How to make this a challenge while being possible?

[SangoProduction]

A gnome wizard has recently developed a new type of “wearable golem” which a demihuman can step inside and wear like a suit, gaining the physical attributes of a golem while maintaining direct physical control. The golem skin is stolen when the wizard is attacked while testing it. The PCs must recover the golem skin without destroying it.

The most straightforward way is to treat the skin as armor, and not let it be damaged unless specifically targetted. But then it's basically just a regular fight, with the golem simply adding a few more stats, which is kinda boring. The best I can think of is "take a penalty to attack the person inside, avoiding the golem" but that's again just more stats.

Well, what if the golem suit had "subsystems," with their own actions every x rounds and can be relatively easily destroyed if targeted? It should thusly be giving an incentive to destroy some of it, while not wanting to completely destroy it. How's that?

Have you got any suggestions?

[InvisibleBison]

You could say that attacks could damage the skin unless the attacker aims particularly carefully - that is, takes a small but significant penalty on their attack roll, like dealing nonlethal damage with a weapon not designed for it. Give the skin its own hit points, decide what portion of each careless attack's damage it takes, and you're done.

[TheYell]

Called shots to knock out key joints: if the ankles go, it can't walk? Cold and heat damage transfer directly to the driver? Submerging it causes the driver to start suffocating? Driver is still vulnerable to charms and fear effects?

My present character would decide it deserves to be destroyed as being cosmically unbalanced, and would have to be persuaded / paid to keep it intact.

[Kayblis]

If it's about the same size as the wearer, it's not much different from armor. You can have it be "DR 10/-, stops working after X damage".

If it's bigger, like 1 or more size categories bigger, you can do this - how about treating the golem as an object for rules purposes, and giving the following:
-Rider gets the golem's physical stats
-Rider is unable to cast spells with somatic components and drive the Golem at the same time
-Rider has Total Cover; a piece of plate protects him, if destroyed it just becomes normal Cover
-Golem gives the rider a few free-action moves, like shooting a small rock from his arm or splashing acid/grease/fire from somewhere; those moves can have cooldowns if you want

I think this is best suited for the Homebrew area, but it's your call.

[unseenmage]

You could check out this link to the Clockwork Armor (http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/cw/20070212a) from the WotC archives for ideas.
It already seems pretty analogous to some of the ideas already presented. It has multiple functions which can be disrupted.

You could also check out the Half Golem template for ideas as well, it being the most thorough combination of Golem and fleshy creature I can think of.

I would also try to keep in mind what separates Golems from other constructs. To my mind this would be Magic Immunity and the Berserk special quality.
Perhaps there could be different versions of the Golem Skin, one each for the four MM Golems. They could each provide Magic Immunity of the Golem's type for a number of rounds per day.
Perhaps the benefits of wearing the Golem Skin can be bypassed/attacked/turned off via the same means as one would bypass the related Golem's Magic Immunity.

As for the Berserk special quality, I would have this be a severe penalty for the wearer, tied strongly to the prototype nature of the device. Perhaps the % chance the Golem Skin goes wild and berserks could be tied to the wearer suffering a critical hit from an opponent.

Hope some of this helps.

[SangoProduction]

If it's about the same size as the wearer, it's not much different from armor. You can have it be "DR 10/-, stops working after X damage".

If it's bigger, like 1 or more size categories bigger, you can do this - how about treating the golem as an object for rules purposes, and giving the following:
-Rider gets the golem's physical stats
-Rider is unable to cast spells with somatic components and drive the Golem at the same time
-Rider has Total Cover; a piece of plate protects him, if destroyed it just becomes normal Cover
-Golem gives the rider a few free-action moves, like shooting a small rock from his arm or splashing acid/grease/fire from somewhere; those moves can have cooldowns if you want

I think this is best suited for the Homebrew area, but it's your call.

Oh, it's entirely homebrew. That's why I'm asking how to make it interesting.

[tedcahill2]

I think you'd get more mileage out of making the combat situation interesting than the golem armor itself.

There could be something creating immense winds, cause all ranged attacks to get blown away and particularly strong gusts actually having a bull rush affect. The golem armor wearer would of course be immune to the wind.

Could have the fight in shallow water, hindering the mobility of everyone, except the suit wearer. Maybe the water is covering various traps that the wearing set, so he knows how to move around him.

[Karl Aegis]

It's on the SRD.


Golem Armor (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/epic/magicItems/artifacts.htm#golemArmor)
This enormous suit of black iron +10 full plate armor increases the wearer’s size by one category (to a maximum of Colossal). The wearer gains a +10 enhancement bonus to Strength and is rendered immune to mind-affecting effects, poison, disease, and similar effects. He or she is not subject to critical hits, nonlethal damage, ability damage, energy drain, or death from massive damage. Golem Armor is immune to rust attacks. The wearer of Golem Armor gains damage reduction 15/adamantine. He or she also cannot regain hit points by any means (mundane or magical) while the armor is worn. It requires 1 hour to don or extract oneself from Golem Armor.

[Goaty14]

"Kill the pilot without killing the armor"

To make this encounter interesting, I would give the guy inside full cover, and each attack deals damage to a section of armor (arms, legs, head, feet, chest, etc.)

But here is the catch: for all of the armor that survives, the PCs get a bonus on the quest reward. I.e if they only leave fragments of the armor on this guy, they won't get as much as if they cut off the ear section of the head and crit a greatbow arrow through there.

If you want MORE flavor, then give the golem armor the ability to think after the pilot has died (so if the pilot was focused on killing the brute when he/she dies, then the golem will try to kill the brute before stopping) You would probably want to treat this phase as an undead.

[BearonVonMu]

You mentioned that the armor was stolen while it was being tested. How? Was it stolen by the test pilot, or is there a (now) known vulnerability that allows someone to abscond with the suit while being piloted by a non-ally?
Perhaps this could be some method to disable the armor or to make the fight more interesting?

[SangoProduction]

You mentioned that the armor was stolen while it was being tested. How? Was it stolen by the test pilot, or is there a (now) known vulnerability that allows someone to abscond with the suit while being piloted by a non-ally?
Perhaps this could be some method to disable the armor or to make the fight more interesting?

Oh, now that's an idea.