“Faergral” is a template that can be added to any corporeal creature with an Intelligence score of five or more other than an undead (referred to hereafter as the “base creature”).
Size and Type: The creature’s type changes to
Undead and it gains the Fire type modifier. It loses all other type modifiers. It uses all the base creature’s sta-
tistics and special abilities except a noted here.
Hit Dice: Remove all Hit Dice from class levels,
triple the number of Hit Dice left, and raise to d12.
Speed: Same as the base creature. If the base
creature has a burrow, climb, or swim speed, it retains those abilities. If the base creature has a flying speed, its maneuvrability is reduced to clumsy.
Armor Class: The base creature’s natural armor
is increased by a number based on the faergral’s size.
Natural Size Armor Fine +1 Diminutive +1 Tiny +2 Small +3 Medium +4 Large +6 Huge +8 Gargantuan +12 Colossal +16
Attack: The faergral retains all the attacks of the
base creature and also gains a slam attack if it didn’t already have one. Recalculate the faergral’s melee and ranged attack bonuses based on its undead creature type and new abilities (+4 Strength, –2 Dexterity). Undead creatures have a base attack equal to half their total Hit Dice (as wizard). If the base creature can use weapons or natural weapons, the faergral retains these abilities. A faergral fighting without weapons uses either its slam attack or its primary natural weapon (if it has any). A faergral armed with a weapon uses its slam or the weapon, as it desires.
Full Attack: A faergral fighting without weapons
uses either its slam attack (see above) or its natural weap- ons (if it has any). If armed with a weapon, it usually uses the weapon as its primary attack along with a slam or other natural weapon as a natural secondary attack.
Damage: Faergral have slam attacks. If the base
creature does not have this attack form, use the appropri- ate damage value from the table below according to the faergral’s size. Creatures that have other kinds of natural weapons retain their old damage values or use the appro- priate value from the table below, whichever is better.
Size Damage Fine 1 Diminutive 1d2 Tiny 1d3 Small 1d4 Medium 1d6 Large 1d8 Huge 2d6 Gargantuan 2d8 Colossal 4d6
Special Attacks: A faergral loses all the special
attacks of the base creature, but gains the burn special attack described below.
Burn (Ex): Any creature that is hit by the faer-
gral’s slam attack (or that hits the faergral with a natural weapon or an unarmed attack) must succeed at a DC 15 Reflex save or catch fire (see Catching on Fire in the DMG). The fire burns for 1d4 rounds.
Special Qualities: The faergral loses all special
qualities of the base creature and gains the undead type (see the MM), fire subtype, and the following special qualities.
Consumed (Ex): A faergral is slowly consumed by
its own flames from the moment it arises, suffering one hit point of damage each hour as the fire devours its flesh.
Fire Subtype (Ex): A faergral is immune to fire
damage but takes double damage from cold or water- based attacks unless a saving throw for half damage is allowed. In that case, the creature takes half damage on a success and double damage on a failure.
Single Actions Only (Ex): The faergral have poor
reflexes and can perform only a single move or attack action each round. They can move or attack but can only do both it they charge.
Saves: A faergral loses the base creature’s saving
throws, and gains good Will saves and poor Fortitude and Reflex saves.
Abilities: The faergral’s Strength increases by 4,
its Dexterity decreases by 2, it has no Constitution score, its Intelligence and Wisdom decreases to one- quarter of the base creature’s, and its Charisma decreas- es to 1.
Skills: The faergral loses all skills. Feats: The faergral loses all feats.
Environment: Any, usually same as base crea-
ture.
Organization: Any.
Challenge Rating: The CR of a faergral is based
on its Hit Dice.
Hit Dice CR 1/2 1/4 1 1/2 2–3 1 4–5 2 6–7 3 8–10 4 12–14 5 16–18 6 19–20 7 Treasure: None
Alignment: Always neutral evil Advancement: None
War Boro
Huge Animal Hit Dice: 8D8 + 48 (84 hp) Initiative: –1 Speed: 50 ft.AC: 17 (–2 size, –1 Dex, +10 natural) Base Attack/Grapple: +6/+23 Attack: Gore + 15 melee (2d6+13)
Full Attack: Gore +15/+10 melee (2d6+13) Space/Reach: 15ft./10 ft.
Special Attacks: Trample 2d6+13 Special Qualities: Warbeast Saves: Fort +12, Ref +0, Will +3
Abilities: Str 29, Dex 8, Con 23, Int 2, Wis 13, Cha 5 Skills: Listen +1, Spot + 1 (22)
Feats: Power Attack, Improved Bull Rush
Climate/Terrain: Northern Marches, Northlands and
Erethor Front
Organization: Solitary CR: 5
Alignment: Always neutral Advancement: 9–10 HD
With a thunderous snort and shaking of the earth, a huge bovine beast with wicked curving tusks lumbers from between the trees amidst the shriek and crack of splintering wood. A war-clad oruk stands astride its broad back, which appears to be armored with iron plates fused and grafted into the beast’s flesh. The oruk turns the massive brute by pulling on reins made from thick iron chain attached to its steel-tipped tusks. Muscles bunch beneath scabrous hide as it lowers its head and paws at the earth with iron clad trotters, pre- paring to charge . . .
