Nimbus Seeker (3.5e Monster)

''An off-color portion of the cloud seems to break off, do a loop in the air, and rests near your feet. A dark spot on its foggy mass almost looks like the outline of some obscured giant eyeball.''

Nimbus seekers are the functional equivalent of hounds or mounts on the plane of air. Dimly intelligent but clever and loyal, nimbus seekers are mostly trained in tracking down creatures on the elemental plane of air. They are also occasionally rode upon by non-flying residents, if they can win the nimbus seeker's good graces. Nimbus seekers are typically docile creatures, and they survive by moving in packs hidden within actual clouds, so that predators cannot determine where a cloud ends and a nimbus seeker begins.

Nimbus seekers cannot speak and smell faintly of ozone, but they have the intelligence to understand Auran (and Common if found on the material plane) and can pantomime slightly, with waggles and gusts of wind for gestures. They are weightless.

Combat
Nimbus seekers typically run from combat, relying on the fact that they are difficult to injure by non-air subtyped creatures. When forced into battle, they try to push opponents into tactically unsound positions with Gust, preferably off the edge of cliffs. If this is not effective, they use Shock and then flee. They work well in great numbers, giving them a much more powerful, if still limited, use of Shock.

Dissipate : When brought to less than 0 hp, a nimbus seeker may immediately make a Fortitude save with a DC equal to the excess damage. If they succeed, they remain at -1 hp and stable, and dissipate into a thin inert mist which will naturally drift away with the winds and reform in 24 hours from normal natural healing. If they fail, they take the damage, evaporating and dying at -10 as normal. A nimbus seeker may dissipate once per day.

Gust : A nimbus seeker can release a pulse of strong wind as a ranged touch attack anywhere in 60 ft, dealing 1d8 points of nonlethal damage and performing a free bull rush attempt which does not provoke attacks of opportunity. A nimbus seeker uses its Dexterity instead of its strength for the bull rush (a total of +9) and does not move with the creature.

Seek Out :  A nimbus seeker has a unnatural ability to find creatures. Once per day it can duplicate the effects of helping hand, except it seeks out the target rather than forming a ghostly hand to seek for it and moving at its own move speed. As such numbus seekers are often used as a sort of carrier pigeon.

Semi-Insubstantial : Nimbus seekers are sentient clouds and thus insubstantial, misty, and translucent. They takes half damage from slashing and piercing weapons, has no clear front or back, and no discernible anatomy so it is not subject to critical hits or flanking. Nimbus seekers have no strength score, using their dexterity score for any strength checks and strength based skill checks. Though it cannot manipulate any items, it can solidify parts of itself to support items and creatures, allowing it to wear items, be ridden by creatures, or hold (but not wield) objects. In effect it can make itself into a flying platform, and its effective carrying capacity is that of a large quadruped using its constitution in place of strength. Nimbus seekers are often very picky on who or what they will carry, and have no qualms dropping creatures they find irritating.

As a gas it can pass through small holes or narrow openings, even mere cracks, although it cannot bring any passengers along with it if it does so. The creature is subject to the effects of wind, and it can’t enter water or other liquid. It also can’t manipulate objects or activate items, save for those it is carrying. If equipped with magical gear the nimbus seeker only possesses the face, body, torso, and waist slots for magical gear.

Nimbus seekers add their Charisma bonus as a deflection bonus to AC (minimum +1).

Shock :  A nimbus seeker can generate a short lived but powerful spark of electricity as a standard action. They make a ranged touch attack in 60 ft. and deal 3d6 points of electrical damage. Afterwards the nimbus seeker cannot use shock again until 1 hour has passed. If accompanied by other nimbus seekers they can combine the attacks of all adjutant nimbus seekers into one simultaneous attack, dealing all the damage at once (to help them overcome electrical resistance), up to 6 nimbus seekers for 18d6 damage.

Skills: A nimbus seeker has a +8 bonus to Survival checks made for the purposes of tracking, and +12 while tracking on the elemental plane of air. Nimbus seekers primarily track by scent while tracking on the plane of air, due to lack of ground.

Animal Companion or Familiar
A nimbus seeker can be selected as an animal companion for a 7th level druid and above (Level -6).

A nimbus seeker can be selected with the Improved Familiar feat for spellcasters 7th level and above.