Caldera Oni
CREATURE 14As hot-blooded as the lava that floods their homes, caldera oni have an incredible appetite for the thrill of war. While they engage in battle to conquer and control others, caldera oni also love the thrill of combat, fighting for the sheer joy of it. Presenting a caldera oni with a true challenge can potentially earn their mercy and an offer to serve at their side.
Oni are large, brutal creatures originating in Tian Xia who resemble humanoids with brightly colored skin, tusks, and horns. Though commonly mistaken for fiends, the first oni were originally kami, tutelary nature spirits. These kami suffered a terrible trauma, losing their sacred wards to dramatic disasters or the callousness of others, and as a result transformed into the violent creatures they are today. While some believe that oni can be spiritually placated through proper ritual worship that transforms them back into kami, many of these would-be saviors fall to oni's notorious brute strength, flesh-rending teeth, and command of storms.
Oni possess the ability to disguise themselves as other humanoids. They are rarely creative in their disguises, often choosing a specific appearance similar to their oni form and sticking with it. This simplicity catches many by surprise, however, as people assume oni are limited to a single alternate form, which is by no means the case.
A creature with greater darkvision can see perfectly well in areas of darkness and dim light, though such vision is in black and white only. A creature with greater darkvision can see through even forms of magical darkness.
Oni are curiously afraid of beans, especially as the seasons begin to change. If a creature Interacts to throw a handful of beans at the oni, the oni becomes Frightened 2. While frightened this way, their weakness to spirit damage is increased by 5. The oni then becomes immune to bean panic for 24 hours.
When the caldera oni is critically hit, the flames of anger grow within them. They recharge their choice of Ash Form or Dance of Burning War.
The caldera oni then returns to its physical form, affected by a 4th-rank Enlarge spell with a duration of 1d4 rounds.
The caldera oni can take on the appearance of any Medium or Large humanoid creature. This doesn't change their Speed or their attack and damage bonuses with their Strikes but might change the damage type their Strikes deal (typically to bludgeoning).
The monster changes its shape indefinitely. It can use this action again to return to its natural shape or adopt a new shape. Unless otherwise noted, a monster cannot use Change Shape to appear as a specific individual. Using Change Shape counts as creating a disguise for the Impersonate use of Deception. The monster's transformation automatically defeats Perception DCs to determine whether the creature is a member of the ancestry or creature type into which it transformed, and it gains a +4 status bonus to its Deception DC to prevent others from seeing through its disguise. Change Shape abilities specify what shapes the monster can adopt. The monster doesn't gain any special abilities of the new shape, only its physical form. For example, in each shape, it replaces its normal Speeds and Strikes, and might potentially change its senses or size. Any changes are listed in its stat block.
The oni then finishes the dance by calling down volcanic lightning through the cloud of ash. Each creature hit by a Strike during the dance takes 3d6 fire damage and 3d6 electricity damage with a DC 34 basic Reflex save.