Flask Homunculus - a custom alchemist familiar

[spruce56]

Hi All,
This is my first attempt to create a custom creature, based heavily on the base Homunculus and Improved Homunculus. I'm keen to see what you think of it .

Flask Homunculus


Appearance
A flask homunculus is an amorphous construct that changes in appearance from one moment to the next. In its natural form, it is a fist-sized mass of liquid silver that elongates to move. It may be found moving freely, or within its glass container. The homunculus can approximate any texture, and can imitate simple objects. Its apparent size can vary widely as it manipulates its density. A flask homunculus’s container has no stopper; any apparent cork is highly likely to be a homunculus disguising itself in order to gain a free touch attack.


Size/Type:TinyDiminutive Construct, Water subtype
Hit Dice:2d10 (11 hp)
Initiative:+5
Speed:30 ft., swim 60 ft.
Armor Class:19 (+5 Dex, +4 size), touch 19, flat-footed 14

Base Attack/Grapple:+1/cannot grapple
Attack:Acid touch +3 (+4 size, -1 str) touch attack (1d4-2 acid damage, plus poison)
Full Attack:Acid touch +3 touch attack (1d4-2 acid damage, plus poison)

Special Attacks
Spell-like AbilitiesAbility: see below
Poison: Contact, Fortitude DC 13, 1d4-2 acid damage for 1d8 1d4 rounds

Special Qualities
Construct traits excluding vision, tremorsense 30ft ground, 60ft water, DR 10/slashing, fluid form
Saves: Fort +0, Ref +7, Will +1

Abilities: Str 8, Dex 20, Con Ø, Int 10, Wis 12, Cha 7

Skills: Hide +23 (+12 size, +5 dex, +2 rank, +4 circumstance), Move Silently (+17)

Feats:Lightning Reflexes

Challenge Rating:1
Alignment:Any (same as creator)
Advancement:3-6 HD (Tiny)
—

A flask homunculus is a miniature servant created by an alchemist. It is permanently linked to the container it was created in, and is destroyed if its container is destroyed. These creatures are weak combatants but make effective spies, messengers, and scouts. A homunculus shares the alignment and basic nature of its creator.

The process of creating a flask homunculus creates a telepathic link with its creator. The homunculus knows what its master knows and can convey to him or her everything it percieves, out to a distance of 1,500 feet. To hear or communicate with the flask homunculus telepathically, the creator must have possession of the homunculus’s container. A homunculus never travels beyond this range willingly, though it can be removed forcibly. If this occurs, the homunculus’s Sublimate ability activates. An attack that destroys a homunculus activates the homunculus’s Sublimate ability.

If the creature’s master is slain, the homunculus also dies. Its flask cracks and its body solidifies into inert silver. If the creature’s container is moved onto another plane without it, the homunculus solidifies into inert silver. If the container is returned to within 1500ft of the homunculus, it becomes liquid once more.

Special Abilities
Liquid Form (Ex)
A flask homunculus has the traits of being under the spell Fluid Form at all times: its form can stretch with ease, and its reach extends to 5ft. It gains DR 10/slashing, and swim 60ft. The homunculus can pass through small holes and openings (even cracks). A flask homunculus cannot wear armor or carry items. It cannot pull or twist objects, but it can push objects by throwing itself against them.

Imitate Object (Ex)
A flask homunculus can approximate any texture and imitate simple, small, non-transparent objects for 1d8 minutes. If the homunculus is touched, it reverts to its natural form. The homunculus gains an attack of opportunity against a creature that touches it unware. If the homunculus is studied closely it is possibly to see through its disguise with a successful spot check. The DC is 15 (stone, apple…) or DC 20 if the imitated object is metallic (fork, goblet…). A flask homunculus gains a +4 circumstance bonus on hide checks because of this ability.

Tremorsense (Ex)
A flask homunculus is sensitive to vibrations in the ground and can automatically pinpoint the location of anything that is in contact with the ground and within 30 ft. If no straight path exists through the ground from the homunculus to those that it’s sensing, then the range defines the maximum distance of the shortest indirect path. It must itself be in contact with the ground, and the creatures must be moving. As long as the other creatures are taking physical actions, including casting spells with somatic components, they’re considered moving; they don’t have to move from place to place to be detected. The homunculus’s senses are keener underwater: it can sense the location of creatures moving through water out to 60ft. A flask homunculus can detect its immediate surroundings (walls, obstacles), but it cannot detect fine detail from more than 5ft away.

Spell-like abilities (Su)
A flask homunculus can know up to 3 first-level spells, and one second-level spell. In total, it can use three first-level spells, and one second-level spell per day. A flask homunculus can be created with one first-level spell-like ability, which it can cast once per day.

