Shollog (Zalchis)

Shollog
No. Enc.: 1
Alignment: Chaotic
Movement: 300' (Projection)
Armor Class: 9
Hit Dice: 12
Attacks: 1 (Bite)
Damage: 4d4*
Save: F12
Morale: 11

Special: Unaffected by Charm or Sleep spells. They can only attack with their bite once every other round. *Shollog are able to swallow prey whole on an attack roll of 19 or 20. Those swallowed whole suffer 2d4 damage and must Save or age 1d100 years, per Round. After 2d4 Turns, the victim has passed beyond the reach of the beasts fore-parts, and is effectively beyond rescue.

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Shollog are ponderous, slow-moving creatures. The majority of their massive bulk is rooted deeply in the past and only the barest fraction of their fore-parts protrude into current-time. Those whom they swallow whole are slowly, excruciatingly pulled back in time, however few survive the experience as they also suffer accelerated aging simultaneously...

There are reports that the disrupted temporal energies surrounding Shollogs are somehow intensifying, as if the huge things were being dragged forward through time. some believe that these things are somehow 'burrowing' their way to the very point of collapse, perhaps as part of some weird migration...

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Malevolent Vestiges (Zalchis Bestiary)

Malevolent Vestige
No. Enc.: 1
Alignment: Chaotic
Movement: 200' (Immaterial/Levitation)
Armor Class: 3
Hit Dice: 8+
Attacks: 1
Damage: 2d6, or 1d4 per Round within Area of Effect
Save: F8
Morale: 6

Special:Unaffected by Charm or Sleep spells. Completely silent, they Move Silently (80%), and if that fails it is because of the reverberation of their internal psychic echoes being felt by their prey. They cannot Hide in Shadows, as they are made up of phantasmal wisps of light and energy. Darkness spells cause them damage (usually 1d6 per level of caster). Continual Darkness forces them to Save or collapse into a form of gritty residue for 1d10 hours. Every 4 points of damage they inflict allows them to drain 1 point from any Attribute for the next 8 turns. Any Attribute drained to zero will cause the victim to become undead (CON), a mindless drone (INT), a quivering host (STR), a petrified fossil (DEX), a mind-draining voidskull (WIS), or a hideous residuum (CHAR).

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Broken, fractured things that were once living, thinking beings. They are mindless emotional echoes now, the lingering psychoplasmic residue of the defunct, the fallen, the extinct. Pure instinct and reflex, intuitive and irrational, these vile remnants seek out the vulnerable and the weak to consume their lifeforce. They are the appetite that remains after all else has gone. And they will devour the mind, body and soul of the unwary if given half a chance.

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Drala Thallu (Zalchis)

Drala-Thallu


No. Enc.: 1d2 (1d4)

Alignment: Neutral

Movement: 60'

Armor Class: 4

Hit Dice: 8

Attacks: 1 or 2 (1 Eyebeam or 2 claws/weapons, or 1 claw/weapon and follow-up Tail-Blade)

Damage: 3d4/1d6/2d4/2d4, or by weapon

Save: F8 / L7

Morale: 10


Special: Use the Random Eye-Beam Table to determine which particular Eye-Beam they are each attack. More advanced specimens may have additional physical mutations, implanted/grafted weapons, psychic attacks or magical spells...

The Drala-Thallu are invertebrate tinkers who seek out any and all forms of mechanical constructs, especially robots, whom they then attack mercilessly until they've hacked them to bits and pieces. The Drala-Thallu then sift through the wreckage and try to cobble together replacements or enhancements for their own, damaged systems, organs or limbs. The only loot that a Drala-Thallu will carry are cybernetic and other body parts, robotic limbs, artificial organs, synthetic or animal body-parts, and the like. They might have some mutant plant parts or samples taken from fungal colonies and the like as well, should they gain access to such things.

And yes, the Eyebeam Attack/Effect is intentionally left vague/randomly determined. They Dralla Thallu are continually self-modifying and upgrading, so it could be just about anything the DM desires...

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We suggest using the excellent Random Space Debris Tables at The EXONAUTS! blog for possible scrap and junk that the Drall-Thallu might be carrying, hoarding or trying to peddle at some open-air swap-meat or flea market.

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Slithering and silent, they approach with great stealth, hoping to ambush their prey with a hellish onslaught of rays and beams emitted from their terrible, cyclopean eyes.

After a battle, whether they fought or not, they slither about scavenging limbs, organs, and especially mechanical parts. When victorious in personal combat, they rip apart the mechanisms and machines of their enemies and eviscerate them, dissect them, carefully removing any organs, glands or other parts that they deem worthy of incorporating into their perpetually-enhanced bodies. But not just anything will do. No. Only those things that are strong enough, potent enough, powerful enough -- things that have been able to survive their dreaded eye-beam attack -- those are the things that a Drala-Thallu wants, and will have. One way or another. Whether a limb or organ is enchanted, runic, clockwork, golemic, or bionic -- they make no distinction. They can work with any and all of those modalities and more. They are the Drala-Thallu.

