Inferno Skeleton

Inferno Skeleton (CR 12)

Pure Evil - Medium - Undead

Lore:	Know (Religion)
22		41
Basic DC		Full DC

Initiative

19

Perception:
32	+22
Passive	Active

Ambush:

10+

on a d20

Senses:

• Standard Senses

Movement Types:

• Walk 30 ft.

Defense

AC

32

Man Def

30

Monster Health
289	144	22
Hit Points	Bloodied	Hit Dice

Saving Throws
Fort:	+14
Refl:	+10
Will:	+10

Strong Against:

• DR 12/Bludgeoning (physical, common)

• ER 22/Fire (energy, common)

• (Undead 1) Immune (no effect): diseases (infected, diseased, blighted), poisons (tainted, poisoned, blighted), ability damage (dilution, damage, drain), and essence damage (suppression, omission, destruction)
• (Undead 2) Immune (no effect): bleeds (bruised, bleed, ruptured), fatigued, exhausted
• (Undead 3) Immune (no effect): magical sleep (drowsy, sluggish, asleep), paralyzed, stunned
• (Undead 4) Immune (no effect): any effect that requires a Fortitude save (unless the effect also works on objects, or is harmless)

Weak Against:

Offense

Size:	Medium
5 ft.		5 ft.
Space		Reach

To-Hit

+19

Man Off

+18

Action

0

Points

Standard Attack (Melee):

• 1x Fiery Bite +19 (3d10+14/x2)
  as crushing (physical, common)
  plus: Burned, Fort save (DC 22) negates

Full Attack (Melee):

• 1x Fiery Bite +19 (3d10+14/x2)
  as crushing (physical, common)
  plus: Burned, Fort save (DC 22) negates
• 2x Burning Claws +19 (3d6+5/x2)
  as slashing (physical, common)
  plus: 1d6 points of Fire (energy, common) damage to target, hit or miss

Standard Attack (Ranged):

Full Attack (Ranged):

Siege Damage: Not siege capable

Statistics

16

STR

16

DEX

—

CON

20

INT

14

WIS

12

CHA

Skills:

• Knowledge (Arcana): 19
• Knowledge (Local): 19
• Perception: 22
• All other skills: 14 (no ranks)

Languages: Thanic, Common

Feats:

• Selective (EFFECT: Exclude two or more targets from an AOE spell.)

Special Abilities

Burning Aura (Su, Aura (10' radius)) Automatic

Any enemy creature which begins its turn within ten feet of an Inferno Skeleton, or who strikes it with a melee weapon (regardless of reach), takes 3d6+5 points of fire (energy, common) damage with no saving throw allowed. This ability can only damage a given foe once per round, per skeleton.

Fireblast (Su) Standard Action 1/Rnd

Once per round as a standard action, the Inferno Skeleton may hurl forth a mass of flame. This bursts at the point of their choosing, dealing 3d8+9 points of fire (energy, common) damage to all creatures in a 7-by-7-square burst centered on a target square. The maximum range of fireblast is 500 feet. Affected creatures (see Selective feat above) may make a Reflex save, DC 22, for half damage.

Funeral Pyre (Su) Automatic Upon Death

Whenever an Inferno Skeleton is reduced to zero hit points or less, Funeral Pyre erupts from their remains as a triggered free action. All creatures within 30 feet of the square in which the skeleton died take 3d8+9 points of darkfire (energy, rare) damage. Enemies are allowed a Fort save against a DC of 22 to reduce the damage by half.

Inferno Skeleton

Inferno Skeletons are magically imbued with elemental fire during their creation, a process which involves the ritual sacrifice of a fire elemental. For the sort of foul necromancers that can create an Inferno Skeleton, capturing a small fire elemental is child's play. Inferno Skeletons always have fire around their skulls, like some mockery of hair, blowing in the wind. While in combat, Inferno Skeletons are completely enshrouded in flames, their dry, charred bones cracking under the heat, as marrow boils. Their curse of immortality prevents the fire from debilitating them.

Perhaps worse than their fire, or the constant dry sizzle of their cooking marrow, or the horrendous stench of charred meat they emanate, is the fact that unlike lesser breeds of Skeletons, Inferno Skeletons are sentient. If you look into the black, charred holes in their skulls that serve as eyes, there is absolutely some terrible, agonized, murderous presence looking back.

An Inferno Skeleton's existence is pain. Whatever the dire spark is that grants them their intelligence, it does not like the fact that it must burn eternally, and that pain drives Inferno Skeletons to kill as many of the living as fast as they can.

Inferno Skeletons, like most skeletons with minds, are not the person they were in life. No, something else, some murderous dark spirit of death and malice, is the driving intelligence of the Inferno Skeleton, and almost the only constant of their existence is their desire to kill every living thing they can find.

