Single Shot Zombie
2007-03-31, 01:37 PM
This monster came to mind when I was thinking up a campaign idea for my friends. The campaign has long since been aborted, but the monster still remains. And all that's left is to stat it out........
If anyone can come up with a better name than the one I posted, I'd be really grateful. Help also needed in figuring out construction costs for this machine.
(EDIT (2nd April 2007, 1922 hrs GMT+8): Realized I hadn't included AC into the stat line, so I plugged it in. Added vulnerability to fire, and a way for the permanent damage be repaired by fabricate or mending. Added the Run feat as per suggestions, and decided to give it a skill bonus to Jump as well; I can see this guy bounding over obstacles towards the opposition.)
"Speed Golem" still sounds the best so far. Still need help for construction costs.)
________
Speed Golem
Medium Construct
Hit Dice: 5d10+20 (47 hp)
Initiative: +8
Speed: 40 ft. (8 squares)
Armor Class: 17 (+4 natural armor, +3 Dex), touch 14, flat-footed 13
Base Attack/Grapple: +3/+5
Attack: Blade +5 melee (1d8+2)
Full Attack: 2 blades +5 melee (1d8+2)
Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Haste, rend 2d8+3
Special Qualities: Construct traits, damage reduction 5/adamantine, darkvision 60 ft., immunity to magic, low-light vision, vulnerability to fire
Saves: Fort +1, Ref +5, Will +1
Abilities: Str 14, Dex 18, Con - , Int - , Wis 11 , Cha 1
Skills: Jump +10*
Feats: Improved Initiative(B), Run (B)
Environment: Any
Organization: Solitary or pair.
Challenge Rating: 4 (?)
Treasure: None
Alignment: Always Neutral
Advancement: 6-7 HD (Medium)
Level Adjustment: N/A
The wooden effigy you thought to be inanimate suddenly lunges at you, the blades strapped to its arms slashing away with surprising speed and alacrity........
Speed golems were originally created and researched in the drive to create efficient, yet cheap construct soldiers for use in battle. Unlike most earlier constructs, big strong hulking masses of stone or flesh, these were small and weak in comparison, created mostly of lightweight, cheap wood. Agility was the object here, though, not brute strength.
And agility these speed golems certainly had in abundance; once hasted, a single golem was capable of shredding several opponents in the blink of an eye. However, it was soon found that the constructs' bodies could not withstand the extreme strain caused by such magically-enhanced movement - hasted golems tended to tear themselves apart within minutes. With no solution to this problem at hand (and mithral being too expensive for the purposes of mass production), the construct was soon scrapped in favor of slower, but hardier designs.
A speed golem looks like a featureless wooden dummy hunched over in a feral combat stance, with two wicked looking blades attached to each arm. It stands at around 5'9", and weighs 70 lbs.
COMBAT
While virtually useless in terms of staying power, the speed golem excels in dishing out a lot of pain in a short amount of time, thanks to its haste ability. The design has thus found some use as a form of kamikaze unit, aimed at specific targets of importance (such as enemy officers) with the intention of turning them into instant mincemeat.
A speed golem's tactics are simple due to its lack of real intelligence; haste, charge and massacre.
Haste (Sp): As the spell (but see below), 1/day. Effective caster level 7th.
In addition, a speed golem's combat ability drastically improves while under the effect of haste. Apart from the normal bonuses granted by the spell, the speed golem also gains a parrying bonus (does not apply against touch attacks) to its AC equal to its base attack bonus, as well as the benefits of the Deflect Arrows feat and the ability to rend.
However, this extreme burst of speed taxes the speed golem's structural integrity; it suffers 1d6+1 damage per round (no save) it remains hasted, and has to succeed on a Fortitude save (DC 14) to avoid having 1 point of the damage each round to become permanent. The save DC for the permanent damage is Strength-based.
Rend (Ex): If a speed golem hits with two blade attacks while hasted, it latches onto the opponent's body and tears the flesh. This attack automatically deals an additional 2d8+3 damage.
