Sharn (CR 8)

Large Aberration
Alignment: Always chaotic neutral
Initiative: +5 (Dex); Senses: darkvision 60 ft., Listen +10, and Spot +12


AC: 19 (-1 size, +5 Dex, +5 natural), touch 18, flat-footed 14
Hit Dice: 4d8+20 (38 hp); DR: 10/cold iron
Fort +6, Ref +6, Will +8
Speed: 10 ft., fly 40 ft.
Space: 10 ft./10 ft.
Base Attack +3; Grapple +11
Attack: 3 claws +6 (or 3 Medium-size or smaller melee weapons +4 melee), 6 claws +4 melee (or 3 Medium-size or smaller weapons +4 melee), 3 bites +4 melee
Full Attack: 3 claws +6 (or 3 Medium-size or smaller melee weapons +4 melee), 6 claws +4 melee (or 3 Medium-size or smaller weapons +4 melee), 3 bites +4 melee
Damage: Claw 1d6+2 (or weapon +4), claw 1d6+2 (or weapon +2), bite 2d6+2
Special Attacks/Actions: Spellcasting levels, hex portals
Abilities: Str 16, Dex 20, Con 20, Int 18, Wis 18, Cha 20
Special Qualities: independent action, evasion, immunities, fixed shape, archetypal shape, regeneration 2, SR 20
Feats: Alertness; Blind-fight; Combat Reflexes; Multiattack; Multidexterity; Multiweapon Fighting
Skills: Bluff +9, Concentration +10, Diplomacy +9, Knowledge(arcana) +8, Listen +10, Search +8, Sense Motive +8, Spellcraft +11, and Spot +12
Advancement: 5-8 HD (Large), 9-12 HD (Huge)
Climate/Terrain: Any land and underground
Organization: Solitary, pair, or parliament (4-48)
Treasure/Possessions: Double coins, quadruple items

Source: Monster Compendium: Monsters of Faerûn

Spellcasting Levels: The typical sharn casts spells as a 7th-level sorcerer and as a 5th-level cleric. Thanks to the partial action a sharn gets from its haste ability, it can cast two spells in the same round, but the peculiar structure of a sharn's mental processes requires the two spells to come from the lists of different classes. Hence, the average sharn that wishes to use all its actions casting spells can only cast one cleric spell and one sorcerer spell per round, not two of one class. (A spell available to both clerics and sorcerers counts as belonging to either class.) Each additional Hit Die gained by a sharn increases either its sorcerer spellcasting level or its cleric spellcasting level by one. For example, an average sham with 8 HD has the spellcasting ability of a 9th-level sorcerer and a 7th-level cleric.

Special Sharn Sorcerer Rules: Shams do not require material components or focuses for their spells. Shams usually do not have familiars.

Special Sharn Cleric Rules: Sharns do not require material components or divine focuses for their spells either. Sharn clerics can choose four domains from the following list, and receive the granted powers of all four: Chaos, Death, Knowledge, Luck, Magic, Protection, Travel, and Trickery. They turn undead according to their cleric level and Charisma score.

Hex Portals (Su): A sharn can maintain up to three miniature portals - ethereal windows - through which it can see, cast spells, and even launch a melee attack. Each portal is a translucent hexagonal window of purple light, 3 feet in diameter. As a full-round action, the sharn can form one to three of the portals anywhere within 20 feet of its body, each portal coalescing out of a swirl of purple motes. Thereafter, each separate hex portal can move independently up to 20 feet per round as a free action before the sharn takes its regular action (not the partial action it gets for being hasted). The hex portals do not block movement, line of sight, or missile fire. A character can occupy the same space as a sharn portal with no adverse effect other than proximity to the sharn's touch and attacks. A sham can cause one or more portals to disappear on its action, as a free action, but will not be able to form a new portal until it uses a standard action to create hex portals.

If the sham moves farther than 100 feet from one of its portals, the portal disappears.

A sham can cast a spell through a portal by extending its hand through the portal. It can deliver touch spells to creatures within 5 feet of a portal. A sham is not capable of moving fully through one of its portals, nor can anyone else move through a portal.

Shams can launch melee attacks through portals without any penalty, but only with a 5-foot reach, not 10 feet like the sham's own body. Note that portals threaten areas within 5 feet of them. Hex portals can flank, or contribute to flanking, just like any other creature that threatens an area.

Opponents cannot normally attack a sharn through a portal, or cast a spell through a portal, but they can ready an action to attack when a sharn sticks its hand through a portal to cast a spell or attack. Assuming the sharn is not invisible when it sticks part of its body through the portal, it is assumed to have nine-tenths cover, and therefore a +10 bonus to AC and a +4 bonus on Reflex saves.

Hex portals can be dispelled, but a dispelled hex portal could be reformed on the sharn's next action, beside the sharn. Hex portals do not function or appear inside antimagic fields. As force effects, hex portals cannot, themselves, be turned invisible.

Haste (Ex): Sharns always act as if they were affected by the haste spell.

Evasion (Ex): Sharns have the evasion ability of a 1st-level monk, taking no damage on a successful Reflex save against an attack that normally deals half-damage on a successful save.

Immunities (Ex): Shams are immune to mind-influencing effects, polymorph effects, and spells that would change their shape.

Fixed Shape (Ex): Shams cannot polymorph themselves, shapechange themselves, or be changed in shape by others.

Archetypal Shape (Ex): No other creatures can polymorph or shapechange themselves (or anyone else) into a sharn's shape, or anything approximating it.

Regeneration: Lawful weapons, spells, and outsiders inflict normal damage on sharns. Any other damage regenerates at the rate of 2 hit points per round as long as the sharn does not have any of its hex portals open.

Feats: Sharns gain Multidexterity and Multiweapon Fighting as bonus feats.