Fantasy Monster: Pillar Of Frost And Flame

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Pillar Of Frost And Flame

A column of swirling fire explodes suddenly from the ground... Leaving unexpected frost on the nearby ground.

CR 6; XP 800

N Medium Outsider (cold, elemental, extraplanar, fire)

Init +12; Senses darkvision 60 ft.; Perception +15

Aura freezing (40 ft.)

Defense
AC 15, touch 11, flat-footed 14 (+8 Dex, +1 dodge)
hp 85 (10d10+10)

Fort +11; Ref +11; Will +11

Defensive Abilities vaporous; Immune cold, elemental traits, fire, nonmagical damage

Offense
Speed eruption 40 ft.

Special Attacks eruption (10 ft., 3d6 fire, Reflex DC 17 negates)

Statistics
Str —, Dex 26, Con 14, Int 2, Wis 15, Cha 11
Base Atk +10; CMB —; CMD —

Feats Dodge, Great Fortitude, Improved Initiative, Iron Will, Toughness

Skills Perception +15

Ecology
Environment any (planar breaches)
Organization solitary, pair, or breach (3–12)
Treasure standard

Eruption (Su) A pillar of frost and flame can take a move action to either pulse a wave of heat around it, or vanish and violently reappear in an empty square within 40 feet to which it has direct line of effect, in both cases dealing 3d6 points of fire damage to all creatures and objects within 10 feet of their (new) position. A successful Reflex saving throw (DC 17) negates the damage. The saving throw DC is Constitution-based.

Freeing Aura (Su) A pillar of frost and flame sucks out heat from nearby area. Creatures and objects starting their turn within 40 feet of a pillar of frost and flame suffer 3d6 points of cold damage and creatures also become fatigued for 1 round. A successful Fortitude saving throw (DC 17) negates both the damage and fatigue. The saving throw DC is Constitution-based.

Vaporous (Su) A pillar of frost and flame is nearly devoid of mass and substance, and can neither exert physical force or be moved around by force, though unlike incorporeal beings it can't move through physical barriers. Attempting to bull-rush, grapple, or overrun a pillar of frost and flame simply deals 3d6 points o fire damage to attackers while they move through its space (or end in front of its space if they don't have enough movement left). A pillar of frost and flame is also immune to nonmagical damage and falling damage (if the surface underneath it breaks).

Pillars of frost and flame are living vortices of energy that draw heat from their surroundings and concentrating it into a column of crackling and swirling fire.

Their presence usually signals a planar breach, or an elemental invasion, though occasionally, powers of both cold and ice, and heat conjure them to serve as sentries and dangerous obstacles — with their animalistic intelligence, they occasionally respond to training, with sources of stable heat and occasional gusts of chilling wind instead of treats.

While they seem to be rather territorial when they find themselves on material plane, they are nomadic beings across the elemental planes, slowly migrating along and across the elemental borders.

Fantasy Monster: Infernal Valet

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Devil, Infernal Valet

There is something weird about this valet, despite his impeccable attire, and neatly slicked hair. It's like the proportions of his limbs were just slightly off, his patronizing smile was too wide, his pronounced forehead just a bit too bumpy...

CR 3; XP 800

LE Medium Outsider (devil, extraplanar, evil, lawful)

Init +2; Senses darkvision 60 ft., see in darkness; Perception +12

Defense
AC 15, touch 11, flat-footed 14 (+4 armor, +1 Dex)
hp 33 (6d10)

Fort +5; Ref +3; Will +6

Defensive Abilities stoic facade; DR 5/silver or good; Immune fire, poison; Resist acid 10, cold 10

Offense
Speed 30 ft.

Melee 2 slams +7 (1d6+1)

Spell-Like Abilities (CL 6th, concentration +9)

Constant—mage armor, tongues

At Will—detect poison (by touch or taste), ignite, locate person (employer only), mage hand, mending, open/close, prestidigitation

3/day—dimension door, infernal healing, vanish

Statistics
Str 12, Dex 12, Con 10, Int 13, Wis 13, Cha 17
Base Atk +6; CMB +7; CMD 18

Feats Alertness, Nimble Moves, Skill Focus (Profession [valet])

Skills Bluff +12, Diplomacy +12, Knowledge (nobility) +10, Perception +12, Profession (valet) +13, Sense Motive +12, Stealth +10

Languages Celestial, Common, Draconic, Infernal; tongues

SQ calling chime, vigor tonic

Ecology
Environment urban, ruins
Organization solitary, pair, or a team (3–6)
Treasure standard

Calling Chime (Su) Each infernal valet is bound to a hand-held bell. When the bell is rung as a standard action, the infernal valet is teleported to nearby position in 1d4 rounds. The infernal valet appears just behind a nearby door, curtain, or otherwise outside of view of people present, if remotely possible.

