Paging Echohawk...

[Echohawk]

At long last, here is most of the sidhe entry from "Tall Tales of the Wee Folk". I've omitted the two tables, but will type them in if they seem pertinent to the conversion.

Sidhe

The word "sidhe," pronounced "shee," is in fact a general term for a fairy, so technically it could be correctly used to describe any of the other fairy races. But in this supplement we mean it in a more specific sense, excluding the other fairy races; though, as will be seen, it still applies to a very diverse group. In a sense, the sidhe are the "generic" fairies of legend; we are describing them in such a way that many fairies from literature and folklore could be described as sidhe.

Following is a description for "normal monster" sidhe.

---
Sidhe
Armor Class: Varies
Save As: Normal Man
Hit Dice: 1/2*
Morale: 7
Move: 120' (40')
Treasure Type: A
Attacks: 1
Alignment: Any
Damage: By weapon type
XP Value: 7
No. Appearing: 1-4 (1-100)

Were it not for certain peculiar traits and abilities, many sidhe might be indistinguishable from humans and deem-humans; they are at least as varied in appearance and temperament. Most appear to be humans, perhaps with slightly elfin features; others resemble the other deem-human races: dwarves, elves, gnomes, halflings; and they may plausibly pass through all those societies without being recognized as anything different.
---

There are three characteristics that definitely distinguish the sidhe from humans and demi-humans: they are capable of becoming invisible to mortals at will; they are capable of breathing water as easily as air; and iron is poisonous to them. A more subtle difference, related to the last one, is that their blood is not so deep a red as that of other races, since it lacks iron.
Iron's poisonous nature is not quick-acting; for example, iron weapons do not cause sidhe additional damage. But long-term contact with the metal will slowly and permanently drain a sidhe's vitality (hit points and ability scores); ingested iron will do the same, but some damage can be reversed if the substance can be removed from the sidhe's system. In any case, sidhe will never have weapons, armor, tools, or anything else fashioned of this metal; they use instead various stones (flint, obsidian, etc.), and nonferrous metals and alloys (bronze, silver, gold, mithril, etc.). Note that most powerfully enchanted weapons (+3 or more) are made of alloys containing little or no iron, and may thus be used by sidhe.

Some sages have said, that as humans are to demi-humans, so the sidhe are to the rest of fairykind. Like humans, the sidhe are flexible. They can choose to combine either fighting or thieving skills with magic use; however, like other fairies, they can never become clerics. But again like humans, their general adaptability makes them natural leaders; the high king of fairies has been sidhe more often than of any other race.
Normal sidhe, like normal humans, have 1/2 Hit Die and few special abilities. Higher-level sidhe have more Hit Dice, and accordingly have higher-level abilities as magic-user and either fighter or thief. Those with fighting and magic abilities are warrior sidhe; those with thieving skills and magic are rogue sidhe.
Among large groups of normal sidhe, there will be some extraordinary individuals, possibly acting as leaders. Treat them as humans, except with regard to the differences just described. Exceptional individuals are totaled cumulatively. For every 10 sidhe, there will be a 2nd-level warrior sidhe (comparable to a 2nd-level elf), and a 50% chance of a rogue sidhe of 1st-3rd level. For every 25 sidhe, there will be a warrior sidhe of 3rd-6th level (1d4+2). Groups of 50 have either a warrior sidhe (33%) of 7th-12th level (1d6+6), or a rogue sidhe (33%) of 5th-12th level (1d8+4), or both (34%). Groups of 100 will almost always (95%) be led by a warrior or rogue sidhe (equal chances) of not less than 10th level.
The sidhe may be found anywhere at all, but they prefer to make their homes in beautiful, isolated, peaceful, natural locales, especially near woodlands. Sometimes they build grand palaces in underground caverns or underwater grottoes. Lairs are always well hidden and likely disguised, possibly by magic. Wandering is a favorite pursuit of the sidhe; while invisible to mortals, they love to travel around, playing jokes, assisting those in need, and generally looking for adventure. They are sometimes willing to befriend humans and demi-humans for long periods of time; it is even known for one of these fairies to marry into their societies. Many folk tales concern such fairies and their mortal families; inevitably the sidhe moves on, since his lifespan might cover millenia, and even an elven spouse would die of old age in a relatively short time.
All sidhe beyond normal monster level have fairy spellcasting ability, combined with either fighting or thieving skills; they may therefore be warrior sidhe or rogue sidhe. Most are the former; to be a rogue sidhe, a minimum Dexterity of 8 is required.
Both class combinations progress on the same level advancement table; but while warrior sidhe have eight-sided Hit Dice, those of the rogue sidhe are four-sided.

