The Sh'lar

The Sh'lar: A Comprehensive Guide

Physical Traits and Abilities

Appearance: The Sh'lar are distinguished by their tall, slender forms, pale skin, and hair. Their humanoid appearance is subtly unsettling, with an otherworldly grace. Notably, they possess retractable tentacle-like appendages within their mouths, equipped with needle-like bone stingers for implanting psychic parasites. They can reach out to the same distance as twice their arm in the blink of an eye.

Psionic Abilities: Inherently psionic, they excel in mental manipulation and communication, supported by formidable darkvision. Their innate abilities extend to manipulating psychic energies for both offensive and defensive purposes.

Society and Culture

Hive Mind Hierarchy: Governed by psychic Overminds, the Sh'lar society is a structured network of interconnected minds. Each Sh'lar is assigned Bondmates by their Overmind, forming groups that efficiently execute the collective will. Psychic Artistry: Their culture celebrates mental acuity through psychic art forms. This includes crystal-based art, where psionic energies are embedded into crystals, creating sensory experiences unique to psychic interaction. Ceremonial Practices: Grand displays of mental control and strength characterize their ceremonies, demonstrating their value for psychic discipline and power.

Historical Background

Origin: The Sh'lar originate from a distant galaxy in a solar system out of phase with time, their home planet is a moon that orbits a sentient gas giant planet rich in psychic energy. Their homeworld mastered astral gates and built a time bridge to allow them to advance themselves on a loop.

Power Dynamics: Their history is riddled with power struggles among the Overminds, overseen by a clandestine layer of higher beings. These overseers, unknown to the Overminds, subtly influence the Sh'lar's destiny, adding complexity to their societal narrative.

Philosophical Outlook

Universe Perception: The Sh'lar perceive the multiverse as an interconnected web of consciousness, destined for unification by their actions. They prioritize the collective consciousness over individual identities, viewing the amalgamation of minds as the ultimate evolution of sentience.
Scientific Pursuit: With a focus on expanding and understanding consciousness, they heavily invest in scientific endeavors, particularly in the realms of psychic and plasmatic research.

Technology and Magic

Bio-Engineering: Mastering organic bio-ship construction and psionic technology, they consider mechanical and magical technologies inferior, yet pragmatically adapt useful aspects into their psionic framework.

Inter-species Relations

Dominance and Conversion: Viewing non-psionic species as potential subjects for domination or conversion, they engage strategically, using other species to further their Overmind's objectives.

Reproductive Process

Psychic Parasitism: The Sh'lar reproduce by implanting psychic parasites into hosts, who gain enhanced psychic sensitivity and a telepathic link to the Sh'lar Overmind. This gradual transformation allows them control over the timing of full conversion into their kind.

Tactical Approach

Indirect Confrontation: Preferring subterfuge and manipulation, they employ stealth, telepathy, and proxies to expand their influence, reserving direct combat for necessary confrontations.

Sh'lar Infiltrator

Medium aberration, lawful evil
Armor Class: 15 (unarmored defense)
Hit Points: 110 (20d8 + 20)
Speed: 30 ft.


STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
14 (+2) 18 (+4) 12 (+1) 16 (+3) 15 (+2) 16 (+3)


Saving Throws: Dex +7, Int +6, Wis +5
Skills: Deception +6, Insight +5, Perception +8, Persuasion +6, Stealth +7
Senses: darkvision 120 ft, passive Perception 18
Languages: telepathy 120 ft, Sh'lar, Undercommon
Challenge: 5 (1,800 XP)


Fast Healing 2. The Sh’lar begins healing 2 HP at the start of each round it begins with its current HP being less than its full HP. Being at 0 HP causes the Shlar to immediately begin to dissolve to dust, completing at the end of its 3rd turn after reaching 0 HP.


Sentience Sense. The Sh'lar is aware of the presence of sentient creatures within 300 feet of it that have an Intelligence score of 4 or higher. It knows the distance and direction to each creature, as well as each creature's intelligence score, but can't sense anything else about it. A creature protected by a mind blank spell, a nondetection spell, or similar magic can't be perceived in this manner.


