Celestial-Blessed Creature (CR +1)[3pp]

A prophet imbued with miraculous power, a child protected by angels, or a paladin willing to endure capture by fiends—any of these beings could be celestial-blessed. A celestial-blessed creature is inhabited by a celestial that has willingly given up its form and its powers to imbue a fortunate mortal with divine grace. Gods or more powerful celestials sometimes command celestials to grant this boon, but some do so of their own free will. A celestial can merge with a chosen mortal only if both are willing (that is, not compelled by magic or force) and of good alignment. The requires that both remain conscious and in physical contact for one hour.

Otherwise, the merging fails and cannot be attempted again that day. A celestial might choose to give up its form and free will for any of several reasons. Imbuing a mortal creature with its essence allows great deeds of heroism to be accomplished without obvious celestial interference in mortal affairs. A god might wish to make a mortal its messenger but provide it with celestial protection. A celestial might use this technique to go where it otherwise could not, since it is undetectable by all but the most powerful magic when inhabiting another creature. It might also use this technique to evade pursuers. Once it has occupied a creature, a celestial can neither leave of its own volition nor make its presence known. Only the host’s death or a special ritual involving powerful magic of the abjuration school can release it. A celestial often insists anyone it intends to bless agree to a limited term of service, after which the blessed creature will undergo the Ritual of Release. But the celestial has no power to enforce such an agreement once it has merged with a mortal, and some celestial-blessed creatures enjoy their powers so much that they refuse the ritual when the time comes. A few even succumb to the temptation to use their divine abilities for unwholesome ends. The possibility of inhabiting a creature that has turned evil makes many celestials loath to merge with mortal creatures. A celestial’s presence can have physical effects on the mortal creature with which it merges. A creature inhabited by a lantern archon, for example, often loses pigmentation in its hair, skin, and eyes, and its whole body becomes paler. A hound-archon-blessed creature grows more hair, and the limbs of a creature joined with an avoral grow longer. If a leonal agreed to inhabit a mortal, its hair might grow into a mane. A ghaele-blessed creature’s eyes are usually opalescent white, while the hair of a bralani-blessed creature always seems tousled by a light breeze. Small patches of feathers often grow from the back of a creature inhabited by a trumpet archon. Creatures that merge with astral devas usually have unblemished skin, planetar-blessed creatures typically become bald, and solar-blessed creatures generally have topaz eyes.

Creating a Celestial-Blessed Creature

Celestial-blessed” is an acquired template that can be added to any creature of good alignment (referred to hereafter as the base creature). A celestial-blessed creature uses all the base creature’s statistics and special abilities except as noted here. Although the template can be applied only to creatures of good alignment, all its changes remain in effect even if the celestial-blessed creature thereafter changes alignment.

Challenge Rating: Same as the base creature +1.

Size and Type: Size and type are unchanged, but the creature gains the good subtype if the base creature did not already have it.

Special Attacks: A celestial-blessed creature retains all the base creature’s special attacks and gains those described here.

Sacredness (Su)

Each of a celestial-blessed creature’s melee attacks with a natural or manufactured weapon deals 1d6 points of extra damage to a creature of evil alignment. All of its natural and manufactured weapons are treated as magic and good-aligned for the purpose of overcoming damage reduction.

Celestial Attack

The exact celestial attack bestowed depends on the kind of celestial that blessed the base creature with its power, as follows.

Astral Deva: Stunning Strike (Su): Five times per day as a free action, an astral-deva blessed creature can imbue a single melee attack with stunning power. The player must declare the use of this ability before making the attack roll. A creature damaged by such an attack must succeed on a Fortitude saving throw (DC 10 + 1/2 celestial-blessed creature’s HD + celestial-blessed creature’s Con modifier) or be stunned for 1d6 rounds. If the attack misses or the astral-deva-blessed creature does not make the attack within 1 round of imbuing the melee weapon with power, that daily use of the ability is wasted.

