Pyreshade (3.5e Monster)

Burning at the stake is a very traditional punishment, but if you burn too many people alive in one place, it might come back to bite you in the soul.

Pyreshades are beings of spectral fire whose otherworldly flames consumes flesh, bone and spirit alike. Born from the lingering agony of countless souls that burnt to death in life, their wrathful blaze erodes a living creature's sense of self until its mindless burning husk falls away into ash,

Combat
Pyreshades usually attack simply by moving through spaces occupied by living creatures and reaping the rewards. A pyreshade gains a profane bonus to AC equal to one third its total HD, rounded down.

 :' As a standard action once every 2d4 rounds, a pyreshade may emit a cacophony of high-pitched screams, created by the voices of hundreds of souls burnt at the stake. Any creature within 60 feet of the pyreshade is dealt 15d6 sonic damage (DC 27 Reflex half) and must make a DC 27 Fortitude save or become paralyzed for 2d4 rounds. This is a combined Sonic and Fear effect; a creature immune to fear only takes the damage, but a creature immune to sonic effects is unaffected.

A pyreshade's baleful shriek dispels any kind of magical silence and deals double damage to any creature or object that would take hit point damage from a shatter spell.

 : Any creature within a pyreshade's natural reach takes 4d6 points of fire damage per round. Any creature directly touching a pyreshade, either by moving through its space, attacking it unarmed or with natural weapons, or being attacked, takes 6d6 points of fire damage and is subject to the pyreshade's erode soul ability.

 : Creatures directly touching a pyreshade's body take 1d6 points of Wisdom and Charisma drain. For every point of Wisdom or Charisma so drained, the pyreshade regains 1 hit point. Creatures immune to fire are not immune to a pyreshade's ability drain unless they also have the Fire subtype.

Creatures whose Wisdom or Charisma has been lowered to 0 by this ability lose all sense of self to the uncontrollable pain. Their spirit is devoured by the pyreshade's unliving flame, and their body crumbles to dust. Creatures killed and absorbed by a pyreshade can only be returned to life by killing the pyreshade, gathering the ectoplasmic ash it leaves behind and cast true resurrection on the ash while on hallowed ground.

A pyreshade that consumed enough living souls will grow stronger permanently. By absorbing an amount of living creatures whose total Hit Dice equal its own current number of Hit Dice, it will advance by 1 SRD:Hit Dice and gain all associated bonuses for advancement. Creatures whose CR is 10 lower than the pyreshade's or less do not count towards its advancement.

SRD:Spell-Like Abilities: To come.