Vicious Phaethon

Vicious Phaethon (Threat; CR 34)

Chaotic Evil - Gargantuan - Outsider (Elemental)

Lore:	Know (Planes)
69		86
Basic DC		Full DC

Initiative

64

Perception:
72	+62
Passive	Active

Ambush:

14+

on a d20

Senses:

• Blind to Vision
• Standard Hearing
• Standard Smell
• Blindsense 360 ft.

Movement Types:

• Walk 120 ft.
• Earth Glide 120 ft.
• SPECIAL: See 'Firewalk' power, below

Defense

AC

61

Man Def

70

Monster Health
14,220	7,110	73
Hit Points	Bloodied	Hit Dice

Saving Throws
Fort:	+38
Refl:	+38
Will:	+33

Strong Against:

• DR 34/-
• (Threat Role) Immunity (partial 5): Threats are immune to the first five conditions applied to them during an encounter. If a sixth condition is applied to a threat, it is resolved normally. A 'condition' is defined as any non-instantaneous harmful effect applied to the monster, other than damage, but is most commonly one of the defined Status Conditions (but it doesn't have to be). Statuses related to damage (such as injured, bloodied, staggered, dying, or dead) are not 'conditions', and cannot be negated or avoided with this ability.
• (Elemental 1) Hardened (½ damage): precision damage, critical hits
• (Elemental 2) Immune (no effect): bleeds (bruised, bleed, ruptured), poisons (tainted, poisoned, blighted).
• (Elemental 3) Immune (no effect): magical sleep (drowsy, sluggish, asleep), paralyzed, stunned
• Immune (no effect): Fire (energy, common)

• Immune (no effect): Positive (energy, uncommon)

Weak Against:

• Vulnerable (1.5x damage): Cold (energy, common)

Offense

Size:	Gargantuan
20 ft.		20 ft.
Space		Reach

To-Hit

+46

Man Off

+58

Action

3

Points

Standard Attack (Melee):

• 2x Fiery Tendrils +46 (6d8+123/19-20 x2)
  as scouring (energy, uncommon)

Full Attack (Melee):

• 4x Fiery Tendrils +46 (6d8+123/19-20 x2)
  as scouring (energy, uncommon)

Standard Attack (Ranged):

• 2x Firestorm (35-foot blast (7x7) area of effect -- auto-hit) (6d8+123/19-20 x2)
  as scouring (energy, uncommon)
  (Increment: 300 ft.; Max Range: 300 ft.)
  Reflex save, DC 46, for half damage.

Full Attack (Ranged):

• 4x Firestorm (35-foot blast (7x7) area of effect -- auto-hit) (6d8+123/19-20 x2)
  as scouring (energy, uncommon)
  (Increment: 300 ft.; Max Range: 300 ft.)
  Reflex save, DC 46, for half damage.

Siege Damage:

• 1x Rending Flames +58 (4d6)
  

Statistics

58

STR

35

DEX

36

CON

8

INT

18

WIS

36

CHA

Skills:

• Intimidate: 61
• Perception: 62
• Sense Motive: 63
• All other skills: 53 (no ranks)

Languages: Ackakackl, Common

Feats:

Special Abilities

Engulfing Flames (Ex)

As a move action, the phaethon may arrange its 16 squares of space in any way it likes. If it arranges them to completely surround a creature's space, that creature is considered swallowed and is removed from the board to the inside of the phaethon until they escape or die. These spaces must be contiguous, though diagonals are allowed. This movement does not provoke attacks of opportunity. Any creature affected by Engulfing Flames receives the Burned condition automatically, and it cannot be removed until they are outside the phaethon. To escape Engulfing flames, creatures may make a Maneuver Offense roll against the Phaethon's Maneuver Defense (DC of 70). Failing that, engulfed creatures may simply attack the phaethon. If they inflict 2844 points of damage to the Phaethon's internals, they 'cut their way free' and are placed back into play somewhere adjacent to the Phaethon's current space (player's choice). Note that damage inflicted to escape a phaethon's Engulfing Flames does not count against defeating the phaethon, escaping a Phaethon's Engulfing flames does not disable the power, and every creature engulfed must do the damage separately to escape.

