#etherclaws

[dragon-above]

Etherclaws

Etherclaws are another conversion of an old, old creation of mine. I originally made the eitherclaws for 3.5e, drawing inspiration from other eusocial parasitic organisms like the xenomorph from Alien or the Flood from Halo. Now they return in 5e ready to burst from Khyber and bring all of Eberron under its psionic domain!

3.5 version - [drone], [warrior], [clairvoyant] 4e version Homebrewery link for a PDF

[fundinmental]

Join us for this tour from August 2 to August 22, 2022! Book Details: Book Title: CHILD OF ETHERCLAW by Matty Roberts Category:  Young Adult Fiction (13-18+),  …

[valerieullmerromanceauthor]

Child of Etherclaw by Matty Roberts

Child of Etherclaw by Matty Roberts

Child of Etherclaw Matty Roberts Publication date: August 2nd 2022 Genres: Dystopian, Science Fiction, Young Adult The bonds of family go well beyond blood. But can those bonds hold when the blood itself carries a devastating secret? Fenlee’s opal necklace had always radiated a certain warmth since her mother’s death. But now, at sixteen, her world begins to unravel as the stone sparks to life,…

[dragon-above]

Etherclaws

The Etherclaw Hive Mind is a vast network of psionic potential that flows throughout Khyber, from the bowels of the Labyrinth to the enclaves of the Umbragen. Colonies of these creatures can be found across Eberron, concentrated into large groups in small, critical locations. A strike from an etherclaw colony is fast, efficient and lethal to those that oppose them. On top of all this, the psionic hive mind allows the attacks to be precisely timed and well planned. Current rumours among the creatures of Khyber whisper that the etherclaws are congregating beneath the Mournland, drawn to its unnatural power as if they recognise it. Etherclaw colonies consist of a number of distinct castes, with the drones, warriors and clairvoyants being documented in Khorvaire’s archives. The clairvoyants lead the etherclaws in their elusive quests, while the drones and warriors fight. Beyond these few facts, almost nothing is known of these creatures, their appearances tend not to leave survivors. The etherclaws originated on Daanvi, their caste system a remnant of their ant-like progenitors, the formians. When Daanvi became coterminous with Eberron centuries ago, a small group of formians attempted to expand their colony into the material plane. However, as they crossed over from the Perfect Order, a backlash of magical energy, the cause of which is still a mystery even to the etherclaws, hurled the creatures through the dark space between the worlds. Within the barren tunnels of Khyber's Shadowfell, the formians waited for their chance to return, but the twin energies of madness and death twisted the outsiders to become the abominations they are today.

Etherclaw Drones

Many of the other formian castes quickly died out, and with no queen to regenerate the colony doom would come quickly. However, over time the strange magic at work caused the worker caste to degenerate into the Etherclaw drones, mindless relics of the formian kind with the ability to seed other living creatures. When the Etherclaws were finally able to cross over to the material plane, the drones spread their curse to the living creatures they found, thereby creating the warrior caste.

Etherclaw Drone Tactics Etherclaw drones swarm their prey in large numbers, often moving around the front lines to target the less armoured enemies. Once a creature is infected they move on to the next in line.

Etherclaw Warriors

When the Etherclaws left the Shadowfell and came to Eberron, they found a new way to expand and strengthen their numbers. By implanting their cursed seed in the bodies of the living creatures of the land, the drones created the warrior caste. The warrior etherclaws are fast, strong and psionically aware, making them extremely dangerous combatants. Upon transformation, an etherclaw warrior is a hideous sight to behold. Chitin plates grow on the infected creature’s skin, and ethereal tendrils rise from the creature’s back. Hands are replaced by long claws with knife-like fingers, eyes become wide, black orbs, teeth become long and serrated and all body hair falls out. The mind of an etherclaw warrior is an unusual composite of etherclaw and the afflicted creature. The etherclaw curse keeps the mind intact, allowing the warrior to draw upon the memories and experiences of the body it inhabits. For the afflicted creature, the pain of playing host to the invading etherclaw presence is constant suffering, a fate worse than death.

