The Stalker of the Plains
Welcome again to Masters and Minions, where I strive to give you interesting NPCs and encounters that can be placed easily into your game. This week’s encounter is with an elemental-infused bulette that escaped its creator’s arcane laboratory and is now terrorizing traveling merchants and caravans.
This escaped bulette, named Incendas by its creator, was infused with the elementals of earth and fire during its creation, giving it several traits of both earth and fire elementals. Since the death of the creator, the spells used to contain his creations have begun to weaken, allowing some of his creations to escape into the wild. Since escaping, Incendas has been on the move and eventually found its way to an area of the plains that contained a popular trade route.
Since Incendas’ arrival, travel through this trade route has come to a standstill, and the PCs have been hired to slay Incendas so this trade route can be used once again. Should the PCs succeed in killing Incendas and bring back its corpse as proof, they will each be paid 2,000 gp.
Incendas
This bulette appears to be made up entirely of molten rock.
Burn (Ex)
Incendas deals fire damage in addition to damage dealt on a successful hit in melee. Those affected by the burn ability must also succeed on a DC 22 Reflex save or catch fire, taking 2d6 points of fire damage for an additional 1d4 rounds at the start of its turn. A burning creature can attempt a new save as a full-round action. Dropping and rolling on the ground grants a +4 bonus on this save. Creatures that hit Incendas with natural weapons or unarmed attacks take fire damage as though hit by Incendas and must make a Reflex save to avoid catching on fire. See the universal monster rules for burn in the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Core Rulebook for more details.
Earth Glide (Ex)
While burrowing, Incendas can pass through stone, dirt, or almost any other sort of earth except metal as easily as a fish swims through water. Incendas can even glide through lava. Its burrowing leaves behind no tunnel or hole, nor does it create any ripple or other sign of its presence. A move earth spell cast on an area through which Incendas is burrowing flings Incendas back 30 feet, stunning the creature for 1 round unless it succeeds on a DC 15 Fortitude save.
Leap (Ex)
A bulette can perform a special kind of pounce attack by jumping into combat. When a bulette charges, it can make a DC 20 Acrobatics check to jump into the air and land next to its enemies. If it makes the Acrobatics check, it can follow up with four claw attacks against foes in reach, but cannot make a bite attack.
Savage Bite (Ex)
A bulette's bite is particularly dangerous. It applies 1-1/2 times its Strength modifier to damage inflicted with its bite attack, and threatens a critical hit on a roll of 19–20.