Sublimate (Ex)
A flask homunculus cannot be killed unless its master is killed, or its container is destroyed. Instead, if it is reduced to 0 or fewer hit points, it disperses its substance as particles too small to be seen. If this occurs, the creator takes 2d10 damage, and 2 points intelligence drain lasting 1 day. It reforms inside its flask after three days. The homunculus’s container must remain on the same plane for the entire three days. If the container is removed from the plane, the count of three days is reset, and restarts when the container is returned.
 
Construction
A homunculus is shaped from a mixture of silver, ashes, mandrake root, spring water, and one pint of the creator’s own blood. The materials cost 500 gp. The creature’s master may assemble the body or hire someone else to do the job. Creating the body requires a DC 18 Craft (alchemy) check. A homunculus takes 1 day per 1000gp of its creation cost to create (including the value of any potions used).

The magic ritual to create the homunculus causes the materials to liquefy. This mixture must be poured into a glass container. The container becomes coated in silver on the inside, and gains the following stats: hardness 5, 3 hit points, and break DC 20 (stats of an iron vial).

A homunculus with more than 2 Hit Dice can be created, but each additional Hit Die adds +2,000 gp to the cost to create.

A flask homunculus can be created with one spell-like ability abilities chosen from the list of potions below. Imbuing the homunculus with a spell-like ability adds 2 to the DC. It can be created with up to a maximum of 3 first-level spells, and 1 second-level spell. Each The spell-like ability requires 10 potions of the desired spell to be expended during creation. Each first-level spell adds +1 to the craft DC. A second-level spell adds +3 to the craft DC.

A flask homunculus can be modified to add or replace its spell-like ability. This requires a DC 20 craft(alchemy) check and ten potions of the desired spell, which are expended during the modification. add or replace spell-like abilities up to the maximum of 3 first-level spells, and 1 second-level spell. This requires a DC 19 (first-level), or DC 21 (second level) craft(alchemy) check, and ten potions of the desired spell.

Creation requirements:3500 gp + potions if created with spell-like abilities, able to cast third-level spells, ten ranks in craft(alchemy), a glass container

Potion list
First-level
Cure light wounds (potion)
Endure elements (potion)
Hide from animals (potion)
Hide from undead (potion)
Jump (potion)
Mage armor (potion)
Magic fang (potion)
Magic stone (oil)
Magic weapon (oil)
Pass without trace (potion)
Protection from (alignment) (potion)
Remove fear (potion)
Sanctuary (potion)
Shield of faith +2 (potion)
Shillelagh (oil)

Second-level
Bless weapon (oil)
Enlarge person (potion)
Reduce person (potion)
Aid (potion)
Barkskin +2 (potion)
Bear’s endurance (potion)
Blur (potion)
Bull’s strength (potion)
Cat’s grace (potion)
Cure moderate wounds (potion)
Darkness (oil)
Darkvision (potion)
Delay poison (potion)
Eagle’s splendor (potion)
Fox’s cunning (potion)
Invisibility (potion or oil)
Lesser restoration (potion)
Levitate (potion or oil)
Misdirection (potion)
Owl’s wisdom (potion)
Protection from arrows 10/magic (potion)
Remove paralysis (potion)
Resist energy (type) 10 (potion)
Shield of faith +3 (potion)
Spider climb (potion)
Undetectable alignment (potion)

Construct traits
• Immunity to all mind-affecting effects, and morale effects.
• Low-light vision, darkvision 60ft
• Immunity to poison, sleep effects, paralysis, stunning, disease, death effects, and necromancy effects
• Cannot heal damage, but can be repaired by a Make Whole spell, or similar
• Not subject to critical hits, nonlethal damage, ability damage or drain, fatigue, exhaustion, or energy drain
• Immunity to anything that requires a Fortitude save
• Not at risk of damage from massive damage
• Cannot be raised or resurrected

[AtlasSniperman]

Shouldn't con be -?
Other than that I don't see any problems, it seems a little powerful compared to other familiars, but if a dm alloys it, a dm alloys it.

Kind of a cute concept though :)

[spruce56]

Shouldn't con be -?
Other than that I don't see any problems, it seems a little powerful compared to other familiars, but if a dm alloys it, a dm alloys it.

Kind of a cute concept though :)

The priority was to enjoy creating an interesting creature/construct and trying to make it balanced, and I've pruned it down a bit following some advice :) Con is a zero with a strike through it, as constructs don't have a constitution score.

Edits so far: reduced size to diminutive, reduced the rounds for acid damage, changed spell-like abilities to one first-level potion cast once per day.

[spruce56]

Question relating to this - do construct familiars grant the Alertness feat? Are there any standard construct familiars?

I thought not, so made the creature a little more powerful, to balance out that it takes no actions unless directed (no passive Alertness).