Horned basalt grotesque

Horned basalt grotesque Level 105 Family Golem family creatures Body Type Biped Area(s) Found Moonsedge BCS Yes HP 750 Speed

Attack Attributes Physical Attacks Closed fist 525 to 565 AS Stomp 526 AS Bite 530 AS Bolt Spells Hurl Boulder (510) 387-417 AS Warding Spells Stone Fist (514) 452 CS Misc. Offensive Spells Major Elemental Wave (435) Call Wind (912) Earthen Fury (917) Combat Maneuvers Haymaker Bearhug

Defense Attributes Armor Full Plate (natural) ASG 20N Defensive Strength (DS) Melee 518 Ranged ? Bolt 409 to 429 Unarmed Defense Factor UDF ? Target Defense (TD) Bard Base 490 - 520 Cleric Base ? Empath Base ? Paladin Base ? Ranger Base ? Sorcerer Base 483 to 504 Wizard Base ? Minor Elemental 487 to 522 Major Elemental ? Minor Spiritual 471 Major Spiritual ? Minor Mental ? Defensive Spells Arcane Barrier (1720) Soul Ward (319)

Other Unique Abilities ?

Treasure Attributes Coins Yes Gems Yes Magic Items Yes Boxes Yes Skin None Other ?

Huge and hulking, the basalt grotesque is an imposing figure cut from black basalt.  Roughly humanoid in shape though not in particulars, the grotesque has a bestial visage.  The carved musculature of its back joins with two great wings that span wider than it is tall.  From its head sprouts a quintet of rounded horns.  Its eyes, a burning green, match the hue of a viridian soulstone embedded into the rock of its broad chest.

Appraisal:

The basalt grotesque is large in size, about eight feet high in its current state, appears to be of exceptionally hardy constitution, is in a guarded stance, and is in relatively good shape.

Description

Arrival

A horned basalt grotesque pounds in, its stony footsteps shaking the ground.  With a malevolent glare, it spreads great stone wings and gives a single thunderous flap!

Arrival 2

A cadaverous tatterdemalion ghast bounds in, landing with surprising grace.

Arrival 3

A shape against the sky resolves into a huge winged figure of stone.  Soaring low, the basalt grotesque descends toward the ground in a predatory spiral and lands nearby.

Arrival 4

A horned basalt grotesque soars in and lands, distributing its weight between two heavy stone legs.

Hunting Strategies

Defensive Spells

Grotesques spawn with Arcane Barrier (1720) and Soul Ward (319). Pure casters should employ dispels and/or avoid low-mana-cost attacks to effectively kill these enemies.

Other Information

Undead Status

Grotesques are powered by a soulstone containing an undead spirit, but are functionally not undead. You do receive Voln favor for releasing the spirit trapped in the soulstone:

The soulstone embedded in the grotesque's chest shatters, sending crystalline fragments flying!  You hear a sound like a child weeping as a white glow separates itself from the shards and rises into the heavens.

[Moonsedge Castle, Training Yard - 32520] (u4577120)
Stuffed opponents are driven onto stakes in the training yard.  Mildew spots the burlap figures, and the hay stuffing them has grown damp and fetid, lending them an ugly lumpiness.  A veranda extends out from the castle walls, lending cover to racks of weapons, armor, and shields, but from the deteriorating state of the arms, the effort to keep the elements at bay appears to have been in vain.  You also see a gaudy phantasmic conjurer, an infernal death knight and a horned basalt grotesque.
Obvious paths: south, west
>sym recog
>
A gaudy phantasmic conjurer is an undead creature.
An infernal death knight is an undead creature.
You recognize no fellow members of the Order of Voln.

This means that poisons and other effects that work on living targets do work on them, and Voln symbols and other effects that only work on undead do not work on them.

Combat

Closed fist

Clenching a carved claw into an unyielding fist, a horned basalt grotesque takes a swing at you!
AS: +540 vs DS: +914 with AvD: +19 + d100 roll: +94 = -261
A clean miss.

