Snepi
This vibrant azure, twin-tailed horned wolf like creature crouches low with sleek predatory elegance. Its fur glows with pale fox-fire, and two long tails arc upward like crescent moons. Its red eyes hold no malice—only duty. Ancient power shimmer faintly beneath its hide as the air hums with noble, restrained power.
Snepi CR 25
Neutral Magical Beast (extraplanar, Kami)
Init +12; Senses darkvision 300 ft., low-light vision, scent, tremorsense 120, true seeing; Perception +38
DEFENSE
AC 52, touch 30, flat-footed 44 (+8 Dex, +22 natural, +12 insight)
hp 994 (28d10+280 plus 560 from Epic Toughness)
Fort +36, Ref +34, Will +30
DR 20/epic and evil; Damage Resistance; Immune fire, sleep, compulsion; Resist acid 30, cold 30, electricity 30, sonic 20
SR 32
Regeneration 10 (20 see Guardian Soul) (stopped only by nonlethal damage from a creature with a pure heart), Pure Soul, Guardian Soul
OFFENSE
Speed 70 ft., climb 20 ft.
Melee 2 claws +38 (2d8+15), bite +38 (4d6+15 plus spirit rift), 2 tail slams +36 (2d8+7+2d6 wind (bludgeoning) plus twin-tail sweep)
Space 10 ft.; Reach 10 ft.
Special Attacks
Ancient Flame, Roar of the Noble Guardian, Spirit Rift, Spirit Sleep, Twin-Tail Sweep
Spell-Like Abilities (CL 20th; concentration +26)
Constant
air walk, see invisibility, true seeing
At will
detect magic, dispel magic, faerie fire, feather fall, fireball, glitterdust, know direction, light, magic missile (5 missiles), message, purify food and drink, stabilize wind wall
3/day
cure serious wounds, daylight, incendiary cloud
1/day
Meteor Swarm
STATISTICS
Str 40, Dex 27, Con 30, Int 10, Wis 26, Cha 22
Base Atk +28; CMB +43; CMD 64
Feats Critical Focus, Great Fortitude, Improved Initiative, Improved Natural Attack (bite), Improved Natural Attack (claw), Improved Natural Attack (tail), Iron Will, Lightning Reflexes, Mobility, Multiattack, Power Attack, Spring Attack, Stunning Critical
Epic Feats Epic Reflexes, Epic Toughness, Epic Will
Skills Acrobatics +38, Climb +33, Perception +38, Stealth +31, Survival +34
Languages understands Common, Celestial, Sylvan but cannot speak
SPECIAL ABILITIES
Ancient Flame (Su)
As a standard action, the Snepi unleashes twin torrents of fox-fire from its two tails in a 60-foot cone.
All creatures take 30d6 fire damage (Reflex DC 44 half).
This attack ignores fire immunity; creatures immune to fire instead take half damage.
The save DC is Charisma-based.
Spirit Sleep (Su)
Three times per day as a standard action, the Snepi emits a harmonic pulse of spirit-energy.
All living creatures within 120 feet must succeed at a Will save DC 42 or fall into spirit slumber for 1 minute.
Spirit slumber is:
• Not mind-affecting
• Not a sleep effect
• Not negated by sleep immunity
• Ends only by break enchantment, heal, miracle, wish, or by an ally spending a full-round action to violently shake the sleeper awake.
Spirit Rift (Su)
A Snepi’s bite tears at the enemy’s metaphysical essence.
A creature struck must succeed at Fortitude DC 42 or gain 1 permanent negative level.
Success leaves the target fatigued for 1 round.
The save DC is Charisma-based.
Twin-Tail Sweep (Ex)
Great winds whip from the Snepi's Tails. If the Snepi hits the same target with both tail attacks in one round, the target must succeed at a Reflex save DC 32 or take an additional 6d6 damage be knocked prone and pushed 20 feet. If the foe strikes an obstacle it takes an additional 6d6 damage.
Roar of the Noble Guardian (Su)
Once per minute as a swift action, the Snepi may unleash a powerful roar.
All enemies within 300 feet must succeed at Will DC 40 or be affected by greater command (“leave”) for 1d8+3 rounds. At a basic level it will repeatedly roar and simply keep enemies at bay perpetually forcing them to abandon their goals.