War boros are the creation of dark magic and bru- tal training in the breeding pits of the Northern Marches. Steel plates are grafted to its bones, giving the creature’s back a carapace of metal, which is particularly thick around the shoulders. The tusks and trotters of the ani- mal are sheathed in iron and their normally docile, ner- vous demeanor is bred out in favor of aggression and ferocity. War boros are considerably larger than the herd animal native to the southern and central plains of Erenland, grown to their huge size by the sorcery of Izrador’s channelers. The same wizards often carve baleful runes into the steel plates of the war boro’s back that strengthens and augments the creature further. Some enchantments protect the war boro from fire and arrows, making them perfect mounts for oruks and mobile siege engines in the fighting on the Erethor front. The oruk commanders use these huge beasts to devastat- ing effect, uprooting trees and carving a broad path of destruction on which the Shadow’s armies can advance.
Combat
War boros charge into battle, trampling everything in their way and using their tusks to deadly effect. However, being rather stupid animals—intelligence not being a trait that was bred into them in the north—they require a rider to direct them in battle; otherwise they can rampage indiscriminately, causing as much damage to the Shadow’s troops as their enemies.
Trample (Ex): DC 23 Reflex save for half dam-
age.
Warbeast (Ex): A rider on a trained warbeast
mount gets a +2 circumstance bonus on all Ride checks. A trained warbeast is proficient with light, medium, and heavy armor.
Carrying Capacity: War boros are massive beasts
and can carry and drag prodigious loads. A light load for a war boro is up to 2,796 pounds; a medium load, 2,797–5,598 pounds; a heavy load, 5,599–8,400 pounds. A war boro can drag an incredible 42,000 pounds.
NPCs
The game statistics for many NPCs are included in their descriptions throughout the text. The following additional NPCs are introduced in Fury of Shadow.
Ahlissa
Female awakened dire snake rogue 6: CR 11;
Huge Magical Beast; HD 9d10+6d6+30; hp 101; Init +10; Spd 30 ft., climb 20 ft., swim 20 ft.; AC 19, touch 14, flatfooted 19; Base Atk +14/+9/+4; Grp +29; Atks +22/+17/+12 melee (2d6+10 plus poison*, bite); SA Constrict 1d6+10, improved grab, poison*, sneak attack +3d6; SQ Evasion, low-light vision, scent, trapfinding, trap sense +2, uncanny dodge; AL NE; SV Fort +10, Ref +17, Will +5; Str 25, Dex 23, Con 15, Int 14, Wis 11, Cha 16.
Skills: Appraise +8, Balance +20, Bluff +15,
Climb +11, Diplomacy +10, Gather Information +10, Hide +20, Intimidate +15, Knowledge (Druid’s Swamp) +8, Knowledge (local) +8, Listen +10, Move Silently +20, Search +5, Sense Motive +10, Spot +10, Survival +5, Swim +10.
Feats: Alertness, Dodge, Improved Initiative,
Persuasive, Power Attack, Stealthy, Weapon Focus (bite).
Language: Black Tongue, High Elven Pidgin,
Trader’s Tongue.
Possessions: Various trinkets in her lair.
* Poison (Ex): Ahlissa has a venomous bite that deals initial and secondary damage of 1d6 Con. Fort save DC 15. The save DC is Constitution based.
The rippling coils of a huge snake wind around the great bald cypress, its pale green and white scales
blending almost perfectly with the moss-stained bark of the tree. Its broad, flat head tapers to a blunt nose and is crested by two bony ridges above red eyes that glitter with reptilian intelligence. As the monster lazily sways, it opens its mouth to reveal long sharp fangs and issues a sibilant hiss that, with surprise, you recognize as speech.
Ahlissa is a treacherous beast. Awakened by a Danisil druid that she later killed and consumed, the dire snake has been playing a dangerous game ever since. Ahlissa dwells in the watery cypress groves of the Druid’s Swamp where she helps the elfkin of Druid’s Swamp reporting on the movements of the orcs and other servants of the Shadow that move through her domain, and often hunting them for food and sport. However, when she can get away with it, the calculating killer also hunts her allies, preferring the soft succulent flesh of elf to the hard, bitter meat of orc.
