Bestiary VII: Arcanophage

Sketches and observations from the research journal of Lerena DeCarvis - This Arcanophage took possession of my own hat, though it seemed somewhat benign.

 

What follows is an excerpt from the field notes of thaumatological researcher Lerena DeCarvis, a renowned scholar of metamagical phenomena at the school of the Serpentine Gates in Royal Genish.

Is this creature a projection of a much larger, multidimensional entity? Perhaps. Its material form seems to be merely a feeding apparatus which it extrudes into this world to sniff out spells to eat, manifesting its form through common objects. These objects come to life, seemingly with a will of their own, sprouting odd conjugations of anatomy from the nooks and crannies between folds of inanimate matter. They can take any form they wish -- assorted fingers, toes, elbows, the feet of all sorts of creatures -- but must always have something that serves as a mouth to take in sustenance, which is the matter of magic itself. These obligate arcanophages siphon energy from all manner of magical phenomena, including spells, enchantments, even ambient magic, and can live for years on the residue left by large-scale events. They seem, however, especially drawn to active magical practitioners. It is not clear precisely why this should be the case, but my suspicion is that they are attracted to the more concentrated weaving of magic that occurs when sentient creatures manipulate the ebb and flow of magic in their vicinity. This must be a more substantial source of sustenance for these creatures to feed on.

But what prompts me to conclude that this phenomenon is part of a larger whole, rather than a creature in its own right? The magic it eats must go somewhere, and it seems to almost disappear, which suggests to me that this creature has some kind of storage or digestion that does not exist on this plane. I must consult with a colleague who specialises in interplanar phenomena in order to get to the bottom of this. 

I spoke with a local mage the day before yesterday in my search for one of these creatures. He was a hedge-wizard and local herbalist. When I broached the topic of these little-known manifestations, he grimaced and told me they were the reason he kept his spellbooks in a safe made of solid iron.

"There's one around here," he said, "that will sip the spells right from my head. Can't be too careful. I imagine it's only a matter of time before it sniffs out my spellbooks and licks the ink clean off the pages!"

 I once saw a particularly animated Arcanophage take possession of a household rug.

Hitpoints and stats: It doesn't really have a 'body'. It isn't really a 'creature' as such. The Arcanophage has as much durability as the object it currently inhabits. If that object breaks, the Arcanophage either moves to a nearby object it has previously inhabited or, if there are none, it disappears into whatever strange dimensional pocket it came from. However, it may find its way back to its feeding ground and return in 1d4 days.

For movement, its manifested feet or tentacles or fingers or other forms of appendage allow it to move normally, but not to fly (unless you think that would be fun). For ability scores, assume this feeding apparatus is a smaller part of a much larger (and more dangerous) whole. It has no need to attack physically. All it wants is to search for magic to siphon. When grappling or making Dex saves, Wis saves, etc., assume it has no bonuses. However, the Arcanophage is immune to mind-affecting abilities and spells. It is not an independent being in itself, more just a mouth for something else.

From rare encounters with these creatures, researchers have documented a number of behaviours:

Stored Magic: As the creature consumes magic, it becomes more powerful. Each level of spell it eats adds to an integer that represents this power. Call this number its Stored Magic. At the start of an encounter with one of these creatures, the GM should roll 2d6. This number represents the total spell levels that the Arcanophage currently holds. This number will fluctuate depending on what the creature does, but keep track of it in any case.

note: The Arcanophage's appetite is not infinite. If, during an encounter, the creature's Stored Magic ends up being double its starting value, it will use its Extradimensional Traveller ability to disappear, reappearing once more in 1d4 days when its appetite returns. Don't maintain the creature's Stored Magic from a previous encounter. Just roll the 2d6 again at the start. (You can also increase or reduce this die roll as you see fit -- 2d4 for an easier encounter, 2d8 for a more difficult one, etc.) 

Arcane Battery: As a reaction, the Arcanophage can use a spell-like ability similar to Counterspell. If the Arcanophage's Stored Magic is equal to or greater than the level of the spell being cast, the caster of the spell should make a Wisdom save (DC15 or something equivalent if you're not playing D&D). If the caster fails, the Arcanophage can negate the spell in the same way as Counterspell. After that, whether it is successful or not, reduce the creature's Stored Magic by the spell's level.

note: The Arcanophage will not attempt to counter cantrips, but will use these to assess which character might be best to feed on. 

