3.P - Any Monsters That Become Items?

[unseenmage]

Are there any monsters that use monster superpowers to turn themselves into items?

Am trying to find the closest analogue to an Intelligent Magic Item Figurine of Wondrous Power transforming into a living creature then turning back into a Construct. (Int Magic Items are explicitly Cinstructs in our game.)

If I can find such a creature ability it could act as precedent for how to handle FoWP in general and Int Magic Item FoWP specifically.

Any 3.0, 3.5, PF, Dragon, Dungeon content will work.

[noob]

Are there any monsters that use monster superpowers to turn themselves into items?

Am trying to find the closest analogue to an Intelligent Magic Item Figurine of Wondrous Power transforming into a living creature then turning back into a Construct. (Int Magic Items are explicitly Cinstructs in our game.)

If I can find such a creature ability it could act as precedent for how to handle FoWP in general and Int Magic Item FoWP specifically.

Any 3.0, 3.5, PF, Dragon, Dungeon content will work.

All stated psionic sandwiches are such monsters.
There is also an epic shapeshifting monster which can shapeshift into items.
and monster with a CL of 15 in wizard or 16 in sorcerer or which is a level 15 cleric with the treachery domain can get polymorph any object and become an object.

[unseenmage]

Okay so, neither 3.x Alternate Form nor PFs Change Shape quite fit here.
Alternate form falls apart in a couple places, most notably with the creature retaining the HD of the original. IntMI FoWP has HD of n/a in item form, changes to animal, promptly dies for lack of HD. Funny, but useless.
Change Shape is closer, and has a provision for nonstandard shape changing but it's based on Polymorph, which went through edition puberty and changed when it moved to PF.
Guess all of that is why it's not listed as either ability huh.

[ericgrau]

What about an actual FoWP controlled by an enemy?

To make up custom ones: CR & ECL could help you get an idea of how useful the existing items and your own custom versions are to PCs, to help you with pricing. For example something with a lot of PC useful special abilities might have a high ECL for its CR, so it's more valuable. A simple brute OTOH would have a low ECL for its CR because PCs can only use it for basic combat. But not ever monster has an ECL so often you need the CR to give you a rough starting point, then you look at its special abilities, then look at the ECL vs CR of another monster with a similar amount of special abilities. Etc.

[unseenmage]

So one obvious example creature is the Mimic. Though as an item it's really not much more than giant flypaper before it's more monster like properties kick in.

[ericgrau]

Besides the mimic 1e had a bunch of other similar shapechanging monsters. The floor, ceiling, doors, walls and every object could be out to get you. Rugs, tapestries, a cape that looks like a magic item that you might put (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/monsters/cloaker.htm) on, etc., etc. Some of these made it to 3.5 in part or whole. 1e & 2e encouraged evil DMing.

Some cursed items: bag of devouring, scarab of death

[Thurbane]

First one that pops to mind is Forestkith Goblins, which turn into trees as per the Tree Shape spell. While not truly an object, it kind of works.

[noob]

Besides the mimic 1e had a bunch of other similar shapechanging monsters. The floor, ceiling, doors, walls and every object could be out to get you. Rugs, tapestries, a cape that looks like a magic item that you might put (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/monsters/cloaker.htm) on, etc., etc. Some of these made it to 3.5 in part or whole. 1e & 2e encouraged evil DMing.

I am still convinced the cape of doctor strange is a cloaker especially seeing how it fought in the movies.

[unseenmage]

First one that pops to mind is Forestkith Goblins, which turn into trees as per the Tree Shape spell. While not truly an object, it kind of works.

Hey, for rules purposes apperantly plants count as objects for spell effects so theres that.

[Thedez]

Two things I can think of that fit the bill. First and foremost, you have haunting presences. Those are undead that have been turned into spirits which haunt objects. They have a few forms they can take, and the higher HD ones can actually use all of them. They can either move the objects, be your classic poltergeist, or else manifest as a physical undead and fight that way.
Then you have Demons. They, too, can possess objects, except the more powerful ones can make the object act increasingly like an actual creature, and again, they can still physically manifest. Both of these can be, for all intents and purposes, a regular object and then suddenly become a monster.

[Dalmosh]

The Caligrosto demon possesses weapons.

Fiends of Possession can possess pretty much anything

[Thedez]

The Caligrosto demon possesses weapons.

Fiends of Possession can possess pretty much anything

Fiend of Possession is literally my favorite class ever.

[ShurikVch]

Dragonlance - in the Towers of High Sorcery - have Eldritch Haunt template, which literally gives a Magic Item as alternative form.

[Raven Helcat]

Kinda... If you're a fan of undead, use the Haunt Shift spell from Libris Mortis, and read page six for some context.
You could make little (Tiny) metal statues/figurines that could move on their own, and also manifest into whatever undead you used for the Haunt Shift spell. Make sure to have some Holy Arrows to stay within the spells HD limit.
But just imagine throwing a dagger past your foes into a wall. "Ha Ha, you obviously missed!" And then an Ogre Mage Vampire materializes out of it and starts attacking your enemies!
Extra points if the Ogre Mage pulls the dagger from the wall and attacks with it! :smallsmile:

RH

[inuyasha]

Pathfinder has the Raktavarna (https://www.d20pfsrd.com/bestiary/monster-listings/outsiders/rakshasa/rakshasa-raktavarna/) variant of the Rakshasa, a CR 2 imp/quasit equivalent for them that may transform into "any handheld item"

Also, the various Kami (https://www.d20pfsrd.com/bestiary/monster-listings/outsiders/kami/)can usually take a shape that resembles an object or a terrain feature!

