The thick hide of this skeletal elephant is covered with necromantic sigils and brandings, its ivory tusks blackened as if by extreme age. Its eye sockets glow as if lit from within by fiery lanterns, and its flopping ears are little more than shredded leather.
Undead War Elephant CR 5
Always NE Huge undead
Init +0; Senses darkvision 60 ft.; Listen +6, Spot +6
AC 17, touch 8, flat-footed 17
(-2 size, +9 natural)
hp 71 (11 HD)
Immune undead traits
Fort +5, Ref +3, Will +8
Spd 30 ft. (6 squares)
Melee slam +10 (1d6+7) and 2 stamps +5 (2d6+3) or
gore +10 (2d8+10)
Space 15 ft.; Reach 10 ft.
Base Atk +5: Grp +20
Atk Options Cleave, Power Attack; fiery feet
Special Actions trample
Abilities Str 24, Dex 11, Con -, Int 4, Wis 12, Cha 9
SQ provide cover
Feats Alertness, Cleave, Great Fortitude, Power Attack
Skills Jump +10, Listen +6, Sense Motive +3, Spot +6, Swim +10
Environment any land
Organization solitary
Treasure none
Advancement 12-33 HD (Gargantuan)
Fiery Feet (Su) In life, elephants fear fire, but in undeath this fear disappears, replaced with the ability to set everything they trample on fire. An undead war elephant confers an additional 2d6 points of fire damage to trample victims. Their fiery feet also set combustible materials alight, meaning that a charge is often accompanied by a wave of wildfires.
Provide Cover (Ex) An undead war elephant is large enough to provide cover (+4 to AC) to creatures sheltering in its ribcage or howdah.
Trample (Ex) As a standard action during its turn each round, the undead war elephant can literally run over an opponent of Large size or smaller. The undead war elephant merely has to move over the opponent. The trample deals 2d8 bludgeoning damage and 2d6 fire damage. Trampled opponents can attempt attacks of opportunity, but these incur a -4 penalty. If they do not make attacks of opportunity, trampled opponents can attempt DC 22 Reflex saves for half damage. The DC is Strength-based.
Undead war elephants are enormous undead raised from the bones of a mammoth, mastodon, or elephant killed in battle or sacrificed to the Gods of Death.
The creatures' spirits are often angry at being trapped in an undead body, and they sometimes seek to wander off to the Elephant's Graveyard if not carefully controlled by their makers. More often, though, they are titanic counterpoints of undead armies, or command posts and observation platforms for generals commanding undead cavalry.
The bone ribcage of an undead war elephant is sometimes used by lesser undead as a strange chariot or sort of Trojan Horse, allowing them to spill out when they reach their destination. Even more common is the placement of a howdah made of wood and covered in green leather on top of the undead war elephant, a fitting perch for its necromantic master. Wealthy undead generals often commission barding for their undead war elephants; this amounts to a wall of iron plating that makes the elephant a most effective battering ram.