Fire Giant Soldier

Fire Giant Soldier (CR 17)

Lawful Evil - Large - Monstrous Humanoid

Lore:	Know (Nature)
33		49
Basic DC		Full DC

Initiative

30

Perception:
38	+28
Passive	Active

Ambush:

13+

on a d20

• Ambush Notes: Fire Giants have a difficult time laying ambushes, due to their heat and light.

Senses:

• Standard Senses
• Low-Light Vision
• Tremorsense 90 ft.

Movement Types:

• Walk 80 ft.
• Tunneling 10 ft.
• Lesser Climb 40 ft.

Defense

AC

40

Man Def

43

Monster Health
611	305	32
Hit Points	Bloodied	Hit Dice

Saving Throws
Fort:	+19
Refl:	+14
Will:	+16

Strong Against:

• Immune (no effect): Fire (energy, common)

Weak Against:

Offense

Size:	Large
10 ft.		15 ft.
Space		Reach

To-Hit

+25

Man Off

+31

Action

0

Points

Standard Attack (Melee):

• 1x White-Hot Halberd +25 (4d8+17/19-20 x2)
  as slashing (physical, common)
  plus: 17 points of Fire (energy, common) damage

Full Attack (Melee):

• 3x White-Hot Halberd +25 (4d8+17/19-20 x2)
  as slashing (physical, common)
  plus: 17 points of Fire (energy, common) damage

Standard Attack (Ranged):

• 1x Lavaball +25 (4d8+17/19-20 x2)
  as fire (energy, common)
  (Increment: 80 ft.; Max Range: 400 ft.)
  plus: all creatures adjacent to attacked victim suffer 17 points of fire (energy, common) splatter damage.

Full Attack (Ranged):

• 3x Lavaball +25 (4d8+17/19-20 x2)
  as fire (energy, common)
  (Increment: 80 ft.; Max Range: 400 ft.)
  plus: all creatures adjacent to attacked victim suffer 17 points of fire (energy, common) splatter damage.

Siege Damage: Not siege capable

Statistics

40

STR

18

DEX

40

CON

12

INT

14

WIS

16

CHA

Skills:

• Bailiwick (Warfare): 28
• Intimidate: 28
• Knowledge (Local): 28
• Might: 28
• Perception: 28
• Sense Motive: 28
• All other skills: 23 (no ranks)

Languages: Giant, Common, Krieg

Feats:

• Power Attack (EFFECT: This monster may take a -2 to all to-hits in exchange for a +12 bonus damage per attack.)
• Mobility (EFFECT: +4 AC against attacks of opportunity from movement)

Special Abilities

Fulminant Challenge (Su) Swift Action 1/Rnd

Once per round as a swift action, a Fire Giant Soldier may challenge a foe to mortal combat. The foe challenged must be within 50 feet of the Fire Giant Soldier to issue this challenge, and the Giant must have line of effect to the foe so they may hear them issue the challenge. Fulminant Challenge is issued in Krieg, which can even be used to Challenge deaf foes. The Giant does not have to share a language with the victim. Fulminant Challenge lasts until the end of the Giant's next turn. While Challenged, the victim takes a -2 to-hit penalty on any attacks, and a -2 penalty on any caster checks, for any attacks or actions that do not target or include the Challenging Giant. Furthermore, if the Challenged foe fails to attack or include the challenging fire giant in at least one attack before the Challenge expires, the Challenged foe also gains the Burned condition inflicting darkfire (energy, rare) damage. This black, smoky flame gnaws at the foes very fabric of being, and is very hard to resist. Note that it is possible for a single creature to be the target of multiple Fulminant Challenges from multiple Fire Giant Soldiers, but the penalty is never greater than a -2 to-hit or a -2 to caster checks, and the Burned condition does not stack. In such a case, that creature would suffer the penalty unless its attacks included or targeted each of the Challenging giants. This means that in order to stop the Burned condition from occurring, you would have to target and strike every Challenging giant before the challenges expire.

Catch Boulders (Ex) Free Action 2/Rnd

Twice per round as a free action, a Fire Giant Soldier may roll a d20 any time a thrown or projectile weapon is fired at them or passes anywhere within reach of their White-Hot Halberds. Note that their increased Reach with those Halberds often means that several Soldiers can make a roll against a single attack, and they will usually do so, although if faced with several ranged attacks, they can and will 'stagger' their attempts in order to stop more of the attacks. This applies to giant thrown weapons, siege weapon projectiles, arrows, bolts, bullets, or any other thrown weapon or ammo. Note that catching a projectile this way is a violent action that will set off alchemical bombs and items. If the Giant rolls an 8 or higher on this d20 roll, it successfully catches the attack, it is interrupted and lost unless it is an alchemical bomb or effect, in which case it effects the giant which caught it. Using this ability on a weapon with Returning means the attack is interrupted and lost but the weapon still returns to the wielder.

