The Baku

While contemplating building a psionic/arcane hybrid system I was perusing the 2ed psionics handbook and turned to this monstrosity. Initially I explored it and moved on but it kept nagging at my thoughts. Then in a chat with my wife I wondered what an invisible-at-will psi being that lurked within society would be doing on the ship. Then I thought they may be like super hitchhikers, hiding, plotting and surviving as best they can. 

A little like how I treat the Bugmen, who hitched a ride for profit and salvage from planets far and distant. The Baku are more dark, mysterious and menacing. 

A highly improbable creature!  What are the odds of a part elephant, part cat, part crocodile monster appearing on your ship? If it’s a level six random encounter then one in twelve, and falling...

The Baku

How long ago the Baku lost their world to the Visitors none know. So long have they lurked on the worldship, some even wonder if they themselves have forgotten. What is known is that when their world was destroyed, some of the Baku who survived stowed away on the very vessel that destroyed their gods and wiped out their planet. Since that day thousands of years ago, they have worked against the Visitors at every turn out of revenge for what they have lost.

The Baku from Monster Manual II

The Baku are strange beings, while to human eyes they seem a combination of creatures, they are in fact a natural species of alien origins. Having an apparent elephantine head and trunk coupled with feline and reptilian bodies they are a strange sight that confuses the human mind. Combined with their huge size they remind Terrans of elephants from their homeworld, but these are not beasts.  They are highly intelligent beings with advanced mental powers. They learned to hide their bodies and minds from the visitors using these powers. Staying invisible and thoughtless to avoid detection. They have learned to survive in this world and thrive. 

Since the crash they have schismed, some seek to aid the newcomers, working inside their cities to better their chances against the Visitors. Others seek to bring down all societies, be they Visitor or human. The Dark Ones see this as their chance to rise from the chaos as victors, finally vanquishing the Visitors. Rarely seen, the Light Ones move about human society invisibly, guiding and shaping society to oppose the visitors. Others move about the shadows, happy to live out their lives as they choose.

Baku (huge fantastic creature)

% In Lair: Dungeon Enc: Wilderness Enc: Treasure Type / XP:	10% 1d3 1d4+1 R / 3,900
Hit Dice: Armor Class: Save: Special Def.:	12*** 8 F12 Invisibility
Movement: Attacks: Morale: Special Off.:	120' (40') Gore (1+, 3d6) and 2 Stomp (2x 1+, 2d6); or Weapon (4d6) +1 Mental form, Mental powers, Roar

The Baku are intelligent chimeric creatures with heads that resemble Terran elephants and bodies combining reptilian and feline elements. As fantastic creatures they cannot be affected by charm person or hold person spells, but can be affected by charm monster and hold monster spells. Baku may become invisible at will. Once every three rounds they may emit a trumpeting roar causing enemies to flee before them as the fear spell.

Baku may attack with their natural weapons or by wielding a weapon or device in their short prehensile trunk. When encountered, each Baku will possess a magical weapon or wand in addition to any other items they carry. To determine which roll 1d6, on a 1-3 they possess a random magical weapon and on 4-6 they possess a random wand.

Baku are masters of mental powers and have an array of spell-like abilities they can draw on once per day each. Their mental powers allow them to read minds as the spell ESP and communicate with animals as Speak to Animals. They can harden their physical form to grant themselves Resist Fire and Resist Cold per the spells of the same name. They may alter their molecular density allowing them to Levitate and adjust their bio-rhythms to Cure Serious Wounds and Cure Disease. Finally they may alter their shape as the spell Polymorph Self or reduce their size as the spell Reduce.

