Zekrom (3.5e Monster)



Summary::This jet-black dragon crackles with awesome power. Its tail pulsates a brilliant blue, surging with electrical power. It roars, and the area is engulfed with electricity.

The legendary Unovan dragon of ideals, the Black Yang. Zekrom was once half of a single dragon, but split apart when its two human allies - the founders of the Unova region - began to squabble over how the new nation should be run. Zekrom allied itself with the younger brother, who believed in the importance of ideals. The battle between Zekrom and its counterpart, Reshiram, dragon of truth, ravaged the Unova region, and both dragons were sealed into slumber after it was over. However, the dragons have recently been awakened, and now await new heroes to ally themselves with...

Combat
"What do you think? How do you like the powerful form of the Pokémon who appears before and fights beside the hero that will lead the way to a new world? Now, Zekrom and I will head to the Pokémon League and defeat the Champion! This will be the last of the Pokémon battles that hurt Pokémon so. A world for Pokémon alone... It's finally going to be a reality."

Zekrom fights primarily with physical attacks, which it augments with electrical power. It's quite capable of using breath weapons, spell-like abilities, et al., but it's at its most powerful when it brings the fight up close and personal. Its signature Bolt Strike and Fusion Bolt attacks can bring virtually any opponent to its knees in a matter of seconds.

Woe be to those who lack courage and conviction, for they will surely invite Zekrom's wrath. Zekrom tends to focus its offensive efforts upon characters and creatures who go to extreme lengths to stay away from the front lines of combat; as the dragon of ideals, it takes a very dim view of cowards and hypocrites. Summoning minions to fight in one's place, failure to live according to one's beliefs, or abandoning one's allies outright enrages it.

The side effects of being hit by Zekrom's melee attacks can be negated with a successful DC 46 Fortitude save (the save DC is Strength-based). The save DCs for all of Zekrom's abilities, save for its spell-like abilities, are equal to 10 + ½ of Zekrom's HD (16) + key ability modifier. (The DCs for spell-like abilities are calculated as if they were spells.)

 : Zekrom's natural weapons are treated as though they had the shocking burst property. This is reflected in the statistics block.

 : Zekrom is highly skilled with its natural weapons, and its attacks never feel stiff or awkward. Its natural weapons are treated like they were manufactured weapons for the purpose of applying its Strength bonus to damage (its claws and wings are treated as light weapons, its bite is treated like a one-handed weapon, and its tail is treated as a two-handed weapon (including its use of its tail in Bolt Strike and Fusion Bolt, which are more akin to a tail sweep and a tail slap, respectively)). Zekrom is still not able to get extra attacks by courtesy of its base attack bonus, instead using all of its natural weapons in its full attack like any other creature would.

 : As a full-round action, Zekrom can infuse its tail with electricity to deliver a devastating electrically-supercharged physical blow to all enemies within range. It makes a single melee tail sweep attack, using a single attack roll, against all targets in range. (Though treated as a tail sweep, Bolt Strike can affect opponents of any size category.) The attack deals 5d12+21 points of bludgeoning damage and 1d12+84 points of electricity damage, plus 2d12 additional electricity damage for each Hit Die Zekrom possesses. (Zekrom's Strength modifier as applied to the electricity damage is 4&times; the modifier added to the physical damage.) Any targets struck and damaged by this attack must make a Reflex save or be knocked back 2d10&times;5 feet and must make a Fortitude save or be stunned for 7 rounds (failure by 5 or more on the Fortitude save results in being paralyzed for 7 rounds instead). Each save is made independently. Any creature that fails both saves must immediately succeed on a Will save or take 4d6 points of Dexterity damage and 1d6 points of Dexterity drain, permanently lose 10 feet from all movement speeds, and lose the ability to cast spells from the Conjuration school (other than healing spells), as well as all class features and innate abilities that summon other creatures to one's aid (such as the wizard and sorcerer's familiar, the druid and ranger's animal companion, the paladin's mount, and the blackguard's fiendish servant) for 24 hours. (The movement speed loss and duration of summoning ability loss can stack with themselves if a creature gets struck with multiple Bolt Strikes; however, no matter how many times a creature gets hit with Bolt Strike, none of its movement speeds can be reduced to 0. The minimum movement speed is 5 feet.) The loss of movement speed and Conjuration spellcasting ability can be cured with remove curse if its caster succeeds on a DC 50 caster level check. The save DCs are 46 (Strength-based). The duration of the stun and paralysis effects is half Zekrom's Strength modifier. Zekrom can use Bolt Strike five times per day.

Unlike Reshiram's Blue Flare, Zekrom's Bolt Strike is a melee attack, and therefore cannot be interrupted, nor does it provoke attacks of opportunity.

 : As a standard action, Zekrom can infuse its tail with electricity and make a single attack against a single opponent that does 5d12+21 points of bludgeoning damage and 1d12+63 points of electricity damage, plus an additional 1d12 electricity damage for each Hit Die Zekrom possesses. (Though treated as a tail slap, Fusion Bolt can affect opponents of any size category.) (The Strength modifier applied to the electricity damage is 3&times; the modifier added to the physical damage.) Because Fusion Bolt is a melee attack with no additional effects, the target is not entitled to a saving throw, but the attack will deal no damage if Zekrom fails to beat its target's Armor Class. Fusion Bolt is a partial touch attack; it ignores armor and shield bonuses to AC from metal armor and shields, but not natural armor, armor and shield bonuses from nonmetal items, or armor and shield bonuses derived purely from magic (such as from mage armor). This attack's damage is doubled if any other creature has used Fusion Flare within 90 feet of Zekrom during the current round. Zekrom can use Fusion Bolt once every 3 rounds.

