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Asterid

Asterids are nymphs of the stars, serene guardians of clear night skies and isolated pockets of the natural world far from the smog and light pollution of mortal cities. They spend their nights sitting in open fields or standing at the crests of high mountains, their heads tilted back to silently watch the stars go by. The rapturous, dreamy expressions asterids wear during their nightly observations have inspired countless works of art on the themes of beauty and longing.

As asterids are bound to general locations rather than specific natural features, they often must rely on alliances and friendships with other kinds of nymphs to find shelter. During the day, asterids generally end up sleeping in the tree-homes of dryads, beneath naiad ponds, or in the courts of their queens. This, alongside the asterids' generally quiet and gentle demeanor, leads many other nymphs to be somewhat protective of them, especially the asterid queens.

Mortals looking to establish an observatory can ask for no better location than one beloved by an asterid, though they would do well to approach such an endeavor with care and diplomacy. Those who come to the nymph with deference and respect the sanctity of the surrounding natural beauty may earn themselves a quiet but attentive guardian, eager to share their knowledge in exchange for the ability to more closely observe their beloved stars. Those who mar the natural world with excess construction or, worst of all, drown out the stars with excess light provoke the asterid's wrath and find their endeavor cursed with misfortune, if not destroyed entirely by the fury of the nymph's protective friends.

Elite | Normal | Weak
Proficiency without Level

Weak AsteridCreature 7

Medium Fey Nymph 
Source Feybound pg. 134
Weak Changes are marked. The -2 damage penalty to non-strike offensive abilities (-4 if the ability is limited, such as spells) is NOT factored in.
Recall Knowledge DC 23 • Fey (Nature)
Perception +14; darkvision
Languages Common, Empyrean, Fey
Skills Acrobatics +16, Astrology Lore +16, Athletics +8, Diplomacy +17, Nature +15, Performance +15, Society +15, Stealth +14
Str +0, Dex +5, Con +2, Int +4, Wis +4, Cha +6
Starshine (light, primal) An asterid’s hair and skin always glow with soft starlight, producing 10 feet of dim light and ranging along the same blue-to-red spectrum as natural stars. This is a magical effect that can be suppressed by magical darkness or covered by, for example, a cloak, but never goes out entirely unless the nymph is killed.
AC 24; Fort +11, Ref +15, Will +16
HP 120; Resistances fire 10; Weaknesses cold iron 10, sonic 10
Starlight Dependent An asterid is mystically bonded to a single remote location with a good view of the open sky at night, most often a remote island, mountaintop, or open field. If they aren't in that location to see the sky at night on any given day, they become drained 1, increasing the value by 1 for each night they miss, with the drained value increasing at sunrise each day. The drained value reduces by 1 only when they see the stars again. The asterid can perform a 24-hour ritual to bond to a new location.
Speed 30 feet
Melee [one-action] flashing fist +17 [+13/+9] (agile, finesse, magical;), Damage 2d6-2+3 bludgeoning plus 3d6 fireRanged [one-action] shooting star mote +17 [+13/+9] (agile, magical, range 20 feet;), Damage 2d4-2+3 piercing plus 4d4 fireKnowledge from the Stars [one-action] (concentrate, fortune, prediction, primal) Requirements It’s currently night, and the asterid can see the sky; Effect The asterid looks to the stars for guidance and rolls a d20. Until the start of their next turn, they can use the result of their roll in place of making a check or saving throw. The asterid can’t use Knowledge from the Stars again for 1 hour.Starbeam [two-actions] (concentrate, fire, light) Effect The asterid launches a beam of starlight in a 120-foot line. Creatures in the line take 5d6 fire damage (DC 24 basic Reflex save). Creatures who fail their save also become dazzled for 1 round.

Sidebar - Advice and Rules Shimmering Blossoms

Shimmering Blossoms; During the day, the most obvious hint that a particular field or island is home to an asterid comes from a lush growth of starflowers, especially in regions where those plants don't normally bloom. Even those asterids living on remote mountain peaks cause a few of the blossoms to poke their way out from between the icy rocks and snowbanks.

All Monsters in "Nymph"

NameLevel
Asterid8
Asterid Queen18
Dryad3
Dryad Queen13
Hesperid9
Hesperid Queen19
Lampad5
Lampad Queen15
Naiad1
Naiad Queen7
Oceanid7
Oceanid Queen17
Hora6
Summer Hora Queen13

Nymph

Source Monster Core pg. 244
Nymphs are a family of fey who have a deep association with the natural world. They often take the form of beautiful humanoids with elven features that match their abodes. The most common of their kind are the dryads: spirits who embody great trees, but many other kinds of nymphs exist, including naiads, who watch over bodies of water. All nymphs are guardians of some element of nature, often a single tree or pond. But, in the case of nymph queens, they can watch over whole forests or massive bodies of water.

