Animated Objects

[Gopalkrishna]

I'm putting together a wizard's library and I'd like to make it animated object themed - from over-friendly ottomans to murderous book-spitting shelves. Any ideas on interesting / creative objects and what their attacks or demeanor would be? Thanks!

[Lysander]

A seemingly decorative human skull that bounces around attempting to bite people's ankles?

A cauldron that rolls around trying to run enemies over?

A dining room table that flings food off of itself?

[Kosjsjach]

Funnily enough, the Animate Objects spell is divine-only (except for the Bard).

It's such a shame. The wizard-lab-coming-alive-and-trying-to-kill-you is so classic.

[Caphi]

On the other hand, this sounds right up the alley of a wizard with Arcane Disciple (Chaos) anyway. I am thinking of the right thing, right?

[Nate the Snake]

Funnily enough, the Animate Objects spell is divine-only (except for the Bard).

Which is stupid. It should at least be on both lists, if not exclusive to wizards.

Also funnily enough, I've read at least one published adventure involving animated objects. The only caster involved was a wizard, and it was outright stated that the wizard did the animating.

Incidentally, OP, the objects in question were a book (snaps shut on your hand), a curtain cord (tries to strangle you), and a poker (lunges at you if you come too close).

It's such a shame. The wizard-lab-coming-alive-and-trying-to-kill-you is so classic.

This. It's so classic that I can't think of a single instance of animated objects that wasn't caused by a wizard.

[Smeggedoff]

Well, it DOES say in the DMG that wizards can reasearch and create spells. The example list even says you can research arcane versions of existing spells.

Just use animate object, fluff it so the Wizard researched an arcane animate object. Maybe even leave a scroll/spellbook containing the final researched spell for any wizards in the party.

[Asheram]

A seemingly decorative human skull that bounces around attempting to bite people's ankles?

Murray! You must do this!

[Zergrusheddie]

Chamber pots with teeth.

Paintings of archers opening fire.

Suits of armor. Totally cliched but a classic.

Stairs that lay flat whenever someone tries to walk without saying the magic word.

Large cages trying to grapple and lock people in.

Rugs that entangle. Or Bearskin Rugs that Claw, Claw, Bite, Grapple.

[Irreverent Fool]

Animate object can be cast on corpses.

Things that look suspiciously like golems.

The staircase.

The floor.

Pillars that are integral to the structural integrity of certain rooms.

Walls that grapple (as a rug) and then rotate, trapping the character on the other side.

The grating over a nasty pit.

obnoxious
sig

[Dyllan]

Okay, animate a candelabra, a small clock, a teapot and a matching set of teacups, one of which has a chip out of it. Then have the wizard polymorphed into a hairy beast...

[Ravens_cry]

Murray! You must do this!

'I will stride through the gates of hell, carrying your head on a pike!'
'"Stride"?'
'All right then, roll, ROLL through the gates of hell! Must you take the fun out of everything?'
Ah Murray, my favourite EVIL looking doorstop.
But yeah, if you want a wizard to use this, they can just have researched their own version of this. Done. Just remember, once the PC defeat the wizard, if they are such a wizard, they get the spell. It's hardly game breaking, but yeah, just remember.

[Stubbed Tongue]

How about an intelligent and animate bookcase that quizes you before allowing you to pull any books down. A perfect opportunity to use some knowledge (arcana, local, planes, heck..anything) checks and maybe spellcraft. If you get the quiz wrong it hands you a book with explosive runes in it and says "read this. It will solve your problems". LOL

[TheCountAlucard]

"The Enrichment Center would like to remind you that the Weighted Companion Cube will never threaten to stab you, and, in fact, cannot speak."

[Dr.Epic]

If the house is small enough, couldn't it be an animated object? Are there rules for that in D&D (fighting a living building)?

[Volkov]

"The Enrichment Center would like to remind you that the Weighted Companion Cube will never threaten to stab you, and, in fact, cannot speak."

Damnit you stole my joke!

[Ryumaru]

My personal favourite for cute factor is a candelabra (I think it's called? The multiarmed candle holder) which just wants to be loved, and wanders the halls whining and trying to cuddle people, and wondering why no one wants him, or why they all seem to disappear when he makes a friend.

He doesn't quite understand the concept that those long arms he's swinging about to hug people have huge fires on them, toasting those he cuddles into charred corpses.

[Ravens_cry]

My personal favourite for cute factor is a candelabra (I think it's called? The multiarmed candle holder) which just wants to be loved, and wanders the halls whining and trying to cuddle people, and wondering why no one wants him, or why they all seem to disappear when he makes a friend.

He doesn't quite understand the concept that those long arms he's swinging about to hug people have huge fires on them, toasting those he cuddles into charred corpses.

Aww, I hope he finds a nice animated feather duster with Fire Immunity. *sniff*

[Kelb_Panthera]

My personal favourite for cute factor is a candelabra (I think it's called? The multiarmed candle holder) which just wants to be loved, and wanders the halls whining and trying to cuddle people, and wondering why no one wants him, or why they all seem to disappear when he makes a friend.

