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Safety Sword
2010-05-24, 06:13 AM
Hi Playgrounders,
Long time reader, first time poster.

So the Animate Objects spell is nifty. If only I could find reasonable stats for things to be animated. Can anyone point me at such a place (specifically a large sized stone statue if possible)?

Prime32
2010-05-24, 06:15 AM
Umm... they're in the Monster Manual. :smallconfused:

http://www.d20srd.org/srd/monsters/animatedObject.htm

Touchy
2010-05-24, 06:17 AM
Hi Playgrounders,
Long time reader, first time poster.

So the Animate Objects spell is nifty. If only I could find reasonable stats for things to be animated. Can anyone point me at such a place (specifically a large sized stone statue if possible)?

I would use a stone golem (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/monsters/golem.htm#stoneGolem), and would remove the spell resistance.

Edit: Ninja'd, and I forgot that was there.

Altair_the_Vexed
2010-05-24, 06:18 AM
There are a few sets of base stats here (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/monsters/animatedObject.htm), with rules for number of legs, material, etc, etc.

You can use that to make your stone statue.

Or, you can use these 3.0 conversions of the Living Statues (http://pandius.com/livestat.html) from the old Basic Boxed set. Not just animated objects, they have extra special attacks and qualities.

Safety Sword
2010-05-24, 06:21 AM
Umm... they're in the Monster Manual. :smallconfused:

http://www.d20srd.org/srd/monsters/animatedObject.htm

I found the Monster Manual Animated Object rather unhelpful. It like a large number of "if" statements.

It specifically say to give objects the hardness they have once they're animated... but... well, yeah...

Safety Sword
2010-05-24, 06:25 AM
Or, you can use these 3.0 conversions of the Living Statues (http://pandius.com/livestat.html) from the old Basic Boxed set. Not just animated objects, they have extra special attacks and qualities.

Love your work. That's pretty close to what I'm after.

Thanks!

Altair_the_Vexed
2010-05-24, 06:33 AM
Love your work. That's pretty close to what I'm after.

Thanks!

That's not actually my work - but it is ace, isn't it?

I was just about to post this:
{table] Animated Statue, Large |
Size/Type:| Large Construct
Hit Dice:| 4d10+30 (52 hp)
Initiative:| +0
Speed:| 30 ft. (Legs)
Armor Class:| 14 (-1 size, +5 natural), touch 9, flat-footed 14
Base Attack/Grapple:| +3/+10
Attack:| Slam +5 melee (1d8+4)
Full Attack:| Slam +5 melee (1d8+4)
Space/Reach:| 10 ft./10 ft. (tall)
Special Attacks:| -
Special Qualities:| Construct traits, darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision; Hardness 8
Saves:| Fort +1, Ref +1, Will -4
Abilities:| Str 16, Dex 10, Con Ø, Int Ø, Wis 1, Cha 1
Skills:| —
Feats:| —
Environment:| Any
Organization:| Solitary
Challenge Rating:| 3
Treasure:| None
Alignment:| Always neutral[/table]

That's the animated object, with all the options filled in. Not nearly as exciting as the living statues, but it has its place in the game.

Greenish
2010-05-24, 06:35 AM
That's not actually my work - but it is ace, isn't it?

I was just about to post this:

That's the animated object, with all the options filled in. Not nearly as exciting as the living statues, but it has its place in the game.Wouldn't a large creature have two slams?

[Edit]: "Large creatures with arms or arm-like limbs can make a slam attack with each arm." A statue, I should assume, has arm-like limbs.

Prime32
2010-05-24, 06:38 AM
Love your work. That's pretty close to what I'm after.

Thanks!The animate objects spell, however, could not create those.

Safety Sword
2010-05-24, 06:44 AM
The animate objects spell, however, could not create those.

I'm not seeing the "why".

Biffoniacus_Furiou
2010-05-24, 07:00 AM
I'm not seeing the "why".

The spell specifically grants them the Animated Object stats in the Monster Manual, and nothing more. There are specific rules for creating constructs, and it is far more complicated than simply animating an object. Similarly, Animate Dead can only make Skeletons and Zombies, but Create Undead, a higher level and thus more difficult and more expensive spell, can create more powerful undead creatures. The same goes for Animate Objects and Golems: Animate Objects has limited capability, if you want something better you'll have to take Craft Construct (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/monsterFeats.htm#craftConstruct), more powerful constructs are more difficult to create as they should be.

