Firegaunts are undead fire giants who have deteriorated spectacularly. Their jaws jut out in a pronounced muzzle, giving them a vaguely baboonlike appearance. They also give off a sulfuric stench. Their eyes and tongues have completely rotted away, and small portions of flesh on their body and limbs have decomposed and vanished. Out of these holes pour tongues of flame several feet in length, while what remains of their physical bodies is covered with rippling tongues of flame. Thick clouds of smoke hang low above the creatures. The overall effect is quite horrifying. Some of these undead giants still wear the same armor they wore in life, though holes have melted through it in those places where tongues of flame erupt from their decaying bodies.

Combat: With or without their armor, firegaunts are always armor class -1. Their undead nature has increased their Strength due to an influx of energy from the Negative Material Plane, while at the same time reducing their Dexterity. They can hurl boulders to a distance of 250 yards that cause 2d12 hp damage per boulder that hits, but they can no longer catch boulders. Their great Strength also means that they inflict 1d10+10 hp damage with their bare hands alone, while a weapon enables them to inflict 2d12+10 hp damage per blow. In addition, their fiery nature means that any creature they touch with their bare hands must save vs. spell or else suffer 2d20 hp damage from burning (half that if the saving throw is made). Possessions of the burned victim must saves vs. magical fire or be destroyed. Anyone killed by a firegaunt is immolated in flames and reduced to ash; only a resurrection spell or more powerful magic can restore victims slain in this manner.

Firegaunts are immune to all fire-based attacks. Water- and cold-based attacks inflict double damage, and holy water inflicts 2-8 hp damage per vial splashed on the monster. Mind-affecting magic, hold, sleep, poison, and paralyzation attacks are all useless against these creatures, but raise dead slays a firegaunt instantly. Sunlight doesn't bother them, partially because they are already adapted to constant light from the flames shooting out of them, and partly because of the continuous shade each creature's cloud of smoke provides. Thus, these undead can come out at any time, day or night, though night attacks are the most spectacular.

Habitat/Society: Firegaunts are loners, with no more than two of these creatures ever dwelling together. Indeed, with flames in their sockets instead of eyes, they seem incapable of admiring familiar or beautiful sights, although they never have trouble finding their victims during an attack. Firegaunts often go on long, seemingly aimless rampages, burning and slaying everything in their path, including their former kinsmen.

Ecology: Firegaunts tend to burn everything in sight. Though initially destructive, this burning often promotes new growth in forest or grasslands, which in tum provides more nourishment to the local herbivores, upon whom the local carnivores feed. Firegaunts themselves have no need of food, being sustained entirely by energy from the Negative Material Plane. Their body parts are useful in any fire-based magical research. Immersing a bottle in a firegaunt’s internal fires for an unspecified period of time is said to be one means of producing an eversmoking bottle.