Ettin Bonebreaker

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Ettin Bonebreaker (HeavyCR 11)

Neutral Evil - Large - Monstrous Humanoid (Giant)
Lore: Know (Nature)
22 37
Basic DC Full DC
Initiative
Initiative Icon 2.png
19
Perception:
30 +20
Passive Active
Ambush:
10+
on a d20

Senses:

Movement Types:

Defense

AC
Shield Icon 3.png
30
Man Def
Shield Icon 3.png
32
Monster Health
484 242 19
Hit Points Bloodied Hit Dice
Saving Throws
Fort: +13
Refl: +8
Will: +10

Strong Against:

  • ER /Acid
  • (Heavy Role) Immunity (partial 3): Heavies are immune to the first three conditions applied to them during an encounter. If a fourth condition is applied to a heavy, 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.
Weak Against:

Offense

Size: Large
10 ft. 10 ft.
Space Reach
To-Hit
+18
Sword Icon 3.png
Man Off
+20
Sword Icon 3.png
Action
1
Points

Standard Attack (Melee):

  • 2x Giant Club +18 (3d8+14/19-20 x2)
    as undefined damage type
    plus Giant Swing

Full Attack (Melee):

  • 4x Giant Club +18 (3d8+14/19-20 x2)
    as undefined damage type
    plus Giant Swing

Standard Attack (Ranged):

  • 2x Giant Boulder +18 (3d8+14/19-20 x2)
    as undefined damage type
    (Increment: 30 ft.; Max Range: 150 ft.)

Full Attack (Ranged):

  • 4x Giant Boulder +18 (3d8+14/19-20 x2)
    as undefined damage type
    (Increment: 30 ft.; Max Range: 150 ft.)

Siege Damage: Not siege capable

Statistics

50
STR
14
DEX
16
CON
0.21052631578947
INT
0.72727272727273
WIS
8
CHA

Skills:

  • Knowledge (Local): 19 (May only use this skill half the time, otherwise rolls using the base number, below.)
  • Perception: 20
  • Sense Motive: 19 (May only use this skill half the time, otherwise rolls using the base number, below.)
  • Stealth: 19 (May only use this skill half the time, otherwise rolls using the base number, below.)
  • All other skills: 13 (no ranks)

Languages: Giant, Common, the stupid head speaks only Giant (pidgin)

Feats:

  • Power Attack (EFFECT: This monster may take a -2 to all to-hits in exchange for a +9 bonus damage per attack.)

Special Abilities

Two Actions (Ex)

In combat, the ettin acts twice in each round, at different initiative numbers.

The ettin's stupid head, the hill giant head, takes its full normal action (a standard, move, and swift action) on its initiative. The ettin's smart head gets a special action each round 5 initiative ticks later. During this special action, the smart head of the Ettin controls the entire body of the Ettin, and it can take a 5-foot step and a standard action. This standard action can be used to take any actions the Ettin wishes to make, but in particular, can be used to cast a spell (which the hill giant head isn't smart enough to cast on its turn).
If an Ettin's initiative is less than five, it takes its special action in initiative 1. If an Ettin's initiative is moved, its secondary action tick moves as well to remain 5 ticks after the main action. If an Ettin holds its main action, its secondary action also is held. It is possible for an Ettins secondary action to be moved to the top of the next round, but not for a low initiative roll to move it there.
Note that ettins also have an action point. The action point may be spent on either of its turns, but note that the ettin's spell can only be cast during the smart head's special standard action.
The bonus 5-foot step of the smart head is only usable if the special standard action is not used to move. However, the 5-foot step can be used even if the hill giant head has already moved or taken a 5-foot step during the Ettin's main turn.
Earthen Smash (Ex)

As a standard action, an Ettin may swing its huge club overhead and SMASH! THE GROUND! Ettin's stupid heads love doing this, because it makes them feel smart and effective, just like their smart head.

Earthen Smash is a 30 foot cone area of effect that due to flying debris and concussive shockwaves will even affect creaturs in the air or under the ground. It does points of physical bludgeoning damage and knocks all creatures prone. A reflex save versus DC negates the prone effect and reduces the damage by half.
Giant Swing (Ex)

Every time the Ettin uses its Giant Club attack, it may choose two any two squares in its reach. If there are enemies in both of those squares, they are all attacked every time it uses its Giant Club attack. (Roll to-hit once, compare this number against all foes to determine if they are hit or missed. Roll damage once, apply it to all creatures struck. Giant swing counts as AOE damage for swarms and other effects.)

Eruption (Sp)
  • Concentration: 1d20 + 13 vs. a DC of 27 (14 needed on the die)

During the smart head's special action, as a standard action, the ettin may cast Eruption. Eruption causes the ground in a 7x7 square area within 100 feet of the Ettin to explode upward, injuring any creatures either on the ground or within 40 feet of the ground. This 40-foot tall cylinder of stone shards inflicts points of physical damage to anyone in the area. Each creature in the area may make a reflex save against DC to reduce this damage by half.