This teapot was deemed not safe for use after an Arcanophage used it to siphon a 'Time Stop' spell from the Archmage Torren Ardexos.

 

Spell Eater: The Arcanophage is drawn to patterns of magic, to the crux of potentiality that these knots invoke. In other words, spells. The Arcanophage can attempt to grapple, and if successful, will siphon magic from the mind of the grappled creature. After a successful grapple, determine one of the grappled subject's prepared spells at random. If the subject fails a Wisdom save (DC15), that spell becomes unprepared, and the Arcanophage adds that spell's level to its Stored Magic. 

If the Arcanophage is able to access a spellbook of any kind (unattended by its owner), this ability will erase one random spell per hour of uninterrupted access from that spellbook permanently, no save required. 

note: The Arcanophage will prioritise creatures who have prepared spells from their spell list (it can smell them), i.e. a wizard. If there are none, the Arcanophage will go for Sorcerers and Warlocks etc., and instead of un-preparing the spell, it will make that spell uncastable until the character's next short rest.  

Enchantment Sapper: If the Arcanophage comes within melee range of any enchanted item, it can attempt to temporarily drain and suppress the item's power as an action. The Arcanophage forces the item's bearer to make a Wisdom save (DC15), and if it fails, that item becomes unenchanted for 1d4 rounds. If an enchanted item in range does not have a bearer (i.e. is unattended), the ability works without a required save. If successful, increase the Arcanophage's Stored Magic by the number of rounds (the previous 1d4).

Once a spellbook is wiped clean of magic, an Arcanophage considers it a useful abode.

Extradimensional Traveller: An Arcanophage exists temporarily inside a human-made, inanimate, unenchanted object of Small or Tiny size (a bucket, a coat, a hat, a teapot, a jewellery box). As an action, it can disappear from the object it currently inhabits and emerge from another one within sight similar to the spell Misty Step. However, it may not take objects or creatures with it, and the target of the spell must be a Small or Tiny inanimate, unenchanted object. The Arcanophage can also simply choose not to reappear, effectively retreating back to whatever planar reality it originally came from. Once an Arcanophage has inhabited a given object, it makes a connection with that object. Previous use of an object makes it easier and more likely for the creature to return in the future, allowing it to move to and from that object regardless of its current location (including other planes of existence).

note: Detect Magic can identify objects that an Arcanophage has previously inhabited, but a good sniff can do likewise (such as a DC 20 Perception or Arcana check). If such an object is broken, smashed, shattered, or otherwise ruined, it cannot return to it. 

I am not sure what this Arcanophage hoped to achieve by inhabiting this cooking pot. Perhaps it hoped mages would pour spells directly inside, as though it were a witche's cauldron?

 

In other times, in wiser places, wizards have been known to use these creatures as familiars. Their ability to consume magic can be a great boon to casters who need protection from hostile forces, and shrewd mages can strengthen them by feeding the creature spells directly from their minds. 

Perhaps it is possible to reverse the flow of magic into these creatures, too. It stands to reason that, if a creature eats something, it can also regurgitate that something. Perhaps Arcanophages are also allergic to some schools of magic  or damage types (necromancy for example, or necrotic damage), and prefer to eat more palatable spells (evocation, transmutation, radiant damage). Also, eating magic from the shadow realm, corrupted magic, or maybe even wild magic might cause the creature to throw everything it has eaten recently back up again. How that looks, though, and what kind of arcane nonsense occurs in the aftermath as it burps and belches partially digested magic back into the world, could be anything: random spells firing around, spontaneous magical effects, environmental changes, even the characters themselves changing in some cosmetic way, or strange temporal disturbances. Be creative. It's entirely up to you.

 

In any case, I hope you've found this post interesting or inspiring. As usual, you can use any of these ideas however you want. Change them, adapt them to suit. I'd love to hear if you do. Let me know what you come up with.

Peace,

O