Elder Thing (3.5e Monster)

''Eight feet tall and with bodies shaped like huge oval barrels with five-limbed starfish-like appendages on both ends, the creature notices you in spite of lacking any eyes. It spreads two of its five fan shaped wings and takes to the sky.''

Elder things are a mysterious unnamed alien race from distant space, half plant and half animal and capable of surviving in many hostile territories and movement. They are eight feet tall with a huge oval barrel shaped body with starfish-like appendage at both ends. The top appendage functions as its head possessing five eyes, five eating tubes, and cilia for "seeing" without light. The bottom appendage is also five-limbed and was used for walking and other forms of locomotion. Around its body are five leathery, fan-like retractable wings and five sets of branching tentacles that sprouts from their torsos. Both their tentacles and the slits housing their folded wings are spaced at regular intervals about their bodies.

Thought to be a fusion of plant and animal traits, they possess radial symmetry instead of bilateral symmetry. They have five-lobed brains and are very intelligent, being masters of genetic alteration and species creation. They reproduce via spores, though they do this rarely, and are typically carnivorous. Their bodies are fantastically durable, able to survive the crushing pressures of the ocean and the empty void of outer space. They can fly through space even without air, moving through an unknown aether which permiates the universe. For this reason, the elder things have never bothered building starships and their technology seems limited, mostly in mining and construction equipment. For everything else they are either biologically equipped, or create species which can perform functions for them. For what technology they do possess however, it is extremely advanced possessing seemingly magical qualities in mundane actions.

Elder Things appear to be biologically immortal, and will never die but to accident or violence. They weight 400 pounds and speak only through telepathy.

Combat
An elder thing usually shuns combat, leaving its creations or slaves to do that task for it. When forced into combat it uses its mobility, toughness, and spell-like abilities to sling attacks from afar and keep out of danger.

Alien Biology : Elder things possess a most unusual biology which differs from their xenotheric and outsider traits. They do not need to breath, but do eat and sleep. However they can survive for months without food, and longer when hibernating. Their bizaare anatomy gives them 50% fortification against attacks. Their blindsight and blindsense functions like touchsight and does not require hearing. They can survive the rigors of space and deep ocean and never take radiation or pressure damage. Their radial bodies provide a +8 racial bonus on balance checks. Finally they can fly as an extraordinary effect, even if the atmosphere lacks air. They seem to swim through the currents of space itself.

All-Around Vision : An elder thing sees in all directions and cannot be flanked, but it takes a -4 penalty to gaze attacks.

Bio-Energy : As xenotheric creatures, elder things have a bio-energy pool equal to 3 + their constitution modifier. They can use this bio-energy on their genetic engineering ability and various xenotheric feats. It recharges at a rate of 1 point per minute, unless it is bio-energy burn. Bio-energy burn is restored after 8 hours of rest.

Enemy of the Far : Elder things have had several incidents and intimdate knowledge of beings from the Far Realm. They recieve a +4 dodge bonus and +1 to attack and damage against creatures hailing from the Far Realm, aboleths, illithids, beholders, gricks, neogi, and tsochari and related species.

Genetic Engineering :  Elder things excel at genetic engineering and can do so with a touch. Genetic engineering comes in two forms, the quick way and the long way.

The quick function allows an elder thing to temporarly apply the effects of a template to a pre-existing creature. For 4 bio-energy points, an elder thing can make a touch attack as a full-round action and provide the effects of an valid LA 1 template. For each additional 4 bio-energy points it can make another LA of adjustment. The effects last for 1 minute/level before the biological changes rot away. The creature is left sickened for 1 hour afterward.

The long function allows the elder thing to take a piece of living tissue from a creature and encase it in an ectoplasmic egg. Then they may grow a newborn creature over the course of 1 month. To grow a creature, they take bio-energy burn equal to the CR of the creature being produced every day for 1 month. If they do not apply the required bioenergy to the egg for 1 week, the tissue sample and creature inside dies.

Typically pre-existing creatures are created, but with sufficient time and research new species may be generated. Newborn creatures typically are friendly to their creators but are not nessicarly under mind control. It is believed several species were generated through this method, one which is known as a "shoggoth".

Hibernation : As a full-round action an elder thing can enter a state of hibernation. When in this state it cannot move or act, does not need to eat, and only retains a dim awareness of its surroundings. In this state it gains hardness 20, is immune to cold and fire damage, and is immune to spells which do not function on objects. It can awaken from its stupor over the course of 1 minute. Typically during long space flights, they accelerate, then hibernate until they approach the system in question. An elder thing can hibernate forever if it so chose.

Spell-Like Abilities :  At will- arcane mark, continual flame, detect magic, detect thoughts, dream, hypnotic pattern, identify, magic missile, major creation, move earth; 3/day- animal growth, baleful polymorph, charm monster, feeblemind, flesh to stone, greater dispel magic, stone to flesh, suggestion; 1/day-antipathy, banishment, blink, detect scrying, dimensional lock, explosive runes, hold monster, phase door, plane shift, scrying, symbol of insanity, symbol of persuasion, sympathy; 1/month- binding, contact other plane, clone, guards and wards. Unlike most spell-like abilities, the save DC is Intelligence based.

Star Flight : Elder things do not require an atmosphere to fly. When flying in a vacuum, its speed is potentially unlimited, up to just under the speed of light. Each round it accelerates it continues moving at the speed it was moving last round allowing it to move 60 feet, then 120 feet, then 180 feet, and so on until it reaches the desires speed. Slowing down is just moving in the opposite direction.