Runeslave, Runeslave Hill GiantThis lumbering giant has a strange, vacant expression, as
well as a large glowing rune carved into its flesh.
Runeslave Hill Giant CR 8Source Rise of the Runelords Anniversary Edition pg. 412
XP 4,800
CE Large humanoid (giant)
Init +0; Senses low-light vision; Perception +7
DefenseAC 22, touch 9, flat-footed 22 (+4 armor, +9 natural, –1 size)
hp 95 (10d8+50)
Fort +11, Ref +3, Will +4
Defensive Abilities resist pain, rock catching; Immune exhaustion,
fatigue, fear
Weaknesses arcane decay
OffenseSpeed 60 ft. (50 ft. in armor)
Melee greatclub +16/+11 (2d8+13) or
2 slams +15 (1d8+9)
Ranged rock +7 (1d8+13)
Space 10 ft., Reach 10 ft.
Special Attacks arcane surge, rock throwing (120 ft.)
StatisticsStr 29, Dex 10, Con 19, Int 4, Wis 8, Cha 5
Base Atk +7; CMB +17; CMD 27
Feats DiehardB, Iron Will, Martial Weapon Proficiency (greatclub), Power Attack, ToughnessB, Vital Strike, Weapon Focus (greatclub)
Skills Climb +14, Perception +7
Languages Giant
EcologyEnvironment any
Organization solitary, pair, or patrol (3–12)
Treasure standard (hide armor, greatclub, other treasure)
DescriptionThe ageless monuments and awesome cities of
Thassilon rose upon the backs of countless slaves, but
none bore the sin-poisoned civilization’s burden more
than the giants. Able to perform the work of dozens
of human slaves, Thassilon’s titanic servants—hill
giants, stone giants, taiga giants, and others—crafted
marvels nigh unparalleled in any era before or since,
and shaped the face of what is now modern Varisia. Yet
as viciously as the runelords worked their slaves and
for all they demanded, the giant-crafted marvels were
not enough. And thus, working the corrupt rune magic
that was theirs alone, the runelords manufactured a
damning curse and laid it over their most tireless and
effective workers, and in so doing created a new breed
of servant: the runeslave.
Numerous severe-looking runes spark and flicker
upon a runeslave’s body, seemingly seared into the
creature’s flesh. One of the runes is larger and more
prominent than the others—this is always one of the
runes of Thassilonian magic. Although a runeslave’s
mind is dulled, its muscles bulge grotesquely, as if
barely contained beneath a thin layer of skin, and such
behemoths move with unnatural agility for creatures of
their ponderous size.
Note that while the runeslave template does make a
giant more powerful (and thus increases its CR), few,
if any giants would seek to gain a runeslave’s powers.
Despite the advantages the runeslave gains, what it
loses in free will and longevity typically vastly outweigh
the benefits. In combat, a runeslave is deadly and
terrifying, but in life, the condition is rightly feared
among giants as a devastating and debilitating curse.Creating a Runeslave
“Runeslave” is an acquired template that can be added
to any giant (referred to hereafter as the base creature).
A runeslave uses all the base creature’s statistics and
special abilities except as noted here.
CR: Same as the base creature +1.
Defensive Abilities: A runeslave becomes immune to
fear effects, exhaustion, and fatigue. In addition, all
runeslaves gain the following additional defensive ability.
Resist Pain (Ex): Runeslaves can continue to function
even after taking great punishment. They are immune
to nonlethal damage. Against effects that inflict pain
(such as a symbol of pain spell), a runeslave gains a +4
bonus on all saving throws.
Weaknesses: Runeslaves gain the following weakness.
Arcane Decay (Su): The symbols etched upon a
runeslave’s body put great stress on its physical form,
choking its mind and ultimately killing the giant in
time. Each runeslave has a predominant Thassilonian
rune associated with one school of magic inscribed on
its body. Traditionally, this rune is of a school of magic
directly opposed to the runelord the runeslave serves—
all of the runeslaves encountered in this adventure bear
the sign of wrath upon their bodies as a sort of brand of
shame. The slow decay of a runeslave’s mental faculties
manifests as a gradual loss of life and sanity, represented
by the accumulation of rune-shaped scars all over
the body. The disease has no additional physical or
mental effect until these magical runescars completely
overwhelm their host, at which point the accumulated
pain the giant has endured since becoming a runeslave
is released in a fatal surge of unleashed suffering. All
runeslaves are “infected” with this disease. Only limited
wish, miracle, or wish can prevent or cure arcane decay, but
in so doing removes the entire template, reverting the
runeslave back to the base creature. Multiple successful
Fortitude saves only delay the decay and do not cure the
creature of the disease.
