Deep Dive - The Neogi
The Neogi are a truly evil and despicable race and maybe the worst we have written about so far. How such small creatures can wield so much power must seem strange at first, but once you find out they can use their brains to mind-control and enslave other creatures, you understand that they force the strong to do their fighting for them. They are creatures who are best avoided whenever possible as they are a testament that greed corrupts all.
We’d be remiss if we didn’t take a second to discuss our disgust with slavery and the problems that this race presents. Spelljammer holds a special place in our hearts. Still, we have to admit; we are a bit surprised they brought back the creature, given that they exist solely around the owning and controlling of other creatures. These creatures are, without a doubt, wholly evil and there is nothing positive we can say about them. The introduction of these creatures can be quite problematic in a game, especially since many other creatures like them have been altered to be softened in their behavior.
2e - Neogi
Climate/Terrain: Any space
Frequency: Rare
Organization: Tribal/Ship
Activity Cycle: Any
Diet: Canivore
Intelligence: Highly (13-14)
Treasure: Q each
Alignment: Lawful Evil
No. Appearing: 1-8
Armor Class: 3
Movement: 6
Hit Dice: 5
THAC0: 15
No. of Attacks: 3
Damage/Attack: 1-3/1-3/1-6
Special Attacks: Slowing poison
Special Defenses: See below
Magic Resistance: Nil
Size: S (3’ high)
Morale: Steady (12)
XP Value: 270
Spelljammer: Adventures in Space Box, 1989 TSR Inc.
The Neogi can first be found in the Spelljammer: Adventures in Space Box Set (1989) and are then reprinted in the Monstrous Manual (1993). As a new creature in Dungeons & Dragons, they were created as an original inhabitant of the Spelljammer campaign setting. They are one of the most, if not the, vilest and evil creatures we have looked at. These xenophobic creatures are so evil that when spotted, other races will attack them on sight, which says a lot about them. While the books state that this is the reason why they are such cruel and ruthless creatures, we aren’t sure if it isn’t the fact that they love eating living creatures and enslaving any they don’t feel like munching on. Regardless of who or what made them such vile beings, even the illithid and beholder-kin give them a wide berth as they don’t much care to become subjugated by them.
Monstrous Manual, 1993 TSR Inc.
To imagine what a Neogi looks like, imagine a large wolf spider the size of a golden retriever, and then attach a moray eel where the spider’s head would be. That’s what the Neogi look like, oh also imagine that they are as colorful as a rainbow. While that might be an odd sight to imagine, the Neogi dye their bodies in various colors to display their status and rank amongst the race, so it gets weirder. This would create quite a strange sight for outsiders if they were to watch hundreds of Neogi swarm onto a spelljamming vessel, devouring any living creature on it as if they were a rainbow of death and cruelty.
For a clearer picture, the Neogi have dozens of sharp little teeth and their arms end in razor-sharp claws. Neither of these attacks is incredibly dangerous, but we’re not done yet. Their bite comes with a slowing poison that stacks with each bite, making it nearly impossible to run away, so plan on dying via death by a thousand tiny little munches. If being bit and slashed to death isn’t the worst fate for their victim, it can get worse. If you are an unlucky victim, 10% of all Neogi can cast spells, with some capable of casting up to 8th-level spells, and that’s not even the worst part of it all.
The Neogi are slavers, and their entire civilization revolves around the concept of property and ownership. The Neogi keep umber hulks as slaves, mentally controlling them, and breeding the creatures to serve them for the entirety of their lives. Any umber hulk that doesn’t cut out as being a slave has one final purpose, the main course at the Neogi’s next meal. The life of a slave is usually pretty short, since any task that the Neogi deems too dangerous or beneath them, they will have their umber hulk do it. The umber hulks refer to the Neogi as their “small lords” and they are branded with a Neogi’s symbol on their left shoulder; front and back. If an umber hulk’s master dies, their new master’s brand is placed below the old one, and so some old umber hulks may have half a dozen brands on them.
The number of umber hulk slaves a Neogi has is another important part of where a Neogi will rank in their culture. A Neogi with only a single umber hulk is destined for a short life as once their one slave dies, that Neogi is deemed no longer an ‘owner’ but an ‘owned’ and becomes a slave. Neogi rate their slaves, and one lucky umber hulk will become its servant and bodyguard. If a Neogi loses all their slaves and becomes an ‘owned’ they must work diligently to gain a slave, only stopping once they are dead, made a meal by the others of its kind, or have accumulated at least one slave and they regain the rank of ‘owner’.
