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Tophet

CR 10.00 Construct N Large HD 14

A distended metal maw filled with blunt, sculpted teeth stretches across the upper portion of this rotund iron effigy.

Description

Known in some lands as furnace guards or iron gluttons, tophets have long served in the palaces and prisons of tyrants as vigilant sentinels and dreaded punishments. Appearing as rotund iron statues, often bearing the caricatured visages of past kings or dishonored nobles, these constructs all possess yawning maws, capable of easily gobbling up smaller creatures. Upon consuming a victim, the animate statue becomes a walking prison, holding its victim within with little chance for escape. The iron statue can then return its victim to the proper cell, the feet of its lord, or any other fate its creator determines. In the most feared case, tophets capture or are fed prisoners, then wander out into the desert heat or even rivers of molten rock, where their interiors attain hellish temperatures, torturing and often outright killing those trapped within.

Tophets are often assembled in groups of up to a dozen, where cruel rulers incarcerate traitors and other criminals. Mindless creatures capable only of obeying their masters' whims, these unthinking constructs make incorruptible guardians and are endlessly loyal.

Tophets stand 10 feet tall and weigh 3,000 pounds.

Combat Stats

107 (14d10+30)

24, touch 8, flat-footed 24 (-1 Dex, +16 natural, -1 size)

Init

-1

Speed

20 ft.

Fort

Ref

Will

BAB

+14

CMB

+23 (+27 grapple)

CMD

32 (36 vs. trip)

Melee: bite +21 (2d6+8 plus grab), 2 slams +21 (1d6+8)
Space: 10 ft.
Reach: 5 ft.
DR: 5/adamantine

Ability Scores

str

dex

-1

con

int

wis

cha

-5

Special Attacks

Swallow Whole — Once swallowed by a tophet, an opponent takes no damage, but is trapped inside the creature's hollow interior. The construct's maw locks down, preventing creatures from climbing back out. A creature can attempt to hack or smash its way out as normal, but a tophet's stomach has hit points equal to one-tenth its actual hit points plus its bonus hit points for being a construct (totalling 40 hit points for most tophets). Alternatively, a swallowed creature can attempt to pick the lock on the iron hatch in the tophet's stomach by making a DC 30 Disable Device check. If a creature exits by picking the lock, the tophet closes its hatch and can swallow whole again. These locks can also be picked from the outside, but only after the tophet is slain. A Large tophet's belly can hold 1 Medium creature at a time.

trample (2d6+12, DC 25)

Special Qualities

Conductive — Anytime a tophet is affected by an effect that deals fire damage, determine how much damage the construct would have taken if it were not immune to fire. Creatures currently swallowed whole by the construct take fire damage equal to half of this amount.

Special Abilities

Universal Monster Rules

Grab

Grab (bite) Ex from Universal Monster Rule

If a creature with this special attack hits with the indicated attack (usually a claw or bite attack), it deals normal damage and attempts to start a grapple as a free action without provoking an attack of opportunity. The creature has the option to conduct the grapple normally, or simply to use the part of its body it used in the grab to hold the opponent. If it chooses to do the latter, it takes a –20 penalty on its combat maneuver check to make and maintain the grapple, but does not gain the grappled condition itself. A successful hold does not deal any extra damage unless the creature also has the constrict special attack. If the creature does not constrict, each successful grapple check it makes during successive rounds automatically deals the damage indicated for the attack that established the hold. Otherwise, it deals constriction damage as well (the amount is given in the creature's descriptive text). Creatures with grab receive a +4 bonus on combat maneuver checks made to start and maintain a grapple. Unless otherwise noted, grab works only against opponents no larger than the same size category as the creature. If the creature can use grab on sizes other than the default, this is noted in the creature's Special Attacks line.

Swallow Whole Ex from Universal Monster Rule

If a creature with this special attack begins its turn with an opponent grappled in its mouth (see Grab), it can attempt a new combat maneuver check (as though attempting to pin the opponent). If it succeeds, it swallows its prey, and the opponent takes bite damage. Unless otherwise noted, the opponent can be up to one size category smaller than the swallowing creature. Being swallowed causes the target to take damage each round. The amount and type of damage varies and is given in the swallowing creature's statistics. A swallowed creature keeps the grappled condition, while the creature that did the swallowing does not. A swallowed creature can try to cut its way free with any light slashing or piercing weapon (the amount of cutting damage required to get free is equal to 1/10 the creature's total hit points), or it can just try to escape the grapple. The Armor Class of the interior of a creature that swallows whole is normally 10 + 1/2 its natural armor bonus, with no modifiers for size or Dexterity. If a swallowed creature cuts its way out, the swallowing creature cannot use swallow whole again until the damage is healed. If the swallowed creature escapes the grapple, success puts it back in the attacker's mouth, where it may be bitten or swallowed again.

Trample (2d6+12, DC 25) Ex from Universal Monster Rule

As a full-round action, a creature with the trample ability can attempt to overrun any creature that is at least one size category smaller than itself. This works just like the overrun combat maneuver, but the trampling creature does not need to make a check—it merely has to move over opponents in its path. Targets of a trample take an amount of damage equal to the trampling creature's slam damage + 1-1/2 times its Strength modifier. Targets of a trample can make an attack of opportunity, but at a –4 penalty. If targets forgo an attack of opportunity, they can attempt to avoid the trampling creature and receive a Reflex save to take half damage. The save DC against a creature's trample attack is 10 + 1/2 the creature's HD + the creature's Strength modifier (the exact DC is given in the creature's descriptive text). A trampling creature can only deal trampling damage to each target once per round, no matter how many times its movement takes it over a target creature.

Special Abilities

Conductive from text

Anytime a tophet is affected by an effect that deals fire damage, determine how much damage the construct would have taken if it were not immune to fire. Creatures currently swallowed whole by the construct take fire damage equal to half of this amount.

Details

Type: Construct
Alignment: N
Size: Large
Environment: any
Organization: solitary or prison (2-12)
Treasure: incidental
Senses: darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision; Perception +1
Source: Bestiary 3

Rules