Etherclaw Warrior Tactics Etherclaw warriors are capable of complex battlefield tactics, directed by the hive mind. They often begin by surrounding heavily armoured foes in groups, luring their enemies into a false sense of security, then teleporting at once to surround any who would hide behind the front lines. 

Etherclaw Clairvoyants

The formian queen that followed the expansionists away from Daanvi became fatally cursed by the crossover to the Shadowfell. Before she withered and died, preventing the colony from expanding, she birthed a small number of hideously mutated eggs. The eggs lay dormant for many years, and only as the other formians began to be changed by the unusual magic of the region did they hatch. The creatures that emerged from the aberrant shells were the etherclaw clairvoyants, powerful monstrosities that would lead the surviving formians to power. The clairvoyants are few in number, but their power is unrivalled. When the clairvoyants reached maturity and the etherclaws crossed over to the world, they split the etherclaws among themselves and set off across Khyber. Using the psionic powers granted to them, the clairvoyants immersed themselves in a perpetual hive mind, so that even as they split physically they would remain as one mentally. The motivations of the clairvoyants range from lust for power to pining for the homeland. Some of the clairvoyants urge their drones and warriors to the surface world to conquer the Dragon Between and perhaps learn the magical secrets that changed them. Others harass the Daelkyr and the fiends deep in Khyber. One clairvoyant has found that warriors born of the Umbragen and their purer form of shadow are particularly potent.

Etherclaw Clairvoyant Tactics A clairvoyant's aim is to bring its foes as close to it as possible, to weaken their defenses under the power of the hive mind, without them being able to attack. To achieve this, it uses hostile jaunt to teleport its enemies next to it, then targets the more dangerous at close range with fate link and visions of doom. If a clairvoyant finds itself in an disadvantageous position, it uses hostile jaunt to teleport adjacent enemies out of reach before moving.

Etherclaw Lore A character knows the following information with a successful Arcana check. DC 20: Etherclaws are a twisted, psionic race which spreads its curse through the bite of their drones. DC 25: There are three casts of etherclaw: the drones who are little more than curse carriers; the warriors born of the ether curse, psionically powerful and able to steal the strength of their foes; and the clairvoyants, their elusive leaders. DC 30: Etherclaw clairvoyants hold power over destiny and the future, and can even show an enemy a glimpse of their death. It is said the clairvoyants hatched from the eggs of a cursed formian queen, twisted by an expedition into Khyber's Shadowfell. The drones, too, are changed formian workers.

Encounter Groups

Etherclaws never work with other creatures, instead they kill and transform all them come across, expanding their colony throughout Khyber's dark tunnels.

Level 14 Encounter (XP 5,000)

3 etherclaw warriors (level 14 brute)

8 etherclaw drones (level 14 minion)

Level 18 Encounter (XP 10,000)

1 etherclaw clairvoyant (level 17 solo controller)

2 etherclaw warriors (level 14 brute)

Level 19 Encounter (XP 12,000)

1 etherclaw clairvoyant (level 17 solo controller)

2 etherclaw warriors (level 14 brute)

8 etherclaw drones (level 14 minion)

[splashes-of-joy]

CHILD OF ETHERCLAW by Matty Roberts

Join us for this tour from August 2to August 22, 2022! Book Details: ​Book Title: CHILD OF ETHERCLAW by Matty Roberts Category:  Young Adult Fiction (13-18+),  348 pages Genre: Sci-Fi/Dystopian Publisher:  Twilight Fox LLC Release date:  August 2, 2022 Formats Available for Review: print (softback) (USA and Canada) and ebook (EPUB and PDF) Tour dates: August 2 to August 22, 2022 Content Rating: …

[dragon-above]

