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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Faolyn" data-source="post: 9439164" data-attributes="member: 6915329">One more guardian from this article, and this one is on the weird side because it’s the puzzle guardian. It’s a group of eight bitty stone guardians that form one great big (well, Large) guardian--and then two of those larger ones can form an elite Huge guardian. This seems like a job for the squad template![ATTACH=full]377161[/ATTACH]Puzzle GuardianThe Bestiary, Dragon Magazine #302Creature by Eric Cagle; art by Marc SassoPuzzle guardians are actually conglomerate constructs, each formed out of eight separate pieces. Each piece is carved from a single block of hard stone, and carefully formed to fit with one another, like a complex, three-dimensional jigsaw puzzle. Individual pieces are small, only a few feet tall, but are capable fighters and protectors. However, as a group, they form a single, towering construct. They are frequently used as bodyguards, since they are nearly as strong as stone guardians and their ability to form large bodies and then split again into many smaller bodies gives them an edge that most guardians lack.Creators often decorate their puzzle guardians so that they form a single image when in completed form. Single-piece puzzle guardians will not willingly move more than 50 feet from each other, and prefer to be much closer together.Rebuild. As long as one single-piece puzzle guardian remains at 1 hit point or more, it can rebuild its completed puzzle form. It must use pieces of rubble the other single-piece puzzle guardians, along with other pieces of stone to fill in the missing pieces. The process of rebuilding itself takes one day per single-piece guardian it must make. It can’t create “backup” puzzle pieces or a new complete puzzle guardian; it can only replace the pieces they’re missing.Single-Piece Puzzle GuardianSmall construct; Challenge 1 (200 XP)AC 17 (natural armor)HP 34 (4d6+20; bloodied 17)Speed 30 ft.STR 18 (+4) DEX 14 (+2) CON 20 (+5)INT 3 (-4) WIS 12 (+1) CHA 1 (-5)Proficiency +2; Maneuver DC 14Damage Immunities Poison, psychic; damage from nonmagical, non-adamantine weaponsCondition Immunities charmed, fatigue, frightened, paralyzed, petrified, poisonedSenses darkvision 120 ft., passive Perception 11Languages understands the languages of its creator but can’t speakImmutable Form. The guardian is immune to any effect that would alter its form.Magic Resistance. The guardian has advantage on saving throws against spells and magical effects.Pack Tactics. The guardian has advantage on attack rolls against a creature if at least one other single-piece puzzle guardian is within 5 feet of the creature and not incapacitated.ActionsMultiattack. The guardian makes two slam attacks.Slam. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 8 (1d8+4) bludgeoning damageBonus ActionsMerge (Recharges After a Short or Long Rest). If the guardian is within 10 feet of at least four other single-piece puzzle guardians, it can merge into a completed puzzle guardian, which has full hit points.Completed Puzzle GuardianLarge squad of Small constructs; Challenge 10 (5,900 XP)AC 17 (natural armor)HP 170 (20d6+100; bloodied 85)Speed 30 ft.STR 18 (+4) DEX 14 (+2) CON 20 (+5)INT 3 (-4) WIS 12 (+1) CHA 1 (-5)Proficiency +4; Maneuver DC 16Damage Immunities Poison, psychic; damage from nonmagical, non-adamantine weaponsCondition Immunities charmed, fatigue, frightened, paralyzed, petrified, poisonedSenses darkvision 120 ft., passive Perception 11Languages understands the languages of its creator but can’t speakArea Vulnerability. The completed puzzle golem takes double damage from any effect that targets an area.Immutable Form. The guardian is immune to any effect that would alter its form.Magic Resistance. The guardian has advantage on saving throws against spells and magical effects.Squad. The guardian is composed of 5 or more single-piece puzzle guardians. If it is subjected to a spell, attack, or other effect that affects only one target, it takes any damage but ignores other effects. Because the single-piece puzzle guardians are stacked on top of and clinging to one another, it can’t share its space with other creatures or move through an opening large enough for a Small creature without squeezing.ActionsMultiattack. The guardian makes two slam attacks.Slam. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 22 (5d8+4) bludgeoning damage, or half damage if the squad is bloodied.Shoving Blow (Recharge 6). Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., all creatures within 5 feet. Hit: 22 (5d8+4) bludgeoning damage, or half damage if the squad is bloodied, and if the target is a Medium or smaller creature and the guardian is not bloodied, the target must make a DC 16 Strength saving throw. On a failure, it is pushed 10 feet away from the guardian.Bonus ActionsSplit (Recharges After a Short or Long Rest). The guardian can split into eight single-piece puzzle guardians, each of which has full hit points.Variant: Impossible Puzzle GuardianMost puzzle guardians consist of eight single-piece puzzle guardians, but a few are more complicated than that. Called impossible guardians, after similar overly-complicated and almost impossible to solve jigsaw puzzles, they consist of a single, tremendous completed puzzle guardian, which can split into eight complete puzzle guardians, each of which can split into eight single-piece puzzle guardians.The impossible puzzle guardian is an elite monster, equivalent to two CR 10 creatures (11,800 XP). It has 340 (40d6+200; bloodied 170) hit points, is Huge, and has the following trait:Elite Recovery. At the end of each of its turns while bloodied, the puzzle guardian can end one condition or effect on itself. It can do this even when unconscious or incapacitated.The guardian has the following bonus actions, which replaces Split:Merge (Recharges After a Short or Long Rest). If a completed puzzle guardian is within 10 feet of at one other completed puzzle guardian, it can merge into an impossible puzzle guardian, which has full hit points.Split (Recharges After a Short or Long Rest). The guardian can split into two complete puzzle guardians.</blockquote>

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