Here’s a little something I’m planning on springing on my players at some point in their jaunt around Dis. Something you may recognise from the shortlist of inspirations I’ve been using in my game from the last Actual Play;
Slake Moth
Magical, Terrifying, Planar, Large
Talons (d10+3, +1 piercing) 20HP, 4 armor
Close, Reach
Special Qualities: Wings
The slake moth is a vaguely arthropodal creature chiefly known for its ability to paralyse its prey with a hypnotic display of light and colour from their wings (which can be countered by observing the slake moth’s display only through a mirror) and its unusual diet. The slake moth is a psychovore, feeding on consciousness itself, leaving its prey physically alive but braindead. Given that they are hermaphroditic, predatory of sentient beings and incredibly hard to kill (owing to their unique physiology, in which they occupy multiple planes simultaneously, thus any injury made on them does only fractional harm), a slake moth infestation can quickly grow to a massive threat if not dealt with swiftly. Worryingly, it has been theorised that they are not the apex predator of their habitat, something is keeping their numbers down, after all. Instinct: To Consume Consciousness
-Lure prey with mesmerising patterns
-Devour minds
-Sense psychic emanations
-Induce nightmares on the populace
-Lay eggs in hidden places
Since an infestation is such a danger, I’m curious about how these guys reproduce. How about including a reproduction move? “Lay eggs in hidden places” maybe?
What’s their life cycle like? Moths (and insects in general) have fascinating life cycles. I imagine that killing slake moth caterpillars would be a Top Priority.
From a Planarch perspective, can these guys be given personhood? Is there a contradiction in them?
This thing is from Perdido, yeah? Bless your soul 🙂
I think they could definitely vie for personhood. A Slake Moth descended PC would entertain me.
John Zo
Nice suggestion, added!
They are hermaphromorphs, changing gender in reaction to their mating ritual, a choreographed aerial dance-off complete with colour display lightshow, with the winner becoming female. The slake moth lays eggs that hatch into large larvae. Unusually, they feed their young on a milk containing condensed consciousness which can actually be cut, treated and turned into a drug called dreamshit.
No idea on whether they could attain personhood, they’re fairly ravenous and can cause widespread nightmares to spice their meals. The book wasn’t clear on whether they were sapient or not, though there were some indications that they had some degree of intelligence.