Xill

The xill were horrific insectoid creatures that originated from the Ethereal Plane.

Description
Xills had bright red scales, four arms, and two strong legs. They looked like a cross between a lizard and an insect.

Behavior
These alien creatures were extremely malevolent and were known for their brutality. Some xills were more animalistic and barbaric, while others appeared civilized and relied on the rule or strength. They preferred to hunt magic-bearing creatures.

Combat
Xills could magically shift themselves between the Ethereal and Material Planes. They used that ability to hunt. They would surprise their prey by jumping out of the Ethereal Plane and raking them with their claws. Without killing their prey, xill injected them with a paralytic poison in their claws. Next, they waited for the prey to become completely powerless from the poison. Once the victim was defenseless, the xill took them back to the Ethereal Plane for unknown and terrifying purposes.

The civilized xill used weapons, usually bearing two weapons, leaving the second pair of hands free to grapple and utilize the paralyzing poison.

Ecology
These creatures hailed from one of the dark and sinister demiplanes in the Ethereal Plane.

A group of civilized xills was often led by a cleric.

Xills were asexual. Their poison glands were not capable of producing a lot of venom—enough for only two injections every six hours.

Xills reproduced by laying eggs inside a creature paralyzed by their poison. An average xill reproduced twice during their life span. The newborn xill devoured their way out of the victim about 90 days after being laid. One way to save the victim from painful death was casting a remove disease spell. Once the young were birthed, they matured to adulthood within 1–4 hours.

History
The true origins of xills was unknown, although scholars linked their existence to the mysterious wizard Keraptis. He created the demiplane and the insectoids to use them as collectors of powerful artifacts, seamlessly slipping into the Material Plane to collect the item or a person and disappearing without a trace.

Appearances

 * Dungeon Hack