Metal Elemental (3.5e Creature)

METAL ELEMENTAL

Walking on thick legs is a chunk of dirty, semi-solid molten steel, colored blue-grey, rust, and ash in shifting blotches. Its arms end in heavy fists, and it has no head. It moves with a livid confidence. It turns to you and growls explosively, leaving you rattled and your ears ringing.

The basic inhabitants of the Paraelemental Plane of Metal, metal elementals are loud, willful and vicious. They live to assault the un-metal, fitting their nature as mobile hunks of weapon ore.

They are hard to control and hard on the hearing, thus are not a common summon despite their staying power and their disruptive attacks. It takes a rare personality to tolerate or even enjoy their harsh yet gleeful vociferations.

It's theorized that if one is used in lieu of an earth elemental to power a golem, that animated construct may fight with greater earnest, but more often go berserk.

They're all oddly well-versed in several musical instruments and can sing, though their performances are invariably powerful and deafening. About the only way to negotiate or even communicate with metal elementals is to impress with a similarly vicious performance -- receiving non-violent attention on sight may even require a certain appearance, depending on the mood and taste of the particular elemental in question: some appreciate a dreadful mien like that of an orc or a lich, others approve of big armor and weapons, while still more prefer a demonic look of red or black with spikes all over, or even a similarly grand but angelic appearance.

Though if one doesn't get the performance right, the elementals tend to become unfriendly, crossing their arms in disapproval. If your performance insults their style of music by hitting a form of uncanny valley -- difficult to understand the measurements for those not native to the plane of metal -- they immediately attack.

Metal elementals speak a mixture of Auran and Terran, and knowing either gives basic understanding (knowing both lets one communicate perfectly with metal elementals in their own language). Their voices are like swords being sharpened and hammers on anvils in the pattern of a snarling tremolo.

Combat

Metal elementals, as creatures of solid ore, are difficult to injure. They brashly charge the largest gatherings, blasting eardrums before tenderizing flesh with arms of steel.

All metal elementals' natural attacks are treated as adamantine for the purpose of overcoming damage reduction.

Attacks

Heavy (Su): All metal elementals can pull objects and creatures (except for other metal elementals; multiple creatures with this ability cancel each other out) towards them through gravity. The elemental can choose which objects and creatures it wants to pull (so it isn't always at the center of a ball of tiny objects); it always chooses (unless for some reason instructed otherwise) to avoid affecting the creature that summoned or called it, but must be instructed not to affect the summoner's allies. So long as the summoner knows Auran or Terran, it can at least say to the elemental, "Don't pull *points* person in purple robe or *points* short person in tin suit."

Creatures within a distance as noted below, weighing up to twice the elemental's own weight must succeed at an opposed Strength check with that elemental or be affected as if by wind depending on the elemental's size category (with modifiers identical to bull rush (second paragraph under Initiating a Bull Rush), except all blown away (and knocked down for fliers) results instead pull that creature towards the elemental. If the creature is up to the same weight as the elemental, the elemental has a +2 bonus on the check. If the creature is up to half as heavy, +4; if up to a quarter as heavy, +6; if less than 1/8th as heavy as the metal elemental, +8. Creatures in the given area must make the check at the beginning of each turn that they're within the area.

Fine: Light; 30'.

Diminutive: Moderate; 40'.

Tiny: Strong; 60'.

Small: Severe; 80'.

Medium: Windstorm; 120'.

Large: Hurricane; 160'.

Huge: Tornado; 240'.

Gargantuan: Tornado+; 320'.

Colossal: Tornado++; 480'.

Titanic: Tornado+++; 640'.

And so forth.

Each Tornado+ checks, knocks down, or blows away creatures of one size category higher than the last (so Tornado+ blows away Huge or smaller, knocks down Gargantuan, and checks Colossal creatures or objects, whereas Tornado+++ blows away Colossal, knocks down Titanic, and checks Macro-Fine [~250'-500' long or tall] creatures), all distances are doubled for each + (a double-double is a triple in this case], and the Fort DC increases by +10 each.

The distance pulled is multiplied by one-quarter the elemental's hit dice (minimum 1). For example, a large metal elemental successfully blows away a flying Medium creature. The result of 2d6×10 is 110', multiplied by two (8 HD / 4) for a total of 220' pulled.

