Converting "generic setting" Second Edition monsters
- Thread starter Shade
- Start date
Cleon
Legend
It was in "A sand warrior can be summoned using the spell summon sand warriors (see below)", but that summon sand warrior seems to have gone the way of the Dodo.
Shade
Monster Junkie
Just beyond the door stands the Clockwork Warrior, a giant black-iron construct with dwarf-like proportions that is broad enough so none can pass into the tunnel beyond. It hums with the sound of gears turning. Its ornate armor plating is scored with weapon damage and stained with what could only be dried blood. Inscribed across its chest (in partially effaced dwarven runes) is "Guardian of the Highforge Pick-Axe" -- proof that the party is on the right track.
Clockwork Warrior: AC 3; MV 4 (or less; see below); HD 16; hp 70; THAC0 5; #AT 1; Dmg 30 points (punch); SA + 1 attack bonus; SD recharge to full power, immune to charm, sleep, hold, poison, paralyzation, illusions, and spells that affect only organic beings, immune to nonmagical weapons, repaired by fire (see below), edged weapons used against it have cumulative 10% chance per strike of breaking; SW loses energy when detached from power source (see below), retreats momentarily from electrical attacks; SZ L (10' tall); ML fearless (20); AL N; XP 11,000. Str 23, Int 4 (actually mindless but programmed to operate as if semi-intelligent).
Creaking and whirring, the Clockwork Warrior takes a step toward the PCs and extends one finger. If they look closely, they see a keyhole set into the fingertip. If the Keeper's key is inserted into the keyhole, the Warrior steps aside. A PC who attempts to pick the lock suffers a -30% penalty to his or her Open Locks roll and has only three rounds to complete the task before the golem attacks, striking out against whoever is nearest. Any attack immediately provokes the golem to attack in response.
When it attacks, the Clockwork Warrior moves toward the nearest aggressor and punches. The second step it takes severs it from its winding sprocket in the floor, which goes on spinning free until the golem returns to power up again. Only magical weapons can damage this sprocket; it absorbs 30 damage before breaking. The creature must periodically return to its power source or lose power, eventually becoming immobile and unable to fight. After one turn its movement drops to three, then two, and so on. Its attack damage also drops 1d1O per turn during combat, but only if it attacked the previous turn (it won't waste energy swinging at empty air).
The Clockwork Warrior breaks off its attack if necessary to concentrate on anyone who tries to sneak past into the tunnel beyond. For purposes of smashing or lifting things, its strength is 23, and it gains a +1 attack bonus because of its long reach and the close quarters. Engaging the drive sprocket with the transmission hole in either of its feet completely recharges the creature in one round. It never runs down if allowed to fight while "plugged in."
The Clockwork Warrior is immune to all magic that affects organic beings and cannot be influenced in any way. Because of its heavy iron plating, it can only be damaged by weapons of +1 or better magical bonus, and each blow delivered to it by an edged weapon has a cumulative 10% chance of breaking that weapon. Electrical attacks cause the golem to back away from the spellcaster (though it will never leave the mine), but fire attacks repair 1 point of damage for each 8 points inflicted.
If only one nimble PCs attacks and no one tries to sneak past the Clockwork Warrior, it can be lured away from the tunnel entrance and forced to run out of power without grave injury to the party members (let them figure this out themselves!). As long as it is within the Warrior's movement ability to do so during the turn before it would run down, it breaks off all engagements and returns to its drive gear to recharge. The only way to stop it from doing so is to deal it more than 20 points damage during its retreat (which causes it to fight back) or to enter the tunnel it was set to guard (which causes its guardian function to override its self-preservation function). Remember that the PCs will have real trouble getting out past this mountain of metal if it runs down in the tunnel itself.
