Contemplators are 12' tall gray humanoids wearing gray togas, that are most often found seated in the classical, thinker pose on a large stone outcropping. Consequently, unwary adventurers may easily mistake a Contemplator for a statue.

Combat
    A contemplator yearns for all knowledge and has deduced that the best way to gather it is directly from the minds of other beings. To gather information, he captures any intelligent being that lands on or comes near his asteroid. He is totally devoid of emotion, but he is usually willing to negotiate for a captive's life. The price is often a quest for information, such as the answer to a question. The contemplator always sets a time limit on the quest and, once the deal is made, never reneges or renegotiates.
    Asteroid (Su): A contemplator can move his asteroid through space using a mysterious form of locomotion. He is usually content to drift through space, but when the need arises, he can move quickly in any direction. Treat this asteroid as an equivalent spelljamming vessel of 1000 to 7000 tons [(1d8-1) x1000 tons; minimum of 1000 ton vessel but never more than the contemplator's Intelligence score bonus] made of solid stone, with TS 1 and Poor maneuverability. The contemplator must reside on or within his asteroid and concentrate to maintain spelljamming speed. If a contemplator's asteroid is destroyed he can assimilate a new one for himself by commandeering a new asteroid and attune it to his thought processes for a year's time. The contemplator creates up to three “arms” out of the asteroid's surface to capture his specimens. Each arm has the following statistics: Hit Points 25 hit points; AC 22; Initiative same as contemplator; Grapple +17; Space/Reach=5 ft./5 ft.; Slam attack and damage as listed above; Saves as contemplator. A single arm can extend 50' from the contemplator's location. If an arm is destroyed, the contemplator can create another after 24 hours have passed.
    Encase (Su): Any successful grab by a contemplator's asteroid-manifested arms immediately entombs the victim inside a stone prison ½” thick. The cocoon has Hardness 8 and 8 hit points; the victim must succeed at a break DC of 21 to escape. The encased victim cannot use any weaponry that requires movement to damage the cocoon, nor can the victim use Escape Bonds to wiggle his way out of the stone confinement. The “take 20” rule cannot be used by the interned victim to break the stone prison because failure to break the stone immediately alerts the contemplator that his “encyclopedia” is moving.
    Improved Grab (Ex): To use this ability, the contemplator must hit with an “asteroid-manifested”-arm slam attack.
    Intelligence Drain (Su): To use this ability, the contemplator must have his victim encased in a stone prison as detailed above. The victim automatically loses 1 permanent point of Intelligence per full day it is encased; however, the contemplator must have uninterrupted concentration to drain the victim's knowledge. If the contemplator is disturbed at any time during the draining process, that day's Intelligence drain is nullified. When the victim's Intelligence is reduced to 2, the contemplator's stone arm flings the now-useless simpleton into space. If a wish or similar magic restores a character's Intelligence, the knowledge restored vanishes from the contemplator who stole it. If this restored character ever comes within 50 miles of the contemplator who lost the knowledge, the contemplator immediately detects, intercepts, and attacks the character. A contemplator cannot tolerate knowing something and then having, it taken away!
    A contemplator who drains a wizard gains all the wizard's memorized spells. He casts these acquired spells only once at the same caster level as the wizard who the contemplator just drained, for he won't waste the time necessary to write them down. He can only use wizard spells, not those of bards, clerics, paladins, rangers, or sorcerers. A contemplator still must use material components for spells that require them.
    Living Encyclopdia (Ex): Contemplators have 2 free skill points per hit die that can only be spent towards any Knowledge skill. Contemplators can take 10 on any Knowledge skill they possess. They are always considered trained when making a Knowledge skill roll but cannot take 10 on a Knowledge skill roll unless they actually possess a rank in the appropriate subskill.
    Monk Immunities (Ex): A contemplator has all the feats, powers, and immunities of a 6th level Monk as detailed in the Player's Handbook.
    Tremorsense (Ex): A contemplator knows of any change on the surface of his asteroid, as though it were an extension of his body. Treat this as if the contemplator had unlimited range tremorsense, but only on the surface of his attuned asteroid.
    Skills: A contemplator receives a +8 racial bonus to Hide checks in rocky terrains that is not included in the stat block above. All Knowledge skills are considered class-based skills for a contemplator to learn and a contemplator has a +4 racial bonus on all Knowledge skills which is included in the stat block above.

    # Expert Tactician is a new feat in the guidebook to rogues, bards, and assassins named Song & Silence. If this rulebook is unavailable, substitute Improved Initiative and change the stat block above accordingly.

In the Spheres
    A contemplator lives on a barren asteroid, pondering and sifting through his acquired knowledge, searching for any clue to the origin and end of the universe. Strewn about this barren asteroid are the material remains of past conflicts.

Contemplator, SPELLJAMMER, DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, D&D, ADVANCED DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, AD&D, the D&D logo, the AD&D logo, the d20 System logo and d20 are trademarks owned by Wizards of the Coast, Inc., a subsidiary of Hasbro, Inc., and are used with permission. All titles, and all proper nouns, including character names, locations, and named items are considered Product Identity per Section 1 of the Open Game License v1.0a and are exclusively owned by Wizards of the Coast, Inc.
©2002 Wizards of the Coast, Inc.

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Contemplator, © 1991 Wizards of the Coast, Inc.
d20™ System, Conversion of Contemplator ©2002, Ron Pollard
Image by Ron Pollard
Original Source: Monstrous Compendium #9

    Notes on this Conversion: The contemplator was to me a scary monster to run, and my PCs sure perked up when the contemplator I threw against them told them “they would be assimilated” (very Borg-esque, hmmm?) This creature can really put the PCs on their toes.
    I decided on making the creature a Monk with some monster stats because, well, it contemplates the universe – also very Monk-like. What better excuse to kick butt and learn everything the multiverse has to offer than to be a Monk. It also better explains their melee proficiency from 2E.
    I made the creature an Aberration as opposed to a Giant because: it's thought processes are alien (knowledge is it's sole purpose); it is one with its asteroid (kinda Elemental-like); it requires no food (and possibly no air, but I left that to each DM) other than knowledge; but yet it is humanoid-shaped. Giants are also damn stupid by nature and not very skillful – traits the contemplator has in abundance. These all led me to make it an aberration.
    I fudged a bit on the encasement-power; 2E had it 1/4 “ thick, but my grandmother can break out of that. 2E allowed a BB/LG roll once per day to break out; 3E mechanics do not allow the “one-a-day” method in this regard. Also, even Harry Houdini cannot escape from a quick-dry concrete prison, ergo no Escape Artist rolls allowed.
    The Asteroid-arms are variations off of the Medium-size Earth elemental, modified by the creature's Dex and stats versus the base elemental. The “arms” are not elementals however, but are unaffected by critical hits and cannot be flanked, etc.
    2E contemplators were True Neutral; however, there is nothing Chaotic about these bastiches – they keep their word, aren't purposefully spiteful, are meticulous to the second about their contracts…and the list goes on. See Monk above too.
    I used the Stone giant as a template from which to start conversion, but departed for obvious reasons when necessary.
    Lastly, CR 15 seemed cool to me. These are right about on par with a Glabrezu demon.