Etherclaw Clairvoyant

Etherclaw Clairvoyant Huge Outsider (Extraplanar) Hit Dice: 17d8+119 (195 hp) Initiative: -1 (-1 Dex) Speed: 10 ft. (2 squares) Armour Class: 22 (-2 size, -1 Dex, +15 natural), touch 7, flat-footed 22 Base Attack/Grapple: +17/+35 Attack: Bite +25 melee (2d6+10) Full Attack: Bite +25 melee (2d6+10) and 4 claws +20 melee (1d8+5) Space/Reach: 15 ft./15 ft. Special Attacks: Psionics, visions of doom, hostile jaunt Special Qualities: DDamage reduction 10/cyrite, darkvision 60ft., immunity to poison, light aversion, ethereal reflex, power resistance 27, outsider traits Saves: Fort +17, Ref +9, Will +13 Abilities: Str 30, Dex 8, Con 24, Int 19, Wis 16, Cha 21 Skills: Concentration +27, Diplomacy +25, Intimidate +25, Knowledge (arcana) +24, Knowledge (dungeoneering) +24, Knowledge (history) +24, Knowledge (psionics) +24, Knowledge (the planes) +24, Listen +23, Psicraft +24, Spellcraft +24, Spot +23 Feats: Power Attack, Cleave, Combat Manifestation, Quicken Power, Psionic Fist, Greater Psionic Fist ========================================= Environment: Undeground Organization: Colony (1 clairvoyant plus 10-50 warriors plus 50-200 drones) Challenge Rating: 18 Treasure: Double standard Alignment: Usually lawful evil Advancement: 18-34 HD (Huge); 35-51 HD (Gargantuan) Level Adjustment: -

