WINDGHOST
WINDGHOST
Huge Outsider
Hit Dice: 9d8+45 (85 hp)
Initiative: +3 (Dex, Improved Initiative)
Speed: Fly 50 ft (good)
AC: 22 (-2 size, -1 Dex, +15 natural)
Attacks: Bite +17 melee
Damage: Bite 3d4+15
Face/Reach: 10 ft by 5 ft/15 ft
Special Attacks: Swoop, swallow whole, windsong, warp dweomer
Special Qualities: SR 20, immune to mind-attacks, fast healing 1, air mastery, resistance to wind attacks, darkvision 120 ft, astral and ethereal vision, faerie fire
Saves: Fort +11, Ref +7, Will +9
Abilities: Str 30, Dex 8, Con 20, Int 16, Wis 17, Cha 20
Skills: Diplomacy +16, Knowledge (any two) +11, Knowledge (arcana) +12, Knowledge (religion) +18, Listen +14, Search +15, Sense Motive +15, Spot +14
Feats: Improved Critical (bite), Improved Initiative, Lightning Reflexes
Climate/Terrain: Any land and underground
Organization: Solitary or servant group (1-12)
Activity Cycle: Any
Challenge Rating: 12
Treasure: None
Alignment: Always lawful neutral
Advancement: 10-18 HD (Huge); 19-27 HD (Gargantuan)
Windghosts are alien creatures with frightening powers. They appear as large, flying cones, their head a large base 8 feet in diameter, tapering upwards 24 feet in length to the top of the cone shape. The hard body is rough and mottled yet flexible, and smoky-gray to purple in color. They have two large, white, pupil-less eyes that can see far with darkvision, and can see into the Astral and Ethereal planes. The bottom of the cone is dominated by a large maw of many teeth, similar in arrangement to a shark’s mouth. On either side of the mouth is a retractable tentacle 4-20 feet in length, used to hold prey or carry items; these tentacles are strong, but incapable of being used to cause damage. The windghost’s name comes from their ability to glow in the dark – where they are seen as ghosts, that move like the wind.
Windghosts are an enigma, and their purpose in life is as yet unknown. It is believed by some scholars that they exist to serve a secretive god, but even this is uncertain. They live extremely long lives, drifting along and admiring the beauty of life below them. They seem to have no natural enemies, and do not hunt for food, though they do eat anything that they kill or any carrion they find.
Windghosts may know a language of their own, but are known to speak Common in a hissing voice that rumbles like a heavy wind.
COMBAT
The alien nature of a windghost’s mind makes it impossible to know why and when it might attack. If an adventurer encounters one, his best hope is that the windghost is in a good mood. Windghosts start an attack by swooping swiftly out of the sky, to swallow its foes.
Swoop (Ex): Windghosts swoop straight at an opponent, hoping to catch the victim in its mouth. Against non-flying foes, a swooping windghost’s bite attack does 4d4 damage instead of 3d4 (Strength adjustment stays the same). A windghost cannot swoop if engaged in melee, and must spend a whole round climbing in altitude before it can swoop again. If a swooping windghost scores a critical hit on a Medium-Sized or smaller opponent, it can try to swallow its foe.
Swallow Whole (Ex): A windghost can try to swallow an opponent of Medium-Size or smaller by making a successful grapple check. Swallowed prey is whirled about in the corrosive fluids of the creature’s mouth, creatures and items suffering 2d6 points of acid damage, then is spat out at the end of the round.
Swallowed prey must make Strength, Dexterity, and Intelligence checks (DC 19). If the creature fails its Intelligence check, it will be blinded for 1d6 rounds after being spat out, and unable to attack until out of the creature. If all three checks pass, and they victim had a weapon readied when swallowed, it gets one free attack of opportunity against the windghost while inside, causing maximum damage if successful.
Windsong (Ex): Windghosts make a harmonious droning sound when within 90 feet of each other, called their windsong. This sound is quite loud and makes concentration difficult; reading and spellcasting require Concentration checks with a –8 penalty to perform, and hearing anything else requires a Listen check at a –10 penalty. The windsong takes effect 1-2 rounds after the creatures begin it, and lasts for 1d8 rounds until they need to break it off, and may be begun again in 2d4 rounds.
Warp Dweomer (Su): A watchghost has the ability to cause a magic shift, called the warp dweomer. It can move magic-dead areas and wild magic areas around to envelop itself or others, or to otherwise suit its needs. It also has the ability to create a field that intercepts magical effects from spells, spell-like abilities, and items in use, and move their area of effect. This allows the windghost to change who the spell is targeted on or where the effect occurs. For example, it could cause a cleric’s cure light wounds to affect itself, or an enemy wizard’s fireball to explode in the center of the party. This ability will only work on one ability which is currently in use per round, at the windghost’s choice. If the windghost wishes the magical effect to affect itself, the magic must still overcome its Spell Resistance.
Roll 1d12 each time a windghost uses a warp dweomer. On a 3 or less, it fails to affect the magic; on 4-6 the warp dweomer is not strong enough to control the magic, but deflects it 4d20 feet in a random direction from the intended area of effect; on a 7 or greater, the windghost can place the magic where it desires, within a range of 144 feet.
Immune to Mind Attacks (Ex): Windghosts are immune to all mind-influencing effects, including mind-reading. Their Spell Resistance also applies to all psionic probes and attacks.
Air Mastery (Ex): Airborne creatures suffer a –1 penalty to attack and damage rolls against a windghost.
Resistance to Wind Attacks (Ex): The windghost’s nature provides protection against all air-based attacks as well as natural winds such as hurricanes and tornadoes. A windghost suffers only half damage from such wind-based attacks, as well as attacks from air elementals and spells from the air school. Wind wall spells have no effect on a windghost at all.
Faerie Fire (Sp): A windghost can make its eyes and body glow as a faerie fire spell, at will.
The windghost first appeared in the Ruins of Myth Drannor boxed set, then in the Monstrous Compendium Annual One.
the next conversion i have lined up is the windghost. opinion - is this an aberration or an outsider?