Soldier's Heart Blast (Su) Swift Action, after damaged, special

During an encounter, in any even-numbered round(2nd, 4th, etc), as a swift action which can only be taken after they have suffered damage from an enemy, a Fire Giant Soldier can allow its fiery heart to blaze free. When triggered, the Fire Giant Soldier, and any other Fire Giants within its melee reach(fifteen feet), is healed for 32 hit points, and all enemy creatures within fifteen feet of its space suffers 32 points of darkfire (energy, rare) damage. If any enemy creature is caught in a Soldier's Heart Blast while it is under the effect of a Challenge from any Fire Giant, it takes the Burned damage dice that would be inflicted by that Challenge as darkfire damage, as well as the 32 points of darkfire damage. This is all added together for purposes of overcoming ER. Since Burned does not stack, the burned damage is only applied once, even if the creature is under the effect of multiple Challenges. Affected enemy creatures may make a Fort save, DC 27, to suffer only half this damage, including any Burned damage inflicted by it.

Soldier's Heartening Ranks (Ex) Automatic

If a Fire Giant Soldier is directly adjacent to any other Fire Giant, then the Fire Giant Soldier receives a +2 Circumstance Bonus to all Saving Throws and Attack Rolls.

Scatter Embers (Su) Standard Action 1/Enc

Once per encounter, a Fire Giant Soldier may snatch out a Lava Ball as if making a ranged attack, and instead, as a standard action, crush it in their grip and scatter the embers in a huge arc next to its space. When Scatter Embers is activated as a standard action, it fills a 40 foot cone (8x8 square) adjacent to the Fire Giant Soldier's space. It inflicts 4d8+17 points of fire (energy, common) damage and 17 points of slashing (physical, common) damage to all creatures caught in the area of effect. Affected creatures are allowed a Reflex saving throw against a DC of 27 to negate the slashing damage. If any creature caught in the area of effect of Scatter Embers is suffering from one or more Challenges, they also suffer the Burned damage dice. They only suffer Burned once, even if they are affected by multiple Challenges. After Scatter Embers is used, all surfaces in the area of effect are converted into difficult terrain for all creatures that are not immune to fire damage. Scatter Embers affects all creatures in a huge area, even those who are airborne, as the fiery cinders and ashes surround their foes. The aftereffect of difficult terrain only effects flat surfaces, or other surfaces to which the burning embers could cling. Water is not effected, for example.

Fire Giant Soldier

Beneath the Earth, there is Fire.

It is rare for creatures on the surface to ever see this deep, cthonic furnace, but when it does break free to the surface, the spectacle and destruction is so terrible that it spawns legends. Under the Earth, the furnace of the Earth is well known, and there are vast regions of the Unterwelt that are choked with flames and lava.

Those portions of the Unterwelt are wastelands, uninhabitable by any of the 'usual' denizens of that dark, bleak realm.

But not because of the fire. Living in fiery regions would be simple for the Drow, for example. Their dark, Fey magics could harden them to easily withstand the flames.

No, the fiery portions of the Unterwelt are wastelands because of the terrible things that already live there.

Fire Giants are massive creatures, twice the height of a human and as broadly-built and sturdy as any Dwarf. Their skin is solid black, although when washed by firelight it can take on a million dark and smoky hues. Their teeth glow with heat, their eyes even more-so, and flames wreathe their wild manes of hair and suffuse their terrible beards.

Despite their affiliation with the wildest and most dangerous of the elements, Fire Giants are paradoxically stern, rigid, rules-abiding creatures. They form vast societies, with many castes and clans, societies and religions and cults and rules, they build precise cities of cruel black stone and fire-washed alleys. Fire Giants, despite their fiery natures, are creatures of discipline.

This means that a Fire Giant army is a terrible thing indeed, as they march and attack with discipline and unshakeable morale. An individual Fire Giant is a hard-hearted, cruel beast, but they have no lack of personal courage, even the most craven of Fire Giants being a bastion of doughty durability.

Fire Giants are immune to fire and revel in it, and despite their cruel, rigid lives, they produce astonishing works of art and music, amazing angular sculptures in a dozen styles, and their heavy suits of black-iron armor are subtly engraved with a myriad of intricate and astonishingly beautiful designs.

Fire Giant weapons are similarly well-made and beautiful, dark works of art steeped in the blood of the innocent.

