Cleon
Legend
Lesser Sliver Homebrew
Original Stats
The first living beings encountered by the PCs will most likely be the shards. These beings resemble human women but are composed of moonlight and flame, the illumination of which shines visibly in their eyes, their hair, and even from the tips of their fingers.
Shards have unpredictable temperaments. They try to be friendly and accommodating, yet they are quick to anger and easily offended. Anything pertaining to Selûne, the realm, the palace, the moon, or the shards themselves might enrage them if phrased as anything but a compliment. If angered, they might attack characters for a round or two or they might just leave. If treated well, however, the shards can relate that the Planewalker’s Guild has its headquarters on the Infinite Staircase. They’ll even show the PCs how to get there and tell them a little about its nature if asked nicely.
The shards and the lillendi (see below) tolerate each other, but a body wouldn’t call them allies. The shards do not go into those areas under the jurisdiction of the lillendi, and vice versa.
SHARD: AC 6; MV 12; HD 3; hp 14; THAC0 17; #AT 1; Dmg 1d4 (fist); SA cast light, darkness 10-foot radius, burning hands, faerie fire and dancing lights each 3×/day (at 5th level); SD immune to fire, can see in any amount of light, darkness or shadow; SZ M (5’ tall); ML steady (11–12); Int avg (8–10); AL CG; XP 975.
Homebrew Conversion
Sliver, Lesser
Medium outsider (chaotic, extraplanar, good)
Hit Dice: 3d8+3 (16 hp)
Initiative: +4
Speed: 30 ft. (6 squares), fly 60 ft. (good)
Armor Class: 14 (+2 Dex, +2 deflection), touch 14, flat-footed 12
Base Attack/Grapple: +3/+4
Attack: Starfire fist +4 melee (1d4+3, or 2d4+3 against undead)
Full Attack: 2 starfire fists +4 melee (1d4+3, or 2d4+3 against undead)
Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Moon magic, spell-like abilities, starfire fist
Special Qualities: Darkvision 60 ft., immunities (acid, disease, electricity, fire, light, petrification, poison), low-light vision, lucid vision, moonlight, moonward
Saves: Fort +4, Ref +5, Will +4
Abilities: Str 13, Dex 14, Con 13, Int 10, Wis 12, Cha 15
Skills Concentration +7, Diplomacy +8, Knowledge (religion) +6, Knowledge (the planes) +6, Listen +9, Performance (any one) +8, Spellcraft +6, Spot +9, Survival +1 (+3 on the planes)
Feats Alertness, Combat Reflexes
Environment: Heroic Domains of Ysgard
Organization: Solitary, crescent (2-4), quarter (5-10), circle (11-20), or synod (20-50)
Challenge Rating: 3
Treasure: Standard
Alignment: Always chaotic good
Advancement: 4–6 HD (Medium)
Level Adjustment: —
This being resembles a beautiful woman whose form shines like moonlit fire. The brightest light comes from her eyes, hair, and fingertips.
Slivers are shining female celestials said to be composed of moonlight and fire. They serve Selûne, Goddess of the Moon, and are sometimes called “shards” after the seven planetars who also serve that goddess. The lesser slivers described here are weaker cousins to the slivers detailed in Dragon #353. While the true shards are amongst Selûne’s mightiest celestial servants, lesser slivers are one of her weakest, being little more potent than a petitioner. They are identical to normal slivers in appearance and temperament, except they cannot sprout wings and fly. Lesser slivers dwell in the Gates of the Moon on Ysgard; they seldom leave that region and are rarely encountered on other planes. Lesser slivers yearn to become standard slivers and serve Selûne as messengers. It may take millennia of service for a lesser sliver to win the favor of the unpredictable moon goddess, but some “earn their wings” with a single artistic performance or deed of heroism.
Like other slivers, they are generally friendly or indifferent to non-evil visitors to their home, but are extremely hot-tempered and liable to erupt into a fury at any perceived insult. Should a creature make a remark about the goddess Selûne, her realm in Ysgard, the Moon, or the slivers themselves that is not phrased as a complement a sliver is likely to take offense and either attack the insulter or storm off in a huff. Slivers always attack evil creatures, who they can sense with their detect evil ability.
Slivers speak Celestial and Common.
A lesser sliver is about 5 feet tall and weighs 120 pounds on average.
Combat
Lesser slivers recklessly attack evil creatures or those who provoke them. They prefer using their burning hands, darkness, or faerie fire spell-like abilities in combat, but will freely strike with their starfire fists when it’s appropriate. When facing non-evil creatures, a lesser sliver usually attacks for a few rounds and then pause to see if its opponents will offer apologies or submission, they often use less deadly attacks (such as flare or nonlethal blows) during this time. If their opponents are evil, they would rather fight to the death than parley, although they may reluctantly flee if the slivers’ destruction seems certain.
