Flayer leeches are tiny, invertebrate hunters with multi-hinged mouths that have developed an interesting life cycle: they wear their victim's skin to pose as them, consuming their innards to reproduce.
Flayer leeches will kill and feed on living creatures, feasting on the bone marrow of their victims. This consumption gives them sustenance to survive for weeks. Flayer leeches disengage the tendrils of their petallike mouths, extending them up to 2 meters and using them to stitch together a prey's remains, leaving the brain for it to consume. They then use these tendrils as a pseudo-skeleton to give structure to the body and move it, allowing them to convincingly reanimate the corpse and take on its movements and previous life. The flayer leech lacks the corpse's specific memories, however, which can make it easy to spot for those familiar with the leech's victim. Flayer leeches use this disguise as a safe harbor while feeding off the remaining marrow and nervous system and will defend these new bodies like their home.
Elite |
Normal |
Weak
Str +3
Dex +5
Con +2
Int -3
Wis +0
Cha +1
Effigy Identity While a flayer leech is in an effigy, it gains the ability to understand and speak all languages known by the corpse as well as knowledge of the corpse's physical abilities, identity, role in society, and personality. However, it doesn't gain the specific memories or knowledge of the corpse.
HP 55
Weaknesses bludgeoning 5
Speed 25 feet
Melee
[one-action]
proboscis
+13
(finesse),
Damage 2d6
+5 piercing
Create Effigy
[three-actions]
(manipulate)
A flayer leech consumes the brain of the corpse of a Medium or Small creature dead for no longer than an hour, taking over its body. It also stitches together any wounds the corpse might have, presenting only barely visible lines. It can use
Stealth to
Impersonate and doesn't need a disguise kit to do so, but it takes a –2 circumstance penalty to the check if any creature engages the flayer leech in conversation for 1 minute. When in this effigy form, it loses its weakness to bludgeoning and gains weakness 5 to
sonic damage. It can make proboscis melee Strikes through extension in its wrists, but it can't make subsonic blast ranged Strikes. A flayer leech can
Dismiss the effigy.
Drink Marrow
[one-action]
Requirements The flayer leech's last action was a successful proboscis
Strike against a living creature;
Effect The flayer leech vibrates its proboscis at subsonic speed, drilling into a creature's marrow or equivalent bone structure. The required creature must succeed at a DC
21 Fortitude saving throw or become
sickened 1. On a critical failure, it can't reduce this sickened condition for 1 minute.
Mandible Dance
[two-actions]
(mentalvisual)
Requirements The flayer leech isn't currently in an effigy;
Effect The flayer leech wriggles its facial tendrils in a tantalizing way. Each creature within 30 feet that can see the flayer leech must attempt a DC
21 Will saving throw or be
fascinated by the flayer leech for 1 minute.
Warp Bones
[two-actions]
(sonic)
Requirements The flayer leech is in an effigy;
Effects The flayer leech has a link to any marrow it's tasted. It sends out subsonic waves to vibrate its enemies' skeletal structures, causing immense pain. Any creature within 40 feet with the
sickened condition from the flayer leech's Drink Marrow ability takes 3d8
sonic damage (DC
21 basic Fortitude save).