Table 15: Sidhe Level Advancement & Hit Dice
[not included, please yell if you need this]

No sidhe may use weapons or armor fashioned of iron; see the later section on "Equipment" for information on non-ferrous equipment. Otherwise, warrior sidhe can use any weapons or armor open to fighters, and rogue sidhe may use any open to thieves. Sidhe may use any magic item permitted to magic-users and either fighters or thieves, according to class combination.
Warrior sidhe make Saving Throws as fighters: and rogue sidhe as thieves, of the same level.

Spellcasting
Sidhe of 1st level and above have spellcasting ability, as shown on Table 16 below. As can be seen, their spellcasting ability is not equal to that of human magic-users, elves, or sprites, neither in terms of total spells nor speed of spell level mastery.
Spells are chosen from the list of fairy-charms (see page 41).

Table 16: Sidhe Spell Ability
[not included, please yell if you need this]
[list of fairy-charms from page 41 also not included]

Recommended Spell List Adjustment: The sidhe are particularly renowned shapechangers; for this reason, they may take polymorph self as a second-level spell. Also, the spell lasts until the sidhe wills to return to his old shape, is killed, or until a dispel magic spell successfully counters it.

Other Special Abilities
Warrior sidhe can make multiple attacks at higher levels, like fighters.
Rogue sidhe have the special skills of thieves of equal level (lockpicking, backstabbing, etc.).
All sidhe may become invisible to mortals; and, since they often have underwater homes, they breathe water and air with equal facility.

 

[Echohawk]

One round after the characters arrive, an extraplanar beast reveals itself and attacks. The thing looks like a 20-foot ovoid mass of looping and twining intestines that seem to fold in and out of reality. It attacks by extending loops or ends of the tubular growths and constricting or flailing at its prey. While it is visible it makes a terrible gibbering sound, like a mad chorus of inhuman opera singers.

The Thing That Should Not Exist: AC 1; MV Fl 12; HD 13; hp 62; THAC0 8; #AT 3; Dmg 1d10x3 (constriction or flailing); SA confusion or fear on its first appearance, immolation; SD +2 or better weapon to hit, invisible at will; MR 20%; SZ L (20' diameter); ML Champion (15); Int non (0); AL NE; XP 11,000.
Note: Its appearance causes fear (50%) confusion (50% for 1d4 rounds to all that see it for the first time (save vs. wands negates). The Thing can become invisible at will (although it becomes visible if it attacks). Once per day it can immolate a target within 100 feet, surrounding it in eldritch flames that burn for 6d8 damage (save vs. breath weapon for half).

 

[Echohawk]

The blade golem looks like a 12 feet-tall humanoid with sharp forearms; almost its entire surface is covered with blades of varying sizes.

Blade Golem: AC 3; MV 9; HD 9; hp 45; THAC0 12; #AT 1; Dmg 4d4; SA +2 to initiative rolls; SD +3 or better weapon to hit, immune to most spells, damages attackers; SZ L (12' tall); ML 20; AL N; XP 2000.
Notes: Electrical attacks slow the blade golem for 3 rounds; magical fire attacks heal 1 hp per die of damage; other spells have no effect. Characters striking the blade golem with hands or short hand-held weapons take 1d4 damage from the golem's sharp spikes.

