Runic WarmawCreature 16

---

Source Pathfinder #221: Into the Apocalypse Archive
Perception +28 (darkvision, scent (imprecise) 60 feet)
Languages Jotun, Can't Speak Any Language
Skills Acrobatics +28, Athletics +32, Stealth +30, Survival +30
Str +8, Dex +6, Con +8, Int +4, Wis +4, Cha +6

---

AC 38; Fort +30; Reflex +28; Will +24;
HP 300
Speed 55 feet
Immunities fire

---

Jaws +32 (+27, +22) to hit (magical, reach 15, unarmed) 3d10+16 Piercing
Searing Ray +30 (+25, +20) to hit (arcane, fire) 8d6 Fire

---

Echo Arcana

Trigger A rune giant within 30 feet casts one of the warmaw's innate spells by reading their shared runes

---

Effect The runic warmaw makes a jaws Strike.

Rune Flare

Trigger The runic warmaw is targeted by an arcane spell or effect

---

Effect The runes etched across the runic warmaw's body burst to life with a sudden flow of energy. The runic warmaw becomes Quickened for 1 round and can use the additional action only to Stride or Strike.

Howl of Ash and Ember (arcane, fire, unholy)

The runic warmaw exhales a surge of foul soot and flame, dealing 15d6 fire damage to all creatures in a 60-foot cone (DC 37 reflex save). A creature that fails the save is also Sickened 1 (or Sickened 2 on a critical failure). The runic warmaw can't use Howl of Ash and Ember again for 1d4 rounds.

Invigorating Bite

When a runic warmaw critically hits a target with a jaws Strike, they regain 30 Hit Points and, at the start of their next turn, gain an additional reaction during that turn.

Pack Attack

The runic warmaw's Strikes deal an additional 3d6 precision damage to creatures within the reach of at least two of the runic warmaw's allies.

Share Runes

When a runic warmaw is within 60 feet of a rune giant, that rune giant can cast any of the runic warmaw's innate spells during the rune giant's turn—these spells use the rune giant's DCs but are depleted from the warmaw's daily uses. The rune giant is the point of origin and makes all the decisions about the spell's targets.

---

Arcane Innate Spells (DC 35, +27 to hit)

1st Level: Force Barrage
6th Level: Chain Lightning
8th Level: Arctic Rift

---

Rune giants have specialized talents and magical abilities to command other giants, yet giants are far from the only creatures they favor when it comes to guardians. The first runic warmaws were created by Runelord Alaznist in –5780, not long after she perfected the fleshwarping techniques she learned from the qlippoth lord Yamasoth, in response to her rune giants' repeated requests for some form of powerful guardian they could deploy against her enemies on the field of battle. In the following years, as with sinspawn and other fleshwarp creations, other runelords capitalized upon these methods to create runic warmaws as well.

A runic warmaw looks somewhat like an immense, elephant-sized hound, yet with horselike heads that have large, toothy jaws well suited to rending flesh. Strange patterns of shifting red runes appear on their black-furred bodies—runes containing latent sources of magic that rune giants can use to access some of a runic warmaw's magical powers.

Specialized Warmaws

The runic warmaw presented here has been specially bred by rune giants to foster magical powers that serve well in combat, but others with a focus on different types of magical tactics, such as research, defense, or travel, exist. These warmaws have differently themed innate spells—replace the three combat-associated spells listed in the stat block as appropriate for the warmaw's theme you desire for the encounter you're building.

---

Traits