Inferno Skeletons are not warriors, unlike many of their bony kin. Inferno Skeletons are not devious combatants or skilled at maneuver and melee. But Inferno Skeletons do not feel that lack, as they more than make up for it with sheer destructive flame. Inferno Skeletons can and will work with other skeletons, but they are there for the massive firepower they can grant, not any martial skill.

Combat Tactics

Inferno Skeletons are on fire, which means they emit light, exactly as a torch. This means that stealth is impossible for them, and they don't really get much use out of any darkvision they have.

Inferno Skeletons are not skilled tacticians. Their masterful strategy consists of 'burn up everything alive with fire'. They start out with Fireblast as soon as they see a living target, and they keep right on doing it. They will not close the distance unless their foe is demonstrably fireproof: An Inferno Skeleton has an unending supply of Fireblasts, they can pour down flames forever if they have to. They are not stupid, however, and will use their Selective feat to spare their allies.

If a foe is shrugging off their fire, they will choose softer targets. If the fireproof foe is all that is left, they will close on it and attempt to bite and claw it. If an Inferno Skeleton is heavily damaged, it will spend a move action to run into the middle of a crowd of enemies, suicidally tempting attacks of opportunity. It is, of course, hoping to die where its Funeral Pyre will burn as many enemies as it can, while simultaneously healing any undead caught in the blast.

Inferno Skeletons will not deliberately 'mess up' an attack plan, but they definitely have absolutely zero sense of self preservation: If they are destroyed in battle, the agonizing flames they are baking in will cease, at least for a little while. It is unlikely an Inferno Skeleton will ever use melee attacks except against fireproof enemies, but they are very good at them, and their fiery bite is a potent attack of opportunity that they will not hesitate to use.

Out of Combat

Inferno Skeletons have been proven to be eerily, supernaturally intelligent, although the awful wisp of murder that animates them is definitely not the person who once inhabited the remains. Like all Skeletons, Inferno Skeletons are utterly driven to murder as many of the living as they can.

Given their intelligence, many sages, ciphers, and wizards have tried to draw some connection between Inferno Skeletons and Liches. Inferno Skeletons do not cast spells, their awful powers being purely supernatural, but they know a great deal about magic and have the Selective Spell feat, which they use with their Fireblast power, even though Fireblast is not a spell.... Despite all study, no such link has ever been reported, although in fairness, most who exhibit an unhealthy interest in such things usually wind up as liches themselves....

Immortality
Many undead creatures, such as this one, cannot be killed by normal means. However, it will lie shattered and dormant after being defeated for approximately a decade before rising again to seek to rid the world of life. Casting either Sanctify Corpse (Cleric Spell) or Gentle Repose (Cleric Spell) on the defeated corpse of the creature will add an additional ten years to the time it takes for it to re-compose. Laying the defeated corpse on consecrated ground for a full day will prevent it from ever rising again, as will casting Rest Eternal (Cleric Spell) on it. Applying Raise Dead (Cleric Spell), Resurrection (Cleric Spell), or using similar life-giving abilities will restore the original soul back to the corpse, bringing that person back to life and permanently destroying the necromantic animus that had possessed the body previously. This creature's body will never decay (further than it already has) nor age due to time or neglect.

Rewards

XP: 19,200

Treasure: Sellable Goods worth 12,875 gp.

Weight: 120 lbs.     Volume: 4.8 cu. ft.

• The charcoal left after an Inferno Skeleton is smashed is very, very valuable to the right buyer, steeped in both flame and death.

Optional Treasure Rules: Roll a d20 on Table 1 below once per encounter (NOT per creature). Any items discovered are in addition to the normal treasure for the encounter.

Table 1: Remnant(s) Found
1 - 10	Nothing Found
11 - 14	1 Languid Remnant (tier 1)
15 - 17	1 Pale Remnant (tier 2)
18 - 19	1 Bright Remnant (tier 3)
20	Roll on Table 2
###	Nothing to see here!
###	Or here. Move along.

Table 2: Remnant(s) Found
1 - 5	3 Languid Remnants (tier 1)
6 - 10	3 Pale Remnants (tier 2)
11 - 14	1 Intense Remnant (tier 4)
15 - 17	1 Blazing Remnant (tier 5)
18 - 19	1 Vital Remnant (tier 6)
20	Roll on Table 3
###	Or here. Move along.

Table 3: Remnant(s) Found
1 - 5	3 Bright Remnants (tier 3)
6 - 8	3 Intense Remnants (tier 4)
9 - 11	3 Blazing Remnants (tier 5)
12 - 14	3 Vital Remnants (tier 6)
15 - 17	1 Prime Remnant (tier 7)
18 - 19	1 Mythic Remnant (tier 8)
20	1 Empyrean Remnant (tier 9)