Terradaemon
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The terradaemon is a monster type from the METAMORPHOSIS trilogy published by EN Publishing.
This massive, ponderous creature resembles a giant with pebbly, gray skin and a single massive eye, lidless and staring, in the center of its blocky, misshapen head. It grips a crudely wrought iron maul in both meaty fists and wears a thick shirt of steel links.
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Terradaemon (CR 9)
Always NE Large Outsider (Evil, Extraplanar)
Init +0; Senses darkvision 60 ft, true seeing; Listen +15, Spot +15
Language Abyssal, Infernal, telepathy 100 ft.
AC 29, touch 9, flat-footed 29 (-1 size, +0 Dex, +15 natural, +5 armor)
hp 105 (10 HD); DR 10/good
Immune poison, sonic
Resist cold 10, fire 10; SR 19
Fort +13, Ref +7, Will +9
Speed 40 ft. (8 squares), burrow 20 ft.
Melee +1 cold iron maul +19/+14 (2d8+13/x3) or
Melee 2 slams +17 melee (1d8+8)
Ranged rock +9 (2d8+8)
Space 10 ft.; Reach 10 ft.
Base Atk +10; Grp +22
Attack Actions Cleave, Improved Sunder, Power Attack, destructive resonance, earth mastery, rock throwing
Special Actions weakening gaze
Spell-Like Abilities (CL 12th)
At will – greater teleport (self plus 50 pounds of objects only), magic stone, soften earth and stone
1/day – stoneskin
Abilities Str 27, Dex 11, Con 23, Int 11, Wis 15, Cha 15
SQ daemon traits
Feats Cleave, Improved Sunder, Power Attack, Weapon Focus (maul)
Skills Climb +20, Diplomacy +3, Intimidate +14, Jump +24, Knowledge (architecture and engineering) +11, Knowledge (the planes) +13, Listen +15, Search +0 (+2 with secret doors), Sense Motive +15, Spot +15, Survival +15 (+17 on other planes)
Possessions +1 cold iron maul, +1 chain shirt
Advancement 11-20 (Large); 21-30 (Huge)
Destructive Resonance (Su): As a standard action, a terradaemon can set up a special vibration in a metal weapon or tool by striking it against a hard object. This vibration resonates with metal and stone and can cause severe structural damage in objects made from either of those two materials. The terradaemon can use its destructive resonance in one of two ways. The destructive resonance must be used on the following round or it is lost.
Sunder (Ex): If a terradaemon uses his destructive resonance on a metal weapon, and then uses the weapon to sunder an opponent’s metal weapon or shield, it ignores the hardness of the object.
Collapse (Su): A terradaemon can cause any 10-foot square of stone or earth to crumble and collapse. The terradaemon need only strike the wall, floor, or ceiling with its resonating weapon or tool to cause a collapse, and it need not strike the area directly. The terradaemon can target an area up to 30 feet away, as long as it is connected to a contiguous stone or earthen substance. For example, a terradaemon wishing to collapse a patch of ceiling directly above an enemy’s head could strike the wall, or even the floor it eventually connects to, as long as the patch of ceiling he wishes to effect is less than 30 feet away. Listed below are the effects of collapsing ceilings, walls, and floors. All save DCs are Constitution-based.
A 10-foot collapsing square of stone or earthen ceiling causes 3d6 points of bludgeoning damage to creatures directly beneath it. A DC 21 Reflex save halves this damage.
A 10-foot section of collapsing stone or earthen wall explodes outward in a 10-foot cone, causing 2d6 points of bludgeoning damage to creatures directly in front of it. A DC 21 Reflex save halves this damage.
A collapsing section of floor creates a 10-foot wide and 10-foot deep pit, and causes 1d6 points of falling damage to creatures that fall in. A DC 21 reflex save negates the damage.
Earth Mastery (Ex): A terradaemon gains a +1 bonus on attack and damage rolls if both it and its foe are touching the ground. If an opponent is airborne or waterborne, the terradaemon takes a –4 penalty on attack and damage rolls. (These modifiers are not included in the statistics block.)
Rock Throwing (Ex): A terradaemon’s thrown rock as a range increment of 120 ft.
Summon Daemon (Sp): Once per day, a terradaemon can attempt to summon 1d4 cryptodaemons or another terradaemon with a 35% chance of success. This is the equivalent of a 3rd-level spell.
Weakening Gaze (Su): As a standard action, a terradaemon can focus its single massive eye upon any one foe within 60 feet and drain the vitality and strength from its target. Creatures targeted by weakening gaze must succeed on a DC 17 Fortitude save or suffer 2d6 points of Strength damage. This damage cannot reduce a victim’s Strength score below 0, but anyone reduced to Strength 0 is helpless. Creatures that are affected by this power or that successfully save against it cannot be affected again by the same terradaemon’s weakening gaze for 24 hours. The save DC is Charisma-based.
Terradaemons are large, powerful fiends with an affinity for elemental earth. They can be found in deep warrens and tunnels beneath the planes of Gehenna and Hades.
Strategies and Tactics
Terradaemons are brutal and direct combatants, enjoying nothing more than crushing their opponents flat with their heavy mauls. They are typically encountered alone, and are belligerent and bullying creatures, likely to attack for the simply joy of slaughter.
Typically, a lone terradaemon begins combat by hurling rocks at an opponent for a round or two, and then close for melee. Up close, a terradaemon uses its weakening gaze, targeting an enemy that appears to be strongest in melee. After that, it casts stoneskin and charges into battle with its maul. In melee, a terradaemon makes heavy use of the Power Attack feat, routinely shaving 5 points off of its attack bonus to add 10 points to its damage rolls. In addition, a lone terradaemon uses its destructive resonance to shatter opponents’ weapons and shields, crushing even magical equipment with relative ease.
