Wind Lord

Large Giant

Hit Dice: 12d8+48 (102 hp),dying/dead –5/–18 Initiative: +5 Speed: 30 feet,fly 60 feet (good) AC: 21 (–1 size,+1 Dexterity,+8 natural,+3 studded leather), touch 10,flat-footed 20 Base Attack/Grapple: +9/+19 Attack: Greatclub +19 melee (2d8+18) Full Attack: Greatclub +19/+14 melee (2d8+18) and 2 talons +14 melee (1d8+5) Space/Reach: 5 feet/10 feet (Face/Reach:5 feet by 5 feet/10 feet) Special Attacks: Shock wave,sonic blast Special Qualities: Low-light vision,magical flight,resistance to cold 10 and sonic 10 Saves: Fort +12,Ref+5,Will +6 Abilities: Str 23,Dex 12,Con 18,Int 9,Wis 14,Cha 8 Skills: Listen +8,Spot +9 Feats: Improved Initiative,Modify Combat Style,Power

Attack,Power Charge,Weapon Focus (greatclub),Weapon

Specialization (greatclub)

Environment: Cold and temperate mountains Organization: Solitary,pair,raiding party (3–12 plus one 4th-level leader),or flock (4–48 plus one 8th-level baron) Challenge Rating: 8 Treasure: Standard Advancement: By character class Level Adjustment: +4

A wind lord resembles a warped combination ofa bird and a human.It stands 10 feet tall,with ragged,feathered wings that stretch like membranes from its torso and legs to its arms.Its legs end in fierce talons that it uses to tear into opponents.Its wings serve to stabilize and direct it in the air,allowing it to glide upon powerful winds and elemental energies.When angered,a wind lord can send tremendous shock waves toward its enemies by drawing on this power that swirls and capers around it.It can direct powerful gusts ofwind that knock its enemies prone or summon the energy ofelemental air to produce bursts ofsonic energy.

Wind lords are wild,reckless predators that haunt the highest mountain peaks in the world.They view anything that relies on its feet for travel as an inferior creature worthy only ofpity and contempt.Their teachings hold that they are the true lords ofthe air,and other races are fit only for service or exploitation.Their raiding parties are rightly feared for their nocturnal attacks,in which they descend upon a city or town to force captives into great cages they carry with their talons.Other raiders carry offas much food,gold,gems,and other treasures as possible.The unfortunates taken prisoner are forced to toil as slaves high in the wind lords’ aerie with little hope for rescue.Even the bravest rescue parties have trouble coping with the thin air and other perils ofthe mountain peaks—not to mention the wind lords themselves,who stand ready to cast any intruders down upon the rocks.

Combat

In battle,wind lords are careful fighters who prefer to study their opponents.Their ability to fly allows them to wait for the perfect moment to attack.Like vultures,they fly just out ofbowshot from potential targets,watching for the slightest sign that their targets are ripe for the picking.While wind lords are brave,ifnot overconfident,they realize that their speed and maneuverability allow them to dictate when and where a fight takes place.

Shock Wave (Su): A wind lord can generate an intense, magical burst ofwind and energy that knocks its opponents prone and may tear an enemy’s weapon from his hands.As a full-round action once per hour,the wind lord draws the power ofelemental air to its body,focuses it into magical force,and projects it out as a 60-foot cone.Creatures within the cone are blasted by a combination ofa powerful gust of wind and a mighty burst ofenergy.They must make Strength checks with a +4 bonus per size category larger than Medium or a –4 penalty per size category smaller than Medium.A creature receives an additional +4 bonus to this check ifit is exceptionally stable or has four or more legs.If the creature receives any bonuses to resist bull rush attacks, it gains them for this Strength check as well.

The shock wave ability has several potential effects depending on the target’s Strength check result.Ifthe result is 20 or higher,the target suffers no ill effects.Ifthe result is 10 to 19,he is knocked prone in his current space.Ifthe result is less than 10,the target is knocked prone,and anything he carried in his hands is hurled 1d20 feet away by the force ofthis attack.Unattended objects are also affected by this shock wave.As a rule ofthumb,objects that weigh 20 lbs.or less move 1d100 feet,those between 21 and 100 lbs. move 1d20 feet,and heavier objects remain in place (but might topple over).All objects affected by the shock wave are propelled away from the wind lord,in the direction ofthe force that emanates from it.

Sonic Blast (Su): By gathering elemental energy to them and unleashing it in a single,devastating burst,wind lords can hammer their opponents with sonic energy.Once per hour,a wind lord can create a blast ofsonic power in a 60foot cone.All creatures within this area take 8d6 points of sonic damage,with a Fortitude save (DC 15) halving this effect.In addition,characters that fail this save are deafened for 1d10 minutes.

Magical Flight (Su): Wind lords can take to the air because ofthe magical and elemental energy that surrounds them.This effect counts as a 9th-level spell cast by a 20th-level magister.

It operates continually and provides the wind lord with its flying capabilities.Ifthis effect is somehow dispelled,a wind lord can gather a new nimbus ofenergy to it by resting for four days.At the end ofthis time,the wind lord can fly once again. Ofcourse,such measures mean little to a wind lord who plummets to the earth due to a skillfully cast dispel magic.

Wind Lord Society

Wind lords gather in groups called flocks,each led by a powerful figure known as a baron.These nobles rule with an iron fist,and their command over their followers is based more on their ability to fight and defeat would-be usurpers than on any claim to royal heritage.To the wind lords,those who are strong must rule.This philosophy is a natural extension oftheir beliefthat creatures that cannot fly are inherently weak and unfit.To the wind lords,flight is a vital,necessary component ofa creature’s worth.Among their own kind,this willingness to categorize creatures as fit or weak,worthy or despicable,extends to everyday life.The strongest wind lords belittle and bully those below them on the social ladder. Competition marks their ranks from highest to lowest,as each wind lord hopes to gain the respect and leverage needed to improve his place in the flock. Wind lords that are at the top of this pecking order receive first choice ofany treasures claimed in battle,the best bits offood,and the services ofpersonal slaves.

Low-ranking wind lords may themselves be forced to endure servitude.Even those that escape this fate endure harsh treatment.

Many ofthese wretches are forced to leave the nest in order to raid the countryside,battling men, wind lords,and other enemies, and otherwise hone their skills in hopes ofone day returning to the nest to claim a place at the head ofthe social order.This tradition forces wind lords to stage regular attacks on civilized regions,since treasure and tales ofsuccess in battle rank as the two best methods for getting ahead in a flock.

Wind Lord Characters

Wind lords commonly take levels in warrior, because many ofthem are hunters,raiders,and marauders.Their cultural emphasis on personal skill pushes them to develop their fighting ability, though luckily most ofthe strongest and most skilled wind lords remain high in their aeries,secure in the prestigious rank they have attained.The younger wind lords, those that attack the lowlands,are rarely skilled in anything more than the basics ofcombat.

A few rare wind lords become greenbonds.These creatures break away from the ruthless,predatory traditions oftheir people and become the caretakers ofthe highest mountain reaches.They share a special affinity for birds,and some of these spellcasters construct large havens for migratory flocks.

Wind Lord Encounter (EL 8)

The characters are awakened from their slumber by a loud, crashing sound on the roofofthe inn where they are staying.A renegade wind lord has descended upon the place in the dead ofnight.It smashes through the roofto grab sleeping victims before they can arm and armor themselves, throwing them into a large sack it carries.The characters must act quickly to foil the monster’s plans—it hopes to carry offa few would-be slaves to help establish a new colony it wants to construct in the nearby mountains.