Astrad CR 4

Today for Monster Monday we present the Astrad, fey native to the frozen asteroids.

Astrad (Astral Dryad) CR 4

This gorgeous woman appears carved out of ice and stone, with long flowing hair that reaches down past her feet, the ends of it glowing like a comet’s trail.

XP 2,400
CN Medium fey
Init +8; Senses low-light vision; Perception +12

DEFENSE

AC 19, touch 14, flat-footed 15 (+4 Dex, +5 natural)
hp 27 (7d6+21)
Fort +5, Ref +9, Will +7
Defensive Abilities DR 5/cold iron; Immune [type]; Resist cold 10
Weaknesses asteroid bond

OFFENSE

Speed 30 ft., fly 30 ft. (perfect), lesser starflight
Melee dagger +7 (1d4)
Ranged mwk sling +8 (1d4+2)
Special Attacks lagrange sign
Spell-Like Abilities (CL 7th; concentration +11)

At willfaerie fire, frostbite, stoneshape
3/daycharm person (DC 16), deep slumber (DC 18)
1/day—wandering star motes (DC 18)

STATISTICS

Str 14, Dex 19, Con 16, Int 12, Wis 14, Cha 19
Base Atk +3; CMB +5; CMD 19
Feats Improved Initiative, Skill Focus (Diplomacy), Spell Focus (enchantment), Weapon Finesse
Skills Bluff +14, Diplomacy +17, Fly +22, Knowledge (geography) +11, Perception +12, Perform (dance) +14, Stealth +14
Languages Understands (but does not speak) Common, Sylvan, and Lagrange Sign
SQ asteroid bond, asteroid meld, void’s kiss

SPECIAL ABILITIES

Asteroid Bond (Su)

An astrad is bound to a single asteroid or comet and must never stray more than 300 yards from it. An astrad who moves 300 yards or more away from her bonded comet or meteor immediately becomes sickened. Every hour thereafter, she must make a DC 15 Fortitude save to resist becoming nauseated for an hour. An astrad that is out of range of her bonded asteroid or comet for 24 hours takes 1d6 points of Constitution damage, and another 1d6 points of Constitution damage per day thereafter. An astrad can forge a new bond with a new asteroid or comet by performing a 24-hour ritual and making a successful DC 20 Will save.

Astrads can be bonded with living and animated asteroids and comets such as perseid meteors.

Asteroid Meld (Su)

An astrad can meld with stone or ice, similar to how the spell meld into stone functions. She can remain melded as long as she wishes.

Lagrange Sign (Su)

The astrad is mute, but is able to effectively communicate with a special sign language. Those who are not fluent in lagrange sign can understand it with a DC 10 Linguistics check, or a DC 15 Sense Motive check. Each time a creature successfully understands lagrange sign they must make a Will save DC 17, or permanently gain it as a known language.

Every year that a creature knows lagrange sign, they must make a Will save DC 17, or permanently be incapable of speaking one of their other known languages. Once a creature is unable to speak in any language they become permanently mute, any spells that normally have verbal components now have emotional components instead.

Before a creature becomes permanently mute, lagrange sign can be cured with remove curse. Cured creatures can regain the ability to speak at the rate of one language a week. Creatures that become permanently mute can only be cured with limited wish, wish, or miracle.

Any creature that gains lagrange sign can potentially spread the language to others by attempting to communicate, the saving throw to resist learning lagrange sign is 1/2 HD + Cha modifier.

Lagrange Sign is a mind-affecting, language-based curse.

Void’s Kiss (Su)

An astrad can kiss a creature as a standard action, giving it the ability to breathe and survive in the void of space as per minimal starflight. The astrad retains a link to the kissed creature as if she had cast status on them. The astrad can end this effect at any time as a free action. A single astrad can only use this ability on a single creature at a time. If she uses void’s kiss on a new creature, the effect ends on any previous creatures.

ECOLOGY

Environment Near asteroids or comets
Organization solitary, handfasted pair (one astrad and one perseid meteor), wild hunt (10-50 astrad and perseid meteors)
Treasure standard

Not everything in the asteroid belts is hostile to travellers, some creatures are merely curious. The astrads, also called astral dryads, are native fey, bound to the asteroids and comets that travel through the vast reaches. Generally hospitable to travellers, they attempt to communicate with any that they encounter, offering what hospitality they can and exchanging stories, news and blessings.

Countless are the stories of astrads even exploring broken vessels to rescue what survivors remain, often taking the lost into their frozen homes. The astrad can give a powerful blessing that allows other creatures to survive in the depths of space, no longer needing to breath, no longer freezing to death, and even imparting a limited ability to move.  This blessing is a dangerous one and not to be relied upon however.

The astrad are as fickle as they are forgetful, and can only bestow their blessing on one individual at a time. When a new intriguing traveller comes along, or a new lost soul is in need of rescue the astrad are quick to give their blessing, often leaving those still relying upon their magics dying in the cold of space.

Communication with the astrad can be difficult, as long ago they lost their capability to speak, now only communicating through the contagious Lagrange Sign. Though easy enough to pick up, and far more useful for communicating in the void, the language is very difficult to forget, attempting to communicate with these otherwise benign fey can have long term consequences.

While the astrad themselves are largely benign, sometimes the very asteroids they travel with are not, going to great and destructive lengths to try and protect the astrads from any possible threat. Many times, the sailors rescued by the astrad had their ships destroyed by the very asteroids that the astrad are bonded to.



About Kevin Bryan

Kevin Bryan is a monster writer for the Open Gaming Network, and is looking forward to bringing all sorts of strange and bizarre creatures to life. His personal website is Kevinswriting.com.

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