Leech-like creatures that are no more than two feet in length, the Laphellum are a strange alien race–even in a universe of strange races. This species has biologically adapted to attach to the spinal column of the dead. They are the corpse-drivers. This Starfinder alien race write-up includes overall stats, ecology, racial traits (for PCs), and an adventure seed.
Laphellum, The Corpse-Drivers
CR 1
XP 185
CN Small aberrations
Init +3, Senses Blindsight 60 ft.
Perception +8
Defense
HP 6
EAC 12
KAC 12
Fort +0
Ref +2
Will +4
Immunities disease, poison, fear
Offense
Speed 20 ft.
Melee bite +2 (attach)
Space 1 ft.; Reach 0 ft.
Statistics
Str +0
Dex +0
Con +0
Int +4
Wis +2
Cha +1
Skills Stealth +8, Survival +6
Languages Laphellum telepathy (30 ft.), Common
Other Abilities symbiosis
Special Abilities
Parabiosis (Ex) As a full action, a laphellum that begins its turn attached to a dead aberration, animal, dragon, humanoid, magical beast, undead, or monstrous humanoid with a central nervous system can connect and control, granting it the physical abilities of the laphellum’s host (but not mental, social, or magical). The two creatures effectively become one until the host’s brainstem is destroyed, laphellum chooses to detach itself, or is removed with a medical procedure (usually requiring a successful DC 25 Medicine check). An undead host can prevent the connection with a successful DC 16 Will save.
Racial Telepathy (Ex) Laphellum can communicate telepathically with other laphellum within a 30 ft. radius. This communication can be broadcast to all laphellum within the area or targeted communication with an individual laphellum.
Ecology
Environment any
Organization solitary (with a host body), pack (5-10, with at least 2 hosts), nest (12-20, count of hosts may vary)
Native to the swamp world of Palustrum, a leech-like species took an unusual evolutionary turn. In order to increase the amount of their potential food of carrion the laphellum adapted as a social predator, one that could take control of a dead animal’s body and use it to attempt to blend in to kill others of the host species and acquire additional sources of decaying flesh and meat. The brains of living creatures, however, proved too heavily stimulating for laphellum to control, resulting in extremely traumatic seizures for both the host and the parasite. The laphellum are limited to only driving a corpse body, which serve as both host and sustenance.
Eventually these corpse-drivers became a sapient species that used their hosts for more than food, but also as complex tools to construct protective dwellings and increase the ability to store food for later. When the planet was visited by humanoids, the laphellum studied and carefully dispatched two of the explorers, making new hosts for themselves, using the hosts’ companions and physical resources to learn new skills and eventually take to the stars.
Both their nature of using the dead and their method of becoming a starfaring race have earned them black marks with the races of the Pact Worlds. Reactions to a laphellum are disgusted and violent at worst and wary and untrusting at best. Typically, they are mostly endured when the living need to deal with the undead as the parabiotic abilities of a laphellum often work on undead creatures. The corpse-drivers can often infiltrate undead gatherings to provide maximum destruction without sacrificing life.
Laphellum can drive their hosts and have full muscular control, but have no direct access to skills, knowledge, or magic that was once available to their hosts. These corpses are simply powerful vehicles that allow the species to further their needs. As such, laphellum view most other creatures primarily as “possibilities,” and, while civil, never fully empathize with any other races.
Physically, laphellum are 2 feet long annelids with a mouth of spiny teeth and a proboscis. Their bodies can flatten to half an inch without injury. Hermaphrodites, laphellum reproduce by reciprocal fertilization, and sperm transfer occurs during copulation. Like earthworms, they use a clitellum to hold their eggs and secrete the cocoon. A typical laphellum lays 3-5 eggs. More commonly, multiple laphellum enter a breeding stage around the same time to produce a shared nest of 12-20 eggs.
Racial Traits
Ability Adjustments: +2 Int, +2 Wis, -2 Cha
Hit Points: 6
Size and Type: Small aberrations with a space of 2 feet and reach of 1 foot.
Immunities: Laphellum are immune to disease, poison, and fear.
Racial Telepathy: Laphellum can communicate telepathically with other laphellum within a 30 ft. radius. This communication can be broadcast to all laphellum within the area or targeted communication with an individual laphellum.
Blindsight: Laphellum detect light wavelengths via the cells of their body. They are immunities to flashes or blindness and can effectively “see” in a 60 foot radius.
Unempathic: When dealing with anything other than another laphellum, they suffer -2 to Sense Motive checks.
Parabiosis: A laphellum can attach itself to the back of a dead or undead creature and probe the brainstem of its host, controlling the body and gaining the hosts physical statistics and abilities.
Corpse-Driving: When driving a corpse, the very nature of the unnaturalness gives the laphellum a -2 penalty to Bluff and Diplomacy checks, but a +2 to Intimidate checks with any living race. Social skill checks against the mechanical or undead are unaffected.
Corpse: The host of a laphellum cannot be healed, but cannot be damaged by disease, poison, or blood-loss. Unless the host was undead, decomposition sets in and the host body suffers a permanent loss of 1 HP per week until destroyed.
Names
While each laphellum has a “nest name,” this appellation is held secret to all but those who watched over the nest or hatched in the same nest at the same time. Laphellum instead use designations built to suit their most adapted traits, skills, or faults. Typical laphellum names include: Cattle-Eater, Rejected-By-Vampire, Goblin-Rider, and Plant-Grower. A laphellum’s designation may change if they accomplish something of note (for good or ill); their societal names are the epitome of “you screw one goat…”
Laphellum Host Template Graft
Required Creature Type: Dead or undead aberration, animal, dragon, humanoid, magical beast, undead, or monstrous humanoid with a central nervous system and intact brainstem.
Abilities: The laphellum gains control of any physical abilities of its host creature and acts with the host creature’s strength, agility, and constitution.
Drawbacks: Decomposition; though movement delays natural decomposition, the host body will eventually fall apart (losing 1 HP per week) and cannot be healed. An undead host retains its magical properties of non-decay but while acting as a host, cannot be healed.
Systems: Brain
Adventure Seed
The Death Cult
Though not seen as charismatic figures, no matter how good their corpse looks, the laphellum Dead-Cheater, has made a bargain with a lashunta named Domorra and a vesk named Rotanoko “Eyegouger.” The two serve as lead figures to a death cult, convincing people to leave their worldly good behind and, eventually, poison themselves to gain enlightenment. The two figureheads make a tidy profit, while Dead-Cheater is provided with not only food, but a plethora of host bodies for their abnormally large nest of 40 babies. Death cults are frowned upon in general, but the Exo-Guardian chapter of the Starfinder Society particularly wants this operation shut down.
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