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Message: <blockquote data-quote="demiurge1138" data-source="post: 4560897" data-attributes="member: 7451">Numerian Spine DragonSlinking low to the ground is some manner of immense draconic beast, its eyes rheumy with pain and rage. Its body has a metallic sheen, and the entire creature is covered from head to tail in spines, some short, others as long as a human leg. Despite its obvious strength, the dragon looks sick—its wings are withered to useless stumps and its body is dotted with open sores.  Its neck is short and ends in a broad head crowned in a mane of spines. A dense clump of spines tips the dragon’s long lashing tail.Numerian Spine Dragon        CR 13Usually NE Huge DragonInit +5; Senses darkvision 60ft, Listen +16, low-light vision, scent, Spot +16DefensesAC 27, touch 9, flat-footed 26    (-2 size, +1 Dex, +18 natural)hp 184 (16d12+80)Fort +15, Ref +11, Will +12DR 10/adamantine; Defensive Qualities spiny defense; Vulnerability metal bodyOffenseSpd 40ft (8 squares), climb 20ftMelee Bite +21 (2d8+7, 19-20x2) and 2 claws +19 melee (2d6+3) and tail +19 melee (4d8+10)Space 15ft; Reach 10ft (15ft with tail)Special Attacks adamantine strike, breath weapon, powerful tail, tear armorTacticsBefore Combat Numerian spine dragons prefer to attack from ambush.During Combat A Numerian spine dragon opens with its breath weapon. It uses its Improved Sunder feat to tear apart weapons and shields before digging into defenseless prey.Morale Numerian spine dragons do not fear death—as such, they fight until slain.StatisticsStr 24, Dex 13, Con 20, Int 4, Wis 15, Cha 7Feats Improved Critical (bite), Improved Sunder, Improved Initiative, Multiattack, Power Attack, StealthySkills Climb +15, Hide +10, Listen +16, Move Silently +15, Spot +16Base Attack +16; Grapple +31Languages understands DraconicEcologyEnvironment Temperate hills and desertsOrganization Solitary or pairTreasure See textAdvancement 17-32 HD (Huge), 33-48 HD (Gargantuan)Level Adjustment—Special AbilitiesAdamantine Strike (Ex) Due to the veins of adamantine tainting its body, the natural attacks of a Numerian spine dragon are considered to be adamantine for the purposes of overcoming damage reduction and hardness.Breath Weapon (Su) A Numerian spine dragon can breathe a 50 foot cone of metal shards. All creatures in the area must make a DC 23 Reflex save or take 10d6 points of slashing and piercing damage. A successful Reflex save halves the damage. This damage is considered to be adamantine for the purposes of overcoming damage reduction and hardness. A Numerian spine dragon can use its breath weapon three times a day, but no more than once every 1d4+1 rounds. The save DC is Charisma based.Metal Body (Ex) Numerian spine dragons are considered to be metal for the purposes of spells that effect metal (such as repel metal or stone, rusting grasp or heat metal). Powerful Tail (Ex) A Numerian spine dragon’s tail, despite being a secondary weapon, deals 1.5 times the dragon’s Strength bonus in damage, and is treated as a two-handed weapon for the purposes of Power Attack.Spiny Defense (Ex) Any creature striking a Numerian spine dragon with handheld weapons or natural weapons takes 1d8+7 points of damage from its spines. Weapons with exceptional reach do not endanger their wielders. Tear Armor (Ex) When a Numerian spine dragon makes a successful critical hit against a foe, it deals its bite damage to the target’s armor (if any).Skills A Numerian spine dragon gains a +8 racial bonus on Climb checks, and can take 10 on Climb checks even when rushed or threatened.Strange draconic mutants simultaneously empowered and tortured by the starmetal in their veins, Numerian spine dragons are at once terrifying and tragic. A Numerian spine dragon reaches 40 feet long, with much of that length being tail. They are very heavy creatures, weighing nearly ten tons.EcologyNumerian spine dragons are carnivorous up to a point, preying mostly on large animals such as aurochs and elephants. The top predators in whatever territory they claim, they tend to kill or drive off other large predators. They do not fear humans, and