Finally they possess the ability to project their mental form. After 1 turn (10 minutes) of meditation, they enter a deep trance during which their mental form projects free of their body. Once a projection begins, it continues until the Baku projection returns to its body, to a maximum duration of 13 hours. A projecting mental form appears as a stylized version of their physical form. They may see and hear normally, move around at their normal movement rate, and pass through solid objects without difficulty. However, the projecting Baku cannot see into, hear sounds from, or move through an area warded by an anti-magic shell or protection from evil spell or similar effect. The projecting Baku is incorporeal and invisible, but can be detected with detect invisible or true seeing, harmed by spells and magic weapons if detected, and forced to return to its body with dispel evil. If the Baku’s body is destroyed it dies at the end of the projection. If its spirit is destroyed, the body falls into a catatonic slumber that can only be lifted with restore life and limb, resurrection, or wish. Projecting is so taxing that it can be performed but once per week.

Notes

This was a tricky one to build and I’m not going for an exact conversion. Mostly I’m looking for something I can use as a random encounter at higher levels and I want to not make it a solitary encounter. In terms of costing powers:

Armor class was retrofitted as plus one to the base seven. It’s original attacks are 3-18, 2-12, 2-12 (Max is 42). For ACKs it could be tusk 3d6+1 and two good 1d8. Ultimately it should do 24 average. Currently it’s 10.5+7+7 =24.5 currently so smack on. 

Abilities:

• Trunk as a separate attack routine (or weapon) - no special 
• Magic resistance 20% doesn’t translate to ACKS - being in the upper save categories gives good saves - ignore.
• Invisible at will = 2*2*1 = 4 minor specials = ####
• Become ethereal not in ACKs - Ignore
• Travel astral - not in ACKs - Ignore - later thought, should I give it spiritwalk? yes - one minor ability.
• Roar as Fear spell A4, already a cone - ¼ turns = 4*2*0.7 = 5.6 = #### ##

Psionics Conversion list all 1/day (levelx0.8)

• Animal telepathy - Speak to animals D2 (1.6)
• Body control - 2 spells - Resistance to fire & cold D2/D1 (1.6+0.8)
• Body equilibrium - Levitation A2 (1.6)
• Fighter cell adjustment - Cure serious D4 & Cure disease D3 (3.2+2.4)
• Detection of good or evil - ESP A2 - to give a more psionic feel. (1.6)
• Reduction - diminution - use the benefit version from blog. A3 (2.4)
• Shape alteration - Polymorph Self A4 (3.2)

I was contemplating making the spells 3/day but I find as a GM you only generally cast them once and it can be easier to approach them from the perspective of an old spell list.

Treating it as two groups, first is 11, round down to 8; second is 18 round down to 16. There are a lot of powers here that don’t directly make an encounter more difficult. Final HD - 12***

Upper treasure from QN to R using wilderness encounters due to rarity of lair. Lairs are effectively caches.

Spells that transfer health

I’m working on a visitor racial template based on the BCK visitor monster entry to use for NPCs. The last thing I need is a reverse engineering of the mind meld power. That said mind meld is more a narrative power and I’m effectively going to have to back it out as a spell.

At the same time I’m examining options for arcane healing spells. This is highly unconventional but then so is my whole setting. At first I thought I might build a completely different magic system, but I found it easier to view arcane magic as a hybrid of magic from the universe channeled using will and the mind. This effectively makes it a hybrid of arcane magic and psionics in my mind. The added bonus here is any spells I make can just be used as arcane spells in other settings.

The first thing I need to explore for mind meld is the transfer of health between people.

Transfer health 

So this one is simple, I’m trying to replicate cure light wounds for arcane magic with one change, the caster takes damage equal to the amount healed. Simple right? But lacking precedence in ACKs spell creation system.

So, how to factor in the damage? I could apply a multiplier but lack a benchmark. So let’s look at two damaging spells. The first is the spell cause light wounds.

Cause Light Wounds: 1d6+1 causing (10), target 1 creature (x1), attack throw required (x1), range 0' (x1), duration instantaneous (x1), no saving throw (x1), divine (x1.5), total cost 15.

As an arcane spell it would imply the spell penalty is equal to the gain (15 as arcane). A zero cost spell or cantrip sounds wrong here. Next let’s look at it as a blast spell. 

