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Asterid Queen

Asterid queens reign over entire constellations and clusters of stars reflected in the seas. In practice, they rule mountain ranges, vast swaths of tundra at the Crown of the World, and remote islands far out to sea where the nights are long and dark. Their domains often (though not always) overlap with those of other nymph queens who sheltered the asterid when she was younger and still accumulating power. Asterid queens always remember their friends and return the favors owed with both powerful magic and the divinatory guidance of the stars.

Elite | Normal | Weak
Proficiency without Level

Asterid QueenCreature 18

Uncommon Medium Fey Nymph 
Source Feybound pg. 137
Recall Knowledge DC 40 (includes +2 from Uncommon) • Fey (Nature)
Perception +30; darkvision
Languages Common, Empyrean, Fey
Skills Acrobatics +31, Arcana +30, Astrology Lore +35, Athletics +23, Diplomacy +36, Nature +34, Performance +32, Society +34, Stealth +31
Str +3, Dex +8, Con +5, Int +6, Wis +7, Cha +9
Crown of Stars (light, primal) An asterid queen wears a brilliantly shining crown of stars that increases the effect of their natural starshine to 15 feet of bright light and 15 feet of dim light beyond that. The asterid queen can choose to remove her crown with a single Interact action, reducing the effect to that of starshine until the crown is returned to her head.
An asterid queen'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.
Tied to the Land An asterid queen is intrinsically tied to a vast, remote location with a clear view of the night sky, such as an isolated island or island chain, a mountain range, or an open plain far from the light pollution of civilization.
AC 42; Fort +27, Ref +33, Will +35
HP 330; Resistances fire 15; Weaknesses cold iron 20, sonic 15
Nymph’s Beauty (aura, emotion, incapacitation, mental, primal, visual) 30 feet. A creature who starts their turn in the aura must succeed at a DC 37 Will save or become stunned 1.
Speed 30 feet
Melee [one-action] flashing fist +35 [+31/+27] (agile, finesse, magical;), Damage 3d6+9 bludgeoning plus 5d6 fireRanged [one-action] shooting star mote +35 [+31/+27] (agile, magical, range 20 feet;), Damage 3d4+9 piercing plus 6d4 firePrimal Innate Spells DC 40, attack +32; 9th falling stars, foresight; 7th eclipse burst; 6th blanket of stars
Change Shape [one-action] (polymorph, primal) An asterid queen can transform between her original form, which looks much like a typical nymph of her kind, and any Small or Medium humanoid form, typically choosing a version of her natural form that more closely resembles a humanoid.Court of Night [two-actions] (concentrate, extradimensional, manipulate, primal) The asterid queen opens an entrance to an extradimensional living space concealed within the shadows of the land to which she is bound. She can bring up to eight adjacent, willing creatures with her. This space can only be entered or exited at night, and only by the queen's will.Focus Beauty [one-action] (emotion, incapacitation, mental, primal, visual) Requirements The target creature is affected by the asterid queen's nymph's beauty aura; Effect The required creature falls to its knees and is stunned for 1 hour, or until the asterid queen chooses to remove the effect using a single action, which has the concentrate trait.Inspiration [three-actions] (emotion, mental, primal) The asterid 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.
Knowledge from the Stars [one-action] (concentrate, fortune, prediction, primal) Effect The asterid queen 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 queen launches a beam of starlight in a 120-foot line. Creatures in the line take 9d6 fire damage (DC 40 basic Reflex save). Creatures who fail their save also become dazzled for 1 round

Sidebar - Locations Starstriders

Elven cultures who trace their history back to Sovyrian tell stories of asterid nymphs who survive in the void between planets and stars, living on asteroids and other celestial bodies to be closer to the objects of their adoration. It's thought that asterid queens living in such vicinities can tie themselves to a specific star as a dryad does to a tree, gaining unique abilities and a lifespan to match that of their chosen home.

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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