The cheapest/weakest monster for indefinitely protecting a town?

[rferries]

In a high-magic (though not necessarily Tippyverse) 3.5/PF setting, what's the cheapest/weakest creature that could be used to indefinitely guard a town or city? Assume that the creature was put in place by a benevolent archwizard to guard a town, and will be fighting an arbitrarily large number of CR 1 creatures (both adventurers and monsters) over time -from raiding parties to larger armies. Assume also that the wizard doesn't have unlimited resources, so she can't/won't just conjure up a tarrasque or build a flesh colossus and call it a day.

Some postulates:
High AC isn't too useful for such a creature - probability dictates that it will be hit sooner or later via natural 20's, so its defenses should be more static i.e. damage reduction.

It should have energy resistance to ward against acid flasks, alchemist's fire, burning hands, and similar minor energy attacks.

The creature needn't worry about thwarting assassinations/robberies etc, just direct assaults on the town. Assume that even infinitely large armies will choose to attack the creature first rather than simply bypass it to raid the town.

Inspired by a post in the world-building homebrew forum, where tiefling towns were each guarded by a prized golem.

[Kayblis]

Lower forms of Beholderkin are great at fighting multiple enemies at once. The Gauth is only CR 6, and between flying, stunning gaze and 100ft range on six ray attacks, it can take out many many enemies, specially CR 1 enemies that are instagibbed by Scorching Ray and Inflict Moderate Wounds.

[Jack_Simth]

In a high-magic (though not necessarily Tippyverse) 3.5/PF setting, what's the cheapest/weakest creature that could be used to indefinitely guard a town or city? Assume that the creature was put in place by a benevolent archwizard to guard a town, and will be fighting an arbitrarily large number of CR 1 creatures (both adventurers and monsters) over time -from raiding parties to larger armies. Assume also that the wizard doesn't have unlimited resources, so she can't/won't just conjure up a tarrasque or build a flesh colossus and call it a day.

Some postulates:
High AC isn't too useful for such a creature - probability dictates that it will be hit sooner or later via natural 20's, so its defenses should be more static i.e. damage reduction.

It should have energy resistance to ward against acid flasks, alchemist's fire, burning hands, and similar minor energy attacks.

The creature needn't worry about thwarting assassinations/robberies etc, just direct assaults on the town. Assume that even infinitely large armies will choose to attack the creature first rather than simply bypass it to raid the town.

Inspired by a post in the world-building homebrew forum, where tiefling towns were each guarded by a prized golem.

So it needs DR, fast healing, and a reasonable offense.

Vampire (Spawn, possibly) gets DR, fast Healing, and Gaseous Form (which grants DR 10/magic while running), and has an Energy Drain attack (which also heals the vampire).

[Vizzerdrix]

Resetting traps of create darkenbeast. At night and on cloudy days, all the livestock become guardians.

[MaxiDuRaritry]

A warbeast riding dog with the titanic creature template? They're extremely cheap, at a mere 2,050 gp, are Gargantuan sized, have 26 HD (and thus get access to a couple of [epic] feats), have pretty decent senses, and are already trained for guard duty. Give it the Troll-Blooded feat and a few extra feats or a magic item to mitigate fatigue, and you're good to go.

[Vizzerdrix]

A warbeast riding dog with the titanic creature template? They're extremely cheap, at a mere 2,050 gp, are Gargantuan sized, have 26 HD (and thus get access to a couple of [epic] feats), have pretty decent senses, and are already trained for guard duty. Give it the Troll-Blooded feat and a few extra feats or a magic item to mitigate fatigue, and you're good to go.

Heck. Town could get a few and breed them.

What about using assume supernatural ability to get the ruinchanters ability to make ruin elementals?

[MaxiDuRaritry]

Heck. Town could get a few and breed them.Add some relatively inexpensive items for buffs, such as a headband of Int to improve its ability to understand orders, tactics, and strategy. A +1 skillful mouthpick weapon to utilize its very large BAB for multiple attacks, and perhaps a fanged ring for Improved Unarmed Strike and Improved Natural Attack (Unarmed Strike), and take the Snap Kick feat for extra unarmed strikes on each attack.