After any part of the Clockwork Warrior's body (such as an arm, chest region, or so on) receives 10 or more points of damage, the PCs can see that only the outer armor plating is made of iron. Inside, the golem's clockwork of gears, cogs, levers, and so on are fashioned of platinum and gold: The Keeper could imagine no better form for treasure to take than the machine-works he loves, so he has spent the past 60 years or so forging precious metals into components for the machinery the PCs will encounter.
Note: Most devices that operate the traps that await the PCs contain a number of removable gears (a convenient shorthand for treasure); these gears are each worth 8 gp if sold as metal or 80 gp if sold to the right buyer as a specialty item. Disassembling a device requires two minutes per gear, something for the PCs to consider since time is an issue. Hacking a device into easily transported bits reduces its gear-treasure to the lower value. The Clockwork Warrior contains 130 such gears.
---
[Later in the same adventure…]
Small Clockwork Warriors (16): AC 6; Mv 4 (or less); HD 4; hp 25; THAC0 15; #AT 1; Dmg 1d6+3 (pick-axe) or 10 points (punch); SD recharge to full power, immune to charm, sleep, hold, poison, paralyzation, illusions, and spells that affect only organic beings, immune to nonmagical weapons, repaired by fire, edged weapons used against it have cumulative 5% chance per strike of breaking; SW loses energy when detached from power source, retreats momentarily from electrical attacks; SZ M (4' tall); ML fearless (20); AL N; XP 650. Str 21, Int 3 (actually mindless but programmed to operate as if semi-intelligent).
These smaller versions fight as does the Clockwork Warrior but lack its +1 attack bonus and have only half the chance of weapons breaking upon their metallic exterior. It is impossible to distract all of them from returning to their winding sprockets. If they lose their pick-axes, they punch their targets with their steely fists. For purposes of smashing or lifting things, their Strength score is 21. Each golem contains 45 gears.
Originally appeared in TSR Jam (1999).
Clockwork Warrior: AC 3; MV 4 (or less; see below); HD 16; hp 70; THAC0 5; #AT 1; Dmg 30 points (punch); SA + 1 attack bonus; SD recharge to full power, immune to charm, sleep, hold, poison, paralyzation, illusions, and spells that affect only organic beings, immune to nonmagical weapons, repaired by fire (see below), edged weapons used against it have cumulative 10% chance per strike of breaking; SW loses energy when detached from power source (see below), retreats momentarily from electrical attacks; SZ L (10' tall); ML fearless (20); AL N; XP 11,000. Str 23, Int 4 (actually mindless but programmed to operate as if semi-intelligent).
Creaking and whirring, the Clockwork Warrior takes a step toward the PCs and extends one finger. If they look closely, they see a keyhole set into the fingertip. If the Keeper's key is inserted into the keyhole, the Warrior steps aside. A PC who attempts to pick the lock suffers a -30% penalty to his or her Open Locks roll and has only three rounds to complete the task before the golem attacks, striking out against whoever is nearest. Any attack immediately provokes the golem to attack in response.
When it attacks, the Clockwork Warrior moves toward the nearest aggressor and punches. The second step it takes severs it from its winding sprocket in the floor, which goes on spinning free until the golem returns to power up again. Only magical weapons can damage this sprocket; it absorbs 30 damage before breaking. The creature must periodically return to its power source or lose power, eventually becoming immobile and unable to fight. After one turn its movement drops to three, then two, and so on. Its attack damage also drops 1d1O per turn during combat, but only if it attacked the previous turn (it won't waste energy swinging at empty air).
The Clockwork Warrior breaks off its attack if necessary to concentrate on anyone who tries to sneak past into the tunnel beyond. For purposes of smashing or lifting things, its strength is 23, and it gains a +1 attack bonus because of its long reach and the close quarters. Engaging the drive sprocket with the transmission hole in either of its feet completely recharges the creature in one round. It never runs down if allowed to fight while "plugged in."
