Concordanach

Concordanach

The Concordanach, Outland Stalker, or more appropriately the Hinterland doppelgänger, is thought to be a cousin of the rilmani or some planar variant of the prime doppelgänger. Regardless of definitions or ancestry, the concordanach is an enigma of the Outlands, rarely seen and always causing intrigue when appearing. It is a creature that instinctively seeks to restore balance on the Outlands by infiltrating groups whose actions may cause imbalance on the Outlands.

Concordanach are bipedal and generally humanoid in appearance. Their bodies are rarely seen in their natural state, which is said to have an emaciated and fluid appearance. Some have said their skin has the appearance of scintillating, prismatic metal.

COMBAT: This creature is able to assume the form of any monster, humanoid, fiend, celestial, planar or prime creature from small to large size with a 95% accuracy. This includes alignment, attitude, thoughts, attributes, appearance and even magical abilities and magical resistance.

However, the stalker must have a sample of the victim’s blood, ichor, essence, etc. touch its skin before assuming the victim’s form. Sampling the victim’s essence usually involves direct combat when the victim is alone. A stalker initially has the abilities of a 6th-level thief. It usually attacks with its claws, and can hit and damage creatures that normally are hit only by magical or enchanted weapons. When able to assume the form and abilities of its victim, it also has (in addition to its own abilities) the full hit points, armour class, THAC0 and attack forms of its victim. It attacks to kill in the form of its victim, and will hide the body of those it has slain.

In addition to its excellent mimicry ability, the concordanach is able to reverse the resistances that its victim may have. That is, if the victim is unharmed by fire and cold, when attacking the stalker it is completely vulnerable to fire and cold. Half resistances to attack forms are unaffected. The stalker has resistances to attack forms similar to the rilmani: Acid = half; Cold = full; Electricity = none; Fire = full; Gas = half; Magic Missile = full; Poison = half.

Concordanachs can use the following abilities once per round, one at a time: know alignment, detect invisibility, ESP, darkness and silence 15′ radius. The stalker is immune to sleep and charm spells and rolls all saving throws as a 10th level fighter.

When assuming the form of a creature upsetting the Balance, or one in a group that may upset the Balance, it attempts to alter the plans or agenda that may lead to imbalance. It will do this in a sly, unobtrusive way, as not to lead the group into discovering its true identity or purpose. If this fails, the stalker simply uses its teleport 10′ radius to move as much of the group as possible to the opposite side of the Outlands, beyond the gate towns, into what is often called the Hinterlands.

This means that if a stalker infiltrates a group near the Mechanus side of the Outlands, it will teleport as many individuals as possible to the Limbo side of the Outlands. The stalker can use this ability only once per day. The teleported group materialises in a place where the possibilities of their goals are nil. It will take the group 1-4 days to reach the Outlands from the Hinterlands using either magical or physical means. The stalker disappears at this point, and will not molest the group further unless the group upsets the balance again.

HABITAT/SOCIETY: Concordanachs assume the forms of prominent and powerful creatures on the Outlands to restore the Balance, much like the rilmani. Concordanachs differ from the rilmani in that they focus on events and actions, rather than individuals and groups, that endanger the Balance. They are found near the rim of the Outlands (often called the Hinterlands), rather than near the Spire as the rilmani do. Stalkers know they are not as powerful as rilmani, and rarely attempt to kill many individuals upsetting the Balance.

Instead, they alter events and relocate groups that endanger the neutrality of the Outlands. They work independently from the rilmani, in an almost instinctual manner. Whether they ‘smell’ a potential shift in the Balance or ‘feel’ a tilt on the Outlands is not known. They seem to feed on balance, and will appear even more emaciated in their natural form when neutrality is threatened on the Outlands. Their actions will be desperate when the Balance is greatly endangered, and up to a dozen stalkers can be attracted to events upsetting the Balance.

ECOLOGY: Sages debate on whether the Outland Stalker is an exiled caste of the rilmani or the planar archetype for the prime doppleganger. Its abilities resemble a mix of both. The mercenary, and often senseless, actions of dopplegangers leads sages to believe that they are actually Outland Stalkers marooned on the prime, without a purpose. Other sages argue that the stalker acts in a very similar fashion to the cuprilach rilmani. The rilmani are silent on the subject, and have never admitted the Outland Stalkers are one of their own.

Source: Jim Barrett, art inspired by by Chris Appelhans