Celestial Sphinx

Family: Celestial Animals

Large celestial, lawful good

Armor Class 16 (natural armor)
Hit Points 119 (14d10 + 42)
Speed 50 ft., fly 50 ft.

STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
20 (+5) 18 (+4) 16 (+3) 22 (+6) 18 (+4) 18 (+4)

Saving Throws Intelligence +11, Wisdom +9
Skills Arcana +16, Insight +9, History +16, Religion +16
Damage Resistances radiant; bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical attacks
Damage Immunities psychic, thunder
Senses truesight 120 ft., passive Perception 14
Languages Celestial, Common, Sphinx
Challenge 13 (10,000 XP)

SPECIAL TRAITS

  • Blessing of the Sphinx (1/Year). The celestial sphinx blesses a creature. The blessing grants a limited ability to sense the immediate future. Those who are blessed by a celestial sphinx in this way gain the benefits of the foresight spell for a week. People have often been known to visit the mountains where sphinxes live to receive this blessing. However, a celestial sphinx only blesses those with good intentions that it sees to be worthy.
  • Guiding Commune. The celestial sphinx has a strong spiritual connection with the divine beings of the upper planes. The celestial sphinx can cast the commune spell at will, and the answer is never “unclear”. They always get the answer to their question. When a mortal visiting a celestial sphinx asks for its guidance, and the sphinx is sure that their intentions are pure it casts a commune spell on their behalf. Once the sphinx has the answer, it usually provides them to the mortal through cunning riddles.
  • Inscrutable. The celestial sphinx is immune to any magical effect that can sense its emotions or read its thoughts, as well as any divination spell if it refuses to be affected. Wisdom (Insight) checks made to ascertain the sphinx’s intentions or sincerity have disadvantage.
  • Knowledge of the Ages (3/Day). The celestial sphinx automatically succeeds on an Intelligence (Arcana, History, or Religion) check, provided that its DC is no more than 30.
  • Magic Resistance. The celestial sphinx has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.
  • Riddler (1/Year). The celestial sphinx can choose to ask a convoluted riddle to a creature. If the creature answers the riddle correctly, the sphinx rewards it with a piece of knowledge that the creature is looking for. The content of the knowledge can range from the location of a vampire’s secret haven to one of the vulnerabilities of a primordial.
  • Spellcasting. The celestial sphinx is a 19th-level spellcaster. Its spellcasting ability is Intelligence (spell save DC 17, +9 to hit with spell attacks). It can cast its spells requiring no material components. The sphinx has the following spells prepared:

ACTIONS

  • Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +10 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 8 (1d6 + 5) slashing damage plus 4 (1d8) radiant damage.
  • Thunderous Roar (Recharge 5-6). The celestial sphinx roars with all its might. Each ally within 20 feet of it has advantage on its next attack roll within 1 minute. Each opponent within 20 feet of the sphinx must make a Constitution saving throw. On a failed save, a creature takes 49 (11d8) thunder damage, or half as much damage on a successful one.

LEGENDARY ACTIONS

The celestial sphinx can take 3 legendary actions, choosing from the options below. Only one legendary action option can be used at a time and only at the end of another creature’s turn. The celestial sphinx regains spent legendary actions at the start of its turn.

  • Attack. The celestial sphinx makes one claw attack.
  • Teleport (Costs 2 Actions). The celestial sphinx magically teleports, along with any equipment it is wearing or carrying, up to 120 feet to an unoccupied space it can see.
  • Cast a Spell (Costs 3 Actions). The celestial sphinx casts a spell from its list of prepared spells, using a spell slot.

ABOUT

Roaming heavenly skies with their magnificent angelic wings, celestial sphinxes are inhabitants of the sacred azures of the upper planes. They have a hybrid form made up of a lion’s body and an owl’s head. Legend has it; celestial sphinxes are as wise as sages who bathe in the river of time, and as pure as the mind of a newborn.

They live upon giant cliffs in the upper realms where they are free to fly as they wish, and from where they have a view of the entirety of the upper realms. Those endowed with knowledge of the celestial sphinxes’ existence often try to climb mountains, just to get a glimpse of these astonishing celestial creatures and be blessed with a morsel of their wisdom. Celestial sphinxes like it when they have visitors, or “pilgrims”. Because their home does not resemble that of a mortal they can only offer the caves they use for meditation as accommodation; but any visitor is encouraged to stay as much as they’d like.

Divine Creation. A celestial sphinx doesn’t require food, drink, or sleep.

Heavenly Creations. As celestial beings, celestial sphinxes deny evil and seek uncorrupted knowledge.

Judges of Knowledge. Celestial sphinxes highly value knowledge. Although they archive corrupt and evil knowledge as well, they do not share them. With this lore of evil under their belt, they seek to find the weaknesses of evil, in a sense battling them philosophically.

Section 15: Copyright Notice

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