SHANTAK
Larger than an elephant, this scaly, bird-like creature has a vaguely horse-like head and vast, slime-encrusted wings.
SHANTAKCR 8
XP 4,800
CE Huge magical beast
Init +3; Senses darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision; Perception +3
DEFENSE
AC 21, touch 11, flat-footed 18 (+3 Dex, +10 natural, –2 size)
hp 104 (11d10+44)
Fort +11, Ref +10, Will +6
Defensive Abilities slippery; Immune cold, disease
OFFENSE
Speed 20 ft., fly 80 ft. (average)
Melee bite +17 (2d6+8) 2 talons +17 (1d8+8 plus grab)
Space 15 ft.; Reach 15 ft.
STATISTICS
Str 26, Dex 17, Con 19, Int 8, Wis 17, Cha 10
Base Atk +11; CMB +21 (+25 grapple); CMD 34 (42 vs. grapple)
Feats Awesome Blow, Flyby Attack, Hover, Improved Bull Rush, Power Attack, Wingover
Skills Escape Artist +11, Fly +13; Racial Modifiers +8 Escape Artist
Languages Aklo
SQ no breath, share defenses, starflight
ECOLOGY
Environment cold mountains
Organization solitary, pair, or flock (3–12)
Treasure none
SPECIAL ABILITIES
Share Defenses (Su) As a free action, a shantak can extend its no breath ability and cold immunity to a single creature touching it. It can withdraw this protection as a free action.
Slippery (Ex) A shantak's scales seep slippery slime. This grants the creature a +8 bonus on all Escape Artist checks and to its CMD against grapples, and imparts a –5 penalty on all Ride checks made by creatures attempting to ride a shantak.
Starflight (Su) A shantak can survive in the void of outer space. It flies through space at an incredible speed. Although exact travel times vary, a trip within a single solar system should take 3d20 hours, while a trip beyond should take 3d20 days (or more, at the GM's discretion)—provided the shantak knows the way to its destination.
Shantaks speak in a shrill voice that sounds like glass grinding against stone. They are intelligent creatures and cannot be trained as mounts—a would-be shantak rider must use diplomacy or magic to secure a shantak's cooperation as a mount, and even then, shantaks have a tendency to deliberately strand riders in dangerous areas.
Many shantaks have a strange and irrational fear of certain creatures, such as the faceless nightgaunts said to dwell in certain remote mountains, or specific types of harpies or gargoyles in more civilized regions. A shantak avoids confrontations with these types of creatures if possible.
A shantak's ability to travel the gulfs of space ensures that these scaly, bird-like creatures can be found on numerous worlds. Yet despite this unique ability, shantaks are generally quite reluctant to seek out new worlds unless faced with no other option, for a shantak knows well that an attempt to fly to an unknown world could easily result in being lost forever in the gulfs of space.
