Psychomorph

Introduction
Unknowable terrors lurk in the spaces between worlds. Physical beasts such as ogres and dragons possess an intimidating physical presence, but the creatures that exist outside and between realities - the ones our minds can barely even comprehend - these are the kind of monsters that make men go mad with fear.

Psychomorphs exist within the psychic link between planes. Typically this would mean that they can never be encountered except by those who access this link, however, in Dungeon 26 all planes are expressed by a literal, physical space. In the Dungeon, Psychomorphs wander silently and go about their unintelligible existences in the Dark Matter Branch.

Appearance
No matter what shape they assume (see Ecology below), Psychomorphs are composed of anti-light and therefore appear to be living shadows. They are taller than they should be, slender, and uncomfortably graceful. Their bodies experience no resistance from the Prime Material Plane whatsoever - not from gravity or air - and therefore appear almost as if they are walk-floating gently at the bottom of a lake. When they run, they move with the unnerving swiftness of an ice skater.

Psychomorphs have no facial features whatsoever, but are somehow still able to mimic moods and dispositions through body language and microexpressions.

Ecology
A Psychomorph’s primary drive is curiosity. As they live out their lonely existences in the Space Between Spaces, they become disturbed only when a being makes a psychic connection with another. Whether that is a wizard using a spell to speak with rats, two friends using telepathy to communicate over vast distances, or a seer attempting to locate the psychic presence of another being, whenever anyone creates a psychic link it will exist for a brief moment in the Psychomorphs’ realm, calling out to them like a beacon of light in an infinity of darkness.

When an inquisitive Psychomorph cannot resist the temptation to interfere with one of these psychic links, a bond will immediately be formed between the Psychomorph and the one who created the link. In a split second, the Psychomorph will be filled with all details of their bond: every thought, every memory, every subconscious impulse. It will know you better than you even know yourself, as you are biased by physical compulsion while a Psychomorph is a pure mental expression. This bond is (for all intents and purposes) impossible to destroy, and will last until either the Psychomorph or the intelligent being who they are bonded to are killed.

Once bonded, a Psychomorph’s curiosity will continue to drive them and they will never, ever let go of their desire to learn even more about you. They will leave the Dark Matter Branch and manifest a physical form just to find you, know you… become you. The shape a Psychomorph takes will be similar to yours - if you were composed of darkness - but still not quite right, almost like a stretched and jagged shadow cast by the sun at dusk. At first it will follow you from a great distance, lurking in the corner of your peripherals for days, even weeks. Eventually, when it begins to become bolder, you will begin to see your bonded Psychomorph standing eerily still at the end of a long hallway, investigating the exact spot you were in a few moments ago, and looming over you in your sleep.

Despite possessing no lips or mouth, once your Psychomorph has spent sufficient time observing you it will begin to mimic your voice as it follows you. Psychomorphs have no language of their own, so when they repeat you - or say things that you were only thinking of saying - it will be in an incredibly uncomfortable, mocking, childlike tone.

As the embodiment of a purely mental creature which has had direct access to your psyche, Psychomorphs know your deepest, darkest thoughts and desires, and this thrills them. Sooner or later the Psychomorph which has been passively observing you over the course of a month will finally desire to see your primal urges become fulfilled.

It will butcher the monster you fear the most, just to see if your fear is abated or if it grows.

It will butcher the man who overcharged you for rations, just to see if you will experience a sick joy from it.

It will butcher your closest friend, just to see the depth of your rage and sorrow.

Finally, once your bonded Psychomorph is fully satisfied that it has observed and experienced every dark secret that your mind has to offer, it will cut you open - just to see what's inside you. Disappointed that your lifeless corpse offers no further mental curiosities, the Psychomorph will dissipate its physical form and meld back into the cracks between planes.

Combat
Psychomorphs are entirely immune to mundane weapons and all standard forms of physical attack, however, they are vulnerable to light-based enchantments, blessed or divine attacks, and especially to anything which can sever a being’s Silver Cord (external link). If severed from the Prime Material Plane, the affected Psychomorph will experience pain for the first time in its existence and be banished back to the Space Between Spaces for all time.

As shapeshifters, Psychomorphs can modify their size and features at will. Although they maintain a shape roughly matching their bonded host as much as possible, when their curiosity compels them to kill they convert their arms into paper-thin blades extending over a metre from their elbows. Barely an atom wide, these natural weapons slice open organic matter like a surgeon’s blade over stretched skin. Leather and metal armour poses no resistance whatsoever. However, because Psychomorphs experience no emotions themselves - simply mimicking the actions of their host - their movements are methodically slow. They do not move as if they are in “combat” - they simply observe when it is interesting to observe and massacre when it is interesting to massacre.

Treasure
For those with well-trained minds, clear and disciplined concentration, it is possible to extract a wellspring of otherworldly information the very moment a Psychomorph connects with your psychic link. Those who do say they experience this as a split-second flash of utter darkness - too black to be natural - filling their consciousness totally. You enter psychomorph’s mind too blah blah XXX

Interactions
Any being in the Dungeon which can form a psychic connection or communicate telepathically is vulnerable to be targeted by a Psychomorph. The Mad Architects of Thume are particularly concerned by the creatures, which regularly murder high-ranking members of their order. The Architects have developed a type of charm to defend against Psychomorphs, which involves pretending to be someone else while performing any kind of telepathy. They have had mixed success so far.

Unfortunately for all Denizens, not even the un-telepathic are completely safe from the unwanted attention of Psychopomps. Those with high levels of empathy or innate psychic abilities blah blah you can accidentally be targeted by one at any time, any where