[4E, or any D&D really] Golem Armor: You got your D&D in my Battletech!

[Ialdabaoth]

So. I've been playing around with a lot of D&D4E lately, and I decided that it would be fun to try to rebuild Battletech, from the ground up, using the D&D system. Given the abysmal ranges in Battletech, I decided to reskin everything as a "steampunk fantasy" genre. If you've seen the anime Escaflowne, you know exactly what I'm going for.

I'll split this into several posts, so I can organize things.

[Ialdabaoth]

Golem Armor Knights
New Feat: Golem Armor Knight
Prerequisites: Fighter, Paladin or Artificer; proficiency with Plate armor.
Golem Armor Knight is a Feat that any Fighter, Paladin, or Artificer may take, which permits them to control Golem Armor - massive, magically enchanted automata that are vaguely similar in design to Warforged.

Control Proficiency
Golem Armor knights gains several new Proficiencies. The most important of these is the Control Golem Armor Proficiency itself, which is based on the knight’s Constitution - wearing a Golem Armor into battle is a punishing task. Whenever a Golem Armor requires a Control check, the knight must roll his Control Golem Armor Proficiency. The Control proficiency is also used to determine the Golem Armor’s Defenses, effective Acrobatics proficiency, and effective Athletics proficiency.

Armor - A Golem Armor’s base Armor Defense is equal to 10 + the knight’s Control Proficiency. Any attacks which would target Fortitude, target Armor instead.

Reflex - A Golem Armor’s base Reflex Defense is equal to 10 - its size penalty + the knight’s Control Proficiency.

Acrobatics - A Golem Armor’s effective Acrobatics Proficiency is equal to the knight’s Control Proficiency - the Golem Armor’s size penalty.

Athletics - A Golem Armor’s effective Athletics Proficiency is equal to the knight’s Control Proficiency + the Golem Armor’s size bonus.

Scrying Proficiency
Golem Armor knights gain a Scrying Proficiency, which is based on the knight’s Intelligence. A Golem Armor knight uses Scrying to control the more esoteric parts of his Golem Armor, such as the Power Plant safety valves that keep the Golem Armor operational at high temperatures. Scrying is also used to determine the Golem Armor’s effective Stealth and Perception.

Stealth - A Golem Armor’s effective Stealth Proficiency is equal to the knight’s Scrying Proficiency - the Golem Armor’s size penalty.

Perception - A Golem Armor’s effective Perception Proficiency is equal to the knight’s Scrying Proficiency, and its Spot Defense is equal to 10 + this value.

Ranged Weapon Proficiency
A Golem Armor knight or cannoneer gains a Ranged Weapon proficiency, which is based on his Dexterity. As a basic ranged attack, a Golem Armor may attack with one or more Ranged Weapons at a single target. The knight or cannoneer rolls his Ranged Weapon proficiency vs. the target’s Armor or Reflex for each weapon fired (or more for weapons that make multiple attack rolls), rolling damage and section separately for each weapon that hits. The total number of Ranged weapons that may be fired as a single basic ranged attack depends on the Golem Armor’s facing relative to the target:

Front Arc - The Knight may fire any non-rear-mounted Ranged Weapons against a single target in the Golem Armor’s front 90-degree arc. If the Golem Armor mounts a Cannoneer’s Seat in its upper body, then all non-arm weapons are controlled by the Cannoneer instead.

Any Arc - The Knight may fire any Ranged Weapons that are mounted or held in a single arm against any one target, regardless of arc. If the Golem Armor mounts a shoulder turret on the same side as that arm and the turret does not have its own Cannoneer’s Seat, then the Knight may fire any Ranged Weapons in that shoulder as well. If the Golem Armor mounts any rear-facing Ranged Weapons in its upper body, those weapons may also be fired if the target is in the Golem Armor’s rear arc.

Artillery Weapon Proficiency
A knight or cannoneer’s Artillery Weapon proficiency is based on his Wisdom. As a basic ranged attack, a Golem Armor may attack with one or more Artillery Weapons at a single area. The knight or cannoneer rolls his Artillery Weapon proficiency vs. the target’s Reflex once per target within that area, regardless of the number of Artillery weapons fired. Artillery weapons deal area damage, which means that the total amount of damage dealt, and the number of hit sections rolled, will depend on how many spaces the target occupies within the attack area. Which Artillery weapons may be fired as a single basic ranged attack depends on the Golem Armor’s facing relative to the target space:

Front Arc - The Knight may fire any non-rear-mounted Artillery Weapons against a single area in the Golem Armor’s front 90-degree arc. If the Golem Armor mounts a Cannoneer’s Seat in its upper body, then all non-arm weapons are controlled by the Cannoneer instead.