Nymph Queens

Nymph queens are powerful nymphs who rule over entire regions of untouched wilderness, not just single trees or ponds. Every variety of nymph can have a queen. Naiad queens are among the most prominent, and more often interact with nearby mortals. Thus, some scholars refer to naiad queens as simply “nymphs.”

Nymph Queen Abilities

A nymph queen is 6 to 10 levels higher than an ordinary nymph of the same type, with enhanced numerical statistics and improved Strikes to match. A nymph queen's ward is a significant region, and she strengthens and vivifies this territory with her presence. Nymph queens are not dependent on their wards and lose the corresponding ability (such as a dryad's tree dependent ability); instead, they gain the tied to the land ability, as described below. A nymph queen also gains the nymph's beauty aura and the Focus Beauty action, which have varying effects based on the queen's original type. She gains the Inspiration ability, allowing her to bestow a gift of inspiration on those who catch her fancy, and the Change Shape ability to change her form. Finally, she gains primal prepared spells as a druid of her level.

Tied to the Land A nymph queen is intrinsically tied to a specific region. As long as the queen is healthy, the environment is exceptionally resilient, allowing the nymph queen to automatically attempt to counteract any spell that would harm the environment (such as the blight ritual), using her spell DC with a counteract rank equal to the highest-rank druid spell she can cast. When the nymph queen becomes physically or psychologically unhealthy, however, her warded region eventually becomes twisted or unhealthy as well. In that case, restoring the nymph queen swiftly heals the entire region.
Nymph's Beauty (aura, emotion, mental, primal, visual) 30 feet. Creatures that start their turn in the aura must succeed at a Will save or suffer an effect described in the nymph queen's entry.
Change Shape [one-action] (polymorph, primal) Nymph queens can transform between their original form, which looks much like a typical nymph of their kind, and any Small or Medium humanoid form, typically choosing a more humanoid-looking version of their natural form.
Focus Beauty [one-action] (emotion, mental, primal, visual) The nymph queen focuses her beauty upon a target, who must attempt a save against her nymph's beauty aura. If the creature fails and was already affected by the aura, it takes a greater effect described in the nymph queen's entry. A nymph queen can Focus Beauty on a given creature only once per turn.
Inspiration [three-actions] (emotion, mental, primal) The nymph queen inspires a single intelligent creature by giving that creature a token of her favor, typically a lock of her hair, though it can be some other significant object as well. As long as the creature carries her token and remains in good standing with her, the creature gains a +1 status bonus to all Crafting checks, Performance checks, and Will saves.
If the nymph grants her token to a bard, and she's the bard's muse, the queen chooses one additional benefit granted by her token: a +1 status bonus to all Lore checks, a +2 status bonus to Performance checks when determining the effects of compositions, a +4 status bonus to untrained skill checks, or a +2 status bonus to Will saves against fey.

Sidebar - Treasure and Rewards Artistic Treasures

Nymphs favor art over any other types of material possession, often collecting the finest pieces they can and endeavoring to create their own. Nymphs sometimes carry magical trinkets or wear enchanted clothing or jewelry, but the greatest treasure a nymph queen can share is often her inspiration to those seeking a muse.

Sidebar - Additional Lore Dual Guardians

While all nymphs protect areas of natural beauty, hesperides often guard other unusual treasures of a more literal variety, sometimes including items long thought lost. Their steady temperaments and timeless loyalty ensure that they can be trusted to keep whatever they’re protecting safe from harm.

Sidebar - Locations Harmonious Landscapes

Nymphs tend to be closely associated with specific areas of natural splendor and beauty—woodlands for dryads, rivers for naiads. Areas where nymphs dwell always look more pristine, breathtaking, and scenic than they would otherwise.

Sidebar - Additional Lore Inspirations for Art

Nymphs are living manifestations of beauty and grace, and as such they are often the subjects of art—sculpture and paintings in particular. Promising a nymph to immortalize them in a work of art can be an excellent way to secure that nymph's favor, but one should take care to ensure that the nymph admires and is proud of the artistic effort's final result, lest the nymph be insulted and lash out with her powerful magic.

Sidebar - Related Creatures Other Nymphs

Naiads and dryads are the most well-known nymphs, but others exist as well. Hesperides, for example, are warders of the sunset and golden light and can be encountered dwelling on coastal cliffsides or remote islands. Lampads, on the other hand, are dark, moody nymphs found in wondrous, crystal-lined caverns deep underground.

Shelyn's Corner

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