A lesser sliver’s natural weapons, including her starfire fists, are treated as good-aligned, chaotic-aligned, and silver weapons for the purpose of overcoming damage reduction.
Lucid Vision (Ex): A lesser sliver can see as clearly as normal daylight in all degrees of light or darkness, provided she can see anything at all. Thus, she can see colors in total (non-magical) darkness with her 60 ft. darkvision, and a darkness spell does not impose concealment (20% miss chance) since she can still see in its shadowy illumination. Similarly, she will never be blinded or dazzled by light, no matter how bright it is. However, a blacklight spell’s total darkness is impenetrable to darkvision and normal vision, meaning it fully affects a lesser sliver. Lucid vision only penetrates light and darkness, so concealment due to cover, fog and the like affect the lesser sliver normally.
Moon Magic (Ex): A lesser sliver casts spells and spell-like abilities at +1 caster level when standing in visible moonlight, or +2 caster level on the three nights of the full moon. This benefit does not apply during the day, underground, or during a new moon.
Moonlight (Ex): A lesser sliver constantly emits moonlight from her body. She can vary the brightness of her moonlight at will, ranging from light equal to a candle (dimly illuminates 5 ft. radius) up to a hooded lantern (clearly illuminates 30-foot radius, shadowy light to 60 ft. radius), or any degree in-between. Lesser slivers can suppress their moonlight as a free action if they need to hide, but are loathe to do so.
Moonward (Su): A lesser sliver’s innate magic grants her a +2 deflection bonus on AC and also functions as a protection from evil effect for the sliver (caster level 5th). This warding aura can be dispelled, but the sliver can create it again, as a free action, at will. (The defensive benefits from the protection from evil effect are not included in the stat block.)
Spell-Like Abilities (Sp): At-will—flare (DC 12), light; 3/day—burning hands (DC 13), dancing lights, darkness, daylight, detect evil, faerie fire. Caster level 5th, the save DCs are Charisma-based.
Starfire Fist (Su): A lesser sliver produces star-like motes of twinkling light from her hands when she attacks her foes. A starfire fist does 1d4 damage plus the lesser sliver’s Strength modifier and her Charisma bonus. The base damage increases to 2d4 against undead.
Originally appeared in Tales From the Infinite Staircase (1998) in Tale 1: Planewalkers.
Original Stats
The first living beings encountered by the PCs will most likely be the shards. These beings resemble human women but are composed of moonlight and flame, the illumination of which shines visibly in their eyes, their hair, and even from the tips of their fingers.
Shards have unpredictable temperaments. They try to be friendly and accommodating, yet they are quick to anger and easily offended. Anything pertaining to Selûne, the realm, the palace, the moon, or the shards themselves might enrage them if phrased as anything but a compliment. If angered, they might attack characters for a round or two or they might just leave. If treated well, however, the shards can relate that the Planewalker’s Guild has its headquarters on the Infinite Staircase. They’ll even show the PCs how to get there and tell them a little about its nature if asked nicely.
The shards and the lillendi (see below) tolerate each other, but a body wouldn’t call them allies. The shards do not go into those areas under the jurisdiction of the lillendi, and vice versa.
SHARD: AC 6; MV 12; HD 3; hp 14; THAC0 17; #AT 1; Dmg 1d4 (fist); SA cast light, darkness 10-foot radius, burning hands, faerie fire and dancing lights each 3×/day (at 5th level); SD immune to fire, can see in any amount of light, darkness or shadow; SZ M (5’ tall); ML steady (11–12); Int avg (8–10); AL CG; XP 975.
Homebrew Conversion
Sliver, Lesser
Medium outsider (chaotic, extraplanar, good)
Hit Dice: 3d8+3 (16 hp)
Initiative: +4
Speed: 30 ft. (6 squares), fly 60 ft. (good)
Armor Class: 14 (+2 Dex, +2 deflection), touch 14, flat-footed 12
Base Attack/Grapple: +3/+4
Attack: Starfire fist +4 melee (1d4+3, or 2d4+3 against undead)
Full Attack: 2 starfire fists +4 melee (1d4+3, or 2d4+3 against undead)
Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Moon magic, spell-like abilities, starfire fist
Special Qualities: Darkvision 60 ft., immunities (acid, disease, electricity, fire, light, petrification, poison), low-light vision, lucid vision, moonlight, moonward
Saves: Fort +4, Ref +5, Will +4
Abilities: Str 13, Dex 14, Con 13, Int 10, Wis 12, Cha 15
Skills Concentration +7, Diplomacy +8, Knowledge (religion) +6, Knowledge (the planes) +6, Listen +9, Performance (any one) +8, Spellcraft +6, Spot +9, Survival +1 (+3 on the planes)
Feats Alertness, Combat Reflexes
Environment: Heroic Domains of Ysgard
Organization: Solitary, crescent (2-4), quarter (5-10), circle (11-20), or synod (20-50)
Challenge Rating: 3
Treasure: Standard
Alignment: Always chaotic good
Advancement: 4–6 HD (Medium)
Level Adjustment: —
This being resembles a beautiful woman whose form shines like moonlit fire. The brightest light comes from her eyes, hair, and fingertips.
