Grat’Tal

Countless trials were required to discover a brain gorger hybrid that could survive the experimentation process. This new race shared a similar lifespan and other characteristics with their human forebears. However, there were many key differences. this new race did not enjoy normal humans’ same physical strength and vitality. Grat’tals also exhibited less potent psionic powers than their brain gorger progenitors. While hair and eye color may vary, grat’tals are universally pale, with a faint purple hue to their skin and a very slight build.

The grat’tals were created for one reason—to serve the brain gorger collective. While not as hale and strong as their human ancestors, the grat’tals psionic abilities made them far easier to command and control than unruly humans. Their native intelligence was also a positive improvement.

Traits

The horrors known as brain gorgers are feared and hated for their unrelenting desire to feed on other sentient beings’ psychic energy and brains. Unlike other human hybrids resulting from sexual reproduction, the half-brain gorgers are humans subjected to psionic manipulation by their greater brethren during their development. The result was a new species, the grat’tals.

• Ability Score Increase. Grat’tals have agile and exceptional, albeit alien minds. Two of your mental ability scores, chosen from Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma, increase by 2. However, your strength and constitution scores are both decreased by 1.
• Age. Grat’tals have a lifespan roughly the same as an average human. They reach maturity quickly, often in their early teens, and very rarely live over one hundred years.
• Alignment. The grat’tals are strangers to the surface world and find human morality odd. Their dispassionate and analytical worldview strongly inclines grat’tals towards neutrality. However, their very recent history of forced servitude has left an indelible mark on the grat’tals, predisposing them to chaotic alignments.
• Size. Grat’tal range from under 5 to nearly 6 feet tall and have slender builds. Your size is Medium.
• Speed. Your base walking speed is 30 feet.
• Language(s). You can speak, read, and write Deep Speech or Under Common. You can also speak, read, and write Common.
• Senses. Your darkvision has a radius of 120 feet.
• Sunlight Sensitivity. You have disadvantage on attack rolls and on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on sight when you, the target of your attack, or whatever you are trying to perceive is in direct sunlight.
• Retractable Tentacles. The grat’tal have the ability to extend their jaws and release tentacles similar to their brain gorger masters. When a grat’tal’s tentacles are extended, they suffer disadvantage on Intelligence (Disguise) checks to appear as human. The grat’tal can make a melee attack with the tentacles as an action, dealing 2d8 plus their Intelligence modifier as psychic damage. If the target is Medium or smaller, it is grappled (escape DC 8 + Intelligence modifier + proficiency bonus).

Psionically Gifted

Because of the brain gorger manipulations, grat’tals possess some basic psionic abilities.