Take damage healed: 1d6+1 curing (33), same roll as healing roll x1, max 1D x0.1, one creature x1, touch x0.4, instant x1, no save x1, arcane x1, total cost 1.32.

This gives a near negligible reduction to the base spell. So let’s take an average, (1.3+15)/2 = 8.8. That’s a little higher than a half, so for simplicity let’s just make it a half. This give us our multiplier and alows me to make a new spell. I really like how this one came out.

Transfer life force 

Arcane 1

Range: touch

Duration: instantaneous 

This dangerous spell takes some of the caster's life force and transfers it to the recipient causing a burst of healing. The caster lays their hands on the injured creature and heals 1d6+1 points of damage with the caster taking as much damage as is healed. If using the hit point rules from heroic fantasy the recipient receives one day of healing at its BHR while the caster loses health based on one day of BHR. This spell may also be used to cure paralysis, transferring this state to the caster, but does not then cure or cause any points of damage. The spell will never increase a creature’s hit points beyond the normal amount but can reduce the caster's hit point below zero.

Transfer life force (1): healing, 1d6+1 curing (10), damages caster equal to amount healed (x0.5), target 1 creature (x1), attack throw required (x1), range 0' (x1), duration instantaneous (x1), arcane (x1.5), beneficial effect (x1), total cost 10.

Mind meld

Now I have a gauge on transfer health, I can build something resembling the mind meld power. I must admit though when running visitors I simplify this power to just giving groups of visitors pooled hit points, to make bookkeeping easier. The power wasn’t designed as a spell or character power so I'm trying to shoe horn it into something resembling the ability.

It’s key features are:

• Once per day.
• Group - 8 maximum.
• 60’ range
• Pool and redistribute health.

So the first problem with this as a spell is eight creatures, no such multiplier exists. Enchant has 3d6 for x5, it seems over cost (x1.1 for x1). Eight is half the levels in the game, a big bonus early on… let’s go with x5 though.

It’s only a benefit to those with the power, a severe limitation. I would say less than half utility, settling on a third. It also can only benefit once per day, which it in the healing cantrip.

Let’s build it at the lowest level first, a 10 point heal. 

Mind-meld minimum (1): healing, 1d6+1 curing (10), transfers health and damages participants equal to amount healed (x0.5), target 8 creatures (x5), all creatures must be able to cast mind-meld (0.33), no attack throw required (x1.4), range 60' (x1.3), duration instantaneous (x1), spell can only be cast on each target once per day (×0.33), arcane (x1.5), beneficial effect (x1), total cost 7.4.

Given the monster power lacks limits on transfers I need to amp this up a little, up to cure serious wounds and settling on a level 3 spell. In the end I’m not sure I would put this in a spell list, maybe just keep it as a racial power benchmarked as a spell.

Mind meld

Arcane 3

Range: 60’

Duration: instantaneous
This power allows a group of eight psionically active creatures that all possess this ability or spell to transfer health between them. The effect is psionic and does not require physical contact. Creatures in the meld may transfer health to each other, either taking damage in exchange or receiving healing. All participants must be willing to receive healing or take damage. Each creature in the meld may only receive or take up to 2d6 plus 1 point per level of the initiator as points of healing or damage. If using the hit point rules from heroic fantasy the recipient may receive four days of healing or damage at its BHR. The spell will never increase a creature’s hit points beyond the normal amount but can reduce a participants hit point below zero.

Mind-meld (3): healing, 2d6+level curing (40), transfers health and damages participants equal to amount healed (x0.5), target 8 creatures (x5), all creatures must be able to cast mind-meld (0.33), no attack throw required (x1.4), range 60' (x1.3), duration instantaneous (x1), spell can only be cast on each target once per day (×0.33), arcane (x1.5), beneficial effect (x1), total cost 29.7.

Visitor Territories

When the word ship fell from the sky it was full of visitors, with a population well over a million aliens. Many fled, using saucers to flee the stricken vessel and eventually landing or crashing on the planet below. Many died, either in sections with failing inertial dampers or through starvation and conflict that continued after the impact. The lucky ones were either in the front of the ship or endured hardship to make it there.

