Fiery Terror of the Frozen North
Welcome again to Masters and Minions, where I strive to give you interesting NPCs and encounters that can be placed easily into your game. This week’s encounter is with Brakix and takes place in a large frozen desert. Brakix is a gargantuan half-fiend remorhaz who for centuries has slept deep beneath the frozen landscape of the northlands. Recent mining operations in the area have awoken this gargantuan beast. Now that Brakix is awake, it has once again begun to generate ungodly amounts of heat, enough heat to begin to mess with the climate of the entire desert. Brakix’s favored tactic is to ambush the PCs from underground.
Brakix |
CR 10 |
XP 9,600
Giant half-fiend remorhaz
CE Gargantuan outsider (native)
Init +2; Senses darkvision 60 ft, low-light vision, tremorsense 60 ft; Perception +17
DEFENSE
AC 23, touch 9, flat-footed 19 (+2 Dex, +15 natural, –4 size)
hp 130 (9d10+81)
Fort +15, Ref +8, Will +5
DR 5/magic; Immune fire, cold, poison; Resist acid 5, electricity 5; SR 21
OFFENSE
Speed 40 ft, burrow 30 ft, fly 80 ft (good)
Melee bite +15 (4d6+10 plus grab) and 2 claws +15 (2d6+10)
Space 20 ft; Reach 20 ft
Special Attacks heat, swallow whole (3d6+15 plus 8d6 fire, AC 17, hp 13)
Spell-Like Abilities (CL 9th)
3/day—darkness, poison (DC 16); 1/day—desecrate, unholy blight (DC 16)
STATISTICS
Str 30, Dex 15, Con 29, Int 7, Wis 14, Cha 12
Base Atk +9; CMB +23 (+27 grapple); CMD 35 (can't be tripped)
Feats Awesome Blow, Cleave, Improved Bull Rush, Power Attack, Skill Focus (Perception)
Skills Climb +22, Fly +12, Perception +17, Survival +11
Languages Giant (cannot speak)
SPECIAL ABILITIES
Heat (Su)
An enraged remorhaz generates heat so intense that anything touching its body takes 8d6 points of fire damage. Creatures striking a remorhaz with natural attacks or unarmed strikes are subject to this damage, but creatures striking with melee weapons are not. The heat can melt or burn weapons; any weapon that strikes a remorhaz is allowed a DC 23 Fortitude save to avoid taking damage. The save DC is Constitution-based.
Smite Good (Su)
Once per day, as a swift action, the half-fiend can smite good as the smite evil ability of a paladin of the same level as the half-fiend’s Hit Dice, except affecting a good target. The smite persists until target is dead or the half-fiend rests.