.New Monster: The Dark Warden
A Preview of The Diamond Throne

Here's a sneak peek at one of the 12 new monsters you'll find in The Diamond Throne: the Dark Warden. (Illustrated by Eric Lofgren.)

Large Giant

Hit Dice: 12d8+84 (138 hp), dying/dead: –8/–24
Initiative: +1 (Dexterity)
Speed: 40 feet
AC: 20 (–1 size, +1 Dexterity, +10 natural), touch 10, flat-footed 19
Base Attack/Grapple: +8/+19
Attack: Large +1 longsword +18 melee (2d6+11)
Full Attack: Large +1 longsword +18/+13 melee (2d6+11)
Face/Reach: 5 feet by 5 feet/10 feet
Special Attacks: Spell-like abilities
Special Qualities: Low-light vision, shadow meld, tremorsense (100 feet), warden sense
Saves: Fort +15, Ref +5, Will +9
Abilities: Str 26, Dex 13, Con 24, Int 17, Wis 21, Cha 18
Skills: Climb +14, Listen +11
Feats: Cleave, Infuse Weapon, Power Attack, Stomp, Weapon Focus (longsword), Weapon Specialization (longsword)

Environment: Any land
Organization: Solitary
Challenge Rating: 8
Treasure: None (other than sword)
Advancement: By character class
Level Adjustment: +4

Their name is deceiving—the “dark warden” sounds like it might be a figure representing the Dark itself. They are not, but nonetheless one should never consider them lightly. They may not be inherently malevolent, but these dangerous beings are not to be trifled with.

Dark wardens are giants who, through ceremonies and other mysterious processes (including a profound act of will) give up their normal lives and transform themselves into a different type of creature. Most such giants commit this fundamentally shocking act because their need to protect the land becomes so great that they believe they require more power to do so.

In any event, they lose whatever skills, feats, and levels they had previously to become dark wardens. Now utterly alone, stripped of the trappings of civilized life, they wander the wilderness. Or rather, they patrol the wilderness. Dark wardens exist for one purpose: to watch over the land. They take this duty so seriously that they pose a real threat to civilization. They oppose the encroachment of cities, the carving out of mines, the chopping away of forestland. They hate the use of magic that might threaten the natural way of things—anything from destructive spells like sorcerous blast to the summoning of unnatural creatures.

Dark wardens scour the land of beings of dramojh creation (they hate mojh as well) and destroy any of their devices, constructs, or buildings. They also hate dragons, chorrim, rhodin, hags, undead, and other creatures who have no regard for the land. Most people think of them as a virtual force of nature—no matter who you are, you can never know if a dark warden will be an ally or a foe.

In appearance, dark wardens look like wild giants with shadowy bodies. Only very rarely will one ever see a dark warden, and even then people never get a good, close look at them. All dark wardens carry silver magical longswords (sized for them) as a sort of badge. These weapons bear symbols of the moon.

Dark wardens operate mostly at dusk and at night, and always alone. Most people believe there to be only a few dozen of them in the world. They speak Giant and Common.

COMBAT
Dark wardens fight defensively—when attacked, they retreat to a defensible spot if possible. Most of their spell-like abilities are utility spells, so if given the chance, they cast spirit of prowess and move in to attack with the longsword. Dark wardens only fight to the death if defending a site or creature they consider vital. Otherwise, they use their shadow meld power to retreat from a losing battle.

Spell-Like Abilities (Sp): At will—aid plants, cloak of darkness, detect creature, detect disease, detect poison, hygiene, scent bane; 3/day—lesser compelling question, greater creation, detect magic, invisibility, greater repair, greater transfer wounds; 1/day—dispel magic, lesser beastskin, spirit of prowess, telepathy. These abilities are as the spells cast by a 10th-level greenbond (save DC 15 + spell level).

Shadow Meld (Su): Dark wardens can transform their bodies into shadowy forms at will as a move-equivalent action (it is also a move-equivalent action to transform back). In this incorporeal form they can take only move or move-equivalent actions but gain a +20 circumstance bonus to Sneak checks.

Warden Sense (Su): Dark wardens have an uncanny awareness of themselves and of everything around them. They cannot be surprised, caught flat-footed, or flanked and become instantly aware of traps, dangerous in-place spell effects, and runes within 25 feet.

DARK WARDEN CHARACTERS
Dark wardens lose all levels and character abilities they possessed as giants. However, once in dark warden form, they can gain character class levels. Most such individuals are greenbonds, although they also may choose totem warrior and unfettered levels as well.

DARK WARDEN ENCOUNTER (EL 8)
The PCs stand at the edge of a small town at dusk. All is very still. They hear no sounds from the nearby woods. Suddenly, one of them spots a large figure standing in the shadows, among the trees, looking out at the town. The creature makes no move, but melts back into the shadows.

Later, as the characters leave town, they sense they are being followed—perhaps even watched. From that moment, they have drawn the vigilant attention of a dark warden. This figure currently watches over a hidden forest spring of magical liquid, whose enchanted waters have healed a number of sick animals. If the PCs approach the spring, the dark warden appears (at a distance) and warns them off in a deep, unnerving whisper that they nonetheless hear from 200 feet away. If they do not heed the warning, the dark warden fights to keep them from the spring—unless they somehow prove they will do no harm.

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Designation of Open Game Content: The statistics and the Combat section of this monster writeup are Open Game Content. "The Dark Warden" from The Diamond Throne, ©2003 Monte J. Cook. All rights reserved.

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