Archon, Legion ArchonThis celestial knight bears a flaming blade as it flies through the air on metallic wings that seem to grow from its armor.Legion Archon CR 7Source Bestiary 3 pg. 19
XP 3,200
LG Medium outsider (archon, extraplanar, good, lawful)
Init +1; Senses darkvision 60 ft., detect evil, low-light vision; Perception +13
Aura aura of menace (DC 17)DefenseAC 23, touch 11, flat-footed 22 (+9 armor, +1 Dex, +3 natural; +2 deflection vs. evil)
hp 76 (8d10+32)
Fort +10, Ref +3, Will +8; +4 vs. poison, +2 vs. evil
DR 10/evil; Immune electricity, petrification; SR 18OffenseSpeed 40 ft., fly 90 ft. (average)
Melee +1 flaming burst greatsword +13/+8 (2d6+5/17–20 plus 1d6 fire)
Ranged +1 flaming javelin +10 (1d6+4 plus 1d6 fire)
Special Attacks flames of faith
Spell-Like Abilities (CL 8th; concentration +11)
Constant—detect evil, magic circle against evil
At will—aid, continual flame, greater teleport (self plus 50 lbs. of objects only), message
3/day—align weapon, mirror image, versatile weaponStatisticsStr 16, Dex 12, Con 19, Int 10, Wis 15, Cha 17
Base Atk +8; CMB +11; CMD 22
Feats Improved Bull Rush, Improved Critical (greatsword)B, Power Attack, Vital Strike, Weapon Focus (greatsword), Whirlwind AttackB
Skills Diplomacy +14, Fly +12, Intimidate +14, Knowledge (religion) +11, Perception +13, Sense Motive +9, Survival +9
Languages Celestial, Draconic, Infernal; truespeech
SQ second skinEcologyEnvironment any (Heaven)
Organization solitary, pair, or squad (3–12)
Treasure standard (masterwork full plate, other treasure)Special AbilitiesFlames of Faith (Ex) A legion archon can manifest a +1 flaming burst greatsword or +1 flaming javelin as a move-equivalent action. The legion archon’s sword vanishes if it leaves its hand, and its javelin vanishes after striking or missing its target.
Second Skin (Ex) A legion archon is proficient in all forms of armor. It takes no reduction to its speed or any armor check penalties from wearing any sort of armor. Most legion archons wear full plate armor.DescriptionWhere shield archons are the bulwarks of the armies of Heaven, legion archons are the swords, sent in file after file to match evil’s boundless hordes.
Legion archons stand 6-1/2 feet in height and weigh 200 pounds. Beneath their helmets and armor, they have pale or nearly jet-black hairless skin. Their eyes burn bright with the flames of their faith, flaring brightest when they conjure forth their weapons. Regardless of the armor they choose to wear, their metallic wings merge with and extend beyond the armor, allowing them flight even when wearing the heaviest of protection.
Despite their warlike mien, legion archons prefer errands of peace and mercy. Their masters dispatch unarmed legion archons as celestial envoys, though still clad in their heavenly armor. In this fashion, they spread the word and love of Heaven to widely scattered realms.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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