But all was not safe, the admiralty took charge of the main control systems and flight decks forming the Admiralty Control Zone. Drawing on the hierarchical nature of their culture they used the emergency to rule with an iron fist, creating a divide in their people. Terran aggression to the south resulted in a bitter and drawn out conflict, eventually seeing them losing control of the port thruster control reactors. To the starboard, the lower-class technicians, sick of the admiralties missteps and inefficiencies succeeded from the admiralty to form the Technocracy. To this day the Technocracy maintains control of the starboard reactor control systems. These two states are technically allies, but a simmering distrust remains to this day.

The Admiralty control zone

Formed after the impact, this empire of visitors controls the original forward control systems of the worldship. Culturally they are hierarchical and classist in nature. Social status is based on their egg mother and passes from mother to daughter with little room for social mobility. A powerful guild of telepaths maintains order and control through their territory.

Koucrilita

The capital of the Admiralty control zone. This city is situated in the open spaces around the core with towering spires of crystal and metal. It is said that a temple guards the entrance to the core where priestesses guard ancient secrets and the key source of the visitors' power.

The Throat

An ancient mainline passage that once opened to the front of the vessel but is now full of earth from swallowing up surface matter and rock during the impact. This mile wide passage was lined with tractor beams like the teeth of a shark designed to pull objects from the outside in. Its reality filters were the strongest in the vessel, outside those seen around the core.

The Core

The core is only accessible from the grand temple in Koucrilita. It forms a sphere with solid and unbreachable metal rumoured to be a mile thick. From within the etheric emanations of reality filters distort arcane magic cast within proximity to its skin. What lies within is a mystery, some say it is the ultimate source of the visitor's energy crystals, explaining why they are still able to operate their extensive machinery, though in what appears to be a rationed form.

Demographics of the ACZ

The control zone consists 71 six-mile hexes (excluding the core) that uses technology to its fullest. Using a population density of 90 people per square mile to reflect this gives us an average population per hex of 550 families, for a population of 39,050 families. This places it firmly in the size of a traditional ACKs dutchy. Being highly urbanised I shift the urban population down two on city placement giving around a 40% urban population of 15,620 urban population. That gives Koucrilita a population of 3,124 families (20% of urban) making it a city with a market class of III. That's even assuming the players could visit there surrounded by telepaths it would be an impressive feat to pull off...

The Technocracy

This separate visitor power formed during the initial wars with what became the Terran Enclave. Left to fend for themselves, while the admiralty threw their people at the terrans to little avail, the technicians and knowledge masters of the lesser prole class rose up to form their own separate union. Their focus has been on restoring the various hab-zones found within their territory, this has not been easy as invisible alien assailants have worked against them since the early days of the impact and they must maintain a constant vigilance against this threat.

Yilo

Lacking the large energy crystal reserves of the Admiralty, the city of Yilo is less impressive than Koucrilita but nonetheless it is an alien place. Formed along energy conduits and reinforced structural beams, it has the appearance of fungus growing on the bones of the old ship. The knowledge masters of this city focus on the secrets of the energy crystals and are examining alternative fuel sources to power their extensive robot proxy network.

Thruster control

Similar to the port side control system found within the Terran Enclave, this was originally both a reactor and energy conduit junction for the thruster pylons that were ripped off during the impact. They left behind old power systems that are the essential edge of the empire to this day, though they are unable to create energy crystals using these systems they can still power their cities with them.

Demographics of the Technocracy

The Technocracy consists 31 six-mile hexes (excluding the thruster control) that uses technology extensively, though it is not as populated as its neighbooring realm. Using a population density of 50 people per square mile gives us an average population per hex 300 families, for a population of 9,300 families. This places it as barely a dutchy in ACKS terms, closer to a County. Being highly urbanised I shift the urban population down two on city placement giving around a 40% urban population of 3,720 urban population. That gives Koucrilita a population of 744 families (20% of urban) making it a large town with a market class of IV. Humans would never be welcome here, but nephil traders from the Boarder Kingdoms would be regular attendants to their markets.

