IX Mythos Bestiary Shantak CR XP 3,200 CE Huge magical beast Init +3; Senses darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision; Perception +3 DEFENSE AC 20, touch 11, flat-footed 17 (+3 Dex, +9 natural, –2 size) hp 85 (9d10+36) Fort +10, Ref +9, Will +6 Defensive Abilities slippery; Immune cold, disease, poison; Resist acid 10, fire 10 Weaknesses susceptible to fear What You See This scaled, elephantine creature has two legs and a pair of massive wings, giving it a roughly bird-like outline Its head is elongated and horse-like OFFENSE Speed 20 ft., fly 200 ft (average) Melee bite +14 (1d8+7), talons +14 (1d6+7) Space 15 ft.; Reach 15 ft Special Attacks fearsome display, feed on fear S TAT I S T I C S Str 24, Dex 17, Con 19, Int 8, Wis 17, Cha 16 Base Atk +9; CMB +18; CMD 31 (39 vs grapple) Feats Flyby Attack, Hover, Power Attack, Snatch, Wingover Skills Escape Artist +11, Fly +11; Racial Modifiers +8 Escape Artist Languages Aklo SQ no breath, share defenses, starflight ECO LO GY Environment cold mountains or outer space Organization solitary, pair, or flock (3–12) Treasure none SPECIAL ABILITIES Fearsome Display (Su) As a swift action, a shantak can adopt a fearsome posture against a single target within 30 feet The target of this fearsome display must make a successful DC 17 Will save or become shaken for 1d6 rounds This is a mind-affecting fear effect The save DC is Charisma-based Feed on Fear (Su) Shantaks are enhanced when they sense fear in their prey Once per round when a shantak damages a creature suffering from a fear effect, the shantak gains fear point, to a maximum number of fear points equal to its CR (7 fear points for the typical shantak) Fear points, once gained, persist for the duration of a combat—once a shantak spends more than a minute out of combat it loses all accumulated fear points As soon as a shantak gains a fear point, it immediately negates any ongoing fear effect that it is suffering from A shantak gains a bonus on attack rolls and weapon damage rolls equal to its current fear point total A shantak that has accumulated at least fear points also gains the effects of haste for as long as it maintains at least fear points A calm emotions spell (or similar effect that deadens a creature’s ability to feel emotion, at the GM’s discretion) causes a shantak to lose 1d6 fear points per round it remains under the effects of the spell Share Defenses (Su) As a free action, a shantak can extend its no breath ability and cold immunity to a single creature touching it It can withdraw this protection as a free action Slippery (Ex) A shantak drips slippery slime This grants the creature a +8 bonus on all Escape Artist checks and to its CMD against grapples, and imparts a –5 penalty on all Ride checks made by creatures attempting to ride a shantak Starflight (Su) While a shantak can fly at rapid speeds, its speed increases astoundingly once free of a planetary atmosphere In outer space, a shantak can fly at an incredible speed, slipping in between dimensions to travel vast distances much faster than expected Although exact travel times on these interstellar journeys vary, a trip within a single solar system should take 3d20 hours, while a trip beyond a solar system should take 3d20 days (or more, at the GM’s discretion), provided the shantak knows the way to its destination Susceptible to Fear (Ex) While a shantak is immune to the fearsome display of other shantaks, when subjected to a fear effect from another creature, its intrinsic ability to sense and feed on fear creates a negative feedback in the shantak’s mind As long as a shantak is affected by a fear effect, it suffers a –2 penalty to its Armor Class, attack rolls, weapon damage rolls, and saving throws; these penalties stack with any caused by other fear effects such as shaken A shantak loses all accumulated fear points if it becomes affected by a fear effect Also known as shantak-birds, shantaks are intelligent and innately malign They can be easily persuaded to cooperate with a competent master, and have proven highly useful for transport due to their incredible speed 373