Exemplars of Evil

as Thaden’s way of asserting his individuality and keeping
his skills sharp.
After a decade in captivity, he escaped for the final time.
Not only did he manage to leave the fortress unseen, he
made it as far as the border of his former homeland before
he found himself unwilling to continue. He realized that
he had left something important behind—he did not want
to live in a world that did not include the fire giant queen
and her daughter. Thaden turned around, infiltrated the fire
giant kingdom, snuck back into the fortress, and returned
to his cell.
When Valbryn learned what had happened, she released
him from captivity. Today, Thaden still spends some time
in his unlocked cell, but he is no longer treated like a
prisoner. He roams the fortress, often accompanied by
his fleshraker animal companion—a 7-foot-tall dinosaur
similar to a velociraptor. Thaden will defend or avenge
Valbryn or Helthra to the death, motivated by his dedication
to them both.
Appearance and Behavior
Although he is in late middle age, Thaden Felstorm has not
lost his vitality. He stays healthy by sparring with the Urdred
and teaching young fire giants how to protect themselves
from giantslayers like him. His hair has long since turned
gray, but his build is still powerful—in fact, living among
giants has made Thaden a prodigy of strength (see the sidebar).
He outfits himself in a mithral chain shirt and wields
two giant-sized bastard swords.
Thaden has developed a sense of humor about his place
in the fire giant kingdom, and he is treated with attentive
respect by his adopted compatriots. The fire giants that he
trains live in fear of his ability to kill them outright, and he
enjoys nothing more than embarrassing cocksure young
giantlings in front of their peers.
Thaden Felstorm CR 15
hp 98 (128 with bear’s endurance) (15 HD)
Male human ranger 12/rogue 3
N Medium humanoid
Init +5; Senses Listen +13, Spot +13
Languages Common, Draconic, Giant
AC 23, touch 11, flat-footed 22
(+1 Dex, +7 armor, +5 natural [with potion of barkskin])
Resist evasion
Fort +10 (+12 with bear’s endurance), Ref +12, Will +6
Speed 40 ft. (6 squares) (50 ft. with longstrider); woodland
stride
Melee +2 Large adamantine bastard sword +19/+14/+9
(2d8+8/17–20) and
+2 Large adamantine bastard sword +19/+14
(2d8+8/17–20)
Ranged +1 composite longbow +16/+11/+6 (1d8+6/19–20×3)
Base Atk +14; Grp +20
Atk Options favored enemy giants +6, favored enemy humans
+4, favored enemy dragons +2, sneak attack +2d6
Combat Gear 2 potions of cure moderate wounds, potion of
barkskin +5†
† Already used
Ranger Spells Prepared (CL 6th):
3rd—water walk
2nd—bear’s endurance†
1st—endure elements†, longstrider†
† Already cast
Abilities Str 22, Dex 13, Con 12 (16 with bear’s endurance), Int
11, Wis 13, Cha 10
SQ animal companion, link with companion, prodigy of
strength (see sidebar), share spells, swift tracker, trapfi
nding, trap sense +1, wild empathy +12 (+8 magical
beasts)
Feats Endurance B , Exotic Weapon Profi ciency (bastard
sword), Greater Two-Weapon Fighting B , Improved
Critical (bastard sword), Improved Initiative, Improved
Toughness CW , Improved Two-Weapon Fighting B , Monkey
Grip CW (see page 25), Oversized Two-Weapon Fighting CAd
(see page 25), Track B , Two-Weapon Fighting B , Weapon
Focus (bastard sword)
Skills Bluff +9, Climb +25, Diplomacy +4, Disguise +0 (+2
when acting), Hide +16, Intimidate +2, Jump +34 (+38
with longstrider), Listen +13, Move Silently +16, Open
Lock +10, Sense Motive +10, Spot +13, Survival +16
Possessions combat gear plus +3 mithral shirt, two +2 Large
adamantine bastard swords, +1 composite longbow (+6 Str
bonus) with 40 arrows, belt of giant strength +4, boots of
striding and springing, 63 pp, 8 gp
Fleshraker MM3 Animal Companion CR —
hp 39 (51 with bear’s endurance) (6 HD)
N Medium animal (dinosaur)
Init +1; Senses low-light vision, scent; Listen +2, Spot +2
AC 26, touch 14, flat-footed 22
(+4 Dex, +4 armor, +8 natural)
Resist evasion
Fort +7 (+9 with bear’s endurance), Ref +9, Will +4
Speed 50 ft. (10 squares) (60 ft. with longstrider)
Melee 2 claws +8 each (1d6+4 plus poison) and
bite +6 (1d6+2) and
tail +6 melee (1d6+2 plus poison)
Base Atk +4; Grp +8
Atk Options leaping pounce, poison (Fort DC 14, 1d6 Dex/
1d6 Dex), rake 1d6+2
Abilities Str 18, Dex 19, Con 15 (19 with bear’s endurance), Int
2, Wis 14, Cha 12
SQ two bonus tricks
Feats Improved Natural Attack (claw), Multiattack, Track
Skills Hide +12 (+14 in forested areas), Jump +27 (+31 with
longstrider), Listen +2, Spot +2
Possessions collar of mage armor
pqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqrs
PRODIGY OF STRENGTH
Thaden has lived among fire giants for much of his adult life.
To survive in a world meant for much larger creatures—or to
simply move from room to room—he was forced to open giant
sized-doors, scale giant-sized stairs, and use giant-sized utensils.
As such, he eventually became a prodigy of strength (see DMG2
page 160), gaining a +2 bonus to his Strength score and a +4
bonus on Strength-based checks, including ability checks and
skill checks.
pqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqrs
CHAPTER 7
VALBRYN
MORLYDD
115