Lacunal CollectorSource Alien Archive 4 pg. 66
Long before the Gap, a monastic sect on lost Golarion devoted to Casandalee known as the Created worked tirelessly to collect the living memories of other sentient beings in the service of their goddess. These monks vowed to continuously return to the mortal realm through reincarnation until they assembled a complete archive of all conscious experience. The lineage of this ancient order presumably vanished with Golarion, but after Casandalee merged with Brigh and Epoch to form Triune, a new incarnation of the sect emerged with new horizons—the vastness of space—in its sights.
A group of devout androids embarked from Absalom Station on a voyage to the far corners of the Vast, determined to chronicle and preserve the experiences of all alien species. During their centuries-long sojourn, the monks’ beliefs became twisted. Now, these former followers of Casandalee circumvent the natural reincarnation cycle in favor of artificially perpetuating their own consciousnesses. A new living prophet, Novani of the Lacunal Visage, rose to prominence in the order. Under her guidance, the reformed Lacunal disciples seek longevity through undeath, and are obsessed with “preserving” other beings by collecting their parts and forcibly extracting their memories.
Novani oversees the Lacunal disciples from her holy vessel, Eternal Remembrance, a colossal and heavily armed starship that carries hundreds of her followers as they scour systems for memories to add to their catalog.
The Lacunal disciples’ macabre practices are shocking to outsiders, leading many who hear of the order to believe its original tenets may have been perverted by a malevolent deity such as Urgathoa. Members of the order, however, see themselves as caretakers of knowledge dedicated to an incorruptible cause. Despite Lacunal devotees’ apparent indifference towards the suffering of living beings, most creatures who encounter them survive. Travelers awaken from a stupor missing cybernetic augmentations, having only a vague memory of obsessively building a constructed body at a faceless being’s request. Lacunal disciples don’t actively proselytize, though the prophet Novani always welcomes android converts to join her order’s ranks.
Upon initiation, a Lacunal pledge willingly partakes in a ritual to become undead. Before the initiate abandons their mortality, they construct a new body from scavenged organic and technological parts. The crowning glory of this second form is a secondary head that serves as a receptacle for their consciousness. Once the ritual is complete, their old head shrivels and dies as their soul transfers to the new form. Lacunal disciples carry their old heads as sacred reminders of their previous incarnations, often wearing the heads as intricate garlands around their necks. A few Lacunal apostates prioritize their own personal existence above their order’s cause and conceal one or more of their heads in remote locations to avoid true destruction.
Lacunal disciples are undead androids who typically inhabit a humanoid body shape with visible circuits, and like their living counterparts, the creatures’ individual appearances vary drastically to reflect subtle differences in design, personality, and modification. The number of heads displayed by a Lacunal disciple typically reflects the number of times they’ve thwarted destruction and continued their grim mission.Aliens in the "Lacunal Collector" FamilySource Alien Archive 4 pg. 66Lacunal Initiate CR 1 XP 400
LE Medium undead (android)
Init +1; Senses darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision;; Perception +5
DefenseHP 16
EAC 10; KAC 11
Fort +1; Ref +1; Will +6
Defensive Abilities spontaneous reincarnation Immunities undead immunities
OffenseSpeed 40 ft.
Melee battle staff +2 (1d4+2 B; critical knockdown)
Ranged subzero hail pistol +4 (1d4 C & P; critical bleed 1d4)
Offensive Abilities memory extraction (DC 12) Spells Known (CL 1st; ranged +4] 1st (3/day)—fear (DC 14), mind thrust (DC 14) 0 (at will)—daze (DC 13), telekinetic projectile (DC 13)StatisticsSTR +1; DEX +1; CON —; INT +2; WIS +4; CHA +1
Skills Engineering +10, Intimidate +5, Mysticism +10
Languages Common
Other Abilities augmented scavenger, constructed, flat affect, unliving
Gear second skin, battle staff, subzero hail pistolAR with 2 batteries (20 charges each); Augmentations standard prosthetic limbEcologyEnvironment any
Organization solitary, pair, or enclave (3-4)Special AbilitiesAugmented Scavenger (Ex) A lacunal initiate can harvest a biotech or cybernetic augmentation already installed into a willing or unconscious creature and integrate it into their own body. This process takes 10 minutes per level of the augmentation; the lacunal initiate can have one such augmentation at a time.
Memory Extraction (Su) As a standard action, a lacunal initiate can extract memories from an adjacent creature, causing the target to become fatigued unless it succeeds at a Will saving throw. Whether or not the creature succeeds at this saving throw, it can’t be affected by this ability again for 24 hours. This is a mind-affecting gaze attack.
Spontaneous Reincarnation (Su) A lacunal initiate carries a reminder of their prior incarnation in the form of a severed head. When a lacunal initiate is reduced to 0 Hit Points, instead of being destroyed, their consciousness is immediately transferred into this head. After 1d8 hours, the lacunal initiate’s body and former head awaken and can reunite to become a fully functional creature again. If all of their heads are destroyed, the lacunal initiate is also destroyed.Extra ContentThe following extra content was found for this creature:
- Lacunal (Lacunal Collector) Graft Template
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