their neogi slaves band together to make them into great old
master and replace them.  In practice this is not always the case as a
master may sacrifice one of its slave neogi  (especially if it wants an
umber hulk that slave controls) to increase the population of neogi in
the ^Óclan^Ô.  Since senility and insanity are judged by the hateful,
greedy, and power-hungry neogi slaves, their judgment is also
questionable.

Young Neogi
Young neogi are those neogi that have not yet ripped their way out of a
great old master.  Young neogi only develop into creatures able to
sustain themselves after the first 5 days of the great old master^Òs
being poisoned by its fellows.  At this point they are:
New to Two Weeks:  Tiny Aberration (1^Ò); HD 1d8-4 (1 hp); Init -4; Spd
5; AC 8 (+2 size, -4 dex); Atk -3 melee (1d4-3, bite); SA slow poison
(fortitude save (DC 8) or be slowed for 1-2 rounds); SQ umber hulk
leadership, immunity to umber hulk gaze; AL LE; SV Fort -4, Ref -4,
Will -3; Str 4, Dex 3, Con 2, Int 1, Wis 1, Cha 1 (3 to umber hulks)
Skills and Powers:  Spot ^Ö4

After two weeks of growing and eating each has become:
Two Weeks to One Month:  Tiny Aberration (2^Ò); HD 2d8-6 (3 hp); Init
-3; Spd 5; AC 10 (+2 size, -3 dex, +1 natural); Atk -1 melee (1d4-2,
bite); SA slow poison (fortitude save (DC 10) or be slowed for 1-3
rounds); SQ immunity to umber hulk gaze; AL LE; SV Fort -3, Ref -3,
Will -1; Str 6, Dex 5, Con 5, Int 3, Wis 2, Cha 3 (5 to umber hulks)
Skills and Powers:  Spot +0

After one month of growing and eating each has become:
One Month to 1.5 Months:  Small Aberration (2.5^Ò); HD 3d8-6 (7 hp);
Init -2; Spd 10; AC 11 (+1 size, -2 dex, +2 natural); Atk +0 melee
(1d6-2, bite), 2 at -2 melee (1d4-2 claw); SA slow poison (fortitude
save (DC 12) or be slowed for 1-6 rounds); SQ immunity to umber hulk
gaze, low light vision; AL LE; SV Fort -1, Ref -1, Will -1; Str 7, Dex
7, Con 7, Int 7, Wis 3, Cha 5 (7 to umber hulks)
Skills and Powers:  Intimidate +3, Sense Motive +2, Spot +2;
Multiattack

After one and a half months of growing and eating the young neogi have
become:
1.5 Months to ^ÓBirth^Ô:  Small Aberration (3^Ò); HD 4d8 (18 hp); Init +0;
Spd 10; AC 13 (+1 size, +3 natural); Atk +3 melee (1d6-1, bite), 2 at
+1 melee (1d4-1 claw); SA slow poison (fortitude save (DC 14) or be
slowed for 1-8 rounds); SQ immunity to umber hulk gaze, low light
vision; AL LE; SV Fort +1, Ref +1, Will +0; Str 8, Dex 10, Con 10, Int
10, Wis 4, Cha 7 (9 to umber hulks)
Skills and Powers:  Intimidate +5, Sense Motive +4, Spot +4;
Multiattack, Weapon Finesse (bite, claw)

Neogi who are ^Óborn^Ô at the usual time (rather than being spawned
early) are:
^ÓBirth^Ô:  Small Aberration (3^Ò); HD 5d8+5 (27 hp); Init +0; Spd 10; AC
13 (+1 size, +3 natural); Atk +3 melee (1d6-1, bite), 2 at +1 melee
(1d4-1 claw); SA slow poison (fortitude save (DC 14) or be slowed for
1-8 rounds); SQ immunity to umber hulk gaze, low light vision; AL LE;
SV Fort +2, Ref +1, Will +1; Str 8, Dex 10, Con 12, Int 12, Wis 5, Cha
9 (11 to umber hulks)
Skills and Powers:  Intimidate +7, Sense Motive +5, Spot +5;
Multiattack, Weapon Finesse (bite, claw)

Once neogi are ^Óborn^Ô the brood fights among itself for about a week,
each killing and eating its rivals, until about 3-6 remain.  At this
point the other neogi retrieve the newest slaves and begin their
training.  This fighting lasts about a week but by providing plenty of
food the neogis^Ò fights can be reduced to the point where only 1d4+1
die.  Within a week after birth (the ^Óweeding out^Ô period) neogi
develop into:
Mature:  Small Aberration (3^Ò); HD 5d8+5 (27 hp); Init +2; Spd 20; AC
17 (+1 size, +2 dex, +4 natural); Atk +5 melee (1d6-1, bite), 2 at +3
melee (1d4-1 claw); SA slow poison (fortitude save (DC 14) or be slowed
for 1-8 rounds); SQ immunity to umber hulk gaze, low light vision; AL
LE; SV Fort +2, Ref +3, Will +3; Str 8, Dex 14, Con 12, Int 14, Wis 8,
Cha 11 (13 to umber hulks)
Skills and Powers:  Intimidate +8, Sense Motive +7, Spot +7;
Multiattack, Weapon Finesse (bite, claw)

Over the next month the newest neogi slaves will finish learning
language (they have been whispered to in neogi from afar to this point
to help them develop linguistic skills) and will develop their
remaining powers and skills (Wis becomes 10 due to experience, Cha 13
for the same reason, they learn the basic neogi skills, and they learn
to use their umber hulk leadership abilities and to watch slaves
closely for their racial bonus to spot).

The neogi first appeared in the Spelljammer:  Adventures in Space Boxed
Set (TSR, 1991).  The neogi conversion above used the original 2e
Monstrous Manual entry as well as discussions on the SJ Council list
and drawing inspiration from the neogi conversions found at:
http://www.enworld.org/cc/converted/aberration/neogi.htm
http://oracle.wizards.com/scripts/wa.exe?A2=ind0010B&L=spelljammer-l&P=R3600


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