Slivers are shining female celestials said to be composed of moonlight and fire. They serve Selûne, Goddess of the Moon, and are sometimes called “shards” after the seven planetars who also serve that goddess. The lesser slivers described here are weaker cousins to the slivers detailed in Dragon #353. While the true shards are amongst Selûne’s mightiest celestial servants, lesser slivers are one of her weakest, being little more potent than a petitioner. They are identical to normal slivers in appearance and temperament, except they cannot sprout wings and fly. Lesser slivers dwell in the Gates of the Moon on Ysgard; they seldom leave that region and are rarely encountered on other planes. Lesser slivers yearn to become standard slivers and serve Selûne as messengers. It may take millennia of service for a lesser sliver to win the favor of the unpredictable moon goddess, but some “earn their wings” with a single artistic performance or deed of heroism.
Like other slivers, they are generally friendly or indifferent to non-evil visitors to their home, but are extremely hot-tempered and liable to erupt into a fury at any perceived insult. Should a creature make a remark about the goddess Selûne, her realm in Ysgard, the Moon, or the slivers themselves that is not phrased as a complement a sliver is likely to take offense and either attack the insulter or storm off in a huff. Slivers always attack evil creatures, who they can sense with their detect evil ability.
Slivers speak Celestial and Common.
A lesser sliver is about 5 feet tall and weighs 120 pounds on average.
Combat
Lesser slivers recklessly attack evil creatures or those who provoke them. They prefer using their burning hands, darkness, or faerie fire spell-like abilities in combat, but will freely strike with their starfire fists when it’s appropriate. When facing non-evil creatures, a lesser sliver usually attacks for a few rounds and then pause to see if its opponents will offer apologies or submission, they often use less deadly attacks (such as flare or nonlethal blows) during this time. If their opponents are evil, they would rather fight to the death than parley, although they may reluctantly flee if the slivers’ destruction seems certain.
A lesser sliver’s natural weapons, including her starfire fists, are treated as good-aligned, chaotic-aligned, and silver weapons for the purpose of overcoming damage reduction.
Lucid Vision (Ex): A lesser sliver can see as clearly as normal daylight in all degrees of light or darkness, provided she can see anything at all. Thus, she can see colors in total (non-magical) darkness with her 60 ft. darkvision, and a darkness spell does not impose concealment (20% miss chance) since she can still see in its shadowy illumination. Similarly, she will never be blinded or dazzled by light, no matter how bright it is. However, a blacklight spell’s total darkness is impenetrable to darkvision and normal vision, meaning it fully affects a lesser sliver. Lucid vision only penetrates light and darkness, so concealment due to cover, fog and the like affect the lesser sliver normally.
Moon Magic (Ex): A lesser sliver casts spells and spell-like abilities at +1 caster level when standing in visible moonlight, or +2 caster level on the three nights of the full moon. This benefit does not apply during the day, underground, or during a new moon.
Moonlight (Ex): A lesser sliver constantly emits moonlight from her body. She can vary the brightness of her moonlight at will, ranging from light equal to a candle (dimly illuminates 5 ft. radius) up to a hooded lantern (clearly illuminates 30-foot radius, shadowy light to 60 ft. radius), or any degree in-between. Lesser slivers can suppress their moonlight as a free action if they need to hide, but are loathe to do so.
Moonward (Su): A lesser sliver’s innate magic grants her a +2 deflection bonus on AC and also functions as a protection from evil effect for the sliver (caster level 5th). This warding aura can be dispelled, but the sliver can create it again, as a free action, at will. (The defensive benefits from the protection from evil effect are not included in the stat block.)
Spell-Like Abilities (Sp): At-will—flare (DC 12), light; 3/day—burning hands (DC 13), dancing lights, darkness, daylight, detect evil, faerie fire. Caster level 5th, the save DCs are Charisma-based.
Starfire Fist (Su): A lesser sliver produces star-like motes of twinkling light from her hands when she attacks her foes. A starfire fist does 1d4 damage plus the lesser sliver’s Strength modifier and her Charisma bonus. The base damage increases to 2d4 against undead.
Originally appeared in Tales From the Infinite Staircase (1998) in Tale 1: Planewalkers.
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