Avoral: Lightning Bolt (Sp): Three times per day, an avoral-blessed creature can use lighting bolt, as the spell (caster level equals celestial-blessed creature’s HD).

Bralani: Wind Wall (Sp): At will, a bralani-blessed creature can use wind wall, as the spell (caster level equals celestial-blessed creature’s HD).

Ghaele: Fear (Sp): Th ree times per day, a ghaele-blessed creature can use fear, as the spell (caster level equals celestial-blessed creature’s HD).

Hound Archon: Mage’s Faithful Hound (Sp): Once per day, a hound-archon-blessed creature can use Mage’s Faithful Hound, as the spell (caster level equals celestial-blessed creature’s HD).

Lantern Archon: Searing Light (Sp): Three times per day, a lantern-archon-blessed creature can use searing light (caster level equals celestial-blessed creature’s HD [minimum 2nd]).

Leonal: Pounce (Ex): If a leonal-blessed creature charges a foe, it may make a full attack even though it has moved, so long as it attacks with only natural weapons or unarmed strikes.

Planetar: Flame Strike (Sp): Once per day, a planetar-blessed creature can use flame strike, as the spell (caster level equals celestial-blessed creature’s HD).

Solar: Slaying Shot (Su): Once per day as a free action, a solar-blessed creature can imbue a single ranged attack with the power to slay the creature it strikes instantly. The player must declare the use of this ability before making the attack roll. A creature damaged by such an attack must succeed on a Fortitude save (DC 10 + 1/2 celestial-blessed creature’s HD + celestial-blessed creature’s Cha modifier) or die (or be destroyed, if it is an undead or a construct). If used against a living creature, this attack is considered a death effect. If the attack misses or the solar-blessed creature does not make the attack within 1 round of imbuing the ranged weapon with power, that daily use of the ability is wasted.

Trumpet Archon: Clarion Call (Su): A trumpet archon-blessed creature can make a loud, trumpet like sound once per day. Every creature within 30 feet of it must succeed on a Fortitude save (DC 10 + 1/2 celestial-blessed creature’s HD + celestial blessed creature’s Cha modifier) or be paralyzed for 1d4 rounds. Clarion call is a sonic, mind-affecting effect.

Special Qualities: A celestial-blessed creature retains all the base creature’s special qualities and gains those described here.

Blessed (Su)

A celestial-blessed creature has a +1 morale bonus on all attack rolls and saving throws.

Heavenly Health (Ex)

A celestial-blessed creature gains a +2 resistance bonus on Fortitude saves against poison and petrification.

Inhabited (Ex)

Each celestial-blessed creature is inhabited by a specific celestial. Although the celestial is aware of the actions and perceptions of the creature it inhabits, it can take no actions on its own behalf, nor can it communicate with the creature. It can neither exit the creature nor rescind its blessing in whole or in part. While merged with a celestial-blessed creature, the celestial cannot be located or detected by any means. It cannot be targeted by any spells or effects, except as noted in the description of the spell vulnerability special quality. Detection spells register only the celestial-blessed creature’s alignment, location, aura, magic, or other qualities. A properly worded wish or miracle spell can reveal the presence of the celestial only if the caster knows its true name. If the celestial-blessed creature is killed while the celestial inhabits it, the latter is instantly returned to its home plane. For one year thereafter, it automatically returns to its native plane 1 round after it leaves—whether its departure was intentional or not.

Resistance to Electricity (Ex)

A celestial-blessed creature gains electricity resistance 20.