Any Arc - The Knight may fire any Artillery Weapons that are mounted or held in a single arm against any one area, regardless of arc. If the Golem Armor mounts a shoulder turret on the same side as that arm and the turret does not have its own Cannoneer’s Seat, then the Knight may fire any Artillery Weapons in that shoulder as well. If the Golem Armor mounts any rear-facing Artillery Weapons in its upper body, those weapons may also be fired if the target space is in the Golem Armor’s rear arc.

Melee Weapon Proficiencies
A Golem Armor knight may use any Melee weapon proficiency that they know to make Melee attacks. As a basic melee attack, a Golem Armor may attack a single target with a melee weapon in one or both arms. The knight rolls his appropriate Melee Weapon proficiency vs. the target’s Armor once per weapon, rolling damage and section separately for each weapon that hits. The total number of weapons that may be used in a basic melee attack depends on the Golem Armor’s facing relative to the target:

Front Arc - The Knight may use one two-handed weapon (making a single to-hit roll), or one weapon in each arm (making a separate to-hit roll for each weapon).

Any Arc - The Knight may use one one-handed weapon, making a single to-hit roll.

Special Attack Feats - A Golem Armor knight may use any Martial power that they know while in their Golem Armor; the enchantments woven into the Golem Armor’s controlworks will automatically scale the feat up to operate effectively with the Golem Armor’s weapons. Non-Martial powers are not recommended, as they tend to overwhelm the Golem Armor’s delicate magical systems. A Golem Armor may be especially constructed to allow a Paladin or Artificer to utilize their feats or magics while operating a Golem Armor, but tend to be cost-prohibitive. Each of the Golem Armor’s shoulder, hip, linkage, knight’s rigging, scrying glass, and controlworks slots must be especially enchanted, increasing each of those slot’s effective level by +10 each.

[Ialdabaoth]

Golem Armor Construction
Chassis Size
There are five classes of Golem Armor: Scout, Knight, Giant, Colossus, and Titan. All Golem Armor larger than Scouts have six sections, each of which has its own hit points; a Scout has a single set of hit points for its entire body.

Scout - A Scout Golem Armor is a Large (2x2) construct with a Reach of +1 (+2 with polearms). It has a base speed of 9, a Stride of 2, a size bonus of +1, a size penalty of -1, and 4 hit points per section. A Scout Golem Armor’s chassis must be constructed in eight sections; each section counts as a level 4 magic item.

Knight - A Knight Golem Armor is a Huge (3x3) construct with a Reach of +2 (+3 with polearms). It has a base speed of 6, a Stride of 3, a size bonus of +2, a size penalty of -2, and 6 hit points per section. A Knight Golem Armor’s chassis must be constructed in eight sections; each section counts as a level 6 magic item.

Giant - A Giant Golem Armor is Gargantuan (4x4) construct with a Reach of +2 (+4 with polearms). It has a base speed of 5, a Stride of 4, a size bonus of +4, a size penalty of -4, and 8 hit points per section. A Giant Golem Armor’s chassis must be constructed in eight sections; each section counts as a level 8 magic item.

Colossus - A Colossus is a Colossal (5x5) construct with a Reach of +3 (+5 with polearms). It has a base speed of 4, a Stride of 5, a size bonus of +6, a size penalty of -6, and 10 hit points per section. A Colossus Golem Armor’s chassis must be constructed in eight sections; each section counts as a level 10 magic item.

Titan - A Titan is a Titanic (6x6) construct with a Reach of +3 (+6 with polearms). It has a base speed of 3, a Stride of 6, a size bonus of +8, a size penalty of -8, and 12 hit points per section. A Titan Golem Armor’s chassis must be constructed in eight sections; each section counts as a level 12 magic item.

Godslayer - A Godslayer is a Vast (8x8) construct with a Reach of +4 (+8 with polearms). It has a base speed of 2, a Stride of 8, a size bonus of +10, a size penalty of -10, and 20 hit points per section. A Godslayer Golem Armor’s chassis must be constructed in eight sections; each section counts as a level 20 magic item.

Basic Components
Joints - the Golem Armor’s chassis automatically comes with a hip, shoulder, or linkage slot in each arm, leg and shoulder; these are considered part of the Golem Armor’s chassis itself and do not have to be constructed separately.

Power Plant - Once the Golem Armor’s chassis is constructed, it must be provided with a power source. A Golem Armor’s power plant is an enormous elemental reactor engine that takes up half of its lower body. Each power plant slot is a separate arcane wonder, and counts as a magic item at the same level as the chassis itself.

