Remorhaz

An immense centipede-like beast erupts from the snow, rows of chitinous plates on its back glowing red-hot.

Remorhaz (CR 7)

Huge Magical Beast
Alignment: Neutral
Initiative: +1
Senses: Darkvision 60 feet, Low-Light Vision, Tremorsense 60 feet; Perception +16

Speed: 30 feet, Burrow 20 feet
Space: 15 feet

Defense

Armor Class: 20, touch 9, flat-footed 19 (+1 Dex, +11 natural, -2 size)
Hit Points: 94 (9d10+45)
Saving Throws: Fort +11, Ref +7, Will +4
Immunity: fire, cold

Offense

Melee: bite +13 (3d6+9 plus Grab)
Reach: 15 feet

Special Attacks: Heat, Swallow Whole (2d6+9 plus 8d6 fire, AC 15, hp 9)

Statistics

Str	Dex	Con	Int	Wis	Cha
22 (+6)	13 (+1)	21 (+5)	5 (-3)	12 (+1)	10 (+0)

Base Attack Bonus: +9
CMB +17 (+21 Grapple)
CMD 28 (can't be tripped)

Feats: Awesome Blow, Cleave, Powerful Maneuvers, Skill Focus (Perception)

Skills: Perception +16

Languages: Giant (cannot speak)

Special Abilities

Heat (Su)

An enraged remorhaz generates heat so intense that anything touching its body takes 8d6 points of fire damage. Creatures striking a remorhaz with natural attacks or unarmed strikes are subject to this damage, but creatures striking with melee weapons are not. The heat can melt or burn weapons; any weapon that strikes a remorhaz is allowed a DC 19 Fortitude save to avoid taking damage. The save DC is Constitution-based.

Ecology

Environment: Cold Deserts or Glaciers
Organization: solitary
Treasure: none


In a world of ice and snow, the remorhaz is particularly feared for the terrible fires that burn within its body. These internal fires cause the armor plates along its back to glow red-hot when the creature is particularly angry, excited, or in pain. Creatures adapted to arctic regions are often particularly vulnerable to fire, making the remorhaz's primary defense an incredibly potent one and securing its role as a dangerous predator in such frozen reaches.

Remorhazes dwell in extensive warrens carved into the hearts of glaciers. The beasts use their heat to melt tunnels through ice, tunnels whose smooth glassy sides swiftly refreeze in their wake to create uncommonly stable and numerous mazes.

Although the remorhaz has much in common superficially with lesser vermin, the beast is surprisingly intelligent. While not capable of speech, the typical remorhaz has a good grasp of the Giant tongue, and tribes of giants often use this to their advantage to secure allegiances with the great beasts. Frost giants are particularly obsessed with them, for those giants who brave the cruel and deadly burns a remorhaz can inflict to become "worm friends" gain a potent weapon to use against their enemies-an assassin capable of burrowing up through the floor of a glacial keep to strike directly against a frost giant's greatest weakness: fire.

Other giants use the beasts as living forges, for their backs are hot enough to melt metal. A remorhaz is 25 feet long and weighs 10,000 pounds.