D&D 5E: Cylovite Hybrid Thralls in Chirak

Next up: the new stat blocks for cylovites. These weird abominations have only featured in a couple campaigns, and occasionally as roaming NPCs, but they are still a distinctly unique monster to the Chirak landscape:

   Cylovite Overlords are a villainous species created out of the Apocalypse. Some appear humanoid but they can be grown in any number of shapes and sizes. Cylovite Overseers are rare, and take a century of gestation to grow to a small sized being, during which they are like curious infants. Another century will pass before they become medium sized, at which time their mature personality and inimical sense of evil reasoning against biological beings arises. Cylovite Overlords can breed but once in a two century period, creating two or three offspring when they do, through an asexual process. They can, however, create up to one hundred parasitic crystals a year to create hybrids. More about hybrids can be found in the New Races section as possible player characters.

Cylovites

   Cylovites come from the Blasted Lands to the west, where rumors abound of an “ancient empire immersed within the mountainous, craggy expanses ruled by these strange crystalline beings, where humans are, the lowest sort of slave fodder imaginable.” On very rare occasions, a cylovites has been encountered outside of these lands, but are immediately destroyed by any and all who encounter it. The myths of the apocalypse tell of the cylovites having a definite relationship to the end of the world, being harbingers who arrived just weeks before the great cataclysm.

   Humans and demihumans who dwell in the regions of the Cylovite-controlled blasted lands may be chosen as player characters. Specific details can be found in the entry on the Crystite Kingdom, but these player characters will also be very rare, and a bit of a challenge to play. Cylovite Thralls are permanently altered by parasitic attachments that make them innately subordinate to the Cylovite Overlords, and as such, player characters of this species must get very far away from the telepathic control of their masters to function normally. It is said that a special concoction created from the mandragora root, when applied to the parasitic attachment, will subdue the entity sufficiently that the host thrall can move freely and think on his own without interference for a time, usually a few hours. It is suspected that some rare escaped thralls have used this method to gain freedom, fleeing to the farthest corners of the world to escape their oppressive masters.   A Cylovite Hybrid is any biological living being implanted with a Parasitic Crystal. The crystal covers the subject over a week long period like a crystalline suit of armor or a mesh of crystal muscles and skin, and bonds with the subject's nervous system. A prospective host must make three saves (one per hour after initial infection) to survive the process and reject the bonding crystal parasite. If the host fails three saves before making three successes, then he or she has become a hybrid.

   All other mental elements of the host remain the same, but the hybrid's original personality will change by one factor toward the implanting overlord's own disposition (i.e. a pacifistic servant of Laddaskar with an overlord master who is a violent and evil being will now either lose his pacifism or become a simpering coward as well.) As such, the base alignment of the hybrid usually shifts one level closer to the overlord's. For example, a chaotic evil overlord would cause a thrall who was lawful good to become lawful evil or chaotic good. Which step happens can be randomized, though the likeliest alignment shift will always be that which makes the thrall most agreeable to the overlord's wishes.

   Willing hybrids are often the source of soldiers and enforcers in the Crystite Kingdom. Unwilling hybrids become fodder, cheap labor, or are (if especially resistant) thrown in to the gladiatorial pits.

   Escaped cylovite thralls are usually humans or other humanoids. This racial entry serves as a template; apply it to another race of your choice (usually human, Halfling, elf, dwarf or tiefling, although shapeshifters and constructs are excluded) to create your escaped thrall.

Cylovite Thrall Template

Cylovites can infect and transform any living creature. To convert an existing creature into a cylovite hybrid, apply the following additional features to an existing creature’s stat block:

Cylovite Language: the newly infected hybrid gains the ability to speak and understand cylovite.

Crystal Skin: Cylovite thralls grow thick, crystalline masses all over their bodies. They gain resistance against fire, cold and electricity. In addition, hybrids become AC 15 unless the base creature has a higher AC thanks to the crystalline growth.

Structural Weakness: Anyone choosing to target the crystalline nodes along the head, neck and back of a hybrid may attempt to do so with an attack at disadvantage; success renders the hybrid vulnerable to the attack, causing double damage as if it were a critical hit. Most creatures are unfamiliar with cylovite hybrids and are unaware of this weakness; a DC 16 nature check may reveal the knowledge, or first-hand or relayed prior experience. 

Telepathy: Hybrids are telepathic, and can communicate with other beings mentally within 1 mile, and up to a distance of 10 miles with a Cylovite overlord. This ability is two way with the Hybrid only, and is a free action that targets one person. It functions for practical purposes like the read thoughts spell.