In a same vein as them, there's a template to make an Animated Object into a Kami (https://www.d20pfsrd.com/bestiary/monster-listings/templates/tsukumogami-cr-2/), and I'm a big fan of it, creating objects that can grow limbs and move about, be meschivious and all that jazz before turning back into a simple object form.

Finally, it's goofy and does not gain the "type abilities" of a construct, but a were-[insert animated object/other construct] Monstrous Lycanthrope from Green Ronin's Advanced Bestiary (a very high quality 3rd party book) could work for you too.

[radthemad4]

Pathfinder has the Cassisian (https://www.d20pfsrd.com/bestiary/monster-listings/outsiders/angel/angel-cassisian/). It's a winged helmet (or other type of headgear) angel and each one can turn into two of the following forms: Small human-like angel, dove, dog, or Tiny fish.

It's not stated that they can be worn, but it's also not stated that they can't.

[Jack_Simth]

The Metamorphosis (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/psionic/powers/metamorphosis.htm) power is Egoist-4, so anything that manifests as a Psion(Egoist) 7 (if you include Expanded Knowledge, then anything that manifests as a Psion(Any)-9 or a Wilder-10) can theoretically qualify that way. Some of the gem dragons (Forgotten Realms), maybe?

[radthemad4]

Dragon 306 has Battleoths (page 39), fiends that can turn into weapons. The magazine has Arrow, Axe, Crossbow, Pick, Spiked Chain and Sword forms.

[unseenmage]

Wow, thanks everyone! I figured there'd be a couple of critters that fit the bill but this is way more than anticipated.

[ShurikVch]

The Metamorphosis (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/psionic/powers/metamorphosis.htm) power is Egoist-4, so anything that manifests as a Psion(Egoist) 7 (if you include Expanded Knowledge, then anything that manifests as a Psion(Any)-9 or a Wilder-10) can theoretically qualify that way. Some of the gem dragons (Forgotten Realms), maybe?FWIW, Call of Cthulhu d20 have Body Warping of Gorgoroth spell, which have wording very similar to the Metamorphosis (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/psionic/powers/metamorphosis.htm), except it don't grants object's hardness, have permanent duration, and creature turned into object is incapable to take any actions (will be turned back when "preexisting condition is met"; or if destroyed - but it will kill the creature). In the official D&D adaptation section, it marked as 4th-level Sorcerer/Wizard spell.

Non-unique monsters in the CoCd20 who're likely to know the spells:


CR
Monsters


½
Rat-thing


1
Serpent People
Tcho-Tcho


2
Mi-go


3
Fire Vampire


4
Elder Thing


5
Cultists (lvl. 5)
Lloigor


6
Servitor of the Outer Gods
Spider of Leng


10
Cultists (lvl. 10)
Gnoph-keh
Gug


15
Shoggoth Lord


20
Hunting Horror


Or you can just give it to some D&D sorcerer (rakshasa, dragon, etc.)

[Endarire]

Monster Manual III 156's Siege Crab has a Force Carapace which is an item made of/from a creature that's sorta part of a creature.

[Draconi Redfir]

Inuyasha already brought it up, but i can confirm the Raktavarna Rakshasa (https://www.d20pfsrd.com/bestiary/monster-listings/outsiders/rakshasa/rakshasa-raktavarna) as fitting the bill. A group i'm in encountered one and thought it was just a normal sword or dagger with some kind of magic we didn't understand for a good while, up until it tried to eat the wizard's face off.

[Ruethgar]

There is the Token Familiar feat from Dragon Magazine, the same one that had Construct Familiar, Extra Familiar, and the Familiar Form spell. AFB or I would give the number.

[Rhazal]

Pathfinder also has the Xiuh Couatl (http://aonprd.com/MonsterDisplay.aspx?ItemName=Xiuh%20Couatl).

[Mechalich]

There was an issue of Dragon - I think it was in the 300-310 block - that had a whole bushel of fiends that were little transformer style weapons.

[ShurikVch]

Beetle Buckler - from the Arms and Equipment Guide - is a living creature

Chech this article (http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/wn/20030521a) for the Incorporeal Sentinel template and Bladebite spell

Also - nobody mentioned symbionts? Really? Why?!

[Thurbane]

Beetle Buckler - from the Arms and Equipment Guide - is a living creature

Good call!

Reminds me, isn't there also a suit of armor that is basically made up of bugs? I may be thinking of an earlier edition, or possibly the class feature of some 3.0 PrC.

[noob]

chickens and goats are monster and items.

[Bohandas]

The Battleoths from Dragon Magazine 306 (fiends that turn into weapons) and the Eldritch Avatars from Towers of High Sorcery (magic items that turn into creatures)

EDIT:
And the Caryatid Column from Fiend Folio (statue that turns into a monster)

[unseenmage]

Are symbionts still creatures when they're quipped? (...attached?)

Can a beetle buckler be a special material? Riverine sounds good.
Can symbionts?

For this thread I think that being purchasable via the equipment lists and having a monster stat block isnt going to count.

[Bohandas]

There's also the Caryatid Column's inverse, the Gargoyle (monster that turns into a statue) and the Mimic (monster that turns into various articles of furniture, albeit with limited functionality)

EDIT:
There's also the Raggamoffyn [sic] from Monster Manual 2, constructs that spontaneously form from discarded items

[ShurikVch]

How about the Raiment from the Libris Mortis?

Dungeon #84 have Animated Suits of Armor