Converting Creatures from Other Campaign Settings

[Shade]

Let's start 'em at Large, since the size line places them exactly the same height as an iron golem.

It sounds like they should get improved grab, constrict, rock throwing/rock catching, weapon use (and maybe improvised weapons), and death throes.

 

[freyar]

Sounds right, and let's include improvised weapons, too.

It only has a 2d6 slam, which is less than the 2d10 of the 3e iron golem. I'm not sure if that's hinting about the Str or not. Do we know what damage 2e iron golems did?

 

[Shade]

4d10.

 

[freyar]

Ok, so that suggests this thing is a lot weaker, even though the text seems to imply it's just as strong. I'm inclined to bump to 2d10 like the iron golem. What do you think?

 

[Shade]

That works for me. I"m surprised these things don't deal some sort of fire damage, considering their name...

 

[Cleon]

Let's start 'em at Large, since the size line places them exactly the same height as an iron golem.

It sounds like they should get improved grab, constrict, rock throwing/rock catching, weapon use (and maybe improvised weapons), and death throes.

That all makes sense.

Ok, so that suggests this thing is a lot weaker, even though the text seems to imply it's just as strong. I'm inclined to bump to 2d10 like the iron golem. What do you think?

I'd rather keep it 2d6.

Imagine these things are craft golems with finely articulated gauntlets for hands instead of solid iron mace-fists like a regular iron golem. If we give them 2d10 slams they'd have less reason to wield weapons like the description implies.

Speaking of weapons, shall we give them the ability to wield oversized (Huge) weapons or regular (Large) weapons?

It talks about them wielding tree trunks with Storm Giant strength, so letting them use Huge weapons may be appropriate.

What do you fancy doing about the Spelljamming? Maybe give them overland flight as a Su powered by "burning" a magic item. That mouth full of destructive "magical, molten material"makes me wonder whether they could have a fiery Swallow Whole attack against little enough targets (Tiny? Small?)... that would explain the "furnace golem" name!

 

[freyar]

Your reasoning for 2d6 slam makes sense, but it just seems odd considering that they can constrict.

I can support Huge weapons, but I'm not quite getting Swallow Whole, since I think we'd want to restrict to Tiny (which makes it almost pointless).

Overland flight for spelljamming is a nice simplification.

I could see adding a little fire damage somewhere.

 

[Cleon]

Your reasoning for 2d6 slam makes sense, but it just seems odd considering that they can constrict.

I can support Huge weapons, but I'm not quite getting Swallow Whole, since I think we'd want to restrict to Tiny (which makes it almost pointless).

Overland flight for spelljamming is a nice simplification.

I could see adding a little fire damage somewhere.

I wasn't that serious about the swallow-whole-and-burning thing, it's not like this Furnace Golem is taking the "Moloch approach".

So shall we include a Huge warhammer in the attack line?

As for the Flight & Consume Magic ability, here's a first stab at it. I'm not sure whether the overland flight should operate at the golem's HD, the consumed magic item's CL, or both:

Consume Magic Item (Su): A furnace golem can place a single magic item in its mouth and reduce it to magical, molten material. This releases the magic item's XP to be used by the golem's Enchanted Flight spell-like ability (see below). A furnace golem can only consume one magic item at a time, it can spit out a partially consumed magic item as a standard action.

Some furnace golems have alternative or additional magical powers they can power by consuming a magic item.

Enchanted Flight (Sp): A furnace golem using consume magic item (see above) can cast the spell overland flight on itself at the cost of Y XP from the magic item it is consuming. The effective caster level equals the magic item's CL or the golem's Hit Dice, whichever is higher.

 

[freyar]

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?

 

[Shade]

Agreed. XP bookkeeping is way too fiddly for a straight-up monster. I like the caster level of the item approach.

Added to Homebrews.