Firestorm (Ex)

Areas subjected to the Firestorm ranged attack (see above) catch on fire and remain burning until the end of the encounter. This is natural fire (not magical), and deals 6d6+84 points of fire (energy, common) damage to any creature that begins its turn in any affected square. This fire does no damage to unattended objects, though the Phaethon itself can deal siege damage, if it so chooses. Note that the Phaethon may use the burning area left by this attack to utilize its Firewalk and Engulfing Flames abilities.

Firewalk (Su)

Any time the Phaethon takes a move action to move (including when it uses its Engulfing Flames ability), it can immediately teleport to any space it can perceive which is on fire as a free action just prior to executing the move action. Note that any fire large enough to fill at least one square (such as a campfire) is adequate for the Phaethon to use this ability. Furthermore, the Phaethon is permanently under the effects of a Feather Fall spell, though it can dismiss it and reactivate it as a free action any time it wishes. Unless otherwise noted, this ability is always on.

Fiery Phlogiston (Su)

Anyone who makes an attack against the Phaethon suffers 6d6+84 points of scouring (energy, uncommon) damage the first time they do so each round. This includes melee, ranged, and touch attacks of all kinds, or including the phaethon in an area of effect, or trying to inflict ability drain, essence destruction, status conditions, or any other hostile act. The GM adjudicates any unusual effects, but is encouraged to err on the side of 'burning everything'.

Spawn Elemental (Su)

As a swift action, the Phaethon may spawn an [Immortal Fire Elemental]] out of its own flesh. The elemental attacks as commanded and is utterly loyal. At the beginning of a combat, a Phaethon may have anywhere from none to a horde of these elementals as attendants, depending upon the situation.

Deathstorm (Su)

The first time a phaethon is reduced to zero hit points, it explodes in a massive deathstorm, inflicting 6d10+177 points of scouring (energy, uncommon) damage to all creatures within 100 feet (20 squares) of any part of its space, and inflicting Burned on all enemies who have faced it in this battle, even if they have fled the field of combat, even across dimensions. Any creature that was engulfed by the Phaethon is immediately freed, and placed in an unblocked, unoccupied square of the Phaethon's choosing, adjacent to its space (and are subject to the damage effect of the deathstorm). There is no save for this effect. Until the start of its next turn, the Phaethon is untargetable, and cannot sustain damage or gain any conditions. Any conditions it was suffering under prior to being reduced to zero hit points are immediately removed. At the start of the Phaethon's next turn, it reforms anywhere in the area affected by the deathstorm, healed up to half its maximum number of hit points (7110 hit points) and may act with its full set of actions for the round (standard, move, swift, and optionally, action point).

Unstoppable Killer (Ex; Threat Role) Auto Upon Death

The first time in an encounter that a Threat is reduced to zero or fewer hit points, it falls prone, apparently dead. But this is a ruse. When this occurs, the Threat becomes immune to all damage and effects. However, it may not perform any actions (such as attacks of opportunity) until this immunity expires. At the beginning of its next turn, any conditions the Threat is currently suffering under (such as Prone) are immediately cleared, and its hit points are set to half its normal maximum (7,110 hit points). Furthermore, all enemy creatures within 2 squares (10 feet) of the Threat are immediately Pushed up to 4 squares (20 feet) away from the Threat, and suffer 6d10+177 points of bludgeoning (physical, common) damage. Affected creatures may make a Fortitude save versus a DC of 46 to reduce this damage by half, and reduce the push to 2 squares (10 feet). After this attack is resolved, the Threat can slide up to 5 squares (25 feet) to a space adjacent to an enemy creature. All of this occurs as a free action at the start of its turn, and once it is resolved, the Threat's immunity to damage expires. It must perform this attack before any other actions during its turn, and the immunity expires at the beginning of its turn even if it chooses not to perform the attack. The Threat is killed for good the second time its hit points are reduced to zero or less.

