Making Megatron

[Enterti]

Hello my fellow Dwellers of the Playground, I have returned with a new challenge for you all. You see in my current campaign I am going to be running an artificer and his endgame goal is to be able to create what he calls a dual mode mechanus. I intend to base this off of the tank mode megatron from the television show Transformers and wish to know how I shouldgo about creating him.

I will leave the detailed aspects of Megatron to all of you, the minimum requirements of this are:
Must be able to switch between tank and mech form
I would like him to stand at least 20' tall
He must be bristling with weaponry of varying degrees of power (I will accept wand turrets)
I would like to have room enough within the tank mode for a full party to rest and relax within
I would like to pilot the mech mode from within
The character is a lv 19 artificer with 1 lv in Magic Domain Cleric.

I have standard wpl and 3 companions who are willing to pitch in as much as necessary for the completion of the project

I look forward to seeing the ideas that are generated

[Prime32]

I intend to base this off of the tank mode megatron from the television show TransformersAre you referring to Transformers: Armada (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mG6rzdpvJ7c)? Original series Megatron transformed into a gun.

I'd suggest using a siege crab as a base. Maybe an effigy of one.

20ft means Huge size.

[Tanuki Tales]

There's a template in one of the Green Ronin publications that turns objects into transforming constructs. I just can't remember which book....

[Prime32]

A greater stone golem with an item of polymorph to transform into a Huge animated object? (made of adamantine and with wheels) If you want a more advanced AI, put a homunculus somewhere inside it and order it to follow its commands.

Don't forget to have the golem wear armour. Use a portable hole for the cockpit.


EDIT: A warforged titan (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/eb/20040511a) might make a better base. It can use warforged feats and components (such as the armbow) for greater customisation.

EDIT2: Not exactly what you're looking for, but...
http://dsp-d20-srd.wikidot.com/astral-juggernaut

[Enterti]

Are you referring to Transformers: Armada (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mG6rzdpvJ7c)? Original series Megatron transformed into a gun.

I'd suggest using a siege crab as a base. Maybe an effigy of one.

20ft means Huge size.

Armada version yes. Huge size or greater would be preferred. What is the siege crab out of?

I was thinking of using some sort of gollem for it but doesn't the protection from magic on them prevent polymorph type spells and items from working on them?

An AI will not be nescessary I was going to pilot it myself

[Telonius]

Is the end result supposed to be a separate character? Using, published stuff, you'd need 16 levels of Urban Druid (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/we/20070228a):


Benefit: At 16th level, the druid can use her wild shape (or city-shape) ability to become a Small, Medium, or Large animated object (MM 13) once per day. These forms are in addition to her normal wild shape uses. In addition to the normal effects of wild shape, she gains all the animated object's extraordinary abilities, as well as many traits of the construct type (low-light vision, darkvision to 60 feet, and immunity to critical hits, poison, disease, paralysis, and stunning).

Get a Warforged with this, and you have yourself a match.

If you're just looking for an object to build (and that you can pilot), Arms and Equipment Guide and/or Stronghold Builder's Guidebook are probably your best bets for adding features. Apparatus of Kwalish (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/magicItems/wondrousItems.htm#apparatusoftheCrab) could be a good start for the base price (90,000 gp)

[nyarlathotep]

First of for the at least 20 feat tall thing a warforged titan is probably your best bet. A huge size construct without the baggage that golems produce.

Now as for the tank mode there is a monster in d20 modern called demonic auto, converting it to 3.5 should be no problem as long as the DM okays it, if not then go with the juggernaut from MM2. Either way stick a spellturret (DMG 2) with your choice of blast spells on its back. Both of these creatures explicitly have a compartment for humanoid riders, unfortunately the juggernaut can only hold 2 medium creatures. The siege crab also has a compartment but only works if you're willing to make megatron a spider tank.

Now getting it to shift between forms is the tricky part. You can do it the simple easy way of just giving one form a polymorph ability, but that means the spell turret wont work or will have to be attached after each transformation. The best way would be to convince you DM to let you give the juggernaut the alternate form ability or find a creature that starts with alternate form (like an imp) and use PaO shenanigans to make both forms into those particular constructs.

As for the weapons I guess embedded wands work.

[Prime32]

Now getting it to shift between forms is the tricky part. You can do it the simple easy way of just giving one form a polymorph ability, but that means the spell turret wont work or will have to be attached after each transformation.Wilding clasps? If not those, there should be a similar item which would let them stay attached.

[Tanuki Tales]

Found the template!

It's the Transforming Construct template from Green Ronin's Advanced Bestiary; page 242.

[nyarlathotep]

Wilding clasps? If not those, there should be a similar item which would let them stay attached.

That only works if the DM allows you to count a spell turret strapped something as a piece of equipment, but yeah it could work.

[Bagger]

warforged - Urban druid gogogo

[Thurbane]

Large (huge?) warforged Thrall of Orcus Juiblex - at will Alter Self/Polymorph into animated objects. Levels of Warlock for his blaster?

[Triaxx]

How about an At-Will bracer of Eldritch Blast? Fits the arm cannon theme, and Wilding Clasp can put it on his roof when he's a car. A good DM will be able to whip one up if you can't, or fix it if it's broken.

Of course turning yourself into the insanely awesome helicopter from Animated would be bonus points. (And insanely awesome to get the DM to allow it.)

[Thurbane]

Maybe just a variant Iron Golem - replace poison breath with an at will Eldritch Blast, and give Alternate Form (animated object).

[Prime32]

Of course turning yourself into the insanely awesome helicopter from Animated would be bonus points. (And insanely awesome to get the DM to allow it.)A "sheetlike" animated object can fly.

[Urpriest]

Large (huge?) warforged Thrall of Orcus - at will Alter Self/Polymorph into animated objects. Levels of Warlock for his blaster?

You mean Thrall of Juiblex, right? Like Gazebo Jones?

Oh yes this guy needs to be Gazebo Jones. Gogogo!

[Thurbane]

You mean Thrall of Juiblex, right? Like Gazebo Jones?

Oh yes this guy needs to be Gazebo Jones. Gogogo!
Ah yes, Juiblex indeed...

[Tanuki Tales]

It might be a third party book, but Green Ronin's stuff is usually held in non-negative light and the template does make a Transformer pretty adequately. :smallconfused:

[Enterti]

I like the sound of the green ronin stuff, unfortunately I don't have any way of hunting it down unless I look to the shadier side of the nets.

I know that a warforged urban druid would be slosest however,I would like to avoid having this be sentient or living in any manner as it is intended to be my character's masterpeice and I would like him to be more driving less commanding it.

[Triaxx]

Animate the Husk of a Warforged Titan, and then learn that it had those levels of Urban Druid. But... call the god that gave it's power be dead, so that only the polymorph thing works.

[Hazzardevil]

Warforged Titan Urban druid is the easiest thing I can think of. But first you have to hit epic and have an artificer build what you want to transform into, unless a picture counts and you can get a drawing of it.