This pull is completely silent and thus never imposes a Listen penalty. However, other effects of wind can occur if the elemental wishes it (so in the area it can choose to penalize ranged attacks but not put out fire, for example), which it can decide with a free action once per round.

Unattended objects automatically fail the Strength check, attended objects are not subject unless the creature draws a weapon or takes a potion or scroll or its backpack or the like, in which case it must immediately make an opposed Strength check or have it yanked out of its hands. It's assumed that a wielded weapon that's already being wielded is grasped tight enough to avoid being yanked out.

The metal elemental, if capable, gets an attack of opportunity against any creature pulled towards it the moment it enters a threatened square, and if the creature has moved more than 30' towards the elemental and the elemental hits it with a natural attack, the base damage die is doubled, and the struck creature falls prone in the square it was hit. If it misses or cannot or chooses not to AoO, the creature careens into the elemental and they both take 1d8 damage per 10' the pulled creature moved (both apply damage reduction); the pulled creature falls prone adjacent to the elemental, but the elemental does not unless the pulled creature is one size category or higher than the elemental.

An elemental can spend a full-round action to focus on its gravity, and until the beginning of its next turn it is treated as one size category higher for the purpose of the area's size and how strong the pull is. While it focuses it cannot choose to not affect creatures or objects; all are automatically effected. If it spends the very next round continuing to focus with a full-round action, it's treated as one more size higher. If it continues to spend full-round actions to focus, it remains at the power of two size categories higher, but never increases beyond this. The moment it spends a move or standard action (but not swift, immediate, or free actions) it loses focus and its pull strength returns to normal.

If multiple metal elementals successfully knock down or blow away, instead of moving it takes 1d4 nonlethal damage per three hit dice of the sum of all involved metal elementals. For example, four huge metal elementals (HD 16 each; 64 in total) whose gravitic auras/emanations overlap succeed in knocking somebody down. In addition to being prone, it takes 21d4 nonlethal damage from its body being ripped apart in four different directions.

If the metal elemental's size category is temporarily changed, it uses its new category for calculating how strong the pull is until it wears off (so a hypothetical Reduce Elemental or Reduce Monster spell could be useful in weakening it even more than it normally would).

This ability automatically works with no action on the part of the elemental.

They can raise or lower this ability with a free action once per round.

Metal Mastery (Ex): Gains a +1 to attack rolls against foes with metal armor or are made of metal, and foes take a -1 penalty on attack rolls with a metal weapon or appendage. Increases/decreases by 1 for each higher category (Large, Greater, etc). In this page's opinion, all elementals with Foo Mastery ought to progress at this same rate, as who's going to notice a measly little -1 penalty beyond level three?

Scream (Ex): As a standard action, a metal elemental can shout as a cone-shaped breath weapon, the area dependent on size (see table, below). Creatures in the area take 1d6 sonic damage every two HD (1d6 sonic per HD vs exposed brittle or crystalline objects or crystalline creatures) and are deafened for 1d4 rounds (+1d4 rounds per category) unless they make a Fort save. This is a sonic effect. DC is Con-based.

Furthermore, any creature in a radius dependent on the metal elemental's size must make a Will save (also dependent on size) or be shaken according to the table (instead frightened for Large and Huge, instead panicked for Greater and Elder). This is a fear effect. DC is Cha-based.

Qualities

Lightning Vulnerability (Ex): As earth opposes air, and fire opposes water, the paraelemental plane of metal is opposed to the paraelemental plane of lightning. All metal elementals, except where otherwise noted, take +50% extra damage from electricity.

Other

Skills: All metal elementals gain free skill points in Intimidate equal to half their racial hit dice, and free skill points in Perform (keyboard, oratory, percussion, string, sing, wind) equal to their racial hit dice. These are always considered class skills for metal elementals.