That's a lot of physical power added for the cost of some fairly cheap items. Make sure the items have lots of restrictions so only the titanic warbeast riding dog can use them to make them even cheaper.

In the end, you'd end up with something like this:

https://media.comicbook.com/2017/07/dark-souls-sif-1010302.jpg
[edit] If you don't want to spend the actual money for those things, remember, the dog's wolf's feats can be spent on Ancestral Relic and Item Familiar.

[Oberron]

Allips/shadow hiding in the ground surrounding the town? Wisdom/str drain from touch attacks and aoe hypnotism, 50% to ignore most spell damage, also incorporeal kinda screws any amount of cr1 creatures that don't have magic, plus with create spawn from shadows you eventually have infinite number of shadows guarding the town.

[MaxiDuRaritry]

Add some relatively inexpensive items for buffs, such as a headband of Int to improve its ability to understand orders, tactics, and strategy. A +1 skillful mouthpick weapon to utilize its very large BAB for multiple attacks, and perhaps a fanged ring for Improved Unarmed Strike and Improved Natural Attack (Unarmed Strike), and take the Snap Kick feat for extra unarmed strikes on each attack.

That's a lot of physical power added for the cost of some fairly cheap items. Make sure the items have lots of restrictions so only the titanic warbeast riding dog can use them to make them even cheaper.

In the end, you'd end up with something like this:

https://media.comicbook.com/2017/07/dark-souls-sif-1010302.jpg
[edit] If you don't want to spend the actual money for those things, remember, the dog's wolf's feats can be spent on Ancestral Relic and Item Familiar.Oh, and should I even mention Leadership? At the very least, you could grab a fiend of possession cohort to give you an additional magic item.

[Eldariel]

Let's see, CR1 threats include:

Wizard 1 (with precocious apprentice)
Artificer 1
Psionic Artificer 1
Cleric 1 (and thus, Divine Metamagic)


So at the very least, they need to be able to deal with all 1st and 2nd level spells and powers in the game. Notable spells/powers include Ray of Stupidity (so animals are a poor choice unless they have great touch AC), Lesser Shivering Touch, Ego Whip, Color Spray/Sleep, Summon Marked Homunculus, Seeking/Scorching Ray, anything with Fell Drain, etc. So stat damage is a big thing but damage and save-or-dies are on the table too.

They also need to be highly resistant to damage (Orc Barbarian 1 with Whirling Frenzy and Greatsword is hitting for 2x2d6+12 a turn at +8ish to hit averaging 38 damage; a CL buffed Wizard with Precocious Apprentice could hit for 8d6 or 28 fire damage in two chunks though Combust is on the table too for 7d8 or about 31,5 fire damage on average) or able to take such adversaries out before they become threats.

An Allip would indeed be overall a rather solid pick. Incorporeality is indeed a good call. While not infallible, it's a solid defense that complements its ability to generate temporary HP and Wis Drain suckers. Of course, it would be something of a problem if a construct came along as an Allip is completely helpless against something immune to its mind-affecting stuff and Wis Drain. It takes some work probably to make it work out.

EDIT: Oh yeah, we have to account for a Barbie charging with Headlong Charge on a mount for +10 to hit and a total of 114 damage. Or a Cleric doing the same with Rhino's Rush and also with Law Devotion for significantly more to hit. Damn, first level characters are pretty scary.

[Falontani]

Blade Guardian is 30k, 4k for the body, and 3k because we want it to have 9 hd. Assuming our wizard understands how to craft (since the wizard has already invested 3 feats into it) he probably used fabricate to construct the body bringing that down to 1,334 gp. The enchantment costs 4,607 gp because: magical artisan + extraordinary artisan + class requirement (because nowhere does it state that you can't) + skill requirement (profession engineering probably). And a final 532 gp for our final hd.

