Homebrew Slaadoid (Cyan Slaad) Species Details

The red Slaad reproduces by injecting a humanoid host with a tiny Slaad-egg, which grows into a carnivorous Slaad-tadpole, which eventually consumes the host’s internal organs and ruptures out of the chest cavity to feed on any available source of meat (including the remains of the dead host). Over the next twenty-four hours, the tadpole transforms into a blue or green Slaad. However (whether through happenstance or necromantic experimentation) if the deceased host is raised from the dead while the tadpole still lives but has not yet finished consuming the host, a bizarre transformation takes place. The tadpole is mostly drawn back into the torso of the raised host, and fuses symbiotically, as it’s organs take on the function of those consumed from the now-deceased host.

Externally, the host retains the appearance it had, save for the small cyan frog-head protruding from some part of the torso. However, the host creature has been irrevocably transformed, having glimpsed and dwelt in the chaos of Limbo for whatever brief time it was dead, as well as being sustained by the alien organs of a new life-form dwelling within it. Being physically and mentally bound to an entity of pure chaos, alignment tends to shift toward chaos and neutrality.

The fused Slaad-symbiote is a brilliant cyan color with a frog-like mouth and has a single horn on the top of its head. Depending on how much of the corpse was eaten prior to being restored to life, the visible portion of the symbiote may be as small as a fist or as large as a humanoid head, and the Slaad might have its choice of multiple locations from which to emerge out of the torso or could even create a new opening for itself if so inclined. The Slaad-symbiote is incapable of spoken language, only emitting grunts, chirps, croaks and hisses, but can communicate emotions and desires telepathically with a range of sixty feet.

Lastly, the symbiote is capable of independent thought and action, which often revolves around themes of hunger, survival and sowing chaos. The symbiote has the Telekinesis feat, which it uses to feed itself small morsels of meat and insects, but also to cause chaos by randomly moving, tipping over or knocking down objects around it. Because of this, the Slaadoid creature is viewed as a source of bad luck and may be shunned or outcast from civilized regions.

Slaadoid (Cyan Slaad) Traits

No one (as yet) is born as a Slaadoid. The Slaadoid is the symbiotic fusion of a humanoid race with the chaotic Slaadi aberrations. The host creature is often driven mad by the transformation, remembering its old life, but also the mind-bending impossibilities of Limbo, making its memories seem like fleeting dreams or nightmares. While it may physically resemble the race it once was, much of the culture, even the internal biological traits are gone.

Ability Score Improvement

Your Constitution score increases by 2. One other ability score increases by 1.

Type

You are humanoid, but also an Aberration.

Age

Measured from the time the creature became a Slaadoid, the age could be anywhere from a few hours to two hundred years. Measured from the birth of the host race, the age could be anything from only a year or two for a goblinoid or kobold, to a thousand years for an elf or eladrin.

Senses

The Slaadoid has darkvision out to 60 feet, and blindsight within 10 feet. 

Language

The Slaadoid is usually capable of reading, writing and speaking the Common tongue, and perhaps one other language from the host-race. The symbiote is capable of telepathy within 60 feet, but without a language it only expresses emotions, wants, desires or possibly a very brief mental image.

Slaadi Anatomy

The Cyan Slaad-symbiote and the vital organs within it are capable of regeneration, healing one hit point at the start of every turn if the Slaadoid has less than half its maximum hit points. If the Slaadoid is reduced to 0 hp, once per short rest the symbiote can seize bodily control, the Slaadoid is reduced to 1 hit point instead. The symbiote grants the Slaadoid advantage on death saves as well as spells and magical effects.

Telekinesis

You gain the Telekinetic feat. 

TELEKINETIC
You learn to move things with your mind, granting you the following benefits:
• Increase your Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma score by 1, to a maximum of 20.

• You learn the mage hand cantrip. You can cast it without verbal or somatic components, and you can make the spectral hand invisible. If you already know this spell, its range increases by 30 feet when you cast it. Its spellcasting ability is the ability increased by this feat.

• As a bonus action, you can try to telekinetically shove one creature you can see within 30 feet of you. When you do so, the target must succeed on a Strength saving throw (DC 8 + your proficiency bonus + the ability modifier of the score increased by this feat) or be moved 5 feet toward you or away from you. A creature can willingly fail this save.