Energon, Xag-Az

Bestiary > Energons > Xag-Az

Energon, Xag-Az

DESCRIPTION: The xag-az appears as a translucent globe with a two foot diameter, that shimmers with a silvery glow. This glow frequently shifts colours depending on the last emotion the creature consumed, and it lingers in that state for hours before returning to its pale silver default. From its surface extend a dozen delicate neuronal tentacles that search and writhe ceaselessly. Two faint spots on the upper hemisphere might suggest eyes, though the xag-az’s gaze is inscrutable. The creature makes neither sound nor scent and glides invisibly through walls and obstacles as if they were not even there.

Xag-az are manifestations of psychic energy—that strange force behind psionic powers that graybeards still don’t really understand. The other things that’s puzzling is that all the other energons come from the Inner Planes, while the xag-az seem tied to the Astral. Chant goes they aren’t a naturally occuring energon, they’re somehow newer than the others, dreamed into existence by psychic githyanki witches who encountered the elemental energons and started wondering where the force behind their mental abilities came from. As any cutter who’s spent too much time on the Outer Planes knows, if enough people expect something to exist, chances are it will… and thus the first xag-az materialised. Of course, once one exists and other folks see it, then more of ’em are sure to follow. And thus, the xag-az were imagined into existence.

PREFERRED HABITAT: Natives of the Astral Plane, xag-az drift through the layers of any planes that it touches. You can find them in the first layer of any of the Outer Planes, the Prime, or the Astral itself.

PHILOSOPHY / SOCIETY: Xag-az are solitary entities with inscrutable motives. They do not speak to outsiders, or seemingly even among themselves, and they avoid unnecessary conflict. They often pause to observe other creatures, and they tend to linger in places where psychic powers have been used. Xag-az rarely start fights, but their ablity to emanate emotions is unsettling, so many creatures consider them a threat and try to drive them off. They can be captured and controlled by psychics or occult spellcasters, and bound to a location to guard it.

ECOLOGY: Xag-az are drawn to areas of strong psychic resonance, occult rituals, and haunted locations, where they feed from the psionic flux. Their favourite food though seems to be the emotions of mortals, and they are able to syphon out the emotions of cutters with alarming efficiency.

COMBAT: Like other energons, when defeated, xag-az explode in a burst of psychic energy. Their most notable ability though is the aura of emotional manipulation they can project at will in a 30-foot emanation around themselves. Consult the table below for the effects, choosing an appropriate emotional emanation or rolling 1d20. For example, on a roll of 1-4 the xag-az emanates a sickening aura which invokes a feeling of nausea in nearby creatures. Each creature entering or starting its turn in the aura must make a Fortitude saving throw, with following effects. Critical Success Sickened condition reduces by 1, Success Sickened condition does not change, Failure Sickened condition worsens by 1, Critical Failure Sickened condition worsens by 2.

A character can use normal tactics to reduce a condition such as retching, although they can be affected again if they remain in the aura. The Frightened condition reduces by one at the end of the character’s turn. Leaving the area of emanation causes the effect to wear off at the end of the character’s turn. If the xag-az switches to a different emanation any ongoing effects end immediately. If more than one xag-az is present using different auras then characters only make saving throws once, for the closest xag-az to their position.

d20	Emanation	Saving Throw	Energy	Glow
1-4	Sickening	Fortitude	Acid	Green
5-8	Frightened	Will	Cold	Blue
9-12	Clumsifying	Reflex	Electricity	Purple
13-16	Enfeebling	Fortitude	Fire	Red
17-20	Stupifying	Will	Sonic	Yellow

The energy attack type of the xag-az changes according to the emotional emanation, and the colour they glow also changes. The energy attack is also a clue to the weakness of the xag-az—they become immune to whichever of the five energy types they are currently using, but develop a temporary Weakness 5 to all of the other four.

Xag-az can thus be quite tactical opponents. They might switch their emanation to protect themselves against a particular type of attack from a party, or choose an emanation to target a vulnerability of the party, for example seeking to Enfeeble group using melee attacks, clumsify a ranged attacker, or stupify spellslingers. The energon can spend an action to switch its emanation type up to once per round, and if it did not switch as one of its three actions, it can do it as a reaction to defend itself against attacks. They also take advantage of their incorporeal nature to hide inside solid objects when they can.

Full Statistics: [ D&D3e / PF1e | PF2e ]

Canonical Source: WotC Archive, by Mark Jindra and Scott Brocius

Source: Margarita and Jon Winter-Holt. The original version of this creature seems to be about versatility in damage types rather than a concept of psychic energy. I’ve switched it to doing mental/psychic damage by default, but allowed the creature to imagine other types of energy if it realises they could be more effective.