Sawbeetle [Monster]

[kailin]

Sawbeetles were created to act as permanent sentries. Not only are they highly effective at repulsing intruders, they also make enough noise to alert any other defenders or denizens to the intrusion. Generally placed in clusters to gain the benefit of their hive mind, only one sawbeetle in a group needs to detect an intruder, instantly informing the others of the enemy's presence and position.

When active, sawbeetles emit a loud, grinding sound of alarm, and their two eyes glow bright blue. When not fighting, sawbeetles go into a dormant state, retracting their limbs and resting on the ground or wall, appearing as man-sized steel domes with two dark blue spots on one end.

Sawbeetles attack with four scimitarlike claws that extend from its front. Their steel carapaces protect them from some physical attacks, but their shared energy shield provides not only a defense from magical attacks, but becomes a powerful offense when channeled into their claws or energy bolt. One attack dealing energy damage to a sawbeetle makes its allies considerably more dangerous.

Sawbeetle. Medium Construct. CR 5
Init +3, Senses Spot +9*, Listen +9*. Tremorsense 120 ft.

AC 23 (+10 natural +3 Dex)
hp 62 (8d10+20), DR 5/adamantine
Fort +2, Ref +4, Will +3.
Resistance energy shield

Spd 40 ft (8 squares), climb 40
Melee 4 Claws +10 (1d6+4, 19-20)
Attack Options energy damage
Special Attacks energy bolt +9 ranged,
BAB +6
Grp +10

Special Qualities hive mind, construct traits.
Environment any
Organization guard (3-6), phalanx (7-20), horde (21+)

Str 18, Dex 16, Con --, Int --, Wis 10, Cha 12.

Hive Mind (Su) All Sawbeetles with 120 ft of at least one other saw beetle share a collective awareness. When there are at least 4 of them in range of each other, they have an intelligence of 6, though in smaller number or individually they are mindless. If one of in a hive mind is not flatfooted against a threat, none of them are. The same applies to pinpointing invisible characters and so on, as they share senses.

Energy Shield (Su) Whenever a Sawbeetle takes energy damage, one round later all Sawbeetles within 60 ft gain Energy Resistance 20 to that energy type. This remains in effect for 70 minutes, or until that Sawbeetle uses its energy bolt or energy damage special attacks.

Energy Bolt (Su) A Sawbeetle with an energy shield up can discharge the shield as a bolt of that type of energy with a 120 ft range increment, dealing 2d6 damage.

Energy Damage (Su) A Sawbeetle can channel its energy resistance into its weapons, giving them each 1d6 additional damage of that energy type for 1 round.

*A Sawbeetle receives a +9 racial bonus to Spot and Listen checks

[Lord Iames Osari]

If you're thinking of submitting this to MitP, jsut wanna let you know that they have to be in the old format.

[Abd al-Azrad]

I like its energy abilities, those are really neat. The only problem I have with them is that they seem to involve tactical thinking to know when to discharge the sawbeetle's energy attack, which nonintelligent creatures require specific programming for. Then again, I tend to underestimate the capacities of nonintelligent enemies.

The stat block says four claws, but your description of them states explicitly that they have "three scimitarlike claws that extend from its front." While, as usual, the statblock text overrules all contradictions, I was wondering if you wanted to clarify one or the other of these. Also, you should add in the claw damage bonus from Strength.

Having a Climb speed grants a creature +8 to Climb checks, giving this guy a total of +12- you may want to include that.

I think this is the first instance of a nonintelligent creature possessing a Hive Mind I have encountered in D&D. Interesting. I agree that the Hive Mind ability is exactly what you want for these to share senses, but I'm not sure that they can qualify for the Hive Mind ability if they are Mindless. Frankly, I don't know, but it appears to work fine here.

All in all, it's an interesting monster. Doesn't look too tough for a CR 5, and they get quite dangerous in groups. You Fireball a few in a cluster, and the survivors respond with dozens of +9 touch attacks dealing 2d6 Fire per strike. Kzap!

[kailin]

I think this is the first instance of a nonintelligent creature possessing a Hive Mind I have encountered in D&D. Interesting. I agree that the Hive Mind ability is exactly what you want for these to share senses, but I'm not sure that they can qualify for the Hive Mind ability if they are Mindless. Frankly, I don't know, but it appears to work fine here.



Voilà (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/monsters/swarm.htm#hellwaspSwarm). They're a little more precise: in a group they have an Int 6, individually they're mindless. I'll change the Sawbeetle to match.



All in all, it's an interesting monster. Doesn't look too tough for a CR 5, and they get quite dangerous in groups. You Fireball a few in a cluster, and the survivors respond with dozens of +9 touch attacks dealing 2d6 Fire per strike. Kzap!


Actually, it's not a ranged touch attack, it's a charged bolt, as per crossbow only bigger and more weird, that has a character's full AC to reckon with.


If you're thinking of submitting this to MitP, jsut wanna let you know that they have to be in the old format.

Thanks, but I'm not going for MitP.

PS: New stat blox For Teh Win!