Astrosphinxes are a malevolent breed of sphinx with brass-colored scales like those of a dragon, whose origins are shrouded in mystery. A pair of huge black bat wings sprout from its back, giving it a poor flight capability due to its size and its head resembles a goat skull with tiny pinpricks of violet light in its eye sockets.
    They speak the languages of all sphinxes and the common tongue.

    Combat: An astrosphinx uses its two great horns to attack with a head-butt first striking with each horn separately. Its bite is viciously and the claw-like hands are enough to finish most prey of in one round. In rare instances (5% of the time) the creature wields a magical chaos sword of large proportions, dealing 2d8 points of damage. The magic sword is of +1 enchantment and deals double damage to lawful opponents. It can still use its gore and bite attack in melee. In melee the astrosphinx attacks homicidally, mindlessly until nothing living is still standing. As a rule, after its riddle is answered incorrectly (see below) the sphinx discharges its chain lightning followed on the next round by its breath weapon and then launches itself into melee. The astrosphinx attacks not only the person who got the riddle wrong but all companions as well.

    Breath Weapon (Su): Though this 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 ft long and 40 feet wide). This is usable once every 5 rounds for up to 9 times a day. Targets caught must make a fortitude save (DC 16) or fall asleep for 1d6 minutes. Victims in wildspace in their own air-bubble remain asleep until the gas is somehow flushed out of the air supply.

    Chain Lightning (Su): The most feared attack of the astrosphinx is however the ability to shoot a chain lightning, dealing 10d6 points of damage, from its eye sockets. It takes a full round action to build up enough static to hurl this ball lightning to their foes. While building up the energy, the pinpoints of light in the eye sockets slowly turn from violet to bright gold while filling the sockets. After the chain lightning discharges, the pinpoints reduce to their normal size and change to red.
    At this time the eyes of the astrosphinx have overcharged and the astrosphinx is blinded for the rest of the round while the eyes recover from the blast. In the beginning of the next round the eyes revert to their normal color, which means the eyes are recharged.

    Darkvision (Su): The astrosphinx has darkvision with a range of 60 feet

In the Spheres
    Astrosphinxes are fiercely territorial and challenge all intruders in a contest of riddles. Those who answer incorrectly or do not answer are killed outright. Due to their dementia, the astrosphinxes challenge any living thing, even birds, bugs, small animals and plants. It lairs are most often on small barren asteroids.