Spelljammer: Adventures in Space Box, 1989 TSR Inc.
The Neogi do not have a nation as most of the other races in the Spelljammer universe do. Instead, they travel on their spelljamming ships raiding, pillaging, and spreading chaos everywhere they go. The most common of the Neogi ships is the deathspider, which is a massive ship that can grapple other ships and tear huge holes, allowing the Neogi slaves to charge forward and secure the ‘cargo’. Of course, in this instance, cargo is just more slaves to feed the Neogi and do the Neogi’s bidding. The newest ship to the Neogi fleet is the mindspider and is different in that it is controlled by an Overmaster Neogi who can control the ship remotely from a command post, allowing them to escape any danger. While the Neogi supposedly obtained these ships from the arcane race, the arcane themselves refute this claim, claiming they do not know the ships or how they function.
Spelljammer: Adventures in Space Box, 1989 TSR Inc.
Neogi will only work together when it suits their needs, which happens infrequently. When two or more groups of Neogi decide to get together, whether to form an alliance or for Sunday brunch, they must first determine who the big boss Neogi will be. This overmaster title comes with rule over all the others, effectively making the other Neogi and their umber hulks its slaves. The overmaster may be decided upon peacefully but it’s usually done through trial by combat. If you want the right to be called overmaster, you and your umber hulk must fight. Win, and you are the new overmaster. Lose, and the other Neogi eat you. Did we not mention yet that they are cannibals? They sure are, so can add that to the list of disturbing facts about the Neogi.
Of course, if you are a Neogi and you have somehow lived a long life, what type of retirement plan are you given? Well, when you reach the ripe old age of whenever you start losing your mind, which can happen whenever the other Neogi deem you are becoming crazy, you’ll suddenly find over a dozen Neogi checking up on you. Those young whipper-snappers will then begin biting, like a lot. As more and more of them bite you, more poison is introduced into your body until you are transformed by it into a Great Old Master, becoming a massive Neogi that is easily 20-feet across.
Now that you’ve been transformed, all you do is eat. The other Neogi bring you food, alive or dead, preferably alive, and since you can’t move, you just get to eat and eat. After two months of eating, the cycle of life will complete as your insides suddenly want out and you are ripped open, with 20-40 fully matured Neogi bursting forth. If you are just a few weeks into your happy feeding fest, and someone attacks you, if they split your skin, up to 8 Neogi will pour forth like a momma spider holding her babies within her until she gets squished. If that isn’t bad enough, and you stick around to watch, all newborn Neogi will start attacking each other for days until only 3 to 6 Neogi survive. They then get the honor of becoming slaves of the ship they are on until they find themselves some umber hulks to enslave. It’s a beautiful circle of life.
Of course, if the idea of letting Neogi impregnate you with their poisons doesn’t sound appealing, you aren’t alone. Some Neogi become known as Reavers who aren’t keen on the whole being ripped open when you give birth to 40 Neogi who immediately start fighting to the death. The other Neogi think this is not very cool and will hunt you down, with a vengeance, all so that they continue the production of more Neogi. While the Reavers are still mean as hell, they are often even crueler than their brethren as they are willing to do whatever it takes to escape.
The Astromundi Cluster Box Set, 1993 TSR Inc.
In the War Captain's Companion (1992), a strange lot of Neogi are revealed who operate within Greyspace, the crystal sphere of Greyhawk. Known as the Free Neogi, they claim they are the “only Neogi Free Traders in Existence” and from the outside, they are a harmless group of traders who seemed to have lost their thirst for cruelty and slaves. Of course, that can’t possibly be true. In truth, they are still slavers but they have such a mastery over illusions that when they are inspected by Oerth dock inspectors, they only find common goods meant for trade, like bolts of cloth or foodstuffs. Those crates and kegs actually hold gagged and bound slaves who have been picked up from Oerth, and are then taken to a frozen world near the outside of the Greyspace crystal sphere where they are deposited, still bound and gagged, and flash frozen. The Free Neogi then sell their refrigerated stock to any passing Neogi ships looking for some food as they continue traveling Wild Space.
Out in the Astromundi Cluster, a crystal sphere detailed in The Astromundi Cluster Box Set (1993), there is a nation of Neogi that is 1 billion strong and are known as neutral traders. They will sell anything, to anyone, not overly picky about who they deal with or what they are trading with. They have bases throughout the cluster of asteroids that make up most of the crystal sphere and are rarely militaristic as they can get what they want through trading. They still aren’t pleasant to deal with, as they are massive slave traders, which is legal in this crystal sphere and only have their best interest at heart. No one dares to stand against them, as they are the largest trader in the crystal sphere and they could enact trade embargos that would cripple and destroy the cluster if they were angered.
