Orc Wardrummer

Orc Wardrummer (Leader; CR 8)

Chaotic Evil - Medium - Humanoid (Orc)

Lore:	Know (Local)
14		32
Basic DC		Full DC

Initiative

19

Perception:
23	+13
Passive	Active

Ambush:

13+

on a d20

Senses:

• Standard Senses

Movement Types:

Defense

AC

25

Man Def

27

Monster Health
292	146	13
Hit Points	Bloodied	Hit Dice

Saving Throws
Fort:	+10
Refl:	+4
Will:	+10

Strong Against:

• (Leader Role) Immunity (partial 1): Leaders are immune to the first condition applied to them during an encounter. If a second condition is applied to a leader, it is resolved normally. A 'condition' is defined as any non-instantaneous harmful effect applied to the monster, other than damage, but is most commonly one of the defined Status Conditions (but it doesn't have to be). Statuses related to damage (such as injured, bloodied, staggered, dying, or dead) are not 'conditions', and cannot be negated or avoided with this ability.
• Immune (no effect): Fear, all fear-based status effects, and fear-based attacks.

Weak Against:

Offense

Size:	Medium
5 ft.		5 ft.
Space		Reach

To-Hit

+13

Man Off

+15

Action

2

Points

Standard Attack (Melee):

• 1x Bone Drumstick +13 (2d8+6/19-20 x2)
  as undefined damage type

Full Attack (Melee):

• 3x Bone Drumstick +13 (2d8+6/19-20 x2)
  as undefined damage type

Standard Attack (Ranged):

• 1x Piercing Shout +13 (2d8+6/19-20 x2)
  as undefined damage type
  (Increment: 50 ft.; Max Range: 50 ft.)
  as Sonic Damage

Full Attack (Ranged):

• 2x Piercing Shout +13 (2d8+6/19-20 x2)
  as undefined damage type
  (Increment: 50 ft.; Max Range: 50 ft.)
  as Sonic Damage

Siege Damage: Not siege capable

Statistics

18

STR

14

DEX

21

CON

13

INT

9

WIS

17

CHA

Skills:

• Perception: 13
• All other skills: 8 (no ranks)

Languages: Orcish, Common, Giant

Feats:

• Bull Rush, Improved (EFFECT: Bull Rush, Improved (Feat))

Special Abilities

Wardrums (Ex, Stance)

Once per round as a swift action, the Orc Wardrummer may initiate a performance stance using his war drum. As with all stances, this may be sustained each round as a free action, but it is disrupted if the wardrummer is knocked prone, or given a status condition which reduces the number of actions he may take in a given round. Once disrupted, the stance can be restarted with a new swift action, assuming the disrupting condition is no longer present on the orc. While maintaining this performance stance, any orc within 100 feet of the wardrummer gains a +2 morale bonus to all to-hit and damage rolls for every 5 full hit dice of the receiving orc (drop fractions). (Thus, a CR 10 Orc Centurion, which has 15 hit dice, receives a +6 morale bonus to all to-hit and damage rolls.) These effects immediately end if the stance is disrupted or the wardrummer is slain.

Shouted Orders (Ex)

Once per round as a swift action, the Orc Wardrummer may shout an order to another orc within 30 feet of him. This ability requires line of effect, but not line of sight, and does not work on deaf targets. The targeted orc may immediately take a standard action for free. In the unlikely event that multiple wardrummers are present, this ability may be used on the same target orc multiple times, though it may never be combined to grant a full-attack action.

Drumroll (Su)

Once per encounter, as a standard action, an Orc Wardrummer may deliver a frenzied flurry of strikes upon his drum, raising a cacophony which affects a 30 foot cone adjacent to its space. All allies caught in this cone are healed for points of damage and may take an immediate five-foot step as a free, triggered action. All enemies caught in the area of effect take of sonic damage instead.

Bull Rush (Ex)

Once per round, as part of a move action, the Orc Wardrummer may make a Bull_Rush against any creature whose square it threatens during the move, by rolling a Maneuver Offense check (1d20 + ) vs. the target's Maneuver Defense. This is resolved in all ways as a normal Bull_Rush attack, except that the Wardrummer may still take a swift and standard action after performing the bull rush. Because the Wardrummer has the improved bull rush feat, he does not provoke attacks of opportunity from the target of his bull rush (though he can provoke by moving out of the threatened squares of other creatures during the bull rush).

Shouted Command (Ex; Leader Role) Free Action 1/Rnd

Once per round as a free action, a Leader may grant any one ally within the sound of their voice (30 feet) a free standard action to be used immediately. This ability can normally only be used once per round, but the leader may spend an action point to activate it a second time if they wish.

Inspirational Leadership (Ex; Leader Role) Always On

Leaders give all allies a +3 morale bonus to all of their attack, damage, skill rolls, combat maneuver checks, combat maneuver damage, and any Save DC's their allies have for special abilities that allow a saving throw. This buff ends immediately when the leader is killed. This buff does not affect the leader, though if another leader is present, the leader gains this buff from the other leader. Morale bonuses do not stack; instead only the highest available bonus may be used. Note that minions treat this as a buff, gaining their own benefit instead of the listed benefit.

Keep Your Friends Close (Ex; Leader Role) Immediate Action

Once per round as an immediate action, the leader may apply all of the damage of a single attack just made against them to a single ally within 30 feet of their space, instead. The leader takes no damage from the attack, and any secondary effects of the attack (such as status conditions) are resolved against the allied creature instead. This ability may never be used more than once per round. If the leader has no allies within 30 feet, they cannot use this ability.

