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fangthane
2006-09-17, 05:36 PM
I was listening to the song and thought to myself "I could totally do a construct based on this tune" - so here it is. I present for the Monsters in the Playground (http://www.giantitp.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.pl?board=homebrew;action=display;num=11557461 87;start=0) my design for the

Indefatigable
Huge Construct
Hit Dice: 24d10+40 (172 hp)
Initiative: -2
Speed: 100 ft (20 squares)
Armor Class: 21 (-2 Dex, -2 size, +10 nat'l, +5 deflection), touch 11, flatfooted 21
Base Attack/Grapple: +18/+38
Attack: Slam +28 (2d6+18 )
Full Attack: Charge +30 (2d6+18 )
Space/Reach: 20 ft/10 ft.
Special Attacks: Breath Weapon, Improved Grab, Juice
Special Qualities: damage reduction 10/adamantine and magic, Fast Healing 7, Immunity to Magic, Unstoppable
Saves: Fort +8, Ref +6, Will +7
Abilities: Str 34, Dex 6, Con -, Int -, Wis 8, Cha 6
Skills: -
Feats: -
Environment: Any
Organization: Solitary
Challenge Rating: 15
Treasure: None
Alignment: Always Neutral (reflects contact with owner's alignment, if any)
Advancement: 25-48 HD (Huge)
Level Adjustment: -

You hear it long before it comes in sight; from a distance, it sounds almost musical as its feet thud the ground in staccato percussion which counterpoints the sounds of its workings and the strange, frenetic, flutelike melody which accompanies it on its rampage. When it finally does enter your view, you almost wish it hadn't.

Indefatigables are constructs made primarily of mithral and iron alloys, with an adamantine shell for additional protection and toughness. They measure roughly 20 feet long and about 10 feet tall, and have 4 elephant-like legs on each side of a 10-foot wide body. A set of 4 large humanoid arms set into the front of the construct are capable of delivering its slam attack and grappling opponents for delivery to its Juicer compartment, or to deliver to a location of its owner's designation. Its attuned owner may give it instructions at any time from anywhere within audible range; that owner's voice resonates with the flute integral to the construct. If its owner's voice is altered or removed (through means such as polymorph, for example), an Indefatigable will not recognise its further orders until it has been restored. An Indefatigable whose owner is slain or unavailable continues to carry out any instruction it was given; on completion of that instruction, if applicable, it returns to its most recent location-guardianship duty and adopts a default program set.

They were originally created by the famous gnomish bard, Jaffro the Tall, as a combination of home protection, personal guardianship and transportation. His original, entirely bardic formula for their creation has been lost to time, but certain enterprising wizards have worked out a reasonable substitute. Despite their best efforts to make the design their own, however, none has yet been able to work a design which omits the bard's signature component, a mithral flute of masterful workmanship and great material value. All such attempts result in nonfunctional, but expensive, statuary.

Breath Weapon (Su): 10-foot cube, cloud of dense, superheated steam lasting 1 round, free action every 1d4+1 rounds. Creatures or unattended items susceptible to rust must make a fortitude save or be affected as if by Rusting Grasp (DC 22 negates) with a caster level of 1/3 the Indefatigable's hit dice (round down). Creatures which breathe must make a fortitude save or sustain 1d6 for every 3 hit dice the Indefatigable possesses (DC 22 half damage); for creatures with the Fire subtype, these damage dice increase to 1d8 each. In addition, any creature susceptible to critical hits which fails its fortitude is blinded for 1d4 rounds (Reflex DC 22 negates).

Improved Grab (Ex): An Indefatigable which successfully hits an opponent with its slam attack may immediately initiate a grapple attempt without triggering attacks of opportunity. Success indicates that the creature is carried along for the remainder of the Indefatigable's movement and is grappled, while failure indicates the opponent has been pushed out of the Indefatigable's path.

