Archon, Codex ArchonThis enormous book has wings of glowing light and an angelic figure on the cover that gazes out watchfully as though alive.Codex Archon CR 5Source Monster Summoner's Handbook pg. 24
XP 1,600
LG Medium outsider (archon, extraplanar, good, lawful)
Init +3; Senses darkvision 60 ft., detect evil, detect magic, low-light vision; Perception +10
Aura aura of menace (DC 17), magic circle against evilDefenseAC 20, touch 13, flat-footed 17 (+3 Dex, +7 natural); +2 deflection vs. evil
hp 47 (5d10+20)
Fort +7, Ref +7, Will +5; +4 vs. poison, +2 vs. evil
DR 10/evil; Immune electricity, petrification; SR 16OffenseSpeed fly 30 ft. (good)
Melee slam +7 (1d8+2)
Ranged light ray +8 ranged touch (1d6)
Special Attacks favored enemy (any one +4)
Spell-Like Abilities (CL 5th; concentration +8)
Constant—detect evil, detect magic, magic circle against evil
At will—aid, continual flame, forbid actionUM (DC 14), greater teleport (self plus 50 lbs. of objects only), mage hand, message
1/day—calm emotions (DC 15), clairaudience/clairvoyance, commune (CL 9th, 1 question), daylight, silence (DC 15)StatisticsStr 15, Dex 16, Con 18, Int 17, Wis 15, Cha 16
Base Atk +5; CMB +7; CMD 20
Feats Iron Will, Point-Blank Shot, Skill Focus (Knowledge [any one])
Skills Craft (bookbinding) +11, Diplomacy +11, Disable Device +11, Knowledge (any one) +14, Linguistics +11, Perception +10, Sense Motive +10, Spellcraft +11, Survival +10
Languages Celestial, Draconic, Infernal, any 5 others; truespeech
SQ codexEcologyEnvironment any (Heaven)
Organization solitary, pair, or team (2–8)
Treasure standardSpecial AbilitiesCodex (Su) Each codex archon is also an actual codex. Within its pages, the codex archon details all that the archon has ever learned on its chosen topic. When a favored enemy of the codex archon is forced to attempt a saving throw against the archon’s spells, the foe takes a penalty on the saving throw equal to half the codex archon’s favored enemy bonus (–2 for most codex archons).
Favored Enemy (Ex) A codex archon selects one favored enemy, as per the ranger class feature.
Light Ray (Ex) A codex archon can fire a beam of light to damage foes. This light ray has a maximum range of 60 feet. This attack overcomes damage reduction of any type.DescriptionA codex archon embodies Heavenly knowledge and the refinement of the mind. It serves in the libraries and archives of Heaven, and as keeper and carrier of records for Heaven’s field armies. Codex archons seek out any opportunity to add to their formidable collections of information with zealous dedication, although they do not neglect to offer their insights to those they encounter who might use such knowledge for the greater good or for personal growth.
Most codex archons specialize in a single subject, such as one plane of existence, one type of creature, or one aspect of mortal life. In general, each codex archon chooses a favored enemy and Knowledge skill closely linked to each other, such as humanoid (human) and Knowledge (local) or Knowledge (nobility). Although a codex archon’s expertise allows it to more easily slay creatures of the type it studies, it usually prefers to avoid violence and uses its knowledge to coax more information out of creatures it meets. A spellcaster who calls or summons a codex archon can generally conjure one with whatever specialization she seeks unless the foe or topic is one that is little known to the forces of Heaven or an unorthodox combination (GM’s discretion). Though they prefer their heavenly homes to the chaotic Material Plane, summoned codex archons may deign to serve for a time as assistants or even instructors in mortal libraries, academies, and temples.Creatures in "Archon" CategorySource Pathfinder RPG Bestiary pg. 19
Archons are a race of outsiders from Heaven, creatures of fundamental law and good tasked with the protection of that plane as well as all who are innocent or free of evil. They are the natural enemies of devils, daemons, and demons, and most are veterans of many attacks against their home by fiends of the Lower Planes.
The natives of Heaven arise from amid the earth and clouds of that divine realm, inspired into creation by the sacred mountain's metaphysical processes, the faith of goodly mortals, and the transformation of virtuous spirits. Each archon begins life as a lantern archon or lesser servitor spirit, gaining in power and prestige through aiding the cause of good. Watched over by benevolent mentors and captains of the divine orders, each spirit is encouraged and aided in indulging its fundamental desire to see peace, honesty, and fairness spread across all lands, especially throughout the Material Plane. To this end, archons of all walks often take on the roles of questing knights, journeying throughout disparate worlds and realms aiding in good works and promoting courageous acts. These virtuous outsiders prefer to motivate mortals to act with honor and integrity rather than righting mortal wrongs themselves, believing the cause of righteousness is best served by enlightening creatures to make just choices and cast off their own shackles of evil. This makes future temptations easier to resist and plants the seeds of spiritual deliverance. Thus, most archons take a subtle hand in their interactions with mortals, taking special pleasure in bringing solace and reprieve to those who are wholly unaware of their presence.
The efforts of Heaven prove far less subtle when it comes to combating the hordes of the Lower Planes. Armies of archons stand in staunch opposition to the affronts of Hell, Abaddon, and the Abyss, confronting them upon both extraplanar battlefields and the Material Plane itself. These encounters might take the form of vast armies clashing over strange planar holdings, or solitary archons revealing themselves upon mortal worlds to push back the machinations of fiendish invaders. In such cases, archons generally prefer to meet foes 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). Because they can teleport at will, it is easy for them to vanish only to reappear later, often with reinforcements, when their enemies are unprepared. These warriors of law act honorably, even to their foes, but are not foolish or without passion, and little in the multiverse dares stand against the rage of Heaven.
Although archons are champions of good, they have little patience for those who do not follow strict traditions and patterns of goodness. While a cruel dictatorship might be a legitimate enemy of the archon, rebellion and riot is not the proper way to address such an inequality. Justice and law must not be abandoned in the constant struggle for peace and good, for in such anarchic actions one often promotes further harm and mayhem, even if unintentionally. The laws of Heaven exist to minimize collateral damage and unwanted pain, and while adhering to these laws often results in longer campaigns, archons point out that their victories are lasting triumphs as a result. Because of this strong adherence to tradition and law, archons often find themselves the unwilling enemies of chaotic good creatures, particularly the azatas. To an archon, an azata's nature seems whimsical and impatient—in striking swiftly against an enemy without bothering to think through the implications of their sudden act, it's possible to do more harm than good. Still, while opposing the chaos of an azata is a necessary step, the archon takes no pleasure in such opposition, and does its best to minimize the length of such a conflict. Unfortunately, the capricious and emotional azatas are legendary among the archons for their ability to hold grudges, so for many archons the best policy when interacting with the azatas is to be brief, succinct, and firm.
Archons speak Celestial, Draconic, and Infernal, but can speak with almost any creature because of their truespeech ability. A full list of archon traits is presented in the archon subtype description. Many archons have additional abilities beyond these traits, as befits their particular role in the army of Heaven. Archon Subtype Archons are a race of celestials, or good outsiders, native to lawful good-aligned outer planes. An archon possesses the following traits (unless otherwise noted in a creature's entry). - Darkvision 60 feet and low-light vision.
- Aura of Menace (Su) 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.
- Immunity to electricity and petrification.
- +4 racial bonus on saves against poison.
- Teleport (Sp) 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 carried objects.
- Truespeech (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.
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