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Archives of Nethys

Archives of Nethys

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PFS StandardPainted Stag

At a distance, painted stags appear constructed in the general shape of male deer, their flanks and antlers decorated with unique, colorful patterns. But while they retain (and indeed, augment) the blueprints Shumunue imparted upon them, painted stags reject the confines of the Carved Lady's art of mimicry. Today, their cloven, hardwood hooves can crush bone and daub paint with equal skill, and their antlers snap together in a deadly vise. Their torsos rotate freely to navigate the latticed trees of their home plane—all the better to chase prey to their inevitable death.

Recall Knowledge - Elemental (Arcana, Nature): DC 26
Recall Knowledge - Plant (Nature): DC 26
Unspecific Lore: DC 24
Specific Lore: DC 21

Elite | Normal | Weak
Proficiency without Level

Painted StagCreature 9

Huge Elemental Plant Wood 
Source Rage of Elements pg. 210
Perception +21
Skills Athletics +18, Intimidation +23, Nature +18
Str +7, Dex +3, Con +5, Int +2, Wis +1, Cha +4
AC 27; Fort +18, Ref +12, Will +21
HP 175, regeneration 10 (deactivated by fire); Immunities bleed, paralyzed, poison, sleep; Weaknesses axes 10, fire 10
Speed 45 feet, climb 60 feet
Melee [one-action] antler +20 [+15/+10], Damage 2d12+7 piercing plus GrabMelee [one-action] hooves +20 [+15/+10], Damage 2d10+7 bludgeoningMauler A painted stag gains a +5 circumstance bonus to damage rolls against creatures it has grabbed.Painted Dance [two-actions] (auditory, mental, plant, primal, visual) The stag shakes the wooden plating along its body in a cacophonous clatter that sets its painted patterns dancing. All creatures within 60 feet of the painted stag who can see or hear it must attempt a DC 28 Will save; a creature grabbed by the stag takes a –4 circumstance penalty to its save. Regardless of the result of its save, each creature is temporarily immune for 1 hour.
Critical Success The creature is unaffected.
Success The creature is fascinated by the painted stag for 1 round.
Failure The creature is stunned 2 and fascinated by the painted stag for as long as it's stunned.
Critical Failure As failure, except stunned 4.

Sidebar - Additional Lore Artistic Exchange

Though few know it, painted stags paint their own markings—making their sporadic appearances in elven art and tattoos, particularly in those cultures descended from the lost nation of Mierani in Varisia, all the more appropriate. Many modern depictions, however, erroneously portray them as benevolent protectors of the forest. Only Darklands tattoo cultures consistently depict them as the relentless predators they truly are.

All Monsters in "Elemental, Wood"

NameLevel
Carved Beast6
Elemental Thicket11
Living Grove5
Moss Sloth2
Nursery Crawler3
Painted Stag9
Pine Pangolin7
Snapdrake8
Twins of Rowan13
Vegetable Lamb1
Whipping Willow4

Elemental, Wood

Source Rage of Elements pg. 204
At first glance, wood elementals might not seem to have the same destructive potential as their cousins from the Planes of Fire, Water, or Air, but don't be fooled. The woods can be a dangerous place.

Though some resemble animals, the elemental beasts presented here are still plants, and their life cycles reflect it. Vegetable lambs grow on rooted stalks, from which they can't be removed until they've matured (or perhaps ripened), leaving them dependent on their immediate surroundings for food. Moss sloths are little more than lumps of green fluff for the first century of their existence, only gaining limited mobility once they can grow their defensive wooden claws.

Elemental

Related Groups Elemental, Air, Elemental, Earth, Elemental, Fire, Elemental, Mephit, Elemental, Metal, Elemental, Water, Elemental, Wisp
The Elemental Planes—primordial realms defined by aspects of air, earth, fire, or water—are home to a diverse group of beings known as elementals. Spellcasters on the Material Plane call upon elementals for aid, though these enigmatic creatures can also travel to the world of mortals via interplanar gateways and rifts. The elementals on these pages exemplify the creatures of the Elemental Planes, but this list is by no means exhaustive.

Sidebar - Additional Lore A Brain By Any Other Name

Even if Lady Shumunue taught the wood elementals' ancestors to mimic animals, a wood elemental's consciousness is contained not in a brain but in its root system. Entities like nursery crawlers, living groves, and carved beasts use this to their advantage. That an elemental's wooden body can be carved and crafted, apparently without lasting harm, implies that they might not feel pain so long as their roots remain undamaged.

Sidebar - Additional Lore Wild But Unwild

Many wood elementals are created by kizidhar and other powerful creatures on the Plane of Wood and placed in rote roles. Populating nature preserves and sprawling estates, they can be unsure how to behave if released into the wild. They're essentially born domesticated and will likely act far differently than the wild creatures they mimic, even in natural environments. Their natural predators are few, putting the elementals at less risk, although they're still sometimes eaten by giant termites or captured by some as pets.