Homebrew Cephyllith Species Details
Never trusted octopuses, I didn't. Those crafty bastards are smart, I tells you. A little bit too smart...
— Jobin Starre, retired sailor
Hyper-intelligent sentient Octopi with the ability to take control of a host body. Complex and curious creatures, they're obsessed with attaining new knowledge, one way or another...
Curious Mysteries
The Cephyllith are a rare race of sentient octopi... Their origin is a mystery that many of them wish to answer, but some speculate they are the descendants of magical experiments gone wrong, which escaped to the ocean. They are intelligent, solitary, curious creatures, obsessed with novel objects and new information. In the ocean, they often reside around sunken ship-wrecks, using wits, dexterity, and tools to explore every nook and cranny, determinedly breaking into chests or drawers, collecting treasure, trinkets, and, usually... more tools.
Disguised Denizens of the Deep
Physically they appear as normal octopi, except slightly bigger, and their skin can change to whatever color or pattern they choose. They stand at about 1 - 1.5 ft high and weigh about 6-8 pounds. The Cephyllith share the octopus' ability to drastically change its body shape and can fit through any space of 1.(Strength x4) inch in diameter or more (the size of their beak). Alone, Cephilliths are somewhat vulnerable: relatively weak (although surprisingly strong for their size) dependent on water, slow-moving on land, and unable to communicate verbally. They have no natural defenses other than their intelligence and ability to change their skin to mimic the most complex of surroundings.
Parasites of the Mind
What makes the Cephyllith powerful is their ability to take another creature as a host: by inserting a thin, sharp spine into the base of their brain stem. Once a host is taken, they have complete control of their physical movement, speech, and actions, as well as full access to anything that creature knows (languages, abilities, skills, memories etc.) Their camouflage and flexibility allows them to imitate the face and head of their host victims, or any other face they have seen, and will only be discovered by the very perceptive, or a close investigation. Very few creatures would be willing to sacrifice their freedom to a Cephyllith, and their constant resistance to the domination is the Cephyllith's greatest weakness. However, being able to steal the experience, knowledge and abilities of whichever creature they control, they can be fearsome opponents. Thankfully, most Cephylliths are content as ocean-bound hunters: attaching themselves to larger predators such as sharks and giant squids, or an opportunistic Cephyllith might 'rescue' a drowning sailor from their deaths, only to take over their minds - and perhaps their ships. However, the more intelligent and ambitious Cephyllith's have been known to devise even more complex schemes to seek ever more intelligent and powerful prey.
Solitary Strangers
Cephyllith's tend towards neutral and chaotic alignments, as they are solitary creatures with little investment in the laws and sensibilities of communal land-dwelling creatures. It is not to say they do not have their own peculiar moral codes, simply that they have a very relativist view of morality. Like detached, alien anthropologists, they are more interested in studying the beliefs and actions of other creatures than in obeying them. Their obsession with the novel and their curiosity may motivate them to play along with the rules. However, like any anthropologist, they are strangers in a strange land and find it hard to understand the strange ethics, customs, and cultures of land-based creatures. The best intentioned of them might become brave adventurers, taking control of malicious minds and putting them to good purpose, or they may even find a willing host and a powerful symbiosis. The most malicious of Cephylliths can become cruel and unusual experimenters on the psychological limits of others, pitting people against each other in vicious and violent ways.
Names
Cephyllith chose their own names. Commonly, it is an unpronounceable onomatopoeia of their favourite underwater noise, the Pluhnk of a stone hitting the surface, of the Blulp of a popping bubble. More intelligent Cephyllith will choose from any range of names they have heard in their lives, often changing as often as every six months, when a new favourite name takes their fancy.
Cephyllith Personalities
Cephylliths are obsessively curious creatures and can be compulsive in their ambitiousness. For many creatures, information is a means to get power... but for the Cephyllith, power is a means to get more information. They usually have at least one kind of power or information they are particularly obsessed with attaining. However, this can change.
Cephyllith Obsessions
| D8 | I WANT POWER AND INFORMATION ABOUT … |
|---|---|
| 1 | Strength, Fighting, Strategy and Tactics |
| 2 | Dexterity, Thievery, Deception, Stealth, |
| 3 | Constitution, Nature, Herbalism, Animal Handling |
| 4 | Intelligence, Magic, Arcana, Wizardry |
| 5 | Wisdom, Religious power, a Deity or Deities. |
| 6 | Charisma, Political power, Persuasion |
| 7 | I want to know a bit of everything. |
| 8 | I am obsessed with a particular race/monster/individual/item |
Cephyllith Traits
Your Cephyllith character has the following racial traits.Hybrid Nature
While taking a host, you have multiple creature types: Monstrosity and the creature type(s) of your host. You can be affected by a game effect if it works on any of your creature types.
