The Q'nidar are bat-like creatures that frequent the warmer areas of wildspace in search of food. They appear as gigantic bats with a semi-crystalline hide. The Q'nidar feed on heat and light, which can be seen constantly arcing around and through them; from afar, these heat and light patterns streak behind them, resembling a vaporous trail.
    The Q'nidar have a unique form of communication: They "speak" via a thermal breath that is easily detected and understood by other Q'nidar. Even though they feed on heat and light, they are not always found near heat-based celestial bodies; too much background heat confuses their senses and their speech.

    Combat: Q'nidar are attracted to spelljamming ships because of the lights and activity, as well as curiosity. In the past, Q'nidar would confuse ships with other vapor bats and "speak" with the ships, resulting in disaster.

    Breath Weapon (Ex): The breath of a Q'nidar is extremely hot. It is harmless in the void, but deadly when exposed to the atmospheric envelope of a ship. This breath weapon is a cone of fire 30 feet long that is 30 feet wide and high at its far end. Anyone within the area of the flame take 2d12 points of damage, reflex save (DC 15) for half damage.

    Crystallize (Ex): The Q'nidar begins to crystallize once it starts to take fire damage that has exceeded its fire resistance 20 and it fire absorption limits. The crystallization process is complete when the Q'nidar takes damage equal to it normal hit point total. Each hit point of crystallization counts as hit point of damage for purpose of slaying the beast.

    Fire Absorption (Ex): The Q'nidar can absorb fire damage that exceeds it fire resistance. When doing so the Q'nidar does not take this fire damage but converts it to energy for it to digest latter. The q'nidar can store/absorb a maximum of 64 points of fire damage. Once this energy is absorbed the Q'nidar consumes the energy at a rate of 8 points per hour.

    Fire Resistance (Ex): Q'nidar have fire resistance 20.

    Spelljamming Ability (Su): Q'nidar are capable of moving at spelljamming speed that is able to move the q'nidar across great distances of wildspace, provided it is not within 3,750 feet of 10-ton ship/object or within an atmosphere and only after they have absorbed major amounts of heat and light. If a q'nidar is brought out of spelljamming speed by a passing ship, it needs "food" to maintain its speed, and it begins breathing on the ship to generate heat and light for its needs. Q'nidar needs to expend 5 points of heat energy to achieve spelljamming speed for a duration of 8 hours. When not moving at spelljamming speed the q'nidar moves by flight.

In the Spheres
    The dracon were the first to encounter these creatures and named them "Q'nidar" or heat-eaters, other races in space usually refer to these creatures as "Vapor Bats".
    Q'nidar have learned that much food is generated by talking with spelljamming ships, and thus they are commonly found along the spaceways and trade lanes of space. They are simple creatures, meaning no malice, but they are still one of the feared monsters of the void.
    Responding to some racial instinct, the dying q'nidar dive toward the nearest star, absorbing heat and light until their bodies crystalize fully. Often, these bodies of crystal simply get pulled into the star, but some have been recovered. The crystalline formation reacts like a spelljamming helm, absorbing not only heat and light, but magic. The crystalline remains may be carved into a small chair, creating a minor spelljamming helm.

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Qnidar, © 1990 Wizards of the Coast, Inc.
d20™ System, Conversion of Qnidar ©2002, Mark Doolan
Original Source: Monstrous Compendium #7