This gives us a medium construct with dr 5/-, fast healing 1, and 4 feats.
Feats: improved unarmed strike, superior unarmed strike, improved natural attack: unarmed strike, momentary alteration.
Momentary Alteration allows our blade guardian to turn into animated objects of up to large size (so we can get hardness on top of our dr/-) a warforged charger, and many other fun creatures. Finally anyone can cast a spell of up to third level into it and it can store it. This means it can store something like a fireball, but also if it doesn't have anything stored, it stores the first spell someone casts at it.

It's master is at least 11th level meaning this guy has +6 natural armor in any form, 16 sr, the ability to talk, and 12 intelligence.

This guy is a beast in melee combat, if it takes animated object form it has hardness 20 and dr 5/- making most attacks do far less damage, he has four attacks per round in his natural form that deal decent damage. His ac is almost unhittable, unless you use touch attacks which he is mostly immune to. His fast healing will keep him up, and he never needs to sleep.

[Eldariel]

Well, to put an upper limit, Shadesteel Golem with Rudimentary Intelligence is 78000gp, probably less if you put some magic into crafting the body. Tons of feats, excellent stealth skills, shadow blend, flight, construct immunities, magic immunity, great movement, decent melee, negative energy burst, medium size, all-around solid. It even has DR/Magic in addition to adamantine, which gives it Magic Strike as per Rules Compendium to strike as its weapon were magic. Arguably allows it to hit incorporeals (though one could just give it a +1 weapon to make that a non-factor). Shadow Evocation Continual Flame on it (or a resetting trap or whatever) is permanent and free. Heighten up to 9th (or whateverth) level if you feel like it, and add Invisible Spell so it doesn't bother its stealth. This gives it essentially fast healing and Haste. It should be more than able to trash anything anywhere coming in to the town.

[Zaq]

Are we assuming ONLY CR 1 threats or PRIMARILY CR 1 threats?

What’s the lowest-level thing with a usable Frightful Presence ability? That seems like a useful ability to have here.

Alternatively, there’s always the comedically under-CR’d revived fossil template from LM. Those things are ridiculously hard to kill by an equal-level threat in the early game. Might need some moderate template cheese to make one intelligent, though.

[Crichton]

What’s the lowest-level thing with a usable Frightful Presence ability? That seems like a useful ability to have here.





Strictly speaking, probably a pseudodragon with the Awaken Frightful Presence feat? But it's range would only be 5 feet, so I guess that's only questionably 'usable'

[MaxiDuRaritry]

...Which soulmelds would be most useful for a 26 hd Titanic warbeast to shape/bind? I've always been partial to the phase cloak's shoulders bind for mobility, utility, and defense, myself, though it's of somewhat less benefit, here. I guess anything that grants AoE attacks, and defenses against touch attacks, negative levels, and ability damage.

Away from my books right now, so I'm not as much use here as I should be.

How about maneuvers and stances? There's got to be some use for that initiator level of 13, after all

[lolcat]

I suggest the Flameskull, a 4 HD undead that has int 11 and a base hide of +19. Which means that for the given cr, even without equipment, it will only be found if it wants to be.
It has undead immunities, can fly, Dr 5, fast healing 2 and on top of it will return within 1 hour of its destruction unless destroyed in a Very specific way.
Top that off with sla's ranging from detect magic to 1/d fireball plus at will ranged fire attacks and you have something Very nasty.

Now give it some craft trap and poison skills, plus all the time a restless undead has to prepare....

[denthor]

Rust monsters. In between two walls open wooden gates they smell metal. Your attackers are disarmed, armor is lost then the human gaurds allow them to pass.

You should know I had a party tell me they would leave my wizard alone if that was his familiar.

[Remuko]

A warbeast riding dog with the titanic creature template? They're extremely cheap, at a mere 2,050 gp, are Gargantuan sized, have 26 HD (and thus get access to a couple of [epic] feats), have pretty decent senses, and are already trained for guard duty. Give it the Troll-Blooded feat and a few extra feats or a magic item to mitigate fatigue, and you're good to go.

