Vodoni, Breeder
| Climate/Terrain: | Any |
|---|---|
| Frequency: | Rare |
| Organization: | Solitary |
| Activity Cycle: | Any |
| Diet: | Omnivorous |
| Intelligence: | Genius (17-18) or higher |
| Treasure: | See below |
| Alignment: | Lawful evil |
| No. Appearing: | I |
| Armor Class: | 5 to -4 w/o sword |
| Movement: | 12 |
| Hit Dice: | Variable (F7-9/W 14-17) |
| THAC0: | 14, 13, or12 |
| No. of Attacks: | 3/2 |
| Damage/Attack: | By weapon (1-8) |
| Special Attacks: | See beJow |
| Special Defenses: | See below |
| Magic Resistance: | Nil |
| Size: | M (6' tall) |
| Morale: | Champion (16) |
| XP Value: | Variable |
Vodoni breeders appear much as normal human beings, except they keep their heads shaved. They wear great flowing silver robes with deep purple satin rivulets stitched throughout. The general populace knows to keep their distance from these powerful warrior-magicians.
Breeders are usuaJly 7th-9th level warriors and 14th-16th level transmuters. They are all familiar with spelljamming technology, and are the brightest and most educated beings in the Vodoni universe.
Combat: All Vodoni breeders carry a staff of power with a gnarled wolf's head; wield a longsword +2, +3, or +4, defender; and wear bracers of defense, AC 2 to AC 4 and a cloak of protection +1 to +4.
Their spells are typical for high level transmuters, but no breeder carries spells that won't work In space or in the Vodoni home sphere.
All breeders have eagle vision as an innate ability, usable at will, which aids them immensely in guiding their ships through the broad asteroid field (called "the Web") that surrounds the inner worlds of the Vodoni home sphere.
Habitat/Society: Along with their mistress, Mongrelle, Yulkaran's high councilor, the breeders are the twisted nobility of Vulkaran's totalitarian regime. In fact, the nobility has their own hierarchy, which Vulkaran has also carefully manipulated to his own advantage. Twelve of the most powerful Vodoni breeders are designated as "high breeders" for the subjugated spheres, and have been accorded ambassador status within the Vodoni Imperial City.
Vulkaran has made sure that all of these high breeders have estates that face away from the Imperial Palace, and that each ambassador's residence is flanked by two devoutly loyal breeders. Vulkaran is always watching for signs of Lreachery, weakness, or betrayal.
Ecology: Vodonl citizens powerful and intelligent enough to challenge the least of Vulkaran's policies and survive are "recruited," and their memories magically erased by Mongrelle, Vulkaran's high councilor. They then enter training as warriors until they reach at least 7th level. Mongrelle then makes the adepts immune to Vodoni lycanthropy with a powerful potion, and begins their schooling in the twisted Vodoni dark arts.
After many years, the survivors emerge to serve as the masters of the Vodoni enforcers and conquerors throughout the Vodini Empire, and are responsible for their creation as well (hence the term "breeders").
Vodoni breeders are themselves constantly tampering, either magically or genetically, with their were-warriors. In most cases, horrible mutations or unreproducible results occur, and there has been no real progress in the evolution of the strain as a whole.
However, just as the enforcers were created long ago, the experimentation has finally produced the new Vodoni conquerors (see Vodoni enforcers entry for details).