Ironclad Mauler

Ironclad maulers are magically engineered dire bears created to smash formations of opposing troops. They will fearlessly charge even large groups of enemies, and they have the size and strength to decimate large groups of humans or similar creatures. Although forces of great magic created ironclad maulers, they are now found in wild regions, having escaped or outlived their creators. The few still kept by military leaders are among the most deadly engines of war available to civilized nations. They are so valuable, in fact, that they are seldom risked in open warfare anymore.

Although ironclad maulers were once dire bears, the two species have grown apart, and the two cannot produce offspring. In rare cases, an ironclad mauler will assume leadership of a pack of dire bears, pushing even the ferocious dire bears into crueler and more violent activities. An ironclad mauler’s powerful limbs end in long, deadly claws, and its face is a twisted and feral version of a normal bear’s face. A typical ironclad mauler is 12 feet long and weighs as much as 9,000 pounds, including the weight of its grafted armor.

As their name implies, ironclad maulers were created specifically for war. As such, they relish combat, and rush into melee without hesitation or mercy. Ironclad maulers like nothing more than using their size and strength to smash formations of weaker creatures, but they also seem to enjoy close-fought duels with equally powerful creatures. Unlike natural animals, ironclad maulers never flee a fight. Their innate ferocity and the magical forces used to create them push them to fight to the death in every combat. Although they have only animal intelligence, ironclad maulers instinctively trample groups of smaller creatures in close proximity to one another.

Improved Grab (Ex): To use this ability, an ironclad mauler must hit with a claw attack. It can then attempt to start a grapple as a free action without provoking attacks of opportunity.

Sickening Aura (Su): An ironclad mauler is surrounded by a field of negative energy. Any creature that comes within 10 feet of an ironclad mauler must make a DC 22 Fortitude save or become sickened. This condition lasts for 1 hour. A creature that succeeds on the saving throw is immune to that creature’s aura for 24 hours.

Undead are immune to this aura. The save is Constitution-based.

Grafted Armor (Ex): Iron clad maulers wear armor that has been magically grafted to their forms. This armor provides significant protection in combat, but it imposes no maximum Dexterity bonus, no movement penalty, and no arcane spell failure chance. Other creatures, even other ironclad maulers, cannot wear an ironclad mauler’s armor.

Light Fortification (Ex): An ironclad mauler’s grafted armor protects its vital areas and makes it resistant to extra damage from critical hits and sneak attacks. Anytime an ironclad mauler is hit by a critical hit or a sneak attack, it has a 25% chance to resist the extra damage.