The etoile arrived on Earth in 1797, arriving in France via meteorite. It was given the name etoile, French for "star" by the monks who found it.
The agenda of the alien etoile is almost completely unknown, but the Hoffmann Institute and other Illuminati seem to believe that the creatures seek the domination of Earth and the enslavement of humanity. They are rarely seen in large groups and seem to operate on their own most of the time. However, the possibility that they have a communication network cannot be discounted.
Regardless of their agenda, the etoile have an eye for developing advanced technology, especially cybernetics and robotics. Their "sand slaves" are frequently enhanced by the addition of advanced cybertechnology and act as bodyguards and warriors for the etoile. A technical operative performs simple mechanical tasks such as repairing and installing cybergear on the orders of its higher-ranking masters.
Etoile (Smart Ordinary 3/Dedicated Ordinary 4): CR 8; Tiny Elemental (Earth); HD 7d6+7, hp 31, Mas -; Init +3, Spd 40 ft; Def 22 (+2 Dex, +3 Dex, +3 natural, +4 class); BAB +4, Grap -6; Atk 3 pincer tendrils +9 melee (1d3-2 and 1d6 electricity) or 3 tendril shocks +9 melee touch (1d6 electricity); FS/R 2.5 ft./5 ft.; SA electric shock, EMP blast, nannite infection (DC 16); SQ device operation, light field, mechanical healing, telepathy; AL etoile, classified (by campaign); SV Fort +4, Ref +5, Will +6; AP 0, Rep +3; Str 7, Dex 16, Con 12, Int 16, Wis 14, Cha 11.
Occupation: Doctor (class skills: Knowledge [earth and life sciences], Treat Injury)
Skills: Craft (electronic) +9, Craft (mechanical) +9, Computer Use +9, Disable Device +9, Hide +13, Investigate +7, Knowledge (current events) +6, Knowledge (earth and life sciences) +12, Knowledge (history) +11, Knowledge (physical sciences) +6, Knowledge (technology) +9, Listen +5, Move Silently +5, Repair +9, Sense Motive +6, Spot +5, Treat Injury +10, Tumble +6.
Feats: Cybernetic Surgery, Surgery, Xenomedic, Weapon Finesse (tendrils) (B)
Combat
Etoile avoid combat whenever possible, preferring to use their expendable sand slave minions in combat. They can defend themselves with their electric needle-sharp tendril shock attacks. Etoile have access to advanced technology, including combat robots, which they occasionally have access to.
Etoile are remarkably fast and nimble, given their small size and unusual shape; reports of their dodging bullets and out-turning motorcyles are only slight exaggerations.
Electric Shock (Ex): When an etoile hits with a melee or melee touch attack, it can choose to shock its foe for an additional 1d6 points of electricity damage.
EMP Burst/Light Field (Ex): If attacked, an etoile can spontaneously generate a strobelike EMP effect that blinds night-vision goggles, shorts out radio communications and destroys all solid-state electronics such as computers, car engines, and cell phones within 100 feet. The field, which lasts for 5 rounds, also adds a +5 deflection bonus to the etoile's Defense.
Device Operation (Ex): At will as an attack action, an etoile can turn on any machine powered by electricty with a touch, even if the device usually requires a key, a passcode, or other security bypass to activate. If the object lacks a power source, it operates for only 1 round after activation. If desired, an etoile can supply continuous power to operate an unpowered device. To do so, it must keep all three pincers in contact with the device, and it can do nothing else except move (assuming it can lift the device). A single etoile generates enough power to continuously operate a desktop computer. Multiple etoile supplying power to the same device increase the available power in direct proportion to their number; that is, doubling the number of etoile doubles the available power, tripling it triples the power, and so on.
Mechanical Healing (Ex): An etoile cannot heal normally. To regain hit points lost to damage, it must either be repaired like a mechanical device or devour the corpse of one of its own kind.
All the normal rules for healing via the Treat Injury skill can be applied to an etoile, but a Repair check rather than a Treat Injury check is required. Any creature (including an etoile) without a mechanical repair kit takes a penalty on Repair checks, just as a character lacking a first aid kit would when making Treat Injury checks.
Alternatively, an etoile can consume the body of a dead etoile to heal itself. This process requires an available etoile corpse and three full-round actions. As soon as consumption is complete, the etoile regains all lost hit points and heals all ability damage.
Nannite Infection (Ex): Through a process as yet unknown, an etoile naturally produces microscopic machines known as nannites within its body. Once per day as a free action, it can inject these nannites into a foe it has damaged with a pincer. The nannites function as a disease, attacking the host creature’s DNA and transforming its structure and psychology over time.
A creature injected with nannites must immediately make a Fortitude save (DC 10 + 1/2 the etoile’s Hit Dice + its Intelligence modifier). On a successful save, the creature’s body fights off the infection, destroying the nannites in the process.
On a failed save, the creature immediately takes 1 point of Dexterity damage and 1 point of Wisdom damage. Each day thereafter, the creature must succeed on a new Fortitude save at the same DC or take 1d3 points of Dexterity damage and 1d3 points of Wisdom damage. Two successful saving throws in a row indicate that the creature has fought off the nannite infection, but any damage already taken must heal normally. If an infected creature has an Intelligence score of at least 6 and either its Dexterity or its Wisdom score is reduced to 0 by the disease, it is transformed into a sand slave. Such a creature immediately gains the sand slave template, and all ability damage previously dealt by the disease is healed. Thereafter, the new sand slave is a servant of all etoile and can no longer be cured of the nannite infection.
Nannite infection has no visible symptoms, and many confuse its debilitating effects with drunkenness or drug use. However, microscopic study of an infected creature’s blood or high-resolution X-rays can reveal the nannites and the alterations they have created in its body structure.
A creature other than an etoile using the Treat Injury skill to treat the disease takes a –10 penalty on Treat Injury checks unless it also has at least 5 ranks in both Knowledge (technology) and Knowledge (physical sciences), or 5 ranks in Disable Device.
Etoile are immune to nannite infection.
Telepathy (Ex): Though it cannot produce sounds, an etoile can communicate its thoughts and desires to any creature within 200 feet that it can see, regardless of intervening matter such as glass. The target creature “hears” the etoile’s thoughts in whatever language it can most easily understand. However, it cannot communicate thoughts back to the etoile unless it also has telepathy. Etoile do not normally know any languages other than their own thought-speech, so they often rely on their human agents to act as interpreters.
Design Notes[]
This version of the etoile more closely resembles the original version from the original Dark Matter campaign setting. It has racial ability modifiers of Str -4, Dex +2 and Int +2.
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