Monster Encyclopaedia II: The Dark Bestiary
| Author | J. C. Alvarez |
| Publisher | Mongoose Publishing |
| Publish date | 2005 |
| OGL Section 15 | me2 |
The material below is Open Game Content
Hellferae
Hellferai are elemental manifestations of evil fire, with the shape of oversized, normal or dire animals. They have the exact form of the animal they imitate, but they are entirely composed of burning hellfire (hence their name). They are bestial avatars of destruction, using the powers of the animal they represent to wreak havoc and destruction on the world.
Sample Hellferae
The following example uses a dire tiger as the base creature.
Hellferae, Dire Tiger
Gargantuan Elemental
Hit Dice: 20d8+140 (230 hp)
Initiative: +5
Speed: 60 ft. (12 squares)
AC: 23 (–4 size, +1 Dex, +16 natural), touch 7, flat-footed 22
Base Attack/Grapple: +15/+43
Attack: Claw +28 melee (2d8+16 plus 2d6 fire)
Full Attack: 2 claws +28 melee (2d8+16 plus 2d6 fire) and bite +22 melee 3d8+8 plus 2d6 fire)
Space/Reach: 20 ft. /15 ft.
Special Attacks: Fiery aura, fire
breath, improved grab, pounce, rake 2d8+8 +2d6 fire
Special Qualities: Damage reduction 10/magic, darkvision 60 ft., elemental traits, immunity to fire, resistance to acid 10 and electrical 10, scent, vulnerability to cold
Saves: Fort +19, Ref +13, Will +13
Abilities: Str 43, Dex 13, Con 25, Int 2, Wis 12, Cha 16
Skills: Hide +0*, Jump +19, Listen +8, Move Silently +12, Spot +8
Feats: Alertness, Improved Initiative, Improved Natural Attack (claw), Improved Natural Attack (bite), Run, Stealthy, Weapon Focus (claw)
Environment: Elemental planes of fire
Organisation: Solitary
Challenge Rating: 13
Treasure: None
Alignment: Always chaotic evil
Advancement: 21-48 HD (Gargantuan)
Level Adjustment: —
The fiery thing before you has the vague shape of a tiger – a gigantic one – completely enveloped in flames that seem to come from its own body. It gives out a furious roar and leaps towards you, an apparently unstoppable force of destruction.
Combat
Dire tiger hellferai are much less stealthy and sneaky than normal dire tigers, charging their enemies in an onslaught of cataclysmic proportions. They usually, but not always, fight to the death.
Fiery Aura (Su): A dire tiger hellferae deals an additional 2d6 fire damage with each successful attack. Furthermore, any creature making a (successful or otherwise) melee attack against a dire tiger hellferae must succeed at a Reflex save (DC 27, Constitution based) or suffer 2d6 points of fire damage.
Fire Breath (Su): Once every 1d4 rounds, a hellferae may breathe a cone of fire 30 feet long by 20 feet wide. Any creatures caught in this cone suffer 10d6 points of fire damage, with a Reflex save (DC 27, Constitution based) allowed for half damage.
Improved Grab (Ex): A hellferae dire tiger that hits with its bite attack can start a grapple as a free action without provoking an attack of opportunity. If it wins the grapple check, it establishes a hold and can rake.
Pounce (Ex): A hellferae dire tiger can make a full attack, including two rake attacks, after a charge.
Rake (Ex): Attack bonus +28 melee, damage 2d8+8 plus 2d6 fire.
Skills: A Dire tiger hellferae has a +4 racial bonus on Hide and Move Silently checks. *In areas of tall grass or heavy undergrowth, the Hide bonus improves to +8.
Creating a Hellferae
‘Hellferae’ is an inherited template that can be added to any nonaquatic, normal or dire animal, heretofore referred to as the ‘base creature’.
A hellferae has all the special abilities and traits of the base creature, except as follows:
Size and Type: The base creature’s type changes to elemental with the fire subtype. Do not recalculate the creature’s base attack bonus, skill points or saves. The creature’s size is increased by two categories (up to a maximum of Colossal). Instead of using the standard ‘improved monsters’ table, use the tables given below to calculate modifiers to the creature’s Abilities, natural Armour Class and other traits.
Hellferae Size Modifiers
| Original Size | New Size | AC/Attack |
|---|---|---|
| Fine | Tiny | –6 |
| Diminutive | Small | –3 |
| Tiny | Medium | –2 |
| Small | Large –2 | |
| Medium | Huge –2 | |
| Large | Gargantuan | –3 |
| Huge | Colossal | –6 |
| Gargantuan | Colossal | –4 |
| Colossal | Colossal | Same |
Hit Dice: Add 4 elemental Hit Dice to the base creature, plus 4 elemental Hit Dice each per size category it had beyond Huge (thus a Gargantuan base creature gains 8 Hit Dice and a Colossal base creature gains 12 Hit Dice). Adjust base attack bonus and saves according to the new Hit Dice.
