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Maerok
2006-09-14, 04:51 PM
Slaughter Engine

The corridors around you surge forth as you race down their empty expanse. You can only hear your footsteps and the beat of your heart. Moments ago you were with that cleric and paladin from the city, but the thing... It was too fast... Now there is a dead end coming up ahead of you and the path forks off to the left and right. As you reach the intersection, you catch a glimpse of metal to either side and you push backwards off the wall as two walls of metal soar past each other. In a flash, they are gone, but a series of deep scars have been carved into the ancient wall. The agony of torn stone cries out as the figures return. You look directly in front of you but the noise seems to come from somewhere else... the ceiling! The towering behemoth drops down and it drops into a crouch as its agile bulk pulls its body down. In a second, it launches into a dive from that position, right at you. Those two scythes poised at your face were the last thing you saw...

Size/Type: Large Construct
Hit Dice: 20d10+30 (140 hp)
Initiative: +7
Speed: 40 ft. (8 squares)
Armor Class: 38 (-1 size, +7 Dex, +22 natural), touch 16, flat-footed 31
Base Attack/Grapple: +15/+29
Attack: Slash +29 melee (2d10+14 slashing)
Full Attack: 2 slash +29 melee (2d10+14 slashing)
Space/Reach: 10 ft./10 ft.
Special Attacks: Berserk, spined chassis
Special Qualities: Construct traits, damage reduction 15/adamantine, darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision, spider climb, twin existence
Saves: Fort +6, Ref +13, Will +6
Abilities: Str 38, Dex 24, Con Ř, Int Ř, Wis 11, Cha 1
Skills: —
Feats: Great Cleave, Spring Attack, Combat Reflexes, Run
Environment: Ruins and forgotten cities.
Organization: Pair
Challenge Rating: 22
Treasure: None
Alignment: Always neutral
Advancement: 21-25 HD (Large)

Slaughter engines are rumored to be created by the same makers as the Magnok. But these constructs kills any intruding creature that comes into the designated area. They resemble sleeker, almost liquid in design, iron golems but bear a large scythe-like blade on each arm. Each slaughter engine has various markings, runes, and designs carved into its entire polished metal hide, adding even more mystery to their origins. These engines were built fast and powerful, using advanced technology that has long since been hidden by the bitter grasp of time. These fiercesome creations leave intruders in tatters. Much like their cousins, the Magnoks, a slaughter engine will melt down to a useless slag upon its destruction.

Slaughter engines always work in pairs and communicate in some unknown manner, but the sparse research suggests something of mechanical telepathy. They are aware of their counterpart's location, condition, and sensory input as if scrying had been placed on it. Together, they act as one and cannot function without the other. This has given them the nickname of Gemini Guardians.

The true process was found inscribed into a massive metal pillar which was guarded by several pairs of slaughter engines. Upon their defeat and vigorous study of the metal, scholars were able to uncover part of the process. A massive metal cube, like the pillar they had uncovered, was pumped with magical energies from the heart of the world. Upon glowing with such power, a member of the ancient populace's army would enter the now liquid yet solid cube of metal. As the magic bound their soul to the metal, an artisan would complete the ritual and strike the cube with a hammer of great power. The cube would then split off into two and meld into the forms they now possess. Two slaughter engines are produced and bound by the soul of the sacrificed soldier. While bound by a soul of a living creature, they only adopt a single attribute of the person - natural aggression. It is suggested that participating in this ritual is one of the greatest achievements.

Twin Existence (Su): If a slaughter engine's counterpart is destroyed, its partner is reduced to -10 HP and destroyed instantly.

Spined Chassis (Ex): The body of a slaughter engine is encircled by rows of spines across its shoulders, back, arms, and legs. Grappling a slaughter engine deals 2d6 points of piercing damage each round.

