Signature power for animated objects?

[Neubert]

I've just started making a line of animated objects as monsters, but I need a good "racial" power for them all to have (just like all kobolds have "Shifty" and "Trap Sense"). Scratching my head haven't turned up any results, which is why I turn to you.
I plan on having the level of the monsters in the low heroic tier. The power can be either passive or activated.
Any ideas are very welcome.

 

[RangerWickett]

Maybe some ability to reactively turn inert when hit, which halves the damage but knocks them prone?

Maybe they can cause objects to leap out of the hands of people they hit, or force people wearing armor to move because the armor animates momentarily and makes them walk.

Or perhaps they're not animated objects, but rather a spirit that can leap between objects, animating different ones. Any object so animated grows a face that snarls at those it's trying to eat. You could have a list of different objects with different HP based on size, and whenever the object is reduced to 0 hp, the spirit is knocked out of the object, returns to corporeal form, and has to hop to a different object on its next turn. Maybe the only way to kill it is to hit it when it's between bodies.

For optimal fun, include a few medium items it uses at the beginning of the fight, several small items it hops to desperately once bloodied, and then one big scary object for it to occupy last for the climax.

 

[Mythlore]

"Slam Shut" or just a nick name for 'suddenly go rigid' -- "Hardness" is a 3E term I can go with. Imagine it just calls upon a little bit of energy and defends itself a little.

Hardness
Encounter - Immediate Interrupt
Gain resist 5 weapon until end of ~'s next turn. (Small object or smaller.)
Gain resist 10 (medium), or 15 (large).

If you go with the above poltergeist concept, I like the idea of enchanting 4 small items, 2 medium items, and 1 large item. Disenchant the first few items after less hit points, giving it a sense of "small items can't take damage for long" and they're disposable. Small/tiny objects should gain a great bonus to evasion and difficult to damage effectively. Resist 2-3 weapon should be enough. Perhaps using the above power with a recharge when a new item is possessed...

First quarter of hp -- (one surge's value)
one sixteenth = one quarter of 1/4 hp = 1 small item
one sixteenth (again, 1 small item)
one eighth = one half of 1/4 hp = 2 small items, together

Second quarter of hp -- (total minus surge value down to bloodied)
one eighth = one half of 1/4 hp = 1 medium item. Medium objects gain hardness 5.
one eighth (again, 1 medium item)

Third quarter of hp -- (bloodied down to surge value)
Possess two medium objects. Hardness power affects both objects, 5 or 10 at your option. Since we're getting low on hp, and are definitely low, might as well consider 10 to both objects as a 'last resort'.

Final quarter of hp -- (surge/critical value down to 0)
Possess a large object. Large object gains hardness 10 or 15, your choice. 15 is a good way to make it hard to damage for one turn straight -- and negates one attack. Since our spirit's already at critical, why not give it a last breath attack?

I figure giving this, say, 100 hit points as a spirit, call it a lurker, and go by 6, 6, 13, 12, 13, 25, 25... (small, small, 2 small, medium, medium, 2 medium, 1 large).

Also, figure in that this creature uses "hardness" the first time it gets hit in its new form, unless the hit's damage was negligible (2-4 damage when 12-13 hp). Improve damage in each form size, 1d4+1, 1d6+3, 1d8+5. Keep it heroic.

Flying small objects can attack Reflex, optionally. Large object can attack Fortitude optionally. Medium objects can attack Reflex or Fortitude, or just stick to Armor. Think about how it might focus on combatants, then -- small objects attack low Reflexes, large object goes after low fortitude, medium objects go after low Armor...

Let small objects fly-hover. Let medium objects fly 2-3 (hover) or have a base speed. If it's an animated weapon, use its effect instead, add a modifier of choice. I see animated daggers, animated spear, animated polearm... who knows... you could add combat maneuvers to a given spirit...

What are you thinking of doing?

 

[Neubert]

I did consider doing a Poltergeist, but something like your suggestion (although cool!) is quite complex.
I might do a "solo" type monster where an entire room is one big monster, which will have a similar effect.

My idea was to give the GM the possibility of using rooms of animated object (created by that strange wizard who needed guardians, but wasn't powerful enough for golems), or for an area that has magical properties which makes the player's own items come to life.

So far, I have only created an animated torch which hovers in the background and throws fire at the players. Many of the objects will be melee though.
So far I am considering the following for my line of monsters:
Torch, Bookcase, Table, Chair, Rope/Rug (perhaps a coat rack?) and anything else the players might be carrying that could be interesting to animate (I will do weapons, but not encourage that the GM has the players fight against their own weapons bare-handed).

 

[NMcCoy]

Quiescent Defense
(Immediate Interrupt, when hit by a weapon attack, at-will)
The animated object becomes unconscious and gains resist 20 all until the end of its next turn.

 

[Mentat55]

Quiescent Defense
(Immediate Interrupt, when hit by a weapon attack, at-will)
The animated object becomes unconscious and gains resist 20 all until the end of its next turn.

Not sure if I would use the unconscious condition, since a PC would just coup de grace the animated object. Even with resist 20 all, it would get ugly.

Perhaps borrow from the gargoyle's statue ability, or whatever it is called. Or something like "The animated object can take no actions until the end of its next turn, but it gains resist 20 all."

 

[ppaladin123]

I'd probably give them a suicide attack where they launch themselves at an enemy and shatter doing a bunch of damage. This would be fun to use with chairs, plates, vases, etc.

 

[Neubert]

I thought about giving them a on-hit or on-death ability where they shatter, but I ran into a problem with ropes and rugs (and other soft items I may include) which I just can't explain properly (in-game).

 

[Mustrum_Ridcully]

Some ideas.

Hardness (NoAction - Encounter, Recharge if bloodied, stunned or unconcious):
Gain Resist 10 (per tier?) to all damage.

Unassuming: Gains a +10 Bonus to Bluff to appear as an ordinary item
Spring to Life (No Action - Encounter)
At the start of its first turn in an encounter, the animated object can take an extra standard action. It can take this action even if surprised in a surprise round.

 

[Mustrum_Ridcully]

I thought about giving them a on-hit or on-death ability where they shatter, but I ran into a problem with ropes and rugs (and other soft items I may include) which I just can't explain properly (in-game).

Maybe signature abilities aren't actually the way to go, and it's more important to find a power that fits their form rather than their "race"? Their signature is defined by what befits their shape, not their nature.