This innocuous-looking scroll flits about with serpentine grace, baring its razor-sharp edges.
Guardian Scroll CR 3
XP 800
N Tiny construct
Init +2; Senses darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision; Perception +0
Defense
AC 15, touch 15, flat-footed 12 (+2 Dex, +1 dodge, +2 size)
hp 27 (5d10)
Fort +1, Ref +5, Will +1
DR 5/magic; Immune bludgeoning, crushing, and falling damage, construct traits
Weaknesses susceptible to mind-affecting effects, vulnerable to fire
Offense
Speed 10 ft., fly 40 ft. (perfect)
Melee slice +9 (1d4+3 plus 1d2 bleed and grab)
Space 2-1/2 ft.; Reach 0 ft.
Special Attacks bleed (1d2), constrict (1d4+3), grab (Medium), smothering wrap
Statistics
Str 14, Dex 15, Con —, Int 4, Wis 10, Cha 12
Base Atk +5; CMB +5 (+9 grapple); CMD 18
Feats Dodge, Flyby Attack, Lightning Reflexes
Skills Acrobatics +4, Fly +20
Languages Common (can't speak)
Ecology
Environment any
Organization solitary, pair, or collection (3-6)
Treasure none
Special Abilities
Smothering Wrap (Ex) When a guardian scroll grapples a creature, it entirely covers its opponent's head with an airtight grip. A creature grappled by the scroll cannot see, speak, or cast spells with verbal components, and it must hold its breath (see Suffocation on page 445 of the Pathfinder RPG Core Rulebook). Creatures that don't speak or breathe through their heads aren't affected in this manner, nor are those blinded who can see through other means. Any attacks targeting a guardian scroll while it's grappling deal half damage to the scroll and the other half to the grappled creature.
Susceptible to Mind-Affecting Effects (Ex) As an intelligent construct, a guardian scroll is subject to mind-affecting effects.
Guardian scrolls are deceptive constructs created from enchanted paper or papyrus, designed to protect the lairs, libraries, and sacred texts of magical practitioners. When an intruder enters a proscribed area or touches a prohibited object without first speaking a password or otherwise signaling permission to enter, the guardian scroll attacks.At rest, guardian scrolls appear identical to any number of different types of magical or nonmagical scrolls. When a guardian scroll becomes active, it rises in the air and unfurls to a length of almost 4 feet. It wafts through the air with casual ease as it approaches its target. When it attacks, it stiffens its edges, making them blade-sharp. It races past its target and draws its entire length across any exposed flesh, leaving a long, deep, and painful slash that bleeds badly afterward. This is not the scroll's only means of attack, however. It can also wrap itself around a Medium or smaller creature in the blink of an eye, constricting it. While the strength of its constriction is not as intense as that of a giant snake, the guardian scroll is intelligent enough to strategically wrap itself around the face of its target to blind and asphyxiate the creature.
A guardian scroll's body is usually made of paper crafted from the body of a living, intelligent tree or plant creature; the complex process of extraction normally destroys the creature. For this reason, the creation of a guardian scroll is usually an evil act. A Large or Medium creature can provide more than enough paper to create dozens of guardian scrolls. The paper used for this purpose can also be produced alchemically from normal sources of pulp at greater expense with a successful DC 25 Craft (alchemy) check. The additional price and cost for this alternative process are listed in parentheses in the stat block below.
Guardian Scroll
CL 8th; Price 5,000 gp (7,500 gp)
Construction
Requirements Craft Construct, bull's strength, false life, fly, lesser geas, magic weapon, make whole; paper made from an intelligent plant creature that dies or is slain during the paper-making process, or a more costly alchemically treated paper; creator must have 5 ranks in Linguistics; Skill Craft (calligraphy) DC 15; Cost 2,500 gp (3,750 gp)
