Thermatrod
Source: Alien Archive 4
CR: 3 XP: 800
CN Large magical beast (fire)
Init.: +1 Senses: blindsight (vibration) 60 ft., sightless Perception: +8
Defense
HP: 39
EAC: 14 KAC: 16
Fort: +7 Ref: +7 Will: +2
Offense
Speed: 30 ft., burrow 30 ft.
Melee: slam +12 (1d6+7 F)
Offensive Abilities: slag barrage (2d6 F, DC 12)
Statistics
Str: +4 Dex: +1 Con: +2 Wis: +0 Int: +0 Cha: +0
Skills: Acrobatics +8, Athletics +13, Intimidate +8
Ecology
Environment: any warm mountains
Organization: solitary or pair
Special Abilities
Deaf (Ex) Thermatrods can’t attempt Perception checks to listen and are immune to effects that rely on hearing to function.
Melting Aura (Ex) A creature that begins its turn within 5 feet of a thermatrod takes 1d4 fire damage from the creature’s intense internal temperature.
Slag Barrage (Ex) As a full action, a thermatrod can spray part of its core at a grid intersection within 60 feet. Each creature within 10 feet of this intersection takes 2d6 fire damage and gains the staggered condition as the molten material hardens. An affected creature can attempt a DC 12 Reflex save to halve the damage and negate the staggered condition. Otherwise, the staggered condition lasts for 1 minute or until the target or an adjacent creature uses a full action to free the target.
Description
Mystics believe that the planets on which thermatrods are found have connections to the Elemental Planes of Earth and Fire. But however much the creatures may resemble elemental inhabitants of those planes, they are simply silicon-based beasts that thrive in extreme heat.
A thermatrod uses a knuckle-walking quadrupedal gait resembling that of a gorilla, but it can also stand on its back legs or use its arms to climb. Its torso is a mix of several types of molten stone and metal, allowing the thermatrod to digest heavy minerals inedible to most living creatures; Pact Worlds scientists don’t fully understand how the thermatrod’s silicon core maintains this intense heat. A thermatrod’s cooler backside is made of several interlocking raised hexagonal plates, which resemble basalt columns. Due to this makeup, thermatrods can weigh over a dozen tons.
Like that of most silicon-based life, the thermatrod’s chemical makeup didn’t allow it to evolve sensory organs, meaning it is both blind and deaf. However, the fine crystalline matrices in the creature’s head allow it to sense both heat and tremors. While its head is absent eyes and a nose, it does have a dripping maw, which the beast uses to eat loose stones it finds on the ground.
A typical thermatrod is 10 feet tall and weighs over 1 ton.