Miniscule. The Larva is incredibly small, it does not occupy a space and can enter another creature's space. In addition, it can always make a Stealth check to hide and other creatures have disadvantage on ability checks to find the Arcane Leech.
Astral Shift. Once an Arcane Leech Larva has gathered at least 5 Spell Points, it shifts into the Astral Plane and remains attached to the creature's astral form. As long as it is within the Astral Plane, it cannot be detected from the Material Plane. If it ever has less than 5 Spell Points, then it immediately is shunted back to the Material Plane.
Arcane Conduit. Even though it is primarily a parasite, as the Larva becomes more engorged on arcane power, some of it feeds back to its host. For every 5 Spell Points the Arcane Leech Larva has, its host deals +1 damage with arcane spells and adds +1 to the Spell save DCs of its arcane spells. For every 10 Spell Points the Arcane Leech Larva has, it grants its host 7 temporary hit points after a long rest.
Attach. If the Arcane Leech Larva is in another creature's space it may make a melee touch attack to attach itself to the creature. If the creature isn't aware of the Leech's presence, this attack automatically succeeds. To hit: +4, 0 ft. reach, no damage, but Larva is now somewhere on the creature's person.
Leech Blood. Whenever the creature the Arcane Leech Larva is attached to is damaged, the Leech may deal 1 damage to the creature and draw a bit of its blood. This damage cannot be resisted and the creature is not aware that it is dealt by another source. The Arcane Leech can subsist on 1 point of damage/blood per week, if it cannot use its Leech Power ability.
Engorge. Once the Larva has gathered at least 25 Spell Points and is on the Astral Plane, it uses this action to further its growth. The Larva spends 20 of its Spell Points and increases in size by one category (from Tiny to Small, etc.). Every use of this action increases its cost by 10 Spell Points and after every use the Larva's stats increase in the following manner: +4 Strength, -2 Dexterity, +4 Constitution, +2 natural armor to AC, +15 maximum hit points. The Larva cannot grow beyond Large size through the use of this action.
Healing Power. The Larva can expend one Spell Point to heal 5 hp.
Pupate. If the Larva has grown to Large size and after it has gained at least 55 Spell Points, it uses this action to enter the next stage in its life cycle. Using this action costs the Larva 50 Spell Points. For this form, see Arcane Leech Pupa.
Ambush Move. Whenever a creature moves through the Larva's space or directly underneath it within 10 feet, the larva may take its Attach action.
Leech Power. Whenever the creature the Arcane Leech is attached to casts an arcane spell, the Leech steals a miniscule amount of its power for itself. It gains one Spell Point per level of the spell slot that was expended. The casting of two cantrips within the span of an hour grants one Spell Point as well. The Arcane Leech burns through one Spell Point per week to subsist.
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Description
Unlike what its name may imply, the Arcane Leech Larva is technically a grub and the first stage of the Arcane Leech's life cycle. The creature's origins are shrouded in mystery, with some sages believing that it was made to eradicate arcane spellcasters, others thinking that they are an experiment gone awry and yet others theorizing that they are but a natural evolution of the effects of arcane magic upon the world.
As a hatchling, the Larva is barely a few inches long and it has only one drive: sustenance. While it can survive on the blood of its host, the larva can only truly grow through consuming arcane magical energies. Most Arcane Leeches leave their eggs in areas where there is ambient arcane energies, which will allow their larvae to at least survive. However, such areas are destined to draw users of arcane magic every so often, giving the resident larvae ample opportunity to find a host.
Once a Larva has attached itself to a host, it begins to feed on the arcane powers the creature calls upon. Its host only has a limited amount of time to find the Larva, at which point it can be easily killed and/or removed. If the Larva, however, gains enough magical sustenance, it will enter the Astral Plane, making it almost impossible to detect.
The Arcane Leech is, in essence, a parasitic creature and its Larva is no exception, but while it gathers arcance power, it provides the host with beneficial feedback on its own arcane abilities. Because the only reliable way of finding and damage an attached Larva is by traveling to the Astral Plane, most go unnoticed until they grow into their pupa stage.
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