Giant, Dusk

Taint elementals are sadistic opponents. They are fond of ambushes and sneak attacks. While they do not hesitate to kill, they also enjoy corrupting targets with large amounts of taint and then leaving them to suffer. A taint elemental tends not to use its Power Attack feat on the fi rst few attacks, instead calling it into play once it is certain that it has a good chance to hit its chosen target(s). Touch of Taint (Ex): Anyone struck by a taint elemental, or who physically touches a taint elemental, must succeed on a Fortitude save or gain corruption points. The DC of the save, and the amount of taint gained, is as follows. The save DC is Charisma-based.

Elemental Save DC Corruption Gained

Small 13 1 Medium 14 1 Large 16 1d2 Huge 20 1d3 Greater 22 1d4 Elder 24 1d6

Dimension Door (Sp): 3/day. A taint elemental can, by spreading its tainted essence into the environment and instantly reforming at another point, duplicate the effects of dimension door spell (PH page 221). Doing this is a move-equivalent action. Unlike the dimension door spell, the elemental is permitted to take an action immediately afterward if it has any remaining in the round. Elemental Traits: A taint elemental has immunity to poison, magical sleep effects, paralysis, and stunning. It is not subject to critical hits or flanking. It cannot be raised, reincarnated, or resurrected (although a limited wish, wish, miracle, or true resurrection spell can restore life). Excessive Taint (Ex): A taint elemental has both corruption and depravity scores equal to its HD. It takes no ill effects from taint.

Least Dusk Giant Medium Giant Hit Dice: 6d824 (51 hp) Initiative: 1 Speed: 30 ft. (6 squares) Armor Class: 17 (1 Dex, 6 natural), touch 11, fl at-footed 16 Base Attack/Grapple: 4/9 Attack: Claw 5 melee (1d49) or greatclub 5 melee (1d1015)† Full Attack: 2 claws 5 melee (1d49) and bite 3 melee (1d46) or greatclub 5 melee (1d1015)† Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft. Special Attacks: Cannibalize, rend 2d47 Special Qualities: Low-light vision, pall of twilight Saves: Fort 9, Ref 3, Will 4 Abilities: Str 20, Dex 13, Con 18, Int 14, Wis 14, Cha 15 Skills: Climb 14, Intimidate 11, Listen 11, Spot 11 Feats: Cleave, Multiattack, Power Attack Environment: Cold, temperate, and warm mountains and plains Organization: Solitary or gang (2–4) Challenge Rating: 4 Treasure: Standard Alignment: Usually chaotic evil Advancement: 7–11 HD (Medium) Level Adjustment: — †Includes adjustments for Power Attack feat.

Lesser Dusk Giant Large Giant Hit Dice: 12d884 (138 hp) Initiative: 0 Speed: 40 ft. (8 squares) Armor Class: 20 (–1 size, 11 natural), touch 9, fl at-footed 20 Base Attack/Grapple: 9/25 Attack: Claw 11 melee (1d621) or large greatclub 11 melee (2d836)† Full Attack: 2 claws 11 melee (1d621) and bite 9 melee (1d615) or large greatclub 11/6 melee (2d836) or rock 1 ranged (2d621)† Space/Reach: 10 ft./10 ft. Special Attacks: Cannibalize, rend 2d618, rock throwing, spell-like abilities Special Qualities: Low-light vision, pall of twilight, rock catching Saves: Fort 15, Ref 4, Will 8 Abilities: Str 34, Dex 11, Con 25, Int 14, Wis 14, Cha 16 Skills: Climb 27, Intimidate 18, Listen 17, Spot 17 Feats: Cleave, Improved Sunder, Iron Will, Multiattack,

Power Attack Environment: Cold, temperate, and warm mountains and plains Organization: Solitary or gang (2–4) Challenge Rating: 9 Treasure: Standard Alignment: Usually chaotic evil Advancement: 13–17 HD (Large) Level Adjustment: — †Includes adjustments for Power Attack feat.

