Unicorn

Unicorn

(Creature)

2E1E

Common

Large

Beast

Fey

Level

3

Images of unicorns

Source: Monster Core, pg(s). 333

On Bestiary 316, unicorns also have the

CG

trait and lack the

Holy

trait.

Type

Magical beast

CR

3

Environment

Temperate forests

Alignment

LG	NG	CG
LN	N	CN
LE	NE	CE

Images of unicorns

Source: Bestiary, pg(s). 269

Ⅰ

Ⅱ

Update needed This section should be updated to reflect canon changes by the Pathfinder Second Edition Remaster Project noted in Howl of the Wild. Please help improve it if you can; the talk page might contain suggestions.

Unicorns are intelligent and noble forest beasts with fey connections who are fierce defenders of the wilderness and sacred locations.

Appearance

A unicorn resembles a magnificent horse with a white or silver coat and a long, twisting horn protruding from its forehead. A typical specimen is eight feet long, five feet tall at the shoulder, and weighs 1,200 pounds.

Habitat and society

A scientific illustration of a unicorn herd.

Unicorns often live near and protect wilderness areas unspoiled by civilization, or sacred locations. They are often solitary creatures, but a mated pair may be found together (they mate for life) and there have been reports of a "blessing" of up to six unicorns being encountered.

Rumors suggest that unicorns are drawn to people who are pure of both heart and spirit, regardless of gender. They are otherwise at best wary, and at worst fearful, of humanoids due to their tendency to hunt unicorns for their magically potent horns. A hornless unicorn rarely survives for long after being severed from its horn.

Origins

The true origins of the unicorn are unknown, although an ancient legend says that they jumped fully formed from the Tree of Stars, a magical place in the River Kingdoms' Stolen Lands.

Abilities

For other meanings of "Alicorn", please see Alicorn (disambiguation).

Unicorns are strong and hardy; a unicorn's hooves and horn are magical in nature, and their horn bears holy powers capable of piercing even things incorporeal in nature. They prefer to charge their foes to take full advantage of their horns.

Unicorn horns, sometimes referred to as "alicorns" amongst alchemists and occultists, are illegal goods in most places, and those who trade in them are often hated.

Unicorns are also immmune to poisons, can empathetically communicate with animals, have powers of primal magic, and can speak Common tongues and the Fey language.

On Golarion

The blighted Axan Wood in Geb is home to a unique species of twilight unicorns.

A unicorn might occasionally choose to serve as a mount to a particularly pure female humanoid knight, which lasts as long as the knight remains as virtuous as her steed.

The largest herd of unicorns on Golarion is said to have made its home in a forest in northwestern Sarkoris. After the opening of the Worldwound in 4607 AR, nearly all of the woodland burnt to the ground, and its unicorn inhabitants died in the blaze or were later hunted and killed by demons. The place is now known as the Shroud of Unicorns.

The stuffed head of an otherwise unknown black unicorn is said to decorate the trophy room of Osirion's ruler, the Ruby Prince.

A famous apocryphal folktale from the Ligos Prefecture of Taldor claims that the Sureshire family bred the first ever horse at the Sureshire Ranch by cross-breeding a unicorn and a deer.

In magic

Certain noble and virtuous magic-users can summon unicorns to help them in the battle against evil.

As symbols

Being creatures of popular mythology, many cultures use unicorns as symbols. The Varisian Harrow includes a unicorn card, and unicorns also represent one of the cards in the magical Harrow Deck of Many Things.

Variants

An alicorn in mid-flight.

• Alicorns are powerful, massive unicorns
• Karkadanns are unicorns of open terrain that share some features with rhinoceroses
• Pale horses are the undead results of unicorns killed through cruelty
• The twilight unicorns of Axan Wood

References

For additional as-yet unincorporated sources about this subject, see the Meta page.