The Shadowscythe Golem [PEACH]

[Abbott]

This is a monster I've created for my campain world, a semi-post apocalyotic place where the gods sacrificed themselves to hedge out cosmic gribbliness and there are no casters but paladins, divine bards, warlocks, shadowcasters, truenamers and binders.

SHADOWSCYTHE GOLEM
Medium Construct
Hit Dice: 7d10+21 (60 hp)
Initiative: +7
Speed: 30 ft.
Armor Class: 21 (+3 Dex, +8 Natural)
Base Attack/Grapple: +5/+9
Attack: Claw +10 (2d4+4/x4)
Full Attack: 2 Claws +10 (2d4+4/x4)
Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Disengage
Special Qualities: Fell Wings, Supreme Darkvision, Uninteresting
Saves: Fort +2, Ref +5, Will +2
Abilities: Str 18, Con -, Dex 17, Int 6, Wis 11, Cha 13
Skills: Balance +13
Feats: Improved Initiative, Weapon Focus: Claw, Combat Reflexes
Environment: Any
Organization: Solitary, pair or squad (3-5)
Challenge Rating: 6
Treasure: Standard
Alignment: Always neutral evil
Advancement: 8-14 (Medium), 15-21 (Large)
Level Adjustment: -

Before you stands a humanoid figure, stooping. It is all but concealed in a heavy, dark cloak; only its malicious eyes are visible. Suddenly, the cloak opens, revealing a pair of bat-like wings and its hand sprout scythe-like claws. With a shrill roar, it leaps towards you.

The shadowscythe golems were first created by the mad warlord Halfrjotun Tymeon, a half-fiendish dwarf hell-bent on destroying every last dragon. They are made from the body of a dead humanoid, with wings and patches of tough skin sewn on. It is then animated by a shadow elemental, a psychopathic, murderous creature that longs to extinguish all life.
Now, more than hundred years after Tymeon sacrificed himself to unleash the draconic plague, killing the few surviving pure-blood dragons, lore on the shadowscythes is difficult to come by. However, they are not as rare as one might think. More than capable of remaining incognito and with no need to fear death from old age, the shadowscythes serve powerful shadowcasters as assassins or bodyguards. Very few go long without a master, while they’re not very bright, they know that without someone who patches them up occasionally, they’ll be destroyed sooner or later.
Most are considerably more powerful than the specimen presented here, but it took Tymeon a few tries to perfect the process and the only surviving notes are those from these first experiments.
Shadowscythes come in many shapes. Most are made to look like the ko’suhn, the half-dragons, that Tymeon wished to discredit, though some prefer theirs to look more fiendish and there are a few shadowcasters who find that a celestial-looking shadowscythe, replete with feathery wings and glowing scythes suit their purposes better. Regardless of their form, these golems are irrevocably evil.
The golems cannot speak per se, but they can be taught a few phrases, usually curses or threats, that they will repeat haphazardly every now and then (unless they want to be stealthy). They understand commands in all languages, however.

Combat:
Disengage: If a shadowscythe golem successfully hits an opponent, it may choose to forgo damaging him and instead cause him to lose his balance until the end of the golem’s turn unless he succeeds at a DC 22 Balance check. An unbalanced opponent may not make attacks of opportunity against the golem.

Fell Wings: As a swift action once every ten rounds, the shadowscythe golem may unfurl its wings and fly 50 ft. In addition, it may always subtract 50 ft. of fall damage. It may make this additional movement as part of a charge, in which case it will charge 110 ft., 50 of which is flying movement.

Supreme Darkvision: A shadowscythe golem has darkvision out to 120 ft and it can see perfectly in all kinds of magical darkness. In addition, in shadowy or worse concealment, no creature can benefit from the Hide skill against the golem.

Uninteresting: Due to its affinity with shadow, anyone who meets the gaze of a shadowscythe golem will have to succeed on a DC 16 Will save or simply ignore the golem, essentially rendering the golem immune to any senses. This ability is not usable in combat and as soon as the golem does anything threatening, it can be seen and heard as normal. A shadowscythe golem gets +1 to the save DC for every shadowscythe golem adjacent to it, to a maximum of +4 when accompanied by four of its kind. This is a mind-affecting ability.

[Bayar]

Can a person with craft construct feat make one ?

[Abbott]

Yes, but it requires that one can make use of shadowcaster mysteries (so either you have to be a shadowcaster or a warlock). I'm not sure, however, what would be good prereqs.

[Fan]

Hows about a shadow craft illusionist meeting these pre reqs?
Fits with fluff decently, and well ti has SHADOW in the name.
Its also a high level (7th minimum.) prc, so it will still be diffficult to get.
Pre reqs:
Major creation
Shadow Conjuration
and CL 12th.

[Abbott]

Well, as the setting is homebrewed and there are no illusionists, no. However, in any other setting, I think anyone with animate dead, summon monster (level required for a shadow elemental), disguise self and deeper darkness should get to create one.

[RS14]

Disengage should probably force opponents to make a balance check or be unbalanced. I'm thinking 15+HD/2+Str=DC 22.
I feel like Uninteresting should interact differently with mindless foes. Either they're unaffected (it's a mind-affecting ability) or they don't see it at all (mindless creatures fail automatically).

[Abbott]

I like both your ideas. The Balance check seems about right, I thought of making it a Reflex save but that would make the ability too weak. As for mindless foes, they're immune to it. Anything immune to mind-affecting is, just forgot to write that.

[Abbott]

Should I take the abscence of cricitism to mean that it is balanced?

[RS14]

Should I take the abscence of cricitism to mean that it is balanced?

Yes, I think it probably is. CR is spot-on by Fax's guidelines. It's nasty if it deals a crit, but a front-liner should be able to take it. Between flight and Uninteresting, it looks like it'll be a very dangerous assassin, but that's balanced by its stupidity.

Also, I thought about Disengage a bit more. It seems... inelegant to create a new status effect. Making the target flat-footed on a failure is just a little bit stronger, and is the default status of a balancing character.

Also, I think the Hit-Dice should read "7d10+20 (58 hp)".

[Abbott]

Actually, I don't think it's a new condition. The ability could just as well read
"Disengage: If a shadowscythe golem successfully hits an opponent, it may choose to forgo damaging him and instead cause him to be unable to perform attacks of opportuinity against the golem until the end of the golem’s turn unless he succeeds at a DC 22 Balance check."
I just thought the other way looked more elegant. However, flat-footed is probably better. Would it be overpowered if I let last until the opponents turn? I just love the idea of a shadowscythe charging in, getting an opponent to be flatfooted, then charging past him towards the squishy wizard. As the opponent tries to regain his footing, suddenly the golem's two colleagues show up and proceed to rip the unfortunate guy who's in the way to pieces.

What I wanted to do with the hit points was the make sure it had 3 per hit die so it would be easy to advance him. But perhaps it's better to standardise instead.

Also, yeah, they're stupid. Maggots in your brain tends to do that to you. They're still more cunning than what my pc's might like though...