Hollyphant

by Christopher Perkins (Dragon #312)

A hollyphant has two forms. Its smaller form can be described as follows:

This creature looks like a small, golden-furred elephant about 2 feet long, with a pair of shining white wings sprouting from its back. Its coat shimmers and gleams, and its eyes dance with a rainbow of colors.

The hollyphant's larger form can be described as follows:

Immense leathery wings sprout from the broad shoulders of this bipedal mastodon. It has bright golden eyes, shaggy black fur covering most of its great bulk, and curved tusks like gleaming scimitars.

Hollyphants aid good deities and often serve as their messengers to mortals. These elephantine celestials can be encountered throughout the Upper Planes, typically on a mission for some god of good or another. Their appearance often fools evil creatures into underestimating their potent magical and psionic power.

Hollyphants have two forms: a Small elephant covered in golden fur, and a Large bipedal mammoth form with deadly tusks, large wings, and black fur. The former form measures around 2 feet long and weighs 60 pounds. The latter version stands 12 feet tall and weighs in at an impressive 1,200 pounds. Hollyphants communicate only telepathically.

Making a Hollyphant Character

Outsider (Extraplanar, Good)

Although they are most often employed as messengers, hollyphants perform a variety of missions and serve in many different capacities. Their ability to telepathically communicate with any intelligent creature enables them to work well within very diverse groups.

Despite their superior mental ability scores, hollyphants are weak at low level and do not gain many of their trademark abilities (such as trumpet and invulnerability) until higher levels. At 8th level, a hollyphant gains the ability to assume its Large form, making it more effective in many combat situations.

Racial Traits

Class Skills

The hollyphant's class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Concentration (Con), Diplomacy (Cha), Heal (Wis), Hide (Dex), Knowledge (the planes) (Int), Listen (Wis), Move Silently (Dex), Search (Int), Sense Motive (Wis), Spellcraft (Int), and Spot (Wis).

Class Features

All the following are class features of the hollyphant monster class*.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Hollyphants are proficient with their natural weapons only. They are not proficient with any other weapons, or with any type of armor or shield.

Feats: A hollyphant receives one feat at 1st level and an additional feat at 6th and 14th level. After 15th level, it gains feats normally according to its character level, as shown in Experience and Level-Dependent Benefits.

Gore: A Small hollyphant has a primary gore attack that is a natural weapon dealing 1d3 points of damage plus Strength bonus.

Telepathy (Su): A hollyphant can communicate telepathically with any creature within 60 feet that has a language.

Lesser Spell-like Abilities: At 3rd level, a hollyphant can use the following spell-like abilities each once per day: bless, cure moderate wounds, light, and protection from evil. At 5th level, it can use each of these abilities three times per day. At 7th level, it can use bless and light at will. The hollyphant's caster level is equal to its class levels (maximum 15th; save DC 10 + spell level + hollyphant's Charisma modifier).

Psionics (Sp): At 3rd level, a hollyphant can use the following psionic abilities each once per day: blessed sight* [prayer], detect chaos, detect law, detect poison, detect thoughts, invisibility, know direction, see invisibility, and suggestion. At 7th level, it can use each of these abilities three times per day. At 11th level, it can use these abilities at will. The hollyphant's effective caster level is equal to its Hit Dice from class levels (maximum 6th; save DC 10 + spell level + hollyphant's Charisma modifier).

Trumpet (Su): Starting at 4th level, a hollyphant can issue a blast of sound through its trunk, choosing one of the following effects each time. It can use this ability the indicated number of times per day.

Spell Resistance (Ex): Starting at 7th level, a hollyphant gains spell resistance equal to 3 + class level. This spell resistance increases by +4 against evil spells and spells cast by evil outsiders.

Alternate Form (Su): At 8th level, a hollyphant gains the ability to change into a Large form. It can shift between its Small and Large forms as a standard action. In Large form, it loses the benefits of its invulnerability ability (see below). In Large form, a hollyphant takes a -1 penalty to AC, a -1 penalty on attack rolls, and -4 penalty on Hide checks, but its Strength increases by +12 and it gains a +4 bonus on grapple checks. It also occupies a space 10 feet across and gains a 10-foot reach.

A hollyphant in Large form gains two primary slam attacks that are natural weapons dealing 1d8 points of damage plus Strength bonus. Its gore becomes a secondary attack that deals 2d6 points of damage plus 1/2 Strength bonus.

A hollyphant remains in one form until it chooses to assume the other form. A change in form cannot be dispelled, nor does the hollyphant revert to any particular form when killed. A true seeing spell, however, reveals both forms simultaneously.

Immunities: At 9th level, a hollyphant gains immunity to disease and poison.

Invulnerability (Su): At 10th level, a Small hollyphant's shimmering coat protects it as a continuous globe of invulnerability, but only the hollyphant is warded. In Large form, the hollyphant loses this ability.

Greater Spell-like Abilities: At 11th level, a hollyphant can use the following spell-like abilities each once per day: banishment, flame strike, greater teleport (self and up to 20 pounds of objects only), heal, and raise dead. At 13th level, it can use greater teleport three times per day. At 15th level, it can use greater teleport at will. The hollyphant's caster level is equal to its class levels (maximum 15th; save DC 10 + spell level + hollyphant's Charisma modifier).

Summon Celestial (Sp): At 15th level, a hollyphant can attempt to summon another hollyphant, an asura, or an avoral guardinal with a 45% chance of success once per day. The summoned creature automatically returns whence it came after 1 hour. A hollyphant that has just been summoned cannot use its own summon ability for 1 hour.

LevelHDBABFortRef.WillSkill PtsCRSpecial
1st1d8+1+2+2+2(8 + Int mod) x 41Feat, subtypes (extraplanar, good), telepathy, gore 1d3
2nd2d8+2+3+3+38 + Int mod2+2 Int, +2 Cha, damage reduction 5/cold iron or evil
3rd2d8+2+3+3+3-2Psionics 1/day, lesser spell-like abilities 1/day
4th2d8+2+3+3+3-3+2 Dex, trumpet 1/day
5th3d8+3+3+3+38 + Int mod3+2 Wis, lesser spell-like abilities 3/day
6th3d8+3+3+3+3-4Feat
7th3d8+3+3+3+3-4Psionics 3/day, trumpet 2/day, bless at will, light at will, spell resistance 10
8th4d8+4+4+4+38 + Int mod5Alternate form, damage reduction 10/cold iron or evil, spell resistance 11
9th4d8+4+4+4+4-5+2 Con, immunity to disease and poison, spell resistance 12
10th4d8+4+4+4+4-6+2 Int, trumpet 3/day, invulnerability, spell resistance 13
11th5d8+5+4+4+48 + Int mod6Psionics at will, greater spell-like abilities 1/day, spell resistance 14
12th5d8+5+4+4+4-7+2 Wis, +2 Cha, spell resistance 15
13th5d8+5+4+4+4-7Greater teleport 3/day, spell resistance 16
14th6d8+6/+1+5+5+58 + Int mod8Feat, spell resistance 17
15th6d8+6/+1+5+5+5-8Greater teleport at will, summon celestial 1/day, spell resistance 18

*For information on Monster Classes see Savage Species

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