Pistons and Joints - The Golem Armor’s chassis and power plant are useless without a means to convert that power into locomotion. Each arm and leg contains a series of steam and vitriol-powered pistons that serve as the Golem Armor’s “muscles”. Finally, each leg is terminated with a jointed foot to distribute weight and control balance, and each arm may be terminated with a fully articulate, mailed hand if the artificer chooses to do so. Each slot worth of hand, foot, or piston is a separate arcane wonder, and counts as a magic item at the same level as the chassis itself.

Control Systems - Next, a control system must be installed to allow the Golem Armor knight to control his metal behemoth. At the core of this system is the Knight’s Rigging - a bulky suit of plate armor with specially-crafted chains attached to every conceivable joint and segment. These feed back into the Controlworks, a vast apparatus of gears, pulleys, valves and levers that translate the knight’s movements into piston valve adjustments that cause the Golem Armor to move. Finally, a Scrying Glass is installed in the Golem Armor’s head, which feeds the knight a view of the battlefield via sympathetic illusory projection, allowing him to see and hear from his Golem Armor’s perspective while strapped into its head and upper chest. The entire apparatus - Knight’s Rigging, Scrying Glass, and Controlworks - takes up half the space of the upper body; each slot is a separate arcane wonder, and counts as a magic item at the same level as the chassis itself.

[Ialdabaoth]

Additional Golem Armor Equipment

Speed Enhancement (3 to 18 slots, special) - By increasing the size of a Golem Armor’s Power Plant and Leg Piston slots, its Speed, Reflex, Acrobatics, and Athletics are increased by +1 each. Each point of increase takes up 1 slot per section on a Scout or Knight, 2 slots per section on a Giant or Colossus, 3 on a Titan, and 5 on a Godslayer. Each slot counts as a magic item of the same level as the Golem Armor’s chassis.

Cannoneer’s Seat (1 slot, upper body or shoulder only) - Titans and Godslayers may add a chariot-like seat to the upper body, directly above the knight. This allows a cannoneer to directly control the shoulder, upper body, and lower body weapons on his own Initiative, freeing up the knight to focus on movement and controlling the Golem Armor’s arm weapons. Titans and Godslayers which mount shoulder turrets may also mount separate Cannoneer’s Seats into each shoulder, but must also provide each shoulder cannoneer with a Scrying Glass. A Cannoneer’s Seat is a level 5 magic item.

Shoulder Turret (1 or 2 slots, Colossus or larger only) - By adding a Turret Gearworks to a Golem Armor’s Shoulder Linkage, the Golem Armor’s shoulder weapons can fire into the appropriate side or rear arc. Colossus and Titan Golem Armor Turrets take up 1 slot, while Godslayer Turrets take up 2 slots each. Each slot counts as a magic item of the same level as the Golem Armor’s chassis. If the Golem Armor does not have a Cannoneer’s Seat, then each shoulder automatically fires into the same arc as the same-side arm. If the Golem Armor does have a Cannoneer’s Seat, then the Cannoneer may rotate one shoulder turret that he controls into the front, same side, or rear arc as a move action. If a single Cannoneer controls both turrets, he may also rotate them both into the front or rear arc as a move action.

Heat Vent (1 slot) - A Heat Vent allows a Golem Armor to dissipate heat generated by various weapons and equipment. Each Heat Vent allows the Golem Armor to dissipate 1 additional heat per turn, and counts as a level 2 magic item.

Integral Heat Vent (1 slot) - If a Golem Armor mounts one or more Heat Vents in the same section as a heat-producing weapon or other equipment, the designer may choose to link that Heat Vent directly to the equipment. If he does, that Heat Vent does not dissipate heat at the beginning of each turn, but instead directly reduces the heat generated by that weapon or equipment by 1 whenever it would generate heat.

Thunderwings (2 to 8 slots, special) - Thunderwing Vent Ports are mounted in pairs, one per shoulder. A pair of Thunderwing Vent Ports takes up 1 slot per shoulder on a Scout or Knight, 2 per shoulder on a Giant, 3 on a Colossus, 4 on a Titan, or 6 on a Godslayer. Each pair of Thunderwing Vent Ports provides +1 flight Speed (hover) and +2 flight Speed (overland), but generates 1 heat per Stride of flight movement. Scout Golem Armor gain +2 flight Speed (hover) and +4 flight Speed (overland) per slot. Each Thunderwing Vent Port slot counts as a magic item of the same level as the Golem Armor’s chassis.

Armor Plating (1 slot) - Armor plating provides an additional +3 hit points to the section it is mounted in. Each Armor Plating slot counts as a level 2 magic item. No more than half of a section’s slots may contain a combination of Armor Plating and Reinforced Plating.

Reinforced Plating (6 slots, special) - Reinforced plating is effectively six slots of double-thick armor plating, one mounted in each section. In addition to providing +2 hit points to each section, each set of 6 slots of Reinforced Plating adds +1 to the Golem Armor’s Armor Defense. Each Reinforced Plating slot counts as a magic item of the same level as the Golem Armor’s chassis.

