General Rules: Monsters - Erudite Owl

Erudite Owl (from Dragon Magazine #341)
Tiny Construct

Hit Dice: 3d10 (16 hit points)
Initiative: +3
Speed: 10 feet, fly 40 feet (average)
Armor Class: 19 (+2 size, +3 Dexterity, +4 natural); touch 15, flat-footed 16
BAB/Grapple: +1/-9

Attack: Talon +7 melee (1d4-1, slashing, 20 x2)

Full Attack: 2 talons +7 melee (1d4-1, slashing, 20 x2)

Space/Reach: 2½ feet by 2½ feet/0 feet
Special Attacks: Spell-like abilities

Special Qualities: Construct traits, low-light vision

Saves: Fortitude +1, Reflex +4, Will +3
Abilities: Str 8, Int 10, Wis 14, Dex 17, Con -, Cha 10

Skills: Diplomacy +9, Listen +14, Move Silently +17, Spot +6 (+14 in areas of shadowy illumination)

Feats: Weapon Finesse, Weapon Focus (Talon)
Environment: Any

Organization: Solitary

Challenge Rating: 2
Treasure: -
Alignment: Any
Advancement: -
Level Adjustment: -

An erudite owl has bright yellow diamond eyes and is made of shining blue metal in the shape of a barn owl.

Erudite owls rank among the brightest of familiars, blessed with keen minds and quick wits. Initially created as diplomatic assistants, these familiars offer wise council appropriate to the situation at hand. Erudite owls put their construct state to good use, often posing as simple statues or clockwork marvels rather than revealing themselves openly. The owls preen themselves constantly as a regular bird would, even though it serves no purpose. Construct familiars are common among mages of the Collegium.

Erudite owls speak one common language, typically Enslaic, Rhadynnic, or Sorglish.

Combat
Usually erudite owls avoid combat whenever possible, but resort to using their talons when seriously threatened.

Spell-Like Abilities (Sp): Twice per day - Comprehend languages, detect magic, and detect poison.

Construct: Immune to mind-influencing effects, poison, disease, death effects, paralysis, stunning, sleep, and similar effects. Not subject to critical hits, nonlethal damage, ability damage, energy drain, or death from massive damage. Destroyed when reduced to 0 hit points, cannot be raised. Cannot be healed with healing magic unless it specifically says it works on constructs, and does not heal on its own.

Skills: Erudite owls hae a +8 racial bonus on Listen checks and a +14 racial bonus on Move Silently checks. They have a +8 racial bonus on Spot checks in areas of shadowy illumination.

Erudite Owls as Familiars
Erudite owls can serve as familiars for characters eligible to obtain familiars including arcane engineers, hexblades, mind weavers, shadowsworn, sorcerers, and wizards. To do so, the character must take the Improved Familiar feat, be at least a 7^th-level caster, and must meet the prerequisites required to construct the familiar, including the creation cost, experience point cost, and time spent.

Creating the body of an erudite owl is a painstaking process of carefully cutting and folding thin sheets of high quality steel and polishing two perfect diamond eyes costing a total of 2,000 shillings. This requires either a DC 15 Craft (Gemcutting) check or DC 15 Craft (Metalsmithing) check. After creating the body, the spellcaster continues by summoning a familiar in the normal manner. Upon completion of the summoning ritual a spark of the creator's consciousness inhabits and animates the prepared body. This personality mimics the animal form that it inhabits, but retains some of the creator's habits and traits.

Should a construct familiar become damaged, its master may repair it. This may be accomplished through spells like repair light damage, or through more mundane means. Physically repairing a construct familiar takes one hour and costs 10 shillings in supplies per hit point repaired.

Caster Level: 7^th; Prerequisites: Craft Construct, comprehend languages, detect magic, detect poison, fly, caster must be at least 7^th level; Market Price: 7,000 shillings; Cost to Create: 5,500 shillings + 200 experience points.

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