Unlike Reshiram's Fusion Flare, Zekrom's Bolt Strike is a melee attack, and therefore cannot be interrupted, nor does it provoke attacks of opportunity.

 : Zekrom's breath weapon is a 80-foot line of electricity, 10 feet wide and 10 feet tall, that deals 6d8 points of electricity damage, Reflex save for half (DC 42, Constitution-based). After using its breath weapon, Zekrom is unable to use it again for 1d4 rounds.

 : As a dragon, Zekrom is capable of entering a truly terrifying rage. This Outrage lasts for three rounds. During the Outrage, Zekrom increases the save DC of all of its abilities by +3 and gains a +5 bonus to attack rolls. Additionally, any damage it delivers (physical, spell-like, or otherwise) is increased by 1d8 per two hit dice. Entering an Outrage is a Swift action. It cannot be cut short. When Outrage ends, Zekrom becomes fatigued and confused for one minute.

 : At will, Zekrom may use a standard action to launch a ranged touch attack with a range increment of 100 feet that does 4d12+10 points of damage. This is a [Dragon] effect. Zekrom adds its Charisma modifier to the damage roll.

 : When making a charge attack, Zekrom can choose to add 7d12 electric damage to the attack. If it does, it suffers 3d6 backlash damage if the attack connects. This ability is a physical attack, and therefore benefits from Physical Force.

Zekrom can use Wild Charge in conjunction with its Blitz and Dire Charge feats. (Yes, it can add 7d12 damage to each blow in its full attack routine if it makes a full attack after a charge. Ouch. Needless to say, Zekrom is very fond of starting a fight with a Wild Dire Charge in order to take one of its enemies down in the blink of an eye. It gets even more painful if Zekrom uses Outrage...)

Backlash damage cannot be resisted by any means, and a creature killed by it loses 1 extra level/Hit Die if and when it is brought back to life.

Usable 8 times/day: ball lightning, chain lightning, scintillating scales , righteous might, remote view trap, lightning blade (used on Zekrom's natural weapons, compatible with Physical Force), brainstorm (unaugmented). Usable 4 times/day: gauss whip (unaugmented, affected by Physical Force), lightning ring, stormrage , smiting lightning, stasis energy field. Usable 2 times/day: geas/quest, electrocute (affected by Physical Force), lightning of ideals (affected by Physical Force). Zekrom casts its spell-like abilities with a caster level equal to 2/3 its hit dice (22, in this case). Save DCs based on Charisma.

 : Zekrom's attacks have a knack for bypassing all but the most well-entrenched of immunities and defenses. Its electric attacks, melee, special, and spell-like alike, bypass the first 80 points of the target's electricity resistance (treating electricity immunity as electricity resistance equal to 5&times;the target's HD). In addition, it ignores the target's electricity absorption (treating it like electricity immunity) and half of its energy hindrance, and its natural weapons are treated as epic, adamantine, silver, and cold iron for the purpose of bypassing damage reduction. Note that this also applies to Zekrom's allies if it uses abilities that can wind up harming its allies, which it thankfully has very few of; nonetheless, Zekrom tries to avoid using such abilities when allies are nearby. (Because Bolt Strike is a melee attack, Zekrom can (and always does) choose not to strike its allies with it; thus, lightning ball, scintillating sphere, energy vortex, and gauss whip are Zekrom's only attacks that risk harming its allies.)

 : Zekrom's physical attacks are exceptionally potent. All melee attacks made by Zekrom (including its regular attacks, Bolt Strike, Fusion Bolt, Wild Charge, shocking grasp, gauss whip, lightning blade, and electrocute) gain a +3 bonus on attack rolls and deal an extra 2d12 points of damage. This is already reflected in the statistics block.

 : Zekrom's body is perpetually charged with electricity. All who strike it with unarmed attacks or natural weapons take 1d4 points of electricity damage. In addition, Zekrom has a +4 deflection bonus to its AC and a +2 deflection bonus to all saving throws (reflected in its statistics block).

 : Zekrom is the embodiment of ideals - of dedication to a cause, of doing what you believe to be right even when you get ridiculed and instructed to stop, of uncompromisingly seeking out problems with the world and correcting them. All creatures allied to Zekrom within 300 feet of it feel its presence encouraging them to live up to their ideals and achieve their dreams, and therefore gain a +5 morale bonus to all die rolls (including but not limited to attack rolls, damage rolls, skill checks, saving throws, and caster level checks).

 : Zekrom is always aware of the alignment of any creature that it can see; nothing can fool it. This ability is continuously active, and is the equivalent of a 6th-level spell at the same caster level as its other spell-like abilities (22). It can be dispelled, but Zekrom can reactivate it on its next turn as a free action.

Advancement
If Zekrom's HD is increased, it is likely to select these feats:


 * Freeze Frame
 * Subtle Cut

...Come to think of it, Zekrom's essentially the fighter to Reshiram's wizard. So perhaps I can get away with giving it more bonus feats than the other two members of its trio... :D

With the assistance of a Pokémaster (Training check, DC 48), Zekrom can learn  : Once per hour, Zekrom can use a full-round action to call down a massive meteor anywhere within Long range. A 50' radius area is hit, with all in the area suffering 400 damage with a Ref Save for half (Charisma-based). Those who fail the save are knocked prone and pinned under a very real meteor. Using this bestows a &minus;4 penalty to Zekrom's Charisma until it next rests. This is a [Dragon] effect. In a contest, after all points are awarded, the Contest ends due to obliteration of the stadium.