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Animate Aria

An animate aria is the spirit of music in physical form. Granted life through magic and ceremony, these constructs emanate the inspiring music used to create them, usually acting as expensive and entertaining decor for the wealthy elite as well as simple servants and guardians.

As a construct of sound, an aria is usually heard and not seen, though it does have a physical body: a large humanoid-shaped framework without any distinguishing physical features, approximately 12 feet tall, made up of stylized symbols of musical notation. It can completely suppress its natural invisibility if needed, and while its musical aura can’t be fully silenced, it can be reduced to a pleasant indoor volume suitable for light entertainment. The music used in the ritual to created an animate aria is the only sound that the construct can emit. It doesn’t have the creative spark to create new music, though an animate aria in distress can emit all of the measures of its song at once to create a painful and deafening discordance. When it does so, the musical notation that makes up an animate aria’s visible form briefly becomes jagged and broken, making the construct easier to see.

Animate arias are especially vulnerable to magic with sonic and silencing effects, which disrupt the melody that sustains them. When subjected to such effects, the extremities of the construct’s shape begin to fade away, starting with its hands and feet. Those who create and maintain animate arias refer to this development as “diminishing.”

Elite | Normal | Weak
Proficiency without Level

Print Stat Block

Animate AriaCreature 9

Rare Large Construct Mindless 
Source Cheliax, Infernal Inheritence pg. 204
Recall Knowledge DC 31 (includes +5 from Rare) • Construct (Arcana, Crafting)
Perception +15; darkvision, echolocation (precise) 90 feet
Skills Acrobatics +20, Athletics +18, Performance +22, Stealth +16
Str +5, Dex +6, Con +1, Int -5, Wis +0, Cha -5
Echolocation An animate aria can use its hearing as a precise sense at the listed range.
AC 27; Fort +17, Ref +20, Will +15
HP 160; Immunities bleed, death effects, disease, doomed, drained, fatigued, healing, mental, nonlethal attacks, paralyzed, poison, sickened, spirit, unconscious, vitality, void; Weaknesses sonic 10
Aura Forte (auditory, aura, mental, sonic) 30 feet. The aria emanates an inspirational song, bolstering its compatriots. Allies within the aura that can hear gain a +1 circumstance bonus to saving throws against emotion effects and to attack rolls and weapon damage rolls.Dissonance If the aria is subject to a magical effect that disrupts or prevents sound, such as a silence spell, its aura forte and natural invisibility are suppressed, and it takes 2d6 force damage at the end of each of its turns for the duration of the effect.Natural Invisibility The animate aria is permanently invisible, but it's hidden rather than undetected to any creatures within 30 feet that can hear. It can Sustain this effect to suppress or reactivate its invisibility.
Speed 20 feet
Melee [one-action] sound fist +19 [+14/+9] (magical, reach 10 feet), Damage 2d10+9 bludgeoningCon Fuoco [one-action] (fire) Requirements The animate aria has taken damage since the end of its previous turn; Effect The aria intensifies its song, heating the air around it. If the aria’s next action is to make a fist of sound Strike, it deals an additional 1d10 fire damage.Crescendo [two-actions] (auditory, sonic) Frequency once per day; Effect The animate aria unleashes a cacophony of sound, dealing 8d8 sonic damage to all enemies within 30 feet with a DC 28 basic Fortitude save. A creature that fails the save is also deafened for 1 minute. After using Crescendo, the animate aria’s natural invisibility is suppressed until the start of its next turn. It can’t use Crescendo again for 1d4 rounds.

Sidebar - Related Creatures Varied Ensembles

The ritual to create an animate aria traditionally uses a set of silver chimes, but additional instruments can be added or substituted to the ritual, including string instruments, woodwinds, brass, or even vocals. These changes alter the aria’s capabilities; an aria of string music would deal slashing damage with its attacks, while brass attacks would gain Push. Musicians must beware, however, as the ritual permanently consumes all instruments used, including a singer’s voice.
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