 

[Echohawk]

STATUE THAT WALKS
Frequency: Rare
No. Appearing: 1
Armor Class: 2
Move: 12"
Hit Dice: 100 Hit Points
% In Lair: Nil
Treasure Type: Nil
No. of Attacks: 1
Damage/Attack: 5-30
Special Attacks: Nil
Special Defenses: See Below
Magic Resistance: See Below
Intelligence: Non-
Alignment: Neutral
Size: L (18' tall)
Psionic Ability: Nil
Attack/Defense Modes: Nil

Statues That Walk are actually oversized stone golems. However, they do not have the ability to cast a slow spell. Their strength is comparable to that of a fire giant.
The Statues were built as caretakers by a race long-since gone in the Realms when members of that race knew they were dying out from a series of plagues they could not fight. The race was proud of its monuments and buildings, and built the Statues to maintain the glory of these structures and tear down anything that would detract from them.
The Statues performed their duties for centuries until the magic-users and priests of the lizard-men who supplanted the builders found a method of stopping them (a very long and drawn-out ritual taking days and needing special glyphs to be drawn on everyone of the Statues. The Divine Precept will discover this ritual in a few months). The lizard-men could not harm the Statues, but they could take apart the buildings they guarded and did so, using them for their own structures which were later taken down and reused by the humans who supplanted the lizard-men.
The Statue will march into the town and, when it runs into a building, tear it down, then go on to the next one. The town is on the site of one of the monuments built thousands of years ago by the creators of the Statue. At this point, the remains of the monument are about 200 feet under the current ground surface, but the Statue knows where it should be by the number of paces he took to get to it, and he will keep tearing the town apart until he finds the monument or is certain that he cannot find the monument, at which time he becomes rigid again and waits for orders.
If the ritual for stopping is not performed on each of the Statues, they will each stop when they get to the site of one of the monuments or buildings they are supposed to take care of and find that it is not there. They are awaiting the order to go on to the next job on their rounds. They stop because the lizard-men's spell permanently destroyed the Statues' ability to move on from one job to the next. They have to be started by the ritual the Precept of Gheldaneth performed to go on to the next assignment.
There are no known vestiges of the original culture remaining except the Statues. However, you can assume that one or two (being used for entirely different purposes, of course) are still around if you want to surprise the player characters by having a Statue approach an ancient wizard's tower and start polishing it.

 

[Echohawk]

Just beyond the door stands the Clockwork Warrior, a giant black-iron construct with dwarf-like proportions that is broad enough so none can pass into the tunnel beyond. It hums with the sound of gears turning. Its ornate armor plating is scored with weapon damage and stained with what could only be dried blood. Inscribed across its chest (in partially effaced dwarven runes) is "Guardian of the Highforge Pick-Axe" -- proof that the party is on the right track.

Clockwork Warrior: AC 3; MV 4 (or less; see below); HD 16; hp 70; THAC0 5; #AT 1; Dmg 30 points (punch); SA + 1 attack bonus; SD recharge to full power, immune to charm, sleep, hold, poison, paralyzation, illusions, and spells that affect only organic beings, immune to nonmagical weapons, repaired by fire (see below), edged weapons used against it have cumulative 10% chance per strike of breaking; SW loses energy when detached from power source (see below), retreats momentarily from electrical attacks; SZ L (10' tall); ML fearless (20); AL N; XP 11,000. Str 23, Int 4 (actually mindless but programmed to operate as if semi-intelligent).