indeed relish attacking them. Fortunately, they are quite rare.Numerian spine dragons require metal to survive. Their teeth cut through metal as easily as they do flesh, and they can use their scent ability to detect veins of metal below the Earth’s surface. Only a little metal will sustain a Numerian spine dragon, but they will gorge themselves if able, consuming vast deposits of ore or the armor of entire units of soldiers at once. As such, they are despised by the Technic League, the golems and gearsmen of which are preyed upon by spine dragons. True dragons also hate them, and kill them whenever possible.Habitat and SocietyThe first Numerian spine dragons were originally grey dragons, those pathetic offshoots of the draconic lineage obsessed with purifying a degenerate bloodline. These grey dragons were in Numeria at the time of the Rain of Stars, and their eggs were oddly tainted by the starmetal that then impregnated the land. These new grey dragons were ravenous and feral, with little of their parents’ intelligence, but with great size and physical strength. It is rumored that grey dragons will still mate with Numerian spine dragons in an attempt to recreate their lost intellect, but it is unlikely that such experiments have succeeded.Although native to Numeria, Numerian spine dragons have spread outward to wherever the hunting is good and there is plenty of space to claim as their territory. Solitary creatures, they have little patience for others of their kind, although they don’t seem to mind the intrusions of grey dragons. Especially brave or foolhardy miners are known to follow Numerian spine dragons on their wanderings, hoping to exploit the veins of ore the spine dragons scent out and feed upon.Numerian Spine Dragon TreasureAlthough Numerian spine dragons carry no treasure of their own, their bodies themselves can yield great riches. The corpse of a Numerian spine dragon, if properly treated with chemicals (DC 25 Craft: alchemy check) or stripped by a fine smith (DC 30 Craft: weaponsmithing, armorsmithing or blacksmithing) generates 2d6 x 1000 gp worth of adamantine ore.Variant Numerian Spine DragonsAlthough most Numerian spine dragons are impregnated with adamantine, other spine dragons exist that contain other starmetals. Variant Numerian spine dragons lost the adamantine strike and tear armor special abilities, and gain the appropriate ability or abilities listed below.Abysium Spine Dragon—Poison (Ex) All of an Abysium spine dragon’s natural attacks are mildly toxic (Fort DC 10 + ½ HD + Con bonus, 1d3 Str/1d3 Con). CR +0Djezet Spine Dragon—Narrow Berth (Ex) A djezet spine dragon’s semi-liquid body allows it to move as if it were a Large creature for the purposes of squeezing. Spell Enhancement (Su) All spells cast within a 60 foot radius of a djezet spine dragon are cast at CL +2. CR -1.Horacalcum Spine Dragon—Temporal Manipulation (Su) A horacalcum spine dragon rolls initiative twice every encounter. It gets to make a standard or move action on the lower of its two initiative counts. CR +1Inubrix Spine Dragon—Earth Glide (Su) An inubrix spine dragon gets a burrow speed of 40 feet and can move through earth and stone as easily as a fish moves through water. This ability is the same as the earth glide ability of a xorn. Phasing Weapons (Su) An inubrix spine dragon can, three times per day as a swift action, allow its natural attacks to ignore armor and shield bonuses, as per the brilliant energy weapon quality. CR +1Noqual Spine Dragon—Spell Resistance (Su) A noqual spine dragon gains SR equal to its Challenge Rating +12. CR +0Siccatite Spine Dragon—Burning/Freezing Body (Su) A siccatite spine dragon is either blisteringly hot or freezing cold. A hot siccatite spine dragon deals an extra 1d6 points of fire damage with all of its natural attacks and has resistance to cold 20. A cold siccatite spine dragon deals an extra 1d6 points of cold damage with all its natural attacks and has resistance to fire 20. CR +0The Pathfinder Chronicles Campaign Setting is copyright 2008 Paizo Publishing. Copyright 2008 Nicholas Herold.</blockquote>

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