Cleon
Legend
Animated Object, Animated Catapult
Huge construct, unaligned
Armor Class 18 (natural armor)
Hit Points 110 (17d12)
Speed 25 ft.
Saving Throws STR +9, CON +9
Skills Perception +2
Damage Immunities poison, psychic
Condition Immunities blinded, charmed, deafened, frightened, paralyzed, petrified, poisoned
Senses blindsight 60 ft., passive Perception 12
Languages —
Challenge 5 (1,800 XP) Proficiency Bonus +3
Antimagic Susceptibility. The animated catapult is incapacitated while in the area of an antimagic field. If targeted by dispel magic, the catapult must succeed on a Constitution saving throw against the caster's spell save DC or fall unconscious for 1 minute.
False Appearance. While the animated catapult remains motionless, it is indistinguishable from a normal object.
Ramming Charge. If the animated catapult moves at least 20 feet straight toward a target and then hits it with a gore attack on the same turn, the gore deals an extra 11 (2d10) piercing damage. If the target is a creature, it must succeed on a DC 17 Strength saving throw or be knocked prone.
Targeting. If the animated catapult takes one or more actions to aim at a target then uses its next action to make a mangonel stone attack against the same target, the stone has a range of 150/600 if it aimed for one action, or 200/800 if it aimed for two or more actions.
Actions
Multiattack. The animated catapult makes two slam attacks.
Gore. Melee Weapon Attack: +8 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 17 (2d10 + 6) piercing damage.
Slam. Melee Weapon Attack: +8 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 13 (2d6 + 6) bludgeoning damage.
Mangonel Stone. Ranged Weapon Attack: +8 to hit, range 100/400 ft., one target. Hit: 28 (4d10 + 6) bludgeoning damage.
Description
Also called a walking mangonel or living trebuchet, an animated catapult is a massive construct of thick timbers and metal plating that looks like an elephant-sized crab or beetle combined with a siege engine. This creature is primarily designed for hurling stones using a mangonel built into its spine, it also has a metal beak or ram for destroying obstacles in front of it. An animated catapult typically has between six and ten legs, but rare models have four legs or a dozen or more. These legs are always short and extremely sturdy, designed for stability rather than speed, with enormously wide feet to help the creature walk on soft ground without sinking or getting stuck.
The catapult also has two arms for loading its mangonel with stones from a bin on its back; these limbs fold into its flanks below the bin when not in use. Animated catapults only need one arm to load their mangonels at full speed, although if one loses an arm this halves the rate it can perform some other tasks, such as refilling its bin with stones. A few animated catapults are able to carve boulders into mangonel stones with their beaks and arms, but most cannot manufacture ammunition like this.
Instead of being a creature created by animate objects or similar magic, an animated catapult may be a normal construct that does not require the Antimagic Susceptibility trait.
Weapons of War. Living trebuchets and walking mangonels are purely military creations. Constructing one is an expensive process that is likely to attract suspicion or hostility from authorities and neighbours. While they can fight well with their hands, feet and beak, frugal commanders often avoid sending these costly constructs into melee. Animated catapults are most effective at distance, attacking from outside the range of their foes' missiles and spells where they can't be harmed by counterfire. Some animated catapults never get within spearthrow of an enemy and only ever use their beaks for mundane labour (clearing ground, digging trenches, carving mangonel stones, et cetera).
Seeing Machine. Unlike a standard animated object, an animated catapult can see using enchanted glass discs set deep in metal sockets. The construct usually has more than two of these "eyes", strategically placed around its body to offer a wide field of view, much like the eye placement of some spiders. Its most important optics are binocular- or telescope-like devices atop its front face that spot targets for the mangonel. A walking catapult's eyes are hard to spot; the glass discs are tiny compared to its huge and complex body, most are no bigger than a human's eyes.
(Original monster designed by Cleon on the Creature Catalog General Monsters forum.)
