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Pronounceable
2007-09-13, 08:08 PM
Here's a critter I made long time ago. I had just passed quantum physics class, and I just HAD to do something RPG related. Here's the result, and no it's not about the damn cat.


Schroedinger's Golem - Large Sized Construct

HD: 5d10+20 (47)
Initiative: +1
Speed: 20 ft. (4 squares)
Armor Class: 15 (-1 size, +1 dex, +5 natural)
BAB/Grppl: +3/+4
Attack: Slam +4 melee (1d8+6)
Full Attack: 2 Slams +3 melee (1d8+6)
Space/Reach: 10 ft./10ft.
Abilities: Str 12 Dex 12 Con - Int - Wis 10 Cha 1
Special Attacks: Engulf, Resonance, Unmagical
Special Qualities: Uncertainity, Energy Quantization, Construct traits
Saves: Fort +5, Ref +6, Will +0
Skills: -
Feats: -
Envrionment: Any
Organization: Single
Challenge Rating: Who knows?
Treasure: None
Alignment: Always Netural
Advancement: See text

This strange construct has been created by a cabal of wizard-engineers looking into the secrets of the multiverse. They discovered that at an unimaginably small scale, the laws governing the multiverse were radically different than those observed by everyday senses. They wanted to create something that obeys the aforementioned different laws but was at an observable scale. They were destroyed along with all the secrets they had uncovered when they tried.
The only thing that was left was this ooze-like, amorphous spinning blob of semi-transparent shadow that becomes gradually transparent away from its center and disappears at its edges.

The Schroedinger's golem is a construct that has been created magically to mimic the properties of quantum systems. It is essentialy a huge amount of energy contained within its visible borders. The use of magic to create something so distinctly unmagical has caused a paradox that destroyed the wizard-engineers and created this antimagical construct. Or so it is said...

Engulf(Ex): A Schroedinger's golem can simply mow down one or more sizes smaller creatures than it as a standard action. It cannot make a slam attack during a round in which it engulfs. Schroedinger's golem merely has to move over the opponents, affecting as many as it can cover. Opponents can make opportunity attacks against the golem, but if they do so they are not entitled to a saving throw. Those who do not attempt attacks of opportunity must succeed on a DC 11 Reflex save or be engulfed; on a success, they are pushed back or aside (opponent’s choice) as the blob moves forward. Engulfed creatures are subject to the golem’s Unmagical and Resonance ability and are considered to be grappled and trapped within its body.

Resonance(Ex): When the Schroedinger's Golem touches to any object, there's a %5 chance that it disrupts the fabric of the item, causing disintegration as per the spell. A creature can resist the effect with a DC 20+golem’s HD fortitude save. It can't disintegrate anything two or more categories larger than itself. Unattended magical object doesn't get a save if they are engulfed.

Unmagical(Ex): The golem is aggravated by magic for some reason, and magic crumbles with its presence. A mere touch of the blob is enough to destroy any spell effect. Any active spells on objects, or even lasting magical effects (such as darkness, entangle, solid fog, wall of force, even antimagic field and summons) are dispelled with its touch. Any time the golem strikes a creature (even an object such as mage locked door), one spell on the object is dispelled. If a creature is engulfed, it can't cast spells or use its magical abilities.

All magical items engulfed by the golem for more than 3 rounds are subject to disjunction. Starting with 4th round, a magical item must make a DC 20+golem’s HD will save every round or lose all its magical properties.

The golem always moves toward nearest source of magic (an item, a spellcaster, a lasting magical effect or a magical creature) without any regard to its surroundings and try to engulf,or at least touch it. If it's an area effect it will stay in until the magic is gone. It will attempt to move through anything in its path. It can detect magic from a mile away. If it can’t detect any magic, or can’t get to detected magic, it will stay still.

Also, targeting the golem with any spell is impossible. Any targeted spell cast on it automatically fails, except for cure/inflict spells. Area effect spells will not affect the volume it occupies.