Arcane Decay: Inherited—non-contagious; save
Fortitude DC 15; frequency 1/week; effect gain one
runescar; cure none (but see above). When a runeslave’s
number of runescars equals its Hit Dice, it dies.
Speed: A runeslave’s base land speed is 20 feet faster
than the base creature’s. Other forms of movement,
such as flying or swim speeds, are unaffected.
Special Attacks: A runeslave gains the following
special attack.
Arcane Surge (Su): Once per day as a swift action, a
runeslave can gain the benefits of the spell haste for 6
rounds. Using this ability forces the giant to make an
additional Fortitude save against arcane decay, even if
it has already made its weekly save to resist the disease.
Abilities: Change from the base creature as follows:
Str +4, Dex +2, Int –2, Wis –2, Cha –2.
Feats: Runeslaves gain Diehard and Toughness as
bonus feats.The Runeslave Curse
As the act of turning their giant servants into
runeslaves swept across Thassilon, each of the seven
runelords came to employ the corruptive magic in
various ways. While in most of the runelords’ holdings
the giants merely continued to serve as expendable
labor, in Bakrakhan, Runelord Alaznist incorporated
runeslaves into her vast armies, using them as living
siege engines. In Cyrusian, the domain of Pride,
Runelord Xanderghul used the magic as a punishment
upon any slave who garnered his fickle ire.
While the magic used to create runeslaves resided
almost exclusively in the hands of the runelords,
the number of giant slaves they deemed would
benefit from this ultimately fatal “improvement”
far exceeded the rulers’ ability to transform. Thus, a
number of different methods of creating runeslaves
were created, each originating in a separate domain
but eventually spreading throughout the empire.
Ancient Rite: In the Grand Sybaritum of Xin-
Haruka, Runelord Krune grew weary of cursing
filthy giant after filthy giant, and so devised a
method to transform hundreds of his slaves at
a time. Summoning whole legions of his giants
before him, Krune called down the might of
the rune goddess Lissala and cursed his slaves
en masse, sending countless faithful slaves to
their doom.
Minderhal’s Curse: Minderhal’s worship was
never more prevalent than during the height of
the Thassilonian empire, and as such, fear of his
displeasure was a motivating force among the
giants of that era. Legend held that Minderhal
himself was involved in the creation of the
first runeslaves, and that in a fit of anger at his
giant worshipers, he granted humans the secrets
of creating runeslaves. Regardless of this legend’s
veracity, there have been several cases of particularly
blasphemous giants spontaneously transforming into
runeslaves, supposedly as punishment from their god.
Poisoning: In Edasseril, the domain of envy, the
alchemists of Runelord Belimarius’s vile and sprawling
laboratories discovered a way to turn arcane decay
into a toxin, allowing the disease to be delivered via
poison. The poisoners never did find a way to cure the
crippling madness caused by the poison—the toxin’s
high cost and the frustrating requirement of having to
cure the giant’s Wisdom drain before it could be put to
work kept this poison from seeing greater use.
Runeslave Poison: Poison—ingested; save Fort DC 20;
frequency 1/round for 6 rounds; effect confusion for 1
round and 1d4 Wisdom drain (if this results in the giant’s
Wisdom being drained to 0, the giant immediately
transforms into a runeslave); cure 3 consecutive saves;
cost 10,000 gp.
Runeslave Cauldron: Brought forth from Gastash,
the domain of gluttony, these massive cauldrons were
large enough to fit an adult stone giant and infused
with necromantic energies. Any giant placed in a
cauldron and then slain is immediately resurrected as
a runeslave—see page 424 for further details on these
sadistic magic items.Creatures in "Runeslave" CategoryThis lumbering giant has a strange, vacant expression, as
well as a large glowing rune carved into its flesh.
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