Traveling through visitor territory

The visitors don’t like intruders into their territories. While they consider the whole worldship to be their territory ultimately the main political zones form their core controlled territory. Not only do any characters venturing within these zones need to deal with patrols but also the psionic screening network and technological sensors. This network has three levels of awareness regarding the party of characters travelling through their territory starting at unaware through to suspected and alerted. As the characters encounter patrols their alert status rises bringing the attention of the security network upon them. The alert status is relative to the players group themselves, even if they split up.

Any encounter with visitors or visitor controlled units increases this rating by one level if the players are detected. Other encounters that result in a combat encounter raise the level by one due to psionic emissions caused by the stresses of combat. A full week is required to pass without tripping an alert to lower the level by one.

This status has several effects on the character's travels as the visitors use their telepathic and technological web to cut off pathways and direct the characters towards their forces. In travelling through the worldship the concept of walkways, subways and mainlines was discussed. Where the group is suspected they cannot travel to new walkways, and known walkway paths must roll for crossing test failure to pass. Failure on this test at any point along the path results in that pathway being rendered unusable from that point on. Where the characters are at alerted status they cannot travel to new subways, with known subway paths being potentially blocked as above. Mainline travel remains available regardless of alert level.

The following visitor zone wilderness encounter table replaces the general table when inside visitor territory. Encounters are rolled using the traverse summary table from travelling through the worldship (1d20, +5 for subway, +10 for mainline). Encounters within are either linked to the visitors or relate to giant insects and vermin beyond their control. Absent are the plant based monsters, fantastic creatures and dinosaurs present in other areas of the Worldship. This is due to the regular patrols and maintenance within these zones. Note that encounters with visitors are of such numbers that they should be played as villages or cities due to the numbers present (Consider increasing the lair roll here to 60%).

Visitor zone encounter table

Roll	Encounter	Lair	Encountered	Book
1	Scout drone	None	1d3	BCK
2	Giant centipede	10%	2d12	ACK
3	Fire beetle	40%	2d6	ACK
4	Spider, crab	70%	1d4	ACK
5	Bee, giant killer	35%	5d6	ACK
6	Stirge, lesser (HD 1d4)	40%	3d12	Blog
7	Giant cockroach	30%	4d6	BCK
8	Beetle, bombardier	40%	2d6	ACK
9	Fly, giant carnivorous	35%	2d6	ACK
10	Darkmantle	80%	1d6+1 / 1d3x1d6+1	BCK
11	Giant black widow	90%	1d3	ACK
12	Tiger beetle	40%	2d4	ACK
13	Doppelgänger *	20%	1d6	ACK
14	Security bot	None	1d6	Blog
15	Rhagodessa, Giant	35%	1d6	ACK
16	Balroach	50%	1d3	BCK
17	Ant, giant	10%	4d6	ACK
18	Visitor (Outpost/Platoon or Colony)	30%**	4d6x2d4 / 1d8x4d6x2d4	BCK
19	Flying saucer, scout	None	1d6	BCK
20	NPC Party *	None	Varies	ACK
21	Visitor soldier	30%	1d6x2d4 / 2d3x1d6x2d4	BCK
22	Battle Drone	None	2d6	Blog
23	Wasp, giant parasitic	20%	1d6	BCK
24	Visitor Elites	None	2d4+2	Blog
25	Warbot	None	2d8	BCK
26	Shojon * (roll 1d6; 1 to 3 - Kagion-jin, 4 to 6 - Madion-jin)	25%/35%	2d8/4d8	Blog
27	Reticuloid combat walker	None	2d6	Blog
28	Baku	10%	1d4+1	Blog
29	Flying Saucer, Abductor	None	1d2	BCK
30	Flying Saucer, Battleship	None	1	BCK

* Under the mental influence of the visitors

** Double lair roll to 60% at judges discretion