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A Brain Slayer was a nefarious tentacled creature.[1][2]
Description[]
A brain slayer appeared basically as a human with an octopus-like head (complete with tentacles). A brain slayer's skin is slick with slime and mucus, and is coloured a stomach-churning purple-green.
They dressed in long flowing robes patterned with bizarre designs. To look into the eyes of a Brain Slayer, it was said, is to gaze into pure, unsullied hatred.[1]
Origins and Distribution[]
A brain slayer attacking
The origins of the abominations known as brain slayers were unknown. Certainly there were suggestive elements to the images found within the Dead City and the vague description of the Chaotic entity trapped therein which implied Brain Slayers, at least in some form, had been active in the circles of Evil for many centuries.
Brain slayers had sufficient occult knowledge to create magical portals to other dimensions; some scholars believed these brain slayer portals brought the first Dinosaurs to Titan.[3] Although they are not Demons, some brain slayers had been recorded living on the Demonic Planes, indicating they had used their portals to travel to these regions.[4]
The scholar Aspartis considered that the fact that the bonecrusher had tendrils around its mouth as main sensory organs as evidence that the bonecrushers were related to similarly tentacled brain slayer, perhaps as an associated guard or warrior race.[5] Aspartis made similar observations upon the giant mudworm.
Afterwards, however, they were mainly found deep beneath the earth, dwelling in isolated colonies far from light or life, for they detested both with unmatched intensity, and would rarely venture upwards towards the surface world. Not even a dwarf mine would usually extend deep enough to approach their dark, forbidding territories, so deep did their unholy homes lie.
Special Abilities[]
Brain slayers possessed a hypnotic gaze which would affect anyone who was unfortunate enough, causing them to become paralysed and easy prey. At this point, a brain slayer would wrap its tentacles around the heads of its victims and begin to feed on their mental energy, causing the loss of of their bearings and physical strength immediately. Fortunately, this would also break the hypnotic trance and enable the unfortunates to defend themselves.
History[]
A Brain Slayer was encountered in the realm of Shareella in the Crystal Caves in the Icefinger Mountains. This was incredibly close to the surface for such a monster, with the only possible reason being that the foul being was somehow in the service of the Snow Witch.[6]
Three Brain Slayers appeared in the city of Arion, outside Dwalwin's School of Alchemy. This happened during the time the city was under a curse placed by the god Logaan.[7]
Further Notes[]
A brain slayer amulet amongst two other amulets, all clutched by a mummified hand.
- The Brain Slayers speak and write their own language; grimoires written in the "curling tentaclelike runes of the Brain Slayer language" have sometimes been discovered by adventurers.[8]
- A "Brain Slayer Amulet", with an image of one of the creatures on it, appeared in Siege of Sardath. This amulet was created by the seer Khornu Wych, and it granted protection from magical attacks on its wearer's mind.[9]
- The Brain Slayer seems to be based on the Mind Flayer monster type from the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons franchise.
Further Information in Canon[]
More information can be found at:Source[10]
The Fighting Fantasy 10th Anniversary Yearbook
(pg105-106#*)
Out of the Pit
(Large) (paraCover*, pg23#*, pg28#, pg52-53, pg64*, pg126)
Blacksand!
(pg104#)
Caverns of the Snow Witch
(para126, para189#, para213, para309, para365*)
Siege of Sardath
(para92, para94, para143*, para151, para173, para222, para233, para235)
Warlock Issue 6
(pg8)
Notes[]
# - denotes a reference with statistics
* - denotes a picture
See Also[]
Appendix[]
Appearances[]
Adventures
Magazines
Rulebooks
- Advanced Fighting Fantasy – The Roleplaying Game (mentioned)
Sourcebooks
- Beyond the Pit (mentioned)
- Demons of Doom (mentioned)
- Encyclopedia Arcana Vol I - Treasures (mentioned)
- Magic Companion (mentioned)
- Out of the Pit
- Return to the Pit (mentioned)
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Out of the Pit - p.35/??
- ↑ "New Creatures", Blacksand! , p. 103
- ↑ Beyond the Pit , pg. 40
- ↑ Demons of Doom , pg. 80
- ↑ Beyond the Pit - p.23
- ↑ Caverns of the Snow Witch - para. 365
- ↑ "Welcome to Arion" by Calfiero Risaliti in The Warlock Returns Issue 1, (pg. 24).
- ↑ Encyclopedia Arcana Vol I - Treasures - pg. 133
- ↑ Siege of Sardath - para 94, 222, 235
- ↑ Complete list of references catalogued by FF Titan Bestiary