Lava Toad (Spheres)

Climate, Lava Toad CR 1

XP 400
N Tiny magical beast (climate)
Init +3; Senses darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision; Perception +6

Defense

AC 15, touch 15, flat-footed 12 (+3 Dex, +2 size)
hp 14 (2d10+4)
Fort +5, Ref +6, Will +1; +2 vs. illusions (see Mirage Sight)
DR 5/slashing; Immune weather (Ash, Heat, Vog); Resist acid 10, fire 10

Offense

Speed 20 ft., climb 10 ft.
Melee bite +7 (1d3-4 plus 1d4 fire)
Space 2.5 ft.; Reach 0 ft.
Special Attacks attuned mantles (severity 3; DC 13), lava pellet (2d6; DC 13)

• Blazing Skin (mantle, heat); deal 1d4 fire damage to attacker when struck by most melee weapons (metal, natural, unarmed, touch); immediate action, 2 damage dice
• High Energy (mantle, heat); gain 6 temporary hit points each round (double Heat severity)
• Mirage Sight (mantle, heat); +2 on saving throws vs. illusions; at severity 5, roll twice vs. concealment

Statistics

Str 5, Dex 17, Con 15, Int 2, Wis 13, Cha 14
Base Atk +2; CMB -3; CMD +10
Feats: Weapon Finesse
Skills Climb +9, Survival +1, Perception +6; Racial Modifiers +4 Climb, +8 Survival (Volcanic terrains or any environment with Heat weather conditions severity 3 or higher)
Languages Ignan (cannot speak)
SQ volcanic glow, weather attunement (Ash, Heat, Vog)

Special Abilities

Lava Pellet (Ex)

A lava toad can regurgitate its blistering hot stomach acid to form a lava pellet, a rapidly-cooled, solidified shell filled with the still-boiling hot stomach acid. Treat the lava pellet as an alchemist’s fire, except it deals 1d6 fire damage, plus 1d6 for every 4 Hit Dice the lava toad possesses.

The Reflex save to extinguish the fire from a lava pellet is Constitution-based (DC 13 for an average lava toad).

A lava toad can create a single lava pellet with 30 minutes of uninterrupted downtime, or 15 minutes if the lava toad has eaten within the past hour. Lava pellets are strangely volatile, and if a lava toad produces a new lava pellet, all previous lava pellets go inert as the pellet fully solidifies.

When creating lava pellets, an older and more powerful lava toad can produce 1 additional lava pellet for every 4 Hit Dice it possesses. If a lava toad can produce multiple lava pellets, any previously created lava pellets become inert.

Volcanic Glow (Ex)

A lava toad glows with the heat of a small volcano. A lava toad can shed normal light as a torch in a 5-foot radius. While shedding light this way, the lava toad can boil water as though it were a campfire or appropriate heating element, and provides any creature in contact with it a +4 bonus on saving throws against exposure to cold weather. The lava toad can suppress or resume this ability as a free action.

About

Environment warm volcano
Organization solitary, knot (3-7)
Treasure none

This small, orange-red toad emits a soft, warm glow. Its craggy, rough skin is nearly scorching to the touch and its hearty deep croak sounds like a small volcano.

Lava toads are a precocious breed of toad that managed to rapidly adapt to a harsh volcanic environment through sheer luck, chance, or otherwise. The lava toad is usually the size of an average toad and displays many of the same tendencies, except for their supernatural comfort with lava and volcanic gases.

This has been a boon to lava toad communities, which often thrive in these areas due to few natural predators.

Lava toads are often prized and domesticated by goblin and kobold clans which take up residence in volcanic environments, collecting the lava pellets the lava toads excrete as makeshift incendiaries for mining or defense and using their natural glow instead of mining torches.

Familiar

A 3rd-level spellcaster of any alignment with the Improved Familiar feat and the ability to cast any spell or magic sphere effect with the fire descriptor (including Weather sphere control weather for Heat) can gain a lava toad as a familiar.

A lava toad’s master gains the bonus on saving throws against exposure to cold weather from the lava toad’s volcanic glow ability even when not in contact with the lava toad and even if the lava toad is not using the volcanic glow ability.

Lava Toad Elder

Lava toads which live beyond their average lifespan (approximately 9 to 13 years) grow large enough and strong enough that they are revered as elder lava toads. These lava toads are significantly larger than their brethren and are able to produce more potent lava pellets in larger quantities. A lava toad elder’s maximum lifespan is not known, some legends even saying that elder lava toads are immortal, becoming stronger for each average lifespan they survive, some even gaining sapience. Less than 1% of lava toads which live their full life span become lava toad elders; the occurrence of a lava toad elder seems to hinge purely on chance.

A lava toad elder increases in size to Small and possesses 2 additional Hit Dice for each lifespan they have lived. Lava toad elders never serve as familiars.