Qwertystop
2013-01-23, 06:40 PM
Well, I had this idea after reading about Noh (http://1d4chan.org/wiki/Noh) (via TVTropes -> Off the Rails). I thought it might be interesting to have actual rules for that sort of magical construct, but I figured that a little more free will was required if the creature would be in any situation where DM fiat might not be enough (e.g. being a PC, or being a creature released from a dungeon destroyed by a PC or an in-campaign adventuring party of NPCs, or the situation in the story above). A PC might have this template in a game that takes place in one dungeon, or as a dungeon's resident morality test which was created and escaped in transit to where it was meant to go, or even as a servant to a Sorcerer who has since died.
Fabricated Creature
Inherited Template
Type: The creature's type changes to Construct (Augmented X, Living Construct), where X is the base creature's type.
Special Qualities: The creature gains one of the following qualities:
Preprogrammed Behavior (Ex): This creature was constructed to serve a specific purpose, and while it has some degree of free will, there are things about it which its creator thought should not be left to choice. On encountering a specific trigger, it immediately reacts in a certain way. The trigger might be hearing a particular word, seeing a particular type of object, or any other general perception. The perception in question must be something general, and cannot relate to a specific situation - it might be "a door in front of you opens", or "a door in front of you is opened by a bald man", but it could not be "the door in the chamber which you were set to guard opens" or "a door in front of you is opened by your enemy". The reaction might be "attack whoever opens the door", "shut the door", "become angry", "do not speak until the door is closed", or any of many other things, but again, it cannot be fine-tuned based on specific situations such as alliances or particular people. If the reaction is something which requires an action other than a free or immediate action, the creature's initiative count changes to the count in which the trigger took place, and the creature acts immediately following the triggerer (if there is a creature acting in that count already). The action-cost of the reaction is taken out of the creature's next turn.
Hardcoded Limit (Ex): The creature has some sort of unbypassable limit (though Wish or Miracle by a higher caster level than the creator can break this limit, after which, if the creature is willing, it can be restored via an alternative usage of the Atonement spell (following the same rules as the redemption/temptation option regarding willingness)). The limit might be a limited vocabulary, or an inability to grip a particular type of weapon, or a deap-seated unignorable hatred of spellcasters, or some other rule. These restrictions do not manifest anything to prevent forced breakage of their rules (for example, the creature could be dragged away from the place they must remain in, though they would fight it if they could), but the creature cannot willingly break them, and cannot mentally be compelled to break them (though, for example, Control Body might work). As with Preprogrammed Behavior, the Restictions cannot be overly specific - this is a real restriction, not a way to gain immunity to Compulsion effects that tell you to hurt your allies.
LA: +0 to +1
If this template is taken by a PC (in chargen, most likely), the DM must approve all Behaviors and Restrictions, and decide whether or not they balance to have no LA.
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I realize this is barely more than saying "DM-fiat the rules", but I figured that putting some rules on it is better when a PC might be doing it, and saves work on figuring out how exactly it would work - I've done that already.
Thoughts? Would you use this?
Fabricated Creature
Inherited Template
Type: The creature's type changes to Construct (Augmented X, Living Construct), where X is the base creature's type.
Special Qualities: The creature gains one of the following qualities:
Preprogrammed Behavior (Ex): This creature was constructed to serve a specific purpose, and while it has some degree of free will, there are things about it which its creator thought should not be left to choice. On encountering a specific trigger, it immediately reacts in a certain way. The trigger might be hearing a particular word, seeing a particular type of object, or any other general perception. The perception in question must be something general, and cannot relate to a specific situation - it might be "a door in front of you opens", or "a door in front of you is opened by a bald man", but it could not be "the door in the chamber which you were set to guard opens" or "a door in front of you is opened by your enemy". The reaction might be "attack whoever opens the door", "shut the door", "become angry", "do not speak until the door is closed", or any of many other things, but again, it cannot be fine-tuned based on specific situations such as alliances or particular people. If the reaction is something which requires an action other than a free or immediate action, the creature's initiative count changes to the count in which the trigger took place, and the creature acts immediately following the triggerer (if there is a creature acting in that count already). The action-cost of the reaction is taken out of the creature's next turn.
Hardcoded Limit (Ex): The creature has some sort of unbypassable limit (though Wish or Miracle by a higher caster level than the creator can break this limit, after which, if the creature is willing, it can be restored via an alternative usage of the Atonement spell (following the same rules as the redemption/temptation option regarding willingness)). The limit might be a limited vocabulary, or an inability to grip a particular type of weapon, or a deap-seated unignorable hatred of spellcasters, or some other rule. These restrictions do not manifest anything to prevent forced breakage of their rules (for example, the creature could be dragged away from the place they must remain in, though they would fight it if they could), but the creature cannot willingly break them, and cannot mentally be compelled to break them (though, for example, Control Body might work). As with Preprogrammed Behavior, the Restictions cannot be overly specific - this is a real restriction, not a way to gain immunity to Compulsion effects that tell you to hurt your allies.
LA: +0 to +1
If this template is taken by a PC (in chargen, most likely), the DM must approve all Behaviors and Restrictions, and decide whether or not they balance to have no LA.
--------
I realize this is barely more than saying "DM-fiat the rules", but I figured that putting some rules on it is better when a PC might be doing it, and saves work on figuring out how exactly it would work - I've done that already.
Thoughts? Would you use this?