Could you put dungeonbred (i think thats what its called?) on this? Because something that size may not cost alot to hire/buy/make or w/e but feeding that thing will be an issue.

[MaxiDuRaritry]

Could you put dungeonbred (i think thats what its called?) on this? Because something that size may not cost alot (http://hyperboleandahalf.blogspot.com/2010/04/alot-is-better-than-you-at-everything.html) to hire/buy/make or w/e but feeding that thing will be an issue.You could, but it's probably more effective to give the giant puppy!!! snarling wolf-monster a shrink collar, from the A&EG (pg 80). Just make sure that it has an off-switch (preferably a free action password thought-command) so it can biggerify itself at will. It can be part of its ancestral relic (which would combine quite a few magic items into one, and since the money comes from its feat rather than the town or the wizard whodunit, it's an easy way to give it gear without having to pay for it directly).

Why does Ancestral Relic require a Good alignment, anyway? Seriously, there's nothing [Good] about A.R. Why require it? Gah! The random arbitrariness of 3.0/.5's prereqs is astoundingly stupid.

[edit 2] Alternately, how about a psychoactive skin of proteus? It's from the XPH/SRD. [/edit 2]

[Solauren]

Rust Monster working with a Carrion Crawler at each gate. Carrion Crawler paralyses everyone, Rust Monster disarms them.

You want to defend the town from larger attacks (i.e more then low level monsters being *****), bind a few Trap Haunts (Dragon #307) around the city walls. Somehow, walls will be protected with scythe traps, and no one will figure out how.

[MaxiDuRaritry]

Could you put dungeonbred (i think thats what its called?) on this? Because something that size may not cost alot to hire/buy/make or w/e but feeding that thing will be an issue.On second thought, giving it a ring of sustenance (or adding it to its Ancestral Relic item) would be significantly cheaper than a shrink collar.

[Remuko]

On second thought, giving it a ring of sustenance (or adding it to its Ancestral Relic item) would be significantly cheaper than a shrink collar.

yeah thats probably the best call if you dont want the town to go broke feeding the thing.

[MaxiDuRaritry]

yeah thats probably the best call if you dont want the town to go broke feeding the thing.Plus only 2 hours of sleep every day. Let it nap during the day when the town is active anyway. Not that it matters if you have two or more of them, of course.

[The Random NPC]

Personally I'd go with an arbitrarily large pit trap of green slime. Or brown mold. They both have advantages and disadvantages, but the big one is how easily you can get large amounts of either.

[lolcat]

Just realized that the Flameskull also has immunities to fire, cold and electricity and SR to boot. For low level parties this thing, as long as it stays careful if archers and magic missiles, is a terror...

[thethird]

This is 3.PF?

Get two war trained (monster manual 2), magic bred (player's guide to eberron), giant (https://www.d20pfsrd.com/bestiary/monster-listings/templates/simple-template-giant-cr-1/) carcass eaters (libris mortis). That's 400 gp.
Turn your war trained magic bred giant carcass eaters into frenzy dogs (https://www.wizards.com/dnd/article.asp?x=fr/fx20011025a).
Have them breed.

If you want a single monster. A symbiotic greenbound marrutact + yellow musk creeper.
It has regeneration bypassed by fire, and natural fire resistance. As well as fast healing (if someone gets creative with trollbane). It has DR, as well as resistance to cold and electricity. It has in built minionmancy, those dogs you bred above are a good idea. It has racial wizard spellcasting, so it can use all those spellbooks that he is going to get his hands in. Or if you are going full gung ho, have the guest be a greenbound spellweaver (for that sweet telepathy).

[Darrin]

Mirror Mephit (Expedition to the Demonweb Pits). Given enough lead time, build an exponentially massive army. 16 HD limit, but that includes effreeti (wish abuse) and black ethergaunts (17th level wizard casting).

[rferries]

Thanks all for the input!