Brainling [Creature]

[The Demented One]

Brainling

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Size/Type: Tiny Undead (Psionic)
Hit Dice: 3d12+4 (23 hp)
Initiative: +3
Speed: 20 ft. (4 squares)
Armor Class: 15 (+2 size, +3 Dex), touch 15, flatfooted 12
Base Attack/Grapple: +1/-8
Attack: Claw +6 melee (1d3-1)
Full Attack: Claw +6 melee (1d3-1)
Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Psi-like abilities, psychic strike
Special Qualities: Darkvision 60 ft., inhuman speed, undead traits
Saves: Fort +1, Ref +4, Will +5
Abilities: Str 8, Dex 16, Con –, Int 14, Wis 14, Cha 14
Skills: Concentration +8 (+12 to gain focus), Hide +17, Listen +8, Move Silently +9, Spot +8, Tumble +9
Feats: Weapon Finesse^B, Narrow Mind, Psionic Body
Environment: Any
Organization: Solitary or scuttle (2-6)
Challenge Rating: 3
Treasure: None
Alignment: Usually Lawful Evil
Advancement: 4-8 HD (Tiny), 9-16 HD (Small), 17-20 HD (Medium)
Level Adjustment: –

Brainlings are patchwork undead, typically created from spare parts a necromancer has lying around after a ritual. Easy to make, extremely versatile, and, to necromancers, at least, adorable, Brainlings are quite commonly created by those with access to more powerful necromancy spells. Brainlings can serve as guards, spies, assassins, or even as pets, and many necromancers have a veritable swarm of Brainlings at their disposal. The Brainling’s body is simply a necromantically preserved brain, onto which a claw, an arm, and an eye have been sewn, grafted, or bolted. The Brainling typically stands on its arm, while using the claw to attack or defend itself with.

Psi-Like Abilities
1/encounter–burst, prevenom, vigor. Manifester level 3rd. Saves are Charisma-based.

Psychic Strike (Ps)
A Brainling can imbue its attacks with psionic energy. Whenever a Brainling makes an attack, it may expend its psionic focus to gain one of the following benefits:

Halting Strike: A creature hit by a halting strike must make a DC 13 Fortitude save or else it is paralyzed for 1 round.

Potent Strike: A potent strike deals an additional 2d6 damage, and automatically overcomes any damage reduction the creature hit might have.

Vicious Strike: A creature hit by a vicious strike must make a DC 13 Fortitude save or take 1d3 Constitution damage. The save is Charisma-based.

Inhuman Speed (Ex)
A Brainling can move in quick bursts of superhuman speed. As a swift action, a Brainling may move up to 10 ft. in any direction. Once it has used this ability, it must wait 5 rounds before it can use it again.

Creating a Brainling
A 12th-level spellcaster can create a Brainling by casting the create undead spell on a brain, an arm, an eye, and a claw gathered from Small or Medium-sized creatures.

[BisectedBrioche]

Shouldn't a creature which consists of a medium/small creature's brain and arm be tiny (the size of a housecat) rather than small?

[The Demented One]

Mmm, good point. Ka-edit!

[FlyMolo]

I am using these. They are tailor-made to my campaign. So damn perfect. Psionic and undead.

Assuming you don't mind, o'course.

But Psychic strike should be renamed. It conflicts with the soulknife class feature of the same name.

[Anukuta]

I see this more of a construct than an undead. (Although I can see why you'd put it as an undead.)

IMO an undead should be a creature (already built the way it was) brought *back* to life and/or the clinging spirit of a dead being into an object.

You describe your creature almost like it's some sort of brain golem (Psionics) which is sill a construct even though it's composed of living beings' tissues or some smaller version of a flesh golem that could serve as a familiar (like some kind of homonculus) to a necromancer.

Constructs posess the same immunities against criticals and mind affecting influences. Unless your creature has more 'gruesome' requirement in it's construction (such as transfering of a soul or the sacrificing of an intelligent being) I wouldn't make it an 'undead' type.

[JoshuaZ]

I see this more of a construct than an undead. (Although I can see why you'd put it as an undead.)

IMO an undead should be a creature (already built the way it was) brought *back* to life and/or the clinging spirit of a dead being into an object.

You describe your creature almost like it's some sort of brain golem (Psionics) which is sill a construct even though it's composed of living beings' tissues or some smaller version of a flesh golem that could serve as a familiar (like some kind of homonculus) to a necromancer.

Constructs posess the same immunities against criticals and mind affecting influences. Unless your creature has more 'gruesome' requirement in it's construction (such as transfering of a soul or the sacrificing of an intelligent being) I wouldn't make it an 'undead' type.

Looking at past creatures, I'm not sure that this rule is often followed even officially. Flesh golem is a construct (big surprise, it's a golem) but the Euralden Eye is undead. One might argue that the Eye has a gruesome construction procedure but I'm pretty sure there are other examples of undead made from multiple creatures that don't have anything more complicated than "must cast create dead on BLAH" or something similar.

[Bookmen]

Just because something is made doesn't mean it is a construct. So long as the flesh of the creature is animated via Necromancy it can be Undead.

Blasphemes (LM 85) where made via a similar proccess as here and they are undead.

@The Demented One
Very good job by the way. I really like it.

[dyslexicfaser]

Cute lil' bugger.