Vulnerability to Fire (Ex): As its body is largely created from wood, a speed golem is vulnerable to fire and flame-based spells and attacks, taking half again as much damage (+50%) damage as normal from the effect, regardless of whether a saving throw is allowed, or if the save is a success or failure.
Immunity to Magic (Ex): A speed golem is immune to any spell or spell-like ability that allows spell resistance. In addition, certain spells and effects function differently against the creature, as noted below.
A haste spell has its normal effect on the speed golem, including the additional bonuses acquired (see above), with no saving throw.
A slow spell affects the speed golem as normal. If the golem was hasted, it also takes 1d4 damage per HD it possesses, and has to succeed on a DC 14 Fortitude save or have 1 point of damage per die become permanent.
A warp wood or wood shape spell reduces the golem's Dexterity score by 2 and its speed to 30 ft., and causes it to take an extra 2 damage per round spent hasted (Save DC to avoid permanent damage stays the same). Repeated castings do not inflict additional penalties, although a second casting can restore the golem to full working order. There is no saving throw against this effect.
Casting mending heals one point of permanent damage taken by the speed golem (from its haste ability, or from being slowed while hasted), while casting fabricate heals one point of permanent damage per caster level (max 20). If the speed golem has not suffered any permanent damage, both spells heal normal damage at the same rate. A speed golem cannot heal permanent damage beyond the maximum it originally had (average hit-points per HD by default). There is no saving throw against either effect.
A speed golem is affected normally by magical attacks that deal fire damage (such as a fireball), and takes half again as much fire damage (+50%) from those spells.
*A speed golem has a +4 racial bonus on Jump checks; this has already been factored into the statistics.
CONSTRUCTION
A speed golem's body is pieced together from several blocks of solid, quality wood, weighing about 100 lbs. in total and costing 100 gp. The two blades have to be crafted from scratch from 10 pounds of iron, which requires a DC 15 Craft (weaponsmithing) check. Assembling the body requires a successful DC 15 Craft (carpentry) check. A newly-created speed golem has average hit-points for its HD.
CL 7th; Craft Construct, cat's grace, expeditious retreat, haste, lesser geas, lesser magic weapon, caster must be at least 7th level; Price ? gp; Cost ? gp + ? xp.
If anyone can come up with a better name than the one I posted, I'd be really grateful. Help also needed in figuring out construction costs for this machine.
(EDIT (2nd April 2007, 1922 hrs GMT+8): Realized I hadn't included AC into the stat line, so I plugged it in. Added vulnerability to fire, and a way for the permanent damage be repaired by fabricate or mending. Added the Run feat as per suggestions, and decided to give it a skill bonus to Jump as well; I can see this guy bounding over obstacles towards the opposition.)
"Speed Golem" still sounds the best so far. Still need help for construction costs.)
________
Speed Golem
Medium Construct
Hit Dice: 5d10+20 (47 hp)
Initiative: +8
Speed: 40 ft. (8 squares)
Armor Class: 17 (+4 natural armor, +3 Dex), touch 14, flat-footed 13
Base Attack/Grapple: +3/+5
Attack: Blade +5 melee (1d8+2)
Full Attack: 2 blades +5 melee (1d8+2)
Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Haste, rend 2d8+3
Special Qualities: Construct traits, damage reduction 5/adamantine, darkvision 60 ft., immunity to magic, low-light vision, vulnerability to fire
Saves: Fort +1, Ref +5, Will +1
Abilities: Str 14, Dex 18, Con - , Int - , Wis 11 , Cha 1
Skills: Jump +10*
Feats: Improved Initiative(B), Run (B)
Environment: Any
Organization: Solitary or pair.
Challenge Rating: 4 (?)
Treasure: None
Alignment: Always Neutral
Advancement: 6-7 HD (Medium)
Level Adjustment: N/A
The wooden effigy you thought to be inanimate suddenly lunges at you, the blades strapped to its arms slashing away with surprising speed and alacrity........
Speed golems were originally created and researched in the drive to create efficient, yet cheap construct soldiers for use in battle. Unlike most earlier constructs, big strong hulking masses of stone or flesh, these were small and weak in comparison, created mostly of lightweight, cheap wood. Agility was the object here, though, not brute strength.
