Dwarf Ancestor (CR 6)

Large Outsider (Native)
Alignment: Alwats lawful good
Initiative: -1(Dex); Senses: darkvision 60 ft., Listen +9, and Spot +9
Languages: Dwarven

AC: 26 (-1 size, -1 Dex, +18 natural), touch 8, flat-footed 27
Hit Dice: 5d8+45 (67 hp); DR: 10/adamantine
Fort +13, Ref +3, Will +5
Speed: 20 ft.
Space: 10 ft.; Reach 10 ft.
Base Attack +5; Grapple +15
Attack: Melee: +7 greataxe +11 (1d12+10/x3)
Damage:
Special Attacks:
Attack Options: Cleave, Power Attack
Abilities: Str 22, Dex 8, Con 28, Int 8, Wis 13, Cha 14
Special Abilities: Aura: ancestral spirit (30 ft.)
Special Qualities: blink out
Feats: Cleave, Power Attack,
Skills: Climb +14, Intimidate +10, Jump -4, Knowledge (history) +7, Knowledge (the planes) +7, Listen +9, Spot +9, and Survival +1 (+3 on other planes)
Advancement: 6-18 HD (Large)
Climate/Terrain: Underground dwarven complexes
Organization: Usually solitary
Treasure/Possessions: None

Source: Monster Manual IV

A great statue come to life blocks the way threateningly. It looks like a dwarf warrior clad in splint mail, all formed of dark granite. It raises an enormous axe and challenges you in a gravelly voice.

Ancestral Spirit (Su): Any dwarf within 30 feet of a dwarf ancestor gains a +1 morale bonus on attack rolls and damage rolls.

Blink Out (Su): Once per day, a dwarf ancestor can become incorporeal until the beginning of its next turn. Activating this ability is a free action that does not provoke attacks of opportunity.

A dwarf ancestor is the spirit of an ancient dwarf hero brought back from the afterlife to serve by the will and prayers of a dwarf cleric. It comes to those who plead to Moradin the Soul Forger for aid. When first summoned, a dwarf ancestor takes up residence within a statue of a dwarf hero, animating it. As a result, many mistake the stony creatures for constructs on first encountering them.

Strategies and Tactics

A dwarf ancestor is called to aid its people in times of crisis. It defends dwarven halls with grim determination, and it does not retreat or give quarter. It fights until destroyed or until those dwarves it is protecting are safe.

Although of lawful good alignment, the ancestor does not distinguish between enemies on the basis of their moral philosophies. If its descendants are in danger, it attacks all who threaten them. It is not unintelligent, though, and the possessing spirit was usually a warrior in a previous life. It focuses on the most dangerous-looking combatant first and exploits its Power Attack to maximize damage (taking its opponent's armor into consideration) to defeat it quickly, turning on the next with a Cleave attack whenever possible. Despite its impressive damage reduction, it has no special protection against spells, so it targets obvious spellcasters as quickly as possible.

It is unusual to encounter more than one or two dwarf ancestors, although in times of war the priests of Moradin might call for additional assistance. Usually an ancestor provides a bulwark in melee for a group of dwarf soldiers.

Ecology

Dwarf ancestors appear only when they are called to defend. They are the spirits of heroes long dead, returned to the Material Plane in times of need. They have no need of food, drink, sleep, or air. An ancestor might stand for centuries to guard a holy place, but most often it comes for a specific battle and is released afterward. Dwarves are loath to imprison such valiant souls, preferring to send them back to Moradin's halls as soon as possible.

The bond between dwarf ancestor and its statue host cannot be severed by any means except slaying the creature or banishing it back to Moradin's halls (although the statue remains behind, inert, in the latter case).

Corrupted Ancestors: Dwarf ancestors sometimes fall into the hands of duergar. These unfortunate souls are usually corrupted by the duergar (whom the ancestors see only as dwarves) and turned against their true nature. In lands where dwarf strongholds have fallen to duergar attack, some deranged ancestors patrol ancient corridors, looking to assuage their pain in the blood of living creatures.

Environment: Dwarf ancestors are nearly always found in underground complexes, forming the last line of defense for a community. Royal halls, ancestral homes, and temples are some of the places most likely to be guarded by a dwarf ancestor, although some dwarf priests can summon these champions of Moradin into other battles for a short time.

