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CINDERELLE
Medium-Size Undead (Fire)
Hit Dice: 7d12 (45hp)
Initiative: +6 (+2 Dex, +4 Improved Initiative)
Speed: 30 feet
AC: 12 (+2 Dex)
Attacks: Cinder touch +3 melee
Damage: Cinder touch 1d8 heat + 1d8 combustion
Face/Reach: 5ft by 5ft/5ft
Special Attacks: Cinder Touch, Shriek of a Fiery Death, Spell-Like Abilities
Special Qualities: Ashen, Charred Heart, Feylike, Fire Subtype, Undead, Unnatural Aura
Saves: Fort +2, Ref +5, Will +8
Abilities: Str 10, Dex 15, Con -, Int 14, Wis 15, Cha 18
Skills: Bluff 6, Hide 8, Intimidate 12, Jump 4, Listen 10, Move Silently 10, Sense Motive 4, Spot 12, Wilderness Lore 10
Feats: Alertness, Blind-Fight, Improved Initiative
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Climate/Terrain: Temperate and warm forest
Organization: Solitary
Challenge Rating: 12
Treasure: Standard (10%), Destroyed by Fire (90%)
Alignment: Always chaotic evil
Advancement: 8-11HD (Medium-size)
Cinderelles are malevolent, undead fey, the spirits of dryads slain when their mystical oaks were destroyed by fire. Their dryadic nature perverted, cinderelles are fueled in their unlife by a burning hatred and rejection of all things living and especially of trees, mere tinder in the face of fires all-consuming power. Why only certain and thankfully few dryads slain this way rise from the ashes as cinderelles is unknown, but scholars suspect that the presence of a great evil or powerful undead at the time of the dryads death, or the oaks destruction by blighted or unholy fire, as possible causes. A cinderelles features are an ashen mockery of its former beauty. Its features are still delicate, feminine, and elfin, but now it is gaunt with the details less refined, forever caught in an expression of hate and pain. A cinderelles skin appears to be of fine ash, powdery and pale grey, and the creature leaves trickles of it in its wake and with every touch. Its hair has become billowing smoke, flecked with occasional sparks, and its eyes burn with fiery, smoldering rage. Cinderelles are always solitary beings, as only one cinderelle can haunt a single area. Even when numerous dryads in a specific area are slain in a fire, only one cinderelle can possibly rise. Cinderelles speak Common, Elven, and Sylvan.
COMBAT
Highly territorial and hateful of all things living, a cinderelle will target Plant creatures first, attempting to destroy them instantly with its cinder touch. It next targets creatures with wooden weapons, attempting to disarm them, or those posing the most immediate threat. When outnumbered, it prefers battle from a distance, producing flame, causing fear, creating stinking clouds, and even escaping in gaseous form when necessary. It resorts to incendiary cloud, which weakens it, and its Shriek of Fiery Death only as last resorts to avoid its pending destruction.
Ashen (Ex): The body of a cinderelle resembles a delicate sculpture of ash, one likely to crumble into a cloud with the lightest touch or breeze. So fine and nearly untouchable is the cinderelles form that most weapons seem to pass harmlessly through it, causing a few sparks and a momentary, smoldering fracture in its ashen skin. The cinderelle enjoys damage reduction 10/- against slashing and piercing weapons and takes only half damage from crushing weapons. Damaging blows often cause the cinderelle to shed a spray of sparks.
Cinder Touch (Su): The cinderelles touch deals 1d8 points of heat damage to those it touches and to those who touch it. When the cinderelle uses cinder touch as a touch attack, the creature touched must also succeed at a Reflex save (DC 15) or briefly catch fire, taking an additional 1d6 points of fire damage. A creature that takes this fire damage for three consecutive rounds must make a Fortitude save (DC 15) at the end of the third round or burst into flames, taking 2d6 points of fire damage per round until the flames are extinguished or the victim dies. Cinder touch is especially deadly against vegetable matter. Plants or wooden objects that the cinderelle touches or that touch it must also make a Fortitude save (DC 20) or be instantly be destroyed and reduced to ash.
Spell-Like Abilities (Sp): The cinderelle can detect plants and animals, feather fall, and water walk (within the bounds of its haunting) at will, as the spells cast by a 6th-level caster. Up to three times per day each, a cinderelle can produce flame (DC 16), assume a gaseous form, arouse a stinking cloud of ash (DC 17), and cause fear (DC 15), all as spells cast by a 6th-level caster. Once per day, it may create an incendiary cloud (DC 22) centered on itself, as cast by an 16th-level sorcerer. After creating an incendiary cloud, the cinderelle is fatigued for 1 hour and cannot use cinder touch or produce flame during that time. A cinderelle who is killed by melee or force attacks and who has not yet used its incendiary cloud has a 25% of erupting into one upon its death.
Shriek of a Fiery Death (Su): When reduced to less than 50% of its hit point total, the cinderelle can recreate the haunting shriek of horror and pain it screamed when it burned to death as a dryad. This horrible, unearthly wail resembles the spell wail of the banshee (DC 23) as cast by a 18th-level sorcerer, except that only the 4 closest creatures are affected; those affect who fail the Fortitude save (DC 23) erupt in fire and are instantly slain. The cinderelle can only issue its shriek once per day, and only when so wounded.
The Charred Heart (Su): Each cinderelle is mystically bound to the spot where once lived and thrived the oak, the center of its dryadic life. It cannot stray more than 300 yards from this spot, an area called its haunting. The cinderelle usually uses its cinder touch to destroy all surviving plantlife within its reach, exacting its unliving hatred of life. The area within 30 feet of the oaks former location or blackened stump is called the charred heart of the cinderelle, and it is where the creature is strongest and the most vulnerable. The charred heart often looks much as it did when it was first destroyed by the fire: bleak, ashen, and lifeless. The air is hot, stifling, and smells of smoke, and no plantlife will grow. Within its charred heart, the cinderelle can become ethereal at will as move-equivalent action; resuming material form is also a move-equivalent action. Within the areas it haunts, the cinderelle can only be turned and rebuked (not destroyed or commanded); if slain in these vast areas, it reforms in 1 to 4 nights at its charred heart. In its charred heart, the cinderelle is immune to turn and rebuke attempts; but if slain in this area, it is truly destroyed and its blight upon the land lifted. Casting consecrate on the charred heart and pouring holy water upon the blackened stump of the dryadic oak or the spot where once it stood instantly destroys the cinderelle instantly and frees its dryad soul.
Undead Traits: A cinderelle is immune to mind-affecting effects, poisons, sleep, paralysis, stunning, disease, death effects, necromantic effects, and any effect that requires a Fortitude save unless it also works on objects. It is not subject to critical hits, subdual damage, ability damage, ability drain, energy drain, or death from massive damage. A cinderelle cannot be raised, and resurrection works only if it is willing. The creature has darkvision (60-foot range).
Fire Subtype (Ex): A cinderelle is immune to fire damage but takes double damage from cold unless a saving throw for half damage is allowed. In that case, it takes half damage on a success and double damage on a failure.
Feylike: Creatures who enjoy a special aptitude with or connection to Fey enjoy half of that benefit against the cinderelle where and when appropriate. For example, a druid with Resist Natures Lure would enjoy a +2 to Will saves against the cinderelles cause fear ability, while a ranger with Fey as a favored enemy would enjoy half of his normal bonuses against the cinderelle. The cinderelles Undead Traits always supercede any such benefit or connection. Fey creatures can sense a wrongness to an area haunted by a cinderelle, even if the creature itself is never seen.
Unnatural Aura (Su): Both wild and domesticated animals can sense the unnatural presence of a cinderelle at a distance of 30 feet. They do not willingly approach nearer than that and panic if forced to do so; they remain panicked as long as they are within that range.
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