Hardness of substances (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/exploration.htm#hardness) is easy to find, you can find that same stuff on page 166 of the Player's Handbook. If you animate a metal drink cart, it would be a medium size animated object with a 70 ft. movement speed, Hardness 10, and a single slam attack (ramming speed!), everything else is given in the stat block. There aren't too many complicated what-ifs for it to be usable, they've just made it versatile enough to cover nearly anything you could think to animate. Determine the object's size, determine its mode(s) of movement as listed for an Animated Object of that size, determine its hardness based on what it's made from, and think creatively as to whether it would have any special capabilities beyond just butting into an enemy.

Lysander
2010-05-24, 07:36 AM
Here's a fun trick however you animate your statues.

Put one or two animated statues in your dungeon/castle early on to warn intruders that you use animated statues, then have a sculpture garden filled with sculptures on huge pedestals. The intruders will then proceed to destroy all the statues. That's when they find out the statues were not magical and you actually animated the immense pedestals beneath them.

Lord Loss
2010-05-24, 07:38 AM
Cartyid (or something along those lines) colums can be reflavored as statues.

Sliver
2010-05-24, 07:47 AM
How Hardness applies to monsters (animated objects) differently than DR? Or is it just a way to not say "They gain DR equal to their Hardness score"? If hardness and DR are different but do the same thing, won't animated objects that somehow gain DR will have double the resistance?

Prime32
2010-05-24, 09:31 AM
How Hardness applies to monsters (animated objects) differently than DR? Or is it just a way to not say "They gain DR equal to their Hardness score"? If hardness and DR are different but do the same thing, won't animated objects that somehow gain DR will have double the resistance?DR only applies to physical damage. Hardness applies to some kinds of energy damage as well.

Greenish
2010-05-24, 09:35 AM
DR only applies to physical damage. Hardness applies to some kinds of energy damage as well.All of them (except a few psionic powers).

Prime32
2010-05-24, 09:37 AM
All of themSorry, I was confusing it with this:

Energy Attacks
Acid and sonic attacks deal damage to most objects just as they do to creatures; roll damage and apply it normally after a successful hit. Electricity and fire attacks deal half damage to most objects; divide the damage dealt by 2 before applying the hardness. Cold attacks deal one-quarter damage to most objects; divide the damage dealt by 4 before applying the hardness.

Ranged Weapon Damage
Objects take half damage from ranged weapons (unless the weapon is a siege engine or something similar). Divide the damage dealt by 2 before applying the object’s hardness.
Also

(except a few psionic powers)Really, Wizards? Really? Did you have to ignore your own rules just to nerf a system that's inferior to magic anyway? :smallsigh:

Nihb
2010-05-24, 09:42 AM
For those who may want something different than animated object, Complete Arcane introduced the Effigies. They are contructs of existing creatures that gain some attributes, lose most supernatural from the base creature, and can be made with Craft Construct. They are cheaper than golems, but you get what you pay for.

Greenish
2010-05-24, 09:58 AM
Really, Wizards? Really? Did you have to ignore your own rules just to nerf a system that's inferior to magic anyway? :smallsigh:No, some of the psionic powers ignore hardness (usually at the cost of damage).

Safety Sword
2010-05-24, 04:51 PM
Here's a fun trick however you animate your statues.

Put one or two animated statues in your dungeon/castle early on to warn intruders that you use animated statues, then have a sculpture garden filled with sculptures on huge pedestals. The intruders will then proceed to destroy all the statues. That's when they find out the statues were not magical and you actually animated the immense pedestals beneath them.

The thought has already occurred to me to put statues later on, just to see what happens... the deviousness of having the pedestals animate, fall over and roll toward the characters is an excellent thought though. Almost, dare I say it... evil?

Thanks to all who have posted in this thread, I appreciate the input.

Altair_the_Vexed
2010-05-24, 05:08 PM
Wouldn't a large creature have two slams?

[Edit]: "Large creatures with arms or arm-like limbs can make a slam attack with each arm." A statue, I should assume, has arm-like limbs.
The large animated object, by the RAW, gets just one slam attack.

It may have things that look like arms, but it's just a lump of rock that's been hit with chisels to make it look vaguely humanoid. They're not limbs, they're just bits of rock.