Groups of terradaemons are highly sought after by demonic and infernal armies, as the daemon’s affinity with elemental earth allows them to severely weaken earth and stone structures. Terradaemons mercenaries typically operate in groups of four, and work as sappers, or occasionally heavy infantry. Many fortifications in the eternal war between devil and demon have been brought low by terradaemon mercenaries, and a large enough group of the daemons could conceivable bring down an entire city.
Typical Encounters
Terradaemons are loners by nature, and are usually encountered alone. They only group together at the behest of more powerful daemons, which sell their services to demonic and infernal armies.
Individual (EL 9): A lone terradaemon has managed to find a conduit to the Elemental Plane of Earth deep beneath the surface of Hades. From there, the daemon chanced upon another portal, this one to a deep cavern on the Prime Material Plane. The cavern is home to a small group of svirfneblin, and the sudden appearance of the daemon has caused great fear and consternation among the small humanoids. As of yet, the terradaemon is unaware of the furtive band of deep gnomes, but it is only a matter of time before it discovers its neighbors, and indulges its sinister appetites. The deep gnomes have sent messengers to nearby allies for aid, and they would certainly stop to treat with any adventurers they encountered along the way, offering a large sum of gems for the daemon’s destruction.
Mercenary Unit (EL 13): A powerful duergar cleric has managed to gain the services of a terradaemon mercenary unit. The quartet of powerful daemons is to be unleashed upon a nearby dwarven fort, which overlooks and guards a precious trade route often used by the dwarves. The duergar cleric wishes to gain control of the fort and the road for his clan’s merchant ventures, and will use the terradaemons to breach the walls and slay all inside. Adventurers escorting a dwarven merchant caravan into the Underdark must pass by the fort, and could easily chance upon the duergar cleric and his daemons on the road.
Ecology
Terradaemons are outsiders, and therefore have no need to eat, breathe, or sleep. However, they do enjoy the taste of certain minerals, especially salt and niter. They will greedily devour these substances, and will even accept large quantities of either mineral as payment for mercenary services.
Terradaemons are created through standard procreation between the two sexes, which are virtually indistinguishable from one another, or, on rare occasions, a lesser daemon will be promoted to the form of terradaemon as a reward for outstanding service. Infant terradaemons are fully formed at birth, and are always born in sets of three; they are identical to the adults save for their size. Terradaemon spawn are abandoned shortly after birth, as terradaemon mothers do not have any maternal instinct. However, sometimes an enterprising terradaemon female will sell her spawn to powerful daemon lords, who will then raise the young daemons as elite mercenaries.
Environment: Terradaemons are found on both the Gehenna and Hades, although they are rarely encountered on the surface. Since terradaemon live deep underground, they are sometimes found on the Elemental Plane of Earth, traveling through portals found in their subterranean lairs. In addition, terradaemon mercenaries can be encountered on nearly any lower plane, serving at the whim of their employers. Typical Physical Characteristics: A terradaemon stands roughly 12 feet tall and weighs nearly 8,000 pounds. Its body is blocky and crude, although massive, and its head is relatively small for its body. The single eye of the terradaemon is either a sickly yellow or a fiery red. Red-eyed terradaemons are those that began life as some lesser kind of daemon, and were then promoted to their present form, while those with yellow-eyes were born as terradaemons.
Society
Terradaemons are loners by nature and only gather in groups to mate or when forced into mercenary service by more powerful daemons. Terradaemons occupy a middle tier in daemonic society, and tend to bully the lesser forms of daemons and avoid the more powerful.
Young terradaemons that are not sold into mercenary service burrow into the hard, rocky soil of Hades or Gehenna with their massive, shovel-like hands. They seek to get as far beneath the earth as possible, both to avoid lower planar predators and to establish their own subterranean lair. Once a young terradaemon has found a suitable lair, such as a cavern or grotto, it will seal itself away by collapsing any tunnels or other entrances into its new home. There the juvenile daemon will stay, safe within its earthen cocoon, until it reaches maturity.
As an adult, a terradaemon will open up its lair, and then seek to drive off or kill any other terradaemons in the area in an attempt to expand its subterranean kingdom. The only exception to this violent isolationism is when a male terradaemon encounters a nearby female. In these instances, the male terradaemon will allow the female to remain near his lair, but only after she has agreed to serve as a permanent mating partner.
Terradaemon mercenaries differ somewhat from their solitary brethren. They have had to learn to cooperate with one anther on some level, and to this end, they are far less belligerent than their solitary kin. Terradaemon mercenary units can become quite close knit, and they prefer the company of their own kind to a point that borders on xenophobia.
Typical Treasure
Terradaemons have standard treasure for their Challenge rating, or about 4,500 gold pieces. Most of this value will be tied up in the daemons equipment, although terradaemons have a fondness for gemstones, and will typically carry between 500 and 1,000 gp worth of stones.
For Player Characters
A terradaemon can be called with a planar ally spell. It can also be summoned with a summon monster VIII or a higher level summon monster spell. Treat a terradaemon as if it were on the 8th-level list of the summon monster table.
Terradaemons with Class Levels
Terradaemons that take levels in a character class almost always pursue fighter or barbarian, with barbarian being a heavy favorite. Terradaemon clerics are almost unheard of, and the few that do exist typically worship evil earth deities. Terradaemon clerics choose from the following domains: Earth, Evil, and Strength.
Spell Resistance: A terradaemon has a spell resistance equal to 19 + 1 per class level.
Level Adjustment: +4.
