Home >Game Mastering >Bestiary >Creatures by Type >Monstrous Humanoids >

Swarm Mindreaper

Swarm Mindreaper CR 7

XP 3,200
CE Medium monstrous humanoid
Init +4; Senses blindsense (vibration) 30 ft., darkvision 60 ft., see invisibility; Perception +19

DEFENSE HP 90

EAC 18; KAC 19
Fort +6; Ref +8; Will +12
Defensive Abilities swarm mind; Immunities acid, fear effects

OFFENSE

Speed 30 ft., climb 20 ft.
Melee arm spike +14 (1d8+8 P; critical staggered [DC 17])
Offensive Abilities trepan
Spell-Like Abilities (CL 7th)

1/day—haste, slow (DC 20)
3/day—force blast (DC 19), inflict pain (DC 19), mirror image, mystic cure (2nd level)
At will—mind thrust (1st level, DC 18)
Constant—see invisibility

STATISTICS

Str +1; Dex +4; Con +2; Int +1; Wis +5; Cha -1
Skills Athletics +14 (+22 to climb), Mysticism +19, Stealth +14
Languages Shirren; telepathy 100 ft.
Other Abilities trepan analysis

SPECIAL ABILITIES

Arm Spike (Ex)

A spike projects from one of the mindreaper’s hands. The mindreaper cannot wield a weapon with this hand, and it can’t be disarmed of this spike.

Swarm Mind (Ex)

Members of the Swarm are bound together into a singular hive mind by a blend of exuded pheromones, imperceptible movements of antennae and limbs, electrostatic fields, and telepathic communication.

All Swarm creatures with 30 feet of each other are in constant communication; if one is aware of a threat, all are. (Such awareness can spread along a “chain” of Swarm creatures under appropriate circumstances, potentially alerting distant Swarm creatures). In addition, once per round when within 30 feet of another Swarm creature, a Swarm creature can roll twice and take the better result on a saving throw against a mind-affecting effect.

Trepan (Ex)

As a full action, a mindreaper can use its arm spike to pierce the skull of a helpless creature. The mindreaper makes one attack with its arm spike, scoring a critical hit if the attack succeeds. If this attack kills the target, the mindreaper siphons out a portion of the target’s brain along with an impression of the creature’s memories. A mindreaper can also use this ability to extract brain matter and memories from the remains of a creature killed within the last hour. This ability can be used only against living or recently killed creatures with a brain or close biological equivalent.

Trepan Analysis (Su)

A mindreaper that has extracted brain matter with its trepan ability can analyze the memories stored within. Doing so functions as speak with dead, except the mindreaper has an hour after extracting the memories to ask the six questions, which need not be asked all at one time. Asking a question takes a full action. Only one mindreaper can extract memories from a given creature. A mindreaper can retain only one set of memories at a time; if it uses its trepan ability on another creature, any previously stored brain matter is lost.

ECOLOGY

Environment any
Organization solitary, pair, or pack (1–2 plus 3–6 Swarm corrovoxes)

The myriad components that make up the Swarm act as a single-minded collective that consumes and incorporates other life. Individual components of the Swarm cannot be dissuaded from their tasks, sacrificing themselves if necessary. The Swarm has little regard for manufactured weapons, instead grafting biotechnology onto individuals or growing entire new subhives. Constant mutation has shaped the Swarm into many specialized forms, from microscopic parasites to bioorganic starships. The two Swarm components listed here are some of the more specialized Swarm evolutions.

Mindreapers are intelligence-retrieval components whose method of gathering intel is far from subtle: they use a bioweapon spike for lethal interrogations, impaling a victim through the brain and extracting neural tissue. Once the mindreaper has this brain matter, it can spend up to an hour extracting knowledge from it. In combat, soldiers of the Swarm support mindreapers in their duty. Rarely encountered alone, mindreapers bolster allies while neutralizing enemies with painful psychic feedback.

Mindreapers are still units in the collective, but they show more initiative and adaptability. Swarm packs that contain mindreapers use more complex tactics than those without.

Section 15: Copyright Notice

Starfinder Alien Archive 2 © 2018, Paizo Inc.; Authors: Alexander Augunas, Kate Baker, John Compton, Adam Daigle, Brian Duckwitz, Eleanor Ferron, Amanda Hamon Kunz, James Jacobs, Mikko Kallio, Jason Keeley, Lyz Liddell, Ron Lundeen, Robert G. McCreary, Mark Moreland, Matt Morris, Adrian Ng, Joe Pasini, Lacy Pellazar, David N. Ross, Stephen Rowe, Chris Sims, Owen K.C. Stephens, James L. Sutter, and Russ Taylor.