Agathion, MustelidalThe head of this muscular, furry humanoid figure is that of an angry badger; it looks ready to strike at a moment’s notice.Mustelidal CR 16Source Pathfinder #108: Hell Comes to Westcrown pg. 84
XP 76,800
NG Medium outsider (agathion, extraplanar, good)
Init +8; Senses darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision; Perception +23
Aura protective aura (20 ft.)DefenseAC 31, touch 15, flat-footed 26 (+4 Dex, +1 dodge, +16 natural); +4 deflection vs. evil
hp 261 (18d10+162); regeneration 5 (evil weapons and spells)
Fort +15, Ref +15, Will +13; +4 resistance vs. evil
DR 10/evil and silver; Immune electricity, petrification; Resist cold 10, sonic 10OffenseSpeed 30 ft., burrow 20 ft.
Melee unarmed strike +26/+21/+16/+11 (2d8+7/19–20)
Special Attacks reckless bravura
Spell-Like Abilities (CL 18th; concentration +20)
Constant—speak with animals
At will—soften earth and stone, thunderstompACG
3/day—meld into stone, stone callAPG, stone shape
1/day—summon monster V (Large earth elemental only)StatisticsStr 24, Dex 18, Con 29, Int 14, Wis 15, Cha 15
Base Atk +18; CMB +25 (+27 grapple); CMD 40 (42 vs. grapple)
Feats Dodge, Improved Critical (unarmed strike), Improved Grapple, Improved Initiative, Improved Unarmed Strike, Lunge, Mobility, Spring Attack, Weapon Focus (unarmed strike)
Skills Acrobatics +25, Bluff +23, Climb +28, Escape Artist +25, Knowledge (planes) +14, Perception +23, Sense Motive +14, Stealth +25, Survival +23
Languages Celestial, Draconic, Infernal; speak with animals, truespeech
SQ celestial strike, lay on hands (9d6, 11/day, as an 18th-level paladin), poison purgeEcologyEnvironment any underground (Nirvana)
Organization solitary, pair, or cete (3–6)
Treasure doubleSpecial AbilitiesCelestial Strike (Ex) A mustelidal’s unarmed attacks are treated similarly to those of an 18th-level brawler (Pathfinder RPG Advanced Class Guide 23). They deal 2d8 points of lethal bludgeoning damage, though the mustelidal can choose to deal nonlethal damage instead with no penalty on his attack roll. The mustelidal applies his full Strength modifier on all damage rolls with his unarmed strike. A mustelidal’s unarmed strike is treated as both a manufactured weapon and a natural weapon for the purpose of spells and effects that modify either manufactured weapons or natural weapons. A mustelidal’s unarmed strikes are treated as magic, cold iron, silver, and adamantine weapons for the purposes of overcoming damage reduction and bypassing hardness.
Poison Purge (Su) As a full-round action, a mustelidal who has been poisoned can will himself into an unconscious state for 10 minutes. During this time, the mustelidal suffers no further effects from the poison, and cannot be roused from this deathlike trance by any means. At the end of the 10 minutes, the mustelidal awakens completely cured of any poisons that were affecting him. This doesn’t heal the mustelidal of any existing ability damage or drain the poison may have already caused. If the mustelidal succumbs to a poison that causes unconsciousness, this ability triggers automatically.
Reckless Bravura (Ex) As a swift action when a mustelidal is flanked or within the area threated by a creature whose size is at least Huge, the mustelidal can enter a frenzy, taking a –2 penalty to his AC and gaining a +2 morale bonus on melee attack and damage rolls. The mustelidal can leave this state as a free action only after reducing an enemy to 0 hit points or fewer or when there are no enemies in the mustelidal’s line of sight.DescriptionTenacious warriors, mustelidals are the protectors of the good and neutral burrowing creatures of the universe, fending off such evil underground threats as neothelids, purple worms, and shaitans. These agathions are difficult to kill and see defeat in battle as little more than an annoying roadblock delaying their eventual victory.