Speed: Increase base speed by 20 feet. The creature loses any swim speed it had; if it had a burrow, climb or fly speed, increase these by 20 feet as well.
Armour Class: Increase the creature’s natural armour bonus according to the hellferae’s original size, as indicated by the table below. This replaces the standard natural armour bonuses from size increase.
Hellferae Armour Class
| Size | Natural Armour |
|---|---|
| Fine | +1 |
| Diminutive | +2 |
| Tiny | +4 |
| Small | +6 |
| Medium | +8 |
| Large | +10 |
| Huge | +12 |
| Gargantuan | +14 |
| Colossal | +16 |
Attack/Full Attack: Same as the base creature.
Damage: The base creature’s damage is modified according to its new size, plus each of its attacks deals additional fire damage according to its size (see Special Attacks, below).
Hellferae Increased Damage
| Old Damage | New Damage |
|---|---|
| 1 | 1d3 |
| 1d2 | 1d4 |
| 1d3 | 1d6 |
| 1d4 | 1d8 |
| 1d6 | 2d6 |
| 1d8 or 2d4 | 2d8 |
| 1d10 | 3d6 |
| 2d6 | 3d8 |
| 2d8 | 4d8 |
Special Attacks
A hellferae retains all of the base creature’s special attacks, plus it gains the following:
Fiery Aura (Su): Any creature touching or touched by a hellferae suffers fire damage according to the creature’s modified size, as indicated in the table below.
Hellferae Fiery Aura
| Modified Size | Fire Damage |
|---|---|
| Small or smaller | 1d4 |
| Medium | 1d6 |
| Large | 1d8 |
| Huge or larger | 2d6 |
Any creature successfully hit by any of a hellferae’s attacks suffers the indicated fire damage automatically. A creature making a melee attack against a hellferae is allowed a Reflex save (DC equal to 10 + ½ the hellferae’s Hit Dice + the Hellferae’s Constitution modifier) to avoid the fire damage.
A hellferae’s fiery aura damages objects and terrain as well, leaving a trail of fiery destruction behind the creature.
Fire Breath (Su): A hellferae gains the ability to breathe a cone of fire, dealing fire damage equal to 1d6 per two Hit Dice the creature has. Creatures caught in the path are allowed a Reflex save (DC equal to 10 + ½ the hellferae’s Hit Dice + the Hellferae’s Constitution modifier) for half damage. The cone has a length equal to twice the creature’s natural reach and its far end is as wide as the creature’s space in feet. A hellferae may use this breath weapon once every 1d4 rounds.
Special Qualities
A hellferae retains all of the base creature’s special qualities, plus it gains the following:
Damage Reduction (Su): A hellferae gains damage reduction 10/magic.
Elemental Traits: A hellferae is immune to paralysis, poison, sleep effects and stunning. It is not subject to flanking or critical hits and does not need to breathe, eat or sleep.
Fire Subtype: A hellferae is immune to fire and gains vulnerability to cold (half again as much damage from cold).
Resistances (Su): A hellferae gains acid resistance 10 and electrical resistance 10.
Abilities: Adjust from the base creature as indicated by the table below:
Hellferae Abilities
| Base Creature’s Size | Str | Dex | Con | Cha |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fine | +2 | –4 | Same | +2 |
| Diminutive | +6 | –4 | Same | +2 |
| Tiny | +8 | –4 | +2 | +4 |
| Small | +12 | –4 | +6 | +4 |
| Medium | +16 | –4 | +8 | +4 |
| Large | +16 | –2 | +8 | +6 |
| Huge | +16 | Same | +8 | +6 |
| Gargantuan | +16 | Same | +8 | +6 |
| Colossal | +16 | Same | +8 | +6 |
Skills: Replace the base creature’s skill ranks with those corresponding to the elemental type (2 + Int modifier) x (HD + 3); usually the same as those of an animal). A hellferae retains the racial skill bonuses of the base creature, if any. If the base creature had ranks in Swim, relocate all ranks allocated to it.
Feats: Same as base creature, plus any additional feats earned from increased Hit Dice. Hellferae usually take Awesome Blow, Improved Bull Rush, Improved Initiative, Improved Natural Attack (natural weapons), Improved Overrun, Power Attack, Snatch or Weapon Focus (natural weapons)
Environment: Elemental planes (fire).
Organisation: Solitary
Challenge Rating: Modify the base creature’s Challenge Rating according to its original size – Tiny or smaller +1; Small +3; Medium +4; Large +5; Huge +6; Gargantuan +8; Colossal +10.
Treasure: None.
Alignment: Change to chaotic evil.
Advancement: A hellferae may advance as far as twice its current Hit Dice or as the base creature, whichever allows the most advancement. The hellferae’s size is not increased any further.
Level Adjustment: –
