Converting Creatures from Other Campaign Settings

[freyar]

How about this? I'm not sure about the full round part or if there should be a way to "rescue" an item if we keep that line. Note a couple of question marks; I think the save makes the most sense as Con-based, but I don't know if that's a good enough DC. Maybe it is after all.

Enchanted Flight (Su?): A furnace golem may consume a magic item by placing the item in its mouth as a move-equivalent action, destroying the item if it fails a DC X Fort? save. Consuming the item takes one full round, although the furnace golem can still act as usual. Once the item is completely destroyed, the release of magical energy grants the furnace golem magical flight as the spell overland flight at the caster level of the magic item.

Items that succeed at their save are ejected from the golem's mouth, landing in a random square adjacent to the golem. This ability cannot destroy magical artifacts. The save DC is Constitution-based.

 

[Shade]

Reworking a bit...

Consumptive Flight (Su): As a move-equivalent action that (does/does not) provoke attacks of opportunity, a furnace golem may place an unattended magic item in its mouth. Consuming the item takes one full round, although the furnace golem can still act as usual. The item must succeed on a DC X Fortitude save or be destroyed. Items that succeed at their save are ejected from the golem's mouth, landing in a random square adjacent to the golem. This ability cannot destroy magical artifacts. The save DC is Constitution-based.

Once the item is completely destroyed, the release of magical energy grants the furnace golem magical flight as the spell overland flight at the caster level of the magic item.

 

[Cleon]

I'm not sure I like the XP bookkeeping, seems a bit fiddly to track. How about an hour of flight per caster level or something?

Problem with that is it means a CL9 scroll of erase (225gp) or wand of magic missile (3750 gp) would power the golem as long as CL9 boots of teleportation (49,000 gp).

We really need the duration to vary with the gp or xp value of the magic item.

1 hour per CL also seems a bit short. A fully charged staff of overland flight would cost 33,400 gp - twice its creation cost of 16,875 gold pieces (375*9*5) - and allow for 50 uses of the spell at CL 9, for 450 hours in total - or 18 3/4 days straight!

Maybe make it 1 hour per 100 gold pieces of magic item value?

 

[Shade]

We really need the duration to vary with the gp or xp value of the magic item.

Why, exactly? It's not an incredibly powerful ability. The destruction of the magic item is far worse than the fact that the golem can fly.

If it were a PC racial ability, I could see a problem. But as an ability of a construct (even one PCs could conceivably create), I don't see it as problematic. It'll probably still cost more than a flying carpet or other item that grants flight.

 

[Cleon]

Why, exactly? It's not an incredibly powerful ability. The destruction of the magic item is far worse than the fact that the golem can fly.

If it were a PC racial ability, I could see a problem. But as an ability of a construct (even one PCs could conceivably create), I don't see it as problematic. It'll probably still cost more than a flying carpet or other item that grants flight.

It just sits ill with me making its duration so disconnected to the expended value.

And it is potentially a lot cheaper if the golem can consume a 1st level spell scroll with a CL of 9th to get 9 hours of flight. That's 25gp per hour, while a scroll of overland flight costs 125 gp per hour (since the spell is duration = CL).

Why, if it starts eating cantrip-level items it could use overland flight at 12.5 gp per hour under a "CL" scheme.

An hour's flight per 100gp value seems a reasonable compromise to me.

 

[freyar]

gp value seems like the worst option from a game-world perspective if you ask me (but maybe you aren't! ). I think what we want is something that represents magical power in game-world terms, since this ability shouldn't care about the economic value of a sword vs scroll or whatever. That's either going to be XP to create or caster level. I could see some set value of XP for an hour of flight, but that just seems fiddly (and gp seems fiddly, too), which is why I suggested CL. In any case, I also think Shade's right that the value-to-time issue isn't a big deal from a gamist perspective either: the item will be destroyed and then the golem is likely to be destroyed before getting to fly very far anyway!

 

[Shade]

Indeed. It looks like this is another one worthy of a Cleon Special Edition (TM).

Moving on...

Because of its size and strength, a furnace golem may crush and batter furniture, walls, carts, fences, buildings, etc. A blow from this golem’s fist is as effective against structures as a ram with a + 1 bonus, as given on Table 52 in the 2nd Edition Dungeon Masters Guide, page 76. The golem is equally effective if it can grasp the object and exert force against it, tearing it apart or crushing it. In any situation, consider the golem’s mass and strength when lifting, throwing, resisting, or breaking objects.

Allow it to bypass the first few points of hardness? Or perhaps deal double damage against objects (like a treant)?

The creator of a furnace golem may hold a conversation with it, learning what the golem has seen and heard recently (these being its only two senses). The golem can even offer minor speculations on events of which it is aware. Such conversation is not profound and lacks imagination, but the golem never lies and always tries to use logic. It may even converse with others who encounter it, though this does not hamper its attacks if such seem warranted. Furnace golems can carry out fairly complex instructions as could normal, willing human servants of good intelligence. They never rebel against their masters.

Skills: 69
Max out Listen and Spot? Climb and/or Sense Motive for the remainder?

Feats: 7
Power Attack seems a no-brainer. Improved Sunder seems a good fit, per the "crush and batter" above.

 

[freyar]

I just get a double damage vibe from that.

Those 4 skills with Climb 12, Sense Motive 11 sound ok.

Power Attack, Improved Sunder, Improved Bull Rush, Awesome Blow, Cleave, Great Cleave, ?

 

[Cleon]

Allow it to bypass the first few points of hardness? Or perhaps deal double damage against objects (like a treant)?

I like the Treant solution.

Skills: 69
Max out Listen and Spot? Climb and/or Sense Motive for the remainder?

Rather than Sense Motive I'd put the excess points in Craft (armorsmith) and/or Craft (weaponsmith) since it's supposed to work in the Forge.

Power Attack, Improved Sunder, Improved Bull Rush, Awesome Blow, Cleave, Great Cleave, ?

That looks OK to me. Maybe Stand Still for the remaining feat?

 

[freyar]

I can go with the Craft skills, sure.

Stand Still is always good (and underused!).