A Contemplator is a creature from the Spelljammer campaign setting.[1]
Overview[]
Contemplators prefer to live on barren asteroids, pondering the questions of the universe. Some believe that when one discovers all the answers to all the questions, the universe will end.[1]
Description[]
A contemplator is a gray 12-feet tall humanoid, often wearing a gray toga. They are most often encountered seated in the classical thinker pose on a large stone outcropping. Consequently, unwary explorers can easily mistake them for a statue.[1]
Combat[]
A contemplator yearns for all knowledge and some have deduced that the best way to gather it is directly from the minds of other beings. To gather information, they often capture any intelligent being who lands on or comes near their asteroid.
A contemplator can create three humanoid arms out of the substance of an asteroid's surface. Each arm can extend up to 50-feet. If an arm is destroyed, the contemplator can create another after 24 hours have passed. If a contemplator is forced to defend itself, it has to rely on its own two arms, as well as the three rocky appendages extruded out of asteroid's surface.
If a contemplator manages to capture a victim with one of its three large arms, he encases the victim's body in a thin 1/4-inch thick layer of stone and drains their knowledge (along with their Intelligence) over a number of days. This process requires the contemplator's uninterrupted concentration, and if he is disturbed at any time, that particular days attempt at draining the victims knowledge is wasted, Each day, the entombed victim can attempt to escape their stone prison. However, once their Intelligence has been reduced to that of a simpleton, the contemplator will callously fling the now useless victim into space.
If a wish or similar magic is used to restore a victim's Intelligence, the knowledge drained by the contemplator will vanish from their mind. If the now-restored victim ever comes within 50 miles of the contemplator who lost the knowledge, the contemplator will immediately detect and attempt to intercept that person. A contemplator cannot tolerate knowing something and then having it taken away!
A contemplator who drains knowledge from an arcane spellcaster gains all of their memorized spells. Once a contemplator has cast the stolen spells, they are gone from his mind. A contemplator often won't scribe the spell, considering it a waste of time. A contemplator still requires access to the requisite material component to be able to cast a spell.[1]
Society[]
A contemplator spends all of its time on its barren asteroid, sifting through its acquired knowledge, searching for any clue to the origin and end of the universe. They are totally devoid of emotion, but are usually willing to negotiate for a captive's life. The price is often a quest for information, such as the answer to a particular question. The contemplator always sets a time limit on the quest and, once the deal is made, never reneges or renegotiates.
Strewn about a contemplator's asteroid are the material remains of its past conflicts. When they toss a victim into wildspace, the contemplator keeps their possessions, primarily for experimentation with newfound spells, since it still needs the material components to cast the spells successfully.[1]
Notable Contemplators[]
- In the Astromundi Cluster the deities appointed a group of contemplators as their representatives and spokesmen. These contemplators are responsible for maintaining and governing the constellations, each of which represents a particular god. The contemplators themselves reside within the flaming towers that make up the stars of the sphere.[2]
- Tlurian was a contemplator locked in stasis for decades by an illithid wizard before being released, and subsequently dying.[3]
Signature Spelljammers[]
None. A contemplator can move its asteroid through wildspace using a mysterious form of locomotion. They are usually content to drift through space, but when the need arises, they are capable of moving the asteroid at a moments notice in any direction. A contemplator is immediately aware of any changes to the surface of its asteroid, as though it were an extension of its body. This makes a stealthy approach impossible except through flight.[1]
Appendix[]
External Links[]
- Contemplator article at the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd Edition Wiki, a wiki for official Dungeons & Dragons content from 2nd edition AD&D.
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Scott Davis, MC9 Monstrous Compendium Spelljammer Appendix II, 1991, (TSR Inc.), Contemplator entry
- ↑ Sam Witt, The Astromundi Cluster: The Celestial Almanac, 1993, (TSR Inc.), Constellations section, The Almanac chapter, pages 34-36
- ↑ Sam Witt, The Astromundi Cluster: Adventures in the Shattered Sphere, 1993, (TSR Inc.), Little Lost Tradesman section, Adventure Ideas chapter, page 38