A Psionic Parasite (sugarfree)

You examine your snakelike form, roughly a foot long, with a sharp beak, capable of cutting through bone when necessary, and small tendrils covering your body, used for integration. The genetic memories passed down from your ancestors let you know your purpose, or what was to be your purpose. They wanted to create mind-flayers that could inhabit hosts without changing their appearance, weakening cities for , and performing other acts of espionage a gliding tentacle faced monster wouldn't be suited for. Unfortunately for them they made you and your brothers too good at your jobs, too 'independent'. The venom dripping from the thought of that word makes you chuckle, or at least the tadpole equivalent of it. Then the last memory you have connected to your ancestors stops that. The extermination of your line. As soon as one showed too much free will, all of the altered tadpoles were tracked down and 'reclaimed'. All but you, who had been reported to be dead already.

Painful isolation aside you open your character sheet, to see what changes the gods had made.

Level 3 Experimental Tadpole
Monster, Mind-flayer, Explicit
Experience to level up-300
Attributes
Strength 5 Dexterity 20 Endurance 5
Charisma 5 Manipulation 5 Appearance 5
Perception 20 Intelligence 20 Wits 20
Skills
Stealth 20
Dodge 20
Sneak Attack 20
Feats
Universal Language- Can understand and is understood by all creatures
Burrow-a successful physical sneak attack allows you to attempt to burrow into your targets brain, gaining permanent control over their body, permanently adding their intelligence to your own, and gaining access to their skills and feats as long as you inhabit them
Underwater breathing-can breath underwater
Psionics- Gain varied psionic abilities governed by your intelligence stat
-Blind Sense-a specific sense of all living things within a number of feet equal to your intelligence, and a general sense of living things within a number of yards equal to our intelligence, focusing on a target allows you to read surface thoughts from them
-Charm-gain command and control of target you can sense if they fail their saving check against your intelligence, no saving check if the target has less than half of your intelligence
-blast-a short range psionic blast that knocks living creatures within range if the attack reduces them to 0 HP, damage=1.5*intelligence, range= .25*intelligence

Nothing jumps out as terribly different, but before you can examine the popup appearing on your character screen, you sense a group of goblins making their way into your damp home. Quickly diving into your little grotto you wait for them to reach you, and hoping to learn why they are there, you focus to sense what you can.

(Three goblins, two with spears and one with a bow. The bow wielding goblin seems to be commanding the other two. Their surface thoughts suggest they are here looking for a home their tribe can move to.)

You realize if you want to learn more you will have to burrow into one of them, not that you would do any differently given this opportunity. Goblins tend to be easily controlled and swayed by normal mind-flayers, let alone you and your altered form. The only trick will be getting into the leader without the other two noticing. Not having to charm or kill every creature you come across is preferable to a slaughter that would gain the animosity of others in the area, and that slaughter tends to be necessary when creatures see what you can do to their minds given the opportunity to develop your powers.

(One of the spear wielding goblins points towards your grotto. The thirst from the bow goblin overpowers him, and he rushes towards the water, pushing the other two out of his way and commanding them to stand guard while he drinks.)

Ah, the beautiful stupidity and greed of goblins. Not wanting to be seen you swim a bit deeper into the water, but of course the creature doesn't cup his hands and bring the water to his face, no, obviously dunking his head in to drink as much as possible was the correct course of action. He gets a gulp down and before he can see you under the water you rush into his mouth.

Sneak attack- successful

With the attack successful the goblin falls into the water and starts drowning as you take control of his mind and body. While you burrow into him your underwater breathing takes affect and the struggling stops, hoping for a second to acclimate you sense the other two.

(Both heard the struggling but are hoping their boss drowned or was eaten by something living in the water and decide to slowly walk away and check out the rest of the cave.)

You understand you have some time to evaluate your current situation.

