Talk:Asperii

Asperi (D&D 3.0)

Monster Manual II, p.25–26

Large Magical Beast (Cold)

Hit Dice

4d10+8 (30 hp)

Initiative

+1

Speed

60 ft., fly 30 ft. (good)

AC

13 (−1 size, +1 Dex, +3 natural), touch 10, flatfooted 13

Attacks

2 hooves +4 melee and bite −1 melee

Damage

Hoof 1d6+1, bite 1d6

Face/Reach

5 ft. by 10 ft./5 ft.

Special Qualities

Cold subtype, darkvision 60 ft., dodge arrows, feather fall, low-light vision, ride the wind, telepathy, uncanny dodge, wind immunity

Saves

Fort +6, Ref +5, Will +2

Abilities

Str 13, Dex 12, Con 15, Int 13, Wis 12, Cha 10

Skills

Intimidate +7, Listen +10, Spot +10, Wilderness Lore +8

Feats

Alertness, Flyby Attack

Climate/Terrain

Any mountains

Organization

Solitary, pair, string (3–4), or herd (5–20)

Challenge Rating

4

Treasure

None

Alignment

Always neutral good

Advancement

5–6 HD (Medium-size)

At first glance, an asperi appears to be nothing more than an unusually beautiful horse. An individual asperi can be white, gray, or dun-colored, with a graceful, flowing mane of silver, white, or light gray. A secondary mane of the same shade as the first extends from the creature’s front shoulders down along the backs of its front legs.

Unlike typical horses, asperis are intelligent magical beasts. They live in the permanent cold of remote mountain peaks, where they gallop across the glaciers and through the frigid skies. By catching prevailing winds and flying with them, asperis can move even faster through the skies than their normal flying speed permits. Their ability to “ride the wind” in this way has earned them the common name of wind steeds.

The typical asperi belongs to a herd with up to twenty members, but it spends much of its time roaming the skies alone or with just one or two chosen companions. Hippogriffs and griffons, the mortal enemies of the asperis, are almost never encountered in mountains where wind steeds live, since the far more intelligent asperis take pains to drive them off or kill them. Asperis also dislike rocs, but they get along well with pegasi. Lasting friendships between asperis and pegasi are rare, however, because the winged horses seldom venture into the cold mountain heights where the wind steeds live.

If captured when very young and raised with respect and consideration, an asperi can be trained as a steed. Any potential rider must realize that an asperi mount is not a mere animal; it is an intelligent, sentient being with opinions and ideas of its own, and it demands to be treated as such. Under no circumstances will an asperi tolerate a rider who is chaotic or evil. A paladin might convince an adult wind steed to serve as a permanent mount, but full-grown asperis usually agree to bear riders only in the short term, since they value their independence.

Asperis with 5 or more HD are very rare. Such creatures have iridescent hides that glisten like snow and rainbow-hued manes and tails.

Combat

Asperis are inoffensive creatures by nature. Given their great speed, their usual response to danger is simply to fly away. Like most horses, however, they can fight ferociously when aroused. In combat, they usually kick and slash with their front hooves and bite with their powerful jaws.

Asperis prefer to fight from the air, which gives them a significant advantage against opponents on the ground, under the right conditions. Near their mountain homes, asperis always look for opportunities to attack intruders when the latter are at the edges of cliffs or maneuvering on narrow ledges. The wind steeds use combinations of charges, bull rushes, flyby attacks, and trip attacks (all while airborne) to force their enemies over precipices or into glacial crevasses. They usually prefer to use their speed and maneuverability to avoid combat until conditions are in their favor.

Cold Subtype (Ex): An asperi is immune to cold damage but takes double damage from fire unless a saving throw for half damage is allowed. In that case, the creature takes half damage on a success and double damage on a failure.

Dodge Arrows (Ex): A flying asperi gains a +2 dodge bonus to AC against any missile attack during any turn in which it takes a move action. If it has a rider, he or she also gains the bonus. The bonus lasts until the asperi’s next turn.

Feather Fall (Sp): An asperi can use feather fall up to four times per day. Caster level 4th.

Ride the Wind (Su): This ability is similar to the effect of the air walk spell in most respects. When an asperi uses ride the wind, it gains bonus movement (+1 ft. to fly speed for each 1 mph of the prevailing wind) when moving with winds faster than 20 mph. Adverse winds do not slow the creature down, but they provide no bonus movement.

An asperi carrying a rider gallops through the air so smoothly that the rider can cast spells without making Concentration checks, provided that the asperi does not attack or perform any sudden aerial maneuvers.

