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The Astrosphinx is a creature from the Spelljammer campaign setting.[1]

Overview[]

Astrosphinxes are a malevolent breed of sphinx whose origins are shrouded in mystery. These bizarre and frightful parodies of true sphinxes are hunted down by conscientious races, who believe they would be better off if they were all killed. Not even evil-aligned intelligent races will have anything to do with them.[1]

Description[]

An astrosphinx stands twice as tall as a human at the shoulder, and is covered with brass-colored scales like those of a dragon. A pair of huge black bat wings sprouts from its back, while its head resembles the skull of a monstrous goat, with tiny pinpricks of violet light in its eye sockets. The sphinx's head does in fact have flesh; it's just so pale, and stretched so tightly across the skull, that it seems invisible. Instead of forepaws, the astrosphinx has a pair of large, clawed human-like hands, and smalls of ozone and offal. An astrosphinx speaks the common trade tongue and the language common to all sphinxes.[1]

Combat[]

An astrosphinx can attack with a head-butt using its two goat horns, and also has a vicious bite. Its human-like hands have large claws, and in rare instances they have been known to wield a two-handed sword, which is sometimes magical.

Though the creature has a draconian body, it cannot use its tail or hind legs in combat. It does, however, breathe a cone of sleep gas 80 feet long, 4 feet wide at the beast's mouth and 20 feet wide at the base. Targets caught in the cone may fall asleep for up to an hour. Victims in wildspace with their own air bubbles remain asleep until the gas is somehow flushed out of their air supply.

An astrosphinx can also shoot a chain lightning bolt (as per the spell) from its eye sockets. Just before the lightning bolt is fired, the pinpoints of light in the astrosphinx's eye sockets change color from violet to gold. After the bolt has been fired, the astrosphinx's eyes change color from gold to red. After a minute, the eyes change back to their normal violet, meaning that the eyes have recharged and can fire another lightning bolt. Unfortunately, after firing a lightning bolt, an astrosphinx is completely blind while its eyes recharge.

In melee combat, an astrosphinx attacks homicidally until everything has been slain. As a rule, after its riddle is answered incorrectly (see below), the sphinx breathes its sleep gas, fires off its chain lightning, and then hurls itself into melee. The astrosphinx not only attacks the person who got its riddle wrong, but all of their companions as well.[1]

Habitat[]

Astrosphinxes are fiercely territorial and challenge all intruders to a contest of riddles. Those who answer incorrectly, or do not answer at all, are killed outright. Due to their dementia, an astrosphinx will challenge any living thing. even birds, bugs, small animals, and plants.

The madness of an astrosphinx renders their riddles illogical and unanswerable: “What is the speed of blue?”; “How loud is down?”; “What do a kobold and the Spelljammer have in common besides triangles?” Unfortunately, an astrosphinx slays anyone who does not answer its riddle correctly; meaning an astrosphinx is usually the only creature on a given planetoid.

According to legend, some travellers have solved an astrosphinx's mad riddle by giving an equally mad or nonsensical answer, though this tactic seldom works. Supposedly, if an astrosphinx's riddle is answered correctly, the beast erupts into a ring of chain lightning, killing itself. Apparently, all that is left behind is a clue to the current whereabouts of the Spelljammer.

An astrosphinx can survive in space without air, and often lairs on small, barren chunks of rock. The sphinx eats anything, usually those who give wrong answers to its riddles.[1]

Notable Astrosphinxes[]

Appendix[]

External Links[]

References[]

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 John Terra, MC9 Monstrous Compendium Spelljammer Appendix II, 1991, (TSR Inc.), Sphinx, Astro entry
  2. Roger E. Moore, The Cloakmaster Cycle, The Maelstrom's Eye, 1992, (TSR Inc.), pages 261-263
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