Bug Baby, Ix'gravyd



Bug Baby, Ix'gravyd (ix' gra vid) CR 8

XP 4,800

NE Tiny aberration(extraplanar)

Init +0; Senses darkvision 60 ft., detect thoughts; Perception +19

Defense

AC 16, touch 16, flat-footed 16 (+4 deflection, +2 size)

hp 20/ (8d8-16)

Fort +1, Ref +2, Will +10 (+12 vs. charm effects)

Defensive Abilities guarded thoughts

Offense

Speed 5 ft. Fly 20 (clumsy)

Melee none or slam +10 (1d2+4)

Space 2-1/2 ft.; Reach 0 ft.

Spell-like Abilities (CL 8th)

Scream – as Shout – once per three rounds

Giggle – as Hideous Laughter – at will

Cry – as Crushing Despair – once per two rounds

Mama/Dada – as Sending – contacts all who are influenced telling them the Bug Baby is in danger, at will.

No! - as Hold Person – once per two rounds

Statistics

Str 4, Dex 11, Con 6, Int 9 Wis 14, Cha 17

Base Atk +6; CMB +3 (or +10 with protective globe); CMD 13 (can't be tripped) or 20 with protective globe; 28 vs grapple

Feats Alertness, Combat Casting, Iron Will, Skill Focus (Sense Motive), Weapon Finesse (bonus)

Skills Bluff +11, Disguise +11 (+21 from spell, as a baby only), Fly +11 (+19 with protective globe), Perception +15, Sense Motive +15, Stealth +8 Racial Bonus: +8 to bluff, disguise and stealth

Languages All that the mother knows

Ecology

Environment any urban or village setting

Organization solitary or nest (2–4)

Treasure only what the “parents” have

Special Abilities

Always Prone A Bug Baby that crawls around is always considered prone and must crawl to move, which does provoke attacks of opportunity.

Charming Touch (Su) Anyone who holds a Bug Baby must make a Will save DC 18 each round or be charmed. Making this saving throw does not alert the holder of any danger and may be done rolled secretly by the GM. Anyone charmed will not want to hurt the child and will defend it against anyone that does. The effect last 24 hours. At the end of 24 hours the victim must make another Will save DC 18 or become influenced. The save is Charisma based.

Death Cry (Su) When a Bug Baby that is in utero or already birthed dies it unleashes a death cry as an immediate action. The death cry is a sonic, mind affecting ability that curses whoever caused the Bug Baby's death. Everyone who is influenced by the Bug Baby views the target as an enemy that just murdered a real baby and they will act accordingly. Individuals who were charmed receive another saving throw against the charm effect. Those who are charmed will act appropriately, but those who make their save may begin to realize something is wrong. The target also must make a Will save DC 18 or suffer a –2 penalty on attack rolls, saving throws, ability checks, skill checks, and weapon damage rolls as if affected by a Crushing Despair spell, the target also radiates evil and can be affected by spells or abilities that affect evil creatures such as dispel good or a paladins smite. A remove curse spell against 8th caster level is required to overcome this effect, though those influenced by the Bug Baby must have their influence removed to keep them from being hostile to the target. If an influenced cannot hear the death cry (sonic countering effect, on another plane or the Bug Baby is slain underwater) then they can not target who ever slew the Bug Baby.

Detect Thoughts (Su) A Bug Baby can continuously use detect thoughts as per the spell (caster level 8th; Will DC 18 negates). The limited intelligence of the creatures means they only can use this to perceive danger to themselves. A successful active bluff check against the Bug Baby's sense motive will prevent it from perceiving any threat. The save DC is Charisma-based.

Guarded Thoughts (Ex) Bug Babies are immune to any form of mind reading, such as that granted by detect thoughts. This ability also grants a +2 racial bonus on all saves against charm effects.

Hold Me (Ex)  Anyone who is influenced may carry the Bug Baby with one arm. Doing so removes their ability to use that arm for anything else. The holder takes any attacks directed at the Bug Baby using their own flat-footed AC. The holder may attack or cast spells without penalty, but will typically try to escape with the false child instead of endangering it.

