Converting Creatures from Other Campaign Settings

[Cleon]

I'd rather do the base constructs before the activation spell, too. So, have a favorite type of juggernaut to do first?

It makes little difference, but I guess we might as well start with the Wooden Juggernaut, since that's the "basic model".

 

[freyar]

Whenever you're ready...

 

[Cleon]

Whenever you're ready...

Slave driver!

While whipping up the following I realized that the Stomp SQ did not list an ability to determine the Reflex DC. I think we'd better make it Strength-based like a Trample attack, so I've updated it with that.

Wooden Juggernaut
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/+16 [?]
Attack: Slam +10 melee (1d8+5) [?]
Full Attack: 2 slams +10 melee (1d8+5) [?]
Space/Reach: 15 ft./15 ft.
Special Attacks: Stomp, sweep
Special Qualities: Construct traits, damage reduction 5/—, spiritual equipment
Saves: Fort +1, Ref +0, Will –4
Abilities: Str 20 [?], Dex 8, Con —, Int —, Wis 1, Cha 1
Skills: —
Feats: Snatch (B) [?]
Environment: Any
Organization: Solitary
Challenge Rating: [?]
Treasure: None
Alignment: Always neutral
Advancement: —
Level Adjustment: —

Description.

Background

Combat
Tactics

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

Stomp (Ex): A wooden guardian 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 17 Reflex save, the opponent takes 4d8+7 [?] 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 a guardian 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).

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

 

[freyar]

Hmmm. The basic stat block seems ok to me. But shouldn't Spiritual Equipment and probably Stomp and Sweep be properties of the template, not the base construct? I could see Stomp and Sweep being construct abilities, actually, but then we should take them out of the template.

 

[Cleon]

Hmmm. The basic stat block seems ok to me. But shouldn't Spiritual Equipment and probably Stomp and Sweep be properties of the template, not the base construct? I could see Stomp and Sweep being construct abilities, actually, but then we should take them out of the template.

Hmm… I guess I was thinking that the special attacks were abilities shared by the base constructs that the template included for convenience.

If the template was used to create an "Iron Golem Guardian Juggernaut", for example, I would assume it would have poison breath as a SA rather than Stomp and Sweep.

Similarly, the Spiritual Equipment also appears to be an aspect of the base construct - it does depend on it being shaped with special slots and so forth.

If I'd thought ahead I'd have realized that meant we needed to modify the standard "retains all the special attacks of the base creature and gains those described below" formula in the SA and SQ lines.

How about:

Special Attacks
A guardian juggernaut retains all the special attacks of the base creature plus all the special attacks of the base construct. Saves have a DC of 10 + 1/2 juggernaut's HD + juggernaut's Cha modifier unless noted otherwise.

All standard types of guardian juggernaut possess the following special attacks. Wicker juggernauts gain the additional special attacks of fiery aura and spell use (see the Wicker Juggernaut entry for details).

*STUFF*

Special Qualities
A guardian juggernaut retains all the special qualities of the base creature plus all the special qualities of the base construct. Saves have a DC of 10 + 1/2 juggernaut's HD + juggernaut's Cha modifier unless noted otherwise.

All standard types of guardian juggernaut possess the following special qualities. Wicker juggernauts gain the additional special quality of fire resistance X.

Spiritual Equipment: STUFF

Damage Reduction: A guardian juggernaut's damage reduction depends on the material it is constructed from (typically DR 3/— for wicker, DR 5/— for winged and wooden, or DR 8/— for stone).

 

[freyar]

See, I was assuming that the Iron Golem Guardian Juggernaut would have Stomp, Sweep, and probably Spiritual Equipment in addition to its usual poison breath. That's just how templates usually work. I can't say I'm particularly a fan of redundancy in writing, either. So I'd rather have the SA/SQ entries in the base constructs only (if only certain types of juggernaut have them) or in the template only (if all the juggernauts will have them). I lean toward letting all Guardian Juggernauts, even the non-standard ones, keep these three abilities, but I could be convinced otherwise. What do you think?

 

[Cleon]

See, I was assuming that the Iron Golem Guardian Juggernaut would have Stomp, Sweep, and probably Spiritual Equipment in addition to its usual poison breath. That's just how templates usually work. I can't say I'm particularly a fan of redundancy in writing, either. So I'd rather have the SA/SQ entries in the base constructs only (if only certain types of juggernaut have them) or in the template only (if all the juggernauts will have them). I lean toward letting all Guardian Juggernauts, even the non-standard ones, keep these three abilities, but I could be convinced otherwise. What do you think?

Well that'd mean the "monster" version of the juggernaut base constructs wouldn't have any of the three special abilities, which seems kind of boring.

 

[freyar]

In that case, how about we take Stomp and Sweep out of the template and give it to the juggernaut base constructs. I'd leave Spiritual Equipment in the template, though, since the base constructs shouldn't be capable of using equipment without the pilot's control. In that case, we can put a note in the animating spell that the spell creates slots in the base construct for the equipment.

 

[Cleon]

In that case, how about we take Stomp and Sweep out of the template and give it to the juggernaut base constructs. I'd leave Spiritual Equipment in the template, though, since the base constructs shouldn't be capable of using equipment without the pilot's control.

I still prefer the "All standard types of guardian juggernaut possess the following special attacks" approach, since we've been including the standard base juggernaut abilities in all the other template entries such as HD, AC and so forth.

If we did go for that approach, I'd prefer to at least mention what special attacks the base models offered. Something along these lines:

Special Attacks
A guardian juggernaut retains all the special attacks of the base creature plus all the special attacks of the base construct. Saves have a DC of 10 + 1/2 juggernaut's HD + juggernaut's Cha modifier unless noted otherwise.

All standard types of guardian juggernaut possess the Stomp and Sweep special attacks, with wicker juggernauts gaining the additional special attacks of fiery aura and spell use (see the individual Base Juggernaut entries for details).

In that case, we can put a note in the animating spell that the spell creates slots in the base construct for the equipment.

My thinking was that a "Guardian Juggernaut" version of, say, an iron golem was a permanent construct that had an additional construction cost to represent the crafting of spiritual equipment slots plus the additional enchantments making it suitable for becoming a juggernaut.

It wasn't simply a matter of casting a spell on a standard construct.

 

[freyar]

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

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.