Mustelidals look like humanoid badgers with black fur and a white stripe running from the crowns of their heads all the way down their backs. They often wear open yet loose-fitting clothing that shows off their toned physiques and allows them more freedom of movement in battle. They prefer to dress in deep, rich browns accented with warm colors, such as yellows and oranges. An average mustelidal stands 5-1/2 feet tall and weighs 180 pounds.EcologyMustelidals are fashioned from the souls of goodaligned mortals whose determination and perseverance kept them fighting long after they should have given in. The more times such a mortal has been resurrected in order to prolong its fight, the greater the chance that her soul is transformed into a mustelidal after finally receiving Pharasma’s judgment. Just after they are “born,” mustelidals are eager to return to the Material Plane and engage in battle with the forces of evil.
When in a conflict, mustelidals rely on their natural defenses a bit too much, often getting in over their heads and attacking large throngs of enemies or foes who eclipse them in size. In such situations, mustelidals tap into a well of courage that usually allows them to survive against all odds. These agathions use their ability to summon Large earth elementals only to distract their foes at the start of combat or in dire circumstances when the mustelidals need a way to cover their escape.
At the end of a protracted conflict, mustelidals burrow into the nearby dirt or use their meld into stone spell-like ability to allow their regeneration to restore them to full health. They also take advantage of their poison purge ability at this time if any toxins are coursing through their blood. If the mustelidals weren’t victorious in the previous fight, they use their skills to track down the surviving foes to attempt to finish the job.Habitat and SocietyBecause of mustelidals’ unwillingness to back down from a fight, other types of agathions often use them as personal bodyguards, especially when traveling to other planes. Those with crucial missions frequently bring along a small retinue of mustelidals, though they must convince the badger-headed outsiders that they will be face a fair challenge; mustelidals are uninterested in wasting their talents against foes they can defeat without any effort. Occasionally, mustelidals are tasked with protecting a good-aligned outsider or a particularly important mortal. Mustelidals consider such a duty sacrosanct, and never abandon their charges when things get dangerous, not even to chase down an enemy to finish it off—while mustelidals enjoy fighting, they are clever enough to recognize that an apparent retreat may simply be an ambush in disguise.
When not protecting charges, mustelidals prefer to remain in burrowed dens, letting the cool, musty smell of soil fill their nostrils. They enjoy claustrophobic spaces and darkness, and often react violently to intruders who threaten their solitude with either their presence or light. In other contexts, however, mustelidals are quite friendly, if a bit intense. They tend to speak in brief sentences and their laughs, which rarely occur, are short, staccato bursts. The condition of a mustelidal’s fur often indicates how long it has been idle; one with dirt clumped and matted in its coat hasn’t been in a fight in weeks or months. A mustelidal who has spent some time outside of Nirvana is much more freshly groomed.
Of all the races on the Material Plane, mustelidals have a certain fondness for gnomes. This may be because the two races share the ability to speak with animals, giving them both an appreciation of the natural world—or perhaps because mustelidals appreciate the way gnomes fight so hard to stave off the Bleaching, despite its seeming inevitability. Whatever the reason, a mustelidal sometimes forms a strong attachment with a particular gnome, rescuing him from fatal situations but otherwise content simply to observe his antics. Many campfire tales have been told about gnomes who have garnered these literal guardian angels.Calling a MustelidalMustelidals are among the more powerful outsiders that can be called with greater planar ally. Although they do not need to eat, they enjoy the taste of honey, and each 8-ounce jar included in the material components of the spell counts as 200 gp worth of offerings. A mustelidal will eagerly accept the task of watching over a worthy person, halving the payment requested, though such tasks require a specific time frame and cannot be open-ended. Mustelidal protectors are often willing to lay down their lives to ensure the people in their care survive whatever dangers prompted them to employ the agathions’ services in the first place. Particularly zealous mustelidals have been known to check in on their former charges from time to time, even years after the terms of their original agreement ended, offering their services again. While they require a new agreement to serve the mortal again, they can be very persuasive, and former charges who find themselves in perpetual danger may employ the same mustelidal a dozen or more times over the course of their lives, so long as the threats that the agathions are defending against present suitable challenges.Creatures in "Agathion" CategorySource Bestiary 2 pg. 15
Agathions are a race of beast-aspect outsiders native to the plane of Nirvana, a realm of pure good unconcerned with the dogma of law (represented by Heaven) or chaos (represented by Elysium). Though Nirvana is a place of rest where blessed souls seek enlightenment, agathions are aggressive and interventionist in the mortal world when it comes to dealing with evil. Created from the souls of good mortals who have managed to achieve the enlightenment they sought in life (or in some cases, after death), agathions embody the principles of a peaceable kingdom while marshaling their strength to defend that kingdom from any who would despoil it. Because they strike an ethical balance between the chaotic, fey-like azatas and the lawful, rigid process of the archons, agathions are often liaisons between the celestial races, soothing hot tempers and working toward mutual goals of vanquishing evil and protecting good.