Uncertainity(Ex): The true size or shape of a Schroedinger's Golem can never be determined. Any grapple check against it will fail, although it can pin engulfed creatures but can’t deal grapple damage. It always has concealment, all attacks have %20 chance to miss. It appears as an amorphous blob, even to spells such as True Seeing. Any divination spells concerning it automatically fails.

Energy Quantization(Ex): The Schroedinger's golem can only have fixed amounts of physical interaction or energy transfer (read: taking and dealing damage) with other systems (means other things). The smallest amount of physical interaction possible for the golem is called a 'quanta'. The golem can only deal and take damage equal to the multiples of its quanta, other values are impossible. The golem's quanta is equal to its HD (5 for the stats above). Whenever the damage (taken or dealt) is not 'quantized', it doesn't happen.

Every time the golem takes or deals damage, its HD changes. It loses HD when it deals damage, and gains HD when it takes damage (every d10 is rolled). The change is equal to the 'quantum number' of the of the transfer (the multiple of 'quanta'). Different damage types are handled seperately.

Example: The golem at the statblock (5HD) deals 10 damage to Bob the Fighter. Since its 'quanta' is 5, the 'quantum number' of the attack is 2. So the golem loses 2 HD and becomes a 3 HD golem with 3 quanta. Then Bob deals 12 damage to it. Bob's sword also does fire damage, but Bob rolls 2, fire damage is ignored. The attack’s quantum number is 4, golem gains 4 HD and becomes a 7 HD golem. Then golem hits and deals 8 damage, but it's not 'quantized', so Bob won't take damage...

For every odd numbered HD after 1 (3rd, 5th...), the golem gains +1 to Str and Dex. For every HD, the golem gains +1 natural AC and melee damage. For every 10 HD, the golem gains +10 to its base speed. For every 15 HD, its size category and base melee damage increases. Its base attack also changes as a construct every time its HD changes.

Because of its intimate relation to energy, positive or negative energy is completely absorbed by the golem. The golem gains 1 HD per point of energy from such attacks. (an Inflict spell dealing 13 damage would increase its HD by 13)

The golem becomes unstable at high energy levels. For every HD after 15, it has a %(HD-15) chance to implode with every energy transfer (dealing/taking damage). When it implodes everything within a radius equal to 10 feet per HD is takes ten times its HD damage, ignoring any DR. There's a very slim chance (one in a million) that the destruction of Schroedinger's golem in this way triggers an avalanche effect. Resulting shockwave can destroy everything within miles.

If ever the golem is reduced to 1 HD, it dissipates.



This is probably the fluffiest DnD thing I've ever done. I am also aware that it's extra crunchy. It contains way too much math for a simple DnD critter. Running an encounter with this would be nightmarish. AND it's a dumbed down version of my original idea. But can you expect less from a critter inspired by a semester of quantum physics?

PS: Any comments from a fellow physicist would be extra welcome. Any suggestions to make it play friendlier without getting too far from quantum physical concepts will be met with points (or even cookies).

StickMan
2007-09-13, 08:30 PM
I love it my head blew up from reading it so I'm just a headless mass working from built in muscle reflex, of completing peoples really cool creations. Who needs a head any way.

Jack_Simth
2007-09-13, 08:56 PM
*Scratches head*

So... all you have to do to make it die, is to convince it to beat up on your for a time and not fight back?

Of course, then you risk losing all your magic items....

And if you don't realize you can't kill it by applying damage (as it just gets stronger), you're going to be in for a world of hurt.

Harm or Heal will kill it basically instantly (a caster level 12 Heal will bring the listed golem to 125 hit dice... and a 110% chance of going "boom" on the next energy transfer) but you're not likely to survive the repercussions, as everything in 1250 feet (nearly a quarter mile) takes 1250 damage. Of course, the chance that it actually makes an energy transfer drops to 1 in 125 per attack ... assuming anything can reach threshold at that point.