The enormous creature before you resembles a 16 foot tall ant, its torso raised upright its forearms ending in many fingered hands. Great chitin spines jut sideways and up to over 20 feet from its body, more than doubling its effective height and framing it in a regal pattern marking its leadership. Ethereal tendrils arc between these spines, sparking like electricity. The creature’s rear is bulbous and ungainly, making its movement slow, but focused and determined. The formian queen that followed the expansionists away from Daanvi became fatally cursed by the crossover to the Ethereal Plane. Before she withered and died, preventing the colony from expanding throughout the ethereal landscapes, she birthed a small number of hideously mutated eggs. The eggs lay dormant for many years, and only as the other formians began to be changed by the unusual magic of the region did they hatch. The creatures that emerged from the aberrant shells were the etherclaw clairvoyants, powerful monstrosities that would lead the surviving formians to power. The clairvoyants are few in number, but their power is unrivalled. When the clairvoyants reached maturity and the etherclaws crossed over to the Material Plane, they split the etherclaws among themselves and set off across Khyber. Using the psionic powers granted to them, the clairvoyants immersed themselves in a perpetual hive mind, so that even as they split physically they would remain as one mentally. The motivations of the clairvoyants range from lust for power to pining for the homeland. Some of the clairvoyants urge their drones and warriors to the surface world to conquer the Dragon Between and perhaps learn the magical secrets that changed them. Others harass the Daelkyr and the fiends deep in Khyber. One clairvoyant has found that warriors born of the Umbragen, a merger of shadow and ethereal, are particularly potent. Combat A clairvoyant will rarely attack without hordes of warriors and drones at its heels, and as powerful manifesters, they use their psionic powers before engaging in close combat personally. If it suspects it might lose a battle, a clairvoyant will shift its opponents to the Ethereal Plane and make preparations before their return. Hive Mind (Su): By sharing its senses and experiences across a hive mind, an etherclaw clairvoyant can never be flanked or caught flat-footed as long as another etherclaw of any caste within 100ft is aware of the danger. Other etherclaws within 100ft of the clairvoyant receive the benefit of the hive mind too. Light Aversion (Ex): Etherclaws have an aversion to sunlight, and will avoid bright sources of light and flee from natural sunlight. Natural sunlight or a daylight spell negates the clairvoyant’s ethereal reflex ability and prevents it using the hostile jaunt ability. Ethereal Reflex (Su): Etherclaw clairvoyants have an unusual connection to the ethereal plane. As a reflex, a clairvoyant reduces damage by shifting a small portion of itself to the ethereal plane when hit. As an immediate action, a clairvoyant can make a Reflex save (DC equal to damage taken) to reduce any damage taken to half. If the damage would affect creatures on the ethereal plane (a ghost touch weapon, for example), this ability has no effect. Hostile Jaunt (Su): Once per day as a full round action, Etherclaw clairvoyants can focus their power through their spines and release a blast of ethereal energy that shifts its chosen foes to the Ethereal Plane. This ability affects up to one creature per Hit Dice of the clairvoyant, to a maximum range of 50ft. Affected creatures must succeed on a DC 23 Fortitude save or shift to the Ethereal Plane as if the target of the ethereal jaunt spell, with a duration of 2d4 rounds. The save DC is Charisma-based. Visions of Doom (Su): The greatest of the etherclaws possesses the ability to draw visions from the future to infect the minds of its targets. These hostile images often reveal secrets of the target’s own death, though from time to time the visions are of other events entirely. An etherclaw clairvoyant can use this ability once per day as a standard action. The target, which must be within 100ft of the clairvoyant, must succeed on a DC 23 Will save or take 2d6 points of Wisdom drain and become stunned for 2d4 minutes. A success halves the Wisdom damage, and negates the stunned condition. The save DC is Charisma-based. This is a mind-affecting ability. When the effects of this ability end, the target buries all memory of its death and locks it away so that it can never recall its ultimate fate. Psionics: An etherclaw clairvoyant can manifest powers as a 15th level psionic (seer). The save DCs are Intelligence-based. Typical Psion Powers Known (power points 225, save DC 14 + power level): 1st – destiny dissonance, detect psionics, force screen, precognition; 2nd – clairvoyant sense, inflict pain, object reading, sensitivity to psychic impressions; 3rd – body adjustment, escape detection, fate link, telekinetic thrust; 4th – death urge, empathic feedback, power leech, remote viewing; 5th – catapsi, clairtangent hand, second chance, psychic crush; 6th – greater precognition, psionic contingency, psionic disintegrate; 7th – energy wave, fate of one, insanity; 8th – hypercognition.

[dragon-above]

Etherclaw Warrior

Etherclaw Warrior Large Outsider (Native) Hit Dice: 4d8+19 (37 hp) Initiative: +1 (+1 Dex) Speed: 50 ft. (10 squares) Armour Class: 19 (–1 size, +1 Dex, +9 natural), touch 10, flat-footed 18 Base Attack/Grapple: +3/+15 Attack: Claw +10 melee (1d8+9) Full Attack: 2 claws +10 melee (1d8+8) and bite +5 melee (1d8+4) Space/Reach: 10 ft./10 ft. Special Attacks: Ethereal jaunt, psi-like abilities Special Qualities: Darkvision 90 ft., damage reduction 5/cyrite, low-light vision, hive mind, immunity to poison, light aversion, remnant consciousness Saves: Fort +8, Ref +2, Will +1 Abilities: Str 27, Dex 12, Con 19, Int 6, Wis 10, Cha 11 Skills: Climb +8, Jump +16, Listen +2, Spot +2 Feats: Toughness, Weapon Focus (greatclub) ========================================= Environment: Undeground Organization: Solitary, pair, brood (3–8) Challenge Rating: 6 Treasure: Standard Alignment: Usually chaotic evil Advancement: By character class Level Adjustment: -

