Summer Hora Queen

APPEARANCE

This beautiful woman appears bathed in constant sunlight, with skin and clothing of red, orange, and yellow, like the sunlight of high summer.

Summer Hora Queen CR 13

XP 25,600
CG Medium fey
Init +9; Senses low-light vision; Perception +28
Aura blinding beauty (30 ft., DC 27)

DEFENSE

AC 28, touch 16, flat-footed 22 (+5 Dex, +1 dodge, +12 natural)
hp 187 (22d6+110)
Fort +14, Ref +18, Will +16
DR 10/cold iron; Resist fire 20
Weaknesses summer bound

OFFENSE

Speed 30 ft.
Melee 2 solar blades +17 (3d6+5 slashing plus 3d6 fire)
Ranged 2 solar rays +17 (6d8 fire)
Spell-Like Abilities (CL 20th; concentration +16)

• Constant—speak with animals, speak with plants
• At will—know direction, light, pass without trace
• 1/day—alarm, animal messenger, bestow curse (DC 20), commune with nature, faerie fire, sunburst (DC 25), true seeing

Druid Spells Prepared (CL 13th; concentration +16)

• 7th—heal
• 6th—fire seeds, stone tell
• 5th—baleful polymorph (DC 18), tree stride, wall of fire
• 4th—flame strike (2, DC 18), freedom of movement, vermin shape II
• 3rd—cure moderate wounds, daylight, neutralize poison, protection from energy, vermin shape I
• 2nd—burning gaze (DC 16), flaming sphere (DC 16), heat metal (DC 15), summon nature’s ally II, tree shape
• 1st—charm animal (DC 14), cure light wounds, entangle (DC 14), longstrider, produce flame
• 0 (at will)—detect magic, flare (DC 14), guidance, stabilize

TACTICS

Before Combat If the summer hora queen is aware of energy types used by her opponents, it casts protection from energy.

During Combat The hora queen uses its evocations to dispatch foes and then switches to solar ray attacks.

Morale If reduced to fewer than 20 hit points, the hora queen escapes using tree stride.

STATISTICS

Str 14, Dex 21, Con 20, Int 17, Wis 17, Cha 22
Base Atk +11; CMB +16; CMD 29
Feats Agile Maneuvers, Combat Casting, Dodge, Great Fortitude, Improved Initiative, Mobility, Sidestep, Spell Focus (evocation), Weapon Finesse, Weapon Focus (solar blade, solar ray)
Skills Acrobatics +30, Climb +27, Diplomacy +31, Escape Artist +30, Knowledge (nature) +28, Perception +28, Sense Motive +28, Stealth +30, Survival +25
Languages Common, Elven, Sylvan; speak with animals, speak with plants
SQ summer’s salvation

SPECIAL ABILITIES

Blinding Beauty (Su)

This ability affects all humanoids within 30 feet of the summer hora queen. Those who look directly at the queen must succeed on a DC 27 Fortitude save or be blinded for 1 minute and dazzled for 1 hour. The queen can suppress or resume this ability as a free action. The save DC is Charisma-based.

Spells The summer hora queen casts spells as a 13th-level druid, but can’t swap out prepared spells to cast summon spells.

Summer Bound (Su)

During winter months, the summer hora queen gains the sickened condition.

Summer’s Salvation (Su)

As an immediate action after a summer hora queen or an ally within 30 feet of the queen that it can see fails a saving throw, attack roll, or skill check, the queen grants an enhancement bonus to the saving throw based on the time of year. The bonus is +4 during the month of the summer solstice, +2 during the month before or after the summer solstice, and +1 during any time other than the winter solstice month, during which this ability doesn’t function. The summer hora queen can’t use this ability again for 1d4 rounds.

ABOUT

While most nymphs bond with a natural feature, such as a tree, pool, or cave, horai are rare nymphs associated with a specific time—the summer or winter solstice—rather than a location. Horai erect simple astronomical calendars near their home, which they use to mark the moment when the sun reaches its highest or lowest point in the sky. An hora tied to the summer solstice grows more powerful as the sun reaches its height, while an hora tied to the winter solstice is sickly and weak. The opposite holds true for winter horai, who are weak in summer and strong in winter. Meanwhile, autumn and spring horai draw power near the autumnal and vernal equinoxes, becoming weaker around the opposite equinox.