Necrotic Brain
| Statistic | Value |
|---|---|
| Size/Type | Tiny Undead |
| Hit Dice | 2d12 (13 hp) |
| Initiative | +0 |
| Speed | ― |
| Armor Class | 22 (+2 size, +10 natural), touch 12, flat-footed 22 |
| Base Attack/Grapple | ―/― |
| Attack | ― |
| Full Attack | ― |
| Space/Reach | 2-½ ft./0 ft. |
| Special Attacks | Psi-like abilities |
| Special Qualities | Darkvision 60 ft, telepathy 100 ft., limited senses, undead traits |
| Saves | Fort +0, Ref +0, Will +4 |
| Abilities | Str ―, Dex ―, Con ―, Int 6, Wis 13, Cha 12 |
| Skills | Gather Information +2, Spot +5 |
| Feats | Alertness |
| Environment | Any |
| Organization | Solitary |
| Challenge Rating | 1 |
| Treasure | None |
| Alignment | Always neutral |
| Advancement | 3–7 HD (Tiny) |
| Level Adjustment | ― |
Description
Sitting on the shelf is a transparent bell jar filled with a clear, pale yellow liquid. Floating in the fluid is a wrinkled lump of gray flesh with a pair of eyes attached by their stalks. The mass of flesh turns gently about, almost giving it the appearance of watching the surroundings.
The first necrotic brain was created by Nalryu the mad, a little known necromancer that dwelled in a huge tower of bones on an extra-dimensional plane. Bereaved over the unfortunate death of his twin sister Natalie, Nalryu preserved her corpse by means of a temporal stasis spell. He then devised a tough, transparent bell jar in which to preserve her brain, his first step toward building a construct to house her form.
The bell jar was constructed from a magical barrier with a hole in the base. It holds a clear, oily preservative liquid in which the brain and the attached eyes can turn about at will. The container was sealed with a base that magically preserves the floating brain by means of a permanent gentle repose spell. Finally the brain was revived with a necromantic ritual developed by Nalryu.
Unfortunately the results were not to the satisfaction of Nalryu, and the brain of his sibling was revived only as a partially functional mass of necrotic flesh. While much of the knowledge and mental abilities of the psion Natalie remained, she was incapable of personal mental growth and lacked an essential spark of higher intelligence. As such she was generally capable only of following instructions, and could not remember anything significant for longer than a few weeks.
Since that time others have managed to reproduce the experiment of Nalryu, creating necrotic brains from the minds of deceased psions. Unlike Nalryu, however, these later necromancers had altogether different motivations. The necrotic brains make perfect servants for their masters. They never sleep; are almost mindlessly loyal, and maintain many of their original psionic powers. As such they are ideal watchdogs and companions of their necromancer masters.
Combat
The necrotic brain is a somewhat dull-witted undead, but still capable of employing portions of its former psionic powers. It will use these powers to observe the surroundings and to defend its master.
Psi-Like Abilities: At will―control object, detect hostile intent. 3/day―psionic charm (DC 14*), clairvoyant sense, psionic suggestion (DC 14). Caster level 6th. The save DCs are Charisma-based.
*Includes augmentation for the necrotic brain's manifester level.
Limited Senses (Ex): The only surviving sense of the necrotic brain is sight. It can not perform Listen checks. Any communication must use telepathy or physical gestures.
Advanced Benefits
In addition to the standard changes due to Hit Dice advancement, necrotic brains also gain the following special benefits.
- 3+ HD ― Add 3/day―detect thoughts to psi-like abilities.
- 4+ HD ― Add 3/day―psionic daze (6 HD*) to psi-like abilities.
- 5+ HD ― Add 1/day―entangling ectoplasm to psi-like abilities.
- 6+ HD ― Add 1/day―touchsight to psi-like abilities.
- 7 HD ― Add 1/day―psionic true seeing to psi-like abilities.