And agility these speed golems certainly had in abundance; once hasted, a single golem was capable of shredding several opponents in the blink of an eye. However, it was soon found that the constructs' bodies could not withstand the extreme strain caused by such magically-enhanced movement - hasted golems tended to tear themselves apart within minutes. With no solution to this problem at hand (and mithral being too expensive for the purposes of mass production), the construct was soon scrapped in favor of slower, but hardier designs.
A speed golem looks like a featureless wooden dummy hunched over in a feral combat stance, with two wicked looking blades attached to each arm. It stands at around 5'9", and weighs 70 lbs.
COMBAT
While virtually useless in terms of staying power, the speed golem excels in dishing out a lot of pain in a short amount of time, thanks to its haste ability. The design has thus found some use as a form of kamikaze unit, aimed at specific targets of importance (such as enemy officers) with the intention of turning them into instant mincemeat.
A speed golem's tactics are simple due to its lack of real intelligence; haste, charge and massacre.
Haste (Sp): As the spell (but see below), 1/day. Effective caster level 7th.
In addition, a speed golem's combat ability drastically improves while under the effect of haste. Apart from the normal bonuses granted by the spell, the speed golem also gains a parrying bonus (does not apply against touch attacks) to its AC equal to its base attack bonus, as well as the benefits of the Deflect Arrows feat and the ability to rend.
However, this extreme burst of speed taxes the speed golem's structural integrity; it suffers 1d6+1 damage per round (no save) it remains hasted, and has to succeed on a Fortitude save (DC 14) to avoid having 1 point of the damage each round to become permanent. The save DC for the permanent damage is Strength-based.
Rend (Ex): If a speed golem hits with two blade attacks while hasted, it latches onto the opponent's body and tears the flesh. This attack automatically deals an additional 2d8+3 damage.
Vulnerability to Fire (Ex): As its body is largely created from wood, a speed golem is vulnerable to fire and flame-based spells and attacks, taking half again as much damage (+50%) damage as normal from the effect, regardless of whether a saving throw is allowed, or if the save is a success or failure.
Immunity to Magic (Ex): A speed golem is immune to any spell or spell-like ability that allows spell resistance. In addition, certain spells and effects function differently against the creature, as noted below.
A haste spell has its normal effect on the speed golem, including the additional bonuses acquired (see above), with no saving throw.
A slow spell affects the speed golem as normal. If the golem was hasted, it also takes 1d4 damage per HD it possesses, and has to succeed on a DC 14 Fortitude save or have 1 point of damage per die become permanent.
A warp wood or wood shape spell reduces the golem's Dexterity score by 2 and its speed to 30 ft., and causes it to take an extra 2 damage per round spent hasted (Save DC to avoid permanent damage stays the same). Repeated castings do not inflict additional penalties, although a second casting can restore the golem to full working order. There is no saving throw against this effect.
Casting mending heals one point of permanent damage taken by the speed golem (from its haste ability, or from being slowed while hasted), while casting fabricate heals one point of permanent damage per caster level (max 20). If the speed golem has not suffered any permanent damage, both spells heal normal damage at the same rate. A speed golem cannot heal permanent damage beyond the maximum it originally had (average hit-points per HD by default). There is no saving throw against either effect.
A speed golem is affected normally by magical attacks that deal fire damage (such as a fireball), and takes half again as much fire damage (+50%) from those spells.
*A speed golem has a +4 racial bonus on Jump checks; this has already been factored into the statistics.
CONSTRUCTION
A speed golem's body is pieced together from several blocks of solid, quality wood, weighing about 100 lbs. in total and costing 100 gp. The two blades have to be crafted from scratch from 10 pounds of iron, which requires a DC 15 Craft (weaponsmithing) check. Assembling the body requires a successful DC 15 Craft (carpentry) check. A newly-created speed golem has average hit-points for its HD.
CL 7th; Craft Construct, cat's grace, expeditious retreat, haste, lesser geas, lesser magic weapon, caster must be at least 7th level; Price ? gp; Cost ? gp + ? xp.