Hand (1 to 3 slots, arm only) - a Hand allows a Golem Armor to quickly swap weapons. A hand takes up a single critical hit slot on Scout, Knight or Giant Golem Armor, two slots on Colossus or Titan Golem Armor, or three slots on a Godslayer Golem Armor. Each slot counts as a magic item of the same level as the Golem Armor’s chassis.

In combat, a Golem Armor may use a hand to draw and wield a hand-held weapon as a minor action or stow a hand-held weapon as a minor action; if the weapon is two-handed, the Golem Armor must have two functioning hands to attack with it.

Hand-Held Weapon (special) - Hand-held weapons are constructed with a slot size allotment based on the Golem Armor’s size class. A Hand-Held Weapon which uses ammunition or generates heat when fired must allocate its own ammunition and Heat Vents (which increase the size of the weapon), and track the weapon’s heat separately; a hand-held weapon cannot be fired again until all of its heat is dissipated.


Golem Armor Size One-Handed Weapon Two-Handed Weapon
Scout Up to 2 slots Up to 4 slots
Knight Up to 3 slots Up to 6 slots
Giant Up to 4 slots Up to 8 slots
Colossus Up to 5 slots Up to 10 slots
Titan Up to 6 slots Up to 12 slots
Godslayer Up to 10 slots Up to 20 slots


Ammunition (1 slot) - Ammunition allows flamethrowers, ballistic weapons, and artillery weapons to fire more than once. Each slot provides a variable number of additional shots, depending on the weapon. Ammunition mounted in the same section as the weapon itself reloads as a free action, while ammunition mounted in a separate section reloads as a minor action. Each slot of Ammunition counts as a level 1 magic item.

Infantry Hold (1 slot) - Each slot of infantry hold is a level 2 magic item, and contains enough seats for one medium creature, two small creatures, or eight tiny creatures. It includes an armored door which opens to the outside, allowing the infantry to climb out. Infantry holds mounted on arms can be somewhat dicey - if the limb is used to make a melee attack while infantry are still inside, each creature inside takes 1d6 bashing damage. Infantry holds can be built ‘cramped’, which doubles the number of creatures that can fit per slot, but also doubles the amount of damage dealt to each creature from falling damage or when the limb is used to make a melee attack.

Shrouding Cloak (8 to 24 slots, special) - A Shrouding Cloak takes up 1 slot per section and generates 1 heat when mounted on a Scout or Knight Golem Armor, 2 slots and 2 heat on a Giant or Colossus, and 3 slots and 3 heat on a Titan. An active Shrouding Cloak provides partial concealment, or increases partial concealment to superior concealment. Each Shrouding Cloak slot counts as a magic item of the same level as the Golem Armor’s chassis.

Light Shield (1 to 5 slots, arm only) - A Light Shield provides a +1 cover bonus to Defense and Reflex vs. attacks from the front arc or that arm’s side arc. A Light Shield takes up 1 slot on a Scout Golem Armor, 2 slots on a Knight or Giant Golem Armor, 3 slots on a Colossus or Titan Golem Armor, or 5 slots on a Godslayer. Light Shields may also be constructed as one-handed hand-held weapons.

Heavy Shield (2 to 10 slots, arm only) - A Heavy Shield provides a +2 cover bonus to Defense and Reflex vs. attacks from the front arc or that arm’s side arc, but also imparts a -1 shield check penalty to Acrobatics and Athletics checks. A Light Shield takes up 2 slots on a Scout Golem Armor, 3 slots on a Knight, 4 slots on a Giant, 5 slots on a Colossus, 6 slots on a Titan, and 10 slots on a Godslayer. Heavy Shields may also be constructed as one-handed hand-held weapons.

Tower Shield (3 to 15 slots, arm only) - A Tower Shield provides a +5 cover bonus to Defense and Reflex vs. attacks from the front arc or that arm’s side arc, but also imparts a -2 shield check penalty to Acrobatics and Athletics checks, and a -1 penalty to Speed. A Tower Shield takes up 2 slots on a Scout Golem Armor, 4 slots on a Knight, 6 slots on a Giant, 7 slots on a Colossus, 8 slots on a Titan, and 10 slots on a Godslayer. Tower Shields may also be constructed as one-handed hand-held weapons.