Immunity to Magic (Ex): An Indefatigable is immune to any spell or spell-like ability which permits spell resistance, except as specified below; in addition it cannot be affected by any spell which interferes with or impedes movement. Certain spells and effects function differently against the creature, as noted below.
Walls of force and similar effects are bypassed and ignored by an Indefatigable, but are not otherwise altered or impaired by its passage.
Any spell with the Electrical descriptor temporarily disrupts an Indefatigable's Fast Healing. Each 6 points of damage which the spell would ordinarily have dealt disrupts the Indefatigable's Fast Healing for one round (minimum 1 round) and it receives no reflex save even if one is normally permitted; it may make a fortitude save against the spell's DC to halve the disruption (minimum 1 round). Multiple disruption effects do not stack; only the longest remaining duration applies.
Any acid-based spell has no effect on an Indefatigable; instead, it allows the Indefatigable to apply +1 per level of the acid spell to its Juice fortitude DCs. Spell levels cast against the creature in this manner are stored until used, but it may add no more than +4 to any single saving throw DC. Unless otherwise specified, default behavior is to add 1d3+1 to each saving throw until the ability is exhausted.

Juice (Su): An opponent who is grappled at the beginning of the Indefatigable's turn automatically sustains slam damage; the Indefatigable may also make an additional grapple check to begin to Juice such a (large or smaller) opponent. If successful, the opponent is crammed into the Juicer compartment where it's bathed in chemicals and compressed. Creatures in the Juicer with a constitution score are damaged 2d4 points of constitution each round they're in the Juicer, with a fortitude save (DC 22, con-based) to negate the ability damage. Unattended items and creatures without a constitution score must make a fortitude save DC 22 or be chemically dissolved, and any creature in the juicer sustains 1d8+12 crushing damage. The juicer may be escaped with an Escape Artist check, DC 48, or by dealing 20 or more points of damage to the hatch (DR 8/adamantine, AC 19) with light or natural piercing or slashing weapons. Once the creature exits, automated repair systems reclaim and replace the hatch; another swallowed opponent must cut its own way out. An Indefatigable's Juicer can hold up to 2 Large, 8 Medium, 32 Small, 128 Tiny, or 512 Diminutive or smaller opponents.

Unstoppable (Ex): Any creature of Large or smaller size is completely incapable of affecting an Indefatigable's movement; it simply pushes any resistance aside. Such creatures may attempt to ride the Indefatigable by making a melee touch attack followed by a reflex save (DC 30). Creatures riding the Indefatigable receive a -2 penalty to all attack rolls. A creature of Huge or larger size may attempt to grapple an Indefatigable, and if successful may reduce the Indefatigable's speed by its own base land speed (maximum reduction 50 feet). Each additional huge creature successfully assisting in the grapple reduces the Indefatigable's movement by 10 feet, to a minimum of 20 feet speed. Any creature grappling an Indefatigable in an effort to slow it must make a reflex save, DC 34, or sustain damage as if it had fallen the distance travelled by the Indefatigable in the round; success halves the damage. An Indefatigable is capable of forcing passage through solid stone, earth or metal; passage through stone and earth reduce its movement by half, and solid metal reduces the creature to 1/4 of its normal movement; barriers less than 3 feet thick do not affect its passage and are sundered in its wake. An Indefatigable may turn up to 90 degrees before its movement on any turn, but may only charge or make a double move thereafter. An Indefatigable must move every round, and may choose between a single move, a double move or a charge attack; it may use its single charge attack on any opponent which comes within range during its movement. Rather than plunge off a cliff it will move through the ground and have its speed reduced as noted above.

Construction
An Indefatigable's body is composed primarily of alloyed iron and mithral, and requires at least 30000 pounds of iron and substantial amounts of mithral, as well as adamantine for its armor plating. In total, these components cost 15000 gp. Its design also includes, perforce, a masterwork mithral flute (worth 2500 gold) which must be mounted within the construct's internal ducting system. This flute must be attuned to the construct's eventual owner prior to its incorporation. Assembling the body requires a DC 20 Craft(armorsmithing) or Craft(weaponsmithing) check, while producing the flute requires a DC 20 Craft(instrument) check.
CL 15th; Craft Construct (DMG 303); Acid Splash, Animate Objects, Crushing Hand, Dimension Door, Expeditious Retreat, Fireball, Freedom of Movement, Geas/Quest, Passwall, Transmute Rock to Mud, caster must be at least 14th level; Price 142500 gp; Cost 80000 + 5000 XP