Before you stands an abomination that resembles the hulking form of an ogre. Its hairless body is covered in chitin plates, and its hands are claws with long, knife-like fingers. Ethereal tendrils writhe on its back, and its vacant expression is made all the more unsettling with wide, deep black eyes. When the Etherclaws left the ethereal plane and came to Eberron, they found a new way to expand and strengthen their numbers. By implanting their cursed seed in the bodies of the living creatures of the land, the drones created the warrior caste. The warrior etherclaws are fast, strong and psionically aware, making them extremely dangerous combatants. The warrior caste outranks the mindless drones, but still takes orders from the more powerful and elusive caste known as the clairvoyants. Ultimately, the clairvoyants see drones and warrior as tools to be used for their own malign purposes. Upon transformation, an etherclaw warrior is a hideous sight to behold. Chitin plates grow on the infected creature’s skin, and ethereal tendrils rise from the creature’s back. Hands are replaced by long claws with knife-like fingers, eyes become wide, black orbs, teeth become long and serrated and all body hair falls out. The mind of an etherclaw warrior is an unusual composite of etherclaw and the afflicted creature. The etherclaw curse keeps the mind intact, allowing the warrior to draw upon the memories and experiences of the body it inhabits. For the afflicted creature, the pain of playing host to the invading etherclaw presence is constant suffering, a fate worse than death. The etherclaw warrior curse can be reversed using a wish spell or by having the etherclaw presence exorcised. Due to the complex way in which the etherclaw presence merges with the host's mind, the exorcism takes 1 hour to complete. On completion, the etherclaw presence is destroyed, and the host returns to its original form (though hair must grow back naturally) over a period of 1d4 hours. The above etherclaw warrior was created from an ogre. Combat Etherclaw warriors are mobile fighters, and rarely stay in one place for more than a round or two. They make frequent use of their ethereal jaunt and psi-like abilities to catch creatures off guard, and fight briefly before retreating and repeating the manoeuvre. Ethereal Jaunt (Su): An etherclaw warrior can shift from the Ethereal Plane to the Material plane as a free action, and from the Material Plane to the Ethereal Plane as a move action. The warrior can remain on the Ethereal Plane for 4 rounds each day, and the duration can be split between multiple jaunts. The ability is otherwise identical to the ethereal jaunt spell. Hive Mind (Su): By sharing its senses and experiences across a hive mind, an etherclaw warrior can never be flanked or caught flat-footed as long as another etherclaw of any caste within 50ft is aware of the danger. Light Aversion (Ex): Etherclaws have an aversion to sunlight, and will avoid bright sources of light and flee from natural sunlight. Natural sunlight or a daylight spell prevents warriors using the ethereal jaunt ability. Remnant Consciousness (Ex): The remnants of the afflicted creature’s consciousness make etherclaw warriors’ minds difficult to target, granting them a +4 bonus to saves against mind-affecting effects. Psi-like Abilities: 1/day – burst, destiny dissonance, psionic lion’s charge, painful strike. Manifest level 4th. The save DCs are Charisma-based. Creating an Etherclaw Warrior “Etherclaw warrior” is an aquired template that can be added to any giant, humanoid or monstrous humanoid with an Intelligence score of 4 or more and of at least small size (hereafter referred to as the base creature). An etherclaw warrior uses all the base creature’s statistics and special abilities except as noted here. Size and Type: The creature’s type changes to outsider. Do not recalculate Hit Dice, base attack bonus or saves. Size is unchanged. Etherclaw warriors are native outsiders. Speed: An etherclaw warrior’s base land speed increases by +10ft. Armor Class: Natural armour improves by +4 (this stacks with any natural armor bonus the base creature has). Attack: An etherclaw warrior has two claw attacks and a bite attack, and the claws are the primary natural weapon. Full Attack: An etherclaw with more than two arms still gains (or augments) only 2 claw attacks. If armed with a weapon, it usually uses the weapon as its primary attack and its bite and claws as natural secondary attacks. Damage: Etherclaw warriors have bite and claw attacks. If the base creature does not have these attack forms, use the damage values in the table below. Otherwise, increase the damage of the claw attacks by one size or use the value in the table, whichever is greater. For the bite attack, use the base creature’s damage value, or that given in the table, whichever is greater.

