Construct Encounter

[Death_Lord12]

I need some ideas for constructs for an encounter. They can be already made or just ideas that I can write the stats for myself. If already made then CR doesn't really matter as long as its not super low or super high (so probably between 7-20). All I ask if they are preferably not strictly humanoid, though they can be based on other creatures.

Any sources are available, 3/3.5/PF/homebrew/3rd party, doesn't matter.

Thanks for the help.

[MaxiDuRaritry]

I need some ideas for constructs for an encounter. They can be already made or just ideas that I can write the stats for myself. If already made then CR doesn't really matter as long as its not super low or super high (so probably between 7-20). All I ask if they are preferably not strictly humanoid, though they can be based on other creatures.

Any sources are available, 3/3.5/PF/homebrew/3rd party, doesn't matter.

Thanks for the help.Most constructs, especially golems, are mindless, and can be easily overcome with (non-mind-affecting) illusions and a few other effects that take advantage of the fact that they don't have skills or feats (like grease, for instance, which pretty much auto-nopes them because they don't have ranks in Balance).

I'd suggest using awakened constructs or warforged for this, as they don't have the above problems and can take class levels, to boot.

Not sure exactly what types of encounters you want, but how about some warforged artificers and psions? Both make excellent use of their respective class abilities. Shapers and egoists in particular are great psion disciplines for warforged, as the former can (in)directly augment constructs reasonably well, and the latter gain lots of extra options with the metamorphosis power. Shapers, for instance, can use psionic minor creation to make poisons which they're immune to. And egoists can turn themselves and their psicrystals into animated objects, which has lots of applications for utility and sneakiness.

[Bucky]

One of my old encounters used a pair javelineer golems. They have been ordered to guard an area and won't leave it, but once provoked they'll continue to throw javelins at anyone in sight. The party's goal is simple traversal - get into the guarded area, do something quick and get out alive. Or maybe to pass through it, do something, and pass again on the way back.

In the original encounter, one of the golems was incomplete and had no legs, rendering it stationary but granting extra HP. If "non-humanoid" is important, you can give them both slow (slug-o-taur) or stationary (treelike) forms.

The original encounter used Flagstone Golems for CR purposes, but Coral Golems make the encounter more interesting because their regeneration trumps hit-and-run.

The encounter should be interesting because of the asymmetry - the golems are resistant to most of what the party might do at range, but are only a light threat at that range, so the party has a choice of tactics - take on the golems up close in unfavorable terrain, stage a run-by or try an extended ranged poke-war to run the golems out of ammo.

[Death_Lord12]

I'd suggest using awakened constructs or warforged for this, as they don't have the above problems and can take class levels, to boot.

Not sure exactly what types of encounters you want


I was going to use awakened constructs. I want constructs for the PCs to fight against.



If "non-humanoid" is important, you can give them both slow (slug-o-taur) or stationary (treelike) forms.


It isn't exactly important, I just feel like a bunch of warforged would be boring for this encounter. Essentially I'm having one warforged artificer craft a bunch of other constructs to fight for him (think Ultron from Marvel), but I don't want them to all be the same thing, so several different non-humanoid would work best. The PCs want an item that the artificer wants, so they have to fight through his constructs and himself.

[Afgncaap5]

It isn't exactly important, I just feel like a bunch of warforged would be boring for this encounter. Essentially I'm having one warforged artificer craft a bunch of other constructs to fight for him (think Ultron from Marvel), but I don't want them to all be the same thing, so several different non-humanoid would work best. The PCs want an item that the artificer wants, so they have to fight through his constructs and himself.

I made a big post initially, but then realized it wouldn't quite fit what you were thinking here... you could always create basic warforged, and then just tell the players that they look different. Alternatively, what about...

Tiny, mithril spheres with dragonshards studding into them that can generate weather effects. They look like miniature storm clouds from a distance, but it's just generated by the sphere in the center, the "eye of the storm." The eyes can shoot lightning, create fog banks, maybe even work together to create an even more dangerous group-jolt attack like Shocker Lizards.