Scrying Crystals (1 slot, upper body or shoulder only) - Scrying crystals mounted in the upper body provide a +2 enhancement bonus to Perception checks, and a +1 enhancement bonus to ranged weapon attack rolls. Additionally, scrying crystals allow the knight to take aim as a move action, declaring the section he is aiming at. If his next attack this turn succeeds, he uses the 1d4 ‘Aimed Shot Table’ to determine the section hit, adding +1 to his 1d4 roll per 10 points that his attack result exceeded the target’s defense. If a Golem Armor mounts a Cannoneer Seat on a Shoulder, that Shoulder must mount its own Scrying Crystal for the Cannoneer to benefit from this bonus. Each Scrying Crystal counts as a level 8 magic item.

[Ialdabaoth]

Golem Armor Ranged Weapons
Dragon’s Maw (level 1 / 1 slot) - Dexterity vs. Reflex, 1d4 fire damage (area).
Range: Cone 5. Heat: 2. Ammunition: 20 per slot.
Sunlance (level 3 / 1 slot) - Dexterity vs. Reflex (crit 18-20), 1d6 radiant damage.
Range: 30/60. Heat: 3.
Sunlance Cannon (level 5 / 2 slots) - Dexterity vs. Reflex (crit 18-20), 1d8 radiant damage.
Range: 50/100. Heat: 6.
Stormlance Cannon (level 7 / 3 slots) - Dexterity vs. Reflex (crit 19-20), 1d10 lightning damage.
Range: 60/120. Heat: 10.

Repeating Ballista (level 1 / 1 slot) - Dexterity vs. Armor (4 attacks), 1d4 damage per hit.
Range: 20/40. Ammunition: 25x4 per slot. Ammunition does not explode; weapon comes pre-loaded with 5x4 shots.
Light Thunder Cannon (level 3 / 3 slots) - Dexterity vs. Armor, 1d6 damage.
Range: 50/100. Ammunition: 50 per slot.
Heavy Thunder Cannon (level 5 / 5 slots) - Dexterity vs. Armor, 2d6 damage.
Range: 60/120. Ammunition: 20 per slot.
Thunder Rattler (level 7 / 7 slots) - Dexterity vs. Armor (4 attacks), 1d6 damage per hit.
Range: 40/80. Ammunition: 10x4 per slot.

Shrike Mortar-2 (level 3 / 1 slot) - Wisdom vs. Reflex, burst 2 area, uses 2 ammunition per attack.
Shrike Mortar-4 (level 3 / 2 slots) - Wisdom vs. Reflex, burst 3 area, uses 4 ammunition per attack.
Shrike Mortar-6 (level 3 / 3 slots) - Wisdom vs. Reflex, burst 4 area, uses 6 ammunition per attack.
Shrike Mortar-8 (level 3 / 4 slots) - Wisdom vs. Reflex, burst 5 area, uses 8 ammunition per attack.
Shrike Mortar-10 (level 3 / 5 slots) - Wisdom vs. Reflex, burst 6 area, uses 10 ammunition per attack.
Goblinfire Ammunition: Range: 30/60 (min 15). Damage: 1d4 fire (area), 20 ammunition per slot.
Acid Jelly Ammunition: Range: 30/60 (min 15). Damage: 1d4 acid (area), 20 ammunition per slot.
Thundershock Ammunition: Range: 50/100 (min 25). Damage: 1d8 thunder (area), 20 ammunition per slot.
Thunderwave Ammunition: Range: 75/150 (min 40). Damage: 1d6 thunder (area), 20 ammunition per slot.

[Ialdabaoth]

Golem Armor Melee Weapons
Golem Armor may wield hand-held melee weapons in the same manner as characters. Each weapon uses the same damage die as an equivalent weapon for a medium creature, but scaled up to Golem Armor damage scale. Scout Golem Armor follow the same weapon wielding rules as Small creatures, while larger Golem Armor follow the same weapon wielding rules as Medium creatures. A Golem Armor adds its size bonus to all melee weapon damage, rather than adding a Strength modifier.

In addition to hand-held melee weapons, the following integral melee weapons may be mounted into a Golem Armor's arm. Treat each of these weapons as a one-handed melee weapon.

Light Blades
Razor Claws (2 slots) - Strength +1 vs. Armor, d6 + size modifier damage
Chainsaw (3 slots) - Strength vs. Armor, 2d8 damage; generates 2 heat when used.

Heavy Blades
Chainsword (4 slots) - Strength vs. Armor, 2d10 damage; generates 7 heat when used.

Axes
Buzzsaw (5 slots) - Strength -1 vs. Armor, 2d12 damage; generates 7 heat when used.

Maces
Battering Ram (1 slot) - Strength vs. Armor, d6* + size modifier damage.
Drill (3 slots) - Strength -1 vs. Armor, d10* damage; generates 5 heat when used.

