Studying the Spaces-Between


This is an entry for Cavegirl's excellent Harry Clarke Bestiary Project. I used Labyrinth Lord as my B/X-ish reference.

Liminal Scholar

A black-and-white illustration of a floating scholar, with a sunburst and a mysterious eye in the background.
Armor Class: Unarmored
HD: 4
Move: Flies at half the normal human move rate, can teleport (see below)
Attacks: Always via spell (see below)
No. Appearing: 1
Morale: 8
Treasure: Spellbook containing Dimension Door and Portal
Alignment: Neutral

Not all immortality is intentional.

Pushing their consciousness to its absolute limit through tireless research, some scholars have their awareness slip through cracks in the planes. The body naturally follows, phasing unpredictably between the material and incorporeal, the comprehensible and the inconceivable. For some, the surging rush of perspective enlightens and illuminates; for others, the deluge of information constitutes a living hell.

The partial disconnection from material space keeps the Scholar's presence rooted to the site of their initial transcendence. They may not leave the square-mile area centered around it.

A Liminal Scholar can teleport freely within their territory. Liminal Scholars failing a Morale check will retreat into an adjacent plane--add them to the area's Encounter Table (if they are not already there). When teleporting or planeshifting, they leave behind a traversable portal that closes in fifteen seconds.

Liminal Scholars can cast Dimension Door, Fireball, Portal, and Arcane Eye.


OPTIONAL: Reaction Table (d6)
  1. Insane
  2. Apathetic
  3. Crotchety
  4. Serene
  5. Erratic
  6. Absentminded

SPELL: Portal
Level: 6
Duration: 60 seconds
Range: 120'

Opens an (up to) 8' diameter portal to a plane the caster has visited. If the caster has not visited any other planes, this spell opens a portal to a random location on an adjacent plane.


Since I'm currently running a game of Troika!, we'll include a conversion just for shits and giggles.

Liminal Scholar

Skill 9
Stamina 13
Initiative 3
Armor 0
Damage Unarmed

Mien
  1. Insane
  2. Apathetic
  3. Crotchety
  4. Serene
  5. Erratic
  6. Absentminded

Not all immortality is intentional.

Pushing their consciousness to its absolute limit through tireless research, some scholars have their awareness slip through the Spaces-Between. The body naturally follows, phasing unpredictably between the material and incorporeal, the comprehensible and the inconceivable. For some, the surging rush of perspective enlightens and illuminates; for others, the deluge of information constitutes a living hell.

Special

The partial disconnection from material space keeps the Scholar's presence rooted to the site of their initial transcendence. They may not leave the square-mile area centered around it.

A Liminal Scholar may teleport freely within their territory. If provoked to attack, Liminal Scholars will cast spells whenever possible. If they decide to retreat, Liminal Scholars will teleport to a sympathetic sphere or into the Spaces-Between. They leave a traversable portal behind them that remains open for fifteen seconds.

Liminal Scholars can cast Teleport, Breach, Fire Bolt, and Sentry.


~slothbear, 04/22/2019

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This material licensed under CC BY 4.0, per the project. Summary here.