Depenanger / Dreamshadow Changeling

I envisioned a creature to be an empathic assassin and then turned the pages of the Bestiary.  Creature like the penanggalan, the Thin Man, or the Soul Harvester inspired me to create this creature.  Once implanted into a host, the creature can use the physiology of the host to shape change into any version of that particular species.

Appearance:  A floating humanoid head with 8 to 12 barbed tentacles hanging from it.  Agent of Chaos, these creatures use the person’s past to lure them away to a dark place and kill them.  

Medium Undead Fey 

4 Accuracy (Brawling)

3 Communication (Deception, Disguise)

4 Constitution

3 Dexterity (Legerdemain)

2 Fighting

2 Intelligence

2 Perception (Empathy)

2 Strength

3 Willpower (Self-Discipline)

Speed 10 (on foot) / 15 flight

Health 85

Defense 13

Armor Rating 0

Special Qualities

Favored Stunts: Tentacle Attack (2 SP). Entangle (3 SP), Lightning Attack

Weapon Groups: Varies

Immunities: Charm, Sleep

Illusion: One creature within 20 yards becomes the target of the Depenanger’s Illusionary abilities if they fail a Willpower (Self-Discipline) TN 14 test.

Empathic Mind Read: One creature within 20 yards becomes the target of the Depenanger’s Empathic Mind Read abilities if they fail a Willpower (Self-Discipline) TN 14 test.

Shapeshift: Depenanger, given a body host,  can use a minor action to change into a physical duplicate of any humanoid they can see. They raise their Constitution, Dexterity and Strength to the target’s rating if it is better. This change may not be dispelled, but will unravel when the creature dies.

Tentacle Attack Stunt: The Depenanger tentacle can jutt out of the host body and grab, choke, or strike targets with their Tentacles. The attack does 1d6+3 damage using the creature’s Accuracy (Brawling). Also, for 2 SP it can also unnerve an opponent, forcing them to succeed in a TN 15 Willpower (Courage) test or they suffer a –1 cumulative penalty to all attack rolls against the Depenanger and –1 to all Willpower tests for the rest of the encounter.

Entangle: As a special stunt costing 3 SP, a Depenanger can wrap a tentacle around an opponent. At the start of its turn every subsequent round, the Depenanger inflicts 1d6+1 penetrating damage. To end the entanglement, either the target or an ally must succeed in an opposed Strength test (a minor action) against the Depenanger.

Hard to Kill: Depenanger cannot be reduced below 1 Health except by fire, magic, or the use of a Lethal Blow, representing destruction of its internal organs. Undead also don’t need to breathe and are immune to most poisons and disease save those specifically targeting their kind.

Host Body: A Depenanger’s needs a host body to perform most of its mental abilities as well as its shape changing abilities.  The creature’s head can separate from the host body but must find a new host soon.  As an attack it may attempt to integrate into a new host by Entangling the victim’s head, digesting the head slowly while the tentacle burrow into the host body, gaining muscular and neural control. This process takes several rounds during which it is vulnerable and can be destroyed. When not in a host body, the Hard to Kill trait does not apply.

Equipment: Varies

Threat Level: Minor