MederachThis towering spider has multifaceted, shining eyes, eight legs that are each tipped with silver, and massive mandibles.Mederach CR 9Source Pathfinder #105: The Inferno Gate pg. 88
XP 6,400
CG Large outsider (chaotic, extraplanar, good)
Init +0; Senses darkvision 60 ft., detect evil; Perception +22DefenseAC 23, touch 9, flat-footed 23 (+14 natural, –1 size)
hp 114 (12d10+48)
Fort +12, Ref +6, Will +11
DR 10/evil; SR 20OffenseSpeed 40 ft., climb 20 ft.
Melee bite +17 (1d8+5 plus poison), 2 claws +16 (1d6+5)
Space 10 ft., Reach 10 ft.
Special Attacks poison, web (+11 ranged, DC 20, 12 hp)
Spell-Like Abilities (CL 12th; concentration +16)
Constant—detect evil
At will—plane shift (self only)
3/day—calm emotions (DC 16), glitterdust (DC 16)
1/day—break enchantment (DC 18), hold monster (DC 18)StatisticsStr 21, Dex 10, Con 18, Int 13, Wis 16, Cha 19
Base Atk +12; CMB +18; CMD 28
Feats Alertness, Cleave, Great Cleave, Lightning Reflexes, Power Attack, Weapon Focus (bite)
Skills Acrobatics +15 (+19 when jumping), Climb +28, Diplomacy +19, Heal +12, Intimidate +10, Knowledge (planes) +10, Perception +22, Sense Motive +22, Stealth +5
Languages Celestial, Common, Infernal
SQ change shape (Medium or Large animal only; beast shape II), peaceful intent, silver clawsEcologyEnvironment any (Elysium)
Organization solitary, pair, or team (3–6)
Treasure standardSpecial AbilitiesPeaceful Intent (Su) A mederach seeks peaceful and nonviolent solutions to confrontation unless facing mindless undead or evil arachnids. For all other creatures, the DC of saving throws attempted against a mederach’s calm emotions and sanctuary spell-like abilities increases by 2 (this increase is not included in the DCs listed above). A mederach can use its claws to deal nonlethal damage without taking a penalty on its attack rolls.
Poison (Ex) Bite—injury; save Fort DC 20; frequency 1/round for 6 rounds; effect daze; cure 1 save. The save DC is Constitution-based.
Silver Claws (Ex) Because of the coating on them, a mederach’s claws count as both silver and good for purposes of overcoming damage reduction.DescriptionNatives of Elysium, mederachs are the kind and good counterparts to the bebiliths that lurk in the Abyss and prey upon demonic flesh. Mederachs once spent all of their time on their home plane, serving as healers and teachers to the azatas, angels, titans, and others creatures alongside which they lived; among themselves, mederachs delighted in discussing the nuances of the honest virtues they held in such high esteem, including kindness, charity, and mercy.
As societies formed on the Material Plane, mederachs heard tales of mortals’ changeable morality with interest and concern. Mortals, they came to believe, have souls that are inherently good, but that are also easily corrupted when exposed to prolonged suffering or extraplanar evil forces. During the Age of Darkness, mederachs heard of the various misfortunes and evils that had descended upon the lands of Golarion, including the falling of the Starstone, the collapse of major empires, and the rampages of the nascent demon lord Treerazer. Believing that these events would imperil the souls of all the world’s mortals, mederachs began experimenting with plane-shifting; once they honed this ability, they began making regular forays to Golarion to aid good creatures in the fight against overwhelming evil. Now, in addition to embarking on these missions, mederachs also sometimes travel to the source of such evil plots—often the Abyss—and work on mortals’ behalf there. However, no matter where their journeys take them, mederachs always keep in mind their belief that most evil can be redeemed, and so they seek to subdue their enemies and turn them toward good whenever possible instead of destroying them outright.
Mederachs are typically 10 feet tall and weigh about 2,000 pounds.EcologyOn Elysium, mederachs still occasionally serve as teachers and mentors for their native neighbors. In recent millennia, however, they’ve spent their time at home honing their hunting skills, for their experiences working with virtuous partners on the Material Plane has taught them they must be skilled hunters and combatants if they wish to effectively fight evil. They find plenty of creatures on Elysium willing to participate as the prey in mock hunts. Mederachs rarely remain in Elysium for extended periods, preferring to put their skills to use on the Material Plane or even in the Abyss once they feel comfortable doing so.
To their credit, mederachs use peaceful methods to subdue their targets whenever they can. However, they have an instinctive, burning hatred for evil arachnid creatures, reserving the greatest enmity for bebiliths, whose malevolence mederachs believe is a mockery of the good they themselves try so ardently to accomplish. They also have no qualms about destroying unintelligent evil creatures, especially mindless undead, reasoning that these monsters serve as mere shells for the forces of evil and deserve no quarter.
Mederachs hunt like typical web-spinning spiders, leaving a nigh-invisible web in the path of potential targets. They often elect to deal nonlethal damage to foes they think they can reach through dialog. During combat with such foes, they relate grand tales of supposedly irredeemable tyrants who saw the error of their ways and became benign rulers.
Mederachs acquired the ability to change their appearance, which they use when they travel among those who might fear their true forms, or who might mistake them for evil bebiliths. Although they can change shape into many types of animals, they tend to choose familiar forms, such as horses with golden manes or riding dogs with golden coats. Their arachnid nature subtly manifests while they’re in alternate forms, usually represented by eight toes on each paw, or scarlet dots on their heads representing extra eyes.Habitat and SocietyAround others of their kind, mederachs are especially conversational and friendly; a convening of mederachs is often a talkative and somewhat disorderly, if polite, affair. They enjoy relating tales of their journeys to other planes and of creatures they have turned from evil or, regrettably, destroyed. Mederachs also enjoy discussing intricate web patterns based on designs they have witnessed in the stars or on other planes. They establish no formal hierarchy among themselves and regard each other as equals.
Mederachs’ egalitarianism extends to their fellow good-aligned outsiders. Of course, they have their own biases and preferences regarding such creatures. They view many lawful good outsiders, especially archons, as too rigid in their pursuit of righteousness. Archons, on the other hand, view mederachs as powerful but overly idealistic and optimistic fighters. The lawful good celestials still seek alliances with mederachs, however, when doing so would benefit their plans. Mederachs are usually open to such offers, but these collaborations tend to dissolve quickly once the creatures achieve their mutual goal.
Mederachs find many neutral good outsiders to be eminently helpful when the need arises; in their own pursuit of good, agathions in particular are open to assisting mederachs with nonviolent plans. When agathions embark on ambassadorial missions to other planes, mederachs often accompany them, both to further their own schemes and to cement the friendships they often have with their allies. Mederachs also frequently work with angels, although when they do, it usually involves the angels intimidating the powerful evil creatures mederachs hope to turn to good. Of course, their angel allies tend to have their own inscrutable aims in mind when they go along with mederachs’ plans, which can sometimes lead to minor discord between the celestials.
Of all the other good outsiders, mederachs have the most in common with azatas, who are also natives of Elysium. While azatas can be aimless in their pursuit of championing good wherever they tread, mederachs are more focused architects of such plans, and so the two make excellent partners in many situations. In such relationships, the strong-willed azatas may insist on taking the lead when carrying out plans or suddenly change their minds about the best ways to achieve the partnership’s collective goals. Yet they are surprisingly willing to admit their errors in judgment or personality flaws, leading to friendships and partnerships that rarely truly sour despite minor setbacks. Beyond threatening one of their own, the best way to truly rile mederachs is to harm their azata companions.
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