Buy me a coffeeCoeurl
Powerfully corded muscles ripple beneath the ebon flesh of this strange, sleek feline. Similar in shape to an oversized panther, the lean beast’s forelegs stretch farther than those to the rear, each ending in powerful claws. Rather than ears, curling tendrils flit at the sides of its head. Most distinctive, though, are the twin tentacles rising from the beast’s shoulders, powerful appendages that slice through the air like living whips and terminate in clusters of thin spines.
Lean and deadly, the animalistic ppearance of the alien coeurls belies a keen Intelligence and the tempered patience of a masterful hunter. Although similar in form to a wiry jungle cat, coeurls’ forelegs are longer than their rear, giving the shadowy-skinned, hairless creatures a more elevated posture than a common feline. Rather than ears, bundles of wavering antennae extend from either side of their heads, delicate organs capable of detecting sounds and other, more enigmatic sensations. A coeurl’s most distinguishing trait is the pair of powerful black tentacles that extend from its shoulders, each ending in a cluster of flexible, barb-like digits capable of manipulating objects just as nimbly as a human hand.
A typical coeurl stands approximately 3-1/2 feet tall and about 8 feet long, with a densely muscled body weighing around 650 pounds.
| Coeurl CR 8 |
| XP 4,800 CN Large magical beast Init +4; Senses Blindsense 60 ft., Darkvision 60 ft., Low-Light Vision, Scent; Listen +4, Spot +4 |
| Defense |
| AC 19, touch 13, flat-footed 15 (+4 Dexterity, +6 natural, -1 size) hp 95 (10d10+40) Fort +11, Ref +11, Will +4 Immune sonic; Resist electricity 10; SR 19 |
| OFFENSE |
| Speed 40 ft. Melee 2 tentacles +15 (1d6+6) and 2 claws +10 (1d6+3) and bite +10 (1d8+3) Space 10 ft., Reach 10 ft. (15 ft. with tentacles) Special Attacks rend (2d6+9), rust Spell-Like Abilities (CL 12th) 3/day – entropic shield, mage hand, shatter (DC 13), sympathetic vibration |
| STATISTICS |
| Strength 22, Dexterity 19, Constitution 18, Intelligence 15, Wisdom 12, Charisma 12 Base Atk +10; Grapple +20 Feats Dodge, Mobility, Spring Attack, Stealthy Skills Balance +9, Bluff +8, Disable Device +6, Hide +15, Listen +4, Move Silently +19, Open Lock +16, Spot +4, Survival +4, Tumble +11; Racial Modifiers +4 Bluff, +4 Disable Device, +8 Open Lock Languages telepathy 100 ft. SQ vibration manipulation |
| ECOLOGY |
| Environment any land Organization solitary Treasure standard Advancement 11-16 HD (Large), 17-22 HD (Huge) |
| SPECIAL ABILITIES |
| Blindsense (Ex) A coeurl can locate creatures within 60 feet by nonvisual means (mostly by noticing vibrations and other environmental clues). Opponents the coeurl can’t actually see still have total concealment against the coeurl. Rend (Ex)If a coeurl hits with both tentacle attacks, it latches onto the opponent’s body and tears the flesh. This attack automatically deals an additional 2d6+9 points A coeurl that holds its tentacle in contact with metal for a full minute causes the target metal to corrode, falling to pieces and becoming useless immediately. The touch can destroy two metal objects or up to a 10-foot-cube of metal per minute. Magic armor and weapons, and other magic items made of metal, must succeed on a DC 19 Reflex save or be dissolved. The save DC is Constitution-based. Vibration Manipulation (Ex)A coeurl can manipulate vibrations to disrupt the workings of machines and constructs. At will, a coeurl can lock or unlock any non-magical locking mechanisim within |
Coeurl is a fictional alien race of predators created by science fiction novelist A. E. van Vogt and featured in his first published short story “Black Destroyer” (1939), later incorporated in the novel The Voyage of the Space Beagle (1950). Its resemblance is comparable to a large cat, except that its forelegs are twice as long as its hind legs, and it possesses tentacles (most likely two) attached to its shoulders which terminate in suction cups. Its skin coloration is not mentioned but, in addition to the story title, is also depicted as black in the cover art for the original magazine appearance. It sustains itself by feeding upon a substance it calls the Id of other beings.
It appears indifferent to environment and can survive in different atmospheres. It also has the ability to manipulate EM radiation (referred to as “electric vibrations” in the story) at will, and seems to communicate via this method.
In “Black Destroyer”, a sentient creature that calls itself Coeurl lives on an alien planet, feeding on the “id” of local creatures. When a human starship arrives on the planet, they find Coeurl but assume it is an unintelligent animal, and even allow it to come onboard. Coeurl realizes it can feed on humans but plays along in order to learn more about them and their ship. Eventually however, it gives in to hunger and kills and feeds on one of the ship’s crew. The crew suspects the Coeurl did it, and tries to prove it by feeding the creature organically-bound phosphorus similar to that in the victim’s bones, but Coeurl is smart enough to pass the test. Eventually however, it is found out and tries to escape, but it is no match for the humans’ technology, and in the end commits suicide.
When “Black Destroyer” was incorporated into The Voyage of the Space Beagle, several changes were made in Coeurl’s anatomy and physiology– for example, Coeurl’s tentacles originally ended in tentacled fingers, but were changed in the novel to suction cups, and the dietary chemical was changed from phosphorus to potassium. In the novel, it is theorized that the members of Coeurl’s race were pets or servants of the original inhabitants of the planet.