Phoenix (Spheres)

Phoenix (spheres) CR 11

XP 12,800
N Large magical beast
Init +12; Senses darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision; Perception +18

Defense

AC 24, touch 18, flat-footed 16 (+8 Dex, +1 dodge, +6 natural, -1 size)
hp 96 (12d10+36)
Fort +16, Ref +21, Will +14
Defensive Abilities force of will, thick plumage; DR 5/piercing; Immune fire

Offense

Speed 20 ft., fly 50 ft. (good)
Melee bite +15 (1d8+4), 2 wings +10 (1d8+2)
Space 10 ft.; Reach 5 ft.

Magic

Caster Level 12; MSB +12, MSD 23; Concentration +17
Tradition Natural; CAM Cha
Spell Points 17

Divination Sphere

  • divine, 1 minute, DC 21; (gain information about magic auras within 210 ft.)
    • Alternate Divinations
    • Nature (fire); divine for the presence and strength of fires

Nature Sphere – Packages fire; Talents Deep Nature, Ranged Nature; (geomancing) Create Nature, Fire Mastery; (spirit) Destroy Element, Nature’s Weapon, Nature Sight, Resist Elements, Phoenix Resurgence, Speak With The Elements, Wreath of Elements

  • Deep Nature; geomancing and (spirit) abilities continue for 2 rounds after concentration ends, or duration increases 1 step when spending a spell point to continue without concentration
  • Ranged Nature; increase geomancing range to medium
  • geomancing, medium range (220 ft.), DC 23; create effects based on packages
    • (fire) package
      • Affect Fire (concentration, increase or decrease fire size; maximum Gargantuan [6d6], Ref or catch fire)
      • Create Fire (concentration, create fire, maximum Medium [3d6], Ref or catch fire)
      • Manipulate Lava (instantaneous or concentration, manipulate lava, see (water) package)
    • Create Nature (geomancing); create elements, may be combined with other geomancing effect as part of same action
    • fire; can combine create fire with another (geomancing) ability. Does not require a spell point to combine.
  • Fire Mastery (geomancing); gain additional fire-related sphere abilities
    • Alter Light (concentration, may alter light levels from fires within range)
    • Extinguish (1 sp, extinguish all fire within range)
    • Reflash (immediate action relight a fire that is extinguished, dealing fire damage. Ref save or catch fire)
  • (spirit) manipulate elements in additional ways based on packages
    • Destroy Element (spirit); 1 sp, touch or ranged touch against target
    • Nature’s Weapon (spirit); attack with elements
      • Fire Wielder (free action, generate fire as though with create fire [3d6], may attack with it as a touch or thrown touch attack within range)
    • Nature’s Sight (spirit); gain vision for 12 minutes, 1 sp
      • Firesight (see through flames, lava, and smoke. Ignore miss chance from concealment or total concealment against creatures that are on fire or have fire subtype within range)
    • Resist Elements (spirit); swift or move action, gain resistance for 1 round, 1 sp for 11 minutes or as immediate. 1 sp to heal damage prevented by resistance.
      • fire; fire resist 22
    • Phoenix Resurgence (spirit); immediate action, 0 sp, after gaining disabled or dying condition, 12d6 fire damage to all creatures within 20 ft., return to life fully healed (see Phoenix Rebirth). May only use this effect once per hour.
    • Speak With The Elements (spirit); 1 sp, speak with elements for 12 minutes
      • Speak With Fire (can gaze into fire, learning information about others that have been near or interacted with it)
    • Wreath of Elements (spirit); immediate action, or 1 sp as free action, can use ability 1/round
      • fire; 12 fire damage against target within reach (Ref half)

Statistics

Str 18, Dex 26, Con 16, Int 14, Wis 16, Cha 20
Base Atk +12; CMB +17; CMD +36
Feats: Dodge, Elemental Focus (fire), Flyby Attack, Hover, Improved Initiative, Iron Will, Sphere Focus (Nature)
Skills Diplomacy +17, Fly +27, Knowledge (arcana) +14, Perception +18
Languages Common, Ignan
SQ force of will, glorious flame, thick plumage

Special Abilities

Force of Will (Su)

A phoenix gains a bonus on all saving throws equal to its Charisma modifier.

Glorious Flames (Su)

When casting any sphere effect that deals fire damage, a phoenix may instead heal any affected targets.

The sphere effect deals no damage and living creatures affected by the sphere effect instead gain a number of hit points equal to the fire damage the sphere effect would normally deal.

Phoenix Rebirth (Su)

A phoenix does not need to spend spell points when using the Phoenix Resurgence talent, and returns to life with full hit points after using it instead of 0 hit points. The first time a phoenix uses this sphere effect each year, it can choose to be restored to an age as a young adult, removing all penalties to Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution as a result of age, but retaining all bonuses to Intelligence, Wisdom and Charisma (although as the phoenix ages again, it does not gain these bonuses a second time) and regrowing body parts and restoring senses as though affected by the Life sphere Make Whole advanced talent.

Spherecasting

A phoenix is a High-Caster and gains a casting tradition and one magic talent for each Hit Dice it possesses.

Phoenixes use the natural casting tradition.

Thick Plumage (Ex)

A phoenix’s thick down feathers provide defense against attacks. A phoenix gains DR 5/piercing and all ranged attacks suffer a 10% miss chance against the phoenix.

