Earth Tortoise (Spiritbeast)

## Introduction

At first, you might mistake the sight an illusion of some sort or a trick of the light, but indeed as you look closer it is indeed a moving hill, a great swell of stone and dirt sliding across the plains before you at a leisurely place. Then the head emerges from the grass, like a whale peeking up from under the waves. Then two massive legs come up, and lift the rests of the hill from the ground entirely, revealing it‘s true form as the shell of an enormous tortoise that appears to be made entirely of stone.

Earth tortoises are massive creatures, their shells alone being thirty feet long and 20 feet wide. The creatures are pondering giants that spend much of their time underground, coasting through the ground unseen. When they do rise from the deep it is a breathtaking sight, a creature as old and as powerful as the earth itself. Earth tortoises are supported by four massive, tree-like legs as big around as an average tipi. Behind it, a long tail swings absently, dragging a massive oval club of bone, metal and earth on the end. Earth tortoises are covered in thick layers of stone and packed dirt that serves to protect them from harm. Once one penetrates the layers of rock built up on it, they can find a shell of pure metal, dozens of different elements seamlessly blended into an almost impenetrable alloy, nearly a foot thick.

## Combat

An earth tortoise is not a complicated attacker. If attacked under most circumstances it will simply withdraw into it’s shell for a few turns until the attacker gives up or successfully deals damage to its shell. Then it will emerge angry, calling forth a quake, then smashing nearby enemies with its club tail or biting with it’s iron-bladed beak. If seriously threatened, it may sink into the ground with earth glide to either escape or to emerge somewhere unexpected and attack those who have stoked it’s fury.

* **Quake** An angry earth tortoise can shake the earth around them, leveling towns and devastating their foes. As a standard action, the earth tortoise can create the effect of an earthquake spell in a 60-foot radius centered around them. The earth tortoise is immune to the effects of this ability and can move and act normally while the ground shakes.
* **Earth Glide** An earth tortoise can pass through stone, dirt, or almost any other sort of earth except metal as easily as a fish swims through water. If protected against fire damage, it can even glide through lava. Its burrowing leaves behind no tunnel or hole, nor does it create any ripple or other sign of its presence. A move earth spell cast on an area containing the earth tortoise flings it back 30 feet, stunning it for 1 round unless it succeeds on a DC 15 Fortitude save.
* **Earthen Armor** An earth tortoise’s body and shell are covered in a thick coating of stone and earth that serves to further increase it’s protection against attacks. This coating of earth grants the Earth tortoise a +20 armor bonus to AC. A Soften Earth and Stone spell reduces this bonus by 5. A Transmute Rock to Mud spell reduces the bonus by 10. This effect lasts until the earth tortoise either completely submerges in the ground (using its earth glide ability) or a Transmute Mud to Rock spell is cast on them.
* **Fortification** The majority of an earth tortoise’s important organs are safely contained within an almost-unbreakable shell. There is a 50% chance that any critical hit or sneak attack made against an earth tortoise is negated and damage is instead rolled normally.
* **Iron Shell** An earth tortoise is protected not only by it’s thick hide and earthen armor, but by a thick shell composed of extremely strong, highly-refined metals. This shell grants the earth tortoise a +8 shield bonus to AC. In addition, the earth tortoise can withdraw into it’s shell to protect itself as a move action. While inside its shell, the tortoise effectively has total cover in all directions, and cannot be targeted by spells, attacks, or abilities. Its shell, however, can be targeted. The shell has an AC equal to the earth tortoise’s flat-footed AC, a hardness of 20, 480 HP and spell resistance 40. If the shell is broken, the earth tortoise loses its shield bonus to AC and cannot withdraw into its shell until it fully regenerates (One week, or 24 hours fully submerged in the earth). While in its shell, the earth tortoise cannot target any creature but itself and cannot move.

## Stats

**Size/Type:** Colossal Outsider (Spirit Beast)
**Hit Dice:** 40d8+800 (980 hp)
**Initiative:** +0
**Speed:** 30 ft (6 squares), Burrow 60 ft (earth glide)
**Armor Class:** 50 (-8 size,+0 dex, +20 natural, +20 armor, +8 shield), touch 2, flat-footed 50
**Base Attack/CMB/CMD:** +40/+68/78
**Attack:** Bite +52 melee (4d6+20) or Tail +52 melee (4d6+20)
**Full Attack:** Bite +52 melee (4d6+20) and Tail +52 melee (4d6+20)
**Space/Reach:** 30ft/20ft
**Special Attacks:** Quake, Trample (4d6+30, DC 50)
**Special Qualities:** Darkvision 60, DR 20/Cold Iron, Earth Glide, Earthen Armor, Fast Healing 20, Fortification, Iron shield, Spirit Beast Traits, SR 40, Tremorsense 300 ft
**Saves:** Fort +42, Ref +22, Will +29
**Abilities:** Str 50, Dex 10, Con 50, Int 2, Wis 25, Cha 20
**Skills:** Balance +40, Hide +24, Knowledge (nature) -2, Spot +47, Survival +47
**Feats:** 1 3 5 7 9 11 13 15 17 19 21 23 25 27 29 31 33 35 37 39
**Environment:** Any Land
**Organization:** Solitary
**Challenge Rating:** 20
**Treasure:** Special (see above)
**Alignment:** TN
**Advancement:** -
**Level Adjustment:** -