Building a robot

[Oncoming Storm]

Alright, so for background, I'm DMing for a party of three-a lore bard, an abjuration wizard, and a bow ranger. They're all fairly tanky, so the lack of a frontliner hasn't been a HUGE issue yet, but I feel like it might be in the near future, and I'd rather not just randomly kill characters until someone rolls a fighter/barbarian/etc.

Fortunately (or perhaps unfortunately?) the wizard has expressed an interest in building a combat robot of some kind (he's a magitech engineer-style wizard) and I'm inclined to facilitate him, since Warforged DO exist in my setting, but are not created with sentience, instead building full AI-level intelligence and self-awareness through individual experience over years to centuries (depending on the variety of experience they encounter.)

With that said, how would you stat out such a creation? I'd like it to remain relevant throughout the story, but treating it like a warforged PC (and having it level up with the party) feels a bit off. I COULD just treat it like a stripped-down fighter, I guess, with it gaining extra attacks, proficiency, etc. but not the ancillary (action surge, battle healing) abilities.

If anyone has experience with this sort of thing, I'd appreciate the input.

[Scirocco]

"With that said, how would you stat out such a creation? I'd like it to remain relevant throughout the story, but treating it like a warforged PC (and having it level up with the party) feels a bit off. I COULD just treat it like a stripped-down fighter, I guess, with it gaining extra attacks, proficiency, etc. but not the ancillary (action surge, battle healing) abilities. "

This is more or less what I'd do. Follow the monster progression guidelines in the MM/DMG Basic, give it some appropriate immunities/resistances/etc..., a few attack options, and maybe a special ability like Multi-attack.

[Inevitability]

Find a monster about 1 or 2 CR's lower than the party, refluff it to be a construct, and let it fight with them. Monsters are tankier, than players, so it should work out.

Of course, the process of creating a robot should be crazy hard and full of fetch quests. :smallwink:

[Slipperychicken]

I'd just give him a mindless construct out of the MM, with some restrictions.

Due to the magical, technical, and rules-handwaving which the wizard must perform on a near-constant basis, he can only maintain one robot at a time. Keeping the robot active and following orders requires his concentration, partly because its AI is garbage (having no initiative of its own whatsoever, and its basic routines are easily confounded by real-world situations), and partly because it's powered by the wizard's spell-like handwavium. If the wizard ceases concentration, the robot automatically shuts down and curls up inert into the fetal position.

Because the robot is so closely linked to the wizard's consciousness, control cannot be transferred, nor can anyone other than the wizard give orders. Normally, orders must be simple and general (such as "fight these creatures", "in ten seconds, follow me", or "move this object from here to there"). The robot will execute the most recent order in the most literal manner possible, to the exclusion of all other concerns, including its own safety. In absence of simple and direct orders, the robot will remain perfectly still. The wizard can telepathically direct the robot's exact movements, but doing so costs the wizard's action for each round in which he exerts direct control.


tl;dr: Wizard gets a really stupid MM construct which needs concentration and constant hand-holding to do anything.

[Selkirk]

could use iron golem as template. have the mu forge him (or have him forged). copper golem might be neat.

[BranMan]

tl;dr: Wizard gets a really stupid MM construct which needs concentration and constant hand-holding to do anything.

As OP mentioned, warforged in his world gain more sentience as time passes. Perhaps, as the characters level, the robot requires less to tell it what to do (bonus action instead of action to command) and eventually it becomes self sufficient. If I were that wizard, I would want to be able to play own character as well, but having a gradient of robot control over time should address that problem.

[Knaight]

I'd go with a custom race of some sort. Standard construct traits fit (I don't have the MM, but if they aren't defined there they can be imported from elsewhere. No need to breathe, poison immunity, the usual), a boost to strength and constitution fits, then for the particular robot a class can be assigned that is suitable. Champion Fighter seems like a good fit here, as they're easy to run - though if a new player joins and wants to play the character, having them pick works better.

[Stealthscout]

Given the rules we have to work with and assuming you don't want to start going into virgin territory too far, your best bet is to compare a robot to the Animate Dead spell. The basic function is to spend a moderate resource to maintain control and actions on your part to control it on a round to round basis. I think the previous poster was working on the same track as I am.

One thing that you should be very careful about is allowing someone to become a golem master without spending any resources on it. Your wizard is an abjurer so he has already chosen his specialty, but at first thought I would have called this a new school for a wizard so you can give him abilities at appropriate levels and a level-appropriate robot (golem) to work with.

How about a feat? This would be a good precedent and could mix with the above.
Golem Tinkerer
The player gets the following three benefits:

gain access to the Repair Personal Golem and Control Personal Golem spells with the ability to cast them once per day each. both are 1st level and the control spell can control one golem of your HD, but if cast a second time can only control a free golem of 1 HD +2 per spell level above 1st.
Gain the ability to craft a special golem which is tied you which has 1 hit die per character level. This takes X days and Y gold to create plus Z gold/days per hit die after the first
You can give commands to the personal golem as a bonus action which are simple (we all know what I mean) which the golem will follow to the letter. The golem may receive commands which it continues to perform from round to round until stopped (attack all goblins)


From there, you get two first level spells specifically tailored for this golem so you can heal/manage it. In theory, you could create more than one but now you are spending spell slots to control them and probably a lot of your spell slots to heal them up. This would be better for a spellcaster, but work ok for a noncaster who just wants a utility creature.

[tomjon]

I think that the intention is to fill out the party and bring them up to a full strength (4) party. If this is truly the intent of the players and the DM i would allow a greater leeway.

Option 1 let them make a fully functional golem with some basic attack options. No experience cost. Still need to make and upgrade to maintain usefulness as the advance in level.

Option 2 make a golem that has a much grater AI And is capable of making better attack options and strategic planning. Eg moving to flanking positions, blocking enemy movement and attacks of opportunities. I would make the party pay an xp cost as this option is more like a player character.

Both options will still cost the wizard and most likely the party time and treasure. I can see all types adventure hooks. Need an upgrade all you need is....

[Giant2005]

I'd use the stats of the Animated Armor from the Monster Manual and have it progress as a Beastmaster's Animal Companion. Keep in mind though that that would essentially be giving the Wizard a second subclass that is more powerful than the subclass it was inspired by so he will undoubtedly overshadow the rest of the characters if you allow it.