Psionocus

A psionocus looks like a little lizard with bat wings of thin membrane over a bony frame. It has no forelegs, but its hind feet carry razor claws, and its pointed teeth deliver venom.

It avoids fighting more than one foe at a time. Given a choice it swoops down and bites; alternatively it can make diving claw attacks while in flight. The bite's venom causes a deep, restless sleep for 5d10 minutes unless the victim saves vs. poison. Each round of that sleep, 2 psionic strength points drain away, and a psionocus within 30 feet absorbs them as food. It can pass these points to its creator as the harness subconscious proficiency does.

It uses its creator's saving throws. Spells aimed at one rarely affect the other, except that the creator suffers any mind-affecting spell or psionic mind attack aimed at the psionocus. If the psionocus is destroyed, its maker loses 5d10 PSPs and must pass a system shock roll or be drained of two experience levels.

Powerful psionicists create these familiars and scouts. The maker must be at least 8th level and know the Empower science and the Cell Adjustment devotion. A gem of no less than 2,000 gp value forms the brain and a pint of the creator's blood the body, and the work requires six uninterrupted weeks. Two psionoci linked to one master fight until only one survives.

Once finished, it shares a mental link with its maker, who sees and hears everything it does and can direct it with little effort anywhere within 400 yards. If the link is cut, it falls into a coma and is easily destroyed. It shares its creator's Intelligence, temperament, habits and quirks, yet remains a separate being, and no other psionicist can take control of it.

As psychic constructs they stand outside the desert world's natural order, so the life-draining magic of its dragons does not affect them as it does living things.