Archon, Hound Hero

Archons are celestials from the plane of Celestia. They have charged themselves with the protection of the plane, and also consider themselves guardians of all who are innocent or free of evil. They are the natural enemies of fiends (creatures of the lower planes), particularly demons.

Archons speak Celestial, Infernal, and Draconic, but can speak with almost any creature because of their tongues ability.

Hound archons look like well-muscled humans with canine heads. They seek to defend the innocent and the helpless against evil.

Their broad shoulders and meaty fists mark hound archons as able combatants. Likewise, their strong legs indicate that fleeing enemies won’t get very far.

The hound archon hero is a mighty champion of justice, devoted to the pursuit and destruction of evil in all its forms.

Archons never attack without provocation (though their overwhelming lawful goodness often makes them easily provoked). They avoid harming other good creatures if they can, using nondamaging spells or weapon attacks that deal nonlethal damage if possible. An angry archon can be vengeance itself, however, no matter what the foe’s alignment is.

Archons generally prefer to meet a foe head-on if it is prudent to do so, but if outmatched, they do what they can to even the odds (usually by employing hit-and-run tactics or standing off and engaging a foe with magic before moving into melee).

Hound archon heroes have over time developed a love for their weapons. They prefer to use their holy greatswords over their bite and slam attacks.

A hound archon’s natural weapons, as well as any weapons it wields, are treated as good-aligned and lawful-aligned for the purpose of overcoming damage reduction.

Aura of Menace (Su): The save DC for the hound archon hero’s aura of menace (DC 18) is adjusted for its higher Charisma score. A righteous aura surrounds archons that fight or get angry. Any hostile creature within a 20-foot radius of an archon must succeed on a Will save to resist its effects. The save DC varies with the type of archon, is Charisma-based, and includes a +2 racial bonus. Those who fail take a -2 penalty on attacks, AC, and saves for 24 hours or until they successfully hit the archon that generated the aura. A creature that has resisted or broken the effect cannot be affected again by the same archon’s aura for 24 hours.

Change Shape (Su): A hound archon hero can assume any canine form of Small to Large size. While in canine form, the hound archon loses its bite, slam, and greatsword attacks, but gains the bite attack of the form it chooses. For the purposes of this ability, canines include any doglike or wolflike animal of the animal type.

Magic Circle against Evil (Su): A magic circle against evil effect always surrounds an archon (caster level equals the archon’s Hit Dice). (The defensive benefits from the circle are not included in an archon’s statistics block.)

Spell-Like Abilities: At will—aid, continual flame, detect evil, message. Caster level 6th.

Smite Evil (Su): Three times per day a hound archon hero can make a normal melee attack with a +3 bonus that deals an extra 11 points of damage against an evil foe.

Teleport (Su): Archons can use greater teleport at will, as the spell (caster level 14th), except that the creature can transport only itself and up to 50 pounds of objects.

Tongues (Su): All archons can speak with any creature that has a language, as though using a tongues spell (caster level 14th). This ability is always active.

Skills: *While in canine form, a hound archon hero gains a +4 circumstance bonus on Hide and Survival checks.

Saves: +4 racial bonus on saves against poison.

Paladin Abilities: Aura of courage, aura of good, detect evil, divine grace, divine health, lay on hands (33 points/day), remove disease 2/week, special mount (juvenile bronze dragon).

Typical Paladin Spells Prepared (2/2; save DC 12 + spell level): 1st—divine favor, protection from evil; 2nd—bull’s strength, eagle’s splendor.

Possessions: +3 full plate armor, +2 cold iron greatsword.

Houns Archon Hero Mounts

In the course of their adventures, many hound archon heroes befriend bronze dragons, which may come to serve as their mounts. The relationship between these mounts and their celestial riders goes beyond even the special bond between paladin and mount. The dragon and the archon are naturally allies and friends, as can be expected of two powerful servants of cosmic justice. The juvenile bronze dragon mount gains 2 additional HD, 4 points of Strength, an additional 4 points of natural armor, improved evasion, and +10 feet to speed in all its movement forms. The dragon cannot, however, command other creatures of its type as other kinds of paladin mounts can.