Remorhaz

Remorhaz

An immense centipede-like beast erupts from the snow, rows of chitinous plates on its back glowing red-hot.

XP 3,200

N Huge magical beast

Init +1; Senses darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision, tremorsense 60 ft.; Perception +16

DEFENSE

AC 20, touch 9, flat-footed 19 (+1 Dex, +11 natural, -2 size)

hp 94 (9d10+45)

Fort +11, Ref +7, Will +4

Immune fire, cold

OFFENSE

Spd 30 ft., burrow 20 ft.

Melee bite +13 (3d6+9 plus grab)

Space 15 ft.; Reach 15 ft.

Special Attacks heat, swallow whole (2d6+9 plus 8d6 fire, AC 15, hp 9)

STATISTICS

Str 22, Dex 13, Con 21, Int 5, Wis 12, Cha 10

Base Atk +9; CMB +17 (+21 grapple); CMD 28 (can't be tripped)

Feats Awesome Blow, Cleave, Improved Bull Rush, Power Attack, Skill Focus (Perception)

Skills Perception +16

Languages Giant (cannot speak)

ECOLOGY

Environment cold deserts and glaciers

Organization solitary

Treasure none

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 19 Fortitude save to avoid taking damage. The save DC is Constitution-based.

In a world of ice and snow, the remorhaz is particularly feared for the terrible fires that burn within its body. These internal fires cause the armor plates along its back to glow red-hot when the creature is particularly angry, excited, or in pain. Creatures adapted to arctic regions are often particularly vulnerable to fire, making the remorhaz's primary defense an incredibly potent one and securing its role as a dangerous predator in such frozen reaches.

Remorhazes dwell in extensive warrens carved into the hearts of glaciers. The beasts use their heat to melt tunnels through ice, tunnels whose smooth glassy sides swiftly refreeze in their wake to create uncommonly stable and numerous mazes.

Although the remorhaz has much in common superficially with lesser vermin, the beast is surprisingly intelligent. While not capable of speech, the typical remorhaz has a good grasp of the Giant tongue, and tribes of giants often use this to their advantage to secure allegiances with the great beasts. Frost giants are particularly obsessed with them, for those giants who brave the cruel and deadly burns a remorhaz can inf lict to become "worm friends" gain a potent weapon to use against their enemies-an assassin capable of burrowing up through the floor of a glacial keep to strike directly against a frost giant's greatest weakness: fire. Other giants use the beasts as living forges, for their backs are hot enough to melt metal.

A remorhaz is 25 feet long and weighs 10,000 pounds.