I tend to be a whole lot more adept with fluff than crunch, so I'm just checking what I'm seeing.
Can the Intellect Devourer, a mere Challenge 2 critter, actually take down darned near anyone in 2 rounds with a couple of bad rolls on their part?
As I'm understanding this, they have to
Get w/in 10 feet of a victim with a brain (which they can best accomplish in the dark with blindsight to 60')
Use Devour Intellect (DC 12 Intelligence saving throw)
On a failure, the target takes 2d10 psychic damage and rolls 3d6; if that total exceeds their Intelligence score, said score drops to 0.
The target is now stunned and incapacitated.
Next round they use Body Thief; the ID initiates an Intelligence contest with an incapacitated humanoid w/in 5 feet (ok, so now they're closer than 10') which is a no-brainer (sorry, I had to say it!) because the foe has a score of ZERO at this point.
If they win that contest, the ID is psychophysically possessing the PC. They actually consumed the target's brain. Game over; the foe is essentially dead outside of things like wish or resurrection.
Admittedly, there are all kinds of ways for this to go poorly for the little clawed brain, but still...against any PC of average or lower intelligence, there's a pretty decent chance of the ID just bypassing all kinds of armor and magic items and moving into their skull.
At this point, they know all that the target knew including spells and languages.
I recently discovered another low power, high stakes monster: swarm of rot grubs. It only has a +0 to hit, but if it managest to hit a character of a level 2 or lower party (with no paladin), that character is as good as dead.
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I tend to be a whole lot more adept with fluff than crunch, so I'm just checking what I'm seeing.
Can the Intellect Devourer, a mere Challenge 2 critter, actually take down darned near anyone in 2 rounds with a couple of bad rolls on their part?
As I'm understanding this, they have to
Admittedly, there are all kinds of ways for this to go poorly for the little clawed brain, but still...against any PC of average or lower intelligence, there's a pretty decent chance of the ID just bypassing all kinds of armor and magic items and moving into their skull.
At this point, they know all that the target knew including spells and languages.
Pretty amazing.
It is a low power, but high stakes monster. I love that players may walk right through one and then get completely wrecked by another one.
"Not all those who wander are lost"
I recently discovered another low power, high stakes monster: swarm of rot grubs. It only has a +0 to hit, but if it managest to hit a character of a level 2 or lower party (with no paladin), that character is as good as dead.