Vicious Phaethon

This creature possesses the Threat role, and therefore counts as 4 monsters for purposes of encounter size, XP award, and treasure.

The Phaethon is a being from a higher energy state of existence, an Outer Plane which is closer to the Plane of Power than our own. Phaethons do not like being summoned to the Prime Material, a place they consider to be cold and dull. Given the gigantic power of the Phaethon, they usually break free of their summoners quickly and begin to amuse themselves by burning everything they can reach. Phaethons normally travel by turning gaseous and burning their way through the earth, leaving behind either smooth tunnels roughly ten feet in diameter or a myriad of tiny channels a few inches across, as the whim takes them.

Phaethons usually look like roiling masses of brilliant hot flames, but they are actually composed of a rare eldritch material called phlogiston. They can be solid or gaseous, transparent, translucent, or opaque, hot or room temperature, and they can vary their shape at will. Phaethons normally look like ragged masses of gas, and may or may not emit incredible amounts of heat. They can also turn solid, and when they do their strength is unwordly. Phlogiston is extremely rare and valuable, because the main way to get it is to confront a Phaethon, and nobody wants to do that.

They may, if they wish, exactly mimic flames. Unlike normal flames, they do not need to burn red and orange unless they are seeking to 'blend in' to their surroundings. Phaethons can burn green, blue, purple, yellow, orange or red if they wish, and indeed, they frequently use color changes to punctuate their moods.

Unlike normal flames, Phaethons are self-sustaining and do not need fuel to burn. Phaethons are not extinguished or even harmed by water, and have a great time boiling lakes and rivers when they come across such things. A Phaethon's un-natural flame is composed of both fire and positive energy, which is what gives it its eternal nature.

Phaethons are intelligent enough to recognize that being summoned to the Prime Material is bad for their health. Phaethons are smart enough to seek a way to escape back to their native realms, but this is balanced out by their utter evil and giggling joy in murder and destruction. A Phaethon may seek out a wizard to get itself off the Material, but it will be a real test of attention span as to whether the Phaethon will burn the wizard before or after the portal is arranged.

Phaethons are deeply, utterly, Chaotic Evil. Nothing else matters except as a source of amusement, and Phaethons love burning things more than any other activity.

Vicious Phaethons are frequently associated with [Immortal Fire Elemental]]s. These creatures can often be found together.

Combat Tactics

A Phaethon lives to burn. It will usually begin a fight by firing Firestorms as a full attack action, then spending an action point to teleport into the fire and Engulf as many foes as it can manage.

Once it has foes engulfed, it will attack in melee, or fire a firestorm far away and teleport into it to force allies of the engulfed to chase it. Any time it is attacked, its phogiston body burns the attacker, so it will certainly not attempt to hide from attackers.

Once its deathstorm ability has triggered it will redouble its attacks, laughing in innocent glee the entire time.

Out of Combat

Rewards

XP: 157,440,000 (Threat role included.)

Treasure: Sellable Goods worth 13,752,250 gp.

Weight: 1360 lbs.     Volume: 54.4 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 - 5	Nothing Found
6 - 10	1 Languid Remnant (tier 1)
11 - 14	1 Pale Remnant (tier 2)
15 - 17	1 Bright Remnant (tier 3)
18 - 20	Roll on Table 2
###	Nothing to see here!
###	Or here. Move along.

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

Table 3: Remnant(s) Found
1	5 Bright Remnants (tier 3)
2	5 Intense Remnants (tier 4)
3 - 6	5 Blazing Remnants (tier 5)
7 - 10	5 Vital Remnants (tier 6)
11 - 14	1 Prime Remnant (tier 7)
15 - 17	1 Mythic Remnant (tier 8)
18 - 20	1 Empyrean Remnant (tier 9)