Size	Height	Weight	Delay	Breath DC	Deafened	Fear DC	The Horror
Small	4'	192 lb.	1d8 rounds	15' cone DC 15	1d4 rounds	30' radius DC 12	Shaken 1d3 rounds
Medium	8'	1600 lb.	1d8 rounds	20' cone DC 17	2d4 rounds	40' radius DC 14	Shaken 1d3 rounds
Large	16'	7 tons	1d6 rounds	30' cone DC 20	3d4 rounds	60' radius DC 17	Frightened 1d4 rounds
Huge	32'	51 tons	1d6 rounds	40' cone DC 25	4d6 rounds	80' radius DC 22	Frightened 1d4 rounds
Greater	36'	57 tons	1d4 rounds	60' cone DC 27	5d6 rounds	120' radius DC 25	Panicked 1d6 rounds
Elder	40'	64 tons	1d4 rounds	80' cone DC 32	6d6 rounds	160' radius DC 31	Panicked 1d6 rounds

Broken Sword

Small

	Metal Elemental, Small
Size/Type:	Small Elemental (Extraplanar)
Hit Dice:	2d8+8 (17 hp)
Initiative:	+0
Speed:	30'
Armor Class:	19 (+1 size, +8 natural), touch 10, flat-footed 19
Base Attack/Grapple:	+1/-3
Attack:	Slam +2 melee (1d6)
Full Attack:	Slam
Space/Reach:	5'/5'
Special Attacks:	Heavy (80' severe), metal mastery +1, scream
Special Qualities:	Damage reduction 5/adamantine, darkvision 60', elemental traits, immune to fear, lightning vulnerability, resist sonic 10
Saves:	Fort +4, Ref +2, Will +3
Abilities:	Str 11, Dex 10, Con 18, Int 4, Wis 11, Cha 13
Skills:	Intimidate +2, Listen +2, Perform (keyboard, oratory, percussion, string, sing, wind) +3, Spot +3
Feats:	Lightning Reflexes
Environment:	Paraelemental Plane of Metal
Organization:	Solitary
Challenge Rating:	2
Treasure:	None
Alignment:	Usually chaotic neutral
Advancement:	3 HD (Small)

Medium

	Metal Elemental, Medium
Size/Type:	Medium Elemental (Extraplanar)
Hit Dice:	4d8+20 (38 hp)
Initiative:	+0
Speed:	30'
Armor Class:	20 (+10 natural), touch 10, flat-footed 20
Base Attack/Grapple:	+3/+5
Attack:	Slam +5 melee (1d8+2)
Full Attack:	Slam
Space/Reach:	5'/5'
Special Attacks:	Heavy (120' windstorm), metal mastery +2, scream
Special Qualities:	Damage reduction 5/adamantine, darkvision 60', elemental traits, immune to fear, lightning vulnerability, resist sonic 15
Saves:	Fort +6, Ref +3, Will +4
Abilities:	Str 15, Dex 10, Con 21, Int 4, Wis 11, Cha 15
Skills:	Intimidate +5, Listen +3, Perform (keyboard, oratory, percussion, string, sing, wind) +6, Spot +4
Feats:	Lightning Reflexes, Power Attack
Challenge Rating:	4
Advancement:	4-7 HD (Medium)

Large

	Metal Elemental, Large
Size/Type:	Large Elemental (Extraplanar)
Hit Dice:	8d8+48 (84 hp)
Initiative:	+0
Speed:	30'
Armor Class:	21 (-1 size, +12 natural), touch 9, flat-footed 22
Base Attack/Grapple:	+6/+14
Attack:	Slam +9 melee (2d8+4)
Full Attack:	2 slams
Space/Reach:	10'/10'
Special Attacks:	Heavy (160' hurricane), metal mastery +3, scream
Special Qualities:	Damage reduction 10/adamantine (5/-), darkvision 60', elemental traits, immune to fear, lightning vulnerability, resist sonic 20
Saves:	Fort +8, Ref +4, Will +8
Abilities:	Str 19, Dex 10, Con 23, Int 6, Wis 11, Cha 17
Skills:	Intimidate +11, Listen +5, Perform (keyboard, oratory, percussion, string, sing, wind) +11, Spot +6
Feats:	Iron Will, Lightning Reflexes, Power Attack
Challenge Rating:	6
Advancement:	9-15 HD (Small)