The Clockwork Warrior is immune to all magic that affects organic beings and cannot be influenced in any way. Because of its heavy iron plating, it can only be damaged by weapons of +1 or better magical bonus, and each blow delivered to it by an edged weapon has a cumulative 10% chance of breaking that weapon. Electrical attacks cause the golem to back away from the spellcaster (though it will never leave the mine), but fire attacks repair 1 point of damage for each 8 points inflicted.
If only one nimble PCs attacks and no one tries to sneak past the Clockwork Warrior, it can be lured away from the tunnel entrance and forced to run out of power without grave injury to the party members (let them figure this out themselves!). As long as it is within the Warrior's movement ability to do so during the turn before it would run down, it breaks off all engagements and returns to its drive gear to recharge. The only way to stop it from doing so is to deal it more than 20 points damage during its retreat (which causes it to fight back) or to enter the tunnel it was set to guard (which causes its guardian function to override its self-preservation function). Remember that the PCs will have real trouble getting out past this mountain of metal if it runs down in the tunnel itself.
After any part of the Clockwork Warrior's body (such as an arm, chest region, or so on) receives 10 or more points of damage, the PCs can see that only the outer armor plating is made of iron. Inside, the golem's clockwork of gears, cogs, levers, and so on are fashioned of platinum and gold: The Keeper could imagine no better form for treasure to take than the machine-works he loves, so he has spent the past 60 years or so forging precious metals into components for the machinery the PCs will encounter.
Note: Most devices that operate the traps that await the PCs contain a number of removable gears (a convenient shorthand for treasure); these gears are each worth 8 gp if sold as metal or 80 gp if sold to the right buyer as a specialty item. Disassembling a device requires two minutes per gear, something for the PCs to consider since time is an issue. Hacking a device into easily transported bits reduces its gear-treasure to the lower value. The Clockwork Warrior contains 130 such gears.
---
[Later in the same adventure…]
Small Clockwork Warriors (16): AC 6; Mv 4 (or less); HD 4; hp 25; THAC0 15; #AT 1; Dmg 1d6+3 (pick-axe) or 10 points (punch); SD recharge to full power, immune to charm, sleep, hold, poison, paralyzation, illusions, and spells that affect only organic beings, immune to nonmagical weapons, repaired by fire, edged weapons used against it have cumulative 5% chance per strike of breaking; SW loses energy when detached from power source, retreats momentarily from electrical attacks; SZ M (4' tall); ML fearless (20); AL N; XP 650. Str 21, Int 3 (actually mindless but programmed to operate as if semi-intelligent).
These smaller versions fight as does the Clockwork Warrior but lack its +1 attack bonus and have only half the chance of weapons breaking upon their metallic exterior. It is impossible to distract all of them from returning to their winding sprockets. If they lose their pick-axes, they punch their targets with their steely fists. For purposes of smashing or lifting things, their Strength score is 21. Each golem contains 45 gears.
Originally appeared in TSR Jam (1999).
Cleon
Legend
I'd go for two different statblocks under the same Name, like a Flamebrother Salamander and a normal Salamander.
Well, I'd think it'd be OK making it Mindless, but not that it can remember long and complicated sets of instructions which may give it a facsimile of intelligence.
Well the big question is does it need skills & feats?
Shade
Monster Junkie
That is the big question. I say we make 'em mindless, and if we reach the point to start tacking on bonus feats or skill bonuses, it might be time to rethink an Int score.
Cleon
Legend
Agreed.
Statwise they look like they are pretty close to Iron Golems, but a bit weaker. They've got the same AC as an AD&D Iron Golem but 10 less HP and 2 less HD. Their "repaired by fire" is weaker.
What's up with the "30 points" damage of their punch? Was it originally 3-30? If it is a fixed damage, that gives them better average damage than an AD&D Iron Golem (22 average from 4d10 damage).
Shade
Monster Junkie
Good question. I don't have the original source material...Echohawk provided it awhile back. I'd suggest we assume "3-30" and work from there.
Cleon
Legend
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