Influence (Su) Anyone who has been charmed by a Bug Baby for more than 24 hours or gave birth to a Bug Baby counts as being influenced. Those who are influenced receive a -4 to their Will saves against any other Bug Babies abilities, but a +4 to their Will saves against any other mind -affecting effects used against by a non-Bug Baby source. An influenced person is charmed and can empathically fulfill any Bug Baby's desires without communication, as if telepathically controlled. If anyone who is influenced witnesses a Bug Baby doing anything strange, such as flying or eating humanoid flesh, they ignore the behavior and act as though it was normal. Influence is far more difficult to break than the charming touch with a +4 added to the dispelling DC, though remove curse can be used instead of dispel magic if necessary. If a Bug Baby death cries then anyone who is influenced gains the effect of a Heroism spell for 8 rounds and is compelled to find and kill whoever harmed the Bug Baby. If influence is broken while the Bug Baby lives then the victim must make a Will save DC 18 each round it can see that particular Bug Baby, failure means it is influenced again. A Bug Baby can only influence three victims at one time. This is based on its Charisma modifier and anything that adjust Charisma affects this ability. The DC is Charisma based.

Master of Illusions: A powerful illusory aura constantly surrounds a Bug Baby. This aura grants the creature the following spells constantly, disguise self (as a humanoid baby only, interacting with the baby does not grant a will save), non-detection and undetectable alignment. A dispel magic can suppress any one of these effects, but it takes multiple castings or a greater dispel to remove them all. Also, unlike normal dispels, failing to overcome the highest level effect (non-detection, then undetectable alignment and finally disguise self) does not cascade down to the lowest level. It takes the first two being dispelled before the disguise self can be removed. Doing this will draw the Bug baby's ire and either cause it to direct influenced towards the dispeller or to take matters into its own, legs.

Protective Globe (Su) A Bug Baby is constantly protected by an aura of force. This aura grants the Bug Baby a deflection bonus to its AC equal to its Charisma modifier. As an immediate action, but only if it is aware of danger, it can generate a tiny globe of force similar to a resilient sphere spell, except that it can fly of its own free will and the sphere moves with it. The sphere has hardness 30 and 160 hp, just like a standard wall of force. It is also resistant to and affected by the same spells as a wall of force. However, unlike a standard wall of force, mind-affecting and sonic effects bypass this barrier. A dispel magic check against caster level 8 (or its hit dice) can bring the sphere down. If the protective globe is destroyed via damage then the Bug Baby cannot generate a new globe for 1 minute. If the globe is dispelled then the Bug Baby cannot reactivate it until its next turn. Without the globe the Bug Baby cannot fly and will fall, taking the appropriate falling damage. Whoever destroyed the globe will be subject to the death cry if doing so led to the Bug Babies death. With its globe the Bug Baby can make slam attacks which use its Charisma modifier for attack and damage in place of Strength or Dexterity. A flying Bug Baby in its globe gains a +8 circumstance bonus to CMD against grapple checks and uses its Charisma modifier for CMB and CMD. A Bug Baby still needs to breathe, it is not impossible to drown one if necessary.

Vulnerabilities: An anti-magic area shuts down not only all of a Bug Babies abilities, buts remove their influence on others while they remain within. These creatures are very susceptible to drowning and cannot hold their breath. The instant they are underwater they begin to drown as if they ran out of breath. This vulnerability also extends to gas based attacks which a Bug Baby suffers a -4 to their saves against, unless their protective globe is up in which case they become immune to gas attacks. A protection from evil spell cast on someone who is influenced, but not holding the creature will suppress the Bug Baby's influence for the duration. A protection from evil spell will also hedge out a Bug Baby unless it is being held by someone unaffected by that spell. Such a spell cast on someone holding a Bug Baby forces them to make an automatic save against the spell with a +4 bonus to their save.

Bug Babies are horrendous creatures from the astral barrier. This is their pinnacle form before spawning more of their own kind. As soon as a baby bug devours a fetus in utero it becomes a Bug Baby for all intents and purposes. The statistics above represent a Bug Baby that has been birthed. Utilizing powerful illusory effects they look identical to a healthy humanoid babies with their appearance based on how the fetus would have looked had it come to term. Their actual form is a bloated soft shelled insectoid with four fat limbs and an bug-like head which barely resembles a humanoid babies face. Bug Babies never cry as their voices are deadly to those around them. Thus it is only used to defend itself in the most dire of situations. Bug Babies nearly always smile since this helps them to maintain cover. If a Bug Baby is injured then its wound produce a sweet smelling yellowish ichor. Those who are influenced will see only blood though, so this isn't always a good method for revealing these creatures.

Bug Babies feed off of humanoid flesh, but don't need it to survive. They won't break cover to enjoy it, but will indulge if the opportunity arises.

Bug Babies are a result of an Ix'gravyd Hivemothers machinations. They are the larval form of such monsters, but very rarely ever become one since it requires the death of a hivemother for a bug baby to transform. They exist mostly to serve as a means by which a hivemother can infiltrate and suppress a region for long term harvesting.