Mental Resistance: Escaped Hybrids develop a tough defense against mental effects, and gain advantage when saving vs. charm and mind-affecting spells and abilities. Unless special arrangements are made, PC hybrids are all assumed to have escaped captivity and control prior to beginning play.

Cylovite Human Hybrid Thrall

CR 1/2 (100 XP)

CE medium humanoid (human)

Initiative +1

DEFENSE

AC 15 (crystalline armor)

HP 19 (3D8+6)

Resistance: fire, cold, electricity

Vulnerability: structural weakness (see template)

OFFENSE

Speed 30 feet

Multiattack Thralls are able to make any combination of two short spear or fist attacks per round.

Melee Attack – short spear +4 attack (5 foot reach) 1D6+2 piercing damage

Melee Attack – fists +4 attack (5 foot reach) 1D4+2 bludgeoning damage

Statistics

STR 14 (+2), DEX 12 (+1), CON 15 (+2), INT 10 (0), WIS 13 (+1), CHA 11 (0)

Languages: common, cylovite

Senses: Perception +1 (passive 11)

Skills: Athletics +4

TRAITS

Hybrid Traits: See the hybrid template. Thralls have crystal skin, structural weakness, and telepathy. Escaped thralls who are no longer part of the dominated collective gain the mental resistance trait as well.

  Thralls form the parasitically dominated armies of the Cylovites. They commonly use group tactics to overwhelm foes, surrounding and beating them down into submission so that the overlord can implant the new subject with a parasitic crystal.

   Some individual thralls prove to be exceptional warriors and quickly rise in rank, being noticed by their overlords. Those special thralls are elevated in purpose and become hybrid commanders, who usually lead the lesser thralls in to battle.

Cylovite Human Hybrid Commander

CR 3 (700 XP)

CE medium humanoid (human)

Initiative +1

DEFENSE

AC 18 (full plate and crystalline armor)

HP 52 (7D8+21)

Resistance: fire, cold, electricity

Vulnerability: structural weakness (see template)

OFFENSE

Speed 30 feet

Multiattack Commanders may make three attacks per round.

Melee Attack – great sword +7 attack (5 foot reach) 2D6+3 piercing damage

Melee Attack – fists +6 attack (5 foot reach) 1D4+3 bludgeoning damage

Ranged Attack – long bow +4 attack (Range 60/120) 1D8+1 piercing damage

Statistics

STR 16 (+3), DEX 12 (+1), CON 17 (+3), INT 10 (0), WIS 13 (+1), CHA 11 (0)

Languages: common, cylovite

Senses: Perception +2 (passive 12)

Skills: Athletics +6

TRAITS

Hybrid Traits: See the hybrid template. Thralls have crystal skin, structural weakness, and telepathy. Escaped thralls who are no longer part of the dominated collective gain the mental resistance trait as well.

Uncanny Horsemanship:  Thrall commanders who use a war horse in combat are usually linked to the hybrid thrall horse, a parasitic cylovite link, allows him to instantaneously communicate with the horse in such a manner that he and the beast seem to move unnaturally together. Any proficiency checks for mounted combat are at advantage.

   Thrall commanders are usually armed with magical great swords +1, mounted on a war horse, and have a keen sense of tactics in commanding their lesser troops.

Cylovite War Horse Hybrid Thrall

CR 1/2 (100 XP)

CE medium humanoid (human)

Initiative +1

DEFENSE

AC 15 (crystalline armor)

HP 19 (3D10+3)

Resistance: fire, cold, electricity

Vulnerability: structural weakness (see template)

OFFENSE

Speed 60 feet

Melee Attack – hooves +6 attack (5 foot reach) 2D6+4 bludgeoning damage

Statistics

STR 18 (+4), DEX 12 (+1), CON 13 (+1), INT 2 (-4), WIS 12 (+1), CHA 7 (-2)

Languages: none

Senses: Perception +1 (passive 11)

TRAITS

Hybrid Traits: See the hybrid template. Thralls have crystal skin, structural weakness, and telepathy. Escaped thralls who are no longer part of the dominated collective gain the mental resistance trait as well.

Trampling Charge: as per Warhorse, MM.

Mental Link: a hybrid horse can mentally bind with a hybrid rider. This grants advantage on all horsemanship related proficiency checks.

Fearless: hybrid warhorses are immune to fear effects.

Trained warhorses serve cylovite thrall commanders obediently and without fear thanks to their crystalline telepathic bond.