Esthetics were self-sufficient spacefaring creatures. They existed in a symbiotic relation with the reigar, who employed them as their homes and transportation.[1]
Description[]
No two identical esthetics existed. They were all unique, representing the personal inclinations of their individual creators. Some possessed varied degrees of bodily symmetry, while others had none. Each esthetic was occupied by a single reigar, plus a crew of helots and lakshu.[1][2] While the Arcane denied that they had any sort of connection with the reigar, those few witnesses who had actually seen a rare esthetic insisted that the craft also included Arcane as part of the crew.[3]
Esthetics had no doors or discernible entries. Passage into the organism was accomplished through membranes on its body. The reigar in control of each esthetic determined which individuals were allowed inside.[1]
Despite being extremely fast and maneuverable in wildspace, esthetics were unable to enter the phlogiston.[1]
Behavior[]
An esthetic operated like an extension of its reigar's consciousness but had a mind of its own. It moved by consciously boosting its occupant's force of will and could follow simple commands while the reigar was away. If an event altered the reigar's personality, this also affected the esthetic's behavior. This change could also manifest physically, such as an esthetic rotting away if its reigar died.[1]
Combat[]
A common combat tactic for an esthetic was to paralyze an enemy spelljammer via an ability known as the jammerscream. The attack completely prevented all spelljamming activity in the target ship and caused massive brain damage to humanoid crews. Once a ship was neutralized by the attack, the esthetic applied digestive fluids to break ts occupants down into components for it to use. Entire ships could also be dismantled by boarding parties of helots and lakshu.[1]
Ecology[]
Esthetics did not need energy to operate and did not release any sort of waste material. It was unclear whether esthetics could reproduce or be recreated in the event of death.[2]
History[]
The esthetics were developed by the reigar after centuries of experimentation. It was unclear whether they were created after the destruction of their home planet in the conflict known as the Master Stroke or if they predated the conflict and survived by staying away from it.[2] They were created to serve not only as homes, but also to reflect the reigar desire for personal expression and their artistic ideals of perfection.[1]
Appendix[]
Notes[]
- ↑ Although the creature's stat block states "any space", the text description explains that esthetics could not enter the phlogiston.
Appearances[]
- Card Games
- AD&D Trading Cards
- Novels
- The Radiant Dragon
External Links[]
Esthetic article at the Spelljammer Wiki, a wiki for the Spelljammer campaign setting.
References[]
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 Jeff Grubb (August 1990). Monstrous Compendium Spelljammer Appendix 1. Edited by Mike Breault. (TSR, Inc.), p. 19. ISBN 0-88038-871-4.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Jeff Grubb (August 1990). Monstrous Compendium Spelljammer Appendix 1. Edited by Mike Breault. (TSR, Inc.), p. 51. ISBN 0-88038-871-4.
- ↑ Elaine Cunningham (November 1992). The Radiant Dragon. (TSR, Inc.), pp. 88–89. ISBN 1-56076-346-9.