.The Memekeeper
A When the Sky Falls Preview

One of the most exciting aspects of Bruce Cordell's new When the Sky Falls involves meteorites from other worlds called engram arks. Each ark contains thousands of runelike memory engrams from the dead race, as well as a protector: the Memekeeper. If you're ready to add some meteoric magic and mosters to your campaign, here's a sneak peek from Chapter Seven: Monsters.

MEMEKEEPER
Large Construct
Hit Dice: 14d10 (77 hp)
Initiative: +0
Speed: 5 feet, fly 30 feet (perfect)
AC: 26 (-1 size, +17 natural)
Attacks: 8 telekinetic rakes +14 melee
Damage: Telekinetic rake 1d2+5
Face/Reach: 5 feet by 5 feet/20 feet
Special Attacks: Telekinetic rake, call guardian, psionics
Special Qualities: Construct traits, damage reduction 10/+2, fast healing 1, spell resistance/power resistance 20, telekinetic lift, telepathy
Saves: Fort +4, Ref +4, Will +11
Abilities: Str 20, Dex 10, Con --, Int 24, Wis 25, Cha 20
Skills: Bluff +22, Decipher Script +24, Diplomacy +22, Gather Information +22, Handle Animal +15, Hide -4, Intimidate +24, Knowledge (psionics) +24, Knowledge (arcana) +24, Knowledge (history) +24, Knowledge (the planes) +24, Ride (horse) +2, Search +24, Sense Motive +24, Spot +24

Climate/Terrain: Engram ark
Organization: Solitary
Challenge Rating: 7
Treasure: None
Alignment: Neutral
Advancement: n/a

Inside an engram ark, the cracked, half-shattered control module known as the memekeeper hovers over the Rune Sea. The entity is a strange conglomeration of glass and metal roughly 5 feet in diameter -- obviously a machine, but one that has been lifted to the heights of sentience by magic or psionics, or both. The memekeeper is surrounded by an orbiting cloud of glass and metal debris that it is able to manipulate as a form of attack against any foe within its reach.

Each memekeeper was designed to eventually reassemble the fragmented engrams of a refugee race. Unable to complete that task, the memekeeper of an engram ark watches over its lost charges, protecting them from exploitation, while at the same time hoping to affix some of them to living creatures, to enable those engrams to survive in some fashion. But a memekeeper is paranoid and touched by a dark psychic influence -- convincing one to part with its engrams is a difficult task.

Combat
A memekeeper's first defense is its telekinetic cloud of debris, which it uses like disembodied claws. It can also attempt to dominate humanoid targets, and it always sends out a call for nearby ark guardians, though those guardians rarely arrive soon enough to make a difference.

Psionics (Sp): At will -- suggestion; 1/day -- dominate person. As the effect cast (or manifested) by a 12th-level caster.

Telekinetic Rake (Su): As a physical attack, except the limbs of the memekeeper are powered by immaterial telekinetic muscles, which hold jagged shards of debris. See Attacks, Damage, and Face/Reach, above, for relevant information on each attack. A memekeeper can manipulate items weighing 10 lbs. or less in a nonlethal fashion, at its option.

Call Guardian (Su): A memekeeper can send out a call to nearby ark guardians for aid; however, typically only a single ark guardian, or lesser ark guardian, responds within 1d4 minutes.

Telekinetic Lift (Su): A memekeeper flies using its inborn telekinetic power.

Telepathy (Su): A memekeeper can speak telepathically to any creature within 150 feet that has a language.

Construct Traits: Immune to mind-influencing effects (charms, compulsions, phantasms, patterns, and morale effects), and to poison, sleep, paralysis, stunning, disease, death effects, necromantic effects, and any effect that requires a Fortitude save unless it also works on objects; cannot heal damage (though regeneration and fast healing still apply, if present); not subject to critical hits, subdual damage, ability damage, ability drain, or energy drain; not at risk of death from massive damage, but destroyed when reduced to 0 hit points or less; cannot be raised or resurrected; darkvision 60 feet.

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"The Memekeeper" ©2003 Bruce R. Cordell. All rights reserved.