Dao
Appearance
Dao resemble muscular humanoids in flowing silk robes often festooned with jewelry. Their skin varies in all the colors of earth and stone, from grey and brown to tan, white and ebony. Their ears are pointed and their retractable fingernails are unusually durable claws of pure metal.
A dao stands some 12 feet tall and weighs about 2,000 pounds.
Nature
Dao are eager traders of gems and gold and love to barter for wealth and power, but are apt to discount lesser creatures as mere resources to be exploited then thrown away. Their attitude toward all other races can be best described as callous.
Dao (CR 6)
Usually NE Large Outsider (Earth, Extraplanar)
Init +0 (+0 Dexterity); Senses darkvision 60 ft.; Listen +12, Spot +12
Languages Common, Ignan, Infernal, Terran; telepathy 100 ft.
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AC 17, touch 9, flat-footed 17 (-1 size, +8 natural)
hp 76 hp (8 HD)
Immune acid
Fort +11, Ref +6, Will +8
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Speed 30 ft. (6 squares); burrow 20 ft.
Melee 2 slams +13 melee (1d8+6)
Space 10 ft.; Reach 10 ft.
Base Atk +8; Grp +18
Atk Options Cleave, Improved Bull Rush, Improved Sunder, Power Attack, spell-like abilities
Special Actions Change shape, earth mastery, plane shift
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Spell-Like Abilities (CL 12th)
At will—detect good, detect magic, gaseous form, invisibility, misdirection, passwall, persistent image, wall of stone
3/day—move earth, transmute rock to mud
1/day—grant up to three limited wishes to nongenies only
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Abilities Str 22, Dex 11, Con 21, Int 12, Wis 15, Cha 15
SQ Change shape, earth mastery, plane shift, stonecunning, telepathy 100 ft.
Feats Cleave, Improved Bull Rush (B), Improved Sunder, Power Attack
Skills Appraise +12, Bluff +14, Craft (any one) +8, Diplomacy +6, Intimidate +14, Listen +12, Move Silently +12, Search +12, Sense Motive +13, Spellcraft +10, Spot +12
Possessions Standard coins; double goods; standard items
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Organization Solitary, company (2-4), or band (6 - 15)
Environment Elemental Plane of Earth
Advancement 9 - 16 HD (Large); 17 - 24 HD (Huge)
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Change Shape (Su): A dao can assume the form of any Small, Medium, or Large humanoid or giant.
Earth Mastery (Ex): A dao gains a +1 bonus on attack and damage rolls if both it and its foe touch the ground. If an opponent is airborne or waterborne, the dao suffers a -4 penalty on attack and damage rolls.
Plane Shift (Sp): A dao can enter any of the elemental planes, the Astral Plane, or the Material Plane. This ability transports the dao and up to eight other creatures, provided they all link hands with the dao. It is otherwise similar to the spell of the same name (caster level 13th).
Stonecunning (Ex): Dao gain a +2 bonus on Search checks to notice unusual stonework, such as sliding walls, stonework traps, new construction (even when built to match the old), unsafe stone surfaces, shaky stone ceilings, and the like. Something that isn't stone but that is disguised as stone also counts as unusual stonework. A dao who merely comes within 10 feet of unusual stonework can make a Search check as if he were actively searching, and a dao can use the Search skill to find stonework traps as a rogue can. A dao can also intuit depth, sensing his approximate depth underground as naturally as a human can sense which way is up.