Sarap (3.5e Monster)

''The wind whips violently around you and the heat is unbearable, the descending form of a Sarap appearing before your eyes. You can barely look at the blinding glory of the creature, its body sheathed in golden flames they shone like the sun. Within the light you could make out a celestial creature with six wings, two over its face, two spread wide, and two covering its lower body. Its body is covered in finest platinum scales, and its legs end in a long snake's tail. It is said the rest of it appears as a dragon, but so bright is the light it gives off it is a miracle anyone could see it at all.''

Saraps are archons of the highest order which operate deep in the bright heights of Jovar and Chronias on the Seven Mounting Heavens of Celestia. They sing in eternal jubilation, flying above high in the sky appearing as if shooting stars, their bodies wrapped in purest flame. They also run the workings of the heavens and are masters of the sky, and are only rarely called upon for battle whenever heaven itself or the workings of the universe are threatened. Saraps have six wings but typically only use two for flight, concealing their face and body with the other two. They are somehow related to Couatl.

Saraps speak Celestial, Common, Draconic, and up to 7 other languages for their intelligence, but it is rendered moot due to their tongues ability. A sarap stands 12 feet tall (with their tail extending longer) and weighs 333 lbs.

Combat
A sarap which is forced to fight is energetic and mobile, using its maneuver-like abilities whenever tactically sound and keeping on the move. Against groups it employs the powerful area of effect maneuvers, while single targets are engaged one on one in melee.

Aura of Menace :  As the archon special ability, Will 30 negates.

Blazing Glory Stance : The blazing glory stance functions as a unique martial stance which follows all the normal rules for martial stances. It uses the sarap's blazing form to blind and burn the opponents alive. As a swift action it enters this stance and gains an aura out to 60 ft. which deals 24d6 fire damage and permenantly blinds any creature in the area each round. A DC 27 Reflex save halves the damage and negates the blinding effect. This is considered a 9th level maneuver.

Burning Body : Creatures that strike the sarap in melee with a non-reach weapon or natural attack are dealt 6d6 points of whitefire damage. Whitefire damage functions like fire damage, but it ignores fire resistance and fire immunity only halves the damage from whitefire damage. Undead and evil outsiders take double damage.

Burning Weaponry : As a free action on its turn only, a sarap can form a floating bastard sword or longbow which hovers in front of it, attacking for the sarap (whose hands remain free). It is made of solidified golden flames and is part of the archon. The bastard sword version is a +4 holy bastard sword which has a 30 ft. reach, teleporting into the enemy's body from afar. The sarap threatens the entire 30 ft. area. It can also take the form of a +4 holy longbow, whose range increment is 600 ft. and which generates its own ammunition. Either form deals an additional 6d6 points of whitefire damage as if they had been in contact with the sarap (see Burning Body above).

Change Shape :  A sarap can assume any serpentine form of Small to Large size. While in serpentine form, the sarap loses its burning body, burning weaponry, and blazing glory stance, but gains the natural attacks and poisons of the form it chooses. For the purposes of this ability, serpentine include any snakelike animal of the animal type.

Chant of the Trisagion :  As a standard action at will a sarap can sing words most holy, so pure and perfect are the words they they bring evil down to its knees. The sarap consumes the use of one of its maneuvers and makes a Perform (Sing) check. Evil creatures within 60 ft. that hear the holy words are dealt three times the check result in damage and are subject to a dismissal. Neutral creatures take the perform check in damage and are subject to no other effect. Good creatures take no damage. Creatures affected by this get a Will save for half damage DC 30, and a successful save negates the dismissal effect for evil creatures.

Maneuver-Like Abilities: exploding thunder strike (strike), improved aerial evasion (counter), obscuring feathers (boost), razor wind (strike), red tornado (strike), rocs fall, everyone dies (counter), sudden updraft (boost), supersonic dash (rush), tailwind (rush), wings of thunder (stance)

Martial Smite Evil : By expending a martial maneuver as part of an attack action, the sarap gains the level of the expended maneuver as a sacred bonus to attack rolls, and the sarap's HD to damage.

Regeneration : A sarap takes normal damage from epic evil-aligned weapons, and from spells or effects with the evil descriptor.

Wind and Fury Stance :  The wind and fury stance functions as a unique martial stance which follows all the normal rules for martial stances. Each round as a swift action the sarap can duplicate the effects of control weather with a caster level equal to character level. Unlike the spell, the effect comes into play 1 round after use and lasts for as long as the sarap remains in this stance. This is considered a 9th level maneuver.

Spell-Like Abilities :  At will- continual flame, daylight, gust of wind, searing light; 3/day- divination, flame strike, true seeing; 1/day- legend lore, sunburst