Monday, December 4, 2017

Monster Monday: Loligonian, a Mysterious Race of Squid-Folk

Today's Monster Monday is the loligonian, a race of strange, intelligent squid. In the depths of the ocean, they put their otherworldly intellect toward mastering alien magic and crafting objects of rare beauty from the sea's natural bounty. While underwater, they remain in a shape quite like a large squid, but when they move onto land they compress their bodies into a shape more fit for terrestrial locomotion - walking on six arms and rearing up into a centaur-like posture.


Loligonian language involves displays of color changing skin and intricate motions of their small feeding arms, making their speech and their spellcasting nigh-inscrutable to surface-dwellers. However, despite their mysterious character and alien mindset, these curious creatures sometimes make contact with the surface world, often to trade for resources not found in their watery territories. Surface races can gain much from dealing with these magical, deep-sea craftsmen, though it is difficult and sometimes dangerous to do so. Loligonians can be skittish, and they are well aware of their relative vulnerability on land, so inadvertently offending one can have deadly consequences.

The stat block presented below is for a generic loligonian, but they are intended to be an NPC race, with individuals leveling up in different classes (mostly wizard, fighter, cleric, and druid). A probable future post will feature loligonian-specific spells, feats, and magic items to help flesh out the loligonian race and its gameplay possibilities.

The following text in gold is available as Open Game Content under the OGL. Open Game Content is ©2017 Jonah Bomgaars.
Sliding forward on six tentacles, this squid-like creature flexes two sucker-tipped arms as dazzling colors flash across its damp skin
Loligonian CR 3
XP 800
N Medium magical beast (aquatic)
Init +7; Senses low-light vision, darkvision 60 ft.; Perception +10
DEFENSE
AC 15, touch 13, flat-footed 12 (+2 natural, +3 Dex)
hp 26 (4d10+4)
Fort +5, Ref +7, Will +4; +2 vs Enchantment spells and effects
DR 5/piercing or slashing
Defensive Abilities ink (10 ft. radius, 1/minute)
OFFENSE
Speed 30 ft., swim 60 ft., jet 240 ft.
Melee bite +6 (1d6+2), 2 tentacles +6 (1d4+2), 2 arms +1 (1d4+1)
Or bite +6 (1d6+2), 2 tentacles +6 (1d4+2), 6 arms +1 (1d4+1) [squid form]
Space 5 ft.; Reach 5 ft. (10 ft. with tentacles)
Ranged ink +7 touch (blinded, DC 13 negates, 1/minute) 10ft.
STATISTICS
Str 15, Dex 16, Con 13, Int 18, Wis 13, Cha 12
Base Atk +4; CMB +6; CMD 19
Feats Improved Initiative, Iron WIll
Skills Acrobatics +12, Climb +11, Escape Artist +7, Perception +10, Stealth +12, Swim +17; Racial Modifiers +4 Climb, +4 Escape Artist
Languages Loligonian, Aquan
SQ amphibious, colorful magic, compression, squid form
SPECIAL ABILITIES
Alien Mind (Ex)
The loligonian mind works very differently from sentient minds of the surface world. They gain a +2 bonus on saving throws against enchantment spells and effects cast by non-loligonians. Loligonian spellcasters also suffer a -2 penalty on the DCs of any enchantment spells and effects they cast on non-loligonians.
Colorful Magic (Ex)
Loligonians use the shifting patterns and colors of their skin in place of the verbal components of spellcasting. Loligonian spellcasters (even bards) can cast spells “silently” in this way without increasing the spell level as the Silent Spell metamagic feat would. Non-loligonians suffer a -4 penalty on Spellcraft checks made to identify the spell as it is being cast with colorful magic.
Ink (Ex)
   While out of the water, a loligonian can squirt a jet of ink at a target’s eyes as a ranged touch attack. Targets hit by the ink must make a DC 13 Fortitude save or be blinded for 1d4 rounds. This attack has a range increment of 10 feet and a maximum range of 50 ft.
   While in the water, a loligonian can release a 10-foot-radius cloud of ink as a free action. This cloud provides total concealment. The ink persists for 1 minute.
   Whether in or out of the water, the loligonian can use its ink ability once per minute. The save Dc is Constitution-based.
Squid Form (Ex)
As a move action while immersed in water, a loligonian can expand its body into a more squid-like form. While in squid form, the loligonian becomes Large sized (+1 to AC and CMB/CMD, -1 to attack, -4 Stealth) and gains four additional arm attacks (to a total of six). The loligonian’s arm attacks have a reach of 10 feet and its tentacle attacks have a reach of 15 feet. The damage dealt by the loligonian’s attacks does not increase with the loligonian’s size.
ECOLOGY
Environment any ocean or coastal
Organization solitary, pair, squad (3-6), gathering (7-20 plus 1 lvl 3 wizard), village (21-60 plus 2d4 level 1 wizards, 2d4 lvl 1 warriors, and 2 lvl 6 wizards, plus 50% noncombatants)
Treasure standard

Loligonians are an enigmatic race of aquatic squid creatures that reside in the mysterious depths of the sea yet often make contact with the surface world. In the water, they appear to be large, multicolored squid with eight arms of different sizes and two long trailing tentacles. On land they compress their body into a form that they can support out of the water for long periods of time: the ‘head’ portion of their body raises up, their six largest arms curl into legs, their water-filled mantle forms a sort of abdomen, and their prehensile tentacles become manipulating arms. It is this ‘centauroid’ form that most surface-dwellers see when interacting with loligonians. Most interactions between loligonians and surface races are peaceful, and loligonians are known as traders of pearls, deepwater fish, and magic items. When conflict erupts between these squid-folk and others, the loligonians attack at sea and on land, with many-tentacled warriors and adept wizards making quick work of surface forces.

   The loligonian mind is largely unfathomable to humans. Their language is difficult to understand and almost impossible for non-loligonians to replicate, consisting of trilling and warling vocals combined with arm gestures and flashes from the creatures’ color-changing skin. Even their magic differs greatly in principle from the magic known to spellcasters of the surface, as loligonian spells do not have verbal components so much as chromatic components.

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Plot Hooks and Encounter Ideas
  • A group of mysterious squid have appeared on the shore. They seem to want to trade, but no one has yet successfully communicated with them, and the last person to try ended up rent asunder by strong tentacles. It is up to the PCs to make contact with the creatures, determine their intentions, and either trade or fight.
  • A fleet of argonauts loaded with loligonian wizard-pirates has been wreaking havoc on the sea lanes, striking without warning from underwater.
  • The PCs determine that a recent spate of mysterious abductions is the work of a kraken-worshiping cult of loligonians infiltrating the city though its sewer network. 
  • When a loligonian trader is murdered by smugglers coveting his selection of magical pearls, the PCs are the only ones who can bring the smugglers to justice and convince the warband of loligonians massing on the coast to stand down. 
By the way, not all tentacles are the same. According to the nomenclature used by folk who study cephalopods, squid have eight arms and two tentacles (the longer appendages that sometimes end in paddle-like shapes. Pathfinder seems to have gotten this backwards; the stat block for the giant squid gives it two 'arm' attacks and a 'tentacles' attack. I have erred on the side of biological accuracy.

Also, loligonians were inspired and named by my wife, after the loligo genus of squid.

-your opalescent d20 despot

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