[Creature] Hide and Spirit

[The Vorpal Tribble]

This is another old creature of mine that I've updated and tweaked.

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Leather Dread

Large Construct
Hit Dice: 9d10+30 (79 hp)
Initiative: +2
Speed: 50 ft. (10 squares), climb 50 ft.
Armor Class: 21 (+2 dex, +10 natural, -1 size), touch 11, flat-footed 19
Base Attack/Grapple: +6/+18
Space/Reach: 10 ft./10 ft.
Attack: Slam +13 melee (1d8+8)
Full attack: 2 slams +13 melee (1d8+8) and bite +11 melee (1d4+4)
Special Attacks: Constrict, crushing fall, improved grab, pounce, spirit release
Special Qualities: Construct Traits, darkvision 60 ft., fear no heights, immunity to cold and electricity, resistance to bludgeoning 10, scent
Saves: Fort +3, Ref +7, Will +4
Abilities: Str 27, Dex 15, Con -, Int 6, Wis 12, Cha 17
Skills: Climb +16, Escape Artist +5, Intimidate +10, Jump +14
Feats: Awesome Blow, Improved Bull Rush, Lightening Reflexes(B), Multiattack, Power Attack
Environment: Any forest or mountain
Organization: Solitary
Challenge Rating: 8
Alignment: Usually neutral
Treasure: None
Advancement: --
Level Adjustment: --

A Leather Dread appears as huge, strapping humanoid covered from head to toe in dried skins of a weathered black and brown tone. The head is large and round with strips of skin dangling down thickly to its shoulders in an assimily of hair. Its face, though wide, appears somewhat skeletal, with a large toothy grin permanently set upon its eerie features, with vacuous holes in place of eyes. Each fist-sized tooth is blocky and made from cut and polished animal bones. The entire being has a vaguely macabre aspect to it, along with wild, animalistic movements.

The secret of making leather dreads are mostly kept by such of those as evil shamans, medicine men, and druids of primitive peoples whom incorporate feral nature spirits with the fiendish intelligence of a sentient. The result is a powerful, ruthless creature animated by dark magics whom are used for guarding and terrorizing.

Leather Dread's stand around ten feet in height and weigh about 600 lbs. They speak whatever main language their creator spoke, in an incredibly deep, booming voice.

Combat
Leather Dreads normally walk amongst the branches of trees and drop down upon their foes, crushing them with their weight. Afterwards they charge at additional foes, pummeling them with its massive fists and ripping with their huge teeth. If the Leather Dread begins to lose the fight from being outnumbered it will release a spirit or three bound within itself to confuse and draw away other combatants.
If the leather dread is destroyed the spirits flee back to their ethereal realm.

Constrict (Ex): A Leather Dread deals 1d8+12 points of damage with a successful grapple check.

Crushing Fall (Ex): A leather dread may fall upon a flat-footed foe as a ranged touch attack, and if successful, it deals 3d6 damage plus 1d6 for each additional 10-foot increment it falls beyond the first ten feet (to a maximum of 20d6 additional points of damage). For each additional 10-foot increment the dread takes a -1 penalty to its attack roll. The fall is treated as a pounce attack, and upon landing the Leather Dread may immediately make a full attack.

Fear No Heights (Ex): If deliberately jumping down from a height, a Leather Dread takes no damage.

Improved Grab (Ex): To use this ability a Leather Dread must hit with a slam attack. It can then attempt to start a grapple as a free action without provoking attacks of opportunity. If it wins the grapple check, it establishes a hold and can constrict.

Pounce (Ex): If a Leather Dread charges, it can make a full attack.

Spirit Release (Ex): A Leather Dread can release up to three animal spirits (see page 156 of Frostburn) per day that was contained within itself. For every spirit released the Leather Dread loses 4 points of strength.
Every Leather Dread contains four spirits, but must keep at least one within itself to stay animated. Once reduced to 0 hp or lower the crippled spirits flee back into the Leather Dread. though it may recall them at any time regardless of their health as a free action. The strength lost from these now maimed spirits does not return until the following day.
The base creature must have a CR of 3 or lower, and depending on the region in which the Dread is constructed, the spirits sealed within vary.

Most common spirits:
Jungle - Ape, Constrictor, Crocodile, Leopard, Moniter Lizard, or large Viper
Temporate or Cold Forest - Black Bear, Boar, Wolverine, Dire Badger, or Dire Weasel

Skills:Leather Dreads have a +8 bonus on climb checks and can always choose to take 10 on climb checks even if rushed or threatened. Leather Dreads are also powerful leapers, and gain a +4 bonus to jump checks.

[DracoDei]

Aren't Constructs immune to subdual damage? So the fact that it takes subdual from unintended falls doesn't add up technically... might want to be more explicit about this case being an exception.
It probably wouldn't come up much(especially with the penalty to hit!), but you also probably want to cap the extra falling damage at 20d6. More important might be to list the usual attack bonus on the 'Crushing Fall' attack.

[DracoDei]

Can it voluntarily recall the spirits into itself in battle if it doesn't need them any more? How quickly does the strength return in that case (if the spirits aren't at 0 hp)?

[The Vorpal Tribble]

Originally Posted by DracoDei

Aren't Constructs immune to subdual damage? So the fact that it takes subdual from unintended falls doesn't add up technically... might want to be more explicit about this case being an exception.

D'oh, had meant to get rid of that part.

It probably wouldn't come up much(especially with the penalty to hit!), but you also probably want to cap the extra falling damage at 20d6.

Thats already mentioned.

Can it voluntarily recall the spirits into itself in battle if it doesn't need them any more?

Yup, it is in control of them.