Huge

	Metal Elemental, Huge
Size/Type:	Huge Elemental (Extraplanar)
Hit Dice:	16d8+112 (194 hp)
Initiative:	+4
Speed:	40'
Armor Class:	24 (-2 size, +16 natural), touch 8, flat-footed 24
Base Attack/Grapple:	+12/+26
Attack:	Slam +16 melee (2d10+6/19-20)
Full Attack:	2 slams
Space/Reach:	15'/15'
Special Attacks:	Heavy (240' tornado), metal mastery +4, scream
Special Qualities:	Damage reduction 10/adamantine (5/-), darkvision 60', elemental traits, immune to fear, lightning vulnerability, resist sonic 30
Saves:	Fort +12, Ref +7, Will +12
Abilities:	Str 23, Dex 10, Con 24, Int 6, Wis 11, Cha 19
Skills:	Intimidate +12, Listen +9, Perform (keyboard, oratory, percussion, string, sing, wind) +20, Spot +10
Feats:	Cleave, Improved Critical (Slam), Improved Initiative, Iron Will, Lightning Reflexes, Power Attack
Challenge Rating:	8
Advancement:	17-20 HD (Huge)

Greater

	Metal Elemental, Greater
Size/Type:	Huge Elemental (Extraplanar)
Hit Dice:	21d8+189 (283 hp)
Initiative:	+4
Speed:	40'
Armor Class:	26 (-2 size, +18 natural), touch 8, flat-footed 26
Base Attack/Grapple:	+15/+27
Attack:	Slam +20 melee (2d10+7/19-20)
Full Attack:	2 slams
Space/Reach:	15'/15'
Special Attacks:	Heavy (240' tornado), metal mastery +5, scream
Special Qualities:	Damage reduction 15/adamantine (10/-), darkvision 60', elemental traits, immune to fear, lightning vulnerability, resist sonic 40
Saves:	Fort +16, Ref +9, Will +14
Abilities:	Str 25, Dex 10, Con 25, Int 8, Wis 11, Cha 21
Skills:	Intimidate +15, Listen +12, Perform (keyboard, oratory, percussion, string, sing, wind) +26, Spot +12
Feats:	Cleave, Great Fortitude, Improved Critical (Slam), Improved Initiative, Iron Will, Lightning Reflexes, Power Attack
Challenge Rating:	10
Advancement:	22-23 HD (Huge)

Elder

	Metal Elemental, Elder
Size/Type:	Huge Elemental (Extraplanar)
Hit Dice:	24d8+240 (300 hp)
Initiative:	+4
Speed:	40'
Armor Class:	28 (-2 size, +20 natural), touch 8, flat-footed 28
Base Attack/Grapple:	+18/+34
Attack:	Slam +20 melee (2d10+7/19-20)
Full Attack:	2 slams
Space/Reach:	15'/15'
Special Attacks:	Heavy (240' tornado), metal mastery +6, scream
Special Qualities:	Damage reduction 15/adamantine (10/-), darkvision 60', elemental traits, immune to fear, lightning vulnerability, resist sonic 50
Saves:	Fort +18, Ref +10, Will +16
Abilities:	Str 27, Dex 10, Con 26, Int 10, Wis 11, Cha 25
Skills:	Intimidate +18, Listen +27, Perform (keyboard, oratory, percussion, string, sing, wind) +35, Spot +27
Feats:	Ability Focus (Scream), Cleave, Great Fortitude, Improved Critical (Slam), Improved Initiative, Iron Will, Lightning Reflexes, Power Attack
Challenge Rating:	12
Advancement:	25-48 HD (Huge)

If you wish to use the house rule that multiplies a creature's maximum hit points by one-tenth its CR once it reaches CR 11, an elder metal elemental would instead have 360 maximum hit points.

Metal Elemental Monoliths

Elemental monoliths are among the greatest of elemental forces given sentience and motion who command allegiance from even elder elementals. Metal elemental monoliths are no exception.

It is difficult to find a "pure" metal monolith, for many have been corrupted by the more prominent inner planes, powerful magics, and otherwise.

The known kinds are:

• Black metal monolith — touched by the negative energy plane, they are almost as much undead as elemental.

• Death metal monolith — tainted by fire and plague, they spread pestilence and inferno wherever they tread.

• Doom metal monolith — formed of suffering and pain, they haunt and stalk from beyond corporeality.

• Folk metal monolith — infused with the Prime, they possess powers akin to druids and rangers.

• Heavy metal monolith — the closest to a pure metal monolith, they are as cacophonous and enthusiastic as their lessers.

