Archon, Hound Class

Hound archons look like well-muscled humans with canine heads typically resembling those of noble-looking wolves or dogs. Well trained, they prefer to make use of their greatswords in battle, though they are equally adept with their natural weapons. Hound archons loathe killing mortals and prefer to disarm or incapacitate even evil individuals when they can. Against fiends and the irredeemably corrupt, though, they show no mercy.

Hound archons are disciplined soldiers and sentinels. Occasionally good-aligned deities send them to watch over specific places and individuals they take a particular interest in. Under the guise of unassuming but friendly strays, such secret defenders might follow their ward or guard their post subtly for years. In Heaven’s armies, exceptional hound archon paladins lead their fellows into combat, taking on roles as captains and knights. They lead incursions against fiendish holdings, whether that entails strikes against daemonic fortresses or liberating the captives of night hag soul collectors. Such missions make hound archons perhaps the most likely celestials one might encounter upon the Lower Planes, and packs of swift-moving wolves occasionally reveal themselves to be welcome saviors to those lost within such realms.

Alignment: Any

Hit Die: d10.

Medium outsider (archon, extraplanar, good, lawful)

Class Skills

The hound archon’s class skills are Acrobatics, Craft (any one), Diplomacy, Fly, Intimidate, Knowledge (planes), Knowledge (religion), Perception, Sense Motive, Stealth; Racial Modifiers: +4 Stealth, +4 Survival.

Skill Ranks per Level: 6 + Int modifier.

Table: Dire Ape

Class Features

All of the following are class features of the Hound Archon

Weapon and Armor Proficiency

Proficient with all simple and martial weapons, as well as greatswords, but not with armor or shields.

Senses: darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision, scent

Languages: Celestial, Draconic, Infernal; truespeech

Immune: electricity, petrification

Speed: 40 ft.

Spell Resistance: 9+Racial Level

Spell-Like Abilities (Caster Level = Racial Level)
Minor: 3x/day— detect evil
1x/day— continual flame, message
Lesser: At Will—detect evil
3x/day—continual flame, message
1x/day—magic circle against evil
Major: Constant—detect evil, magic circle against evil
At Will—message
3x/day—aid, continual flame,
1x/day— greater teleport (self plus 50 lbs. of objects only)
Greater: Constant—detect evil, magic circle against evil
At Will—aid, continual flame, greater teleport (self plus 50 lbs. of objects only), message

Scent (Ex)

This special quality allows a creature to detect approaching enemies, sniff out hidden foes, and track by sense of smell. Creatures with the scent ability can identify familiar odors just as humans do familiar sights. The creature can detect opponents within 30 feet by sense of smell. If the opponent is upwind, the range increases to 60 feet; if downwind, it drops to 15 feet. Strong scents, such as smoke or rotting garbage, can be detected at twice the ranges noted above. Overpowering scents, such as skunk musk or troglodyte stench, can be detected at triple normal range. When a creature detects a scent, the exact location of the source is not revealed—only its presence somewhere within range. The creature can take a move action to note the direction of the scent. When the creature is within 5 feet of the source, it pinpoints the source’s location. A creature with the scent ability can follow tracks by smell, making a Wisdom (or Survival) check to find or follow a track. The typical DC for a fresh trail is 10 (no matter what kind of surface holds the scent). This DC increases or decreases depending on how strong the quarry’s odor is, the number of creatures, and the age of the trail. For each hour that the trail is cold, the DC increases by 2. The ability otherwise follows the rules for the Survival skill. Creatures tracking by scent ignore the effects of surface conditions and poor visibility.

Change Shape (Su)

A hound archon can assume any canine form of Small to Large size, as if using beast shape II. While in canine form, the hound archon loses its bite, slam, and greatsword attacks, but gains the bite attack of the form it chooses. For the purposes of this ability, canines include any dog-like or wolf-like creature of the animal type.

Aura of Menace (Su)

A righteous aura surrounds archons that fight or get angry. Any hostile creature within a 20-foot radius of an archon must succeed on a Will save to resist its effects. The save DC varies with the type of archon, is Charisma-based, and includes a +2 racial bonus. Those who fail take a –2 penalty on attacks, AC, and saves for 24 hours or until they successfully hit the archon that generated the aura. A creature that has resisted or broken the effect cannot be affected again by the same archon’s aura for 24 hours.