Cephaloids are a race of aberrations named for their grotesque countenance: disembodied heads writhing with tentacles. These creatures are feared for their insatiable hunger and their ability to probe the thoughts and emotions of their prey. Some believe them to be the creations of malevolent deities, intended to spread chaos and terror through the realms of mankind. Whatever their origins, cephaloids are a terrifying presence, best avoided by all who value their sanity.
Cephaloid Snacks. As part of a long rest, if you have proficiency with cook’s utensils, you can use your utensils and the cephaloid remains to create 3 (1d6) cephaloid snacks. As an action, you can eat a cephaloid snack, gaining resistance to psychic damage for the up to a minute.
Breathing Sac. You can harvest the breathing sac from a cephaloid’s remains with a successful DC 10 Wisdom (Medicine) check; a failure indicates the sac is destroyed. As an action, you can carry the sac in your mouth, allowing you to hold your breath for up to an hour, it then disintegrates.
Death from Above. Cephaloids prefer to cling to ceilings, hiding in the shadows, patiently waiting for their oblivious victims to wander below. Then they suddenly fall upon their target’s head, entangling them with tentacles and feeding on their minds.
Cephaloid
Tiny Aberration, Typically Chaotic Evil
Armor Class 12
Hit Points 12 (5d4)
Speed 30 ft., swim 30 ft.
| STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 (-2) | 14 (+2) | 10 (+0) | 7 (-2) | 10 (+0) | 12 (+1) |
Skills Perception +2, Stealth +4
Senses darkvision 30 ft., passive Perception 10
Languages –
Challenge 1/8 (25 XP)
Proficiency Bonus +2
Hold Breath. The cephaloid can hold its breath for an hour.
Spider Climb. The cephaloid can climb difficult surfaces, including upside down on ceilings, without needing to make an ability check.
Actions
Tentacles. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 4 (1d4 + 2) bludgeoning damage, and the target is grappled (escape DC 10). Until this grapple ends, the target is blinded and the cephaloid can’t use its tentacles on another target.
Mind Feed. Melee Spell Attack: +3 to hit, reach 5 ft., one creature that is grappled by the cephaloid. Hit: 5 (1d8 + 1) psychic damage and the creature must succeed on a DC 10 Intelligence saving throw or lose a random skill proficiency until finishing a long or short rest.
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