The strangely shaped glowing red eyes, unnaturally upright ears, and split tail betray the unnatural origins of this black canine.
Sha CR 4
XP 1,200
LE Medium magical beast
Init +4; Senses darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision, sandstorm sight; Perception +7
Defense
AC 17, touch 14, flat-footed 13 (+4 Dex, +3 natural)
hp 45 (6d10+12)
Fort +7, Ref +9, Will +4
Offense
Speed 40 ft.
Melee bite +10 (2d6+6 plus disease and trip)
Special Attacks disease, sandstorm
Statistics
Str 18, Dex 19, Con 14, Int 5, Wis 15, Cha 10
Base Atk +6; CMB +10; CMD 24 (28 vs. trip)
Feats Combat Reflexes, Following Step, Step Up
Skills Acrobatics +8, Perception +7, Stealth +10
Languages Infernal (can't speak)
Ecology
Environment warm deserts
Organization solitary, pair, or pack (3-8)
Treasure none
Special Abilities
Disease (Su) Shas transmit potent diseases with their bites. The most common form of disease carried by a sha drives its victims insane, reducing them to babbling fools or raving lunatics.
Touch of Madness: Bite—injury; save Fort DC 15; onset 1d3 days; frequency 1/day; effect 1d4 Wis damage and 1d4 Cha damage; cure 2 consecutive saves.
Sandstorm (Su) Once per day as a full-round action, a sha can create a sandstorm. The sandstorm has a radius of 100 feet centered on the sha, and lasts for 1 minute per Hit Die the sha possesses (6 minutes for a typical sha).
Sandstorm Sight (Su) A sha can see clearly in a naturally occurring sandstorm or one created by it or another sha using its sandstorm ability.
Servants of the dark gods of the wastes, shas stalk the deepest deserts, skirting the edges of civilization. Villagers whisper that a sha nears when they spot faint red lights in the distance, believing those lights to be the creatures' menacing eyes. Many times, these sightings are only imagined, but shas do prowl near settlements and keep an eye on humankind. Shas' urge to hunt people who have ceased to remember and honor their patrons drives them to attack caravans, harass remote villages, and prowl isolated oases to slaughter humanoids.
Shas possess a distinctly canine appearance, and are often mistaken at night for common jackals whose eyes are illuminated by firelight. Black fur, tinted with the dust and sand of the desert, covers a sha's body. The creature's spiral-ended eyes glow a dull red. Explorers report that seeing a sha's eyes glowing in the dark night is often the only indication of an impending attack. A sha's strong jaw, lined with razor-sharp teeth, allows the creature to drag down larger prey in a fashion similar to that of a wolf. Standing at chest height to most humans, shas weigh between 100 and 150 pounds.
When alone, a sha spends its days trekking the vast wastelands of the desert, prowling among lost monuments of ancient times. While wandering the deserts, shas attack small convoys or groups of nomads along the desert fringes. Using their innate ability to conjure sandstorms, shas close in on the unsuspecting groups and try to bite as many different enemies as possible, then retreat before their foes can regroup. By doing this, the shas ensure that survivors return to civilization mad with disease and then spread the sickness to others or act on their insane urges.
When packs of shas come together, they usually do so because a number of their kind happen upon each other in pursuit of a caravan or some other nomadic prey, then decide to continue hunting together once they feed. Packs quickly dissolve as prey grows scarce.
Sacred Sha (CR 6)
A sacred sha is a sha with both the advanced simple template and the fiendish simple template. It also gains the ability to speak and knows one additional language. Closely tied to its patron's portfolio of storms, a sacred sha also deals an additional 1d6 points of electricity damage with its bite attack.