Size Bite and Claw Damage Small 1d4 Medium 1d6 Large 1d8 Huge 2d6 Gargantuan 2d8 Colossal 4d6

Special Attacks: An etherclaw warrior retains all the special attack of the base creature, and gains the following special attacks: Ethereal Jaunt (Su): An etherclaw warrior can shift from the Ethereal Plane to the Material plane as a free action, and from the Material Plane to the Ethereal Plane as a move action. The warrior can remain on the Ethereal Plane for one round per Hit Dice each day, and the duration can be split between multiple jaunts. The ability is otherwise identical to the ethereal jaunt spell. Psi-like Abilities (Sp): An etherclaw warrior with a Charisma score of 8 or higher possesses the psi-like abilities presented below, depending on its Hit Dice. The abilities are cumulative. Unless otherwise noted, the abilities are useable once per day. Manifester level is equal to the creature’s HD. The save DCs are Charisma-based.

HD Abilities 1-2 Burst, Destiny Dissonance 3-4 Psionic Lion’s Charge, Painful Strike 5-6 Strength of My Enemy, Wall Walker 7-8 Empathic Feedback, Hostile Empathic Transfer 9-10 Claw of Energy, Truevenom 11-12 Psychofeedback, Power Resistance 13+ Temporal Acceleration, Reddopsi

Special Qualities: An etherclaw warrior has all the special abilities of the base creature, plus the following: -Darkvision out to 90 feet. -Immunity to poison. -Damage reduction 5/cyrite (if HD 6 or less) or 10/cyrite (if HD 7 or more) Hive Mind (Su): By sharing its senses and experiences across a hive mind, an etherclaw warrior can never be flanked or caught flat-footed as long as another etherclaw of any caste within 50ft is aware of the danger. Light Aversion (Ex): Etherclaws have an aversion to sunlight, and will avoid bright sources of light and flee from natural sunlight. Natural sunlight or a daylight spell prevents warriors using the ethereal jaunt ability. Remnant Consciousness (Ex): The remnants of the afflicted creature’s consciousness make etherclaw warriors’ minds difficult to target, granting them a +4 bonus to saves against mind-affecting effects. Abilities: Increase from the base creature as follows: Str +6, Dex +4, Con +4, Cha +4. Skills: Etherclaw warriors gain a +10 bonus on Jump checks, and are not limited by their size for vertical height. Challenge Rating: As base creature +3.

[dragon-above]

Etherclaw Drone

Etherclaw Drone Tiny Outsider (Extraplanar) Hit Dice: 2d8+2 (11 hp) Initiative: +7 (+3 Dex, +4 Improved Initiative) Speed: 30 ft. (6 squares) Armour Class: 17 (+2 size, +3 Dex, +2 natural), touch 15, flat-footed 14 Base Attack/Grapple: +2/-9 (+3 when attached) Attack: Claws +7 melee (1d4-3 plus attach) Full Attack: Claws +7 melee (1d4-3 plus attach) Space/Reach: 2-1/2 ft./0 ft. Special Attacks: Attach, cursed seed Special Qualities: Darkvision 60ft., hive mind, light aversion, outsider traits Saves: Fort +5, Ref +6, Will +3 Abilities: Str 5, Dex 17, Con 13, Int -, Wis 11, Cha 2 Skills: Jump +17 Feats: Improved Initiative (B), Weapon Finesse (B) ========================================= Environment: Undeground Organization: Swarm (5-20), or Colony (20-40) Challenge Rating: 2 Treasure: None Alignment: Always neutral Advancement: - Level Adjustment: -

