Pyroclastic Creature (CR +1)[3pp]

Deities and extradimensional lords with dominion over volcanoes sometimes grant their agents special powers, infusing them with the essence of the combined elemental forces of air, earth and fire. These powers remain a legacy to the creature’s descendants and, sometimes, can even be passed on in secret ceremonies in such a way that pyroclastic creatures occasionally become races unto themselves.

Pyroclastic creatures share a special bond. They look as if there were made of naught but brimstone. They tend to be heavy-bodied with a dark, ashen color. Their bodies often bear cracks that are red, orange, or yellow in color.

Creating a Pyroclastic Creature

“Pyroclastic” is an inherited or acquired template that can be added to any corporeal creature.

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

CR: +1

Type: The creature gains the elemental subtype of the elements that infuse it: air, earth, and fire.

Defenses/Qualities: Not subject to critical hits or flanking. Does not take additional damage from precision-based attacks (such as sneak attack), does not breathe, eat, or sleep; Immune acid, bleed, electricity, fire, paralysis, poison, sleep, sonic, and stunning

Weakness: Vulnerability to cold

Speed: A pyroclastic creature retains the base creature’s speeds and gains a new speed according to the element that infuses it, as given in the following sections. If the base creature already possessed the mode of movement that the element would grant, the pyroclastic creature adopts the higher of the two speeds.

Fly Speed: (perfect maneuverability) equal to its highest speed or increase existing fly speed and maneuverability to equal its highest speed.

Burrow Speed: equal to half its base speed or increase existing burrow speed to equal its base speed.

Special Abilities: A pyroclastic creature gains the following special abilities.

Lava Burn (Ex)

A pyroclastic creature’s melee attacks deals 2d6 fire damage in addition to damage dealt. Those affected by the lava burn ability must also succeed on a Reflex save or catch fire, taking 2d6 for an additional 1d4 rounds at the start of its turn (DC 10 + 1/2 pyroclastic creature’s HD + pyroclastic creature’s Con modifier [or its Cha modifier if it is a construct or undead creature]). A burning creature can attempt a new save as a full-round action. Dropping and rolling on the ground grants a +4 bonus on this save. Creatures that hit a pyroclastic creature with natural weapons or unarmed attacks take fire damage as though hit by the pyroclastic creature and must make a Reflex save to avoid catching on fire. If a pyroclastic creature is hit with a manufactured weapon, the weapon takes fire damage as though hit by the pyroclastic creature’s lava burn ability and must make a Reflex save to avoid catching on fire. Weapons that can deal additional cold or fire damage, such as a flaming or icy burst weapons, are immune to this effect. This effect does not avoid or ignore hardness.

Pyroclastic Aura (Ex)

A pyroclastic creature exudes a smoky poisonous gas in a 50-ft. radius that causes 1d6 points of Constitution damage per round if inhaled (Fort save negates: DC 10 + 1/2 pyroclastic creature’s HD + pyroclastic creature’s Con modifier [or its Cha modifier if it is an construct or undead creature], the DC increases by 1 per previous save). The smoke obscures vision, giving concealment (20% miss chance) to characters within it. A pyroclastic creature can suppress or activate this ability as an immediate action.

Pyroclastic Breath Weapon (Su)

Using this breath weapon is a standard action. A pyroclastic creature can only use its breath weapon attack once every 1d4 rounds, even if it possesses more than one breath weapon (such as a dragon). A pyroclastic breath weapon always starts at an intersection adjacent to the dragon and extends in a direction of the pyroclastic creature’s choice. A pyroclastic breath weapon is a cone with a range based on the base creature’s size (as a true dragon). This breath weapon deals 1d10 points of damage per HD the base creature possesses with half the damage being bludgeoning and the other half being fire. Those caught in the area can attempt Reflex saves to take half damage. The save DC against a breath weapon is 10 + 1/2 pyroclastic creature’s HD + pyroclastic creature’s Con modifier (or its Cha modifier if it is a construct or undead creature). In addition, the cone of gas is poisonous; creatures that are exposed must make a successful Fortitude save (same DC negates) or suffer 1d6 points of Constitution damage per round A pyroclastic creature can use its breath weapon when it is grappling or being grappled.

Abilities: Increase from the base creature as follows: Str +6 (+3 to melee attack and damage rolls (and thrown weapon damage rolls), Climb and Swim checks, CMB, CMD, Strength checks, and any of the base creature’s Strength-based DCs), Con +4 (+2 to Fort, +2 hp per HD, and the pyroclastic creature’s Constitution-based DCs) if the base creature has a Constitution score.

Environment: As base creature, plus any mountain and elemental borders of air, earth and fire.

Section 15: Copyright Notice

Pathways Bestiary (c) 2017, Rite Publishing LLC.; Author: Steven D. Russell.

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