Oh yeah - and it no-save dispells every cast spell on you (including that Permanencied Detect Magic you spent 500 xp on to aid the Rogue in trapfinding) and has a high save DC Disjunction (20 + hit dice is... higher than normal) waiting for you when it decides to eat you.

This thing is made of pain for the party. CR = heavy book to DM's head.

F.H. Zebedee
2007-09-14, 07:50 AM
It WOULD be fun to have an all Monk team attack it, though. I mean, really, can you see the potential?

And I'd put this as a borderline Epic monster.

Ceres
2007-09-14, 08:05 AM
Oh my. This is the end of catgirls everywhere!

Well, but I guess the catgirls would still stay alive even though they are dead. Isn't that how this stuff works?

Anyways, great work. A trully unique creature :smallsmile:

jindra34
2007-09-14, 05:26 PM
One question: How do you make one?

DanielLC
2007-09-14, 07:21 PM
Either everything I managed to get from Wikipedia about quantum mechanics is incorrect, or that is way off. Here's my modification:

Properties of a Wave (Ex):
If the location of a golem is unknown, it is invisible and requires a DC 20 spot or listen check to find. To it, everything else is invisible, and requires the same check to find you. It will generally pummel the air until it hits something instead. It's waveform expands by half its speed every turn.

Quantum Tunneling (Ex):
The golem can move through anything as a wave, but its waveform can't collapse inside of it. Because of the problems this can cause, it is generally used in tunnels, rooms with very thick walls, or outside. It should be noted that the golem can't technically move through anything, and the waveform doesn't actually go inside solid objects. Because of this, it doesn't become almost impossible for its waveform to collapse as more and more of it becomes inside solid objects.

Waveform Collapse (Ex):
If the location of the golem is found, by a DC 20 spot or listen check, by a spell that gives its location, or by it or its opponent making an attack on the other, it takes time for its waveform to collapse. Because of this, it can take no move action the next turn. The golem also has a 5% chance of experiencing waveform collapse each turn.

I know that's not quite how the observer effect works. It's the light bouncing off of it that makes the waveform collapse, not someone seeing it, but maybe in D&D people see by having light move from thier eyes to the object, like some people thought a long time ago.

Quantum Zeno Effect (Ex):
If the golem has made a waveform collapse, but it isn't its turn yet, someone can ready an action to find it. If they successfuly find it, it takes another standard action on its turn, and can make no action besides waveform collapse.

No Quantum Gravity (Ex):
Schrödinger's Golems aren't effected by gravity.

I know they should be, but there waveform would accelerate down at 300ft/round^2, which wouldn't work gamewise.

Quntum Entanglement (Ex):
If the golem gets into a grapple, or picks up an object, that object will become a waveform entangled with the golem. They will both be able to move at half their speed in any direction every turn, as if they were in the ethral plane. They can attack each other normally.

It should be like on the material plane, but with no floor that wouldn't work gamewise.

Also, an ability for its opposite, Einstein's Golem:

Streach Space (Ex):
These golems streach space. This can be modeled using a 4D bump shaped like the surface of a tesseract, in the same sense that the grid on this game should be 3D. Since the game is played on a 2D map, it can be modeled as a cube-shaped bump, with the walls as squares. Here's a more 2D way to model it:
_____________
| . | . | . |
| . | . | . |
|___|___|___|
| . |\_/| . |
| . ||_|| . |
|___|/_\|___|
| . | . | . |
| . | . | . |
|___|___|___|
The periods are just to make the spaces work. Each square and trapazoid counts as a five-foot square. Make that four five-foot squares, as the golem is probably large.It should be noted that this would be detramental to any sufficiently large solid object that the golem moves across. You could make it a flying creature and not let it come close to large, solid objects, you could let it destroy them, or you could pretend the problem isn't there. Your choise.