Spell Vulnerability (Ex)

Certain powerful spells have special additional effects against celestial-blessed creatures. These spells must first overcome the celestial’s spell resistance (if any) to have any effect. A celestial-blessed creature subjected to a dismissal or dispel good spell must succeed on a Will saving throw or lose all the modifications bestowed by the celestial-blessed template for a number of rounds equal to the opponent’s caster level. A celestial-blessed creature subjected to a banishment spell must succeed on a Will saving throw or lose the template until again blessed by a celestial creature. Failure returns the celestial to its normal form but leaves it lying helpless and unconscious adjacent to the creature with which it was previously merged. The amount of time that the celestial remains helpless and unconscious depends on the current alignment of the creature from which it was expelled. If that creature’s alignment is the same as the celestial’s, the latter is helpless and unconscious for 1 round. For each step by which the base creature’s alignment differs from that of the celestial, the celestial remains unconscious and helpless for 1d4 rounds. Th us, a lawful good solar inhabiting a creature that has turned chaotic evil would lie unconscious and helpless for 4d4 rounds (two steps away on the lawful-chaotic axis and two steps away on the god-evil axis). If the same lawful good solar inhabited a neutral good creature, it would be unconscious and helpless for only 1d4 rounds after being expelled (one step away on the lawful-chaotic axis).

Celestial Quality (Su)

The exact celestial quality bestowed on the kind of celestial that blessed the base creature with its power, as follows.

Astral Deva: Improved Uncanny Dodge (Ex): An astral deva-blessed creature is never caught flat-footed and cannot be flanked.

Avoral: Lay on Hands (Su): An avoral-blessed creature can heal wounds (its own or those of others) by touch. Each day, it can heal a number of hit points of damage equal to its normal (undamaged) hit point total. An avoral-blessed creature may choose to divide its healing among multiple recipients, and it doesn’t have to use it all at once. Alternatively, the avoral-blessed creature can use any or all of this healing power to deal damage to Undead creatures or other creatures damaged by positive energy. Using lay on hands in his way requires a successful melee touch attack and doesn’t provoke an attack of opportunity. The avoral-blessed creature decides how many of its daily allotment of points to use as damage after successfully touching such a target.

Bralani: Gust of Wind (Sp): At will, a bralani-blessed creature can use gust of wind, as the spell (caster level equals celestial-blessed creature’s HD).

Ghaele: Cold Resistance (Ex): A ghaele-blessed creature gains cold resistance 10.

Hound Archon: Scent (Ex): A hound-archon-blessed creature can detect approaching enemies and sniff out hidden foes by sense of smell alone.

Lantern Archon: Light (Sp): At will, a lantern-archon-blessed creature can use light, as the spell (caster level equals celestial-blessed creature’s HD).

Leonal: Cure Serious Wounds (Sp): Three times per day, a leonal-blessed creature can use cure serious wounds, as the spell (caster level equals celestial-blessed creature’s HD).

Planetar: Fast Healing (Ex): A planetar-blessed creature has fast healing 2.

Solar: Discern Lies (Sp): Three times per day, a solar-blessed creature can use discern lies, as the spell, (caster level equals celestial-blessed creature’s HD).

Trumpet Archon: Message (Sp): At will, a trumpet-archon blessed creature can use message, as the spell (caster level equals celestial-blessed creature’s HD).

Abilities: A celestial-blessed creature’s ability scores change from the base creature according to the kind of celestial, as given in the following table.

Celestial Str Dex Con Int Wis Cha
Astral deva +2 +2 +2 +2 +2 +2
Avoral +2 +2 +0 +2 +2 +2
Bralani +2 +2 +2 +2 +2 +2
Ghaele +4 +0 +2 +2 +2 +2
Hound archon +2 +0 +2 +0 +2 +0
Lantern archon –2* +2 +0 –2* +2 +0
Leonal +4 +2 +2 +2 +2 +2
Planetar +4 +2 +2 +2 +2 +2
Solar +4 +2 +2 +2 +4 +4
Trumpet archon +2 +2 +0 +2 +2 +2

*Minimum 1.

Celestial-Blessed Characters

A celestial-blessed creature favors whichever class the base creature does. Endowing a player character with the celestial-blessed template should be a major campaign event. No celestial enters this kind of bargain lightly, and full agreement as to the celestial’s term of service must always be achieved before the joining occurs.

Section 15: Copyright Notice

Advanced Bestiary. Copyright 2004, Green Ronin Publishing, LLC. Author: Matthew Sernett.

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