Id Fiend

Imagine a gila monster built like a predator: a heavy 3- to 4-foot torso, a tapering tail up to four feet long, and a two-foot head and neck, half of it jaw. Each of four muscular legs ends in four claws, three forward and one back. The leathery hide runs tan to light brown in deserts and dark olive in forests and jungles.

The hunt begins the instant it spots prey. Its fear attack reaches 60 feet and affects as many as 15 HD of creatures, each of whom must save vs. paralyzation at -5. Higher-level victims get relief: the penalty drops by 1 per two levels past 5th (-4 at 7th, -3 at 9th). Those who fail are haunted by their worst fears for 5 rounds, adding 1 to initiative and taking -2 to attack and damage; wizards must pass an Intelligence check and priests a Wisdom check to cast.

In melee it claws twice (1-6 each) and bites (1-8). It may swap the claws for a 1-8 tail lash while still biting.

Any round, it can use an offensive psionic power instead of physical attacks, and it may keep a defense mode up alongside either, PSPs permitting. Clairsentience gives it aura sight, combat mind, danger sense and poison sense. Psychometabolism adds death field, biofeedback, double pain, flesh armor and heightened senses. Its telepathy is broad: psionic blast, mind link and tower of iron will, plus contact, mind thrust, ego whip, psionic crush, inflict pain, aversion, life detection, mind blank, mental barrier and thought shield.

Id fiends roam nearly all terrain on the desert world, from jungles along a forested ridge to the city-state heartlands around the silt sea. Knowing that fear works best in the dark, they hunt mostly at night; they lack infravision but see well in natural darkness. Mating is yearly, with one offspring per litter, and the newborn eats solid food at once and is usually left to fend for itself.

Psionic researchers use dried id fiend blood in a potion said to briefly heighten the drinker's mental powers.