| Hit Dice: | 2d8+2 (11 hp) |
| Initiative: | +8 |
| Speed: | 15 ft. (3 squares), climb 5 ft. |
| Armor Class: | 18 (+2 size, +4 Dex, +2 natural), touch 16, flat-footed 14 |
| Base Attack/Grapple: | +1/+5 (+7 when attached) |
| Attack: | Tentacle +6 melee touch (1d3 and attach) |
| Full Attack: | Tentacle +6 melee touch (1d3 and attach) |
| Space/Reach: | 2½ ft./0 ft. |
| Special Attacks: | Attach, brain sap, psi-like abilities |
| Special Qualities: | — |
| Saves: | Fort +2, Ref +5, Will +4 |
| Abilities: | Str 10, Dex 18, Con 13, Int 4, Wis 13, Cha 12 |
| Skills: | Climb +11, Hide +14, Listen +1, Move Silently +8, Spot +1 |
| Feats: | Improved Initiative [bonus], Stealthy [bonus], Weapon Finesse |
| Environment: | Underground |
| Organization: | Solitary or group (2–5) |
| Challenge Rating: | 1 |
| Treasure: | None |
| Alignment: | Always lawful evil |
| Advancement: | — ♊ |
| Level Adjustment: | — |
This creature looks like a tadpole, although it is a full two feet in length. It is eyeless; its tail is a squiggling mass of four tentacles that partially obscure a lampreylike mouth.
A larval flayer’s blossoming psionic ability, combined with its inborn need to feed on gray matter, makes it a threat no creature wants to come across unaware. In the fullness of time, larval flayers grow into neothelids, but most are slain by their sundered kin: illithids. Mind flayers view the unrestrained growth of their larvae as their darkest taboo.
A larval flayer is about 2 to 2½ feet long from tip to tentacle and weighs between 30 and 50 pounds. Larger specimens exist, as those few that survive grow toward their apotheosis: neothelids.
Larval flayers communicate through rudimentary telepathy.
Larval flayers lurk in shallow underground pools or near a well-traveled tunnel. They first hide from their prey, hoping to surprise their victims, then use either psionic levitate or dimension hop to close in on their prey, or rush a creature with a burst-assisted charge attack. As Tiny creatures, larval flayers are able to use dimension hop to enter a Medium or larger creature’s square; doing so does not provoke attacks of opportunity.
A larval flayer attacks by jumping on a victim, finding a vulnerable spot, and plunging its stubby tentacles into the flesh. This is a touch attack and can target only Small or larger creatures.
Attach (Ex): If a larval flayer hits a Small or larger creature with a touch attack, it uses its four proto-tentacles to latch onto the opponent’s body (usually the head). An attached larval flayer is effectively grappling its prey. Larval flayers have a +12 racial bonus on grapple checks. An attached larval flayer can be struck with a weapon or grappled itself. To remove an attached larval flayer through grappling, the opponent must achieve a pin against the larval flayer.
Brain Sap (Ex): A larval flayer eats gray matter, dealing 1d4 points of Intelligence damage each round it remains attached. Once it has dealt 4 points of Intelligence damage, it detaches and slithers off to digest the meal. A larval flayer can reduce its victim to 0 Intelligence in this fashion, killing the victim. If its victim reaches 0 Intelligence before the larval flayer’s appetite has been sated, the larval flayer detaches and seeks a new target.
Psi-Like Abilities: 3/day—burst, psionic levitate, dimension hop (20 ft.). Manifester level 3rd.
Source: Complete Psionic, page 133.