Creaking and whirring, the Clockwork Warrior takes a step toward the PCs and extends one finger. If they look closely, they see a keyhole set into the fingertip. If the Keeper's key is inserted into the keyhole, the Warrior steps aside. A PC who attempts to pick the lock suffers a -30% penalty to his or her Open Locks roll and has only three rounds to complete the task before the golem attacks, striking out against whoever is nearest. Any attack immediately provokes the golem to attack in response.
When it attacks, the Clockwork Warrior moves toward the nearest aggressor and punches. The second step it takes severs it from its winding sprocket in the floor, which goes on spinning free until the golem returns to power up again. Only magical weapons can damage this sprocket; it absorbs 30 damage before breaking. The creature must periodically return to its power source or lose power, eventually becoming immobile and unable to fight. After one turn its movement drops to three, then two, and so on. Its attack damage also drops 1d1O per turn during combat, but only if it attacked the previous turn (it won't waste energy swinging at empty air).
The Clockwork Warrior breaks off its attack if necessary to concentrate on anyone who tries to sneak past into the tunnel beyond. For purposes of smashing or lifting things, its strength is 23, and it gains a +1 attack bonus because of its long reach and the close quarters. Engaging the drive sprocket with the transmission hole in either of its feet completely recharges the creature in one round. It never runs down if allowed to fight while "plugged in."
The Clockwork Warrior is immune to all magic that affects organic beings and cannot be influenced in any way. Because of its heavy iron plating, it can only be damaged by weapons of +1 or better magical bonus, and each blow delivered to it by an edged weapon has a cumulative 10% chance of breaking that weapon. Electrical attacks cause the golem to back away from the spellcaster (though it will never leave the mine), but fire attacks repair 1 point of damage for each 8 points inflicted.
If only one nimble PCs attacks and no one tries to sneak past the Clockwork Warrior, it can be lured away from the tunnel entrance and forced to run out of power without grave injury to the party members (let them figure this out themselves!). As long as it is within the Warrior's movement ability to do so during the turn before it would run down, it breaks off all engagements and returns to its drive gear to recharge. The only way to stop it from doing so is to deal it more than 20 points damage during its retreat (which causes it to fight back) or to enter the tunnel it was set to guard (which causes its guardian function to override its self-preservation function). Remember that the PCs will have real trouble getting out past this mountain of metal if it runs down in the tunnel itself.
After any part of the Clockwork Warrior's body (such as an arm, chest region, or so on) receives 10 or more points of damage, the PCs can see that only the outer armor plating is made of iron. Inside, the golem's clockwork of gears, cogs, levers, and so on are fashioned of platinum and gold: The Keeper could imagine no better form for treasure to take than the machine-works he loves, so he has spent the past 60 years or so forging precious metals into components for the machinery the PCs will encounter.
Note: Most devices that operate the traps that await the PCs contain a number of removable gears (a convenient shorthand for treasure); these gears are each worth 8 gp if sold as metal or 80 gp if sold to the right buyer as a specialty item. Disassembling a device requires two minutes per gear, something for the PCs to consider since time is an issue. Hacking a device into easily transported bits reduces its gear-treasure to the lower value. The Clockwork Warrior contains 130 such gears.

---
[Later in the same adventure…]

Small Clockwork Warriors (16): AC 6; Mv 4 (or less); HD 4; hp 25; THAC0 15; #AT 1; Dmg 1d6+3 (pick-axe) or 10 points (punch); SD recharge to full power, immune to charm, sleep, hold, poison, paralyzation, illusions, and spells that affect only organic beings, immune to nonmagical weapons, repaired by fire, edged weapons used against it have cumulative 5% chance per strike of breaking; SW loses energy when detached from power source, retreats momentarily from electrical attacks; SZ M (4' tall); ML fearless (20); AL N; XP 650. Str 21, Int 3 (actually mindless but programmed to operate as if semi-intelligent).

These smaller versions fight as does the Clockwork Warrior but lack its +1 attack bonus and have only half the chance of weapons breaking upon their metallic exterior. It is impossible to distract all of them from returning to their winding sprockets. If they lose their pick-axes, they punch their targets with their steely fists. For purposes of smashing or lifting things, their Strength score is 21. Each golem contains 45 gears.

 

[Echohawk]

Leonis's Automata

Those few besides the tinker gnomes who've seen Leonis's creations assume they're golems. After all, they're magical constructs that come in a variety of sizes and materials. But Leonis's automata are fundamentally different. Golems are animated by bound elemental spirits, but these constructs are actually alive. This can be explained only by the nature of the demiplane itself. Those who try to build such devices on any other plane, even Mechanus, always meet with failure. Similarly, automata taken off the demiplane cease to function.
While there are dozens of variants of Leonis's creations, they do share some characteristics, which are summarized here.