Stoic Facade (Su) An infernal valet alignment reads as lawful neutral to divination effects, their lies can't be detected, and they can't be compelled to tell truth.

Vigor Tonic (Su) Once a day, an infernal valet can prepare an alcoholic drink that will suppress any disease afflicting the drinker for 24 hours, grant +4 profane bonus to saving throws against poison (but not narcotic drugs), and either enhance or diminish drinker's libido.

Infernal valets are lesser devils, barely above the level of imp familiars, that are contract-bound to serve notable mortals—younger aristocrats, barristers, wealthy middle class aspiring to join upper echelons of society, bastards of important aristocrats, and such—while subtly manipulate them to serve interests of hell, or at least taint their souls.

These devils might not be exceptionally intelligent, but they are quite cunning and witty, with dry, deadpan humor, often directing subtle or not so subtle stabs at their employers and other people from their society—in fact they often use their humorous  comments, both disparaging and praising, to shape their employers opinions—indirectly mocking compassion and virtue, while lauding social climbing, hierarchy and disdain for disadvantaged.

Infernal valets have a sort of running rivalry with infernal consorts, often disparaging each other, and vying for attention of their shared master employer. While they are not of high opinion of mortal sexuality, and don't engage in sex themselves, they do help their employers with organizing liaisons, the more illicit the better—though at other times, they quietly sabotage their employers' relationships if they feel that resulting frustration and anger, will serve the goals of the valet and the hell more.

Unlike consorts, infernal valets are physical cowards, and their contracts explicitly exempt them from fighting for their employers, though they can happily arrange for a few thugs to deliver violence in their name.

Fantasy Monster: Kiln-Baked Men

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Kiln-Baked Men

Pieces of skull and bones show through the burnt clay shell of this anthropomorphic figure.

CR 6; XP 1,200
LE Medium Undead

Init +6; Senses darkvision 60 ft.; Perception +14

Defense
AC 19, touch 13, flat-footed 16 (+2 Dex, +1 dodge, +6 natural)
hp 75 (10d8+30)
Fort +6; Ref +5; Will +8

Defensive Abilities clay shell; DR 10/bludgeoning; Resist acid 20, electricity 20, fire 20

Offense
Speed 30 ft.

Melee longspear +12/+7 (1d8+7, ×3) or slam +12 (1d6+5)

Space 5 ft.; Reach 5 ft. (10 ft. with longspear)

Special Attacks push (kick, 5 ft.)

Statistics
Str 20, Dex 14, Con —, Int 7, Wis 13, Cha 17
Base Atk +7; CMB +12; CMD 28

Feats Combat Reflexes, Defensive Combat Training, Dodge, Improved Initiative, Nimble Moves

Skills Perception +14, Stealth +15 (+25 among buildings made of kiln-baked bricks)

Language kiln-baked men understand one ancient language of their native city

SQ shift walls

Ecology
Environment ruins
Organization squad (1–12)
Treasure standard

Special Abilities

Clay Shell (Ex) Make whole spell restores the shell of baked clay, healing kiln-baked men as if they were constructs. Stone shape can be used to either heal or inflicts 5d6 points of damage on the touched kiln-baked man.

Shift Walls (Sp) As a standard action, a kiln-baked man can cause a part of brick, plaster, or mud wall, up to 10-ft. tall, 10-ft. wide, and no thicker than 5 ft. to relocate between two spots within 30 feet. The relocated piece is always placed in a way that anchors it to an existing wall. Kiln-baked men usually use this ability to create opening they can move through, to block paths to their enemies, and occasionally to make walkways between higher floors. They will instinctively avoid toppling buildings unless explicitly commanded so by greater powers.

Kiln-baked men were made by covering bodies of warriors with finest clay and fired in sacred flame, while the priests chanted the prayers to their harsh deities.

Now they are elite guardians of long dead cities, their kiln-baked shells easily melding with the surrounding bricks made of the same kiln-baked clay.

Fantasy NPC: The Four Ghosts Of The Stormfield Manor

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(slightly) less stat blocks and more (implied) story today. All of the listed NPCs are ghosts—Medium Undead with incorporeal subtype, channel resistance +4, with flying speed of 30 ft. with perfect maneuverability that speak Common and one or more local languages, and lack any ability to hurt each other whatsoever, aside of verbal barbs.

