A little less than the half golem.

[Rhewtani]

I have an upcoming campaign where I did something different. I created 12 half-brother concepts for the players to choose from. I did most of the work thinking about concepts and not necesarily mechanics.

So, one of the concepts is a man ruined and ravaged by a horrible battle. The end result is scaring and granted arms from a stone golem.

However, the half-golem template has no Level Adjustment. Whatever its is, it's going to be insane.

A half stone golem will end up with:
+9 natural armor
special attack that causes slow effect in nearby creatures
DR 15/+1
+10 str, -2 dex, +4 con, -6 int, +0 wis, -6 cha
Magici immunity except for rock to mud that causes slow.
+2 fort saves

I want to synthesize something radically reduced from that. I need the LA to be +2.

How close is this?

+4 natural armor
DR 5/magic
+4 str, -2 dex, +2 con, -2 int, -4 wis, -2 cha
SR 11+class levels
+2 fort saves

 

[Bryon_Soulweaver]

If its just the arms, why nevative mental stats?

 

[Rhewtani]

You are the some of your parts ... not that losing an arm makes you less of a man, but linking your mind to false limbs weakens your soul.

I wouldn't mind lessening the penalty in some way: the drow race is +2 LA and nets at +4 to physical stats, so I could go int +0, wis -2, cha -2.

 

[Ferret]

Yeah, in much the same way that in books/movies/whateva people that get turned into other things slowly forget things like loved ones names and stuff. It isn't that you have golem arms, now you are a little bit more golem and a bit less you.

 

[GreatLemur]

Not only are the metal ability penalties kind of nonsensical, but I'm not sure if the bonuses to Strength and Constitution really make a lot of sense. Sure, the arms themselves are hugely powerful, but if the rest of the character's body is still human, he can't really use that strength. For that matter, stone arms would likely be so heavy that they'd fall off his damned shoulders. His skeleton, at the very least, would have to be made a hell of a lot stronger in order for this whole setup to work.

If skeletal enhancement isn't an option, I'd rather have my golem limbs made out of something more reasonable, like wood or clay (possibly studded or reinforced with a little bit of steel).

 

[Rhewtani]

Any mechanics based insight?

 

[Land Outcast]

I'd go with:

+4 natural armor
DR 5/magic
+4 str, -2 dex, -2 wis, -2 cha
SR 10+class levels
+2 fort saves

(If the LA needed to be +1 I think this would be in order:
+2 natural armor
DR 5/magic
+4 str, -2 dex, -2 wis, -2 cha
SR 8+class levels
.)

 

[Primitive Screwhead]

Just the Arms?

Not going into the whole 'realism' piece about skeletal structure.. hey, its magic, right?

How about
+4 natural armor
DR 5/magic
+4 str, -2 dex, +2 wis -4 cha
SR 10+class levels
+2 fort saves
Slam Attack

My thoughts on the stats:
Str, there will be some inherent skeletal structure upgrade somehow
Dex, stronger = slower
Wis, After surviving the maiming and horrors of war, he should be stronger mentally
Chr, ugly factor plus sliding into the construct syndrome of 'weak flesh' plus wanting to hide from his past

.. I am not that good with the LA balancing, but this seems more inline with the character concept.

 

[Horizon]

Heh, if it were me it would just be a +2 STR, if you don't worry about ECL (this of itself might be +1 LA);

If he really needs to be up to scratch with the other half-brothers you might consider some of the following.
Bonuses:
- Give him an interesting feat like Improved Grapple or Improved Unarmed Strike (which would fit well with his arms being stone. Even if he provokes an AoO, his arms can take it);
- Give him a shield bonus to AC if he's fighting One-Handed (he uses his other arm as a shield);
- Increase his base Unarmed Damage by 1 size-class;

Penalties:
- Give him an armor check penalty because of his heavy and rigid arms;
- Generally limit anything involving finer manipulation, even handling a bow is damn difficult if your fingers are as thick as a human's wrist;

This may not be what you're looking for, but I really don't see the point in all these insane bonuses to stats and then +AC and spell resistance etc. Then again, although I like high-powered games, I like them to be about high-powered humanoids, in the regular humanoid range.

 

[Nifft]

LA +1:

Str +2
NA +2
Gain slam attacks as primary natural attack routine (1d6+Str/1d6+Str)
DR 1/-- (or DR 2/adamantine -- much more golemy than DR x/magic!)
Fort +2
Slow Slam 1/day


LA +2:

Str +4, Con +2
NA +4
Gain slam attacks as primary natural attack routine (1d8+Str/1d8+Str)
DR 2/-- (or DR 4/adamantine)
Fort +2, Will +2
Slow Slam 3/day


Slow Slam (Su): As a standard action you may make a mighty magical strike, which (if it hits) deals 2d6 + 1.5 x Str damage. Additionally, your target must succeed on a Will save (DC 10 + 1/2 your HD + Con bonus) or be slowed (as the spell) for 2d6 rounds.

-- N