Stone Drake

The creature in front of you glows with angelic power, yet its stocky form and rocklike skin seem fi rmly rooted in the power of the earth.

Powerful celestial creatures with a great affi nity for the earth, hammer archons battle alongside their dwarf, gnome, and goliath allies, striving to root evil out of its hiding places within the earth. Hailing from the plane of Celestia, hammer archons see the earth as a pure domain that has been fouled by the likes of drow, mind fl ayers, and other perverse creatures. Strong in both will and limb, hammer archons seldom waste time talking, instead charging into battle with their warhammers and crushing foes with abandon. A hammer archon looks like a broad, stocky humanoid that stands between 8 and 9 feet tall. Its muscled torso rests on short but powerful legs, and its skin resembles a rocklike carapace more than it does the skin of humanoids. A hammer archon is completely hairless, and the lines of its face and limbs are sharper than any mortal’s, much like the facets of a crystal. Hammer archon skin tone ranges from a deep, earthy brown to the lustrous black of polished obsidian. Hammer archons speak Celestial, Infernal, Draconic, and Terran, but they can speak with almost any creature because of their tongues ability.

Combat

Hammer archons fi ght with a brutal effi ciency. Trusting their substantial natural protections, hammer archons usually charge the most dangerous foe present and lay into it with their warhammers. Although they enjoy a good fi ght, hammer archons use their intelligence and earth glide ability to gain an advantageous position when possible or to retreat when necessary. A hammer archon’s natural weapons, as well as any weapons it wields, are treated as good-aligned and lawful-aligned for the purpose of overcoming damage reduction.

Spell-Like Abilities: At will—aid, detect evil; 3/day— stone shape, wall of stone. Caster level 10th.

Archon Traits: Hammer archons possess the following archon traits. —Aura of Menace (Su): A righteous aura surrounds archons that fi ght or get angry. Any hostile creature within a 20-foot radius of a hammer archon must succeed on a DC 15 Will save to resist its effects. Those who fail take a –2 penalty on attacks, AC, and saves for 24 hours or until they successfully hit the hammer archon that generated the aura. A creature that has resisted or broken the effect cannot be affect again by the same archon’s aura for 24 hours. The saving throw

DC is Charisma-based. —Immunity to electricity and petrifi cation. —+4 racial bonus on saves against poison. —Magic Circle against Evil (Su): A magic circle against evil effect always surrounds a hammer archon (caster level equals the hammer archon’s Hit Dice). (The defensive benefi ts from this circle are not included in the hammer archon’s statistics block.) —Teleport (Su): Hammer archons can use greater teleport at will as the spell (caster level 14th) except that the creature can transport only itself and up to 50 pounds of objects. —Tongues (Su): All archons can speak with any creature that has a language, as though using a tongues spell (caster level 14th). This ability is always active.

Earth Glide (Ex): A hammer archon can glide through earth as easily as an earth elemental. Its burrowing leaves behind no tunnel or hole, nor does it create any ripple or other signs of its presence. A move earth spell cast on an area containing a burrowing hammer archon fl ings it back 30 feet, stunning the creature for 1 round unless it succeeds on a DC 15 Fortitude save.

Earth Mastery (Ex): A hammer archon gains a +1 bonus on attack rolls and damage rolls if both it and its foe are touching the ground. If an opponent is airborne or waterborne, the archon takes a –4 penalty on attack rolls and damage rolls. (These modifi ers are not included in the archon’s statistics block.)

Celestial Spear (Su): As a standard action, a hammer archon can create and hurl a jagged spear of celestial stone. This spear deals 2d8 points of damage + the archon’s Str modifi er + an extra 2d6 points of damage to evil creatures. The spear disappears at the end of the archon’s turn, whether or not it has been used. The hammer archon can only use this ability if it is touching the ground.

Summoning a Hammer Archon

Dwarf, gnome, and goliath spellcasters can summon a hammer archon with the summon monster VIII spell.

Medium Dragon (Earth) Hit Dice: 6d12+24 (63 hp) Initiative: +6 Speed: 40 ft. (8 squares), climb 40 ft. Armor Class: 20 (+2 Dex, +8 natural), touch 12, flatfooted 18 Base Attack/Grapple: +6/+9 Attack: Bite +9 melee (1d8+3 plus 1d6 acid) Full Attack: Bite +9 melee (1d8+3 plus 1d6 acid), 2 claws +7 melee (1d6+1) Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft. Special Attacks: Acid bite, ambush Special Qualities: Darkvision 120 ft., immunity to sleep and paralysis, light sensitivity, low-light vision, perfect climbing Saves: Fort +9, Ref +7, Will +6 Abilities: Str 17, Dex 15, Con 19, Int 14, Wis 12, Cha 14 Skills: Climb +11, Hide +15, Intimidate +11, Jump +16,

Listen +12, Move Silently +15, Search +11, Spot +12,

Survival +10 Feats: Alertness, Improved Initiative, Mulitattack, TrackB Environment: Underground Organization: Solitary, pair, or family (1–2 and 2–5 offspring) Challenge Rating: 4