Shining Children


Shining children are extraplanar outsiders.

An outsider is at least partially composed of the essence (but not necessarily the material) of some plane other than the Material Plane. Some creatures start out as some other type and become outsiders when they attain a higher (or lower) state of spiritual existence.

Outsiders have darkvision.

Unlike most living creatures, an outsider does not have a dual nature – its soul and body form one unit. When an outsider is slain, no soul is set loose. Spells that restore souls to their bodies, such as raise dead, reincarnate, and resurrection, don’t work on an outsider. It takes a different magical effect, such as limited wish, wish, miracle, or true resurrection to restore it to life. An outsider native to the Material Plane can be raised, reincarnated, or resurrected just as other living creatures can be.

Outsiders breathe, but do not need to eat or sleep (although they can do so if they wish). Outsiders native to the Material Plane breathe, eat, and sleep.

Shining children are outsiders native to the evil-aligned outer planes. Evil outsiders are also called fiends. A shining child overcomes damage reduction as if its natural weapons and any weapons it wields are evil-aligned.

Extraplanar creatures are any creatures when they are on a plane other than their native plane. A creature that travels the planes can gain or lose this subtype as it goes from plane to plane. Creatures not considered as extraplanar are natives of the Material Plane, and they gain the extraplanar subtype if they leave the Material Plane. No creature is considered extraplanar when it is on a transitive plane, such as the Astral Plane, the Ethereal Plane, or the Plane of Shadow.

Creatures of burning light and strange geometry, shining children are a terror to behold. Beyond the flares of energy that constantly burst from their forms (particularly in beam-like gouts from their eyes and mouths), the creatures are vaguely humanoid, with strange hands that each bear four fingers. Occasionally summoned by powerful wizards in search of rare arcane knowledge, the shining children (who disdain individual names) communicate via telepathy, a psychic roar like metal tearing that sometimes resolves into strained and raspy words.

The light that surrounds a shining child grants it protection. The protection is negated as long as the shining child is in the area of effect of a spell with the darkness descriptor of sufficient level.

Shining children can mentally communicate with any other creature within a certain range that has a language. It is possible to address multiple creatures at once telepathically, although maintaining a telepathic conversation with more than one creature at a time is just as difficult as simultaneously speaking and listening to multiple people at the same time.

Shining children have spell-like abilities. Spell-like abilities are magical and work just like spells (though they are not spells and thus have no verbal, somatic, focus, or material components). They go away in an antimagic field and are subject to spell resistance if the spell the ability is based on would be subject to spell resistance.

A spell-like ability usually has a limit on how often it can be used. A spell-like ability that can be used at will has no use limit. Using all spell-like abilities is a standard action, and doing so provokes attacks of opportunity. It is possible to use a spell-like ability defensively and avoid an attack of opportunity, just as when casting a spell. A spell-like ability can be disrupted just as a spell can be. Spell-like abilities cannot be used to counterspell, nor can they be counterspelled.

A shining child’s primary attack is a ray of searing light. The ray deals double damage to undead creatures.

Though they harbor many secrets, their greatest secret may be their own origin. Numerous theories abound – that the shining children are beings from another dimension, avatars of a dying star grown sentient, or creatures of light battling living darkness at the edge of reality. A shining child stands just over 4-1/2 feet tall and weighs 85 pounds.

A shining light corrupts the positive energy within a living creature into an unnatural burning light. After a successful touch attack by a shining child, the target takes fire damage. The burning light can be “extinguished” by casting darkness or deeper darkness on the target, or by entering an area of natural darkness (not counting the light from the burning target).

Shining children are immune to blindness, fire and poison.

Shining children are resistant to cold and sonic.

A shining child can radiate an aura of blinding light as a free action. Creatures within the affected area may be permanently blinded. A creature that successfully saves cannot be affected again by the same shining child’s aura for 24 hours.

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