All agathions have an animal-like aspect. Some are more humanoid in appearance, while others spend their entire existence in a form nearly identical to that of a true animal. Each type of agathion serves a particular role in Nirvana, and their duties on other planes echo these responsibilities: leonals watch over Nirvana's portals and have a guardian-like aspect in other worlds, draconals carry the wisdom of the ages and observe and guide exceptional mortals, vulpinals are bards and messengers and bear important news to celestial generals and mortal heroes, and so on. Agathions are proud of their feral aspects and don't take kindly to the suggestion that they are cursed folk like lycanthropes or nothing more than magical talking beasts. Every agathion was once a mortal who aspired to goodness and was rewarded in the afterlife with a form suiting her talents and personality; suggesting that an agathion's form is a kind of punishment is a terrible insult.
The following pages describe only a few of the best-known kinds of agathions, but other types exist, corresponding to other conventional animals (bears, dinosaurs, fish, wolves, and so on), with a few having shapes that resemble insects (particularly beetles, butterflies, and mantises); a handful resemble stranger creatures (such as basilisks and owlbears) or unique “animals” native to extreme environments on distant worlds. Certain animals, particularly those associated with scavenging activities (such as hyenas, buzzards, or jackals) or parasitism (like lampreys or ticks) specifically do not have agathions associated with them—these animals are not intrinsically evil, but their habits and ecological niches are far from the noble and proud traditions that most of the souls who seek enlightenment upon Nirvana would associate with themselves.
Individual agathions may be male or female, but they do not reproduce among their own kind—every agathion is a unique individual made from the soul of a good mortal. This does not prevent them from falling in love or having affairs with mortals, and a few aasimar and celestial sorcerer bloodlines derive from past contact with agathions, particularly among communities not averse to anthropomorphic humanoids. Indeed, many mythologies tie numerous races of this kind to the inevitable result of human tribes forming strong emotional attachments to visiting agathions.
Agathions speak Celestial, Draconic, and Infernal, though they can communicate with any intelligent creature because of their truespeech ability. They can also communicate with animals using a similar, silent ability. Even the weakest agathion is able to heal itself or others using a power similar to a paladin's ability to lay on hands. All agathions have a number of similar traits, as detailed in Appendix 3 of this book.
Agathions serving a particular deity or empyreal lord may have additional abilities depending on the role their deity assigns them. For example, a cetaceal serving a goddess of volcanic islands may be able to change shape into a more human-like form to walk on land, and may be immune to fire to tolerate and tend to the life-rich thermal vents at the ocean floor.
Agathion Leaders
Though agathions lack an organized hierarchy, each type of agathion has a few individuals invested with power by the gods of Nirvana or the plane itself. Common agathions look to these exceptional examples for leadership, wisdom, and inspiration; these enlightened folk do not openly claim any responsibilities or rank over their fellows, but welcome the obligations this added power places upon them and do not deny their status or shirk their duties. Part of a category of powerful outsiders known collectively as empyreal lords, these leaders are often significantly larger than common agathions (up to double the normal size, in some cases), and have unusual coloration (such as iron-gray fur) or unique sensory manifestations associated with their presence (such as illusory birds, a constant melody, the scent of oranges, or a calming aura). No agathion fails to recognize their presence when not disguised. Agathion leaders can serve as heralds for deities, although they tend not to encourage religions based on their teachings. The following is but a selection of notable agathion leaders.
Chavod Broken-Spear (cetaceal)
Kelumarion the King Over the Mountain (leonal)
Korada of the Dream Lotus (avoral)
Lady Taramyth the Singing Flame (vulpinal)
Sixlife the Violet Fury (silvanshee)
Walks with Golden Stars (draconal)
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