Metal-Clad Creature (CR +Varies)[3pp]

Metal-clad creatures are bonded to metal either by birth or through magic. Shining metal shells coat their forms, armoring them against attacks but also burdening them with unwieldy weight.

A metal-clad creature can be born of metal-clad parents, and indeed whole races of metal-clad creatures can exist. Conversely, a magical ritual or a spell can cover a creature in metal, and sometimes the gods curse greedy individuals by covering them in the precious metals they most covet.

Creating a Metal-Clad Creature

Metal-clad” is an acquired or inherited template that can be added to any corporeal creature that does not already have the metal-clad template (referred to hereafter as the base creature).

A metal-clad creature uses all the base creature’s statistics and special abilities except as noted here.

Challenge Rating: The CR increases as based on the metal as listed in Table 2-28.

Defensive Abilities: All metal-clad creatures gain a type of fortification (as the fortification armor special ability) and some kind of energy resistance. The exact metallic quality bestowed depends on the kind of metal that covers the metal-clad creature’s body, as given on Table 2-28. Additionally, the following metal types gain extra defenses as follows:

Adamantine—Damage Reduction (Ex)

An adamantine-clad creature gains DR 10/adamantine.

Immune to Precision Damage (Ex)

An adamantine-clad creature is immune to all precision damage including sneak attacks and critical hits.

Lead—Divination Immunity (Ex)

A lead-clad creature is immune to divination spells and effects cast to derive information about it. Detect magic, detect poison, detect thoughts, and detect alignment spells fail to reveal any information about the lead-clad creature or the objects it carries. Furthermore, a lead-clad creature is invisible and inaudible to scrying, arcane eyes, and clairaudience/clairvoyance. Lead-clad creatures and their equipment cannot be located by discern location, nor can locate object find objects they carry.

Silver—Mirrored Finish (Su)

A silver-clad creature reflects gaze attacks and is immune to gaze attacks as well. Thus, a creature with a gaze attack that actively gazes at a silver-clad creature must save against its own gaze attack, suffering the consequences of a failed save even if it would normally be immune.

Weaknesses: All metal-clad creatures gain vulnerability to electricity unless they have some inherent resistance to electricity (adamantine, lead, and platinum). Iron and steel-clad creatures gain the following additional weakness.

Iron or Steel—Rust Vulnerability (Ex)

Creature counts as ferrous for the purpose of rusting attacks such as rusting grasp.

Speed: Except in the case of a mithral-clad creature, each of a metal-clad creature’s speeds is slower by 10 feet than the corresponding speed of the base creature (minimum 5 feet). A mithral-clad creature has no reduction in speed.

Attacks: The metal-clad creature gains a primary slam attack if it has no other natural attacks. If a metal-clad creature gains a slam attack from the application of this template, the damage for the attacks depends on the base creature’s size as if two size categories larger.

Special Abilities: A metal-clad creature retains all the base creature’s special attacks and gains those described here.

Metallic Attack: The exact metallic attack bestowed depends on the kind of metal that covers the metal-clad creature’s body, as follows:

Adamantine—Adamantine Limbs (Ex)

An adamantine-clad creature’s natural attacks and grapple deal damage as adamantine weapons, overcoming hardness and damage reduction just as an adamantine weapon would.

Iron—Iron Limbs (Ex)

An iron-clad creature’s natural attacks and grapple deal damage as cold iron weapons, overcoming damage reduction just as a cold iron weapon would.

Lead—Virulent Poison (Ex)

If the metal-clad creature possesses a natural poison attack, its DC increases by +1.

Mithral—Mithral Limbs (Ex)

A mithral-clad creature’s natural attacks and grapple deal damage as mithral weapons, overcoming damage reduction just as a mithral weapon would.

Silver—Silver Limbs (Ex)

A silver-clad creature’s natural attacks and grapple deal damage as silver weapons, overcoming damage reduction just as a silver weapon would.

Skills: Each metal-clad creature (Except mithral and tin-clad creatures) takes a -4 penalty on Acrobatics, Climb, Escape Artist, Sleight of Hand, Stealth, and Swim checks. Additional racial bonuses and penalties apply to certain skill checks based on the kind of metal that covers the creature’s body as follows: Copper +4 Craft (any), Gold +4 Profession (any), Lead +4 on Survival checks made to avoid getting lost, Mithral -4 Swim, Silver +4 Bluff and Diplomacy.

Abilities: The base-creature’s ability scores change per the type of metal as stated on Table 2-28.

Table: Metal-Clad Abilities
Metal CR Natural AC Bonus Fortification Resistances Str Dex Con Int Wis Cha
Adamantine +6 +10 Special electricity 15, fire 20 +4 -6 +6 +0 +0 +2
Brass +1 +3 Light fire 5 +2 -2 +2 +0 -2 +0
Bronze +2 +4 Heavy fire 10 +2 -2 +2 +0 +0 +0
Copper +1 +3 Light fire 10 +0 +0 +0 +0 +2 -2
Gold +1 +2 Light fire 10 +0 -6 +0 +2 -2 +6
Iron +3 +6 Heavy fire 15 +2 -4 +2 +0 -2 +0
Lead +1 +3 Light electricity 5 +0 -6 +4 -2 -2 -2
Mithral +5 +8 Heavy fire 15 +4 +0 +2 +0 +0 +2
Platinum +3 +5 Light electricity 5, fire 20 +2 -4 +2 +2 +0 +4
Silver +3 +8 Light fire 5 +0 -2 +0 +2 +2 +4
Steel +4 +8 Heavy fire 15 +4 -4 +2 +0 +0 +0
Tin +1 +2 Light cold 10 -2 +2 +0 -2 +0 +2
Section 15: Copyright Notice

Advanced Bestiary, Copyright 2014, Green Ronin Publishing, LLC; Author Jeff Hersh, Developer Owen K.C. Stephens

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