Spellshine Homunculus (3.5e Monster)

= Spellshine Homunculus =

''A soft buzz is heard as a bug flies by you, its backside dominating its frame. It looks like a bug was fused with a lightbulb, and the bulb begins to shimmer as it draws near your magic goods.''

Spellshine Homunculi are creatures created by the spell Ell's Handy Homunculus. They are useful for detecting magical auras, and glow when they come within 60 ft. of a magic item (to which like a moth to a flame, they seem naturally attracted to). This ability works exactly like Detect Magic including the number of rounds it takes to manifest additional information. You may command it to selectively ignore certain auras, enabling you to prevent it glowing from the presence of your own magic items. The color of the glow depends on the nature of the magic detected (abjuration blue, conjuration yellow, divination indigo, enchantment green, evocation red, illusion violet, necromancy black, transmutation orange, and universal white).

While generally constructs are neutral, a homunculi picks up the alignment of its creator on casting.

Combat
Handy homunculi make poor weapons. It can sting the enemy, but typically prefers to flee as soon as possible, dampening all magical detection until it believes it is safe.

Construction
The body is made of glass plates and a wooden skeleton, with the core crystal often embedded in the forehead. A drop of the caster's blood is absorbed into the wooden frame, which becomes chitinous on the outside after casting Ell's Handy Homunculus. The entire cost of supplies equals 500 gp.

Assembling the body requires a DC 15 Craft (woodworking) or Craft (jewelry) check.

CL 1st; Ell's Handy Homunculus, Detect Magic; Never sold; Cost 500 gp + 25 XP.