Eighth_Seraph
2006-09-17, 07:54 PM
I like the concept and flavor of this construct, but it seems a bit insanely powerful for a CR 14. Wizards do nothing but take away one insane advantage from it, melee fighters have an 80% chance to immediately grabbed and juiced if they don't get bullrushed off a cliff, and ranged fighters will watch as their arrows and bolts snap in two on the Indefatigable's adamantium hide. Saves and Initiative might be the only thing that aren't overpowered for such a low CR, but rather than try to fix all this, I would suggest simply raising the challenge rating. To what, you say? No idea, I'm horrible at setting CR's.

fangthane
2006-09-18, 01:31 AM
I've twitched it to a 16 for the moment, given that I agree that it's got a lot of capability; I may re-adjust that downward but we'll see; I do know that any party who does their homework will know about these things and cast freedom of movement or have it from an item at this level and according to my spreadsheet they shouldn't have too much trouble defeating it in roughly 5-6 rounds. I made a sheet tracking character wealth and assigning magic items and upgrades within that context, and per my progression a level 15 rogue and warrior should have +3 adamantine weapons or masterwork adamantine backups, or both, and again ideally both should have Freedom. That on its own doesn't automatically guarantee victory, but disrupting its fast heal for a few rounds and slicing through its DR with even a backup at 1d6+8, 2-3 times a round will put it down relatively quickly. Meanwhile its single attack is fairly effective, true, but it only hits a level 15 character on roughly a 7-8. I'm tending to think I might put it at CR15, but I'm not positive, yet...

I'd grant that this wouldn't be the sort of thing you'd unleash on a party without adamantine or resources including Freedom of Movement, but so long as they have either one there's potential, depending on how good they are and how well they roll.

The problem is that at this level characters have access to a lot of preparatory mechanisms and while things like DR or fast healing look overboard they're actually remarkably easy to deal with, if the characters are thinking. Especially in a creature with no int. :)

Eighth_Seraph
2006-09-18, 05:45 PM
The problem is that without sneak attack damage or save-or-die spells, this things going to be doing so much damage per round (+18 damage 'cause of Strength) that the rogue is out in the first round (by the way, due to the Indefatigable's BAB, it can do three slams in a round), as even a fourteenth level rougue with 20 Dex and invested in some bracers of armor will have only a 24 AC, and with BAB 18 and 14 due to strength does not even need to roll. the rogue is Dying in one round, the wizard's useless, or practically so, the fighter's placed into the juicer, and the ranger is bull rushed into submission and then full-attacked to death. Still needs nerfing. This is a semi-epic challenge, it seems like to me. Try setting up a basic level 16 party yourself and playu both sides of it, see how much havoc is wreaked, even if the weaknesses are known.

fangthane
2006-09-18, 06:28 PM
I don't have my spreadsheet handy here, but off the top of my head, against a level 15 rogue (ac 34) this thing hits on a 7 or better, so that's (13/20)*25 damage per round against a rogue who's got an excellent chance of never getting grappled (oppose Grapple with Escape Artist) which amounts to roughly 16 points per round. Remember that due to its nature, this particular creature only receives one attack per round (per its description) and it's doing 16 vs rogues, 15-16 vs fighters when it takes that attack. Meanwhile, it's sustaining several attacks from a rogue with the potential to own an adamantine weapon; assuming no bonus that weapon has at least a +4-5 strength bonus on it and will generally deal at least 7.5 points per hit (which amounts to about 16-17 points per round, possibly a bit more). The fighter will almost certainly have adamantine something and will thump this thing for roughly 50 points per round if it's his main weapon, closer to 35-ish if it's not. That means that I can safely gauge it around 50 damage sustained per round, less its 5 healing is 45 - so it'll take about 4-5, perhaps 6 rounds to kill. In that time it'll do about half its own HP in damage.