Flails
Wrecking Ball (2 to 8 slots) - Flails vs. Armor (Reach), d6* + size modifier damage, and the target must make a Control check vs. the amount of damage dealt or fall prone. This weapon takes up 2 slots on a Scout Golem Armor, 3 on a Knight, 4 on a Giant, 5 on a Colossus, 6 on a Titan, or 8 on a Godslayer.
Rocket Fist (1 slot) - Dexterity vs. Armor (reach), d4* damage and the target is grabbed and pulled into an adjacent space; generates 3 heat when used. A Rocket Fist requires a Hand, and may be used as a grappling hook.

*All Maces, Hammers, and Flails automatically deal maximum damage vs. walls, fortifications, and other large structures.

[Ialdabaoth]

Golem Armor Combat Rules
Stride and Reach
Golem Armor have a Stride, which is the number of spaces they move for each point of Speed they expend. Golem Armor also have a Reach, which is usually equal to half their Stride (round up), or equal to their Stride if they are wielding a polearm or other reach weapon.

Facing
Unlike smaller creatures, all Golem Armors must have a specified facing. A Golem Armor's facing is specified in 45 degree increments.

Firing Arcs - A Golem Armor has four ‘firing arcs’: Front, Left, Right, and Rear. Each of these firing arcs are 90 degrees; if a target would fall between two arcs, always favor the Front arc over the Left and Right arcs, and always favor the Left and Right arcs over the Rear arc.

Movement - When a Golem Armor begins a movement action, it may immediately change facing by 45 degrees. Then, for each point of Speed, it may move a number of paces up to to its Stride into its Front arc or change facing by 45 degrees, and then may change facing by 45 degrees again.

Shifting - If the Golem Armor shifts, it may immediately change facing by up to 90 degrees, then move a number of paces up to its Stride in any direction, then change facing by up to 90 degrees again.

Heat
Certain weapons and equipment generate heat, as does fire damage; a Golem Armor has a base heat dissipation equal to its Power Plant slots, plus any free Heat Vents mounted. At the beginning of each turn, subtract the Golem Armor’s heat dissipation from its current heat. Every 5 full points of Heat remaining imparts a -1 penalty to all Stealth rolls, a -1 penalty to Speed, and 1 point of fatigue damage to each creature inside.

Effects of Heat - At the end of each turn that the Golem Armor’s Heat is above 0, the knight must make a Scrying check as a minor action, with a difficulty equal to the Golem Armor’s current heat level (this can be done even if the Golem Armor is dazed or stunned, so long as the knight is capable of performing actions). On a failure, the Golem Armor is dazed until the end of the knight’s next turn; if the check fails by 10 or more, the Golem Armor is stunned until the end of the knight’s next turn instead. On a critical failure, or if the check fails by 20 or more, roll 1d8 on the Front/Rear row of the Attack Direction table to determine a section; if that section contains any ammunition, that section is destroyed as its ammunition explodes from the heat.

Damage
A Golem Armor has immunity to all poisons, diseases, and necrotic damage as a construct. Divide all character-scale damage dealt to a Golem Armor by 10 (round down), and multiply all Golem Armor-scale damage dealt to a character by 10. When a Golem Armor is damaged, roll 1d8 to determine which section is damaged by the attack. Attacks which target a Golem Armor’s rear gain advantage and deal double damage.


Direction 1⃣ 2⃣ 3⃣ 4⃣ 5⃣ 6⃣ 7⃣ 8⃣
Front/Rear R Sh. Upper L Sh. R Arm Lower L Arm R Leg L Leg
Right R Sh. Upper R Sh. R Arm Lower R Arm R Leg R Leg
Left L Sh. Upper L Sh. L Arm Lower L Arm L Leg L Leg
Above R Sh. Upper L Sh. R Arm Upper L Arm R Sh. L Sh.
Below R Leg Lower L Leg R Arm Lower L Arm R Leg L Leg


Attacks from Smaller Creatures - Whenever a Golem Armor is attacked by a Medium or smaller creature whose footprint is entirely within a number of paces equal to the Golem Armor’s Stride, the smaller creature may choose which section of the Golem Armor to target before making a ranged attack. If the ranged attack succeeds, the attacker uses the 1d4 ‘Aimed Shot Table’ to determine the section hit, adding +1 to his 1d4 roll per 10 points that his attack result exceeded the target’s defense.


Aimed Shot Table 1⃣ 2⃣ 3⃣ +
R Shoulder R Arm Upper Body R Shoulder
L Shoulder L Arm Upper Body L Shoulder
R Arm R Shoulder Upper Body R Arm
L Arm L Shoulder Upper Body L Arm
Upper Body R Shoulder L Shoulder Upper Body
Lower Body R Leg L Leg Lower Body
R Leg R Arm Lower Body R Leg
L Leg L Arm Lower Body L Leg


A smaller creature which makes a melee attack against a Golem Armor within its reach automatically hits the nearest leg, unless the smaller creature is climbing on the Golem Armor (in which case it hits whichever section it is climbing on). A critical hit always deals at least 1 point of damage; otherwise, divide the damage by 10 (round down) to determine how many hit points the Golem Armor loses from that section.

