Red Ethergaunt

Actions

Etherblade. Melee or Ranged Weapon Attack: +6 [roll1d20+6] to hit, reach 5 ft. or range 40/160 ft, one target. Hit: 9 1d10+3 slashing damage, or 4 1d6 piercing damage on a ranged attack.   Stupefying Gaze. An ethergaunt can open and close its vertically bisected mask as a free action, revealing a horrifically alien morass of facial organs and orifices. On its turn, the creature decides if it wants its mask open or closed. Anyone within 30 feet of an ethergaunt with an open mask who meets the creature’s gaze must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw DC13 or immediately take 1d4 points of psychic damage. A creature that successfully saves against this effect cannot be affected by the same ethergaunt’s stupefying gaze for one day. Ethergaunts are immune to their own gaze attacks and to those of others of their kind.   Material Jaunt. Ethergaunts dwell on the Ethereal Plane. While in their natural state of etherealness, they can perceive but not affect creatures and objects on the Material Plane. However, an ethergaunt can transport itself from the Ethereal Plane to the Material Plane as a standard action. It can remain on the Material Plane for up to 1 round per Hit Die it possesses. At the end of this time, or when the ethergaunt chooses, it becomes ethereal again. An ethergaunt must remain on the Ethereal Plane for at least 1 hour after a material jaunt before it can use the ability again. Ethergaunts who wish to remain on the Material Plane for a longer time must use plane shift or similar magic. Most white and black ethergaunts know the plane shift spell and use it for this purpose.

By far the most frequently encountered caste of ethergaunts, reds serve the race as scouts, trackers, and lowlevel diplomats (particularly when diplomacy in fact means exterminating natives to send a political message). Though they hold an arrogant opinion of their own importance in relation to the current residents of the Material Plane, reds fully understand their role as the rank-and-file of the ether legions. The fact that ethergaunt grunts generally are more brilliant than the brightest human mages reveals much regarding khen-zai perspective. Slightly shorter and bulkier than their superiors, red ethergaunts sport a crimson faceplate that marks them as creatures who have yet to purge the fires of passion from their rational minds. Accordingly, many of the more powerful reds view the struggle against the Material Plane races as a battle of the cultured against ravenous barbarians.   Red ethergaunts are adept at the use of the etherblade, a scientific weapon invented by the khen-zai during their sojourn to far planes. Most ethergaunts prefer to take potshots with the weapon from a safe distance instead of engaging in melee.   Etherblade: Resembling a short glaive topped with a hollow barrel, this favored weapon of the ethergaunts can fire a ray of force as a ranged attack 1d6 piercing damage. The etherblade ray has a range 40 ft., long range 160 ft. The weapon can fire 50 times before it is exhausted. It cannot be recharged. An etherblade can be used as a two-handed weapon in melee combat to deal 1d10 slashing damage. A fully charged etherblade has a market price of 800 gp.

Ethereal Plane

Red ethergaunt by Puddnhead