Converting Creatures from Other Campaign Settings

[Cleon]

I can go for your Special Attacks compromise. I just wouldn't want to repeat the full ability text.

Hmm… upon reflection perhaps we should go back to leaving Stomp, Sweep and Spiritual Equipment as abilities of the template like they are in the current working draft.

It'd spare us having to add modified versions of the special attacks to all four of the base constructs.

I have no objection to an additional construction cost for eligible base constructs, though maybe we should put some text to the effect at the top, too. I'd been thinking this, too, but I went for the easier thing first.

If we do have the special abilities as properties of the template (Stomp, Sweep, Spiritual Equipment et al), then presumably the base construct's construction costs will be for base constructs without those properties and we only have to worry about the additional construction cost for the template once, as it'll affect both standard and non-standard base constructs.

 

[Cleon]

The Guardian Juggernaut Working Draft has been restored to the condition it was in before the September 2016 database crash. I will now add the Wooden Guardian Working Draft that was lost during that event.

 

[Cleon]

Wooden Juggernaut Working Draft

Juggernaut, Wooden
Huge Construct
Hit Dice: 5d10+40 (67 hp)
Initiative: –1
Speed: 40 ft. (8 squares)
Armor Class: 13 (–2 size, –1 Dex, +6 natural), touch 7, flat-footed 13
Base Attack/Grapple: +3/+21
Attack: Slam +11 melee (1d8+10)
Full Attack: 2 slams +11 melee (1d8+10)
Space/Reach: 15 ft./15 ft.
Special Attacks: —
Special Qualities: Construct traits, damage reduction 5/—
Saves: Fort +1, Ref +0, Will –4
Abilities: Str 30, Dex 8, Con —, Int —, Wis 1, Cha 1
Skills: —
Feats: Snatch (B)
Environment: Any
Organization: Solitary
Challenge Rating: 5
Treasure: None
Alignment: Always neutral
Advancement: —
Level Adjustment: —

An enormous statue crudely but sturdily assembled out of wood.

Wooden juggernauts are simple constructs that are the commonest base model used to create guardian juggernauts (see the guardian juggernaut template). Comparatively cheap and easy to manufacture, they may be far weaker than a true golem of the same size, but even relatively poor communities can afford to make them.

A typical wooden juggernaut stands 30 feet tall and weighs about 20,000 pounds.

COMBAT
These mindless constructs are incapable of developing tactics of their own, but fight according to whatever instructions their masters give them.

CONSTRUCTION
A wooden juggernaut is crafted from 25,000 pounds of wood with a materials cost of 500 gp.

Carving and assembling the body requires a DC 13 Craft (carpentry) or DC 13 Craft (woodcarving) check.

CL 7th; Craft Construct, animate objects, spiritual weapon, caster must be at least 7th level; Price 8,000 gp; Cost 4,250 gp + 300 XP.

Enhanced Wooden Juggernauts
Some wooden juggernauts are built with more powerful combat abilities and the capacity to wield spiritual equipment like guardian juggernauts.

Apply the following changes to the basic wooden juggernaut.

Special Attacks: Stomp, sweep
Special Qualities: Spiritual equipment
Advancement: Huge (6-10 HD), Gargantuan (11-15 HD) or Colossal (16-20 HD)
Challenge Rating: 6 (5 when piloted as a guardian juggernaut)

Enhanced wooden juggernauts can be built with more HD and larger sizes than standard wooden juggernauts. See the Construction section for details.

COMBAT
An enhanced juggernaut normally has weapons and armor in its spiritual equipment slots and uses these and its special attacks in combat, fighting in whatever manner it is ordered to.

Spiritual Equipment (Su): See the Guardian Juggernaut template's Special Qualities for a description of this ability.

Stomp (Ex): An enhanced wooden juggernaut can stomp an opponent two or more size categories smaller than itself. This is a special full-round action during which the juggernaut moves up to twice its ground speed and attempts to move into its opponent's space. If the victim fails a DC 22 Reflex save, the opponent takes 4d8+15 bludgeoning damage, following which the juggernaut may either pin or kick the opponent. If the victim succeeds at the Reflex save, the victim takes half damage, the juggernaut's movement ends next to the opponent's space, and the opponent may make an attack of opportunity against the juggernaut. The save DC is Strength-based.

If the juggernaut pins its opponent, the victim automatically takes stomp damage during the next round unless the juggernaut moves off them. If the juggernaut chooses to maintain the pin, treat it as a normal grapple attack. Pinned opponents continue to take stomp damage each round if they don’t escape.

If the juggernaut kicks the opponent, the victim travels 1d6 × 10 feet, and takes 1d6 points of damage per 10 feet traveled plus stomp damage from the kick.

Sweep (Ex): This special attack allows an enhanced wooden juggernaut to sweep its arms* from side to side as a standard action. The sweep affects a half-circle with a radius of the juggernaut's reach, extending from an intersection on the edge of the juggernaut's space in any direction. Creatures within the swept area are affected if they are two or more size categories smaller than the juggernaut. A sweep automatically deals twice the juggernaut's base slam damage (or claw damage, if the juggernaut has no slam attacks) plus 1-1/2 times the juggernaut’s Strength bonus (round down). Affected creatures can attempt Reflex saves to take half damage (the save DC is Strength-based).