As well as indulging her more visceral instincts, Ahlissa enjoys playing mind games with the warring races. Ahlissa delights in setting the various factions of the Shadow against one another, and watching these dramas of her making play out to their bloody conclu- sions. But it isn’t only the orcs and legates that she manipulates in this way; the malicious serpent attempts to drive daggers of doubt and mistrust between the human resistance and the elves and constantly seeks ways to sunder the ancient Dire Pact. At any one time, the snake is embroiled in one or more double-crosses; betraying the elves to the Shadow’s forces and vice versa or fermenting discord within each camp’s ranks. She always uses the information to her own best advan- tage and when she can get away with it, demands pay- ment for her “aid.” It is largely the challenge and thrill of the subterfuge that motivates the scheming snake, although she also has a weakness for pretty trinkets and glinting blades that she secrets in her lightless lair in the caves beneath the swamp.
Alashal
Female wood elf wildlander 12: CR 12, Medium
Humanoid (5 ft tall); HD 12d8+12; hp 87 hp; Init +10; Spd 30 ft (6 squares); AC 19, touch 14, flatfooted 15; Base Atk +12; Grp +13; Atks +16/+11/+6 melee (1d8+4,
+2 longsword) or +14/+9/+4 (1d6+2, fighting knives) or
+14/+9/+4 ranged (1d8+2, masterwork composite long- bow); SA Smite 2/day; SQ Caransil traits, danger sense: bonus to spot enemies, never surprised, wildlander traits: ghost walk, master hunter (orcs), sense dark magic 1/day, stealthy. tracking; AL NG; SV Fort +9, Ref +8, Wil +4; Str 13, Dex 18, Con 13, Int 11, Wis 12, Cha 8.
Skills: Climb +15, Craft (bowyer) +10, Heal +8,
Hide +23, Knowledge (Caraheen) +14, Knowledge (nature) +10, Listen +16, Move Silently +23, Search +13, Spot +19, Survival +16
Feats: Far Shot, Improved Initiative, Point Blank
Shot, Precise Shot, Rapid Shot, Shot on the Run, Track.
Spell-Like Abilities: Once per day: cure minor wounds, ghost sound, mending.
Languages: Erenlander, High Elven, Orcish,
Patrol Sign.
Possessions: Masterwork composite longbow, +2 long sword, elvenchain shirt, buckler, two quivers of
arrows (15 arrows each), silver locket with portrait of her dead brother.
Turning to face you is a Caransil maid that once would have been famed for her beauty, with lustrous black hair and haunted but still beautiful eyes the color of the sky. That beauty is now marred by skin pitted and discolored by acid. That she survived is a miracle but looking into her eyes you realize it might have been better if she died.
Alashal was born in Althorin in 870 TA, when the great city was already in decline. The signs of the coming darkness were clear and even the youngest were forced to learn the bow and blade. Alashal and her older brother Eoasal proved especially adept and joined in the defense of the city as the Shadow’s armies swarmed over the Fortress Wall. In the first year of the Last Age, Alashal earned the respect of her fellow warriors with her skill and bravery.
In the third year of the Last Age, Althorin was attacked by several orc and oruk war bands led by the dragon Amorktia. Alashal and Eaosal killed almost two dozen orcs during the first day of the fighting. No matter how successful they were, none could stand against Amorktia whose breath melted stone and seared flesh. With their beloved city reduced to a smoking ruin, the remaining defenders tried to gain their revenge against Amorktia and strike a blow against the Shadow. By exposing themselves to the dragon’s breath, they lured the dragon close enough to let their arrows strike true. The dragon was brought down and lay mortally wounded but was still very lethal. In its dying rage, Amorktia spewed its acid at the few remaining defenders. Alashal and Eoasal were too close to Amorktia and were caught in the dragon’s acidic breath. Eaosal sacrificed himself to try to shield his sister by covering her body with his own. He deflected most but not all of the acid and Alashal screamed as her body burned.
With the dragon’s death, the orcs hunted down the remaining inhabitants of Althorin, leaving Alashal for dead. In a delirium of pain, she pulled herself toward the city’s ruined harbor. With the last of her strength, she threw herself into its cool and soothing waters. The water washed the acid from her skin, but the damage was already severe. Two days after the battle she was found barely alive, laying on the rocky shore. The healers were able to preserve her life and reduce her scarring, but she was still disfigured, her face and arms pitted and discol- ored by the acid. Alashal suffered more than just physical injuries: her family and friends were all dead and she had seen her brother consumed by acid trying to save her life.
Alashal has long since recovered from her physi- cal wounds and now leads the few remaining warriors of the ruined city of Althorin. No one alive knows the city or the surrounding forest better than Alashal. She roams deep into the surrounding forests hunting orcs and lead- ing them away from the city. That she occasionally speaks as if the city was never destroyed and her former companions were still alive is easily forgiven by those who see the damage done to her by the Shadow.