Ability Score Changes
Intelligence +2
Dexterity +2
Strength -2
Wisdom - 1
Charisma -1
Underwater Masters
Cephyllith's get advantage on Strength and Dexterity rolls while underwater, and have a speed of 40 feet whilst swimming.
Water Reliant
While out of the water, and without a host, the Cephyllith can hold its breath for 30 minutes.
With a host, they can breathe normally, and tap into the body for water. They must drink an extra gallon of water per day on top of the normal food and water requirements of their host.
Ink Cloud
A 10-foot-radius cloud of ink extends in front of the Cephyllith. After releasing the ink, it can use the Dash action as a bonus action. Any creature caught in the area must make a Dexterity check (DC16) or be blinded for 1 round per level of the Cephyllith.
If underwater, the area is heavily obscured for 1 minute, although a significant current can disperse the ink.
After using this, the Cephyllith cannot use it again until it has taken a short rest.
Tentacle Attack
You are proficient with your unarmed strikes, which deal 1d4 bludgeoning damage on a hit. One a successful hit, you can attempt to grapple the target. Uses Dexterity modifier to hit.
Natural Grapplers
The Cephyllith's tentacles allow it to use its Dexterity modifier for grappling attempts. Escape is Athletics (Strength) or Acrobatics (Dexterity) against the Cephyllith. Until this grapple ends, the Cephyllith can't use its tentacles on another target. If the creature fails its save, the Cephyllith later use an action to attempt to 'Take Host'.
It can still use its Ink Cloud attack while grappling. It can attempt to grapple creatures of any size, but does so at -2 for every size above medium.
Take Host
When the Cephyllith has successfully grappled a creature, it may use an action to attempt turn that creature into a host, by inserting a long thin spine into the base of their brain-stem. Any creature must succeed on an Intelligence Saving Throw vs the Cephyllith (the DC is your spell save), or be completely dominated. They can still see, hear and feel everything that happens, but lose all control of their physical actions, speech etc. The Cephyllith retains its Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma scores while taking the Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution of the host. The two creatures retain separate hit dice and can be injured/killed independently of one another. If an attacker knows the Cephyllith is there and specifies attacking the head, then they retain their own AC for these attacks.
Due to the nature of the bond, all damage taken to them is halved between the host body and the Cephylith. If it splits unevenly, give the largest amount to the host body.
Whenever the host creature or the Cephyllith takes damage of half their current hit points or more, the domination is briefly weakened, as is the Cephyllith's ability to concentrate on it's camouflage. The host may make another Intelligence save vs the Cephyllith to resist the domination, and at the same time, the Cephyllith must make a Constitution Saving throw (DC 10), or have its camouflage drop for 20 seconds (minus your level). Any critical hit against the Cephyllith or the host body will give the host body advantage on the Intelligence save, and the Cephyllith disadvantage on its Constitution save.
Any healing must be applied to the host and the Cephyllith individually.
If successful in resisting the domination, the host is still grappled.
If a creature is asleep, stunned, or otherwise incapacitated, they get a disadvantage on their Intelligence saves against being taken as a host.
The Cephyllith may use a bonus action to willingly disengage from a host body. If they do so, they may first use an action to inject a toxin to stun the creature for 1d4 rounds (plus their current level, divided by two, rounded down.) The host can make a Constitution save against the Cephyllith to half this duration. The DM makes this roll for them, and the Cephyllith never knows how long their host will be stunned for.
The Cephylith can make a number of 'Take Host' actions equal to their Intelligence Modifier before they must take a long rest.
Slippery
The Cephyllith, when alone and not taking control of a host, has advantage on any rolls to escape or avoid being grappled.
Uncanny Camouflage
The Cephyllith is able to camouflage its body to almost perfectly imitate its surroundings. Even complex, shifting backgrounds, or taking on the appearance of different faces on a host body. The face must belong to the host body, or be one that the Cephyllith has seen before. They cannot change the appearance of the host's torso or limbs - only the face and head.
Cephylliths gain advantage on all Stealth checks. This only applies to the Cephyllith alone, not to the body or actions of the host body.
Stolen Knowledge
Starting at 5th and 10th level you learn one language of your choice, and you are proficient with one skill or tool of your choice.
Age
Cephylliths live longer than normal octopi, but still live short lives of 20-30 years. This perhaps encourages their reckless curiosity and ambition.
Size
Cephyllith's are 2-2.5ft tall, and weigh around 6-8lbs. Their body size is small.
Language
Cephyllith's speak Aquan, and any languages their host knows.
Aloof Loners
Cephylliths tend towards chaotic and neutral alignments, as they are solitary creatures with little investment in the laws of landbased creatures.
Limited Armoury
Cephylliths alone cannot themselves wear any armour. They may be proficient in any armour or weapon, but can only use them with a host body.
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