Dragon #184, August 1992 TSR Inc.
As if the Neogi weren’t horrible enough, Dragon #184 (August 1992) gives the creature more spells, magical items, and a new, more terrifying umber hulk to control. Some of the spells include venom bite, described as the Neogi version of the magic missile spell, spider gout, a venomous ball of magical Neogi spit, and leather hatchling, a spell where the Neogi can impregnate you by shooting a Neogi egg inside you. If you fail enough saves, baby Neogi hatch and devour you from the inside. Fun.
The Neogi can now control a new umber hulk creature, the undead umber hulk. If one of the Neogi’s umber hulks die, they can magically raise them to create this zombie. Undead umber hulks are actually considered magical constructs, existing only to serve their master and they largely act the same as a living umber hulk, looking to grab on to you in a death hug. The main difference is they no longer feel pain and just keep squeezing until you are crushed in its undeath grip.
In the Planescape Monstrous Compendium II (1995), we are introduced to the Tso, a cousin to the Neogi. If you thought you could escape the Neogi by heading off for the Outer Planes, well, you’d be wrong as they make their home throughout those planes. The Tso are much taller than the Neogi and are similar in shape, but they use their front spider legs like hands and can stand up to 6 feet tall. They are more social creatures than the Neogi and travel the planes without being attacked, too often. Tso can also be found on a vessel traveling the planes, similar to how the Neogi use spelljammers. Their vessels are bizarre and shaped like a monstrous spider, flying through the sky in search of travelers to enslave. They are shady but adept traders, as their society revolves around the accumulation of wealth.
Dragon #214, February 1995 TSR Inc.
Dragon #214 (Feburary 1995) brings us the Ecology of the Neogi written by Jon Winter, which brings a first-hand account of a Neogi raid. There are a few tidbits of new information provided that can help provide some interesting details of life onboard a Neogi vessel. The ships are kept dark because while it isn’t harmful, Neogi are sensitive to light and try to avoid it. That the slowing poison that every Neogi can produce can eventually, given enough doses, act like a charm spell, giving the Neogi mental control over their victims, as well as talking about how some rogue illithid are willing to join with Neogi spelljammers. Also, the article describes in graphic detail just how brutal and cruel the Neogi are, just in case you hadn’t figured it out yet. Torture, painful slaughter, and cruel masters are just a few of the scenes we are subjected to.
3e/3.5e - Neogi
Adult Neogi (Small Aberration)
Hit Dice: 5d8-5 (18 hp)
Initiative: +3
Speed: 30 ft. climb 20 ft.
Armor Class: 17 (+1 size, +3 Dex, +3 natural), touch 14, flat-footed 14
Attacks: Bite +7 melee and 2 claws -3 melee, or light crossbow +7 ranged
Damage: Bite 1d6-2, claw 1d3-2, light crossbow 1d8/19-20
Space/Reach: 5ft by 5ft/5 ft
Special Attacks: Enslave, poison
Special Qualities: Darkvision 60 ft.,immune to mind-affecting effects
Saves: Fort +0, Ref +4, Will +6
Abilities: Str 6, Dex 17, Con 9, Int 15, Wis 14, Cha 16
Skills: Balance +11. Climb +11, Disable Device +10, Intimidate +9, Jump +11, Move Silently +15
Feats: Dodge, Mobility, Simple Weapon Procifiency, Weapon Finesse (bite) (B)
Climate/Terrain: Any temperate or warm land and underground
Organization: Nest (3-8 plus 3-8 umber hulk slaves)
Challenge Rating: 4
Treasure: Double standard
Alignment: Usually lawful evil
Advancement: By character class
Monster Manual II, 2001 WotC
The Neogi appear in the Monster Manual II (2001), giving us information for the Neogi Spawn, Adult Neogi, and the Great Old Master. They have spread out from Wild Space and Spelljammer’s campaign setting, making their homes anywhere they please, mostly cause they see themselves as the proper owner of all things. In their culture, they believe that they own everything, either they did in the past, present, or will in the future, and that it is only the proper course of life to own. Those who don’t own are in fact owned, which is something no Neogi ever wants to be.
