Agathion, VulpinalThis bright-eyed, anthropomorphic fox is dressed in simple traveling clothes and carries a musical instrument in one hand.
Vulpinal CR 6Source Bestiary 2 pg. 21, The Great Beyond - A Guide to the Multiverse pg. 62
XP 2,400
NG Small outsider (agathion, extraplanar, good)
Init +7; Senses darkvision 60 ft., detect evil, low-light vision; Perception +12
Aura calm emotions (30 ft.)
DefenseAC 22, touch 14, flat-footed 19 (+4 armor, +3 Dex, +4 natural, +1 size)
hp 59 (7d10+21)
Fort +5, Ref +10, Will +7; +4 vs. poison
DR 10/evil or silver; Immune electricity, petrification; Resist cold 10, sonic 10; SR 17
OffenseSpeed 30 ft.
Melee bite +11 (1d4+1), 2 claws +11 (1d3+1)
Special Attacks pounce
Spell-Like Abilities (CL 7th; concentration +10)
Constant—detect evil, mage armor, speak with animals
At will—invisibility (self only)
3/day—charm monster (DC 17), dispel evil (DC 18), flame arrow, holy smite (DC 17), dimension door (self plus 50 lbs. of objects only), remove disease
1/day—major image (DC 16)StatisticsStr 12, Dex 16, Con 17, Int 19, Wis 15, Cha 16
Base Atk +7; CMB +7; CMD 20
Feats Combat Reflexes, Improved Initiative, Lightning Reflexes, Weapon Finesse
Skills Acrobatics +10 (+18 jump), Bluff +13, Knowledge (any one) +21, Knowledge (arcana) +21, Knowledge (planes) +21, Perception +12, Perform (any one) +13, Spellcraft +14, Stealth +17, Use Magic Device +10; Racial Modifiers +8 Acrobatics when jumping
Languages Celestial, Common, Draconic, Infernal; speak with animals, truespeech
SQ bardic knowledge +7, lay on hands (3d6, 6/day, as a 7th-level paladin)
EcologyEnvironment any land (Nirvana)
Organization solitary, pair, or team (3–12)
Treasure standard (masterwork musical instrument, other treasure)
Special AbilitiesCalm Emotions Aura (Su) A vulpinal’s aura acts like a calm emotions spell with a radius of 30 feet. Any creature entering this area must make a Will save (DC 16) to resist the effect. A creature that makes its save is immune to that vulpinal’s aura for 24 hours. The save DC is Charisma-based.
DescriptionAmong the smallest of the agathions, vulpinals tend to be the most outspoken and friendly of their kind, and also the most far-ranging across the planes. A vulpinal looks like a humanoid fox, often with brilliantly colored fur (usually red or red-brown, though silver is not uncommon) and a tail as long as its height. As the bards and sages of the agathions, they dress in functional clothing, typically embellishing a single article to show their creativity and personality. Most appear to be adults, though others look more like fox kits (with shorter stature and larger eyes) while some look much older (leaner, with gray fur on the muzzle, chest, and tail). Their hands are humanoid in shape, with tiny clawed fingers.
A typical vulpinal prefers a life of solitary travel, though they have been known to pair up or travel in groups if they find like-minded individuals who have much to teach and share. They are particularly fond of lillends, and these winged azatas can easily carry the child-sized vulpinals, giving vulpinals many opportunities to share stories. Indeed, for a vulpinal, there are few greater pleasures than sharing their knowledge—acting as sages of the planes, teaching songs and dances from exotic places, and composing poems about beautiful places in the natural world. Though they are gentle by nature, they fight to defend beauty, especially if their magic can bolster the more martial celestial races.
A vulpinal stands about 3 feet in height and weighs 50 pounds.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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