- They obey Leonis. The wizard creates everything for a reason. If he takes the time to invent a living machine, it's going to be one he can use. The automata are incapable of defying him, with the exception of Vita (see "Major Inhabitants" below). They always attempt to fulfill Leonis's orders to the best of their ability.
- They have intelligence but not emotion. Machines don't know fear, hate, love, or any other human passion. Thus they're immune to spells that produce or in any way deal with emotions (such as cause fear). Those who fight the automata will quickly find out they don't know mercy either.
- They require neither food nor fuel. The automata owe their continued existence to magic alone and don't need to be recharged in any way.
- They do not breathe. Automata are immune to gas-based attacks of any kind and can survive in airless environments.

Below is a summary of game information for three dominant types of automata here. However, Leonis has done a lot of experimenting over the last century, and it's possible to find any number of forms, or variations on these adapted to different environments. Designing your own variants can help bring this setting to life.

Leonis's Automata

Flyer
Climate/Terrain: Leonis
Frequency: Common
Organization: Work group
Activity Cycle: Any
Diet: Nil
Intelligence: Low
Treasure: Nil
Alignment: Neutral
No. Appearing: 1d4
Armor Class: 4
Movement: 3, fly 16 (D)
Hit Dice: S: 3-10
THAC0: 3HD: 18, 6 HD: 15, 8 HD: 13, 10 HD: 11
No. of Attacks: 2
Damage/Attack: 3HD: 1d6, 6 HD: 1d8, 8 HD: 1d10, 10 HD: 1d12
Special Attacks: None
Special Defenses: See below
Magic Resistance: None
Size: 3HD: S, 6 HD: M, 8 HD: L, 10 HD: H
Morale: Fearless (20)
XP Value: 3HD: 270, 6 HD: 975, 8 HD: 1,400, 10 HD: 2,000

Flyers
Leonis has a particular fascination with flying, which is no doubt why he lifted his tower above the landscape. He's built more flyers than any other type of automaton. There are small constructs with string-and-canvas pinions akin to those of birds, and ungainly flying coffins with hinged metal batwings that could never get aloft without the aid of magic. Most have clawed legs similar to those of birds of prey, though Leonis has experimented with hooks and wheels on some.
The flyers were built for a variety of purposes. Some are strictly meant for combat, others carry passengers strapped below their bellies in slings (a not-entirely-comfortable ride), and still others haul cargo.

Juggernaut
Climate/Terrain: Leonis
Frequency: Rare
Organization: Solitary
Activity Cycle: Any
Diet: Nil
Intelligence: Low
Treasure: Nil
Alignment: Neutral
No. Appearing: 1
Armor Class: -4
Movement: 9
Hit Dice: 15
THAC0: 5
No. of Attacks: 2d4
Damage/Attack: 2d6+2
Special Attacks: Overrun
Special Defenses: See below
Magic Resistance: 20%
Size: G
Morale: Fearless (20)
XP Value: 8,000

Juggernauts
The wizard constructed two devastating war machines to protect the demiplane. Mounted.on rollers and festooned with wicked, rotating blades, juggernauts are designed to break infantry formations and cause fear in the enemy. In obedience to the demiplane's rules, these automata are in the shape of charging beasts: one is a bull and the other is a rhinoceros. Each has a cargo compartment that can hold up to ten soldiers, but Leonis has no troops to exploit these-yet. One day, perhaps, he'll get around to crafting metal myrmidons to fill their bellies.
A rolling juggernaut can work up a respectable speed, and with its enormous momentum it's nearly unstoppable in close combat. Anyone in its way must move aside or be crushed.
Each round, the juggernaut can overrun enemies within its movement range. Those who make a successful Dexterity check can leap out of the way; anyone who fails takes 2d20 points of damage from the impact. Close-combat opponents smaller than size G can't stop the juggernaut's advance; it can move up to its full movement rate every round as well as attack normally. Its whirling blades slash at all within reach. Each round, 2d4 of these blades strike for 2d6+2 points of damage each.
The juggernaut's solid construction and magical nature give it unnatural toughness: Piercing and slashing weapons inflict only half damage. It's also completely immune to attacks by nonmagical missiles, except those of siege engines.

