Cursed King
This desiccated figure wears linen wrappings and tarnished jewelry. Its humanoid body is topped with a withered crocodile head.
CR: 10 XP: 9,600
CE Medium undead
Init: +4 Senses: darkvision 60 ft. Perception: +12
Aura: demanding aura (30 ft., DC 20, 1d4 rounds)
Defense
AC: 24, touch 14, flat-footed 20 (+4 Dex, +10 natural)
hp: 119 (14d8+56)
Fort: +9 Ref: +8 Will: +13
DR: 10/—
Immune: undead traits
Weaknesses: vulnerable to fire
Offense
Speed: 30 ft.
Melee: bite +20 (1d8+10/19–20), 2 slams +20 (1d6+10)
Special Attacks: berserk, bestial curse
Statistics
Str: 30 Dex: 19 Con: — Int: 3 Wis: 19 Cha: 16
Base Atk: +10 CMB: +20 CMD: 34
Feats: Combat Reflexes, Following Step, Great Fortitude, Improved Critical (bite), Power Attack, Step Up, Step Up and Strike, Toughness
Skills: Perception +12, Stealth +16
Languages: Abyssal (can’t speak)
Ecology
Environment: warm ruins
Organization: solitary or court (2–8)
Treasure: standard
Description
Berserk (Ex) When a cursed king enters combat, there is a cumulative 1% chance each round that its tortured spirit breaks free and the creature goes berserk. This chance resets to 0% after 1 minute of inactivity. A berserk cursed king attacks the nearest living creature (or smashes some object smaller than itself if no creature is within reach). The undead’s creator, if within 60 feet, can try to regain control by speaking firmly and persuasively to the creature with a successful DC 20 Charisma check.
Bestial Curse (Su) When a cursed king is destroyed, it unleashes a final curse on all creatures within a 30-foot radius. This curse slowly robs the targets of their minds and bodies, eventually transforming them into animals of the same type as the animal head sewn to the cursed king’s body. All creatures in the area must succeed at a DC 21 Will save or take 1d6 points of Wisdom damage and 1d6 points of Charisma damage. The accursed creature doesn’t benefit from effects that remove ability damage. Once cursed, the target must succeed at a Will save every 24 hours or take ability damage again. Once the target’s Charisma or Wisdom score is reduced to 0, the victim is transformed into a mundane animal as per baleful polymorph, and is automatically treated as if it failed the second Will save to retain its mind. At this point, the creature receives the typical Wisdom and Charisma of that animal and stops taking ability damage. This is a curse effect, and the save DC is Charisma-based.
Demanding Aura (Su) All creatures within a 30-foot radius that can see a cursed king must succeed at a DC 20 Will save or be terrified into subservience. A creature that fails its saving throw gains the cowering condition for 1d4 rounds. A creature that successfully saves is not subject to the same cursed king’s demanding aura for 24 hours. This is a mind-affecting fear effect, and the save DC is Charisma-based. Pharaohs punish disloyal subjects in horrific ways, especially usurpers, rebel leaders, and false prophets who attempt to subvert the order of the nation and the loyalty of the ruler’s other followers. After torture and decapitation, the rebels’ souls are bound back into their mutilated bodies, transforming them into mummified mockeries of ambition and authority that exist for eternity in unliving agony. Cyclops, Kabandha This tall giant has no head; instead, its one-eyed face rests in the center of its broad chest.