A chess based construct team

[hushblade]

I'm just brainstorming here, I'm thinking a team of constructs based on chess pieces could be pretty cool.

Pawns: Lots of effegy small races(gnomes, kobolds, halflings)
Rook: this thing Here (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/cw/20070423a)
King: The warforged artificer making them all(alternatively is there a way to get your mind into a construct body as an artificer short of a wish?
Queen: An awakened Elder Eidolon (high HD beautiful female race(suggestions?)
Knight: Standard iron golom
Rook: something with a good deal of(preferably divine, but arcane works) magic? Any idea how to accomplish this?

Can I get a few more brains in on this storm I've got going?

[ThiagoMartell]

There is an issue of Dragon Magazine with specific constructs for such, I just can't remember which.

[Garagos]

You have Rook listed twice. For the 2nd one did you mean Bishop?

[hushblade]

I did indeed mean a bishop, brainfart there.

[Psyren]

Bishop: something with a good deal of(preferably divine, but arcane works) magic? Any idea how to accomplish this?

Some kind of inevitable maybe? Like a Varakhut, Quarut or Kolyarut.

Actually, just going off appearance, Inevitables fit this idea pretty well. Zelekhuts look good as Knights, Maruts look great as Rooks, Quaruts/Varakhuts look good as bishops (and have the magic to match) etc.

[Morph Bark]

There is an issue of Dragon Magazine with specific constructs for such, I just can't remember which.

#358, to be precise.

[Seerow]

Personally I'd be inclined to give the Knight the Knight's Move spell as a SLA usable at will.

[ThiagoMartell]

Personally I'd be inclined to give the Knight the Knight's Move spell as a SLA usable at will.

Yeah, specifically the old version.

[hushblade]

Grisgol(MM3) Seems like a decent bishop type after a little reading.

And out of curiosity, is there any RAW way to give a construct an additional SLA (Like something to etch runes into it or something of the sort) or would it just be a DM fiat thing?

[VeGaS1986]

Wow, I literally used a chess encounter yesterday in my game, and then I see this post, freaky.

Anyway mine was for a level 5 "mid-optimization" party, so I didnt use constructs. Instead I simply used earth elementals.

The king and queen were one Large earth elemental, with the front part being the queen (since shes the most powerful peice) and the backside being shaped like the king. Once half their total HP was gone, the king would "fall off" and the queen would die, leaving a new king shaped Medium earth elemental. The king used ranged attacks (throwing his royal orb thingy)

Bishops were Medium earth elementals with increased speed who moved by earth gliding above ground doing a Morticia Addams thing where their robed were touching the ground and you dont see any leg movement underneath (they would also lean at an angle when they moved, roadrunner style). They attacked with a wave of rocks fired from the sleeves of their robes (magic missile SLA)

Knights were Medium earth elementals shaped like pony sized warhorses. They were fast moving and used rideby attacks. When they charged a horn would grow from their head becoming the length of a lance. As the lance would reach its full length the head would then reshape into the form of a knights torso (armor and all) holding the lance. After every attack it would return to its initial shape.

Rooks were Medium earth elementals with only 10 ft speed but amazing AC and damage approaching Large versions. basically the shape of a keep tower with arms and legs

Whenever a peice would die it would shatter and a Small earth elemental shaped like a human footman would come out of it. The queens demise would spawn two.

Killing the king would instantly kill any remaining peices. I did play the king as an intelligent foe though so in my particular game the PCs only managed two or three free kills on that account.

I know this got a bit longwinded and specific but hopefully it gives fuel for your own creative juices. I personally also toyed with the idea of all four elements being represented (earth rooks, wind knights, fire bishops, water pawns, some sort of composite multi element king and queen) but decided against it since there would be too many enemies on the board at a time for my taste.

Anyway hope this helped some.

[Kaje]

Yes, DragMag 358 has the Chaturani, a team of chess-based constructs.

Kings were slow-moving, could channel their SLAs duskblade-style, and had a special move called "castling" which allowed them to teleport a rook to their side.

Queens were powerful, fast sorcerers with skirmish damage and pounce.

Rooks were weird, multiple-armed towers wielding scimitars.

Bishops cast cleric spells and had interesting movement mechanics where they move at normal speed diagonally and reduced speed non-diagonally.

Knights were based around charging and absorbing damage dealt to adjacent allies.

Pawns cannot be forcefully moved, work well alongside other pawns, and have the "en passant" ability, which allows them to move double their speed in the first round of combat

[Invader]

Alternatively you could do something with the topiary guardians as chess pieces from the MMIII.