Hound archon

Hound archons are celestial beings that live primarily on the slopes of Celestia.

Hound archons are the well-disciplined soldiers and sentinels of their heavenly realm. They are well-trained in the fight against evil and show no mercy to fiends. Against mortals, however, they are loath to use lethal force, even against those dedicated to evil. They believe that mortals should be the judges of their own kind while on the mortal world.

Hound archons look like well-muscled humans with canine heads. They can also assume the form of a wolf, dog, or other canine. While on the mortal world, these archons often assume a canine form to subtly help good mortals as a “clever pet.”

Physical description
Hound archons are powerfully built, red-skinned humanoids with canine heads. They are quite intelligent and very protective, seeking to defend the innocent and helpless against evil.

Combat
Hound archons are able combatants in melee, due to their musculature and meaty fists. They prefer their natural weapons, but have also been known to wield greatswords to great effect.

Hound archons can also transform at will into any canine (fox, dog, wolf, and others) ranging from small to large size; this has the advantage of improving the archon's stealth.

Finally, many hound archons have been known to develop paladin powers, in which case they generally prefer their holy greatswords to their teeth and fists. Hound archon paladins often befriend bronze dragons and ride them into battle; the bond between archon and dragon is, if anything, even deeper than the bond between a mortal paladin and his mount.