He doesn't quite understand the concept that those long arms he's swinging about to hug people have huge fires on them, toasting those he cuddles into charred corpses.

Aww, I hope he finds a nice animated feather duster with Fire Immunity. *sniff*

Heh heh, woobie candleholder. Anyway, if you're comfortable subbing sorcerer (kinda) for wizard, you could make him a sublime chord. Maybe even go ultimate magus so you get to be both.

[taltamir]

animate object lasts a short duration, unless used with permanancy which costs XP (which creates an animated X type creatures). So that is another major hurdle.

don't forget to animate your books themselves. check this thread: http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=144744

Especially this post: http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showp...9&postcount=58

[JaronK]

Use Haunt Shift instead. It even uses the rules for Animated Objects, but they're intelligent.

JaronK

[ericgrau]

Here's some homebrew for you:
Greater Prestidigitation

[dspeyer]

A notebook that writes down anything anyone says?

A lamp that moves to light whatever you're reading, no matter what else it gets in the way of?

A card catalog that always tries to deduce what it is you're researching?

[Chrono22]

A massive animated fireplace + animated chains + a steel grate trap.
The fireplace tries to "eat" a PC by grappling the PC with chains and pulling him inside. A creature crossing the threshold of the fireplace triggers a trap that causes a metal grate to fall and lock into position.
The PC takes fire damage each round as he tries to combat the animated chains and break free.

An pile of animated platinum, gold, silver, and copper coins with sharpened edges. Stat it as a swarm of fine constructs. It envelopes a PC and tries to crush/cut him to pieces. It grows by eating the PCs' coins, thereby increasing its size and numbers.

[ericgrau]

If the house is small enough, couldn't it be an animated object? Are there rules for that in D&D (fighting a living building)?

Animated objects may be up to colossal in size, so yeah. Though practically speaking you'd only go up to gargantuan at caster level 16. Gargantuan is still 32-64 feet across, so you could animate a small house. Rules for it are here: http://www.d20srd.org/srd/monsters/animatedObject.htm

EDIT: Y'know, the more I think about this the more I think of combining it with ventriloquism and convincing the PCs that the furniture are under a curse that can only be broken when somebody loves the beast that rules them... then it turns out the beast is just another dire bear who is also the subject of ventriloquism. Yeah, something like this:

Spoiler

Show

[desmond1323]

I believe that is actually a monster...

Dopplegangers eventually do this, by going Illithid-style and combining with one another.

I also recall that there used to be monsters that effectively worked as an evil ceiling, an evil wall, and an evil floor...put 'em all together, and you have an evil house.

[Curmudgeon]

There's always the classic "mirror, mirror on the wall".

[Randel]

A swarm of multicolored marbles that roll along the floor. If they are friendly they can form into pictures or arrows that lead you in the direction of things or they let you use them to roll heavy objects around (the marbles under it let it roll over them while those that drop behind quickly run to the front to keep up the rolling). If they are unfriendly then they get under your feet and every step you take has a chance of falling over.


"Helping Hands" built into the walls or pieces of furnature or statuary (similar to the ones in the Labyrinth movie). They sometimes hold thing like keys or small objects which you have to ask them for. If they are friendly then they hand you stuff, hold stuff for you, or help you climb up sheer walls. If unfriendly then the grab ahold of you while other enemies attack.


Statues that only move when nobody looks at them. Perhaps they look like statues of relatively ordinary people (you might suspect that they were petrified or something since they aren't made to look like decorations) and while you often see them in standard ornate poses you notice that whenever you turn away from them for any amount of time they change positions. Some might walk away, go to other rooms, and handle things. They never attack, though. One might start pointing at a hidden door, one might bypass a nasty trap (though you can't see how it did it), one might start rifling through the contents of a chest only to freeze when you look at it...

The statues might very well be the places 'librarians' who are just animated constructs designed to be totally silent and not get in the way. They never attack anyone and are about as effective as Unseen Servants except they are made of stone. If one of them is shattered then the pieces can move around on their own and one of its fellows might put it back together with glue. They would be abit like the Weeping Angels in that one Doctor Who episode.

[Danin]

Potbellied stove that spits out coals, animated spoons to throw them!

Animated walls that move and seal people off from one another.

Animated rug that grapples you.

Animated sod (Grass) that rolls you up.

Animated butter that glides along the floor, greasing where ever it goes.

Animated candles that grow brighter or dimmer as the scene grows more intense. They have a flair for the dramatic!

Animated teapot and cups that constantly pours and makes the players tea. Grows upset if they refuse. Sprays with boiling tea.

Animated pumpkin patch. Players have to find the elusive flying pumpkin and steal it's sack of gifts.

Animated dog house. Thinks its a dog.

Animated dog collar / choke chain. Thinks you're a dog.

[taltamir]

Use Haunt Shift instead. It even uses the rules for Animated Objects, but they're intelligent.

JaronK

where is it from and what does it do?

[Kelb_Panthera]

where is it from and what does it do?

It transfers an undead into the object creating a haunting presence as per the rules in Libris Mortis. Included in those rules is one that says the haunting presence can animate the object(s) that it's haunting.