Berserk (Ex): When a slaughter engine enters combat, there is a cumulative 1% chance each round that the engine goes berserk. The uncontrolled engine goes on a rampage, attacking the nearest living creature or smashing some object smaller than itself if no creature is within reach, then moving on to spread more destruction. It takes 1 minute of inactivity by the engine to reset the slaughter engine’s berserk chance to 0%. A slaughter engine will avoid its counterpart while berserking.

A slaughter engine is affected normally by rust attacks, such as that of a rust monster or a rusting grasp spell. Slaughter engines do not rust under normal, mundane conditions.

Eighth_Seraph
2006-09-14, 06:30 PM
I like the concept of a raging construct you set up here, but the if the build was meant to be that of a full-on offensive golem, the effect was not achieved. Let's review, shall we?


Spined Chassis (Ex): The body of a slaughter engine is encircled by rows of spines across its shoulders, back, arms, and legs. Attacking the slaughter engine from an adjacent space deals 2d10 points of piercing damage to the attacker. Grappling a slaughter engine deals 2d10 points of piercing damage as well, each round.
This seems a bit unfair, especially for a creature with a ten foot space and reach and no save against them. If you wanted to make it so that the spines work sort of like upgraded armor spikes, so that they can be used as a weapon when grappling. Also, I don't see how attacking would be the only thing to invoke damage being done here. If you really want to make the spikes dangerous, then make it so that any unarmed strikes attacking the engine would receive the 2d10 damage, attacks of opportunity are dealt by the spikes, or give the engine a slam attack doing both bludgeoning and and piercing damage.



Immunity to Magic (Ex): A slaughter engine is immune to any spell or spell-like ability that allows spell resistance. [Metal] spells and those specifically affecting constructs still affect a slaughter engine as normal. Heat Metal hastes a slaughter engine for 1d3 rounds. Chill Metal slows a slaughter engine for 1d3 rounds.

This a bit much. There, quite frankly, aren't too many spells with the metal descriptor, at least I couldn't find any in the SRD. Melee fighters take damage each time they hit this thing, mages can only slow it down for a negligible amount of time, and even then only if they know what it is; so all you have left is the one or two archers in the party and the healer to keep them alive. And unless the archers have adamentine arrows, they're not doing much of anything anyway.

The big problem is that this thing really does have more insane defensive prowess than you'd expect an assassination construct to have, along with alot more strength and a lot less dexterity. This is an excellent "keep the party busy until I can complete my evil ritual with which the unspeakable hordes of the abyss will be unleashed" type creature, but won't do too well if you want it to be on the offensive against an annoying party.

LordOfNarf
2006-09-14, 08:00 PM
Congaratulations, youv'e made an almost invincible monster. Immune to magic, dassive damage from attacking it, you have gimped every patry mamber simoltaneously.

Its standard SRD practice to have spiny carpaces be efective on nat. or unarmed attacks, and in grapples, not a weapon attacks.

Also, the only metal spells are available to roughly 1/6 of wu jen, which are rare enough, change the descrioptor on the spells they are vulanerable to.

Also, whay do they hunt? Just because itsn't very good rationalization for a mindless construct, thay should have a good reason.

Maerok
2006-09-15, 04:14 PM
Well I've toned it down. And gave it the vulnerability of dying if its buddy dies. They aren't the BBEG's tools. Slaughter engines are the remains of a lost civilization that had a knack for constructs. No one has told them that their creators have all died off or moved on, so they patrol the halls in the ruins of their former land even as other races move in. More sentient races would trap them in the lowest levels or herd them around using complicated barriers and such when they needed to get to somewhere.

Eighth_Seraph
2006-09-15, 04:45 PM
Of course, if the method's been discovered, then someone'll know about it. And it is an epic construct, so some uber-powerful wizard will have thought to build a few. That's at the DM's discretion, though, so I guess it doesn't really matter. You're editing went very well, I see; it's very much balanced now, in my opinion.

Maerok
2006-09-15, 07:08 PM
But they'd need the hammer, a block of that metal, and to have studied the practices in detail.

asromta
2006-09-16, 04:03 PM
Why has it feats, if it has no Intelligence? Are they all bonus feats?