Cleon
Legend
Ahh, a new special abiilty or two! The weakness sounds kind of like Earth Mastery (from earth elementals). Could the "burst out of the ground" be earth glide or a burrow speed?
We still need to give it a "burst out of ground" ability.
I don't fancy Earth Glide or Burrow for it, since The Reaper did not use it in combat in the original adventure. If it could freely move underground wouldn't its writeup describe it popping in and out of ground?
My earlier proposal of a "statue or tree shape" approach could work something like:
Dirt Shape (Su): Twice a day, The Reaper can meld into the ground it is standing upon, effectively becoming a 5 ft. square patch of earth. It cannot meld into stone, wood, or any other material. The patch of earth matches the ground around it in soil type and vegetation, except any plants growing from it will be dead. A detect magic spell reveals a faint transmutation on the soil.
While in earthform, The Reaper can observe all that transpires around itself as if it were in its normal form, and its hit points and saves remain unaffected. It gains a +10 bonus to its natural armor bonus but has an effective Dexterity score of 0 and a speed of 0 feet (giving it AC 22, touch 7, flat-footed 22).
The Reaper can dismiss earthform as a free action, allowing it to revert to its normal state and make a full attack in the same round.
While in earthform, The Reaper can observe all that transpires around itself as if it were in its normal form, and its hit points and saves remain unaffected. It gains a +10 bonus to its natural armor bonus but has an effective Dexterity score of 0 and a speed of 0 feet (giving it AC 22, touch 7, flat-footed 22).
The Reaper can dismiss earthform as a free action, allowing it to revert to its normal state and make a full attack in the same round.
Hmm, a very slow burrow speed would work with a bit of tweaking, and would play off some of those "earth rat" rogues and subterranean ninjas that crop up in some movies.
Speed: 30 ft. (6 squares), burrow 5 ft. (see below)
Burrow (Ex): The Reaper can burrow through soil, although this is a slow and laborious process. It does not leave a tunnel behind itself and can not burrow through rock.
The Reaper can burrow through 5 ft. of earth as a standard action and 10 ft. of earth as a full-round action. The Reaper can burst out of the ground as a swift action if it is within 5 feet of the surface.
Note that The Reaper's gravesight allows it to notice opponents on the surface while it is burrowing.
Gravesight (Su): If it is buried in the ground, The Reaper can observe its surroundings just as if it were standing on the surface. Gravesight is blocked by 10 feet of earth, an inch of wood, or a thin sheet of any metal.
Burrow (Ex): The Reaper can burrow through soil, although this is a slow and laborious process. It does not leave a tunnel behind itself and can not burrow through rock.
The Reaper can burrow through 5 ft. of earth as a standard action and 10 ft. of earth as a full-round action. The Reaper can burst out of the ground as a swift action if it is within 5 feet of the surface.
Note that The Reaper's gravesight allows it to notice opponents on the surface while it is burrowing.
Gravesight (Su): If it is buried in the ground, The Reaper can observe its surroundings just as if it were standing on the surface. Gravesight is blocked by 10 feet of earth, an inch of wood, or a thin sheet of any metal.
Hmm, I quite like the last one, although I guess tremorsense would be a bit more conventional (and boring) than Gravesight.