Light Celestial

A light celestial is a cloud of pure energy whose shape never holds still, its core flashing through rainbow hues at random. Unconfirmed stories claim a good onlooker sees within it the proudest moment of his own life, while an evil one glimpses the kinder path he turned away from long ago.

No one catches a light off guard, and weapons below +2 enchantment cannot hurt it. A good- or neutral-aligned attacker must save vs. paralyzation every round it strikes at one, or the blow misses. Against evil beings its energy touch does 1d12 per hit; good creatures it does not harm at all. Since the touch is pure energy, mundane armor is ignored and only magical pluses protect, whatever the target's alignment: a fighter in plate mail +3 is treated as AC 7, getting credit for the +3 alone, while someone relying on AC 4 bracers of defense keeps AC 4.

On top of the shared celestial powers it has protection from evil that never lapses, dispel evil three times daily, hold person and continual light seven times daily each, and bless and light. Sleep, charm, quest, geas, beguiling and every other mind-affecting spell fail against it, as do death magic and spells that trap or imprison. A light can be destroyed only on its own plane; brought to zero hit points anywhere else, it scatters and gathers itself again at home a month later.

The good powers fashion lights to serve their high-level, good-aligned faithful as familiars, and occasionally lend one as a companion for a quest of fixed length. A seeker must spend three days and three nights alone, fasting and meditating, then bathe in holy water, then cast find familiar or have a wizard cast it for them. If every step was correct and the seeker deserves it, the plea succeeds 10% of the time, +1% for each level past 12th. Paladins about to risk everything for good sometimes make this appeal, and one granted a light becomes a fearsome foe of evil.

Under 1,000 lights exist, so none stays with a master beyond one mission, and a light never interferes with a familiar its master already has.

Made of pure energy, a light sustains itself on the energies of its native plane. Some sages call it goodness itself given a body.