Steaming Soldier (CR 4)
Medium Undead (Cold)
Alignment: Always chaotic evil
Initiative: +2 (Dex); Senses: darkvision 60 ft., Listen +9, and Spot +9
AC: 17 (+2 Dex, +5 natural), touch 12, flat-footed 15
Hit Dice: 4d12+3 (29 hp)
Fort +1, Ref +3, Will +6
Speed: 30 ft.
Space: 5 ft./5 ft.
Base Attack +2; Grapple +5
Attack: Claw +5 melee
Full Attack: 2 claws +5 melee
Damage: Claw 1d4+3 plus 116 cold plus paralysis
Special Attacks/Actions: Cold, create spawn, drain heat, paralysis
Abilities: Str 16, Dex 15, Con -, Int 11, Wis 14, Cha 16
Special Qualities: immunity to cold, steam cloud, undead traits, vulnerability to fire
Feats: Combat Reflexes; Toughness
Skills: Hide +9, Listen +9, Move Silently +9, and Spot +9
Advancement: 5-8 HD (Medium)
Climate/Terrain: Any cold
Organization: Solitary, gang (2-5), or pack (6-11)
Treasure/Possessions: None
Source:
Dragon #324
Cold (Ex): A steaming soldier generates intense cold, causing opponents to take an extra 1d6 points of cold damage every time the creature succeeds on a slam attack. Creatures attacking a steaming soldier unarmed or with natural weapons take this same cold damage each time one of their attacks hits.
Create Spawn (Su): Any humanoid slain by a steaming soldier becomes a steaming soldier in 1d4 rounds. Spawn are under the command of the steaming soldier that created them and remain enslaved until its destruction. They do not possess any of the abilities they had in life.
Drain Heat (Su): A steaming soldier can drain the heat from a victim by pulling it into a horrific kiss. A steaming soldier that makes a successful grapple check and pins its foe drains heat. The victim suffers 1d4 points of Constitution damage each round the pin is maintained.
Paralysis (Ex): Creatures that suffer cold damage from a steaming soldier's melee attacks must make a DC 15 Fortitude save or be covered in a skin of frost that paralyzes them for 1d4+1 rounds. The save DC is Charisma-based.
Steam Cloud (Su): A steaming soldier is always surrounded by a billowing cloud of mist that functions as the spell fog cloud, except that it always remains centered on the steaming soldier. Steaming soldiers can see through this mist and natural fog, suffering no miss chance. Magic fog affects visibility for them as normal.
Steaming soldiers prefer to attack from surprise, using their ever-present mists for concealment. They dose to melee as quickly as possible in order to claw and paralyze foes. Once a target is paralyzed, steaming soldiers use their drain heat ability to finish off the target and create a new steaming soldier.
Steaming soldiers are undead born of battles on frigid tundra and unforgiving ice fields. These monstrosities arise when wounded warriors are left to die on the battlefield, and the icy landscape drains their warmth. Their name comes from their open wounds that fill the areas around them with clouds of steam. These creatures seek the natural warmth drained from them in death, and they terrorize travelers and small settlements in cold areas.
Steaming soldiers are difficult to see due to the roiling mists that surround them, and they are usually only glimpsed as indistinct shapes in the fog. Behind their grim veil of fog, they are horrible creatures to behold, their undead nature evident from their deathly blue skin, luminous red eyes, and great gaping wounds that seep billowing clouds of steam.
Cold Subtype
A creature with the cold subtype has immunity to cold. It has vulnerability to fire, which means it takes half again as much (+50%) damage as normal from fire, regardless of whether a saving throw is allowed, or if the save is a success or failure.