Consider the Flumph

The flumph is one of many larval stages of an Old One. Understanding the flumph becomes a lot easier when you equate them to a larval echinoderm or fish fry.

Like this, but with more madness.

The flumph is small, hard to detect, and weak. They are produced with the knowledge that many of them will die before entering their next stage of development. This knowledge is known to the flumph, for they are wise in their youth.

Flumphs do not eat in the traditional sense. Instead, they siphon psionic energy from creatures around them. Emotion and intent flavour the meal; each individual has its own particular tastes, seeking the company of those they can feed from freely or encourage to exhibit behaviour that makes them more palatable. Old tales tell of underground travellers coming across 'stages' of puppet actors, with flumphs hiding in the shadows to see what flavours are made. Their cooking process is slow and constantly experimented with.

I call this delicacy 'fear'.

They are far from defenceless- each tentacle ends in caustic nematocysts, and they can release a noxious vapour when threatened. But these are merely basic defences to help them survive their first stage of growth. For this stage is the stage of migration and strengthening of their brain nets. Once they have found somewhere large and safe enough and far enough away from other competing siblings, the stage of growth will begin.

Over time, some cloisters have forgotten their metamorphic future. They exhibit neoteny, and as such the notion that a flumph is a one-staged organism is easy to believe, and their potential to become a force of the Far Realms is easy to forget.

Other aberrations, however, have not forgotten. The form and presence of Old Ones is ingrained into their ancestral psyche. It triggers instinctual feelings best associated with fear and anger. Hunting flumphs presents an issue for them, as flumphs are highly receptive to telepathic signals. They can intercept the signals and use them to escape their pursuers. They can disrupt psychic attempts to detect them, reverberating and redirecting the signals. Hunting a flumph is like trying to capture nausea.

The flumphs in turn cannot do much to strike back at their oppressors. Their larval stage is able to redirect psychic channels, but especially weak to direct mental assault. A psychic blast hit them like being force fed bleach. Once found by a psionic being, a cloister is quick to be slaughtered. As a result, both sides must seek out others to hunt each other. A proxy war of bloodhounds has been maintained by both sides.

How am I only just hearing of The Unexpectables now?
(spoilers in the link)

When adventurers encounter flumphs, they are tasted and questioned. The flumphs want to know:
- what their intent is
- if they are emotionally volatile
- if they are armed
- if they can hunt aberrations

If they are met by warriors, the flumphs seek to turn their quests into hunting trips. Why yes, they do know where the hidden treasure is- it's in the aboleth lair. Of course they know who imprisoned their friends- probably the illithids or neogi. The flumphs follow slowly behind, feeding on the resultant psionic broth.

Sources:

The flumph can be found in the Monster Manual on page 135.

| 3.5 Flumph | AJ Pickett | Bogleech | The Ecology of the Flumph (pg 78) | Pathfinder Flumph |