About

Environment any
Organization solitary, pair
Treasure standard (plus phoenix feathers)

Powerful wings of crimson and orange flame spread out from the magnificent plumes of this regal bird, a soothing heat radiating off its body, leaving a shimmering distortion in the wake of its flight.

The legendary phoenix is famed for its rising from ash, reborn as a young self in an endless cycle of reincarnation. Powerful masters of manipulation fire, they are worshiped and revered as minor deities, servants of the immortal sun, and otherwise powerful healers and wardens of nature. A phoenix’s lifespan has never been truly recorded, and they are rumored to live for hundreds of years, keeping themselves young and healthy with their signature fire magic.

Very rarely, phoenix may bond with “mortals”, and will accompany those who act in their interests on their missions, such as assisting rangers or wardens of nature to repel powerful threats, or may bond for longer periods of time, assisting and serving “mortals” they deem worthy as their companions and friends.

Variants

Spiritual cousins to the phoenix, these magical avians show mastery over other realms of magic.

Garuda (+1 CR)

Powerful lords of tempest-strength winds, these massive birds claim towering mountains and treetops as their homes, and will adopt the surrounding wildlife, and even local villages of humanoids, as their “ward”. Once a garuda has laid claim over such a territory, intrusion by others is closely monitored, and it is well-advised to stay on the good side of a garuda by interacting with it much like a foreign diplomat by communicating and presenting gifts. Many garuda will maintain watch over their territory by using the immense control afforded by the Climate advanced talent, maintaining winds at a pleasant breeze while watching from atop their roost.

A garuda is a variant phoenix which exchanges the following talents (Nature sphere ((fire) package, Destroy Element, Fire Mastery, Nature’s Weapon, Resist Elements, Phoenix Resurgence), feats (Elemental Focus (fire), Sphere Focus (Nature)), the ignan language, and the glorious flames special ability for the following:

Divination Sphere

  • Alternate Divinations
    • Nature (air); presence of air, toxic gas, or vapor (or lack of)
    • Weather (weather); divine naturally occurring weather within next 24 hours

Nature Sphere – Packages air; Talents Deep Nature, Ranged Nature; (geomancing) Manipulate Nature, Purify Nature; (spirit) Nature Sight, Speak With The Elements

  • Deep Nature; geomancing and (spirit) abilities continue for 2 rounds after concentration ends, or duration increases 1 step when spending a spell point to persist
  • Ranged Nature; increase geomancing range to medium
  • geomancing, medium range (220 ft.), DC 21; create effects based on packages, may spend 1 sp to continue effects without concentration for 1 minute per caster level
    • (air) package
      • Breeze (concentration, create a breeze granting a +4 bonus vs. heat and clouds, vapors, and gas)
      • Gust of Wind (concentration, medium-range line, severity 5 wind, 1 sp, increase severity to 6)
      • Purify Air (instantaneous, convert non-breathable or polluted air into breathable air with 15-ft. radius)
  • Manipulate Nature (geomancing); create elemental effects
    • Air Geyser (fling a Huge size or smaller creature, Ref negates. Launches creature 60 ft. (1 sp, 120 ft.) upwards, creature takes falling damage as normal, and 1d6 damage if thrown into ceiling for every 10 ft. of distance remaining)
  • (spirit) manipulate elements in additional ways based on packages
  • Nature’s Sight (spirit); gain vision for 12 minutes, 1 sp
    • Cloudsight (can see through fog, mist, and smoke, and do not suffer miss chance from concealment or total concealment against flying creatures or creatures with air subtype)
  • Speak With The Elements (spirit); 1 sp, speak with elements for 12 minutes
  • Speak With Air (can speak with clouds or mist, learning information about others that have been near or interacted with it)
  • Wreath of Elements (spirit); immediate action, or 1 sp as free action, can use ability 1/round

Weather Sphere – Climate, Forceful Wind, Greater Size, Severe Weather, Wind Lord; Drawbacks (Limited Weather (wind))

  • control weather, long range (840 ft.); (affect wind severity, 1 severity per round, maximum severity 5, 1 sp to continue for 12 minutes without concentration)
  • Climate; 1 sp, 20 minutes, increase control weather radius to 2 miles
  • Forceful Wind; DC to avoid being blown away or move against wind increases by 5. Ranged weapon penalty increases by 2.
  • Greater Size; increase weather range to long
  • Severe Weather; 1 sp, increase maximum severity by 1 (maximum 6)
  • Wind Lord; increase maximum Wind severity by 1, can create “eye of the storm” safe from effects, and adjust direction and specifics of wind

Languages Auran
Feats: Extra Magic Talent (Weather sphere (Climate)), Flyby Attack

Special Abilities

Airstream Vision (Su)

A garuda can pinpoint the location of any creature under the effects or inside the area of effect of a Nature sphere (air) package or Weather sphere Wind severity effect, as though using blindsight. A garuda gains a bonus equal to its caster level on Perception checks made to locate creatures with the ability to negate this blindsight, such as the Dampen Presence feat or Scout sphere Lurker talent.

Lord of Winds (Su)

A garuda treats any Wind severity effect equal to or less than what it can control as though it were severity 1 (a garuda can control up to severity 6).

Section 15: Copyright Notice

Spheres Bestiary: Magical Beasts and Climactic Encounters, © 2021, Drop Dead Studios; Author: Steven Alpert.

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