Organ Gun
Climate/Terrain: Leonis
Frequency: Uncommon
Organization: Tactical
Activity Cycle: Any
Diet: Nil
Intelligence: Low
Treasure: Nil
Alignment: Neutral
No. Appearing: 1-2
Armor Class: 0
Movement: 6
Hit Dice: 8
THAC0: 13
No. of Attacks: 0
Damage/Attack: 0
Special Attacks: See below
Special Defenses: See below
Magic Resistance: None
Size: L
Morale: Fearless (20)
XP Value: 5,000

Organ Gun
It's probably for the best that Leonis's creations don't function off the demiplane. The organ gun would have made warfare truly terrible. This automaton looks more like a weapon or a perverse musical instrument than a sentient being, but it does have intelligence. It's basically a wheeled, self-propelled carriage made of metal, with five small cannons on rotating mounts. The cannons sprout from an adamantite box enchanted to store up to 25 delayed blast fireballs.
The organ gun can fire in two ways. It can shoot all its barrels at once, producing a delayed blast fireball causing 10d6+10 points of damage. Alternatively, each barrel can fire separately to create five smaller, separately targeted fireballs for 2d6+2 points of damage each. With either option, the fireballs can detonate instantaneously or be delayed up to 5 rounds, as per the delayed blast fireball spell.
Once the stored spells are used up, the automaton can't fire its guns again until recharged. However, mounted underneath the five barrels are what looks like a pair of human hands made of gleaming bronze. These can cast burning hands once per round for 1d3+20 points of damage; this attack can't be combined with cannon fire.

 

[Echohawk]

This encounter is an abstraction of Baron Lum's showdown with his former general Leuk-o. The battle itself was a bloody draw, with Lum and his Machine sent here; Leuk-o's fate is unknown. This was not the outcome Lum desired, and he thirsts for closure.

You appear on a podium suspended 12 feet above an oversized chessboard, 100 feet on a side and apparently made of marble. The podium floats over a set of white chess pieces; another podium faces you above the black pieces, where an iron golem sits atop a throne. The golem is crafted with ornate armor and an elaborately plumed helmet, and it carries a sword of archaic design. The chess pieces are human-sized and look like smaller versions of the golem. Looking around, you can see that the chessboard is floating high in the sky. The ground is so far below that it's impossible to see.
The golem addresses you in a surprisingly human voice and says, "You may move first."

Unless they want to attack immediately, the PCs have little choice but to play a game of chess. They can play as a group or appoint an individual. To make a move, a character simply announces it; the pieces do the rest.
The PCs can attempt to question the golem as the game goes on, though its answers are of limited value. If they ask its name, it replies, "You may call me 'General.'" If asked why they must play this game, it says, "Too much blood is between us. Our feud ends today." Further questions get vague and unhelpful answers, like "You know as well as I," or "One of us must triumph."
To resolve the chess game, the party makes a Gaming proficiency check (or a Charisma check at a -2 penalty if no one has Gaming), using their average score (if they play as a group) or the nominated character's score. The DM rolls for the golem. If you prefer, have the players actually play out the chess game, since its outcome is unimportant. No matter what the result, at the end of the game the board resets. The golem announces, "The game is a draw. We must play another."
The second game too is declared a draw, regardless of its outcome, and the golem insists on yet another. It will continue to do this indefinitely. As the games go on, the golem's voice becomes more and more agitated. "The game must end. One of us must be victorious!"
Eventually, the PCs are likely to become tired of the game and have at the iron golem. (You might have to nudge them, though, if they don't resort to this; for example, taunts and insults from the golem.) Once they attack it, the golem jumps down to the chessboard and rallies its black "troops." This force charges the party and their white pieces, which are likewise able to fight in the characters' defense.