The Neogi are still hideous creatures with stiff tan hair, a long flexible neck and head like that of an eel, and the body of a giant wolf spider. They are still quite small, and so can ride their umber hulk slaves around where ever they want to go, showing off their awesome colorful fur that they dyed to dictate their rank and standing within Neogi society. They are still the same dreadful, but colorful creatures that everyone should fear.
Now that they no longer live on spelljammer ships, they can be found in underground lairs with pits, chasms, narrow bridges, and precarious ledges. As they are part spider, they have a natural climb speed that makes these dangerous places easy to navigate for them, though not so much all the slaves they like to accumulate. We can only assume that they have lost many slaves to their flagrant disregard for safety measures like a railing.
While the Neogi are still not great fighters, they are slave owners and so have people to fight for them. By that, we mean that they have umber hulks to fight for them, and a bunch of other slaves hanging around for snack time. For the Neogi, their culture is still based on being an owner or being owned. Much of their life remains the same from the previous edition, along with the problem of getting old. No one likes to get old, but the Neogi have a really good reason why they hate going through it. At least now, when a Great Old Master is formed, they don’t just spontaneously create Neogi babies in them, the other Neogi implant eggs in them that birth baby Neogi that begin chewing their way to get out of the Great Old Master’s body. Alright, maybe that’s not any better.
Lords of Madness, 2005 WotC
The Neogi are shown some serious love in the Lords of Madness (2005), where they are known as The Slave Takers, which is all you need to know about them. The book updates the stat blocks, includes a Neogi-based adventure, and attempts to expound on what despicable creatures they are. It isn’t hard to do, considering what we’ve already been told about them. They are vile, ruthless, and believe themselves to be the greatest merchants, regardless of the fact they also engage in piracy.
Along with more information on the ecology and what makes a Neogi tick, there are also a few new variants introduced. The Dwarf Neogi is basically the litter's runt and is seen as a prized possession to be owned by other Neogi. Being seen as weak and pathetic, the Dwarf Neogi are even crueler and ruthless than their normal brothers, which some may find hard to believe. They are valued because of their greater ability to use magic, lashing out with their minds to blast apart disobeying slaves and force them into compliance.
Lords of Madness, 2005 WotC
The next is the Neogi Defiler who is seen as the Neogi society's rogues and scouts, and they are mistrusted more than the average Neogi. Unlike normal Neogi, they can spit their poison out, allowing them to hide behind their umber hulk bodyguards and shoot their poison at range. Not only are they extra sneaky, they are also often unpredictable, known for acting out in strange ways that can frighten even the staunchest of Neogi.
Up next are the Neogi Slavemaster who have enhanced abilities when it comes to enslaving others, which puts them in high demand when the Neogi go out looking for fresh stock. Because of their power to own more slaves than the average Neogi, they are held in high regard and usually rise to high-level positions within Neogi society like the administrarch, the overseer of a Neogi colony. The last of the variant Neogi are the Sorcerers and they are, as you might guess, a Neogi that has magical powers. They are the richest of their kind and are the only Neogi that another cannot own as a slave. These creatures even get a familiar, the common being weasels, with snakes as their second choice and rats a third.
The sourcebook breaks a bit from the previous Neogi society description by stating their society is held together by a three-cornered commercial trade platform. These three pieces are mercantilism, slavery, and piracy. Now the Neogi are all about trade, but they are willing to devolve from that. If they can’t barter or trade, then the Neogi will flat out steal from you, and probably steal you at the same time. Why anyone would engage in any business with them is beyond us, for they are completely unethical and savage creatures who care less about anything in the world but themselves. Apparently, in the multiverse, capitalism's ethos still holds; wealth is king, and greed is good.
Lords of Madness, 2005 WotC
The structure of their culture is based on slaves and the ownership of slaves. It is broken down into four simple tiers. Tier one is the basic slave, no power or status and you have no purpose but to serve, be bought, or devoured as food. You don’t even belong to a single Neogi, as your just communal property at this tier. The second tier is still being a slave, but you have an owner. This owner will have no more than three personal slaves at one time as that is all that a Neogi can reliably enslave with their magic at a time. Tier three is the umber hulk slavery tier, and you can have any number of umber hulk slaves as they see it as the natural circle of life. The more umber hulks, which are gifted to a worthy Neogi for certain deeds, the greater the neogi. The final tier, four, is owning other Neogi. When a Neogi becomes a slave to another, they retain their own slaves even as they are owned. Their poor slaves now belong to the original owner and that owner’s new master.