Telepathy (Su): An asperi can communicate with any creature that has an Intelligence score of at least 1 through a form of telepathy. This communication has a range of 60 feet, and its complexity is limited by the Intelligence score of the other creature.

Uncanny Dodge (Ex): Because of its preternatural alertness, an asperi retains its Dexterity bonus to AC even when flat-footed, and it cannot be flanked.

Wind Immunity (Ex): Winds, either natural or magical, have no effect on an asperi unless it chooses to ride them for additional movement (see Ride the Wind, above). This benefit applies equally to mountain gales, magical windstorms, elemental whirlwinds, and other similar effects.

Training an Asperi

Young asperis are worth 7,000 gp per head. They mature at the same rate as horses do. A professional trainer charges 2,000 gp to rear an asperi or to train it as a mount.

Training an asperi requires a successful Handle Animal check (DC 22 for a young asperi, DC 29 for an adult) and the willing cooperation of the creature. An asperi can fight while carrying a rider, but the rider cannot also attack unless he or she succeeds at a Ride check.

Carrying Capacity: A light load for an asperi is up to 150 pounds; a medium load, 151–300 pounds; and a heavy load, 301–450 pounds. Unlike most flying mounts, an asperi can fly with a medium or heavy load, thanks to its ride the wind ability.

Wind Steed (AD&D)

Dragon #89: “Creature Catalog” by Ed Greenwood

Frequency

Rare

No. Appearing

1–4

Armor Class

4

Move

22″/46″ (MC: A); see below

Hit Dice

4

% in Lair

22%

Treasure Type

Nil

No. of Attacks

2 hooves and 1 bite

Damage/Attack

1–8/1–8/1–4

Special Attacks

Nil (nobles use suggestion)

Special Defenses

Immune to gaze attacks and cold

Magic Resistance

Standard

Intelligence

High to exceptional

Alignment

Neutral good

Size

L (horse-sized)

Psionic Ability

Nil, Attack/Defense Modes: Nil

Level/X.P. Value

III/110 + 4/hp (add 25 for nobles)

Wind steeds, also known as asperii, are highly prized as mounts. These aerial creatures lair in cloud islands or upon the highest, most inaccessible mountain peaks. Asperii are mortal enemies of hippogriffs and griffons; they tend to ignore rocs, save for occasional scraps; and they are friendly with pegasi (the two species are often found together).

The wingless, horselike asperii fly by natural powers of levitation and also possess the power to “ride the winds”. Strong winds of natural or magical origin increase the speed of an asperii flying with them, 1″ for every mile per hour over 20. Asperii take no damage from winds of any type (including air elemental or djinni whirlwinds, wind walkers, and the buffeting attacks of aerial servants). They can break free of the grip of aerial servants with uncommon ease (40% chance). Wind steeds can cast up to 4 feather fall spells per day, upon themselves or (by touch) others.

The most maneuverable of steeds, asperii are of maneuverability class A and remain so until they carry over 1500 gp weight. Thus, they can carry one lightly armored rider without any penalty in maneuverability—moreover, a lone rider may cast spells from the back of a loyal wind steed (that is, spells not requiring the use of a surface for writing glyphs, runes, circles, etc.). Asperii may carry up to 6000 gp weight, at a penalty of one maneuverability class per 1500 gp of additional weight.

Wind steeds must be trained in the manner of griffons, and can become deeply loyal to one master. When so trained, an asperii will suffer no one to ride it but its master or those it views as friends of its master. Asperii communicate by limited telepathy (6″ range), and will accept as a master only a character of neutral, lawful neutral, or neutral good alignment. Those trained to take all riders are known as “broken” asperii; they become cowards and refuse to fight other creatures in the air. Young asperii bring 4000–6000 gp on the open market (asperii bear live young).

Asperii have true sight and can see into both the Astral and Ethereal Planes. Their vision is so strong and intense that they are immune to the effects of gaze attacks (such as those of the basilisk and catoblepas). Usually white, smoky grey, or dun in color, wind steeds suffer no damage from cold-based attacks. Fire does double damage.

Asperii are omnivorous and especially prize mint leaves, fish, and hawk meat. Although they can go for long periods without eating, asperii have a seemingly limitless appetite when given the chance to gorge themselves. In aerial combat asperii lash out with their front hooves (note that spells cannot be cast from the back of an asperii so engaged). They also bite, tending to aim for the wings and faces of opponents.

A very rare subspecies known as “noble” asperii exists, and are varicolored and iridescent (like polished abalone shell). They have 9″ range telepathy of sufficient mental force to exert a suggestion spell on creatures of 3 HD or less. These creatures often lead groups of wild asperii.