Stomp

Raising a heavy stone foot, a horned basalt grotesque attempts to crush you with a vicious stomp!
  AS: +526 vs DS: +790 with AvD: +44 + d100 roll: +74 = -146
   A clean miss.

Stone Fist (514)

Your black full leather glistens as a sudden rush of blood spills across its surface, creating a magical bulwark against a horned basalt grotesque's magic!
The ground beneath a horned basalt grotesque rumbles, then erupts in a shower of rubble that coalesces in to an enormous hand in mid-air.
CS: +452 - TD: +500 + CvA: -2 + d100: +4 - +40 == -86
Warded off!
The enormous hand attempts to grab you, but you manage to avoid it at the last moment. Soon the enormous hand goes still and collapses to a pile of rubble that quickly disintegrates to invisible dust.

Call Wind (912)

A horned basalt grotesque spreads its wings, its cragged features grinding into an intense glare. It brings its wings together with thunderous force, producing a powerful gust of swirling wind!
A gust of wind tugs at your sleeves. Suddenly, a fierce wind rips through the area, scattering everything in its path and making it difficult to remain standing.
The wind knocks you off your balance and you fall over.
Your arms are forced down to your sides!
Roundtime: 8 sec.
Roundtime changed to 4 seconds

Major Elemental Wave (435) - The elemental damage type is random.

A wave of formless black ripples moves outward from a horned basalt grotesque.
You are buffeted by the formless black waves, and knocked to the ground.
You are pinned in place, unable to move.
Roundtime: 7 sec.
Roundtime changed to 3 seconds.
... 15 points of damage!
Decompression causes muscles in arm to crack!
You are stunned for 1 round!

Earthen Fury (917)

A horned basalt grotesque twists a stony claw toward you!
The ground beneath your feet suddenly frosts and rumbles violently!
The earth cracks beneath you, releasing a column of frigid air!
[SMR result: 74 (Open d100: 71, Bonus: 1)]
You dodge out of the way!

A horned basalt grotesque twists a stony claw toward you!
The ground beneath your feet begins to boil violently!
Craggy debris explodes from the ground beneath you!
[SMR result: 66 (Open d100: 73)]
You dodge out of the way!

Hurl Boulder (510)

A horned basalt grotesque twists a stony claw toward you!
Your black full leather glistens as a sudden rush of blood spills across its surface, creating a magical bulwark against a horned basalt grotesque's magic!
A horned basalt grotesque hurls a large boulder at you!
AS: +387 vs DS: +737 with AvD: +39 + d100 roll: +35 = -276
A clean miss

Haymaker

A horned basalt grotesque clenches its right fist and brings its arm back for a roundhouse punch aimed at you!
[SMR result: 55 (Open d100: 74, Penalty: 19)]
You manage to dodge a horned basalt grotesque's blow!

Bearhug

A horned basalt grotesque charges towards you and attempts to grasp you in a ferocious bearhug!
[SMR result: 109 (Open d100: 76)]
Your size considerably hinders your defense!
 manages to catch you in a firm bearhug!
A horned basalt grotesque crushes you mercilessly!
   ... 33 points of damage!
Roundtime: 4 sec.

Near-level creatures

Level 103 enormous rift crawler ethereal triton psionicist ethereal triton sentry smouldering skeletal dreadsteed stunted halfling bloodspeaker tattooed gigas berserker Level 104 behemothic gorefrost golem brackish bilge mass darkly inked fetish master disfigured hive thrall infernal death knight niveous giant warg Level 105 greater water elemental grim gigas skald hapless charmed corsair horned basalt grotesque savage fork-tongued wendigo Level 106 brawny gigas shield-maiden corpulent kresh ravager gaudy phantasmic conjurer milky-eyed drowned mariner murky soul siphon Level 107 ashen patrician vampire gigantic lightning whelk quivering sanguine ooze scaly needle-toothed trenchling