Thriae Dancer

This elegant half-woman, half-bee wields a glaive and is clad in flowing, gauzy garments. A veil covers most of her face.

Thriae Dancer CR 6

XP 2,400
LN Medium monstrous humanoid
Init +7; Senses darkvision 60 ft., detect secret doors; Perception +10

AC 19, touch 13, flat-footed 16 (+3 Dex, +6 natural)
hp 60 (8d10+16)
Fort +6, Ref +9, Will +7; +4 vs. mind–affecting effects
Immune poison, sonic; Resist acid 10

Speed 30 ft., fly 60 ft. (good)
Melee mwk glaive +13/+8 (1d10+6/×3), sting +10 (1d8+2 plus poison)
Special Attacks inspiring dance, poison
Spell-Like Abilities (CL 8th; concentration +11)

Constant—detect secret doors
At will—lullaby (DC 13)
3/day—calm emotions (DC 15), charm person (DC 14), hypnotism (DC 14)
1/day—deep slumber (DC 16), suggestion (DC 15)

Str 19, Dex 16, Con 15, Int 12, Wis 13, Cha 16
Base Atk +8; CMB +12; CMD 25
Feats Combat Reflexes, Great Fortitude, Improved Initiative, Multiattack
Skills Acrobatics +11, Diplomacy +11, Fly +11, Perception +10, Perform (dance) +11, Sleight of Hand +6, Stealth +12
Languages Common, Thriae

Inspiring Dance (Su)

Three times per day as a standard action, a thriae dancer can consume a dose of merope and dance to create one of three effects. The thriae dancer may maintain her dance as a free action, and the effects persist as long as the thriae performs her dance.

A thriae dancer can dance for a number of rounds equal to her Hit Dice before becoming fatigued. After that, if she continues dancing for that same number of rounds, she becomes exhausted. A thriae dancer may switch between performances as a swift action. All dances have a range of 60 feet. This is a mind-affecting effect.

• Dance of Fervor: All non-thriae are affected by confusion and rage (Will DC 17 negates). When this effect ends, affected creatures are fatigued for a number of rounds equal to the time they were affected and are immune to that thriae dancer’s dance of fervor effect for 24 hours. The save DC is Charisma-based.
• Dance of Grace: All thriae gain a +1 insight bonus to AC and on Reflex saves. This bonus increases to +2 if three or more thriae dancers are performing a dance of grace within range.
• Dance of Passion: All thriae gain a +1 insight bonus on attack and damage rolls. This bonus increases to +2 if three or more thriae dancers are performing a dance of passion within range.

Poison (Ex)

Sting—injury; save Fort DC 16; frequency 1/round for 6 rounds; effect 1d3 Str; cure 1 save.

Environment any
Organization solitary, duet, trio, or troupe (4–8)
Treasure standard (mwk glaive, 3 doses of royal jelly, other treasure)

While all thriae can be considered the epitome of alien grace and charm, thriae dancers are always among the most beautiful of their kind. They are typically 6 feet tall and weigh 140 pounds.

Ecology

Other races may scoff at the fact that thriae dancers seemingly rely on royal jelly consumption in order to channel their mystical power into their dances, but there is much more to this act than one might realize.

A thriae dancer’s reliance on royal jelly to execute her awesome performances is akin to a ballerina’s reliance on her specialized shoes—while a ballet can be performed without them, the final result lacks a certain amount of finish without this integral element. So too does a thriae dancer’s use of royal jelly enhance her performance, with the potent serum pushing her body to its utmost limits.

As the royal jelly courses through a dancer, she channels her mysterious art into a spiritual energy capable of thrusting viewers to previously unknown heights of pleasure, awe, and sorrow. It’s true that thriae are a stoic, nigh-unf linching race, but in the middle of a thriae dancer’s performance, it’s rare to see any thriae witnesses unmoved by such a powerful spectacle.

Habitat & Society

Like all thriae, a dancer’s role in the colony is chosen for her during adolescence, and she’s thereafter cared for and trained by elder members from the same occupation until ready to perform on her own. A dancer’s training takes many years of concentrated effort and tutelage from her superiors, during which time she’s permitted to see no one but her fellow dancers. Thriae seers reason that dancers must be completely virginal in order for them to channel only the purest forms of nature’s secrets. All training takes place within a special temple room in the thriae colony, where incense derived from royal jelly is burned constantly to ensure the dancers’ focus is sustained for hours on end.

Dancers train in troupes, and most performances are choreographed group pieces performed once a month in the colony’s largest hall, with an audience of thriae from all parts of the colony and caste system. The buzz of wings and even the sound of twitching antennae become muted as thriae soldiers, seers, and workers eagerly witness the highly spiritual dance ceremony.

Drones—those humanoid men inducted into thriae society—are not permitted to witness thriae dances, as to behold such beauty would surely drive them irreparably mad.

Variants

Venerated by their peers, these dancers are known as thriae terpsichoreans, and occupy the upper echelons of thriae society.

Thriae terpsichoreans typically have levels in bard, are at least CR 9, and have access to the following spell-like abilities: 3/day—heroism, suggestion; 1/ day—zone of silence.

Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Bestiary 5 © 2015, Paizo Inc.; Authors: Dennis Baker, Jesse Benner, John Bennett, Logan Bonner, Creighton Broadhurst, Robert Brookes, Benjamin Bruck, Jason Bulmahn, Adam Daigle, Thurston Hillman, Eric Hindley, Joe Homes, James Jacobs, Amanda Hamon Kunz, Ben McFarland, Jason Nelson, Thom Phillips, Stephen Radney-MacFarland, Alistair Rigg, Alex Riggs, David N. Ross, Wes Schneider, David Schwartz, Mark Seifter, Mike Shel, James L. Sutter, and Linda Zayas-Palmer.

Pathfinder Adventure Path #81: Shifting Sands © 2014, Paizo Inc.; Authors: Richard Pett, with Benjamin Bruck, Adam Daigle, Thurston Hillman, Michael McCarthy, Patrick Renie, Amber E. Scott, and Russ Taylor.