Drala-Thallu are fairly well known within Zalchis, where they prowl the ruined regions of the Great Ring looking for salvage and spare parts. There are rumors that they might also have been encountered in a number of ruined star systems left in the wake of various great wars. On more barbaric worlds the Drala-Thallu have engaged in limb-trading and organlegging without any regard for those affected by their dealings, entire regions have been completely decimated and wantonly depopulated by waves of over-hunting when ignorant or desperate locals discover that the Drala-Thallu will trade for exotic animal parts or bits and pieces of broken machines dragged out of old ruins that no one knows how to use or do anything with anyhow. Many a tribesman has sold internal organs or muscle fibers to these beings from beyond the sky in order to gain silver fists, sinister-looking new eyes, or other replacement parts and pieces that they believe will make them more powerful. Sometimes it works out that way, but always at a cost the recipient never fully imagined or could fully appreciate or understand. But it is a free market approach and Caveat Emptor is the cardinal truism all Drala-Thallu learn before all others.

Wherever or whenever you find them, the Drala-Thallu are great opportunists who are always trying to take advantage of whatever situation they find themselves in, and they are always looking to make a trade, swap or deal for spare parts and random junk that only they seem to think has any value. The Drala-Thallu often find some of the strangest old artifacts, relics and bizarre remnants imaginable by sifting through junk heaps, scrap-yards, or plundering regressed and forgotten neobarbarian worlds....

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Walmakash (Zalchis)

Walmakash

No. Enc.: 1d4 (1d4)
Alignment: Chaotic / Neutral
Movement: 90' (Special)
Armor Class: 5
Hit Dice: 1d10 (per level of magic user)
Attacks: 1 (weapon or spell)
Damage: (by weapon or spell)
Save: MU 6 (only adjust for levels above 6)
Morale: 4 (+ level above 6)

Translucently pale bronze-orange and flabby, the Walmakash are not very threatening in appearance. But only a fool would consider them weak or defenseless. The Walmakash have an in-born affinity for magic and sorcery of nearly all types, sorts and styles. They travel the planes and time-lines of the Paraverse in search of obscure spells, forgotten relics, arcane apparatus and bizarre mechanisms that perhaps it would be better no one meddled with...

The Walmakash are invertebrate sorcerers from a distant plane searching for magic items and magic weapons that they might have heard about in the course of their travels. It is alleged by certain scholars and sages that the Walmakash require these things to earn the support of their patrons or mentors. Those who return with the best and most powerful items gain prestige, access to otherwise secret spells and other benefits. Only one non-Walmakash has ever dared to approach the Distant Masters of this alien race. No one is exactly sure just what happened to them. But there are those who would dearly like to know. Likewise, no one is entirely sure why, or how, the Walmaksh have entered Zalchis, nor how they intend to salvage the things they have gathered there..

Walmakash will collect journals and spell books, even scrolls, but they do not need to read them to use them. They have the ability to retrieve and memorize any spell within a 10' radius. If they attempt to do this in the course of combat, it counts as their one attack. Usually this will only be used out of desperation in combat, but outside of battle, it is an ability that they use extensively and often.

A typical Walmakash can cast Detect Magic, Read Magic and Clairvoyance at will. They also have a number of unique spells, items and areas of expertise that will be further detailed in additional posts.

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Zaldrim (Zalchis)

...silent and inscrutable. The Zaldrim harvest magic items, salvage arcane apparatus, and barter for obscure components and pieces with the various scavenger clans and adventurers who wander across the planes and throughout the cosmos...

Zaldrim

No. Enc.: 1 (1d4)

Alignment: Neutral / Chaotic

Movement: 90' (60')

Armor Class: 3

Hit Dice: 10+

Attacks: 4

Damage: By weapon or spell

Save: MU12

Morale: 12

Zaldrim transfer all loose magic items, apparatus, spare parts, etc. that they gather back to their homeplane via transition mechanisms, transfer orbs, Synchronocitors, or spells such as Plane Shift. They only retain those items and weapons that will be useful in their efforts and these things will be equipped and used to fullest effect.

Zaldrim progress as Magic Users, and can multi-class as Magic User/Thieves or Magic User/Fighters, but are never Clerics. They never wear armor. They can use any magic weapon, item, scroll, or spell and always have the maximum number of spells possible available, memorized and ready to cast at a moment's notice.

Zaldrim communicate with a form of telepathy and their clairvoyance extends across multiple planes. They use Detect Magic, Read Magic and Analyze Device at will and are immune to Trap the Soul.

Despite these obvious advantages, the Zaldrim also have some serious disadvantages; Dispel Magic affects them as if they were hit by a Fireball spell. Holy/Unholy Word sends them back to their plane and locks that particular Zaldrim from returning for 1d100 years. Confusion causes 1d100 damage, if they fail their save, and in the event that it is a fatality, they explode causing 10d6 damage to everyone within a 20' radius. This will also draw the attention of 1d4 additional Zaldrim who may or may not investigate the situation.

The Zaldrim are reputed to know thousands of spells and are willing to trade or barter some of their arcane secrets with those willing to meet their price...

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