Owl Guardinals of Athena

 

Medium-size Outsider (Good)

Hit Dice: 6d8+6 (33 hp)

Initiative: +4 (Improved Initiative)

Speed: 10 ft or 70 ft (good)

AC: 20 (+8 natural, +3 dex, –1 size) or 23 (+8 natural, +3 dex, +2 size)*

Attacks: 2 claws +7 melee, bite +2 melee

Damage: Claw 1d6+4, bite 1d8+2

Face/Reach: 5 ft by 5 ft/5 ft

Special Attacks: Spell-like abilities

Special Qualities: Damage reduction 10/+1, SR 16, celestial qualities, alternate form

Saves: Fort +6, Ref +5, Will +6

Abilities: Str 18, Dex 17, Con 12, Int 12, Wis 17, Cha 16

Skills: Hide +7, Knowledge (religion) +6, Listen +16, Move Silently +9*, Sense Motive +8, Spot +10*

Feats: Improved Initiative

Climate/Terrain:

Organization:

Challenge Rating: 8

Alignment: Always Neutral Good

Advancement:  7-9 HD (Medium-Size); 10-18 HD (Large)

 

Owl Guardinals were created by Athena to act as her spies, servants and messengers across the planes. They are seen only when they wish and will only risk revealing themselves to aid truly good creatures in great distress and even then attempt hide their true nature from observers. If a mortal were fortunate enough to encounter an Owl Guardinal they would find that while these intelligent owls project a distant scholarly air.  They are typical friendly and willing to aid other good creatures. On very rare occasions, those on missions for good have been able to be convince them to serve as mounts, familiars, councilors or guardians.

            When Owl Guardinals appear to mortals they are usually indistinguishable from their mundane earthly counterparts or their giant cousins. On the extraordinary occasion that an Owl Guardinal has no reason to hide its celestial nature or wishes to make it presence known it appears as a stunning owl with golden and silvered feathers. An owl Guardinal will almost always follows a mortal in its mundane form to judge his or her motives before choosing to revel itself.

 

Combat

 

            In combat Owl Guardinals use subterfuge and distraction as much as possible. Usually an Owl Guardinal can remain hidden and still defeat most opponents from afar using its Astral Construct, True Concussion and True domination powers. Unless it is required to save an innocent creature an Owl Guardinal will very seldom attack physically in its true giant form.

 

Psionic Powers (Sp): At will- Astral Construct VIII, Detect thoughts, Ethereal Jaunt, Improved Clairtangency, Invisibility, Negate Psionics, True concussion, True domination, True seeing. These abilities are as the spells cast by a 6th level psion.

 

 

Psionic Attack/Defense Modes (Sp):  At will-Mind Thrust, Ego Whip, Id Insinuation, Psychic Crush/Empty Mind, Thought Shield, Mental Barrier, Intellect Fortress, Tower of Iron Will

 

Spell-like abilities: At will-aid, continual flame, detect evil, light and message. 3/day protection from evil. 1/day bless, cure serious wounds, and neutralize poison. These abilities are as the spells cast by a 6th level sorcerer.

 

Aura of Menace [Celestial Quality] (Su): A righteous aura surrounds Owl Guardinals that fight or get angry. Any hostile creature within a 20-foot radius of an Owl Guardinal must succeed at a Will save DC 16 to resist its effects. Those who fail suffer a -2 morale penalty to attacks, AC, and saves for one day or until they successfully hit the Owl Guardinal that generated the aura. A creature that has resisted or broken the effect cannot be affected again by that Owl Guardinals aura for one day.

 

Magic Circle against Evil [Celestial Quality] (Su): A magic circle against evil effect always surrounds [Celestial Quality], identical with the spell cast by a 6th level sorcerer. The effect can be dispelled, but the Owl Guardinal can create it again during its next turn as a free action. (The defensive benefits from the circle are not included in the statistics block.)

 

Teleport [Celestial Quality] (Su): Owl Guardinals can teleport without error at will, as the spell cast by a 14th-level sorcerer, except that the creature can transport only itself and up to 50 pounds of objects.

 

Tongues [Celestial Quality] (Su): Owl Guardinals can speak with any creature that has a language, as though using a tongues spell cast by a 14th-level sorcerer. This ability is always active.

 

Immunities [Celestial Quality] (Ex): Owl Guardinals are immune to cold, acid, electricity and petrification attacks.

 

Resistances [Celestial Quality] (Ex): Owl Guardinals receive a +4 racial bonus to Fortitude saves against poison.

 

Keen Vision [Celestial Quality] (Ex): Owl Guardinals have 60-foot darkvision and can see five times as far as a human can in dim light.

 

Telepathy (Su): The creature can communicate telepathically with any creature within 100 feet that has a language.

 

Alternate Form (Su): Owl Guardinals can shift between giant owl and tiny owl forms as a standard action. In tiny owl form the owl may appear either as a normal owl or one with golden and silver feathers. This ability is similar to the polymorph self spell but allows only the two forms above. A change in form cannot be dispelled, nor does the Guardinal revert to any particular form when killed. A true seeing spell, however, reveals both forms simultaneously. *While in tiny form, an Owl Guardinal gains a +10 circumstance bonus to hide and move silently checks and uses the second listing for AC and damage.

 

Skills: Giant owls receive a +8 racial bonus to listen checks. *They also receive a +4 racial bonus to Spot checks in dusk and darkness; when in flight, they gain a +8 bonus to Move Silently checks.