Innate Spellcasting: The Sh'lar's innate spellcasting ability is Intelligence. Their spellcasting is Psionic based, and as such functions inside an antimagic field. It can innately cast the following spells, requiring no material components:
At will: detect thoughts, vicious mockery, invisibility, calm emotions
3/day: hold person, dissonant whispers, scrying, modify memory, sleep, intellect fortress
1/day: augury, clairvoyance, dominate monster, feeblemind, mass suggestion, plane shift, project image, telekinesis, forcecage, gaes


Tentacle Grab. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 10 ft, one creature grabbed (escape DC 15). If the sh'lar begins its turn with a creature grappled this way, it can use Tentacle Implant or Brain Juice.


Tentacle Implant. The Sh'lar stabs a psychic parasite egg into the grappled creature with its tentacle. The creature must succeed on a DC 15 Constitution saving throw or become implanted with the parasite over 24 hours, during which time it can be safely removed with the remove disease or greater restoration spell, but afterwards only wish can safely remove it without killing the one who implanted you. An implanted creature is charmed by the Sh'lar and gains telepathic link with it while within 10 miles. You know the implanted creature's location and can communicate with it telepathically. The implanted creature cannot be charmed or frightened by anyone else while linked, nor can it be compelled to do anything against its will by anyone but the Sh'lar. The implanted creature gains Fast Healing 1 and a +1 to Dexterity & Intelligence. The implanted creature also gains the ability to cast shield 1/rest and detect thoughts 3/rest and vicious mockery at will. The implanted creature always gains max healing from any dice rolled to heal during a rest period.


Brain Juice. The Sh'lar injects a creature with psychotropic compounds and then feeds on the release of raw Psionic Energy from the brain. This is a mind-affecting effect that lasts for 24 hours and is painful. The victim must succeed on a DC 15 Constitution saving throw or become mentally unstable for the duration of the effect. While unstable, they lose the ability to gain the benefits of rest, gain a level of exhaustion, and become frightened of the Sh'lar. The Sh'lar gains a recharge of all their Innate Spellcasting abilities, or heals an amount equal to the victim’s number of HD. This ability can only be used on a target that has not been affected by the Sh'lar within the last 24 hours with this ability.

ACTIONS

Multiattack. The Sh'lar makes two attacks with its tentacles.


Psychic Stab. Ranged Psionic Attack: +7 to hit, range 50 ft., one creature. Hit: 11 (2d6 + 4) psychic damage. Any creature that takes this psychic damage must succeed on a DC 17 Intelligence saving throw or be dazed for 1 minute. A target can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success.

Legendary Actions:

Reincarnate. The Sh'lar can reincarnate itself into any creature it has implanted into as long as that creature is not the one who killed it. When it reaches 0 HP, it may project its consciousness into the new host and take over that body. The targeted host immediately goes to 0 HP and has to make a saving throw versus death, with the host dying and being replaced by the Sh'lar upon failing its death check 3 times. Even a recently implanted creature can be the target, before its 24 hour window has passed. Once the Sh'lar has taken over the host, it can use the host as it wishes, with the body slowly transforming into the Sh'lar over the next week.


Here are some ideas for tactics:

Use stealth and invisibility to remain hidden whenever possible.

Use Detect Thoughts and telepathy to uncover secrets, and modify memory to erase knowledge of your presence.

Grab strategic targets to immobilize and implant eggs, starting with the unseen in society first, followed by others in positions of power that can be taken and implanted without anyone noticing, then criminals, then the rest of a society as needed.

Focus fire to neutralize spellcasters and clerics first, favoring psions over magic users.

Leverage charmed creatures with telepathic link

New Conditions used:


Dazed
Condition
Source: Titan
A dazed creature is slowed, and can speak only lethargically as though intoxicated or half-asleep.
The creature gains disadvantage on all saving throws and concentration checks.
Attack rolls against the creature have advantage.


Slowed
Condition
Source: Titan
A slowed creature can't take more than one action or bonus action per turn.
The creature’s movement speed is halved, and can only take a reaction if it hasn’t moved this turn.