Guardian Soul (Su)
While within 300 feet of an artifact or relic it is sworn to protect, the Snepi gains:
• +10 insight bonus to AC and saves
• +10 insight bonus to all DCs
• Immunity to compulsion
• Regeneration 20 instead of regeneration 10
• Gains Damage Resistance: all incoming damage from any source is halfed. This is applied before damage reduction
If forcibly drawn away from its charge, or it's charge is taken, it enters a rage-like state (+6 Str/Dex/Con and a +6 to all Saves and it's base damage is increased by 2 steps) until it recovers it's charge, it also knows the exact location of it's charge at all times even across dimensional barriers, distance, any medium, or even time itself and gains Planeshift 3/day and overland flight
Pure Soul (Ex)
A Snepi is a being created to only be defeated by those of the purest conviction. It's Regeneration can only be broken by those of the highest moral conviction. Good or Evil matters less than the creature in question's deeper motivations. Only exemplars of their alignment may break the Regeneration of the Snepi though powerful magic coupled with an old fashioned beating can still permanently kill the beast.
Merge with Ward (Su)
As a standard action, a Snepi can merge its body and mind with its ward. When merged, the Snepi can observe the surrounding region with its senses as if it were using its own body, as well as via any senses its ward might have. It has no control over its ward, nor can it communicate or otherwise take any action other than to emerge from its ward as a standard action. A Snepi must be adjacent to its ward to merge with or emerge from it. If its ward is a creature, plant, or object, the Snepi can emerge mounted on the creature provided the Snepi’s body is at least one size category smaller than the creature. If its ward is a location, the Snepi may emerge at any point within that location.
Noble Death Curse (Su)
Killing a Snepi is a sacrilege.
When the creature dies, all creatures within 100 feet must make a Will save DC 44.
Failure inflicts the Snepi’s Curse:
• –4 penalty on attacks, saves, skill checks
• –4 caster level
• Permanently Fatigued
• Cannot benefit from morale bonuses
• Healing spells restore only half
• A faint ashen aura surrounds the cursed creature (true seeing reveals fox-fire spirits)
The curse ends only if:
• Atonement is cast on the slayer (or group), or
• The sacred relic is returned to its rightful resting place.
Noble Spirit (Ex)
If a Snepi is reduced to 0 hp but not killed, by a good or lawful aligned character of deep moral conviction, and allowed to regenerate back to consciousness, its conqueror permanantly gains:
• +2 inherent bonus to Wisdom
• +4 bonus on saves against curses
• 24-hour safe passage from all Snepi encountered
• +2 to Diplomacy checks on all Snepi in the future.
ECOLOGY
Environment any ancient ruin, spirit shrine, celestial vault
Organization solitary
Treasure incidental plus artifact or legendary armor
The Legendary Snepi are ancient foxwolf-spirit guardians created in the time before the gods, entrusted to protect relics of world-shaping significance. They are neither evil nor vengeful; their duty is absolute, and their judgment incorruptible. Many cultures regard a Snepi as a divine agent and protective spirit, their noncombative nature and incredible power leading them to be worshipped at times and their defense of their artifact leading to them stepping in to incidentally protect nearby villages from powerful forces that threaten their charge, leading to the misconception that they are stepping in to protect the village itself, and perhaps there is -some- merit to those claims. Defeating a Snepi without killing it is seen by many cultures as a sacred rite of honor.
Before combat a Snepi uses see invisibility, wind wall, and air walk to nullify common adventurer tactics.
It warns intruders with a low growl in the form of it's Roar of the Nobel Guardian, or a fox-fire display scorching the area with lambent flames. It won't actively attack without probable cause or forewarning but is intelligent and perceptive and will make the first attack on any foes building up forces or planning on attacking that aren't easily driven back.
COMBAT
The Snepi Leads with spirit sleep and Uses glitterdust on invisible casters it Maintains wind wall vs archery or rays and Closes distance with air walk as needed. It largely wishes to end combat vice kill all foes, and Combines twin-tail sweep and Roar of the Nobel Guardian, to keep split up parties and keep foes from being able to concentrate their attacks. It will repeatedly bite and use spirit rift on priority targets. It will judiciously use ancient flame when overwhelmed or surrounded or as a simple show of force.
It will not pursue fleeing foes unless they attempt to steal its relic or it has reason to believe they're simply regrouping for a second attack.
The Snepi fights to the brink of death but will never retreat.
If defeated and it's artifact is stolen by a being of no moral standing, they'll transform into a vicious form muscles bulging and teeth and claws growing larger and more intimidating, though this form is actually weaker than their normal state. They will then hunt their charge to the ends of the earth or even across dimensions until it either reclaims it's item, the enemy is killed or they are permanently killed.
If defeated honorably, it yields guardianship without resentment. Once freed it will find another relic to guard eternally, or rarely a person or place. Sometimes if defeated honorably they'll retire to the villages that sometimes worship them and will stay their as a sort of Guardian spirit or will transform into a statue watching over the village as a guardian god awaiting the day their power may be again needed.
