Aerck'Crustinal is a Celestial Guardinal.
- Magic Resistance. The Crustinal has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.
- Spellcasting. The Crustinal is a 3/6/12th level spellcaster. Its casting ability is Wisdom (spell save DC 14/17/22, +4 / +6 / +9 to hit with spell attacks). The Crustinal can cast the spells it learns over the time of its evolution. It can cast cantrips and any spells it knows at will. It can cast cantrips, 1st and 2nd level spells at will. It has 2/3/4 slots for each other level of spells.
- Onemind: Crustinal can communicate telepathically with anyone it can see and once it saw someone, it can speak to them telepathically within 60/240/600 feet radius. It also is aware of the general directional location of the creatures it spoke to within 120/480/1200 feet radius. It can choose to communicate with more than one creature at the same time. In such cases, the creatures can have a joined conversation.
- Collectionist: Crustinal collects various items during its existence. Some of these items are saved in their current shell and as a bonus action, it can use those items.
- Loyal Servant: Once Crustinal remembers and is aware of its Patron/Goal, it will do everything it can to accomplish it. Crustinals are travelling companions of celestial beings, they scout regions, fight with evil, carry their patrons/champions/friends, guide and inspire mortals.
Multiattack: Crustinal can make 2/4/6 (U/A/M Phases) attacks with its claws and legs.
Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +3/+6/+10 to hit, reach 5/10/15 ft., one target. (1d6+4) / (2d8+4) / (2d12+6) ( bludgeoning damage, and attempts to grapple the target with a DC (13/17/25) grappled. Every round the target can attempt to escape, but the grip of the Crustinal is getting tighter as well. (DC rises by 1 every turn). It has two claws, each of which can grapple only one target.
Gore-a-Pod. Melee Weapon Attack: +4/+7/+12 to hit, reach 5/10/15 ft., one target. (2d4+1) / (3d6+2) / (4d8+3) ( piercing damage, and a critical hit results in the target to be gored and being stuck to one of the pereopods of the Crustinal. Every move of Crustinal deals additional (1d4+1) / (2d6+1) / ( 3d8+1) piercing damage to the target.
Sudden Veer: Crustinal sidles in any direction with an extreme speed after a stationary turn. With this movement, it can avoid ranged and melee weapon/spell attacks. During this movement, it can be damaged only with critical hits.
Planted: Crustinal can burrow its pereopods to meet a direct hit with a fortified posture. This provides a boost to its armor class (+2/+4/+6)
Legendary Resistance (3/day). If the Crustinal fails a saving throw, it can choose to succeed instead.
Stillwater: Crustinals can create and destroy water at will. Water can fill a sphere with a radius of 15/30/60 feet.
Legendary Mindwave (2/day). Crustinal emits a shockwave with a radius of 3/30/300 feet. Creatures within the shockwave must resist a WIS saving throw (14/18/26) or be Stunned for 1 minute. Every round it is possible to try the saving throw again to shake the effects. If this shockwave happens in the water: any creature caught within must also make a DEX saving throw or get 2d20+8 bludgeoning damage. Shockwave pushes away failed creatures in wild torrent for 5/15/30 feet away.
Venture Forth: Once they reach Large or Huge sizes, they can carry up to 3/6 creatures of one size smaller within their shells. They have a comfortable space within with semi-transparent walls and floor. Creatures within are provided with enough oxygen for a day.
Description
Aerck'Crustinal is a Celestial Guardinal.
Crustinal's are also animalistic manifestations of greater power just like other Guardinals. In Crustinal cases, these manifestations are invertebrates, having an exoskeleton, a segmented body, and paired jointed appendages. Legendary companion Crustinal Zinca Tralis Malakdora has a hermit crab body with 12 pereopods.
Crustinals are like other Guardinal serving to higher Celestial beings. May it be a servant, guard, follower, or companion.
On other planes, Crustinals have their original Aerck form. On our material plane, Crustinal has three phases of existence. Unaware, Awoken, Mature.
Civilized Crabfolk honor and even worship several Crustinals.
