Varrangoin, Arcanist (CR 11)
Medium Magical Beast (Extraplanar)
Alignment: Always chaotic evil
Initiative: +3 (Dex); Senses: darkvision 60 ft. and low-light vision
Languages: their own language, Abyssal, Common, and Undercommon
AC: 20 (+3 Dex, +7 natural), touch 13, flat-footed 17
Hit Dice: 8d10+16 (60 hp); DR: 10/iron
Fort +8, Ref +9, Will +3
Speed: 20 ft., fly 50 ft. (good)
Space: 5 ft./5 ft.
Base Attack +8; Grapple +9
Attack: Claw +9 melee
Full Attack: 2 claws +9 melee and bite +7 melee and tail sting +7 melee
Damage: Claw 1d4+1, bite 1d6, tail sting 1d4 plus poison
Special Attacks/Actions: Poison, spell-like abilities, spells
Abilities: Str 12, Dex 16, Con 15, Int 17, Wis 13, Cha 12
Special Qualities: immunity to spells, SR 22, varrangoin traits
Feats: Combat Casting; Craft Wand (B); Multiattack (B); Scribe Scroll (B); Spell Focus (Evocation); Spell Focus (Illusion)
Skills: Concentration +13, Hide +8, Knowledge (arcana) +14, Knowledge (the planes) +14, Move Silently +9, and Spellcraft +16
Advancement: 9-10 HD (Medium-size); 11-16 HD (Large); or by character class
Climate/Terrain: Any land or underground (Abyss)
Organization: Solitary or flock (2-6)
Treasure/Possessions: Standard
Source:
Fiend Folio
Poison (Ex): An arcanist varrangoin delivers its poison (Fort DC 16 negates) with each successful tail sting attack. Initial and secondary damage are the same (1d6 Dex).
Spell-like Abilities: 2/day - dispel magic; 1/day - arcane eye, flesh to stone, mirror image, baleful polymorph, polymorph self. Caster level 8th; save DC 11 + spell level.
Spells: An arcanist varrangoin can cast arcane spells as a 9th-level wizard (4 5/5/4/2/i; save DC 13 + spell level or 15 + spell level for Evocation and Illusion spells). A typical spell list: 0 - detect magic (2), flare, ghost sound; 1st - color spray, magic missile (2), shield, shocking grasp; 2nd - blur, darkness, flaming sphere (2), minor image; 3rd - fireball (2), major image, vampiric touch; 4th - dimension door, ice storm; 5th - cone of cold.
Immunity to Spells (Su): Arcanist varrangoins ignore the effects of spells and spell-like abilities of 3rd level or lower, just as if the spellcaster had failed to overcome spell resistance. Arcanist varrangoins can deactivate or activate this ability as a free action.
Varrangoin Traits (Ex): Exposure to bright light (such as sunlight or a daylight spell) blinds varrangoins for round. Even after recovering from being blinded, they take a -1 circumstance penalty on all attack rolls, saves, and skill checks while operating in bright light. Varrangoins have acid, cold, electricity, arid fire resistance 10.
All varrangoins choose their battles carefully and prefer to attack creatures obviously weaker than themselves. In a battle, arcanist varrangoins try to assume command of the anarchic flocks, but usually have little success. Lesser varrangoins are herded forward in battle, little more than chaff the superior varrangoins use to prolong their own survival. Ragers love the thrill of ripping into an opponent with their claws, though, and follow their lesser kin quickly into combat with spell support from arcanists. Usually, no individual leads a flock or community for long due to the innate chaos of varrangoin society.
One tactic preferred by the arcanists is to use their proficiency with illusion magic to make a flock appear twice or three times as big as it actually is, plunging the ranks of their opponents into chaos as they try to discern which varrangoin is real and which is not.
Arcanist varrangoins are rarely encountered alone. When they venture out of their caves, they are nearly always accompanied by several lesser varrangoins and a few rager varrangoins. In a fight, they send their minions forward to engage opponents in melee while unleashing their spells from a safe distance. Arcanist varrangoins favor evocation and illusion spells over other sorts, since they tend to have a direct impact on a battle. They rarely prepare spells that increase the fighting effectiveness of others. Arcanists also typically keep an escape spell prepared, such as expeditious retreat or dimension door.
Extraplanar Subtype
A subtype applied to any creature when it is on a plane other than its native plane. A creature that travels the planes can gain or lose this subtype as it goes from plane to plane. This book assumes that encounters with creatures take place on the Material Plane, and every creature whose native plane is not the Material Plane has the extraplanar subtype (but would not have when on its home plane). An extraplanar creatures usually has a home plane mentioned in its description. These home planes are taken from the Great Wheel cosmology of the D&D game (see Chapter 5 of the Dungeon Master's Guide). If your campaign uses a different cosmology, you will need to assign different home planes to extraplanar creatures.
Creatures not labeled as extraplanar are natives of the Material Plane, and they gain the extraplanar subtype if they leave the Material Plane. No creature has the extraplanar subtype when it is on a transitive plane; the transitive planes in the D&D cosmology are the Astral Plane, the Ethereal Plane, and the Plane of Shadow.