Star Beast

Eons ago, long before the age of man, primeval dragons fought for dominance over their world.

It was during this time of war that a small group of dragons decided to leave their brethren to squabble over the paltry treasures found on their home world. Instead, they took to the stars, where the riches of thousands of worlds awaited.

Star Beast Traits

Star beasts are distant cousins of true dragons.

They have evolved over the millennia to hunt and live in the vast, dark coldness of space. While each star beast is unique, they share many qualities.

These shared qualities are described below.

Constrict (Ex): Their long, serpentine bodies can constrict opponents with bone-crushing force. The star beast must make a successful grapple attempt. This attack does bludgeoning damage.

Damage Reduction: Star beasts have DR as indicated on each star beast’s specific entry.

Fly Speed (Su): A star beast’s fly speed is described in each star beast’s specific entry. Star beasts fly through magical means and can fly whether or not they are in an environment with an atmosphere.

Immunities (Ex): Exposure to the vacuum of space and the blazing heat of stars has rendered them immune to cold and fire. Specific star beasts may have additional immunities or resistances as indicated in each star beast’s specific entry. Star beasts are also immune to sleep and paralysis.

Physiology: While star beasts eat and sleep, they do not need to breathe.

Freedom of Movement: Every star beast has the following ability: The star beast can move and attack normally, even under the influence of magic or effects that usually impede movement, such as paralysis and the slow spell. All attempts to grapple the star beast automatically fail. The star beast automatically succeeds on any checks made to escape a grapple or a pin. The star beast can also move and attack normally while underwater.

Spell-Like Abilities: A star beast’s CL for its spelllike abilities is equal to its total HD.

Spell Resistance (Ex): Star beasts have spell resistance equal to 11 + its CR.

Dragon Senses (Ex)

Like true dragons, star beasts have darkvision 120 ft. and blindsense 60 ft.

They see four times as well as a human in dim light and twice as well in normal light.

Unique Attack (Su)

Star beasts don’t necessarily have traditional breath weapons like their chromatic and metallic cousins. In its place, a star beast may have a unique magical attack described in the star beast’s specific entry.

Life Cycle

Star beasts are far less numerous than other dragons. Each star beast is a unique creature, known by its name rather than breed. There is only one star beast of each name at any given time. They are solitary by nature and rarely associate with other star beasts, generally only coming together when one of their brethren dies. The process of star beast reproduction is largely a mystery to other species. What is common knowledge is that star beasts exist in a rigid hierarchy based on the strength (CR) of the creature. When a star beast dies, all remaining star beasts seem to sense the demise of their brother or sister and gather together. Exactly what occurs during these gatherings is unknown. Scholars suspect that the remaining star beasts reproduce through arcane rituals.

The true story is more complex and bizarre. The surviving star beasts gather in a specific celestial location, which varies depending on the specific star beast that has died. Past gathering locations have included dying stars, stellar nurseries, black holes, pulsars, and exotic moons. The star beasts then create an egg from the remains of the deceased star beast and hide it in a safe celestial location, so the star beast contained within can gestate to maturity. At least one star beast always stays with the egg until the hatching occurs.

When the egg hatches, the new star beast is on its own. It possesses all the memories of the dead star beast from which it sprung, but it develops a unique set of abilities as it matures. Sometimes the new incarnation of a star beast is only slightly different than the previous, and sometimes the shift is dramatic.

The hatching of the egg is usually accompanied by a dramatic cosmic phenomenon (examples include a supernova, a star collapsing into a black hole, a massive gamma burst racing out from a star, huge solar flares erupting from all stars of a specific constellation, or a new star forming).

Many civilizations have been destroyed simply by the birth of a new star beast. Their capacity for destruction at such a young age proves prophetic for the destruction they will bring as they grow.