Xanthos

Huge Magical Beast, Neutral

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Armor Class 18 (natural armor)
Hit Points 200 (16d10 + 96)
Speed 60 ft., 30 ft. (climb)

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STR	DEX	CON	INT	WIS	CHA
22 (+6)	14 (+2)	22 (+6)	12 (+1)	16 (+3)	13 (+1)

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Saving Throws Dex +8, Con +12, Wis +9
Skills Perception +9, Survival +9
Damage Resistances Fire, Cold
Senses Darkvision 120 ft., Passive Perception 19
Languages Aklo (understands but cannot speak)
Challenge 13 (10,000 XP)

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Keen Smell. The Xanthos has advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on smell.

Magic Resistance. The Xanthos has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.

Telepathic Communication. The Xanthos can communicate telepathically with any creature within 60 feet of it that understands a language.

Exploit Stellar Conjunction (1/Day). During specific celestial alignments, the Xanthos can use a special version of Plane Shift to transport itself and up to five willing creatures to any known plane or distant location within its current solar system.

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Actions

• Multiattack. The Xanthos makes three attacks: one with its bite and two with its hooves.
• Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +12 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 25 (3d10 + 6) piercing damage.
• Hooves. Melee Weapon Attack: +12 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 15 (2d8 + 6) bludgeoning damage.
• Tail Swipe. Melee Weapon Attack: +12 to hit, reach 10 ft., all creatures in a 10-foot line. Hit: 18 (2d10 + 6) bludgeoning damage. A creature hit by this attack must succeed on a DC 20 Strength saving throw or be knocked prone.

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Reactions

• Teleport. When the Xanthos is hit by an attack, it can use its reaction to cast Misty Step and teleport up to 30 feet to an unoccupied space it can see.

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Legendary Actions

The Xanthos can take 3 legendary actions, choosing from the options below. Only one legendary action option can be used at a time and only at the end of another creature’s turn. The Xanthos regains spent legendary actions at the start of its turn.

• Detect. The Xanthos makes a Wisdom (Perception) check.
• Tail Swipe. The Xanthos makes a tail swipe attack.
• Teleport. The Xanthos uses its Teleport reaction.

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Tactics and Strategy

• Mobility and Positioning: The Xanthos uses its Teleport reaction to avoid melee attacks and reposition itself. This ability is crucial for avoiding being surrounded or gaining a tactical advantage in combat.
• Area Control: Use Tail Swipe to affect multiple enemies in a line, creating opportunities to knock them prone and disrupt their formations. This is particularly effective against grouped foes.
• Unique Abilities: The Xanthos’s Exploit Stellar Conjunction allows it to perform dramatic plane shifts, providing options for escape or surprise attacks. This ability is ideal for traversing vast distances or avoiding critical situations.
• Defensive Play: With Magic Resistance and the ability to Teleport as a reaction, the Xanthos is well-equipped to evade both magical and physical threats. Use these defensive abilities to maintain distance from high-risk opponents.
• Engagement Strategy: Engage enemies with powerful melee attacks and use Tail Swipe to manage groups. Reserve Teleport for critical escapes or repositioning to more strategic locations.

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Appearance and Behavior

The Xanthos is a monumental figure, standing at 13 feet tall and weighing 15,000 pounds. Its vivid red skin is smooth and slightly glossy, reflecting the light of distant dual moons. It is adorned with heavy, interlocking armored plates that cover its head, neck, and back. These plates have a muted metallic sheen in shades of bronze and iron and feature intricate, organic patterns that blend natural and biomechanical aesthetics.

The Xanthos has a broad, powerful head with a long, predatory jaw and sharp fangs. It possesses six glowing yellow eyes arranged in two rows, giving it an intense, almost hypnotic gaze. Fleshy tendrils hang from its jaw, adding to its exotic appearance.

Its robust and muscular limbs end in large, sturdy hooves that leave deep impressions in the ground. Its long, thick tail is covered in similar armored plating and ends in a powerful, bludgeoning tip. The creature’s movements are a blend of grace and strength, reflecting its role as both a keen explorer and a formidable combatant.

This elephant-sized equine creature has bright red skin, fangs, six eyes, and armored plates on its head, neck, and back.

Source Bestiary 4 pg. 282
Orginally posted in Archives of Nethys

A xanthos is a strange creature, part equine, part reptile. Bred as mounts by a long-dead race of alien plane-jumping explorers, xanthoi have a remarkable Intelligence and the ability to teleport themselves and their riders over long distances. The race that created xanthoi has since died off or left for remote destinations, and the remaining xanthoi have lost many of their former powers, but they still have a driving need to explore worlds and planes. Xanthoi are omnivores but can survive on vegetable matter.

A xanthos memorizes geography, flora, and fauna in case its lost masters ever return. In its travels, it may seek out powerful adventurers to form a mutual alliance of curiosity and friendship, and continue its explorations in their company. Each xanthos has a specific interest, and its desire to examine and catalog might be inconvenient or irrelevant to an adventurer’s desires.

Xanthoi avoid using their abilities to interfere or help with wars, planar invasions, and natural disasters, as they believe doing so violates an ancient code limiting their actions to observation and memorization rather than influencing events. They are more likely to flee than to fight unless fleeing would leave their friends stranded or in danger.

A xanthos is 13 feet tall at the shoulder and weighs 15,000 pounds. Its sloping, armored back is not particularly comfortable for humanoids to sit on, but is well suited for bearing a howdah that can hold up to four Medium or Small creatures. It may accept a howdah, but doesn’t tolerate being treated as a beast of burden.

Xanthos CR 14

XP 38,400 N Huge magical beast Init +6; Senses Darkvision 120 ft., Low-Light Vision; Perception +23

Defense

AC 31, touch 11, flat-footed 28 (+2 Dexterity, +1 Dodge, +20 natural, -2 size) hp 195 (17d10+102) Fort +15, Ref +12, Will +10 Immune cold; Resist electricity 30, fire 30; SR 25

OFFENSE

Speed 60 ft. Melee bite +23 (2d6+8), 2 hooves +21 (1d8+4), tail slap +21 (2d6+4) Space 15 ft., Reach 10 ft. Spell-Like Abilities (CL 15th; concentration +16) 5/day – know direction, locate creature, purify food and drink, teleport

STATISTICS

Strength 26, Dexterity 15, Constitution 21, Intelligence 12, Wisdom 16, Charisma 13 Base Atk +17; CMB +27; CMD 40 (44 vs. trip) Feats Blind-Fight, Combat Casting, Dodge, Endurance, Improved Initiative, Iron Will, Mobility, Multiattack, Toughness, Wind Stance Skills Climb +19, Intimidate +10, Knowledge (any one) +10, Perception +23, Swim +19 Languages Aklo; telepathy 5 ft. SQ exploit stellar conjunction, hold breath

SPECIAL ABILITIES

Exploit Stellar Conjunction (Su) A xanthos can sense the alignment of stellar objects (planets, comets, asteroids, and so on) and when they form conjunctions that allow it to use its magic for interplanetary travel. During these conjunctions, the xanthos can use its teleport spell-like ability as Interplanetary TeleportUM to reach any other world in its current solar system, or as plane shift to reach any known plane. A conjunction remains viable for only 10d10 hours, after which it could be days, weeks, or even months before another conjunction occurs that would once again allow travel between those two locations.

ECOLOGY

Environment any land Organization solitary or gang (2-5) Treasure none