Greater Dusk Giant Huge Giant Hit Dice: 18d8198 (279 hp) Initiative: –1 Speed: 40 ft. (8 squares) Armor Class: 25 (–2 size, 17 natural), touch 8, fl at-footed 25 Base Attack/Grapple: 13/40 Attack: Claw 17 melee (1d832) or huge greatclub 17 melee (3d828)† Full Attack: 2 claws 17 melee (1d832) and bite 15 melee (1d822) or huge greatclub 17/12/7 melee (3d854) or rock –2 ranged (2d832)† Space/Reach: 15 ft./15 ft. Special Attacks: Cannibalize, rend 2d827, rock throwing, spell-like abilities Special Qualities: Low-light vision, pall of twilight, rock catching Saves: Fort 22, Ref 5, Will 10 Abilities: Str 48, Dex 9, Con 32, Int 14, Wis 14, Cha 18 Skills: Climb 40, Intimidate 25, Listen 23, Spot 23 Feats: Awesome Blow, Cleave, Improved Overrun, Improved

Sunder, Iron Will, Multiattack, Power Attack

Illus. by S. Prescott

Environment: Cold, temperate, and warm mountains and plains Organization: Solitary or gang (2–4) Challenge Rating: 14 Treasure: Standard Alignment: Usually chaotic evil Advancement: 18–24 HD (Huge) Level Adjustment: — †Includes adjustments for Power Attack feat. in height and weighs roughly 600 pounds. A greater dusk giant (Huge) begins at roughly 15 feet in height and roughly 4,000 pounds but can grow as large as 20 feet and roughly 12,000 pounds. Dusk giants speak Common, Giant, and any two other languages common to the region in which they live. (Dwarven, Elven, Goblin, and Orc are all favorites.)

COMBAT

This creature, which stands roughly 9 feet in height, seems to be either a more evolved troll or a bestial giant. Its arms hang low, and end in vicious talons; its jaw, although not as distended as a troll’s, is long and fi lled with jagged teeth. Its fl esh is the dull tan of a weather-beaten human’s, however, and its eyes gleam with a malicious intelligence.

Dusk giants are predatory cousins of true giants, almost as closely related to trolls as to frost or fi re giants. Dusk giants prefer to hunt during the late hours of the day, when the shadows are long and their prey is beginning to tire. Ruthless hunters, dusk giants prefer their natural weapons but are quite intelligent and capable of making all manner of complex plans. They lurk on the outskirts of humanoid civilizations, since their semi mystical biology requires them to consume the flesh of intelligent beings on a regular basis. Dusk giants wield weapons when they must, but they rarely focus on them, as their shifting size (see below) makes it diffi cult to use any one particular weapon constantly. They dress in loose robes and cloths, which are easily shed and replaced. Dusk giants view all other creatures as either prey to devour or hazards to be avoided. They ally with other races when they believe doing so will offer them greater opportunities to feed than going it alone. The three categories presented here—the least, lesser, and greater dusk giant—do not represent different subraces, but rather three different states through which the same giant can pass again and again during its life. A least dusk giant (Medium) is roughly the size of a large, abnormally bulky human somewhat over 6 feet in height and weighing 300 to 400 pounds, but these fi gures both increase as it gains Hit Dice, even before it offi cially changes size. A lesser dusk giant (Large) begins at around 9 to 10 feet

In their least stage, dusk giants prefer to attack from surprise or ambush, since they fear being trapped in face-to-face combat with a stronger opponent. With a hood shadowing its face and its clawed hands concealed, a least dusk giant can briefly pass as human or halforc, which aids it in drawing closer to unsuspecting prey. As they grow larger, however, or when facing an obviously weaker foe, dusk giants are straightforward opponents. They prefer to weaken foes from a distance with their spelllike abilities (if they have them), then close in and finish them off. A dusk giant generally prefers to fi ght using its Power Attack feat. When not using its Power Attack feat, a least dusk giant’s claw and great club attacks increase to 9 and its bite attack to 7. Its claw damage decreases to 1d45, its bite damage to 1d42, and its greatclub dam age to 1d107. When not using its Power Attack feat, a lesser dusk giant’s claw attack increases to 20, its greatclub attack increases to 20/15, its bite attack increases to 18, and its hurled rock attack increases to 10. Its claw damage decreases to 1d612, its bite damage to Dusk giant 1d66, its greatclub damage to 2d818, and its hurled rock damage to 2d612. When not using its Power Attack feat, a greater dusk giant’s claw attack increases to 30, its greatclub attack increases to 30/25/20, its bite attack increases to 28, and its hurled rock attack increases to 11. Its claw damage decreases to 1d819, its bite damage to 1d89, its greatclub damage to 3d828, and its hurled rock damage to 2d819. Cannibalize (Ex): Dusk giants gain power—Strength, Constitution, even size and mystical abilities—by consuming other creatures. For every 5 Hit Dice of sentient (Intelligence 3) living creatures or every 20 Hit Dice of nonsentient living creatures that a dusk giant consumes, it gains 1 Hit Die. These additional Hit Dice grant the dusk giant the following special benefi t: