 Bonestorm
A swirling, 15-foot-high, funnel cloud composed of thousands of jagged human bones whirls in an uncontrolled vortex of death. From it, the air splits with the deafening grind of bone-on-bone.Bonestorm CR 8Source Pathfinder #10: A History of Ashes pg. 82
Always CE Diminutive undead (swarm)
Init +6; Senses darkvision 60 ft.; Listen +1, Spot +1
Aura unholy winds 10 ft. (DC 18)DefenseAC 23, touch 20, flat-footed 17 (+6 Dex, +3 natural, +4 size)
hp 104 (16d12)
Fort +5, Ref +11, Will +11
Immune cold, swarm traits, undead traits, weapon damage; SR 20OffenseSpeed fly 50 ft. (perfect)
Melee swarm (3d6 plus 3d6 unholy)
Space 10 ft., Reach 0 ft.
Special Attacks wrathStatisticsStr 3, Dex 23, Con —, Int —, Wis 12, Cha 10
Base Atk +8; Grapple —
SQ gather bonesEcologyEnvironment any
Organization solitary
Treasure none
Advancement noneSpecial AbilitiesDistraction (Ex) Any living creature that begins its turn with a bonestorm in its space must succeed on a DC 18 Fortitude save or be nauseated for 1 round. The save DC is Charisma-based.
Gather Bones (Su) By spending a full-round action in the same square as a dead creature, a bonestorm can shred the flesh from the corpse and absorb the bones into its swarm. The absorption grants the bonestorm healing (or temporary hit points if it is unwounded). The amount of healing depends on the size of the body absorbed. A Small creature grants 2 points of healing. A Medium grants 5 points, Large grants 10 points, and Huge grants 20 point. A bonestorm gains no benefit from collecting the skeletons of creatures smaller than Small or larger than Huge.
Unholy Winds (Su) A bonestorm is surrounded by fierce netherwinds, the howls and raging essences of souls forever trapped within a whirlwind of death. As such, the area within 10 feet of a bonestorm is affected by winds of windstorm force (see page 95 of the DMG or the summary of these effects on the following page). Creatures that enter this area must make a DC 18 Fortitude save or be affected by the high winds as dictated by their size: Small or smaller creatures are blown away, Medium creatures are knocked down, Large creatures are checked, and larger creatures are unaffected. In addition, these winds are responsible for a bonestorm’s movement and protect it from the damage and dispersal Diminutive swarms typically face when affected by powerful winds.
Wrath (Su) A bonestorm cuts apart creatures occupying the same space as it, not just with splintered bones and bludgeoning skulls, but with the unholy energies of the damned souls that make up the undead whirlwind. Thus, 3d6 points of the damage dealt by a bone swarm is physical, and 3d6 points are untyped damage, resulting directly from unholy power.DescriptionBonestorms are the charnel offspring of vast battlefields, the wrathful resurrections of legions of the fallen unwilling to let go of their wrath and unable to accept defeat. Amid violent currents of tormented souls, the rent corpses of the fallen rise again, formless masses of marrow and splintered bone that know only revenge.
While bonestorms can spontaneously form—typically days or weeks after a particularly violent or meaningful battle—they have also been known to be created by malicious necromancers and arcane warlords. Brought into being to serve as lifeless engines of war or to wreak havoc upon their creators’ enemies, bonestorms purposefully brought into existence have slightly more direction than their spontaneously forming counterparts. Upon completing a task, however, its not uncommon for one of these cyclones of bones to indulge its motivating rage, attacking and destroying living things far in excess of its creator’s wishes.
A bonestorm typically rises to about 10 feet tall, though it has no weight besides the hundreds of pounds of bones caught up in its macabre vortex.Creating a BonestormA cleric, wizard, or sorcerer may create a bonestorm by casting create greater undead, if the caster possesses the required caster level of 19th or higher. In addition to the material components required by the spell, the caster also requires 16 Hit Dice worth of unanimated corpses within 100 feet to use as raw material. These corpses may be separated from the caster by earth or walls, allowing the creator to animate the buried or entombed.
Although mindless, and even when animated by magic, bonestorms are creatures of rage. This makes them relatively difficult to control. Whenever a bonestorm completes a task given it by its creator or other caster who has gain control of it, there is a 10% chance that the undead swarm breaks away from its controller and goes berserk, rampaging of its own accord. While a caster can regain control of a berserk bonestorm, it requires an additional control undead check.
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