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Archives of Nethys

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Creature Companions

 The solitude of space can prove tough to bear for even the most hardened soloist. It’s no wonder, then, that across the entire galaxy, members of countless species take up creature companions ranging from show pets to emotional support animals to combat-ready mounts. Whether such a pairing is born of cultural tradition, lucky happenstance, or even reluctant necessity, few bonds are stronger.
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Varksi Companions

Source Starfinder Enhanced pg. 137
Varksis are four-legged creatures that resemble strange rock formations as much as they do living creatures. They prefer to spend most of their time underground, where they can hold their breath for prodigious amounts of time, rarely surfacing to breathe.
Varksis can be quite stubborn and difficult to bond with, if only because they are relatively inaccessible to creatures unable to burrow alongside them. Despite their affinity for burrowing, they constantly groom themselves when aboveground, removing every fleck of dirt—and they often accept assistance in the process from would-be trainers. There is a large market for custom cleaning brushes, all of which claim to be the perfect design for varksi grooming and all of which vary widely in form and fuction.
Despite their lithic appearance, varksis like to be comfortable, dry, warm, and safe. Providing materials into which they can burrow, such as blankets, torn paper, or boxes of sand, is a sure way to win their affection. As a varksi begins feeling comfortable with a caretaker, it will spend more time with them and begin to exude a calming presence that can steady even the most anxious owner.
Varksis bond most closely with those who can accompany them belowground for extended periods, and they are a popular companion among bolidas. While underground, they act as a kind of pilot fish, leading their companion through the dark.

VarksiLevels 1-5

Tiny beast
Senses blindsight (vibration) 20 ft., blindsense (vibration) 40 ft.
Good Save Fort; Bad Saves Reflex, Will
Speed 5ft, burrow 15 ft.
Melee Attack slam (B)
Ranged Attack mud fling (B)
Space 2 1/2 ft. Reach 0 ft.
Ability Modifiers Str, Con

Special Abilities

Mud Fling (Ex): A varksi can fling dirt and detritus, accumulated while burrowed, as a ranged attack against KAC and a range increment of 20 feet.
Pilot Burrower (Ex): Your varksi companion can act as a sort of pilot fish while you are both burrowing, increasing any burrow speed you have from another source by 5 feet.
Tranquil Presence (Su): Varksis emanate a calming presence, helping steady those that are close to them. As long as your varksi companion is in your space, you gain a +2 morale bonus to saving throws against emotion and fear effects.