Deh-nolo

Deh-nolo

(Creature)

Type

Aberration

CR

14

Environment

Any

Alignment

LG	NG	CG
LN	N	CN
LE	NE	CE

Source: Alien Archive, pg(s). 32

This article might have further canon details available on PathfinderWiki.

Deh-nolos are a race of aberrations associated with the Dominion of the Black that serve as engineers and collect brains to slake their unending thirst for knowledge.

Appearance

Deh-nolos have a bulbous bodies held up by four spindly legs, and four translucent sacs at the end of appendages growing from their backs. Venomous glands grow in patches across the deh-nolo's body; this poison can be applied to the projectiles that they launch or exposed to attackers that rupture these glands. A typical deh-nolo stands almost 20 feet tall on its four spindly legs and weighs close to 2000 pounds.

Ecology

Deh-nolos secrete a metallic liquid that glow disturbingly in natural sunlight and can be concentrated into crystalline thrown projectiles or integrated into malformed machinery, resembling incomplete organs and atrophied body parts. These bits can be harvested from deh-nolos and plugged into other equipment and creatures; this is usually dangerous to the experimenter but occasionally produces functional technology. Devices with sensory output tend to produce disturbing results when implanted with deh-nolo parts, while living recipients are horribly mutated and wracked with pain.

Deh-nolos' magic can commandeer technological devices, create acid clouds, or temporarily overwrite the DNA of a living creature to turn it robotic, but they prefer to catch prey unaware. The deh-nolo then carefully and painfully extracts the victim's brain. Deh-nolos have four pods to store such brains; their power is dependent on these brains and they often go out of their way to keep their complement full. Without any brains, the deh-nolo becomes jittery, desperately lashing out at all non-Dominion creatures. Even with all four brain pods filled, a deh-nolo will try to replace the simpler brains with sophisticated ones if it can spare time to.

Despite their lack of propulsion, deh-nolos can fly quickly with their inherent psychic magic; a disturbing sight for sane onlookers.

Society

Deh-nolos serve as inventors and engineers for the Dominion, merging biology and technology in twisted, devious and seamless ways. These creations are often grown rather than built. They were responsible for the creation of the first Dominion starships and the shipminds that pilot them. They are also adept at repairing all technological devices, and often try to extract the brain of a member of its creator's race if presented with an unfamiliar piece of technology.