The Darkwood Gryphon: A basic statue of a gryphon, but made out of darkwood. It has claws, a beak attack, and fire breath (why not?). I had a lot about this idea in my original post, but it'd still be memorable as an encounter as is, I think.

Sprocket Gremlins: more of a support unit, but tiny, micro-humanoids that can swarm over enemies, move fast, and cause lots of little problems are a thematic genre staple. I'd just take another tiny creature from the monster manual and repurpose it (like Grigs, but without the spell-like abilities. Or even with a few of them, depending.)

Mirror Hoop: A large, rolling hoop of enchanted silver that has a strange liquid stretched across it that shows a mirror image of what's happening (like a bubble wand's hoop, but with a mirror instead of a weird oily sheen.) It can roll over people for tiny damage, but prefers trying to flop over them to envelop creatures with the liquid (like how ooze creatures try to absorb things, complete with the choice to get an attack of opportunity or make a save to avoid.) If the players are caught in this, it creates a mirror duplicate of the player that fights for the artificer.

Homunculus: A lot of these can be super useful even if not in a direct fight. The Arbalester is a decent (and easily upgraded) archery construct, and the Packmate can help provide healing or support or even suppressive (alchemist's) fire by lobbing it into combat.

[Death_Lord12]

Tiny, mithril spheres with dragonshards studding into them that can generate weather effects. They look like miniature storm clouds from a distance, but it's just generated by the sphere in the center, the "eye of the storm." The eyes can shoot lightning, create fog banks, maybe even work together to create an even more dangerous group-jolt attack like Shocker Lizards.

The Darkwood Gryphon: A basic statue of a gryphon, but made out of darkwood. It has claws, a beak attack, and fire breath (why not?). I had a lot about this idea in my original post, but it'd still be memorable as an encounter as is, I think.

Sprocket Gremlins: more of a support unit, but tiny, micro-humanoids that can swarm over enemies, move fast, and cause lots of little problems are a thematic genre staple. I'd just take another tiny creature from the monster manual and repurpose it (like Grigs, but without the spell-like abilities. Or even with a few of them, depending.)

Mirror Hoop: A large, rolling hoop of enchanted silver that has a strange liquid stretched across it that shows a mirror image of what's happening (like a bubble wand's hoop, but with a mirror instead of a weird oily sheen.) It can roll over people for tiny damage, but prefers trying to flop over them to envelop creatures with the liquid (like how ooze creatures try to absorb things, complete with the choice to get an attack of opportunity or make a save to avoid.) If the players are caught in this, it creates a mirror duplicate of the player that fights for the artificer.

Homunculus: A lot of these can be super useful even if not in a direct fight. The Arbalester is a decent (and easily upgraded) archery construct, and the Packmate can help provide healing or support or even suppressive (alchemist's) fire by lobbing it into combat.

I like these, thanks. Anyone else have any more ideas?

[daremetoidareyo]

Calzone golem?: http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/oa/20010413a


Spurt (Ex): If the calzone golem is struck for damage
by a slashing or piercing weapon, it spurts out a small
splash of extremely hot juices from the wound. This
spurt inflicts 1 point of fire damage to all individuals
within 5 feet of the golem.

Add the soulfused template from MOI go warlock/DFI into tainted scholar.

[Thurbane]

One thing to bear in mind (that a lot of people seem to miss): a Construct must be humanoid in shape to be eligible for Awaken.

[unseenmage]

The Minor Servitor spell from Savage Species makes sentient, free willed animated objects.

The Awaken Sand spell from Sandstorm makes sentient, free willed, ooze like Constructs. See the Dust is Lazy link in my sig for alternative "sands".

Intelligent Magic Items easily overwhelm the Will saves of most Constructs becoming functionally awakened Constructs.

Ghosts or other possession abled creatures can also be added to otherwise mindless Constructs.

Remember that special weapon and armor materials and alchemical items are both explicitly not Magic Items and can be Animate Objects-ed or Minor Servitor-ed. Sentient Shapesand could theoretically, albeit very slowly, get up to all kinds of mischief.