Huge construct, unaligned
Armor Class 18 (natural armor)
Hit Points 110 (17d12)
Speed 25 ft.
STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
22 (+6) | 10 (+0) | 10 (+0) | 1 (–5) | 3 (–4) | 1 (–5) |
Saving Throws STR +9, CON +9
Skills Perception +2
Damage Immunities poison, psychic
Condition Immunities blinded, charmed, deafened, frightened, paralyzed, petrified, poisoned
Senses blindsight 60 ft., passive Perception 12
Languages —
Challenge 5 (1,800 XP) Proficiency Bonus +3
Antimagic Susceptibility. The animated catapult is incapacitated while in the area of an antimagic field. If targeted by dispel magic, the catapult must succeed on a Constitution saving throw against the caster's spell save DC or fall unconscious for 1 minute.
False Appearance. While the animated catapult remains motionless, it is indistinguishable from a normal object.
Ramming Charge. If the animated catapult moves at least 20 feet straight toward a target and then hits it with a gore attack on the same turn, the gore deals an extra 11 (2d10) piercing damage. If the target is a creature, it must succeed on a DC 17 Strength saving throw or be knocked prone.
Targeting. If the animated catapult takes one or more actions to aim at a target then uses its next action to make a mangonel stone attack against the same target, the stone has a range of 150/600 if it aimed for one action, or 200/800 if it aimed for two or more actions.
Actions
Multiattack. The animated catapult makes two slam attacks.
Gore. Melee Weapon Attack: +8 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 17 (2d10 + 6) piercing damage.
Slam. Melee Weapon Attack: +8 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 13 (2d6 + 6) bludgeoning damage.
Mangonel Stone. Ranged Weapon Attack: +8 to hit, range 100/400 ft., one target. Hit: 28 (4d10 + 6) bludgeoning damage.
Description
Also called a walking mangonel or living trebuchet, an animated catapult is a massive construct of thick timbers and metal plating that looks like an elephant-sized crab or beetle combined with a siege engine. This creature is primarily designed for hurling stones using a mangonel built into its spine, it also has a metal beak or ram for destroying obstacles in front of it. An animated catapult typically has between six and ten legs, but rare models have four legs or a dozen or more. These legs are always short and extremely sturdy, designed for stability rather than speed, with enormously wide feet to help the creature walk on soft ground without sinking or getting stuck.
The catapult also has two arms for loading its mangonel with stones from a bin on its back; these limbs fold into its flanks below the bin when not in use. Animated catapults only need one arm to load their mangonels at full speed, although if one loses an arm this halves the rate it can perform some other tasks, such as refilling its bin with stones. A few animated catapults are able to carve boulders into mangonel stones with their beaks and arms, but most cannot manufacture ammunition like this.
Instead of being a creature created by animate objects or similar magic, an animated catapult may be a normal construct that does not require the Antimagic Susceptibility trait.
Weapons of War. Living trebuchets and walking mangonels are purely military creations. Constructing one is an expensive process that is likely to attract suspicion or hostility from authorities and neighbours. While they can fight well with their hands, feet and beak, frugal commanders often avoid sending these costly constructs into melee. Animated catapults are most effective at distance, attacking from outside the range of their foes' missiles and spells where they can't be harmed by counterfire. Some animated catapults never get within spearthrow of an enemy and only ever use their beaks for mundane labour (clearing ground, digging trenches, carving mangonel stones, et cetera).
Seeing Machine. Unlike a standard animated object, an animated catapult can see using enchanted glass discs set deep in metal sockets. The construct usually has more than two of these "eyes", strategically placed around its body to offer a wide field of view, much like the eye placement of some spiders. Its most important optics are binocular- or telescope-like devices atop its front face that spot targets for the mangonel. A walking catapult's eyes are hard to spot; the glass discs are tiny compared to its huge and complex body, most are no bigger than a human's eyes.
(Original monster designed by Cleon on the Creature Catalog General Monsters forum.)
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