AsperiHD: d10
Level | BAB | Fort | Ref | Wil | Features |
1 | +1 | +2 | +2 | +0 | Wind Steed Body, Ascetic Rage, Frosty, Scent, Wind Immunity |
2 | +2 | +3 | +3 | +1 | Ability Boost, Fast Movement, Feather Fall, Telepathy, Teeth, Uncanny Dodge |
3 | +3 | +3 | +3 | +1 | Ability Boost, Dodge Arrows, Fast Movement, Growth, Ride the Wind |
Skills: 4+IntMod/level (x4 at 1st).
Class skills: Balance (Dex), Concentration (Con), Knowledge (Nature) (Int), Intimidate (Cha), Jump (Str), Listen (Wis), Sense Motive (Wis), Spot (Wis), and Survival (Wis).
Proficiencies: Asperi are proficient with their own natural weapons. They are not proficient with any armor.
Features:Wind Steed Body: An asperi loses all other racial traits and becomes a magical beast, gaining the following traits:
- Medium size
- 40 ft. base land speed
- Two natural hoof attacks, dealing 1d4+Str mod damage
- Darkvision 60'
- Low-light vision
- Asperi are quadrupeds, and do not possess hands or limbs capable of fine manipulation. Thus, they cannot wield weapons or manipulate objects. They have developed appropriate somatic components for spells, however, and may cast spells that require them as normal.
- Asperi cannot speak, but understand Common (and gain bonus languages as normal).
- Additionally, the asperi gains a bonus to natural armor equal to its Con modifier.
Ascetic Rage (Ex): Levels in asperi can count as levels in either
barbarian or
monk for the purposes of fast movement, number of rages per day,
uncanny dodge (see below), AC bonus, and unarmed strike damage.
Frosty (Ex): An asperi gains the
[Cold] subtype, which grants immunity to cold. It has
vulnerability to fire, which means it takes half again as much (+50%) damage as normal from fire, regardless of whether a saving throw is allowed, or if the save is a success or failure.
Scent (Ex): The scent ability allows an asperi to detect approaching enemies, sniff out hidden foes, and track by sense of smell.
Wind Immunity (Ex): Winds, either natural or magical, have no effect on an asperi unless it chooses to ride them for additional movement (see Ride the Wind, below). This benefit applies equally to mountain gales, magical windstorms, elemental whirlwinds, and other similar effects.
Ability Boost: At second level, an asperi gains a bonus of +1 to Str and Con, and again at third level, for a total of +2 Str and +2 Con.
Fast Movement (Ex): A second level asperi adds +10 feet to its base land speed, and again at 3rd level, for a total base land speed of 60 ft.
Feather Fall (Sp): At second level, an asperi may use
feather fall as the spell one time per day per 2 HD. Caster level equals the asperi's HD.
Telepathy (Su): A second level asperi can communicate with any creature that has an Intelligence score of at least 1 through a form of telepathy. This communication has a range of 10 feet per HD, and its complexity is limited by the Intelligence score of the other creature.
Teeth (Ex): At second level, the asperi gains a secondary bite attack that deals 1d4+1/2 Str damage.
Uncanny Dodge (Ex): A second level asperi retains its Dexterity bonus to AC when flat-footed, and it cannot be flanked except by a rogue of at least 4 levels higher. It can flank characters with the uncanny dodge ability as if it were a rogue. Add asperi levels to levels in classes which grant either the uncanny dodge or the improved uncanny dodge ability.
Growth (Ex): At third level, the asperi grows to Large (long) size. At this time, the damage from its hoof and bite attacks increases to 1d6 each.
Dodge Arrows (Ex): At third level, an asperi
Riding the Wind (see below) gains a +2 dodge bonus to AC, +1 per 3 additional HD (+3 at 6th, 4 at 9th, etc), against any missile attack during any turn in which it takes a move action. If it has a rider, he or she also gains the bonus. The bonus lasts until the asperi’s next turn.
Ride the Wind (Su): At third level an asperi may move as if under the effect of an
air walk spell, except that it gains the end of turn movement of high winds as bonus movement (+5 ft. to speed for each 5 mph of the prevailing wind) when moving with winds faster than 20 mph, rather than moving at the end of its turn. Adverse winds do not slow it down, but they provide no bonus movement.
An asperi carrying a rider gallops through the air so smoothly that the rider can cast spells without making Concentration checks, provided that the asperi does not attack or perform any sudden aerial maneuvers.
An asperi can share this magical movement with up to one other creature within 5 feet, for as long as it remains within 5 feet. Asperi mothers use this to allow their foals to run with the herds; after a fall or two (caught with
feather-fall), the foals learn to stay with their mothers while in the air.
Comments
I made them 3 HD because they're not a very powerful creature to begin with; they're not a CR 4 challenge. Additionally, I added the scent quality, since the other 'horsey' and otherwise animalistic creatures all seem to have it. Lastly, since the 'flight' was left to the last level, I added the 'sharing' to make sense of why they can't 'fly' at first level.