Wandering Monster: CTHULHI (Starspawn)

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Cthulhi (Starspawn)

Freq.	Rare
Num.	d4
Lair%	50%
Horde	2, 19-21
Move	12"
Int.	Genius
Align.	LE
Size	M (6' tall)
L/XP	1,800+12
AC	5
HD	8d8+4
Attk.	2
Dmg.	d3/d3
S.A.	See below
S.D.	None
N.A.	Infravision
R.M.	0%
Psi Pts.	241-340
Psi Attk.	Mind blast
Psi Def.	Empty mind Though shield Mental barrier

Combat: Cthulhi attack with two claws every round for d3 points of damage each; if both claws land against an opponent, the cthulhi will draw its victim to itself and attack with its tentacles. Each tentacle deals a point of damage every round thereafter until the victim is slain outright or d4 rounds elapse, after which time the cthulhi has burrowed through its victim's skull to reach the brain and the victim is immediately slain. The cthulhi will then proceed to suck the brains from the cranial cavity of its victim.

Note that cthulhi avoid physical combat whenever possible, preferring to employ their formidable arsenal of psionic powers instead. A cthulhi is able to send forth a mind blast in a cone that is 6" long and 2" wide at its terminus. Further, a cthulhi is able to employ the following psionic abilities; astral projection, body equilibrium, detect magic, domination, esp, levitation, probability travel, telekinesis, and suspend animation. as though they had 7th level of ability.

Cthulhi will retreat from any battle that they are losing, abandoning their allies, minions, and slaves to ensure their own escape.

Description: Cthulhi, or "star spawn" as they are sometimes referred to in ancient tomes, are said to have come to the material plane from "beyond the stars," although there is conjecture that they are from a different plane of reality.

They are notoriously of evil and cruel disposition, hating all other living beings, and consider them as nothing more than chattel useful only for enslavement or as food. However, they will sometimes make common cause with other intelligent beings when it furthers their own unfathomable ends, though it is well known that they are untrustworthy, willing to betray an ally without qualm if it is to their own advantage.

Cthulhi have their own strange language which none have ever deciphered, and usually speak the tongues of several other underworld races. Their contact with men has been rare, as few have dared the deep passageways of the underworld where these horrors are found. It is said that there are entire cities of star spawn deep beneath the earth, from which they send forth small contingents to establish outposts to further their own ends.

It is thought that cthulhi live for several centuries at the least, but their numbers seem to suggest a slow rate of propagation (which is fortunate for other beings). Their methods of reproduction are entirely unknown.

Cthulhi are able to see into the infravisual spectrum to a range of 6", and although they are able to see perfectly well in light conditions normal to the underworld (torches, lanterns, or even a light spell), they prefer the dark. Sunlight blinds them instantly and causes them pain (albeit with no lasting injury). Although they are air breathers, they are able to survive underwater indefinitely and in a complete vacuum for short periods of time (as long as 3 turns), hinting at both their extraterrestrial origin and their cthuloid heritage.

Sages say that the race of star spawn are descendants of the horrid demigod Cthulhu, and bear his resemblance. Cthulhi are six feet tall on the average, and range from gaunt to corpulent in build. Skin color ranges from a sickly greenish hue to a bluish cast, while their eyes are dead black without any other coloration. The head is ovoid in shape, with eyes set wide apart, and where the nose and mouth of a man would be there are d4+2 small tentacles that cover a small sucker-like mouth. Vestigial, bat-like leathery wings, protrude from the back of a cthulhi, remnants of a distant era when the race was capable of flight. The mere sight of a cthulhi sickens the eye and terrifies the heart, and is enough to unman even the stoutest campaigner.