Aurumach [Rilmani]

Aurumachs have tall, athletic bodies, serene faces and metallic gold skin. Their eyes shine too brightly to look into, and an aura of patience and power hangs about them. Some appear in fluted golden plate with great swords or maces, though at home they seldom need such gear.

Though big as ogres, they outpace and outmaneuver the nimblest human. An aurumach wields a vorpal sword +3, attacking three times a round at +6 to hit; the blade appears in her grip at a thought, so no one can disarm her or catch her empty-handed. Her armor, equal to field plate +4, appears the same way. With an effective 20 Strength she deals 2d8 even empty-handed.

Golden energy like an argenach's rays instead surrounds her as a 15-foot halo, automatically taking whatever form (fire, ice, positive, negative and so on) the foe is weakest against. Hostile creatures entering it must save vs. spell or take 2d12. The halo doubles as a globe of invulnerability and stops every kind of missile too.

She sees magic and invisibility naturally. Her spell-like powers include wall of fire, ice, iron or force, death fog or solid fog, slow, prismatic spray, mirror image, mass suggestion, mass charm, improved invisibility, hallucinatory terrain, fly, ESP, cone of cold (12d4+12), advanced illusion, and geas once a day. Daily she can also cast time stop or any symbol, and once a year grant someone else's wish. Three times a day her laying on of hands combines heal, regeneration and restoration. Only +4 or better weapons harm her. At will she can open a gate with 80% success, which brings either 1-8 ferrumachs (75%) or 1-3 argenachs (25%).

Few outsiders have ever seen one. The aurumachs lead the race, and it is said even the powers know less than they do. More than any being in the multiverse, they stand apart and coolly measure the balance, stepping in whenever it tilts badly. Perhaps a hundred exist on the neutral planes. They almost never leave the great spire at the planes' center and do not hide from visitors, but finding one takes extraordinary luck.

They match the mightiest fiends and celestials. The rilmani have no real hierarchy or government, and aurumachs serve as mentors and advisers rather than rulers, yet their suggestions send lesser rilmani scrambling. Only the gravest threats draw them away, and then they are merciless and efficient; crossing one at such a time is a mistake.