Monsters

Combat

Energy Drain (Su): Living creatures hit by a devourer's claw attack or spectral hand ability receive one negative level. The Fortitude save to remove the negative level has a DC of 19.

Trap Essence (Su): The devourer is named for its ability to consume an enemy's life essence. To do so, it must forgo its normal melee attacks and make a trap essence attack. This requires a normal attack roll to hit but deals no damage. The affected creature must succeed at a Fortitude save (DC 19) or die instantly. The slain creature's essence is trapped within the devourer's ribs, and the diminutive figure takes on that victim's features. The trapped essence cannot be raised or resurrected, but a limited wish, miracle, or wish spell frees it, as does destroying the devourer. A devourer can hold only one essence at a time. The trapped essence provides the devourer with enough power to use five spell-like abilities per HD or level of the trapped creature. As this energy is expended, the twisted soul fades away until it evaporates completely. The trapped essence receives one negative level for every five spell-like uses. When the number of negative levels equals the creature's total HD or level, the essence is destroyed. If an essence is freed, the restored creature must succeed at a Fortitude save (DC 17) for each negative level or lose that level permanently.

Spell-Like Abilities: At the start of any encounter, the trapped essence within a devourer is assumed to have 3d4+3 levels (enough fuel for 30 to 75 uses). Once per round, the devourer can use one of following as the spell cast by an 18th-level sorcerer (save DC 13 + spell level): confusion, control undead, ghoul touch, lesser planar ally, ray of enfeeblement, spectral hand, suggestion, and true seeing.

Undead: Immune to mind-influencing effects, poison, sleep, paralysis, stunning, and disease. Not subject to critical hits, subdual damage, ability damage, energy drain, or death from massive damage.

Spell Deflection (Su): The trapped essence provides a measure of magical protection. If any of the following spells are cast at the devourer and overcome its spell resistance, they affect the imprisoned essence instead: banishment, chaos hammer, confusion, detect thoughts, dispel evil, dominate person, emotion, fear, geas/quest, holy word, hypnosis, imprisonment, magic jar, maze, suggestion, trap the soul, or any form of charm or compulsion. In many cases, this effectively neutralizes the spell (charming a trapped essence, for example, is useless). Some of them (banishment, for example), might eliminate the trapped essence, robbing the devourer of its magical powers until it can consume another.