There is also a look at the Neogi and their religious affinity, which only goes so far as what they can get out of it. They have a few primary deities that they worship, but in reality, whichever deity serves their current purpose is the one they will pray to. The primary deity they worship is Tharizdun as they see the demon as a kindred spirit who embraces greed. Other Neogi see the Patient One as an appropriate deity to worship as this gluttonous god loves to dominate lesser creatures by eating them. A few others belong to the cult of Vecna, though they keep their patronage a bit hushed up. Neogi don’t like the idea of worshipping a human deity, seeing it as beneath them.
Lords of Madness, 2005 WotC
4e - Neogi
Neogi Slaver
Level 10 Controller (Leader)
Medium aberrant magical beast / XP 500
Initiative +7/ Senses Perception +8, darkvision
HP 109; Bloodied 53
AC 24; Fortitude 21, Reflex 22, Will 23
Immune dazed
Speed 8; climb 6 (spider climb)
Bite (standard; at-will) ✦ Poison +14 vs. AC; 1d6 + 3 damage, and ongoing 5 poison damage (save ends). First Failed Saving Throw: The target is slowed (save ends).
Charm Bolt (standard; at-will) ✦ Charm Ranged 12; +15 vs. Will; the target takes a –2 penalty to attack rolls on attacks that include the neogi slaver as a target (save ends). First Failed Saving
Psychic Shackle (standard; recharge 5-6) ✦ Psychic Close blast 3; +15 vs. Will; 3d6 + 2 psychic damage, and the target is dazed until the start of the neogi slaver’s next turn
Thrall Goad (minor; encounter) Close burst 6; targets allies; the target makes a saving throw with a +5 bonus.
Alignment Evil / Languages Common, Deep Speech, telepathy 12
Skills Bluff +20, Diplomacy +20, Insight +18, Intimidate +20
Str 11 (+5) Dex 14 (+7) Wis 17 (+8) Con 18 (+9) Int 19 (+9) Cha 21 (+10)
Monster Manual 2, 2009 WotC
Found in the Monster Manual 2 (2009), the Neogi are still jerks, viewing everything as something to be owned with the strong ruling over the weak. Nothing is mentioned of where they live, or of their cool flying ships. While not much changes for them, there are some hidden tidbits. An interesting reveal is that they are creatures from the Far Realm and that they were once the slaves of a mind flayer-like race. They didn’t enjoy being a slave, imagine that, they have now decided to be the owner instead of the owned.
Dragon #427, September 2013 WotC
There are three different Neogi that we learn about; the Neogi Slaver, Neogi Swarm, and the Great Old Master. Slavery is still a focal point for the Neogi, especially for the Slaver. If you end up having to fight a Slaver, good news, they won’t kill you in battle. They’ll just force you to submit against their mental onslaught, and add to their feeding stock, keep you as a slave, or be sold off to a drow or devil. So while you aren’t dead, you probably aren’t going to enjoy your upcoming life.
The Neogi Swarm acts as one in an attempt to devour anything that isn’t a Neogi or the slave of a Neogi. We guess the other Neogi would get ticked off if the swarm of babies ate their slaves, so they probably know better. They are not fully formed Neogi but rather slugs whose sole purpose in living is to devour everything in their path. The primary attack is, not surprisingly, a bite, but they can also release a horrific scream if they get hurt, smashing into your mind like a wave of force.
One of the biggest changes in this edition is that the Grand Old Master is no longer a mentally diminished, mindless eating machine that is going to pop on the big day when they birth forth new Neogi to enslave the universe. The Grand Old Master is now the big boss of the Neogi clan, carrying the fertile eggs of its colony, and watching over all of its Neogi to ensure that they continue. We guess this is a nice upgrade for them, maybe retirement isn’t all bad now.
The Neogi get their second Ecology of article in Dragon #427 (September 2013) written by Jeff Morgenroth. Much of the information is taken from the previous editions, but there are some new or updated items to touch upon. The Neogi travel in the Underdark, but some still travel throughout the planes, terrorizing and enslaving the other races that live or dare to cross them. The Tso, who roam the Astral Sea and the Elemental Chaos, are pirates and smugglers who ride around in spider-shaped flying vessels. The Tso are enormously brazen creatures, attacking githyanki or djinn ships with no fear.