Area Attacks - When a Golem Armor is caught within an area attack, it is automatically damaged once per space that it occupies within the attack’s area. Roll 1d8 per space of overlap, and apply the attack’s damage to that section, taking full damage to each section on a hit or half damage to each section on a miss. If an area attack causes a critical hit, apply the critical hit to the first section rolled.

Elemental Damage
When a Golem Armor is damaged by an elemental attack, it can cause one of the following additional effects:

Fire - Each point of fire damage from a direct attack also increases the Golem Armor’s heat by 1; a fire area attack increases a Golem Armor’s heat by 1 per space that the Golem Armor occupies within the attack’s area on a hit.

Lightning - A successful lightning attack forces the knight to immediately make a Scrying saving throw vs. a difficulty equal to the total amount of lightning damage dealt by the attack; on a failure, the Golem Armor is dazed until the end of the knight’s next turn; on a critical failure, or if the check fails by 10 or more, the Golem Armor is stunned until the end of the knight’s next turn instead.

Acid - An acid direct attack that causes a critical hit damages two adjacent critical hit slots; an acid area attack that hits a Golem Armor reduces its Armor Defense by 1 until repaired.

Cold - Each point of cold damage from a direct attack also decreases the Golem Armor’s heat by 1; a cold area attack decreases a Golem Armor’s heat by 1 per space that the Golem Armor occupies within the attack’s area.

Status Effects
A Golem Armor can be subject to the following status effects:

Prone - Whenever a Golem Armor becomes stunned, takes more damage from a single attack action than its die size (4 for Scout, 6 for Knight, 8 for Giant, 10 for Colossus and 12 for Titan), or suffers a critical hit that inflicts a Control penalty, the knight must immediately make a Control check vs. a DC of 10 or fall prone.

Whenever a Golem Armor falls prone for any reason, the Golem Armor and crew each immediately take falling damage based on the Golem Armor’s size: 1d4 for Scout or Knight Golem Armor, 2d6 for Giant Golem Armor, 3d6 for Colossus Golem Armor, 4d6 for Titan Golem Armor, and 5d6 for Godslayer Golem Armor. Roll 1d10 per 1d6 of damage to determine which section to apply that d6’s falling damage to. The crew’s falling damage is not multiplied by 10.

Dazed - A Golem Armor can become dazed due to failing a Scrying check caused by heat or lightning damage. Whenever a Golem Armor becomes dazed, each crewman is limited to a single standard action that directs the Golem Armor or its weapons or equipment.

Stunned - A Golem Armor can become stunned due to critically failing a Scrying check caused by heat or lightning damage. If a Golem Armor becomes stunned, no crewman is capable of performing actions that direct the Golem Armor or its weapons or equipment. If a stunned Golem Armor requires a Control check, it automatically falls instead.

Critical Hits
Whenever a Golem Armor takes a critical hit, roll a die based on its size (1d4 for Scout, 1d6 for Knight, 1d8 for Giant, 1d10 for Colossus, 1d12 for Titan or 1d20 for Godslayer) to determine which equipment in that section is damaged. If a section runs out of HP, each further point of damage automatically causes one critical hit to that section. Critical hits to slots which have already been damaged must be re-rolled. If an entire leg is missing, apply any remaining damage to that leg to the lower body; if an entire arm or shoulder is missing, apply any remaining damage to that section to the upper body.

Scrying Glass - The Golem Knight is blinded and deafened (-10 to all attacks and -20 to all Perception checks), and suffers a -2 penalty to all Control checks.

Controlworks - A Golem Armor suffers a -2 penalty to all Control checks per Controlworks critical hit. If the last Controlworks critical hit is destroyed, the Golem Armor is immediately disabled and falls prone.

Knight’s Rigging - The knight takes a direct hit, suffering half the damage of the attack. The Golem Armor is now disabled.

Cannoneer’s Seat - Damage to a Cannoneer’s Seat disables all weapons slaved to that seat, and deals half the attack’s damage directly to that cannoneer.

Power Plant - The Golem Armor is slowed and weakened, generates +2 heat per turn, and suffers a -2 penalty to all Control checks. Further Power Plant hits will each generate +2 heat per turn, and inflict a further -2 penalty to all Control checks. If the last Power Plant slot is hit, the Golem Armor is disabled.

Heat Vent - The Golem Armor’s Heat Dissipation is reduced by 1, or the weapon or equipment that the Heat Vent is linked to generates 1 more heat whenever it is used.

