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Cheesy74
2010-10-11, 03:34 PM
One of my players, having received a favor from the duke of a city, recently requested that they build a mechanical bear as a mount for her. Obviously, the duke agreed, but I'm having trouble finding a template to do this. I'm looking for a mount of about 14 HD or CR 12, and plan to apply the template to a dire bear. Effigy seems too puppet-like for this sort of thing, but are there any other mechanical-beast templates out there I could use?

herrhauptmann
2010-10-11, 03:46 PM
Warforged in the shape of a bear?
Bearington McBearman might have something to say about this... (where's that link?)

Rixx
2010-10-11, 03:50 PM
Advanced dire bear, change type to Construct

BOOM

zagan
2010-10-11, 03:56 PM
I think effigy is your best bet, unless you go homebrew. The only other template that I could fin with a quicl search that make a creature a construct was half-golem, Ice beast from frostburn and dustform from sandstorm.

The easiest thing would be to apply effigy and perhaps afterward give it the living construct subtype just fluff it as metal instead of wood and your set.

Edit: They're captured one too, but it fit even less.

Rappy
2010-10-11, 04:25 PM
From 1st Party? Not a whole lot of options beyond those that have already been stated.

You can find some third-party templates of use here and there, like Clockwork Creature or War Machine from Green Ronin's Advanced Bestiary or Automaton from Book of Templates Deluxe Edition 3.5.

Zaydos
2010-10-11, 04:27 PM
I'd say effigy is your best bet, unless you want to go non-euclidean with an elder eidolon from Lords of Madness.

FelixG
2010-10-12, 05:17 AM
there is a nice Construct template for +2 cr i think in the Tome of Horrors

Crossblade
2010-10-12, 06:22 AM
Is "Clockwork" from a book, or is that home brewed?

AslanCross
2010-10-12, 07:03 AM
Is "Clockwork" from a book, or is that home brewed?

Monster Manual IV has a Clockwork Steed and a Clockwork Mender, but it's not a template.

SilverLeaf167
2010-10-12, 09:05 AM
Monster Manual II has Clockwork Horrors made from different materials, but they are small and look like bugs.

Prime32
2010-10-12, 09:47 AM
One of my players, having received a favor from the duke of a city, recently requested that they build a mechanical bear as a mount for her. Obviously, the duke agreed, but I'm having trouble finding a template to do this. I'm looking for a mount of about 14 HD or CR 12, and plan to apply the template to a dire bear. Effigy seems too puppet-like for this sort of thing, but are there any other mechanical-beast templates out there I could use?What abilities are you looking for that the Effigy template doesn't grant? Strength? Ability to follow commands?

EvilJames
2010-10-15, 12:02 PM
Monster Manual II has Clockwork Horrors made from different materials, but they are small and look like bugs.

Those are self replicating spelljammer monsters they will only be of help if the Dm intends to have bear make more of itself and over run the world then move on to the next and destroy the universe one planet at a time like a horrible mechanical virus. In fact do that, make the Adamantine Horror ...I mean Bear.

Admiral Squish
2010-10-15, 02:02 PM
I homebrewed a warforged template, once, would that do it?

Cheesy74
2010-10-15, 02:07 PM
Post it here and I'll have a look. I'm a big fan of well-polished homebrew.

UPDATE: I ended up advancing a Bloodstriker dinosaur from MMIII to 15 HD and just changing its type to "construct", but I'm still interested in better options.

Admiral Squish
2010-10-15, 02:13 PM
It's in my stalled Tome of Iron (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=161976) project. 2nd post.

AugustNights
2010-10-15, 06:58 PM
Monster Manual IV has a Clockwork Steed and a Clockwork Mender, but it's not a template.

Deconstruct the Warhorse from a Clockwork steed, you have a clockwork template.

Alternatively a Warforged Charger with reduced Int would be pretty effective, I think.

Zhalath
2010-10-15, 08:49 PM
I thought of effigy at first, but I had another great idea: Elder Eidolon (LoM). Sure, you drive everyone around you insane, but you've got a dire bear robot!

Crossblade
2010-10-15, 09:27 PM
Monster Manual IV has a Clockwork Steed and a Clockwork Mender, but it's not a template.

http://www.dandwiki.com/wiki/Clockwork_%283.5e_Template%29
Found a homebrew of it... But I thank you for the correction.

Isn't there a PrC that lets you build some sort of Mechanical Guardian/Animal Companion thing? Probably just says use stats of a dire animal but change sub types...
I wish I had more source books. :smalltongue:

Kulture
2010-10-16, 10:50 PM
One of the dungeon/dragon magazines featured the half machine template that made the creature totally subserviant to the builder and gave a number of bonuses.
I'm not sure which it was but I remember it actually being rather nasty.

Edit: It was Dungeon #91 and it gains +8 armour, possibly flight, breath weapon, multiple natural attacks, four bonus feats, +4 to STR and CON and a number of optional extras including rust/energy/mental effect protection, spell resistance, enhanced senses, haste or improved invisibility. All for +3 CR.