• Thrash metal monolith — empowered by air and violence, they seek to quickly rend all they encounter.

Primal Metal Elemental

Almost reaching the sky, so high that it could kick over a castle and backhand the clouds, is an enormous metallic monstrosity. It resembles semi-solid molten steel in the rough form of a bulky, muscular humanoid, though it has no head. It is colored every shade of metal you've ever seen and more. Even for its size, its fists and feet are gigantic. It moves with a speed and grace for its size and unwieldy shape that it bewilders, as if gravity and the need for balance did not apply to this mountain-sized, living metal behemoth.

See here.

Primal Orichalcum Elemental

As large as a mountain walks a four-armed, extremely muscular humanoid without a head. It seems to be made of solid metal, colored a coppery red. It jumps skywards and in the blink of an eye has parted the clouds. In a few moments it crashes into the world like a meteor, shattering the ground and knocking you off your feet from the shockwave, even from miles away.

See here.

Primal Neutronium Elemental

The only humanoid creature whose lack of head is literally in the clouds stands before you. Its surface is a smooth (so smooth it almost appears to be water), non-reflective dark grey with outlines of silvery-grey evenly outlining its muscular humanoid features. It has more than a dozen arms ending in massive hands going down its sides, the lowermost ones sprouting from either of its hips. It is almost centauroid in shape, with four extra legs extending behind its front legs, and it has four wings spreading from horizon to horizon, turning the day to evening.

See here.

Feats and Skill Tricks

Any feats used by metal elementals not found in the SRD are described here.

Their skill tricks are described here.

Adventure Ideas

• Low Level: Four medium metal elementals have been called to the Material Plane and have been murdering every musically-inclined creature they happen upon, except for those of barbarian tribes.
• Mid Level: A king wants a sword, shield, and full plate smelted from the remains of metal elementals.
• High Level: A black metal monolith seeks to ally itself with the world's most powerful bardic lich, who is said to dwell on the Negative Energy Plane.
• High Level: Death metal monoliths have been on the warpath through the Elemental Plane of Fire, and are on a direct course towards the marketplace of the City of Brass.
• High Level: Doom metal monoliths the world over have decided that they should be the sole inhabitants of the Ethereal Plane, and have begun a campaign of genocide against all other incorporeal and ethereal beings, living or dead. Anyone traveling ethereally risks extermination.
• High Level: A folk metal monolith wishes to spread the soul-stirring song of nature throughout the world, with the assistance of spectral fey.
• High Level: Two heavy metal monoliths and their elder metal elemental servitors have been traveling the outer planes, seeking audience with a deity whose sphere involves war and steel.
• High Level: The Blood-War-minded molydeus Shrastagan has been sending his abyssal minions (demons' electricity-immunity eases the task considerably) to capture thrash metal monoliths. He cannot wait to release entire packs against the hated devils in Avernus, who are not even resistant to electricity.
• Low Epic: Skyslicer, a primal metal elemental with wings and its fists transformed into gigantic blades, has been systematically slaughtering all flying creatures and beings of air and the storm in its travels across the Upper Planes.
• Low Cosmic: Several primal orichalcum elementals have decided to bring all the orichalcum in the multiverse back to the Paraelemental Plane of Metal. They plan to destroy every orichalcum golem and drag back their corpses, part by part if necessary; to steal all artifacts fashioned from even the smallest percentage, their owners will be slain if need be; and will tear down all constructions built of their favored metal and take away the pieces, even if they're the homes of gods.
• High Cosmic: The chioh ha qodesh of the inner planes, the first one of matter, has been slain by a primal neutronium elemental.
• Low Transcendental: Ten primal singularity elementals (made of solid black hole matter, which is 100 times as dense as neutronium), who each live within separate quasar nuclei -- though some believe they ARE the nuclei -- have decided that their multiverse shall forever be free from aeonic influence. Every intruding neutronium golem has been stomped, and sidereals who seem like they're growing powerful enough to become a demiurge are similarly dealt with. Every nehaschimic dragon who escapes interdimensional space have had their teeth and skins removed to decorate the elementals' homes. The high lord Selimra-Thagkraz is not happy with these upstarts, but is barred from manifesting in another multiverse by decree of Tetragrammatron. However, the players are not.

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