Frightful Fridays! Commanding Crown

Hello and welcome to a new week of Frightful Fridays! I had this one ready to go, but then I got distracted by snow. Six inches of snow (which is a lot for this area, recently) later and it's looking quite nice. So, of course, this week's monster is not snow related. Instead, I have an illustration from Remy Nyx, who wanted a monster made from it. The result is the commanding crown, which only wishes to drop onto someone's head and encourage mild megalomania.

I hope you enjoy the commanding crown, and I'll be back next week with something else. Thanks for reading!

This gem-studded golden crown glows with an inner light and floats gently at a height roughly equal to a standing human’s head.

Commanding Crown      CR 12

XP 19,200

NE Tiny aberration

Init +4; Senses darkvision 60 ft.; Perception +23

DEFENSE

AC 27, touch 17, flat-footed 22 (+4 Dex, +1 dodge, +10 natural, +2 size)

hp 144 (17d8+68)

Fort +9, Ref +11, Will +14

Defensive Abilities constructed, hardness 10; Immune cold, electricity; Resist fire 10; SR 20

OFFENSE

Speed 5 ft., fly 60 ft. (perfect)

Melee slam +18 (1d2–4 plus adhesive)

Space 2½ ft.; Reach 0 ft.

Special Attacks adhesive, mental domination, subjugating shock

Spell-Like Abilities (CL 17th; concentration +21)

   Constant—magic aura (to radiate a strong aura of enchantment)

   3/day—quickened murderous command^UM (DC 17), mass charm person (DC 21), suggestion (DC 19)

   1/day—dominate person (DC 21), envious urge^UM (DC 22), feeblemind (DC 21), greater command (DC 21), mass hold person (DC 22)

STATISTICS

Str 2, Dex 19, Con 18, Int 17, Wis 18, Cha 19

Base Atk +12; CMB +14 (+26 grapple); CMD 21 (can't be tripped)

Feats Combat Casting, Dodge, Greater Spell Focus (enchantment), Lightning Reflexes, Mobility, Quicken Spell-Like Ability (murderous command), Skill Focus (Bluff), Spell Focus (enchantment), Weapon Finesse

Skills Bluff +27, Fly +20, Knowledge (arcana) +20, Knowledge (local) +13, Knowledge (nobility) +13, Perception +23, Sense Motive +21, Spellcraft +20, Stealth +19, Use Magic Device +20

Languages Aklo, Common, Draconic, Dwarven; telepathy 120 ft.

SQ valuable corpse

ECOLOGY

Environment any

Organization solitary

Treasure double (see valuable corpse)

SPECIAL ABILITIES

Adhesive (Ex) The inside of a commanding crown is lined with a powerful adhesive. When it successfully strikes a target, it gains a free attempt to grapple the target without provoking attacks of opportunity. The adhesive gives it a +12 racial bonus on grapple checks and allows it to grapple without gaining the grappled condition. Strong alcohol or universal solvent dissolves the adhesive for 1d4 rounds as the crown exudes more.

Constructed (Ex) Although a commanding crown is a living creature, its body functions in many ways as a construct. For the purposes of effects targeting creatures by type, the crown counts as both an aberration and a construct. It is immune to death effects, disease, mind-affecting effects, necromancy effects, paralysis, poison, sleep, stun, and any effect that requires a Fortitude save (unless the effect also works on objects, or is harmless). The crown is not subject to nonlethal damage, ability damage, ability drain, fatigue, exhaustion, or energy drain. It is not at risk of death from massive damage. It has bonus hit points as a construct of its size. A commanding crown is destroyed when reduced to 0 hp or less.

Mental Domination (Su) If a commanding crown begins its turn grappling a humanoid, it can attempt to bend that creature’s will as a standard action. If the grappled humanoid fails a DC 22 Will save, it falls under the crown’s influence, as per dominate person. The save DC is Charisma-based.

A creature under the crown’s control benefits from the crown’s spell resistance, energy resistances and immunities, and the immunities provided by the crown’s construction special ability. The crown operates independently of the controlled creature.

Subjugating Shock (Su) Once every 1d6 rounds, a commanding crown can unleash a blast of lightning that deals 8d6 electricity damage to all creatures in a 30-foot radius (DC 22 Reflex halves). Creatures taking damage must attempt an additional Reflex save (with a +4 bonus for creatures making the initial save) to avoid becoming stunned for 1 round.

Valuable Corpse (Ex) Precious metals and valuable gems comprising a commanding crown are worth twice the value in treasure for the crown’s CR. Additionally, by placing the crown on its head, a creature can use the crown’s remaining spell-like abilities.

Imperious relatives to mimics, commanding crowns have locked themselves into a specific shape, but one they use to likewise fool victims. Whereas mimics seek to kill for sport, commanding crowns enjoy asserting control over dupes and using them to kill others. Commanding crowns attempt to appear like intelligent magic items capable of granting enchantment spells, and they speak telepathically to their chosen targets with promises of power. If necessary, they use their suggestion spell-like ability to encourage victims to place them on their heads. Once the crowns have claimed their subjects, they gather allies using their spell-like abilities to build armies and foment war against an imagined enemy. Once their carefully cultivated wars have begun, they slip off their subjects’ heads and float away to witness the carnage from afar.

Commanding crowns easily recognize other commanding crowns, which they throroughly despise. The creatures force their proxies to fight each other and have the victor destroy the opposing crown before it can claim another subject.