Fire Giants are rarely seen on the surface world, but they can reach the surface by riding lava flows up inside volcanoes. Indeed, the use of lava to travel is a common thread in Fire Giant life, with red-hot currents bearing their black-glass boats far and wide beneath the Earth, and obsidian ships cruising a sea of lava is one of those sights that will remain with you forever, if you are able to survive the finding of it.

Fire Giants are not interested in slaves and plunder, directly. They are more interested in making long-term alliances with their neighbors from a position of strength, and then slowly grinding entire communities into economic thralldom. It is not unusual to find ogres and trolls and hill giants who have been serving a Fire Giant community for centuries, to the point that they really have no concept of life without their fiery overlords.

In battle, Fire Giants are terrible foes, their weapons suffused with searing, painful heat and able to hurl blobs of white-hot lava. Even worse, they are able to catch their enemies alight with a mere word, the supernatural flames nearly impossible to extinguish if you do not kill the giant which inflicted them. In melee, they are very capable, and will seek flanks so they can strike down unlucky victims with a few massive strikes from their burning weapons.

Fire Giant Soldiers are those members of Fire Giant society who have received special training in massed warfare. They are easily distinguised from lesser Fire Giants by the white-hot Fire Halberds they all carry, which makes them far more dangerous in battle. Given how regimented and martial the race is, the number of Soldiers in Fire Giant territory is...sobering. Fire Giant Soldiers are much like other Fire Giants, except for their Halberds and even greater skill in massed combat, and their comradeship in battle when they stand shoulder-to-shoulder with their fellow Fire Giants makes them into truly deadly military engines. Wise foes seek to break up massed formations of Fire Giant Soldiers...although how this feat can be accomplished is a task for the truly mighty.

Combat Tactics

Fire Giant Soldiers are extremely dangerous. Soldiers are often seen with a Role, and Fire Giant Soldiers are very often encountered with the Heavy, Tank, Killer, or even Sneak roles. They prefer to be in melee, and will try to set up flanks or use their size and power to knock foes Prone with Trip maneuvers, or use Bull Rush. Once they have a foe disadvantaged, such as by prone or even if simply flanked, they will start using Power Attack and attempt to murder them quickly with their White-Hot Halberds.

If they are forced to fight at range, it is scarely better, as their Lava Balls and Fulminant Challenge power make them extremely capable ranged combatants, and if they are able to stand in ranks, their Catch Boulders ability can cover each other against ranged attacks, their Heart Blast power heals them and their adjacent Soldiers, and their Heartening Ranks ability gives them deadly abilities to attack. They will always prefer melee, however, and will always edge closer if they are able to.

They will tend to use their Fulminant Challenge on their direct foes, considering the 'taunt the other guys foe' tactic to be cowardly and demeaning. That said, Soldiers will not hesitate to lay as many Challenges as they can, and then start throwing Embers and using Heart Blasts to 'raise the heat' until their enemies wither under the onslaught. Given that many of their abilities inflict darkfire damage, this can be incredibly hard to resist.

Fire Giant Soldiers fight to win, and if they get you surrounded, or Rank up, or worse, both, and start Power Attacks, it is a very perilous situation indeed. They are capable and smart combatants, and will use their Mobility and sometimes even fight defensively to get into position for their mighty attacks to take down their enemies. Getting flanked by Fire Giant Soldiers is frequently fatal! Of course, going back-to-back to prevent flanks means that you are a juicy target for Lava Ball splatter damage, Scatter Embers, or a Heart Blast, so that's also a problem....

Once battle is begun, Fire Giant Soldiers will not fight to the death against foes they believe to be lawful. If defeat becomes inevitable, they will often seek to negotiate terms of surrender, and if they can reach a state of quarter, they will abide with whatever they agree to.

Of course, their memories are very long, and woe betide you if you meet them again. They ARE evil, after all...

Out of Combat

Fire Giant Soldiers are usually encountered in their giant fortresses, holds, and workshops. They are quite common, and the only effective way to know a Soldier from an ordinary Fire Giant is to see what weapon they have on their person, or nearby. They tend to be self-sufficient, and stay at home and work industriously.

Fire Giants are seriously powerful, a nation of fire and terror and pain, but they are curiously strait-laced. They are more interested in their internal politics and the eternal struggle against their hated foes, the frost giants, than they are in tormenting and subjugating their lessers.

That said, Fire Giants are not stupid, and if they think they can gain an advantage by allying with or conquering those around them, they will do so without hesitation, and a Fire Giant Soldier makes a cruel master, indeed....

Rewards

XP: 102,400

Treasure: Sellable Goods worth 51,444 gp.

Weight: 170 lbs.     Volume: 6.8 cu. ft.

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)