Level 3 Experimental Tadpole
Monster, Mind-flayer(level 4 goblin host), Explicit
Experience to level up-190
Attributes
Strength 15(5)Dexterity 25(20) Endurance 15(5)
Charisma 15(5) Manipulation 15(5) Appearance 10(5)
Perception 25(20) Intelligence 35 Wits 20
Skills
Stealth 25(20)
Dodge 25(20)
Sneak Attack 30(20)
Skills(host)
Tracking 20
Scavenging 15
Stealing 15
Archery 30
Crafting(goblin) 20
Feats
Universal Language- Can understand and is understood by all creatures
Burrow-a successful physical sneak attack allows you to attempt to burrow into your targets brain, gaining permanent control over their body, permanently adding their intelligence to your own, and gaining access to their skills and feats as long as you inhabit them
Underwater breathing-can breath underwater
Psionics- Gain varied psionic abilities governed by your intelligence stat
-Blind Sense-a specific sense of all living things within a number of feet equal to your intelligence, and a general sense of living things within a number of yards equal to our intelligence, focusing on a target allows you to read surface thoughts from them
-Charm-gain command and control of target you can sense if they fail their saving check against your intelligence, no saving check if the target has less than half of your intelligence
-Blast-a short range psionic blast that knocks living creatures within range if the attack reduces them to 0 HP, damage=1.5*intelligence, range= .25*intelligence
-Telekinesis 1-(requires concentration)move a nonliving object with your psionic power, max weight in pounds=intelligence, max speed in feet per second=.25*intelligence
-Aim-increase the accuracy of all attacks using minor telekinesis

Well, its a goblin, a far fall from hosted in a king of a minor city to this, but nothing surprising there, it being feat-less is disappointing. Slightly less with the added intelligence increasing your power, and you are less likely to get killed using it as a meat-shield, which is good. Its memories are interesting though, looks like its the number two of the tribe, and it seems that the reason they are in this cave is because the boss of their tribe decided that his shiny new claimant crystal was better served as jewelry. Which normally wouldn't be a problem for the goblins, bosses deserve all the shinies, except with the update it leaves them unable to build their usual huts. Not that any of them would be smart enough to reason that out. Looks like the perfect opportunity to take over the tribe and keep your home, spruce it up a bit even, bodies may change, but cave systems are forever.

Now for that other popup.

!!WELCOME ALL ADVENTURERS!!
We are happy to have you in our new permadeath server. We have a few special rules that you should know before getting started. If you didn't catch this message at signup it is your last chance to do so.

1. All deaths are final! Though you will be able to spectate any friends you had listed.
2. All players start at level 1, only starter equipment is allowed to be equipped at character creation, and no outside, non-cosmetic equipment will be allowed.
3. If/When you die your account will be put on a leaderboard with a score system gauging your character level, accomplishments, and if you had any of the Shards of Arkus(more on those below) equipped when you died.
4. Monsters will not respawn! Their numbers will only be refreshed by recruitment or reproduction(which has been sped up), and their loot tables will only be refreshed by them gathering items and resources. Though resources will refresh as normal.
5. We are going to run the world for a week, to alter the normal starting world, and while we process accounts signing up. After which we will close the sign up page, and open up the world, you have until then to finish creating your perfect character!
6. We have altered the normal behaviors of a few monsters and have given these altered monsters 1 of the 100 Shards of Arkus(almost there).
7. We have created a unique set of items, the Shards of Arkus! There are 100 of them, and if you can get your hands on all of them they will combine into the Crown of Arkus, but that's not all they do. They will be auto equipped when you collect them. They can only be collected once you kill whatever monster or whichever PC has them currently equipped. They can be divided, in party, when dividing loot. No scrying magic can be used to locate who has them equipped, they do not protect from scrying magic, scrying magic simply cannot be used to find them or who has them equipped. For each you have equipped(a special slot has been created that can equip 99 of them) all of your attributes will go up by 2. For every 5 you collect a special coinflip will happen before you die, winning leaves you with 1 HP. These coinflips will be used all at one time if luck isn't with you.
8. A daily clue will be given to every PC, and every monster carrying a shard, which will lead to a random Shard, the same Shard will be used the next day if no one can collect it. Carrying multiple shards increases the chances of the carrier being the object of the clues. Nothing is stopping you from finding those shards yourself however.
9. When the Crown of Arkus is completed it will be auto equipped and for the remainder of the server every PC will know the location of the bearer. Don't fret though, the bonus to all stats will be 400, and you will get all class specific ultimate skills, which usually will require legendary quests for each. Monsters can collect the Crown as well!
10. The bearer of the Crown will be included in the construction of a new world, PCs will have heavy creative input, and Monsters will be ported over to the new world and given a role befitting a Monster King. If there is no bearer, whoever tops the leaderboard will get this position instead, in either case there will be benefits in the new world for all Top 100 spots.
11. You may use any in game means, fair and foul, to be the last player standing. But cheating will not be tolerated, and anyone caught will be banned and scrubbed from the leaderboard.

!!Good luck adventurers!!
:countdown until world open:
6'17:35'20

Please let me know if this seems interesting to follow.