Tophet

Source Encyclopedia Mythica by Micha F. Lindemans

Although Moloch was entirely malevolent, firstborn children were sacrificed to him. These sacrifices were made to renew the strength of the sun fire. This ritual was popular in Carthage.

Moloch was represented as a huge bronze statue with the head of a bull. The statue was hollow, and inside there burned a fire which colored the Moloch a glowing red. Children were placed on the hands of the statue. Through an ingenious system the hands were raised to the mouth (as if Moloch were eating) and the children fell into the fire where they were consumed by the flames. The people gathered before the Moloch were dancing on the sounds of flutes and tambourines to drown out the screams of the victims.

Source: Pathfinder d20pfsrd.com

[This content was created for the Pathfinder rules by Paizo Publishing LLC and is part of the Pathfinder RPG product line.]

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

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.

Tophet CR 10

XP 9,600 N Large construct Init -1; Senses Darkvision 60 ft., Low-Light Vision; Perception +1

DEFENSE

AC 24, touch 8, flat-footed 24 (-1 Dexterity, +16 natural, -1 size) hp 107 (14d10+30) Fort +4, Ref +3, Will +5 DR 5/adamantine; Immune fire, construct traits

OFFENSE

Speed 20 ft. Melee bite +21 (2d6+8 plus grab), 2 slams +16 (1d6+8) Space 10 ft.; Reach 5 ft. Special Attacks swallow whole (no damage [see below], AC 18, 40 hp), trample (2d6+12, DC 25)

STATISTICS

Strength 26, Dexterity 8, Constitution -, Intelligence —, Wisdom 12, Charisma 1 Base Atk +14; CMB +23 (+27 grapple); CMD 32 (36 vs. trip) SQ conductive

SPECIAL ABILITIES

Conductive (Ex)   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.   Swallow Whole (Ex) 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.

ECOLOGY

Environment any Organization solitary or prison (2-12) Treasure incidental

Construction

Tophet

A tophet’s hollow body is made of 3,000 pounds of iron or steel forged in heats comparable to those found in active volcanoes. Tophets can be made of other metals as well, such as bronze or cold iron.

CL 12th; Price 45,000 gp

__________________________________________

CONSTRUCTION REQUIREMENTS

Craft Construct, bull’s strength, endure elements, creator must be caster level 12th;

Skill Craft (sculptures) DC 20; Cost 22,500 gp.

__________________________________________

Section 15: Copyright Notice – Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Bestiary 3

Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Bestiary 3, © 2011, Paizo Publishing, LLC; Authors Jesse Benner, Jason Bulmahn, Adam Daigle, James Jacobs, Michael Kenway, Rob McCreary, Patrick Renie, Chris Sims, F. Wesley Schneider, James L. Sutter, and Russ Taylor, based on material by Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook, and Skip Williams.