Liberating Injury (Ex)

The first time the Ettin Bonebreaker is reduced to zero or fewer hit points, instead of dying, the more delicate smart head of the ettin is instead slain. The stupid head immediately erupts into a gleeful fury, having been liberated from its inseparable enemy at long last. Its dark joy is so great that it is rendered immune to all damage as it slowly processes its incredible good fortune.

At the start of the Ettin's next turn, its damage immunity ends, it immediately shrugs off any status conditions affecting it, and its hit points are immediately restored to 50% of their normal maximum ( hit points). Because the smart head is now dead, the Ettin loses its ability to cast the Eruption spell and no longer gets a second standard action 5 ticks after its normal initiative.
However, because of its ebullient joy at being liberated from the smart-head's incessant arrogance, the Ettin flies into a frenzy, gaining +3 to-hit, raising its save DC's by +3, and dealing an extra +5 damage with each attack of its club (including Earthen Smash damage rolls). These bonuses persist until the Ettin is reduced to 0 or fewer hit points a second time, at which point it actually dies.

Reversal of Fortune (Ex; Heavy Role) Auto Upon Death
The first time in an encounter that a Heavy is reduced to zero or fewer hit points, it falls prone, apparently dead. But this is a ruse. When this occurs, the Heavy becomes immune to all damage and effects. However, it may not perform any actions (such as attacks of opportunity) until this immunity expires.

At the beginning of its next turn, any conditions the Heavy is currently suffering under (such as Prone) are immediately cleared, and its hit points are set to half its normal maximum (242 hit points). Furthermore, the Heavy may immediately Slide up to 8 squares (40 feet) as a free action, after which its immunity to damage expires. As forced movement, this Slide does not provoke attacks of opportunity, but even if it did, the Heavy is immune to all damage and effects until after the slide is completed. It must perform this Slide before any other actions during its turn, and the immunity expires at the beginning of its turn even if it chooses not to Slide first.

The Heavy is killed for good the second time its hit points are reduced to zero or less.

Ettin Bonebreaker

Ettin Bonebreaker

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

Ettins are hill giants that have a genetic mutation giving them two heads, instead of merely one. This is a surprisingly common mutation, occurring in about 10% of all hill giant births. Also surprising is the fact that the mutated head, nearly always smaller than the 'dominant' head, is both intelligent, and magically attuned. That is, they are spellcasters.
The reason that ettins are comparatively rare, despite their high birth rates among the hill giant population, is that the mutated intelligent head tends to be an intolerable smart-ass all the time. As a result, most ettins fail to reach adulthood, either because their parents, neighbors or peers club them to death before they reach maturity, or they club themselves to death as a result of one of their many arguments with their stupider head.
Encountering an ettin is often a pretty funny encounter, because of the constant self-bickering (and self-abuse). However, a wise party will not underestimate these ungainly behemoths. Ettins are terrible opponents, capable of massive feats of brute strength, as well as spellcasting. Ettins have a strong affinity with the earth, and their spells reflect this.
Ettin Bonebreakers act twice during combat. The hill giant head takes its full normal complement of actions, as normal. Then, shortly after, the mutated smart head takes an additional action, which can be...quite offputting.

Combat Tactics

Ettins fight very similarly to Hill Giants except for their bonus standard action. The bonus action of the smart head is nearly always used to cast a spell. However, if the smart head sees that combat casting may not be wise, it can use any of the other actions available to the hill giant head (giant swing and earthen smash).

During the hill giant head's turn, the Ettin will make attacks without much regard for accidentally including allies in any areas of effect he might use (as with Earthen Smash). However, during the smart head's turn, much more care is taken to avoid unnecessarily damaging allies.
Ettins will usually spend their action point to cast another spell, typically in the very first round of combat. An Ettin's alpha strike is terrible indeed!
Ettins rarely run from any combat, because one or the other head will refuse to. As a result, Ettins fight to the death.

Out of Combat

Ettins are still extremely strong, but unlike Hill Giants, can't just casually pluck the tops off mountains outside of combat. Note that an Ettin's prodigious strength does not translate to any benefits (other than those listed above) inside of combat. We didn't forget to add the damage in, the absurd strength is an out-of-combat thing.

That said, Ettins can be found in a lot of places. Their smart heads naturally want their idiot flat-mates to be more civilized, so its possible to find small groups of Ettins living in well-designed but crudely built keeps, often with some ogres around to keep the place running nice. Ettins are not terribly popular as henchmen, however, since their constant internal bickering wears on the nerves of even the most patient.
That said, Ettins are VERY powerful, and if you can put up with them, they have all the benefits of a Hill Giant coupled with scary amounts of ranged firepower. It is not unusual to find powerful evil warlords with small squads of Ettins...that are generally kept away from others as much as possible.

Rewards

XP: 25,600 (Heavy role included.)

Treasure: Sellable Goods worth 18,750 gp.

Weight: 220 lbs.     Volume: 8.8 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)