The hideous creature before you stands just less than two feet tall. Its lower half is a cluster of six chitinous, knife-like legs that clatter on the ground as it skitters towards you. Its upper half is a shimmering blue, ethereal spire. The Etherclaw Hive Mind is a vast network of psionic potential that flows throughout Khyber, from the bowels of the Labyrinth to the enclaves of the Umbragen. Colonies of these creatures can be found across Eberron, concentrated into large groups in small, critical locations. A strike from an etherclaw colony is fast, efficient and lethal to those that oppose them. On top of all this, the psionic hive mind allows the attacks to be precisely timed and well planned. Current rumours among the creatures of Khyber whisper that the etherclaws are congregating beneath the Mournland, drawn to its unnatural power as if they recognise it. Etherclaw colonies consist of a number of distinct castes, with the drones, warriors and clairvoyants being documented in Khorvaire’s archives. The clairvoyants lead the etherclaws in their elusive quests, while the drones and warriors fight. Beyond these few facts, almost nothing is known of these creatures, their appearances tend not to leave survivors. The etherclaws originated on Daanvi, their caste system a remnant of their progenitors, the formians. When Daanvi became coterminous with Eberron centuries ago, a small group of formians attempted to expand their colony into the material plane. However, a backlash of magical energy, the cause of which is still a mystery even to the etherclaws, hurled the creatures into the ethereal plane as they crossed over from the Perfect Order. On the barren ethereal landscapes, the formians waited for their chance to return, but the unusual energies and environments twisted the outsiders to become the abominations they are today. Many of the other formian castes quickly died out, and with no queen to regenerate the colony doom would come quickly. However, over time the strange magic at work caused the worker caste to degenerate into the Etherclaw drones, mindless relics of the formian kind with the ability to seed other living creatures, creating more of their kind. When the Etherclaws were finally able to cross over to the material plane, the drones spread their curse to the living creatures they found, thereby creating the warrior caste. Combat Etherclaw drones are mindless combatants that swarm enemies in the hope of converting them into their own warriors or more drones. Attach (Ex): If a drone hits with its claw attack, it uses its knife edged legs to latch onto its opponent’s body. An attached drone is effectively grappling its prey. The drone loses its Dexterity bonus to AC and has an AC of 14. Drones gain a +12 bonus on grapple checks while attached (already factored into the statistics above). A drone automatically deals claw damage each round it remains attached. An attached drone can be struck with a weapon or grappled itself. To remove an attached drone through grappling, the opponent must achieve a pin against the drone. Cursed Seed (Su): A drone can seed a creature it is attached to with the etherclaw curse as a full-round action each round it is attached to a creature. An affected creature must succeed on a DC 12 Fort save or succumb to the curse. The curse comes in two forms, as specified by the drone at the time of implant. After successfully implanting a cursed seed, a drone is immediately reduced to 1 Hit Point. A creature that has been successfully infected with either curse is immune to any further cursed seeds for 24 hours. Birthing Curse – 1d4 rounds after the curse has taken hold, the affected creature’s body swells and shimmers with ethereal tendrils. On the following round, provided the creature is still alive, newly formed etherclaw drones burst from its body, dealing 1d4 points of Constitution damage per drone born. The number of etherclaws formed depends on the size of the affected creature as follows: Small - 1, Medium - 2, Large - 4, Huge - 8, Gargantuan - 16, Colossal - 32. Tiny, Diminutive and Fine creatures cannot be affected by this curse. Warrior Curse – 1d4 minutes after the curse has taken hold, the creature gains the etherclaw warrior template. Creatures not eligible for the template are immune to this curse. Hive Mind (Su): By sharing its senses and experiences across a hive mind, an etherclaw drone can never be flanked or caught flat-footed as long as another etherclaw of any caste within 50ft is aware of the danger. Light Aversion (Ex): Etherclaws have an aversion to sunlight, and will avoid bright sources of light and flee from natural sunlight. Natural sunlight or a daylight spell prevents drones using the cursed seed ability, an dispels any incubating curses. Skills: Etherclaw drones gain a +20 racial bonus to jump checks. They are not limited by their size for vertical height.