Edit - I think I'll have to convert my excel stuff to tables and post the character progressions I've worked out so you can see what I'm on about - I do base the numbers on a fairly elite set of rolls (18/16/15/14/12/10) but while a +1 is pretty big to the individual character, it's relatively minor in terms of overall balance - my progression involves mithral armor, con/str/dex boosting gear, rings, amulets, shields and armor as well as books to gain specific stats, all paid for within the starting gold for a character of that level. I rock. And I was really bored Saturday morning. :)

Frojoe21
2006-09-18, 09:16 PM
Nice Tull Reference. I'm not sure that Ian Anderson is that short to be considered a gnome.

Eighth_Seraph
2006-09-18, 09:20 PM
The thing is, though, that any creature with a slam attack and the appropriate BAB can automatically use that attack as if it were a wielded weapon, i.e. multiple attacks. By the way, 'Charge' is not a full attack, it's simply what a melee fighter does to get in against a an opponent it doesn't already threaten. Now let's say we decide to forego the slam rule and say it can only attack once, then it will indeed, be doing little damage. However, it's the rogue's +26-ish Escape artist check vs. the Indefatigable's +32 grapple check, and into the juicer he goes. The fighter then is still doing very decent damage, but is taking that much in return. An average of 2*4.5+18=27 damage per successful hit with a +32 to hit (it seems like you miscalculated that attack bonus from strength) plus 8d6 from the Breath weapon, averaging 24 damage, so an average of 51 damage every turn. Now that is if you decide to ignore the rule for multiple slams, otherwise this thing'll liquify everything it comes across withrout so much as a single squirt of acid. Granted the AC is negligible on this thing, but for a five person party and multiple slams, this is a few levels above the set CR.

Also, what do you keep saying about doing their homework and using Freedom of Movement? There's no knowledge check to know the origin of constructs, unless you've houseruled it, and I see nothing in the description making mention of [Freedom of Movement[/i], except in the construction.

fangthane
2006-09-18, 10:27 PM
I calculated the attack based on base (18 ) + Strength (12) + size (-2) = +28; its grapple is +8 for size instead, so it hits +38. The rogue should have about a +8 dex bonus at that level in addition to a +10 item and 15-18 ranks if he's making himself a target for something like this, which gives him reasonable odds of success (+36) on any given escape check. Alternatively, if there's someone who can cast Freedom of Movement he automatically succeeds on any escape artist check. I'll admit that having looked at the numbers a little more closely I think I do need to drop its DR just a bit though - without an adamantine weapon a rogue just can't deal damage to it as is and while I'd expect a fighter to have adamantine I can't necessarily count on the same from a rogue (or other secondary melee type) especially if Juiced.

As to the single attack, that's written in - it can only charge, move or double-move in a round (which is something else I need to clarify in the monster post)

Having rigged my spreadsheet to deal a little better with parallel DR calculations, a party without any adamantine is (in addition to being very foolish) not in good shape even once I've made my changes, but they'll at least be able to feel they're doing well. ;)

Eighth_Seraph
2006-09-18, 10:41 PM
Alright, that's satisfactory. I've never been good at knowing 'at what point do the characters get what items and how powerful are thos items?' But that seems fair enough. I'm still annoyed by you changing the rules for Slam, as it is as much a set rule as the rules for natural attacks and improved grab. If it could mult-slam, I would have more to say, but I don't want this to turn into a debate. The Indefatigable is well balanced now, I suppose, though the name could use some work.

Party Wizard w/19 ranks in Knowledge (history): "Be careful guys, that's an Indatifa...Indefiga...Inde-*Juiced*

fangthane
2006-09-18, 10:54 PM
Heheh and now I've gone and juggled stuff on you ;)

I gave it better fast healing and removed some DR (actually I thought I'd dropped that to 10, will have to readjust a little), clarified some stuff; the reason this particular beastie doesn't get multiple slams is based on its construction; it's a charger and doesn't have Pounce :) I figure allowing it to wreak a 30 foot wide swathe of destruction might be a bit much tho ;) Hmm, pounce, power attack, cleave, great cleave... no, no, that'd be way too evil :)

I also put in rules for getting "on board" because while I'd envisioned them I somehow forgot to impart that (and I maintain that had nothing to do with my state of sobriety) and the specification that it's not grappling the thing that causes damage, it's trying to stop it.