Iron Golem: AC 3; MV 6; HD 18; hp 80; THAC0 2 (short sword of wounding); #AT 1; Dmg 4d10+1d6+1; SA poisonous gas once per 7 rounds, short sword of wounding; SD +3 or better weapon to hit, immune to poison and most magical attacks, healed 1 hp/die by magical fire; SW slowed by electrical attack, vulnerable to rust monster; SZ L (12' tall); ML fearless (20); AL N; XP 15,000.
Special Equipment: short sword of wounding -- damage can't be regenerated, inflicts 1 additional hp per wound. Note that this sword is part of the golem's construction and is destroyed when the golem is.

Chess Golems (32): AC 3; MV 6; HD 6; hp 25 each; THAC0 15; #AT 1; Dmg by weapon +3 (see below); SD +1 or better weapon to hit, immune to poison, fear and charm spells; SZ M (6' tall); ML fearless (20) AL N; XP 1,400 each.
Notes: Pawns are armed with spears; bishops, footman's maces; knights, heavy lances; queens, longswords; and kings, two-handed swords. Rooks use a crushing attack for 1d12+3 points of damage.

Rather than fight out the details of the chesspieces' combat you can use a simple resolution system. Have the party make a Gaming proficiency check each round, using the same rules as for the chess game above. Each successful check removes two black pieces from the board; each failure removes two white pieces. If the iron golem is defeated, proceed.
The iron golem falls to the ground with a resounding crash. All the remaining chesspieces crumble, leaving the board strewn with debris. With its last pulse of life, the golem says, "The battle is over at last. You are the victor, Baron."
A stair leading up shimmers into existence on the party's podium. This is the way out; as each party member reaches the top, he or she is magically transported to the next location. If the PCs have visited this location before, or if you aren't using the Machine's quest, consult Table 4: Vortex Movement. Otherwise, the party is translated to the Examination Room. (See the "Oral Exam" section above.)

 

[Echohawk]

Okay. That's everything on that list except for the transient golem. I have scanned that too, but the entry takes up three and a half full pages and is in a suprisingly OCR-resistant font, so I still need to edit it. I'll get to that sometime this week.

Shade, are there any other entries from earlier in this thread that I missed? I took a quick look through and didn't spot any but I have a nagging feeling there were some critters that I didn't scan when you originally asked me to.

 

[Shade]

Thanks, Echohawk!

I can't think of any you missed upthread. In my eventual "to do" pile, these are the only others I have listed for which I don't have access to the source material:

From Falconmaster (WGA2):
Weisshund - Magical Beast
Yphoz - Vermin

From Practical Planetology (SJR4):
Gyre - Magical Beast
Holbag - Aberration
Imbul - Animal
Scavver, Sky - Magical Beast
Zat - Magical Beast

From Heart of the Enemy (SJQ1):
Hummerfly - Magical Beast
Inaii - Magical Beast

None of those are a priority, though. We've got plenty to work with in the meantime. I'm sure there are others still in the unconverted lists that we'll need down the road.

 

[Echohawk]

Transient Golem

"You... must not count on your reality as you feel it today, since, like that of yesterday, it may prove an illusion for you tomorrow." -Luigi Pirandello

Biography
Often there are stories of golems that curse life and those who thrust it upon them. This sad creature of mist simply craves to live at all, as something more than semi-sentient air and water. Only in corporeal form can it feel physical sensations and human emotions. Only in corporeal form can it reason and remember. Sadly, the transient golem acquires substance only by stealing life from others, and the too, too brief hours of its conscious existence fade away if it does not steal again and again and again.
This unusual golem may exist as a single, unique creature, or it can become a kind of RAVENLOFT monster, depending upon your interests and on the adventurers' handling of the story outlined below.

