Smokestack Beetle [Creature, MitP]

[The Demented One]

Smokestack Beetle
Size/Type: Huge Construct
Hit Dice: 14d10+40 (115 hp)
Initiative: -2
Speed: 30 ft.
Armor Class: 24 (-2 size, -2 Dex, +18 natural), touch 6, flatfooted 24
Base Attack/Grapple: +10/+28
Attack: Bite +18 melee (2d6+10)
Full Attack: Bite +18 melee (2d6+10)
Space/Reach: 15 ft./15 ft.
Special Attacks: Breath weapon
Special Qualities: Construct traits, darkvision 60 ft., concealment, living factory
Saves: Fort +4, Ref +2, Will +4
Abilities: Str 30, Dex 6, Con –, Int –, Wis 11, Cha 1
Skills: –
Feats: Ability Focus (Breath Weapon)B
Environment: Any
Organization: Solitary
Challenge Rating: 9
Treasure: None
Alignment: Always True Neutral
Advancement: 15-25 HD (Huge), 26-32 HD (Gargantuan), 33-40 HD (Colossal)
Level Adjustment: –

Smokestack Beetles are massive constructs that serve as an easy way to produce alchemic substances. Though they cheaply produce alchemic components within themselves, the process is egregiously inefficent, and produces amazing amounts of pollutions. Smokestack Beetle’s loom like giant iron beetle, with a rusty metallic carapace covered in dross. The beetles’ derive their names from the smokestacks covering their body, which constantly belch forth smoke.

Breath Weapon (Su)
A Smokestack Beetle has a single breath weapon, a 60 ft. cone of noxious gas. The area of the breath weapon is filled with noxious gas for 15 rounds. A moderate wind (11+ mph) disperses the gas in 4 rounds; a strong wind (21+ mph) disperses the gas in 1 round. The gas obscures all sight, including darkvision, beyond 5 feet. A creature within 5 feet has concealment (attacks have a 20% miss chance). Creatures farther away have total concealment (50% miss chance, and the attacker can’t use sight to locate the target). Each round a creature is in the gas, it must make a DC 19 Fortitude save or become nauseated, which lasts for as long as it remains in the gas and for 1d4+1 rounds afterwards. A plant creature that fails its save also takes 15d6 points of damage. In addition, plants that are not creatures–grass, shrubs, trees, and so on–die, with no save. The save is Constitution based. A Smokestack Beetle must wait 1d4 rounds between uses of its breath weapon.

Concealment (Ex)
A Smokestack Beetle is constantly shrouded in smoke, giving it a 20% miss chance.

Living Factory (Ex)
A Smokestack Beetle produces various components usable in making alchemic substances. Each week, it excretes 50 gp of materials that can be used to craft alchemic items. However, it must use its breath weapon at least once every day of the week, or else the materials are contaminated by pollutants which build up in them. Harvesting the materials is a dangerous process, doing so takes 1 hour. The creature harvesting the materials must make a DC 17 Fortitude save or take 1d6 points of Con damage. The save is Constitution based. If the components are not used to create a substance within 1d3 days of be harvested, they degrade and become useless.
[hr]
Construction
The body of a Smokestack Beetle is constructed from twenty tons of impure iron, worth 10,000 gp. Assembling the body requires a DC 18 Craft (Armorsmithing) or Craft (Metalsmithing) check. In addition, a special alchemic reservoir, worth 5,000 gp and requiring a DC 18 Craft (Alchemy) check to create, must be installed in the body.

CL 9th. Craft Construct, blight, major creation, stinking cloud. Cost 65,000 gp + 4,000 xp. Price 100,000 gp.

[Single Shot Zombie]

Holy crap; you've created five monsters in the time I took to stat out my own idea. That's freaking fast. :smalleek:

(EDIT: Make that six.)

[Eldritch_Ent]

Wow, this is an awesome beasty, but you're right- it really DOES seem terribly inefficient. (It'd take what, 2000 weeks to get your money back from the thing? Even a wizard doesn't have THAT sort of time lying about, that's more than 6 years I think!)

[The Demented One]

Holy crap; you've created five monsters in the time I took to stat out my own idea. That's freaking fast. :smalleek:

(EDIT: Make that six.)
Nah, all but the Wickerman were just old monsters I bumped for MitP.

[Single Shot Zombie]

Ah. Right.

An elf would have that much time. Or even better, an elan. But 50 gp's worth a week is still kinda measly.

[martyboy74]

What happens if it's created with pure iron (Like, from a wall of iron)?

P.S. You should bump this (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=10647) back up, and enter it. It was awesome.

[Icewalker]

Yeah that's kinda 37 years. Not so good.

I dunno, it's a pretty cool creation, but the whole alchemical factory aspect seems pretty worthless. That or the combat aspects are worthless if you just want an alchemical plant. The breath weapon is pretty cool, but I dunno.

[Earthstar_Fungus]

I'm getting a strong gearworld vibe from this one, like so http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/18776037/ (there was a better picture of a concrete crane but I'm too lazy to find it)

[Demented]

Dangerous though harvesting the materials may be, a Kobold commoner is still in no danger.

The materials can only be harvested once a week, at most.
If the Kobold utterly fails its constitution check and takes maximum damage, it suffers 6 CON damage. Which will heal in 6 days.

Though exactly what a Kobold commoner would be doing with a smokestack beetle...


Also, I'd presume that the materials are worthless once polluted, but it doesn't actually say what happens. If you have polluted materials in the machine, do you have to harvest those before the machine can make nonpolluted materials?

[Danu]

This is definitely a flavor monster, rather then a combat creature. The flavor matches Eberron, actually, and I can see a few of these things tromping around the Mournland, polluting it with their noxious smoke. I can also envision warforged herding the things together and using them, being immune to the nausea effects.

In fact, a few of the things would make an excellent smokescreen on the side of warforged, due to their immunity. Since the construct can belch ever 1d4 rounds, and the smoke actually remains in the air for decent amount of time, depending on the weather factors.

[Lord Iames Osari]

I gives it a "yea".