Any object stretching space that much should have a LOT of gravity. Scaling stuff down to make it work would require decreasing the speed of light to the point that no time would seem to pass at all in there. Again, it wouldn't work gamewise.

Pronounceable
2007-09-17, 01:18 PM
DanielLC: Did you do some research after seeing this golem, or were you already interested in quantum physics? And I had favored quantization over uncertainty when designing this, so the abilities you propose aren't compatible. Besides, the golem already has too many abilities. But you made some nice abilities for a future critter someone might do.

Ceres: The moment someone watches the anime, or reads the manga containing the catgirls; they die. The ONLY way to preserve catgirls is quiting.

Jack Simth: Player reaction was the least of my worries when I made this. I just had to make something combining quantum and roleplaying.

...
There was a mitp project around here. Does it still exist, and if does, would this thing make a good addition?

Leliel
2007-09-17, 01:41 PM
Sounds like somthing you fight in KoL:smallbiggrin:

DracoDei
2007-09-18, 03:26 AM
MitP is not accepting new submissions. They are in the editing for consistancy and readability (feel FREE to help), but they are closed. It is one of the stickies at the top of this forum.

magic8BALL
2007-09-18, 06:07 AM
Either everything I managed to get from Wikipedia about quantum mechanics is incorrect, or that is way off.

I'd pick ol' wiki is off on the details of such high levels of base content knowlegde, theorised concepts, applied mathematics, physics and metaphysics.

...just a guess, seeing as anyone can say anything on wiki. Sure, people can edit it, but the people who know that sort of stuff (quantum mechanics and such) don't read wiki, so who's gonna know?

-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Nice monster.

Challange rating will fluctuate according to the Brownian Motion (more advanced maths guys) as the inherant randomness of the d20 system takes over. At a glance, there is a 1 in 8 chance of a base golom to deal quantised damage, and I'd say more chance of a party dealing quantised damage. Hence the golom will increase HD, were there will be a 1 in 8 chance of the golom dealing quantised damage...

So from this (awefully quick) glance, any given golom will collapse on itself from to much damage, almost surely. This means the CR is essentailly equal to that of a trap that deals 650hp damage on average (1% chance to deal 10 damage at 16 HD, 50% of 650 at 65HD, 100% of 1150 at 115HD) to an average of a 650ft radius. A trap's CR is around (average damage)/7*, so this is CR 92ish...

...ouch.

...on the other hand, you may utalise your 30ft movement speed and avoid the thing.

*[usually maxed out at 10]

DanielLC
2007-09-18, 07:28 PM
Look it up; there's tons of stuff on quantum physics on Wikipedia. The bottleneck isn't what it has, it's what I understand.
Did I miss a lot of stuff? There seems to be no basis for most of the abilities. Why does it gain HD when attacked? Is it supposed to be gaining useful energy from that? If that's why, it would logically lose or gain a HD every time it accelerates.

If I did just miss a lot of stuff, would you like to add any of my abilities? How about making an Einstein's golem?

Pronounceable
2007-09-18, 09:47 PM
Wiki is a great source to start researching, if you take everything with a grain of salt. If nothing else, it gives you links. And linked sites will have more links. A tiny bit more reliable than googling.

As for some sort of justification for the golem abilities; it's a quantum mechanical system magically made macroscopic. It has a certain amount of internal energy that it can give out. And it can also take more. The gist is, as a quantum system, it can only take or give off certain amounts of energy (multiples of quanta). Other values are impossible. As its internal energy increases it becomes more powerful but unstable. Since actual energy quantization very complicatedly depends on the system, I decided to tie it to HD which acts as a direct measure of a construct's power. Getting hit transfers kinetic/electromagnetic/magical energy (don't want to go into abstaction of HP/damage system) to the golem, which it absorbs and increases its total "power", if the amount of that energy is suitable.


An Einstein's Golem would be interesting, as it were, but what exactly would that be? A relativistic golem?