The Four Ghosts Of The Stormfield Manor

The Stormfield Manor is an estate that passed through hands of many knights, squires, and landowners. It owes its name to a vast heath dotted with standing stones—that seem to attract lightning strikes—starting at the border of the manor and extending across many leagues over the hills to the north and west.

The manor house itself, once fortified, was rebuilt a few times to fit the tastes of the current owner, and expanded to include gardens, orchard, and various outbuildings that were later abandoned and left in state of disrepair because the new owners had little interest in them or not enough money to adapt them to new purposes.

The few old owners still haunting the estate have a few bitter words about those expansions—being deeply critical of anything built after their demise, and highly defensive of their own additions.

Sir Halphrey The Jouster (CR 6, LN, Init +2, AC 19, 51 hp, Fort +9, Ref +5, Will +5, Atk corrupting touch +8, 6d6 damage, Fort DC 16 half, has an ability to summon a pair of spectral hunting hounds that track with supernatural acumen and +20 skill bonus. Int 13, Wis 13, Cha 17. He has +9 bonus in Diplomacy, Knowledge [nobility], Riding, Perception, and Stealth) was a proud and honorable, but boring and unimaginative knight, holding the Stormfield Manor as a fief in return for military service for his senior. He died of heart attack after receiving summons from his lord while preparing for a campaign against a neighboring magnate.

Sir Raeddin The Falconer (CR 5, CN, Init +4, AC 18, 42 hp, Fort +7, Ref +5, Will +5, Atk corrupting touch +7, 5d6 damage, Fort DC 16 half, can summon a spectral falcon that can attack one living creature within 100 feet with a +7 ranged touch bonus dealing 5d6 points of damage and staggering the target for one round, a DC 16 Reflex saving throw halves the damage and negates stagger. Int 11, Wis 10, Cha 18. He has +12 bonus in Bluff and Diplomacy, +8 in Perception, Handle Animal, Ride, and Stealth, and +4 in Knowledge [nobility] and Knowledge [local]) was the squire of sir Halphrey, and was given the Stormfield Manor when he came in his master's place after the latter's death. During his tenure, he has built a dedicated birdhouse—in place of his master's kennels, and spent most of his time hunting with his favorite falcon. While he was quite a charming man, he was also very whimsical, which was exacerbated by his utter lack of common sense. He died struck by a lightning strike after he climbed one of the lightning-attracting stones on the heath.

Boreveld Corem, Esq. (CR 4, NE, Init +1, AC 17, 38 hp, Fort +6, Ref +2, Will +3, Atk corrupting touch +3, 4d6, Fort DC 17 half. Int 15, Wis 13, Cha 16. He has +10 in Handle Animal, Perception, Profession (herding), and Stealth) was a well-off peasant, who married Sir Raeddin's widow (they had no issue). The recent shift from personal military service to land tax allowed him to become the lord of the manor despite no combat capabilities whatsoever. He invested heavily in sheep, profiting from selling wool, turning the fortunes for the manor, and building multiple barns.

After Boreveld death of bowel cancer, Aynwenn, the aging widow of the last two lords, sold the property to Tolleman Fyyrd (CR 6, LE, Init +2, AC 19, 39 hp, Fort +4, Ref +4, Will +8, Atk corrupting touch +9, 6d6, Fort DC 15 half. He can use telekinesis with CL of 12th every 1d4 rounds as a supernatural ability. Int 16, Wis 17, Cha 14. He has +12 in Appraise, Diplomacy, Knowledge [geography], Knowledge [nature], Linguistics, Profession [merchant], Profession [sailor], and Sense Motive, +20 in Perception, and +10 in Stealth), a successful merchant who sought a picturesque estate to retire away from his squabbling heirs and fawning sycophants. He oversaw construction of many amenities, and renovation of the house itself, as well as crypts beneath—which might have disturbed the spirits of prior owners. Master Fyyrd himself died in his sleep before he could fully enjoy the peaceful rustic life.

Now those four ghosts roam the estate, arguing over who is the rightful lord of the manor, and who are interlopers, each claiming to be the last legitimate master, denouncing the ways in which his successors acquired the land as unbecoming and invalid. Each of the newer ghosts in return berates the older owners as neglectful and envious of improvement done to the condition of the estate and upholding obsolete tradition of inheritance and ownership.