Ruin Chanter

Embodiments of the slow decay wrought by time, ruin chanters are ancient fey who seek out broken and abandoned places to protect. They are given over to nostalgia and sorrow for glories long gone, and channel these emotions into melancholy songs of power.

Originally posted on the THE CREATURE CHRONICLE

A ruin chanter closely resembles a tall, spindly elf with weathered brown skin and long silvery hair. Its eyes are solid black, with no iris or pupils. Its clothes are tattered and faded, taken from the corpses of those who defile its domicile. Ruin chanters are selfish and consumed with melancholy, angrily retaliating against any who enter their ruins for any reason other than restoring the glories of the past.

Ruin chanters assume the worst of any beings who enter their domains, lashing out at them with their mystical songs and the debilitating power of time itself. They use their natural agility to great advantage and avoid revealing their powers of flight, using it mainly to glide over difficult terrain or trick creatures into following them onto unstable surfaces. However, creatures who truly wish to restore the ruins to their former glory can find a powerful (if unpredictable) ally in a ruin chanter.

Ruin chanters shun most other creatures, though they may occasionally visit ruin chanters from other nearby locales, usually to mate (a rare occurrence). The stony ruin elementals come into being solely through the ruin chanters’ power, and are the only company they truly enjoy. The powerful orichalcum dragons often seek out ruined sites to rebuild in their own image, and while ruin chanters often welcome them at first, many quickly find the dragons’ presence overbearing and grow to resent the subjects it attracts and turn against them. Constructs and undead native to the ruin chanter’s home are tolerated and treated as simply features of the site.

RUIN CHANTER
CR: 14
XP: 38,400
CN Medium fey (air, earth)
Init: +11; Senses: Low-light vision; Perception +26
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AC: 32, touch 18, flat-footed 24 (+7 Dex, +1 dodge, +14 natural)
hp: 210 (20 HD)
Fort +12, Ref +19, Will +15
DR 15/cold iron and magic; Immune: Disease, poison; SR: 25
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Speed: 40 ft., fly 40 ft. (perfect)
Melee: +2 adamantine heavy mace +20/+15 (1d8+9)
Special Attacks: Bardic performance (33 rounds/day; countersong, dirge of doom, distraction, fascinate, inspire competence +4, inspire courage +3, inspire greatness, soothing performance, suggestion; DC 23), call ruin elemental, infirmity of body, infirmity of mind
Spell-Like Abilities (CL 20th, concentration +27, +15 melee touch):
3/day – Crushing despair (DC 21), rusting grasp (DC 21), spike stones (DC 21)
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Str 20, Dex 25, Con 23, Int 18, Wis 17, Cha 25
Base Atk: +10; CMB: +15; CMD: 33
Feats: Combat Expertise, Dodge, Endurance, Improved Initiative, Mobility, Spring Attack, Toughness, Weapon Finesse, Weapon Focus (heavy mace), Whirlwind Attack
Skills: Acrobatics +30, Fly +38, Intimidate +27, Knowledge (engineering) +24, Knowledge (history) +24, Perception +26, Perform (sing) +30, Spellcraft +24, Stealth +30, Survival +23
Languages: Auran, Common, Giant, Sylvan, Terran
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Environment: Any land (ruins)
Organization: Solitary or pair plus 0-3 ruin elementals
Treasure: Double
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Bardic Performance (Su): As a 12th-level bard.
Call Ruin Elemental (Su): Once per week, when a ruin chanter is aware of interlopers within the ruins it calls home, it can conjure a ruin elemental after an hour-long ritual. During the ritual, a storm appropriate for the climate strikes the ruin chanter’s home. When the ritual is complete, the storm disappears suddenly and a ruin elemental appears, ready to do the ruin chanter’s bidding. Since the ruin elemental serves the ruin chanter until the elemental is destroyed, it’s possible for a ruin chanter to have more than one ruin elemental serving it.
Infirmity of Body (Su): By pointing its finger, a ruin chanter can prematurely age an enemy’s body. Doing so imposes a -6 penalty to Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution, and causes the victim’s hair to turn white, skin to wrinkle, and posture to stoop (Fortitude DC 27 negates). The penalty lasts for 1 hour or until the victim receives a remove curse spell. A ruin chanter cannot place both infirmity of body and infirmity of mind on the same creature. The save DC is Charisma-based.
Infirmity of Mind (Su): With a wave of its hand, a ruin chanter can render a creature senile and unable to reliably tell friend from foe. This ability functions as a confusion spell (Will DC 27 negates) and makes victims appear elderly just as infirmity of body does. Infirmity of mind lasts for 1 hour or until the victim receives a remove curse spell. A ruin chanter cannot place both infirmity of body and infirmity of mind on the same creature. The save DC is Charisma-based.