Linkage - The Golem Armor’s shoulder pod is severed at the shoulder. All weapons and equipment in that shoulder are gone, and the Golem Armor suffers a -1 penalty to all Control checks for being unbalanced.

Shoulder - The Golem Armor’s arm is severed at the shoulder. All weapons and equipment in that arm are gone, and the Golem Armor suffers a -2 penalty to all Control checks for being unbalanced.

Arm Piston - The Golem Armor and suffers a -2 penalty to all attacks with this arm, and melee attacks with this arm deal half damage.

Hand - The Golem Armor drops any weapon or item wielded in that hand; if the item dropped is vulnerable to damage, it takes half damage from the attack before assessing falling damage.

Hip - The Golem Armor’s leg is severed at the hip. All equipment in that leg is gone, and the Golem Armor immediately falls prone. The Golem Armor is slowed, suffers a -5 penalty to all Control checks, and its Threshold is halved, but it ignores all prior damage due to Leg Piston or Foot damage from this leg. Standing up again requires a Control check; on a failure, the Golem Armor falls prone again. If the knight manages to stand, he must henceforth make a Control check whenever he moves or fall prone again.

Leg Piston - The Golem Armor is slowed, and suffers a -2 penalty to all Control checks. Further damage to this leg’s Leg Piston has no effect.

Foot - The Golem Armor suffers a -1 penalty to speed, and a -1 penalty to all Control checks. Further damage to this leg’s foot has no effect.

Thunderwing Vent Port - The Golem Armor loses -1 flight speed (-2 flight speed for a Scout Golem Armor), and suffers a -1 penalty to all Control checks while flying.

Ammunition - The knight takes 2d6 damage and the section is destroyed; for an arm, leg, or shoulder, treat this as a ‘Hip’, ‘Shoulder’, or ‘Linkage’ hit. An ammunition hit in the lower body destroys the Golem Armor, while an ammunition hit in the upper body destroys the Golem Armor and kills the knight. No equipment in the section that contained the exploding ammunition slot is salvageable.

Other Weapon or Equipment - The weapon or equipment is destroyed, and will no longer function. Even if the equipment takes up multiple slots, it is rendered non-functional when any one of them is damaged.

[vasharanpaladin]

Kneejerk: Pick a system and stick with it. What works in 4e does not work in any other D&D, and vice-versa. :smallmad:

Also: Weapons don't have damage types. No such thing as "piercing" damage. :smallwink:

[Ialdabaoth]

Kneejerk: Pick a system and stick with it. What works in 4e does not work in any other D&D, and vice-versa. :smallmad:

Also: Weapons don't have damage types. No such thing as "piercing" damage. :smallwink:

Gah; I was in the middle of making a 3E version on a forked document; looks like I edited the wrong doc in a few parts.

[Ialdabaoth]

Fixed; and now a few notes on cost.

A Scout Golem Armor costs 16,800 gp, before adding any weapons, speed enhancements, additional armor, or other equipment. (This is roughly equivalent to a level 13 magic item).

A Knight Golem Armor costs 36,800 gp, before adding any weapons, speed enhancements, additional armor, or other equipment. (This is roughly equivalent to a level 15 magic item).

A Giant Golem Armor costs 88,400 gp, before adding any weapons, speed enhancements, additional armor, or other equipment. (This is roughly equivalent to a level 18 magic item).

A Colossus Golem Armor costs 150,000 gp, before adding any weapons, speed enhancements, additional armor, or other equipment. (This is roughly equivalent to a level 20 magic item).

A Titan Golem Armor costs 455,000 gp, before adding any weapons, speed enhancements, additional armor, or other equipment. (This is roughly equivalent to a level 23 magic item).

And finally, a Godslayer Golem Armor costs just over 9,000,000 gp, plus mounted equipment costs. (This is roughly equivalent to THREE level 30 magic items).

[vasharanpaladin]

Kinda awkward that the artificer has to jump through so many more hoops compared to the meatheads in order to acquire what is, essentially, a giant robot...

[Ialdabaoth]

Kinda awkward that the artificer has to jump through so many more hoops compared to the meatheads in order to acquire what is, essentially, a giant robot...

You speak truth. I've been considering the following rules instead:

1. Plate armor is no longer a prerequisite
2. Any class can learn to pilot a Golem Armor, but can only perform basic actions in it.
3. A Golem Armor's Controlwerks can be augmented to allow encounter powers (but not at-will or daily powers) to be channeled through it. Each encounter power that will be channeled through a Golem Armor requires a separate critical slot, which counts as a magic item of that power's level. Any Golem Armor knight who knows that power may then use it while wearing the Golem Armor.