Dragon #427, September 2013 WotC
The Neogi speak their own language and can communicate telepathically, in addition, they know several trade languages, which helps when they want to make deals with other races, or give them orders. Their telepathic abilities are put on full display when you become a slave, as they will use their innate ability to command you, whether you realize it or not. They use their impressive intelligence to connive and conspire, plotting against other races and other Neogi in an attempt to dominate others, even if it is their own race. Interestingly enough, the Neogi are described as social creatures, but it is a misnomer. They are only social amongst themselves, and even then, their sense of cooperation ends when it comes to divvying up treasure or slaves. Treasure is nice, but slaves are better. And once again, umber hulk slaves are the best.
5e - Neogi
Small aberration, lawful evil
Armor Class 15 (natural armor)
Hit Points 33 (6d6+12)
Speed 30 ft., climb 30 ft.
STR 6 (+2) DEX 16 (+3) CON 14 (+2) INT 13 (+1) WIS 12( +1) CHA 15 (+2)
Skills Intimidation +4, Perception +8
Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 13
Languages Common, Deep Speech, Undercommon
Challenge 3 (700 xp)
Mental Fortitude. The neogi has advantage on saving throws against being charmed or frightened, and magic can't put the neogi to sleep.
Spider Climb. The neogi can climb difficult surfaces, including upside down on ceilings, without needing to make an ability check
Multiattack. The neogi makes two attacks: one with its bite and one with its claws.
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 6 (ld6 + 3) piercing damage plus 14 (4d6) poison damage, and the target must succeed on a DC 12 Constitution saving throw or become poisoned for 1 minute. A target can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success.
Claws. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 8 (2d4 + 3) slashing damage.
Enslave (Recharges after a Short or Long Rest). The neogi targets one creature it can see within 30 feet of it. The target must succeed on a DC 14 Wisdom saving throw or be magically charmed by the neogi for 1 day, or until the neogi dies or is more than 1 mile from the target. The charmed target obeys the neogi's commands and can't take reactions, and the neogi and the target can communicate telepathically with each other at a distance of up to l mile. Whenever the charmed target takes damage, it can repeat the saving throw, ending the effect on itself on a success.
Volo’s Guide to Monsters, 2016 WotC
Sadly, well maybe not, the Neogi are forced to wait until they appear in Volo’s Guide to Monsters (2016). They now get around, living on the Material Plane's outskirts, the Feywild, Shadowfell, the Astral, and Ethereal Planes. They are still small little jerks with a spider’s body and eel neck, they can dominate other creatures, and are slavers of the worst kind. Umber hulks are still the unfortunate creatures they most like to enslave, but they aren’t very picky. What they don’t enslave, they will consume, and if you turn out to be a crummy slave, there’s a good chance you’ll be eaten too, or traded off to the mind flayers, who think that a mind is a terrible thing to waste.
There are three Neogi introduced with the Hatchling, the Neogi, and the Master. Hatchlings are spawned from the Master, who is once again poisoned in their old age, but this time gets eggs laid on top of them… and are then eaten from the outside in by the Hatchlings. Once they finish dinner, that being the Master, they will turn upon one another. Those lucky few that survive their brutal childhood eventually grow up to become big and strong Neogi, well maybe not big or strong as they are still quite small and frail.
The Neogi return to the skies in their spider vehicles, utilizing slaves to design and build their ships so that they can traverse the planes. A limited number of Neogi can also use magic, having gained the ability through an unspecified agreement with unknown aberrant entities they met when leaving their homeworld, like ancient elder evils whose very names shouldn’t be uttered unless you are willing to get a bit of unwanted attention. We cannot say the Neogi have friends now, but at least everyone doesn’t completely despise them, mostly because those who don’t despise them make the Neogi look like angels.
It’s all about ownership and dominating other creatures again for the Neogi. Creatures were put in the multiverse to be controlled, preferably by the Neogi. This includes the weak Neogi, as the focus of their culture remains the strong dominate the weak. Of course, we don’t mean strong in the physical sense, but the mental sense, as the Neogi use their enslave ability to charm a creature and bend it to their will. Their mentality is defined in a new and interesting way, as the Neogi are devoid of certain emotions. Hate and love are foreign concepts, and only authority and strength are what command respect and loyalty, and to do otherwise is a sign of weakness.
The Neogi have crawled out of Wild Space and realms beyond, vowing to never be the owned, they seek to own as much as they can steal, buy, and murder. As owners, they are cruel and vicious, they don’t care about the feelings of others and think living creatures are only good as food or if they are being used. If you see a great flying ship that looks vaguely like a spider, it's best to run and hide as you are little more than property to them.