Orc Wardrummer

Orc Wardrummer

This creature possesses the Leader role, and therefore counts as 2 monsters for purposes of encounter size, XP award, and treasure.

Orc wardrummers aren't some timid nerd-orc who spent all his time in band practice, put on eye-liner and hung out with all the music theatre orcs. No, orc wardrummers are the orcs who decided that swinging an axe around in combat and hiding behind a shield was too boring, and decided he'd rather be the loudest, most obvious target on the field of battle, because LET THEM COME!

These are the orcs who proudly proclaim the arrival of their tribe, and beat the dirge of their enemies, laughing as the battle swirls around them. They are the veterans of many battles, often proudly wearing scars or even missing eyes or limbs. They've chosen a path of tremendous honor and almost certain death, but a death that comes from facing their enemies head-on in battle, not slowly rotting in some village hut surrounded by weaklings and invalids.

Wardrummers aren't completely defenseless, of course. They swing their mighty drumsticks as much at passing enemies as at their drum. After all, an enemy is just fresh leather waiting to be stretched.

The drum itself is usually a prized treasure of the tribe, and if it is ever lost or taken by enemies, the tribe's recovery efforts will be aggressive and swift. They typically resemble a snare drum, around 2' in diameter, and attached to the drummer by an elaborate leather harness and worn directly in front of the orc's waist. The drumsticks are often thigh bones or other trophies taken from particularly strong enemies.

A single tribe may have a few wardrummers, but they are never attached to the same unit. Instead, they are spread among the strongest raiding parties to declare the honor and pride of the tribe. Orc wardrummers are nearly always in the company of a large group of Orc Centurions, and frequently an Orc Warlord. The sound of orc drums rightly inspires fear in anyone who knows that they mean.

The presence of an Orc Wardrummer has the effect of whipping his companions into a nigh-frenzy of bloodthirst, and always makes any fight with them far more risky.

Combat Tactics

Wardrummers are probably the bravest orcs you can find. They have no fear, and they court death in battle. They make targets of themselves, order the lesser orcs around them to hurl themselves wildly into the fray, and cackle madly the whole time.

At the start of any battle, the wardrummer will begin his War Drums stance. He will sustain this throughout the fight unless prevented from doing so. Even if his stance is disrupted, he will re-initiate the War Drums stance as soon as possible.

Each round, he will exhort the Orcs around him to close with his foes and slay them. He will bide his time to strike, and attack any foe who dares engage him with his Drumstick. If he is surrounded, he will stand where he is and make full attacks, maintaining his stance the entire time and calling his fellow orcs to flank those fools around him. He is cagey enough to send his followers to target the fringe squishy characters (wizards, etc.), but he will rarely seek out such foes himself, as there is little glory in smashing such weaklings. That's what his fellow orcs are for!

Any round after the first, the Wardrummer will use Shouted Orders to give one of his comrades a free attack, usually on a pesky spellcaster, or if the Wardrummer is sorely pressed in battle, he will summon an ally to aid him. (The first round, he's used up his swift action to start up War Drums.) If he is not pressed in battle, he will use his Bull Rush to move to a point where his Drumroll ability will hit the largest number of friends and foes alike, and then use it. His Bull Rush ability is a hard-hitting attack, and he will try and use it at least once.

Wardrummers are easily the biggest threat on the battlefield, even if there's an Orc Warlord present, because of the buff that War Drums provides. Wardrummers crave battle and glory, but they also are cagey, and will hang back a bit, until all foes are engaged so he can choose the targets of his attacks wisely.

NOTE TO REFEREES: Leader monsters are dangerous, and optional. If your players are not capable combatants, think carefully before using a Leader role monster, as they are designed to challenge even extremely powerful parties.

Out of Combat

Wardrummers are not an 'official' part of Orc leadership, but their words carry weight, with Orc Warlords and leaders listening to them. As such, a Wardrummer can be a useful ally or a terrible enemy, even though they do not officially boss around any other orcs at all. Wardrummers are also highly respected for their ability to provide a good screaming bout of entertainment, and many an Orc encampment will have a Wardrummer at the center hammering the drum and howling in vicious bloodthirst, driving the entire camp into a frenzy.

Rewards

XP: 9,600 (Leader role included.)

Treasure: Sellable Goods worth 7,750 gp.

Weight: 160 lbs.     Volume: 6.4 cu. ft.

Optional Treasure Rules: Roll a d20 on Table 1 below once per encounter (NOT per creature). Any items discovered are in addition to the normal treasure for the encounter.

Table 1: Remnant(s) Found
1 - 8	Nothing Found
9 - 12	1 Languid Remnant (tier 1)
13 - 15	1 Pale Remnant (tier 2)
16 - 18	1 Bright Remnant (tier 3)
19 - 20	Roll on Table 2
###	Nothing to see here!
###	Or here. Move along.

Table 2: Remnant(s) Found
1 - 3	4 Languid Remnants (tier 1)
4 - 7	4 Pale Remnants (tier 2)
8 - 11	1 Intense Remnant (tier 4)
12 - 15	1 Blazing Remnant (tier 5)
16 - 18	1 Vital Remnant (tier 6)
19 - 20	Roll on Table 3
###	Or here. Move along.

Table 3: Remnant(s) Found
1 - 3	4 Bright Remnants (tier 3)
4 - 5	4 Intense Remnants (tier 4)
6 - 8	4 Blazing Remnants (tier 5)
9 - 11	4 Vital Remnants (tier 6)
12 - 15	1 Prime Remnant (tier 7)
16 - 18	1 Mythic Remnant (tier 8)
19 - 20	1 Empyrean Remnant (tier 9)