Metal Elemental Monolith, Folk (3.5e Creature)

FOLK METAL MONOLITH

	Folk Metal Monolith
Size/Type:	Gargantuan Elemental (Shapechanger)
Hit Dice:	36d8+360 (522 hp)
Initiative:	+19
Speed:	50'
Armor Class:	33 (-4 size, +11 Dex, +16 natural), touch 17, flat-footed 22
Base Attack/Grapple:	+27/+50
Attack:	Slam +34 melee (6d6+11)
Full Attack:	2 slams
Space/Reach:	20'/20'
Special Attacks:	A million faces, heavy (320' tornado+), primal scream, steel cornucopia, metal mastery +8, wild empathy
Special Qualities:	Damage reduction 20/adamantine (15/-), darkvision 180', elemental traits, immune to fear and sonic, lightning vulnerability, nature sense, resist nature's lure, woodland stride
Saves:	Fort +22, Ref +23, Wis +30
Abilities:	Str 33, Dex 32, Con 30, Int 12, Wis 21, Cha 24
Skills:	Balance +16, Diplomacy +9*, Escape Artist +21, Handle Animal +19, Intimidate +25, Jump +39, Knowledge (history) +13, Knowledge (nature) +17, Listen +23, Perform (keyboard, oratory, percussion, string, sing, wind) +42*, Sense Motive +23, Spot +23, Survival +21 Tumble +23
Skill Tricks:	Acrobatic Backstab, Back on Your Feet, Clarity of Vision, Nimble Stand, Slipping Past, Spot the Weak Point, Twisted Charge
Feats:	Augment Summoning, Blind-Fight, Combat Expertise, Combat Reflexes, Hold The Line, Improved Initiative, Improved Trip, Mage Slayer, Pierce Magical Concealment, Pierce Magical Protection, Power Attack
Epic Feats:	Blinding Speed, Epic WillB, Superior Initiative
Environment:	Any (Material Plane), Paraelemental Plane of Metal
Organization:	Solitary
Challenge Rating:	19
Treasure:	None
Alignment:	Usually lawful neutral
Advancement:	37-54 (Gargantuan)

Standing at an enormous height is the largest earth elemental you've ever seen. No, wait... it seems to be crafted of uneven steel and ironwood, with small plants sparsely sprouting from its dirt-caked cracks and joints. It most resembles a treant made of soil-brown iron rough like tree bark, its only limbs its two arms and legs. Though as you did on first impression, it can be mistaken for an odd, giant earth elemental. Its tall, straight posture projects self-assured calm, even without a head -- its highest point simply tapering like the top of a leafless, limbless tree only slightly higher than its moderately broad shoulders.

Metal is not usually seen as a natural element, and why not? It is as born of nature as earth, fire, water and wood. Folk metal monoliths are infused with the spiritual essence of the Material Plane, and make their home deep in untouched wilderness among timelost beasts and forgotten fey. Their iron abodes ironically confound elves yet please dwarves, perhaps as a counter-point against the idea that "natural" must mean dirt and water. They are about community and the untainted world and its historical traditions. They gladly answer the summons of powerful druids and nature-venerating clerics, but for others they are as difficult to control as any elemental monolith. Druids and clerics of nature of 5th-lvl and above, as well as any fey, can sense their primordial essence, thus their starting attitudes are one higher than they would otherwise be. A folk monolith's voice is similar but much less harsh, and more inspiring, than their younger brethren, and they speak Auran, Sylvan, and Terran.

The performances of a folk metal monolith are grand and heroic, of the land and the sea, of conquest and the glorious past. These are the most likely to be appreciated by those not themselves metal elementals. Their voices uplift the spirits of those at one with the wild.

Folk metal monoliths are 64' tall and weigh about 97 tons (194,560 lbs).

Combat

Folk metal monoliths open up most fights with a primal scream, unless one has time to summon allies first. Since it is invariably weaker when shapeshifted (see A Million Faces) it reserves that for non-combat situations except in the rare circumstance where that would be an advantage. It will use a wall of iron, iron strike, or polymorph any object should it provide an edge, otherwise it moved in and knocks the enemy around with its powerful slams.

A folk metal monolith's natural attacks are treated as adamantine for the purpose of overcoming damage reduction.

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, a folk metal monolith would instead have 991 maximum hit points.

