The Arena Room Guardian

[Matuka]

My players are going through a dwarf made dungeon built to test if its participants are worthy of something. On the level they are now on, there are four rooms, each on has a key they need to advance. The other rooms are puzzles and riddles. One of the rooms is an arena with what seems like a small, harmless suit of armor stands. When they enter the lift on the other end of the arena, it takes them down. When they walk off, the lift goes up without them, shields go up on the edges of the pit, keeping the challengers in until they defeat the opponent. The guardian is semi conscious, it is aware that there is more to life then what it was programmed to do, but it does care. Once they defeat it the first time, it comes back, bigger and stronger. It does this a second and final time before turning to dust. If you touch the dust, it transfers all the guardians memories of previously slain challengers in a few seconds and the player must roll to see if there character becomes frightened. (What do you think? Tell me if you want me to share the stats of the three stages.)

[dragoeniex]

It's an interesting setup, and stats may help the playgrounders give feedback. I'd include party level and basic composition, maybe, so balance can be considered.

So. Keeping in mind I have no idea how the threat level of this thing shakes out as-is, I have to say the memory-inflicted fear seems like a waste at the end of the final dust-up. Why not have some of that dust puff into the air when the guardian is knocked to X amount of health (half?) in each stage instead? Or just twice, put between the two power-ups.

Give it a radius to target melees, or have the guardian sling bits of its own, crumbling arm at whoever brought it to that breaking point to allow it range. Then wisdom save of X as you describe the memories, or that character is frightened until the end of the guardian's next turn.

A one-target effect that happens two or three times and lasts for a round shouldn't swing things too terribly unless this was already on the deadly side.

[Matuka]

It's an interesting setup, and stats may help the playgrounders give feedback. I'd include party level and basic composition, maybe, so balance can be considered.

So. Keeping in mind I have no idea how the threat level of this thing shakes out as-is, I have to say the memory-inflicted fear seems like a waste at the end of the final dust-up. Why not have some of that dust puff into the air when the guardian is knocked to X amount of health (half?) in each stage instead? Or just twice, put between the two power-ups.

Give it a radius to target melees, or have the guardian sling bits of its own, crumbling arm at whoever brought it to that breaking point to allow it range. Then wisdom save of X as you describe the memories, or that character is frightened until the end of the guardian's next turn.

A one-target effect that happens two or three times and lasts for a round shouldn't swing things too terribly unless this was already on the deadly side.

The party is level 4, and there are three of them, a monk and two fighters, one of said fighters is an Eldritch Knight and therefore can cast spells.

Arena Room Guardian (Stage One)
Small construct, unaligned
AC 8
HP 20
Speed 10ft.
Str 8(-1) Dex 11(+0) Con 13(+1) Int 10(+0) Wis 3(-4) Cha 1(-5)
Damage Immunities: poison, psychic
Condition Immunities: blinded, charmed, deafened, exhaustion, frightened, paralyzed, petrified, poisoned
Senses: Blindsight 60ft., Passive perception 6

Shortsword: +2 to hit, (1d6+2) Slashing damage

Arena Room Guardian (Stage Two)
Medium construct, unaligned
AC 12
HP 40
Speed 20ft.
Str 12(+1) Dex 11(+0) Con 13(+1) Int 10(+0) Wis 3(-4) Cha 1(-5)
Damage Immunities: poison, psychic
Condition Immunities: blinded, charmed, deafened, exhaustion, frightened, paralyzed, petrified, poisoned
Senses: Blindsight 60ft., Passive perception 8

Multiattack: two sword attacks
Longsword: +4 to hit, (1d6+4) Slashing damage

Arena Room Guardian (Stage Three),
Large construct, unaligned
AC 16
HP 60
Speed 40ft.
Str 14(+2) Dex 11(+0) Con 13(+1) Int 10(+0) Wis 3(-4) Cha 1(-5)
Damage Immunities: poison, psychic
Condition Immunities: blinded, charmed, deafened, exhaustion, frightened, paralyzed, petrified, poisoned
Senses: Blindsight 60ft., Passive perception 10

Multiattack: four sword attacks
Longsword: +6 to hit, (1d6+6) Slashing damage