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Archives of Nethys

Archives of Nethys

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PFS StandardShining Child

Shining children are wicked, enigmatic monsters that roam remote planes and untraveled corners of the universe in search of esoteric lore. With their abnormally gaunt frames, long white hair, and unnerving, four-fingered hands, shining children are both strangely familiar and otherworldly in appearance, though they are barely visible within the shroud of blinding light they continually emit. Their faces are truly horrible, however, as their overlarge eyes and distended, gaping mouths reveal their heads to be voids filled with unnatural light. Shining children use this light as a weapon, weaving illusions and focusing beams of fiery brilliance.

Because of their reputation as scholars of the alien and the eldritch, shining children are sometimes summoned by powerful wizards or occultists in search of rare knowledge. The creatures never give away their lore without some price, though, and typically demand in return the performance of contemptible deeds that further their inscrutable, far-ranging plans.

These mysterious beings are natives of the Astral Plane. In that vast plane, accretions of metaphysical matter gradually accumulate and eventually coalesce into demiplanes. During this tumultuous process, sparks of living light sometimes shear off the newly formed planes, and these sparks of raw planar energy somehow transform into shining children. Every newly formed demiplane leaves a different mental imprint on its shining “offspring,” making it easy for shining children to telepathically recognize their brothers and sisters. Forever trapped in apparently adolescent bodies, shining children dedicate themselves to scholarship and violence with equal measure in a futile effort to understand their roles in the multiverse and the burning injustice of their births.

Shining children confuse most other creatures with their refusal to use individual names in favor of alternating between referring to each other singularly and collectively.

Recall Knowledge - Astral (Occultism): DC 30
Unspecific Lore: DC 28
Specific Lore: DC 25

Elite | Normal | Weak
Proficiency without Level

Shining ChildCreature 12

Legacy Content

CE Medium Astral 
Source Bestiary pg. 292
Perception +11; darkvision
Languages Aklo; telepathy 120 feet
Skills Arcana +6, Deception +11, Diplomacy +9, Intimidation +9, Occultism +6
Str +2, Dex +5, Con +6, Int +2, Wis +5, Cha +7
Radiance Dependence The shining child is flat-footed while in areas of darkness.
AC 21; Fort +10, Ref +7, Will +7
HP 215; Immunities blinded, dazzled, fire
Blinding Aura (arcane, aura, incapacitation, light) 60 feet. The shining child sheds bright light. Any creature that starts its turn in the aura must succeed at a Fortitude DC 17 save. If it fails, it is blinded for 1 minute, and if it critically fails, it’s permanently blinded. A creature that succeeds at its save is temporarily immune to this effect for 24 hours. Overwhelming Light [reaction] (light) Trigger The shining child enters an area of magical darkness or begins its turn in an area of magical darkness. Effect The shining child attempts to counteract the magical darkness (as a 7th-level spell).
Speed 30 feet, fly 50 feet
Melee [one-action] fist +13 [+9/+5] (agile, finesse, magical), Damage 3d4+5 bludgeoning plus 4d6 fire and 2d4 persistent fireMelee [one-action] fire ray +13 [+8/+3] (arcane, evocation, magical, range 100 feet), Damage 3d10+3 fire, plus 2d10 positive damage if the target is undeadOccult Innate Spells DC 21; 7th spell turning, sunburst; 6th dispel magic, vibrant pattern, wall of force; 5th dimension door, false vision, hallucinatory terrain; 4th dimension door (at will; self only); 2nd illusory object (at will); Cantrips (6th) light

Sidebar - Additional Lore Ancient Guardians

The practice of conjuring and binding shining children to serve as guardians of important locations was a popular one in Thassilon. Even today, thousands of years after this empire’s fall, adventurers can still encounter shining children in ancient ruins, guarding treasures and forgotten lore from the distant past.