Shipminds are oozes engineered by the Dominion of the Black to pilot their organic starships. They exist solely to fulfill this function, and cannot safely leave their ships.
Description[]
Anatomy & Physiology[]
Shipminds are amorphous masses of yellow liquid ensconced in crystalline containers wired into their ships. Their size is not explicitly stated, but their statistics imply that they are around 15-20 feet across. Much of the body appears to consist of plasma, as they burn and electrocute anything coming into contact in them. This composition renders them immune from heat and electricity, but vulnerable to cold.
Diet[]
Shipminds are presumably provided with power by their ships' systems. They begin to dissolve when outside of the containers, and will die after several hours.
Reproduction & Life Cycle[]
Shipminds last for about a thousand years. At the end of this time, they begin to physically and mentally deteriorate at a rapid rate. When this occurs, the Dominion recycles the creature and uses it as nutrients to grow a replacement. This transfers some of the old shipmind's memories to the new one, preserving institutional knowledge among the species.
Powers & Abilities[]
Shipminds wield considerable magical abilities, allowing them to telekinetically manipulate objects and to manipulate the minds of others in various ways. They are also automatically aware of good, lawful, or magical auras in their general vicinity. Their psychic energies addle the minds of anyone touching them and allow them to communicate telepathically. Additionally, they can offensively project their internal plasma in "bolts" that can reach targets up to 300 feet away. Lastly, the name "shipmind" is quite literal; they wield nearly complete control over their ship's systems.
Notes[]
- Shipminds first appeared in the adventure Valley of the Brain Collectors, released in 2014.