*An enhanced wooden juggernaut with a non-standard anatomy can use other limbs, such as wings or a tail, to make a sweep attack.

CONSTRUCTION
An enhanced wooden juggernaut is crafted from 25,000 pounds of wood treated with special paints and oils with a materials cost of 1,000 gp. An enhanced wooden juggernaut with more than 5 Hit Dice can be created, but each additional Hit Die adds 600 gp to the market price. If this increases the size of the creature the price increases by 3,000 gp for a Gargantuan juggernaut and by an additional 5,000 gp for a Colossal one. The higher price includes the cost of the extra materials required to build a larger juggernaut, the total material cost is 2,000 gp for a Gargantuan wooden juggernaut and 4,000 gp for a Colossal one.

Carving and assembling the body requires a DC 15 Craft (carpentry) or DC 15 Craft (woodcarving) check.

CL 9th; Craft Construct, animate objects, righteous might, spiritual weapon, caster must be at least 9th level; Price 15,000 gp; Cost 8,000 gp + 560 XP.

Gargantuan 11 HD Juggernaut: Price 21,600 gp; Cost 11,800 gp + 784 XP.
Colossal 20 HD Juggernaut: Price 32,000 gp; Cost 18,000 gp + 1,120 XP.

 

[freyar]

I think we decided that these are probably about CR 5, like a Huge animated object. Tactics are probably something similar, too, like "Wooden guardian juggernauts fight as instructed by the leader of the clan they protect. They are straightforward combatants, slamming their opponents or possibly throwing smaller foes out of their way."

I feel like we'd set a price for the construction of these, too, but I don't remember precisely what the cost was. Something based on the automatons in the CC, perhaps?

 

[Cleon]

I think we decided that these are probably about CR 5, like a Huge animated object. Tactics are probably something similar, too, like "Wooden guardian juggernauts fight as instructed by the leader of the clan they protect. They are straightforward combatants, slamming their opponents or possibly throwing smaller foes out of their way."

Yes, I vaguely recall we agreed on Challenge Rating 5 but couldn't find an actual post to that effect. Since it sounds like we're agreed on that I'll update the Working Draft accordingly.

I'd like to mull over the tactics a bit. It doesn't seem right to specify a clan leader as their controller.

I feel like we'd set a price for the construction of these, too, but I don't remember precisely what the cost was. Something based on the automatons in the CC, perhaps?

Yes, I vaguely recall us narrowing down the spell prereqs for the standard version.

I think we talked about the Wooden Lady and Wood Press Golems as being examples of similar golems a couple of rungs higher and lower on the power scale, so we ought to aim for a price between those two (which are 30,000 gp [1,000 gp materials] and 2,500 gp [250 gp materials] respectively.

Unfortunately I couldn't remember the details or conclusions.

 

[freyar]

I remember looking at the copper automaton, but I do think we concluded it has a funny price point, though it's a good "in between" for the wooden lady and wooden press golems. A chia golem might not be too far off, either.

 

[Cleon]

I remember looking at the copper automaton, but I do think we concluded it has a funny price point, though it's a good "in between" for the wooden lady and wooden press golems. A chia golem might not be too far off, either.

Hmm… a chia golem has immunity to magic plus special attacks from its component plants so is somewhat nastier.

Hey, I've just noticed something - the Chia Golem's hit points are wrong in the CC.

Its Hit Dice of 8d10+30 should yield 74 hit points, not 54.

Better add a note to that effect in the Corrections to Monsters in the CC thread.

Still, immunity to magic plus thorns/tendrils/venom ought to be worth a fair bit on its construction costs so I think the Wooden Juggernaut ought to be a bit cheaper.

Maybe somewhere around 8,000 to 10,000 gp?

I think the material cost ought to be fairly hefty since it's a Huge construct it'll need a lot of wood to build it. Maybe 1,000 gp like the Wooden Lady?

 

[freyar]

We can go with 8000gp and 1000gp materials if you like. That will work.

Did you have more thoughts on the tactics?

 

[Cleon]

We can go with 8000gp and 1000gp materials if you like. That will work.

Did you have more thoughts on the tactics?

It's a mindless remotely controlled automaton, it doesn't really have tactics of its own.

So maybe…

A juggernaut has no tactics of its own, but moves and fights however its pilot directs it.

An enhanced juggernaut is able to remember and follow instructions like a standard golem. It normally has weapons and armor in its spiritual equipment slots and uses these and its special attacks in combat, fighting in whatever manner it is ordered to.

 

[Cleon]

We can go with 8000gp and 1000gp materials if you like. That will work

It'll need some prerequisites too.

Hmm…

Construction
A wooden juggernaut is crafted from 20,000 pounds of wood with a materials cost of 1000 gp. A wooden juggernaut with more than 5 Hit Dice can be created, but each additional Hit Die adds +??? gp to the market price [(including +??? to the material cost) ?], if this increases the size of the creature the price increases by +XX,000 gp for a Gargantuan juggernaut and +YY,000 gp for a Colossal one.

Carving and assembling the body requires a DC 13 Craft (carpentry) or DC 13 Craft (woodcarving) check.

CL 7th; Craft Construct, animate objects, spiritual weapon, caster must be at least 7th level; Price 8,000 gp; Cost 5,000 gp + 280 XP.

…well it's a start.