Special Conversion Thread: Sheens

[freyar]

Not quite like a shocker lizard, is it?

I don't know about healing from electricity. Maybe. This is more like nourishment, since it goes along with the whole inertness/recharging deal. The closest SQs we had recently were the mold wyrms resting state and the beljuril dragon, I think.

 

[demiurge1138]

I think it feeds on electricity, not heals from it. As such, electric attacks shouldn't have any harmful effect on it, and we should strip electricity from the defensive field.

Should it be a swift or standard action to charge up?

 

[freyar]

Well, at the cyst, maybe it should take an hour or something to charge up for a month. But if they're just absorbing from a spell, maybe a readied standard action to get a few hour's charge? Like a rod of absorption. We did something similar for the ghazneths a bit back.

 

[Shade]

So...

Immunity to electricity?

Electrical Discharge (Su): Three times per day, a walker can release stored energy as a powerful electrical shock. Its next successful slam attack deals an additional 2d4 points of electricity damage. Alternatively, if an attacker strikes the walker with a metallic weapon while the walker contains an excess charge in its carapace, the foe takes 2d4 points of electricity damage. This uses one daily usage of the electrical discharge.

As for the energy storing, I'm not sure I like using a readied action. I think the "hour of inactivity" idea might work best. Thoughts?

 

[freyar]

Discharge looks good.

I think there are 2 issues with the recharge. First is how long it takes to recharge at the machine cyst for a month's worth of activity. The other issue is that sheenchasers have used magic spells to keep the walkers going a little. I like the hour inactivity at the cyst for the first one, and I was proposing the readied action to absorb electricity from an attack. I do generally like immunity to electricity.

 

[Shade]

Hmmm...it's the need to ready an action that's bothering me. I envision them (possibly incorrectly) getting a charge out of (pun intended) any electrical attack that targets them. Is that too powerful?

 

[demiurge1138]

I'm alright with them naturally charging from an electrical attack without the need to ready an action.

 

[freyar]

That's fine by me. I just wasn't sure from the original text whether the charging had to be a careful process or not.

 

[Shade]

Here's a rough draft at this ability...

Electrically Charged (Ex): Walkers are powered by electricity. A walker normally carries enough charge to function for up to one month. After this time, the walker becomes inert until recharged. Walkers generally return to their cysts before this time elapses.

Within a cyst, a walker may fully recharge after one hour of inactivity. Alternatively, a walker can recharge "in the field" if exposed to an attack that deals electricity damage. Any such attack directed at a walker recharges some of the walker's power. This refreshes one of its expended daily uses of its electrical discharge ability (but cannot allow it to exceed its normal maximum of 3 daily uses).


Hmmm....I'm wondering if it would be simpler to just have the walker carry 30 days of charge, and each hp of damage dealt by its discharge removes an equal number of days, while electricty damage targeted at it charges it by 1 day per point of damage dealt?

 

[demiurge1138]

I don't like it being an hp thing. Each time it uses its electrical discharge reduces its charge by a day, regardless of how much hp in damage it deals.