Kundalini (3.5e Monster)



''The giant coiled snake before you seems unreal, made of light and colors rather than solid matter. Its skin shines as if gold which flickers with iridescent sheen as it twists and coils. Its bright glowing eyes lock on you with determination as you get a sense it wants to fight.''

The kundalini are creatures of the positive energy plane, servants of an unknown goddess of enlightenment deep within the white emptiness. These serpents are sent at her beck and call to those who are near enlightenment, seeking enlightenment, or somethings those chosen to be enlightened of some base fact of their nature or truth in the world. Be it good or ill, the kundalini appears to challenge the would-be enlightened character, guiding them to complete some task to bring them the knowledge they need, or challenging them in combat to test their strength. The kundalini take no sides, and while often in opposition they hold no malice for others. It is a honorable battle, and to be bested often means its mission is complete.

Kundalini are 15 feet long and typically stand at a height of 6 feet tall. They weigh 750 lbs and shed light as a candle. They understand Common, Auran, Aquan, Ignan, and Terran but do not speak.

Combat
The kundalini assaults most only when it has a purpose, however obscure it may be. Typically appearing to challenge a monk on the brink of enlightenment or guide someone towards a goal. Sometimes the challenge does not even involve combat, but when it does the kundalini is there to act as the adversary. It always tries to engage its target one on one, using tricky to separate him from his party and patiently waiting for the right time, possessing objects and people as needed. It uses lethal force when only when appropriate. When facing undead or any other creature which runs on negative energy, it grows violent and will do its best to slay it at once. With its rejuvenation ability, it has little fear of death.

Constrict : On a successful grapple check, a kundalini deals 1d6+7 bludgeoning plus 10 positive damage.

Dreamborn Traits (Ex): Introduced in the book Hyperconciousness, Dreamborn creatures are spawned from, and made of "dreamstuff". They appear slightly hazy and out of focus, and so all melee and ranged attacks against them suffer a 20% miss chance, as they are not entirely real. This miss chance is not the same as concealment and does not prevent the use of sneak attacks or other precision strikes. The subtype also determines if it is vulnerable to certain spells and effects which deal with dream-based creatures.

Energize : A kundalini's natural weapons deal an extra 1 point of positive energy damage per HD. This damage is doubled against undead.

Empathy :  A kundalini is not telepathic but it can transfer basic emotions and concepts to any living creature in 100 ft. This ability grants is a +8 racial bonus on Sense Motive checks.

Healing Touch :  As a standard action the kundalini can make a touch attack and heal 10 points of damage. This touch injures undead instead.

Imbue Essence :  As a full round action the kundalini can vanish into an inanimate object and possess it, effectively vanishing and hiding from detection. The item possessed gives off a faint universal magic aura but little else. Mundane unattended items do not get a saving throw, while magic items and attended items get a Will save, DC 19 to negate. It may possess living creatures as well, but holds no control over them and is merely piggybacking for the ride. A kundalini possessing an object or creature is hard to remove. Breaking the possessed object or killing the possessed creature releases the kundalini in the nearest empty square, while effects such as protection from evil prevent it from transferring in and out of an object or creature. Break enchantment and higher level similar effects can remove a kundalini from an object or creature. The kundalini typically uses this as a tactical means of approaching the party in secret.

Improved Grab : To use this ability, a kundalini must hit with its tail attack. It can then attempt to start a grapple as a free action without provoking an attack of opportunity. If it wins the grapple check, it establishes a hold and can constrict.

Maneuver-Like Abilities: anima wave (strike), enlightened spirit stance (stance), greater vita purge (counter), passing of the spirit (strike), qi wave (strike), spiritual disruption, spiritual pressure (boost), tongue of heaven and earth (stance), vita surge (boost)

Rejuvenation :  In most cases, it’s difficult to destroy a kundalini through simple combat: The "destroyed" elemental will often restore itself in 2d4 days. Even the most powerful spells are usually only temporary solutions. A kundalini that would otherwise be destroyed returns to a random spot on the positive elemental plane with a successful level check (1d20 + kundalini's HD) against DC 16. As a rule, the only way to get rid of a kundalini for sure is to determine the reason for its engaging you and achieve the goal of self-enlightenment it seeks for you to understand. The exact means varies with each kundalini and may require a good deal of research.

Spell-Like Abilities :  At will- detect undead; 3/day- mass cure light wounds; 2/day-animate objects, plane shift (self only)