Sceaduinar

This gargoyle-like creature has long spiky legs and a bat-like head—its body seems to be made of living, dark purple crystal.

Sceaduinar CR 7

XP 3,200
NE Medium outsider (extraplanar)
Init +5; Senses darkvision 120 ft., lifesense, low-light vision; Perception +17

DEFENSE

AC 20, touch 16, flat-footed 14 (+5 Dex, +1 dodge, +4 natural)
hp 85 (9d10+36)
Fort +10, Ref +11, Will +5
Defensive Abilities entropic flesh, negative energy affinity, void child; DR 10/adamantine or good; Immune cold, death effects, disease, energy drain, poison; Resist acid 10, electricity 10, sonic 10; SR 18

OFFENSE

Speed 40 ft., fly 90 ft. (good)
Melee bite +14 (1d6+3 plus 1d6 negative energy and energy drain), 2 wings +9 (1d6+1 plus 1d6 negative energy)
Special Attacks energy drain (1 level, DC 17), entropic touch
Spell-Like Abilities (CL 9th; concentration +12)

Constant—entropic shield, hide from undead (DC 14)
At will—bleed (DC 13), dimension door (self only), dispel magic
3/day—death knell (DC 15), deeper darkness, enervation, inflict serious wounds (DC 16), silence
1/day—antilife shell, greater teleport (self plus 50 lbs. of objects only), harm (DC 19), slay living (DC 18)

STATISTICS

Str 17, Dex 20, Con 18, Int 13, Wis 14, Cha 17
Base Atk +9; CMB +12; CMD 28
Feats Dodge, Mobility, Skill Focus (Perception), Step Up, Weapon Finesse
Skills Escape Artist +17, Fly +9, Intimidate +15, Knowledge (nature) +13, Knowledge (planes) +17, Perception +17, Sense Motive +14, Stealth +25; Racial Modifiers +4 Knowledge (planes), +8 Stealth
Languages Aklo, Common

SPECIAL ABILITIES

Entropic Flesh (Ex)

Any creature that hits a sceaduinar with a melee attack takes 1d6 points of negative energy damage. Attacking with a weapon that provides reach allows a creature to avoid taking this damage.

Entropic Touch (Ex)

A sceaduinar’s natural attacks can strike incorporeal creatures as if they were ghost touch weapons. All of a sceaduinar’s natural attacks deal +1d6 points of negative energy damage to the target. This energy does not heal creatures healed by inflict spells.

Void Child (Ex)

Sceaduinars are immune to effects that target souls (such as trap the soul) or require knowledge of a creature’s identity (such as scrying). When one is slain, it cannot be restored to life by magic save by a miracle or wish, or by divine intervention.

ECOLOGY

Environment any (Negative Energy Plane)
Organization solitary or death squad (2–11)
Treasure standard

Sceaduinars are strange creatures born of pure entropy, the antithesis of creation and life. In the cold heart of the Negative Energy Plane, the un-substance of that realm coalesces into snowflake-like crystals, and it is from these strange formations that sceaduinars arise, breaking free from their jagged “eggs” fully grown.

They hate the living and the undead with equal passion, perhaps out of jealousy for those who have a spark of life (even if that spark is provided by a corruption of life in the form of undeath), though they usually ignore creatures from the Outer Sphere. They believe their positive energy counterparts, the jyoti, long ago stole their ability to create, breaking the parallel between the two energy planes and forcing these void-dwellers into an unwanted role of pure destruction.

In a way, their hatred parallels that of another native of the Negative Energy Plane—the nightshade. Yet despite their similar goals, the sceaduinars see nightshades as just another corruption of life worthy of destruction—even though very few sceaduinars are powerful enough to directly oppose one of these deadly undead. Sceaduinars are quite intelligent, yet they have no real society to speak of. When they gather together, it is always to form a larger band to strike against a particularly dangerous foe.

Variants

Geotrophos (CR +1): Sceaduinar geometrist-midwives seek out the irregular crystalline angles likely to birth their race’s young. They can reshape the solidified entropy around them in defense of these sites. A geotrophos is a sceaduinar with the advanced simple template, an Intelligence score of at least 17, and the ability to cast stone call three times per day. Source PAP141

Shardsinger (CR +1): These eerie entertainers seek out interesting sounds to fill the silence of the Void. Lacking the spark for original composition, they study the songs of void-ravaged harpies, wailing undead, and the cries of dying humanoids. A shardsinger is a sceaduinar with the advanced simple template, a Charisma score of at least 21, and the ability to cast enthrall (DC 17) three times per day. Source PAP141

Splinter Twin (CR +2): Some particularly gnarled and mathematically unlikely aggregations of crystals fail to shatter into discrete sceaduinar individuals. The conjoined monstrosities spawned sport second heads, extra limbs, and other strange combinations of features. A splinter twin is a sceaduinar with the advanced and giant simple templates, Critical Focus as a bonus feat, and the ability to make one extra bite attack per round. Source PAP141

Void Hunter (CR +1): Implacable stalkers of undead, void hunters turn their talents against the living, too. A void hunter is a sceaduinar with the advanced simple template, a Dexterity score of at least 24, and a +4 favored enemy bonus against either humanoids (humans) or undead. Source PAP141

Wing Leader (CR +1): To survive in the Void, death squad captains must be canny tacticians and living whirlwinds in combat. A wing leader is a sceaduinar with the advanced simple template, a Strength score of at least 21, and Combat Reflexes and Spring Attack as bonus feats. Source PAP141

Section 15: Copyright Notice

Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Bestiary 2, © 2010, Paizo Publishing, LLC; Authors Wolfgang Baur, Jason Bulmahn, Adam Daigle, Graeme Davis, Crystal Frasier, Joshua J. Frost, Tim Hitchcock, Brandon Hodge, James Jacobs, Steve Kenson, Hal MacLean, Martin Mason, Rob McCreary, Erik Mona, Jason Nelson, Patrick Renie, Sean K Reynolds, F. Wesley Schneider, Owen K.C. Stephens, James L. Sutter, Russ Taylor, and Greg A. Vaughan, based on material by Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook, and Skip Williams.