Parai

"Visilights." HA!

much like: "Formians." HA!

Subjective reasons .

To me, old planescape had that DiTerlizzi "ooh" mystical feel while anything in 3e has that Wayne Raynolds "WAAAR" destructive feel. I like them both in a way, but i like keeping planescape old school. It was made as a separate setting for a good reason

I agree on the "ooh" vs. "waaar" issue but...

IMHO, the Parai illustration in Planes of Law was pretty meh. I love Di Terlizzi's work and the PS art in general, but that one was not particularly impressive.

In case anyone needs it, here's my cleaned up, flavor-texted, and 3.5ed, version of the Southern_Oracle's parai. (Southern_Oracle = WizO_Dabus, no?)

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PARAI
Medium Outsider (Extraplanar, Lawful)
Hit Dice: 5d8+10 (32 hp)
Initiative: +3
Speed: 30 ft.
Armor Class: 20 (+3 Dex, +7 natural), touch 13, flat-footed 17
Base Attack/Grapple: +5/+9
Attack: Slam +9 melee (1d6+4)
Full Attack: 2 slams +9 melee (1d6+4)
Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Gaze attack, improved grab, meld
Special Qualities: Darkvision 60 ft., hive mind, separation
Saves: Fort +6, Ref +7, Will +5
Abilities: Str 18, Dex 16, Con 14, Int 14, Wis 12, Cha 15
Skills: Balance +11, Intimidate +10, Knowledge (arcana +10, Mechanus local +10, the planes +10), Listen +9, Move Silently +11, Search +10, Sense Motive +9, Spot +9
Feats: Ability Focus (meld), Power Attack
Environment: Clockwork Nirvana of Mechanus
Organization: Solitary or patrol (2-5)
Challenge Rating: 6
Treasure: None
Alignment: Always lawful neutral
Advancement: 6-10 HD (Medium)
Level Adjustment: –

You can’t quite pin down the race of this lithe humanoid. It stands some 6 feet tall, with long, fragile-looking limbs and chalky white skin visible only on its hands and the base of its head. It wears a floor-length black leather dress. The face is hidden behind a whiter porcelain mask, and much of the back of its head seems to be missing, leaving the impression that the creature is somehow hollow. Its steel-haired head is surrounded with a halo of cold, white light. The creature observes you silently, and you feel as if you are being judged somehow.

Parai are the dark side of Order. If you’re thinking “Isn’t that the baatezu?”, you’re wrong – the fiends are tainted be evil, while the parai are pure law, cold and unforgiving.
The parai are one mind in many bodies, a single sentience divided into cells of spirit-light, each animating a husk. This collective consciousness is the ultimate perfectionist. It strives to beautify and improve the multiverse into a better place, and plans to accomplish that by turning every body and every thing into the form that suits them the most. Why, the form of a parai, of course.
Naturally, the parai have few allies. However, intelligent and rational as they are, they are able to see the occasional benefit of not immediately assimilating a body they meet, if cooperating with it would be the better option in the long run. The chant is that the parai hive mind is being somehow influenced and manipulated by Baator, possibly directly by the big guy down in Nessus.
Modrons and parai destroy (or assimilate) each other on sight.
Parai speak their own language, as well as Planar Trade. They often learn Infernal.
A parai is almost 7 feet tall, but weighs just over 100 pounds.

COMBAT
Despite its apparently delicate built, a parai is as strong as a bear, and it’s hug is even less pleasant. When a parai finds a creature of exceptional beauty, strength, or intelligence, it begins a ceaseless hunt to incorporate this being into the parai race.

Gaze Attack (Su): Anyone meeting a parai’s gaze must make a Fortitude save (DC 16) or take 1 point of temporary Constitution damage. A parai cannot use its gaze attack when its spirit-light and husk are separated. The save DC is Charisma-based and includes a +2 racial bonus.

Hive mind (Ex): All parai on the same plane are in constant communication. If one is aware of a particular danger, they all are. If one in a group is not flat-footed, none of them are. No parai in a group is considered flanked unless all of them are.

Improved Grab (Ex): To use this ability, a parai must hit an opponent of up to size Large with its slam attack. It can then attempt to start a grapple as a free action without provoking an attack of opportunity. If it wins the grapple check, it establishes a hold and can try to meld with the foe on its next turn.

Meld (Su): A parai can meld with a grabbed opponent by making a successful grapple check. The opponent must make a Will saving throw (DC 18 ) every time the parai wins its grapple check. If the save fails, the parai’s light-spirit separates from its body, flowing over and through its victim, melding with it. The victim then falls under the parai’s control, as if dominated; it begins the transformation into a parai, which is usually completed within 2-8 days. If the parai is banished or otherwise removed from the victim’s body before the transformation is completed, the victim is saved. Otherwise it becomes a new parai, losing all its previous abilities and memories. Newborn parai are typically not under control of their creator, but are linked into the hive mind, of course. Nothing short of a miracle or wish can restore a parai to its former self. The save DC is Charisma-based.

Separation (Ex): As a move action, a parai can separate its light-spirit from its husk. While separated, both parts function autonomously, although the husk typically fulfills the task last issued by the light-spirit before the separation. The husk is mindless (Int – ; no skills or feats), and the light-spirit is incorporeal (see below); other than that, both parts have the same game statistics as the whole. If the husk is destroyed, the light-spirit can form another body within one day.
In the incorporeal state, the light-spirit’s stats undergo several changes from those listed in the above stat block, as follows: Medium Outsider (Extraplanar, Incorporeal, Lawful); Spd Fly 30 ft. (good); AC 15 (+3 Dex, +2 deflection), touch 15, flat-footed 12; BAB +5; Grap – ; Atk – ; Full Atk – ; SQ incorporeal traits.
- Incorporeal Traits: Cannot be harmed by nonmagical weapons, and has a 50% chance to ignore any damage from any corporeal source (including magical weapons), except for force effects or attacks made with ghost touch weapons. Can pass through solid objects, but not force effects, at will. Its natural attacks ignore natural armor, armor, and shields, but deflection bonuses and force effects work normally against them. Always moves silently and cannot be heard with Listen checks if it doesn’t wish to be.
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