Source Alien Archive pg. 122Witchwyrd CR 6 XP 2,400
LN Medium monstrous humanoid
Init +2; Senses darkvision 60 ft.; Perception +13
DefenseHP 60
EAC 20; KAC 18
Fort +5; Ref +7; Will +11
Defensive Abilities absorb force; DR 5/magic; Resistances resist energy 5
OffenseSpeed 30 ft.
Melee sentinel staff +13 (1d10+9 B)
Multiattack 4 slams +11 (1d4+9 B plus grab)
Offensive Abilities force bolt
Spell-Like Abilities (CL 10th)
1/day—dimension door, resilient sphere (DC 20)
3/day—dispel magic, displacement, suggestion (DC 19)
At will—detect magic, detect tech, unseen servant
Constant—tonguesStatisticsSTR +3; DEX +2; CON +1; INT +4; WIS +1; CHA +5
Skills Bluff +18, Culture +13, Diplomacy +18, Mysticism +13
Languages Common, Cyrunian, Kasatha, Shobhad; tongues
Gear freebooter armor II, sentinel staff with 4 batteries (20 charges each)EcologyEnvironment any
Organization solitary, entourage (1 plus 2–5 humanoid guards), or enclave (2–5 plus 11–20 humanoid guards)Special AbilitiesAbsorb Force (Su) As a reaction, a witchwyrd can use any number of its free hands to catch magic missiles (from the spell of the same name) fired at it. Doing so absorbs the missile and manifests as a glowing nimbus around that hand (which is no longer considered free). The energy lasts 6 rounds or until it is used to create an additional force bolt (see below). To use this ability, the witchwyrd must be aware of the incoming magic missile and cannot be flat-footed.
Force Bolt (Su) As a standard action, a witchwyrd can throw a magic missile (as per the spell of the same name; 1d4+1 force damage) from each free hand or hand that has absorbed a magic missile with the absorb force ability, to a maximum of two missiles per round. The witchwyrd can throw an additional force bolt from each hand that has absorbed a magic missile (maximum of two additional bolts per round), expending the absorbed energy.
Resist Energy (Su) A witchwyrd has resistance 5 to two types of energy (acid, cold, fire, electricity, or sonic) as chosen by the witchwyrd. A witchwyrd can change which types of energy it is resistant to as a full action.DescriptionWitchwyrds are avid wanderers and inveterate merchants, plying the trade routes between both planets and the planes.
Witchwyrds have four arms and hairless gray-blue skin. Their eyes glow visibly, increasing in brightness as they absorb force energy. Witchwyrds stand an average of 7 feet tall and weigh approximately 300 pounds. They favor loose, flowing robes and distinctive conical hats, and they frequently cover their faces with masks or ornate helmets. Witchwyrds new to a market or eager to avoid identification during an important business deal sometimes fold one pair of their flexible arms behind their backs and cover their faces.
Although witchwyrds seem to gain some manner of sustenance from the magical force energy they absorb, they still breathe, drink, eat, and sleep like normal creatures, and they have a fondness for extremely spicy foods. The average lifespan of witchwyrds is unknown, though they are believed to live for many centuries, if not millennia.
Witchwyrds are acknowledged as the progenitors of the kasathas and the shobhads of Akiton. Why the witchwyrds seeded Kasath and Akiton with intelligent life modeled after themselves remains a mystery, as does the number of other as-yet-undiscovered planets similarly affected. It is an undisputed fact, however, that witchwyrds were the impetus behind the construction of the kasathas’ worldship Idari and their exodus from their home planet to the Pact Worlds.
Witchwyrds can be found on nearly any world or plane with civilized trade, preferring dry, warm regions, but virtually nothing is known of their mysterious home world beyond its name: Cyrune. The details of witchwyrd government and society are likewise unknown, other than a widespread belief that a mercantile oligarchy of witchwyrd elders directs their race’s interplanetary and interplanar trade.
Most witchwyrds operate as solitary traders, primarily focusing on one area of trade (such as weapons or magic items), though most deal in other goods as well. Virtually all witchwyrds love haggling, to the point that the process of bargaining sometimes seems more important to a witchwyrd than the eventual deal that is struck.
Witchwyrds often travel with a crew of loyal humanoid mercenaries hired from worlds they’ve visited in the past. These hirelings never speak of their remuneration, purportedly forbidden from doing so by punitive clauses in their contracts. Witchwyrds can be encountered throughout the Pact Worlds, though they’re most commonly found on Absalom Station, Akiton, and the Idari. On the Pact Worlds, most witchwyrds do business as members of the Tetrad, an interplanetary and interplanar trade association.The Tetrad manufactures its own line of starships using unique hybrid technology, including proprietary planar aperture drives that enable the witchwyrds to travel between planes as well as into the Drift. Under no circumstances are these engines sold to non-witchwyrds. In the Pact Worlds, one of the most commonly encountered style of witchwyrd starships is the Tetrad Caravel, named after an ancient oceangoing vessel.Extra ContentThe following extra content was found for this creature:
- Witchwyrd Race Entry
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