Typical Physical Characteristics: A typical dwarf ancestor enters a statue 12 feet tall. The statue is carved from the native rock, often granite, and (depending on the kind of stone) weighs 3,000 to 4,000 pounds. The summoned spirit can be that of anything from a relatively low-level fighter to a great champion. The outward appearance of the statue gives no hint as to the strength of the outsider within.

Although the example given here is armed with a greataxe, a dwarf ancestor can wield whatever weapon the statue bears (usually a dwarven waraxe, maul, or greatclub).

Alignment: Dwarf ancestors are always lawful good. They are the spirits of those who fought selflessly for their people, and they are the implacable enemies of all that threaten the dwarf clans. Corrupted ancestors, however, are usually lawful evil.

Society

Dwarf ancestors answer the call of Moradin's beleaguered faithful, because they were heroes who protect those in need. Many were themselves killed in battle and welcome the opportunity to fight once more against their people's enemies. Their stony bodies suffer no pain, and they can fight to utter destruction without fear, since they return to Moradin's hall at the end of the battle.

Dwarf warriors are fierce and fearless, but these reconstituted champions fight with a ruthlessness and lust for battle that is awe-inspiring. They have nothing to lose, and their cause is the most noble. They shout and sing in their grinding, booming voices as their weapons whirl.

Typical Treasure

A dwarf ancestor, being a spirit called into this world, possesses no treasure. A slain spirit does not leave behind its weapon, which is destroyed along with the statue that houses the ancestor. When ancestors are encountered with a warband or company of dwarves, the group yields treasure (largely in the form of equipment) commensurate with its Encounter Level. If the PCs dare to plunder a temple of Moradin, they can recover the offerings made to summon an ancestor (if the money has not already been used).

Dwarf Ancestor Lore

Characters with ranks in Knowledge (local), Knowledge (religion), or Knowledge (the planes) can learn more about dwarf ancestors. When a character makes a successful skill check, the following lore is revealed, including the information from lower DCs.

Knowledge (Local)

Knowledge (Religion)

Knowledge (the Planes)

Advanced Dwarf Ancestors

Although the size and appearance of the statue does not change, the spirit within might be that of a very powerful warrior. A dwarf ancestor can have up to 18 Hit Dice (the maximum allowed by the greater planar ally spell) but is still Large size. More powerful champions are avatars of Moradin and require epic-level magic to call upon. These spirits are housed in Huge statues; such sculptures exist only in the greatest centers of Moradin's worship. Legend holds that Moradin himself once appeared in the form of an ancestor, but no magic would summon a god. Only the imminent destruction of his people might bring the Soul Forger to fight in person.

For Player Characters

A cleric of Moradin can summon a dwarf ancestor using summon monster V or a higher-level summon monster spell or can call on a dwarf ancestor for longer periods of service with a planar ally spell. The basic version of the creature can be called using lesser planar ally, but advanced ancestors require higher-level versions of the spell.

A summoner must still pay the price required for the ancestor's service. However, because it is called in defense of Moradin's children, the gp cost equivalent is one-half normal. Typically this offering is used to craft superior or magical battle gear for the settlement's defenses. The cleric might instead perform a service for the settlement, such as raising dead combatants at no charge or embarking on a perilous quest.

Dwarf Ancestors in Faerˆn

Although any dwarf community might call on ancestors for aid, the most famed statues of dwarf heroes are found in Mithral Hall. This great city of the shield dwarves in the Silver Marches was reclaimed from the dragon Shimmergloom only a few short decades earlier, and many warriors fell at the side of their champion, Bruenor Battlehammer. King Bruenor is now dedicated to restoring the city's ancient glory and to removing the threat from the Underdark for good. Many spirits of fallen champions now inhabit the statues of Mithral Hall, and they accompany war parties into the Underdark or stand guard over the mithral miners who have once again ventured into the haunted tunnels.

In addition to Moradin, the dwarven deities Berronar Truesilver, Clangeddin Silverbeard, and Gorm Gulthyn sometimes send ancestor spirits in response to prayer. These gods share the portfolios of defending the dwarf community and are receptive to requests for aid.