Charred Horror

Huge Undead
Hit Dice: 12d12 (78 hp)
Initiative: -1
Speed: 30 ft. (6 squares)
Armor Class: 24 (-2 size, -1 Dex , +17 natural), touch 7, flat-footed 24
Base Attack/Grapple: +6/+24
Attack: Slam +14 melee (2d6+10 plus 1d6 fire)
Full Attack: 2 slams +14 melee (2d6+10 plus 2d6 fire)
Space/Reach: 15 ft./15 ft.
Special Attacks: Double damage against object, heat, trample (2d6+15 plus 2d6 fire)
Special Qualities: Cinder cloud, damage reduction 10/magic and slashing, darkvision 60 ft., dispel animation, immunity to fire, low-light vision, plant traits, undead traits
Saves: Fort +4, Ref +5, Will +9
Abilities: Str 30, Dex 8, Con -, Int 6, Wis 12, Cha 16
Skills: Hide +1*, Listen +11, Move Silently +4, Spot +11
Feats: Awesome Blow, Improved Bull Rush, Improved Sunder, Lightning Reflexes, Power Attack
Environment: Temperate forests
Organization: Solitary
Challenge Rating: 9
Treasure: None
Alignment: Always neutral evil
Advancement: 8-16 HD (Huge), 17-21 HD (Gargantuan)

This dead burned-out tree is nothing but black and grey charcoals, still warm with lingering flame. But some mockery of life animates it into a fiery engine of destruction that shuffles and creaks through the woods.

Not all undead were once creatures of flesh and blood. The detestable charred horrors are the twisted corpses of once-noble treants who died by the flame. Risen from the dead as still-burning undead, they seek to spread the pain of their fiery demise to other trees.

While retaining only a fraction of the intelligence they displayed in life, many charred horrors still have enough awareness to cast blame for their deaths. These horrors lay such blame squarely at the feet of the so-called defenders of the forest: druids, rangers, and possibly good forest creatures like dryads and unicorns. The undead creatures take great pleasure in destroying any glens still guarded by them, showing them the depth of their failure to protect the trees.

No one knows for certain why some treants rise as charred horrors and others, even others who die by fire, do not. One druidic scholar has posited that charred horrors were treants who, in the last moment of their life as they burn, comes to actually find pleasure in their own fiery demise. Such an unnatural enjoyment of their own destruction catches the attention of whatever dark gods revel in such things, and they grant the plant creatures an unholy second chance.

Charred horrors are as tall as living treants, but their bodies have been hollowed by fire, making them weigh only half as much. They still remember the languages they spoke in life: Common and Sylvan.

Combat

Charred horrors are savage in combat, striving to destroy all opponents and burn down as many trees as they can. They take cruel delight in needless destruction, setting forests, buildings, and anything else in its path aflame.

Heat (Ex):A charred horror is still aflame with fire deep within its trunk and limbs. Its slam attack deals additional fire damage, and any successful unarmed attack against it (including natural weapon attacks) inflicts 2d6 points of fire damage against the attacker. The charred horror can also set very flammable objects on fire by touching them.

Cinder Cloud (Ex): The burning wood that forms the body of the horror is filled with hot cinders. These are released in a choking cloud whenever a physical attack successfully inflicts damage against it (by either overcoming or bypassing its damage reduction). The cinder cloud forces any creatures within a 10-foot radius to make a DC 19 Fortitude save or be sickened for 1d6 rounds. Creatures that do not need to breathe are immune to this effect. The save is Charisma-based (as the charred horror has no Constitution score).

Dispel Animation (Su): The undead power of the charred horror can disrupt the animate trees ability of a living treant. If a charred horror moves within 100 feet of a tree animated by liveoak (whether cast by a treant or a druid), the effect is automatically dispelled.

Double Damage against Objects (Ex): A charred horror that makes a full attack against an inanimate object or structure deals double regular slam damage as well as double fire damage.

Plant Traits: A charred horror also retains the immunities granted by its former life as a plant. They are yhus immune to polymorph and have low-light vision, in addition to all normal undead traits.

Trample (Ex): Reflex save DC 26 half. The save DC is Strength-based.

Skills: A charred horror has a +15 racial bonus on Hide checks made within a burned forest (including one still on fire). While this may seem like an esoteric skill bonus, keep in mind that a charred horror tends to create burned out forests wherever it goes.