Aerck'Crustinal's Phases:
Unaware: In some cases, a guardinal might find itself trapped in the material plane. After a millennium or so guardinals start devolution and bury their memories, powers, and goals deep beneath their consciousness. They might mostly look like a regular (slightly oversized, or odd-looking) crab, lobster, shrimp, or a similar ocean dweller. In this phase the Crustinal still is able to cause a miraculous event. For example, things like turning sand to glass, air to water, rock to mud around themselves can be observed.
Awoken: In this phase, the crustinal starts evolving.
Its size grows from small to medium in mere days. (1d4+1) days. And it keeps getting bigger. From medium to large it grows in (1d6+1) days. From larger to huge it takes (1d8+1) days.
Crustinals have innate spell-like abilities and they can cast spells at will. Once they understand the effects of a spell they replicate it with their abilities. This spell-like ability comes from the raw, wild, untempered magic which celestials, deities, and angels are using.
Crustinals are highly intelligent and great conversationalists. Their Lawful Good nature guides their morals and they prefer to be honest almost all the time.
They look for the places, faces, objects, and events to remind them more of their past. They never hesitate to act if there is a chance to learn more about the workings of the world.
Mature: This is their ultimate form on the material plane. Some crustinals grow as large as adult dragons. Some can even grow bigger to match the size of ancient dragons.
In this form, Crustinals are focusing their powers to learn more about the world. For this reason, they might choose champions among the mortals they know, and trust. At some point (if they didn't yet) they discover their patron and the connection with them. This might urge the crustinal to resume their service to a deity or a celestial.
Mature crustinals are immensely powerful spell casters and have various divine powers.
A Crustinal can not be corrupted and can not be intimidated.
Aerck Form: The Ultimate Form of the Crustinal on other planes. The bipedal form of Crustinals has crab-like heads, segmented and armored humanoid bodies. They have various siphon like appendages around their bodies for propelling them in the air and under the water. Their claws are covered with runes shimmering with divine energy. They are fierce warriors and compassionate thinkers. Some Aercks have broader bodies and thicker armor with razor-sharp edges. Some are slender, taller and they look more humanoid than crabs. In this form, they are one of the mightiest of the guardinals.
Lair and Lair Actions
Crustinal builds its lair in natural caves and grottoes in the water bodies. Lair can have various large chambers in which Crustinal places items that it values as memorabilia. Those items reminded the Crustinal of its past, its patron, and its goal.
Such lairs are not unwelcoming for those who can not breathe underwater, small/large dry rooms with breathable air are existing to provide comfort for any non-evil creatures. Different types of algae, seaweed, and mushrooms might cover walls and/or ceiling. There are always different types of rare fish in the ponds and still water bodies.
*Portalout: Crustinal's innate magic ability allows it to create a portal within its lair. The portal might lead to a place previously it's been. Additionally, Crustinal can use the portal to reach out to certain places where its champions are. This allows it to extend its pereopods to those places without leaving its lair.
*Endless Vortex: Any Evil aligned creature is drawn in spiral corridors of the lair and must roll WIS saving throw (DC 14/18/24) for every minute spent inside. A failure requires a roll of d8. (1-2) The creature is unable to move for two turns. (3-4) The Creature loses its next actions for two turns. (5-6) The Creature drops their equipped items on their hands and needs to spend 1d6+1 minutes to search it to be able to retrieve them back (Investigation Check DC 15/19/25). (7) The Creature feels confused and dizzy, slowing their speed by half and all skill checks and saving throws are with a disadvantage for two turns. (8) The Creature is sucked in an Endless Vortex while walking, any creature with less than 80 hit points is lost forever. Other creatures are stuck underwater within complex cave systems for 1d4+1 minutes.
*Company: Crustinals are fond of corals and other shelled sea creatures. Around and in the lair dense coral with sharp edges can be carpeting the floor. Nearby the lair (7 miles radius) fish, crabs, shrimp, and lobster is plenty. Within the lair, such creatures have a 5% chance to grow one size bigger. Crustinal can communicate with all creatures within its lair and compel them to (leave, swarm, attack, move, hunt, guide, confuse).
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