Attacks

A Million Faces (Su): A folk metal monolith can assume the form of any animal, fey, giant, humanoid, plant, or vermin of Tiny to Huge size. All its abilities and statistics are unchanged*, but does not gain any of the special attacks, special qualities, or combat statistics of its assumed form aside from space/reach and size bonuses/penalties, and the monolith uses that creature's natural attacks instead of its own (does not gain other abilities associated with them, such as a monstrous spider's poison), if any (use that form's damage die for its natural attacks), but can only make up to one attack with a single attack action, and can only make up to two attacks with a full attack action, regardless of how many natural attacks that form has. Changing form (to another and back, or from one form to another) is a swift action that doesn't provoke an attack of opportunity, and it stays in its form until it decides to change shape again.

* aside from damage reduction and Primal Scream's cone area and DC: Tiny is 10' with a -20 penalty to its DC, and no DR; Small is 15' with a -16 penalty, DR 5/adamantine; Medium is 20' with -12, DR 5/adamantine; Large is 30' with -8, DR 10/adamantine (5/-); Huge is 40' with -4, DR 10/adamantine (5/-).

Heavy (Su): Refer to main page.

Primal Scream (Ex and Su): Once every ten minutes as a standard action, a folk metal monolith can inspire with a warcry that gives an effect identical to greater heroism (CL 20) to itself and all allies in 300': +4 morale bonus on attack rolls, saves, and skill checks, immunity to fear effects, and 20 temporary hit points, which last 36 minutes.

Enemies in the area are terrified by this warcry, becoming shaken for 1d4 minutes unless they make a DC 35 Will save, in which case they are shaken for 1d4 rounds. If they fail by 10 or more, they are instead frightened for 1d4 rounds, followed by being shaken for 2d6 minutes. If they fail by 20 or more, they are instead panicked for 1d4 rounds (cowering if they cannot escape), followed by 1d4 rounds of being frightened, followed by being shaken for 3d8 minutes. This is an extraordinary fear effect. Those affected, whether or not they make the save, cannot be terrified by this folk metal monolith's primal scream for 24 hours. DC is Cha-based.

Furthermore, any allies (not itself nor any other metal elemental) that wish it may be subject to an iron body spell, but lasts for 20 rounds. A given creature can only be affected by this iron body effect once per day.

Steel Cornucopia (Su): A folk metal monolith has been gifted with nature's metallic bounty. It may use any of the following spells as supernatural abiltiies (as a druid with a CL of 20, DC's 20 plus spell level [Wis-based; +5 racial bonus], spell resistance not applicable).

It refuses to use any steel cornucopia power except when summoned or called by druids and clerics of nature deities or who specifically worship nature, the wilderness, and the like.

1/month-- rain of metal (as the epic spell rain of fire, but instead rains tiny spiked and bladed spheres of adamantine which deal 1 point of bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage each round; the spheres irreparably rust within two minutes after being conjured, leaving the area covered in what feels like red-brown sand)

1/day-- animate objects (metal objects only; have max hp per hit die), summon nature's ally IX, summon golem (iron only; have max hp per hit die, PHII pg. 126), major creation (metal objects only)

1/hour-- commune with nature, wall of iron, polymorph any object (to metal creature or object only; never permanent; cannot use on self), transmute rock to iron (as trans. rock to mud, only it becomes iron)

1/minute-- statue (made of iron), iron tell (standard action; as stone tell, but works only on any metal), iron shape (as stone shape, but works only on metal), iron strike (DC 27; as glass strike [similar to flesh to stone but works on objects; SpC pg. 106], but subject becomes an iron statue).

Metal Mastery (Ex): Gains a +8 to attack rolls against foes with metal armor or are made of metal, and foes take a -8 penalty on attack rolls with a metal weapon or appendage. In another form (see A Million Faces) this is +4/-4, respectively.

Wild Empathy (Ex): As 25th-lvl druid (+32).

Qualities

Nature Sense (Ex): +4 bonus on Knowledge (nature) and Survival checks.

Resist Nature's Lure (Ex): +6 bonus on saving throws against the spell-like abilities of fey.

Trackless Step (Ex): A folk metal monolith leaves no trail in natural surroundings and cannot be tracked. It may choose to leave a trail if so desired.

Woodland Stride (Ex): A folk metal monolith may move through any sort of undergrowth (such as natural thorns, briars, overgrown areas, and similar terrain) at its normal speed and without taking damage or suffering any other impairment. However, thorns, briars, and overgrown areas that have been magically manipulated to impede motion still affect it.

Other

Feats: Explained on the main metal elemental page if not in the SRD. It has Augment Summoning, even though the monolith doesn't meet its prerequisites.

Skills: Folk metal monoliths gain a +12 racial bonus to Handle Animal, Knowledge (history), Knowledge (nature), and Survival checks. *Gains a +8 racial bonus to Diplomacy and Performance checks with fey, druids, intelligent plants and awakened animals.

Skill Tricks: Explained on the main metal elemental page.

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