Examiphage

The primordials are still among us. Those that claim otherwise have never had the pleasure of meeting an examiphage. Though the primordials may slumber, their curiosity toward the events in the realms hasn’t ended.

To gather their knowledge, the primordials may create an examiphage which is sent to absorb as much knowledge of the world as they can before they die. When an examiphage is created, it is immediately ushered into existence and appears suddenly, almost as if a creature just appeared on the other end of a teleportation spell. They are fully grown when created with blue-violet skin, saucer-sized black eyes, and eerily long and gangly extremities. During the first year of their lives, they will be incredibly hungry to experience the world that surrounds them.

An examiphage experiences the world by absorbing the creatures that live within. They inspect their prey after defeating them to gain an understanding of how that creature works before tearing off aspects of the creature and grafting it to themselves. A fully realized examiphage is viewed as a monster in patchwork pieces of flesh. Those that have seen these creatures spread horror stories of their visage. Those that understand the nature of these creatures seek them out, hoping to learn more about the primordials that spawned them. An examiphage can be a fountain of information from the world beyond, but what they ask as payment in return is usually too high of a price for most.

Examiphage Traits

Ability Score Increases: Your Intelligence score is increased by 2 and your Wisdom score is increased by 1. Your Charisma score is decreased by -1.

Age: Your physical body may reflect the age of the parts you’ve assimilated, but your actual age is based on when you were spawned. Each examiphage can exist for 250 years and not a day past. Once you hit this age your form disappears as suddenly as it was created.

Alignment: In order to experience the world, an examiphage has to kill and absorb as many creatures as it can. Because of this, examiphages tend to drift closer to more chaotic or evil alignments with some tending towards neutral alignments to blend in better with the civilized societies.

Size: The size of an examiphage can vary widely anywhere from 4 feet to 8 feet, but their frame doesn’t tend to fall too far outside this range. Your size is considered Medium.

Speed: Your base walking speed is 30 feet.

Languages: You speak, read, and write Common and Deep Speech. The sound of an examiphage trying to speak feels foreign no matter what language it uses and can leave those that hear it speak unsettled.

Medical Examiner: You have the ability to dissect a fallen creature and understand what makes it work. When using an action to examine a dead creature, you can make an Intelligence (medicine) check where the DC equals 8 + the creature’s CR. You can add your proficiency to this check, even if you are not typically proficient in the skill. On a success, you learn any immunities, resistances, or weaknesses that this type of creature may have.

Assimilated Experience: After you’ve used the Medical Examiner feature and succeeded on the skill check required, if the creature’s CR is equal to or lower than your current level you can magically graft a part of the creature to yourself. For the next 7 (2d4+2) days you gain a new feature that can aid you in your daily life. The feature is determined by the type of creature you chose to absorb. Use the table below to know what added benefit you gain:

• Aberration, Elemental, or Fey: You gain a +2 bonus to certain saving throws. The type is dependent upon the creature type you’ve grafted to yourself. Aberrations grant +2 to Intelligence saves, elementals grant +2 to Constitution saves, and fey grant +2 to Wisdom saves.
• Beast, Dragon, or Monstrosity: You grow a set of razor sharp claws. Your unarmed attacks now deal 1d6 + your Strength modifier slashing damage.
• Celestial or Fiend: All of your attacks deal an additional 1d4 damage. The type is determined by the creature you absorbed: radiant (celestial) or fire (fiend).
• Construct, Plant, or Ooze: You gain a natural armor that raises your armor class +1.
• Giant, Humanoid, or Undead: Your hit point maximum increases by an amount equal to your level.

Once you graft a part of a creature to yourself, your physical appearance shifts to reflect a warped version of that creature. The physical change stays until you absorb a different creature or until the time limit expires. When the time limit expires, the physical features rot and fall away. They are then quickly replaced by your original form.

Starting at 11th level, you can have two different traits at the same time. If you have two traits already and you try to graft on a third, the oldest trait gets replaced with the new one.

Stolen Tongues: When you assimilate a part of a sentient creature with an Intelligence score of 6 or higher, you learn to speak, read, and write its native language. The ability to use this language doesn’t fade over time. Instead, you continue being able to use this language until you absorb the parts of a different sentient creature, at which point the new creature’s native language replaces the previous one.