Appearance
In its natural form, the transient golem is virtually indistinguishable from mundane fog as well as the notorious Mists of Ravenloft. People and creatures with sensitive noses (your call!) sometimes detect a slight tang of hot copper in the air when they inhale the monster (give them 2 in 6 chance, with a +1 bonus for actively sniffing). But even the scent may fade as the creature instinctively blends with the surrounding mist, drawing thin or coalescing to match the thickness and visual texture of its cover.
When empowered by the essence of any living creature, the transient golem takes on that creature's form and appearance. Whether a wolf, a hero, or some other living thing is drained, the golem becomes a perfect twin. Even clothing, armor, and weapons are duplicated, although they are merely solidified mist and possess little or none of the physical or magical qualities of the original items. The golem can dissolve at will, but it rarely does. Instead it waits until it has exhausted the energy drained from its host, and it has no choice. The sight of this transformation requires a horror check: The creature diffuses from the outside in. First, the outer layer of skin becomes translucent and swirls away, then the inner layers of skin dissolve, followed by the muscles, the skeleton, and finally the internal organs. This six-second process is excruciating to the golem, and the agony is horribly apparent to those who look upon it.

Transient Golem

Neutral
Armor Class: 10
Movement: 3
Level/Hit Dice: Nil
Hit Points: Nil
THAC0: Nil
Morale: 20
No. of Attacks: 1
Damage/Attack: 1d10 x 10% of victim's hp
Special Attacks: Infusion; system shock; sustain current form
Special Defenses: Impossible to attack in natural form; Mist summoning
Special Vulnerabilities: Abjuration/protection magic; turned as "special" zeitgeber
Magic Resistance: 100% (except against abjuration/protection magic)

Str: Varies*
Dex: Varies*
Con: Varies*
Int: Varies*
Wis: Varies*
Cha: Varies*
XP: 650

*Varies with form taken.

The statistics above describe the golem in its natural state. In this vaporous form, it shares several qualities of the geist (see MONSTROUS COMPENDIUM Appendix III: Creatures of Darkness): No form of attack, physical or magical, can harm the golem, because its essential spark of life resides in a phylactery-like crystal, lost in the Mists. Its Armor Class is 10 for the purpose of striking at it, but no harm results. Also like the geist, the transient golem has no level or Hit Dice, hit points, or THAC0 while in natural form.
In physical form, the golem retains its Armor Class of 10, but it is now vulnerable to all forms of attack. Moreover, the transient golem functions as a a-level character unless its special mimic ability manifests. (See the "Extraordinary Abilities" section, below.)
Infusion: The golem's parasitic drain of a living host is called infusion. Quick and insidious, it requires no assault, and while detrimental to the host, it is not overtly hostile. Like the odem (also see the MC Appendix III), a transient golem can simply enter any orifice of a living creature that is accessible to air. The action requires a single round, and the creature automatically wins initiative. Once the infusion has begun, protective magic is too late; only expulsion magic cast in the same round as the entry can prevent the ensuing drain of energy.
In round two, the transient golem absorbs 1d10x10% of the host's current hit points. It always drains a minimum of 5 hp, so the victim's hit points may drop below 0. (This mechanic works best if 0 hit points is not considered the point of death.) The infusion often kills 0-level creatures and the weak, but the trauma also has a severe effect upon tougher hosts who lose half their hit points or more. They must make a successful system shock roll or lose 1 point from each ability score for 1d4-1 days, due to the immense and sudden strain of the theft. In any event, the victim at least blacks out for 1d4+1 rounds,following the attack.
In round three, the transient golem flees the host's body and moves off to safety. The flight is obvious, for the golem's color has changed to crimson. In a single round, it can assume the physical form of the host it has drained, possessing the hit points it took. The creature burns these points like fuel at the rate of 1 per hour. As described above, when the golem exhausts its supply of hit points, or if it loses those points to sustained damage, it reverts to its mist form until it can find another host. Note that the crimson mist can be physically attacked and damaged just like the solid form it takes.
Sustain Current Form: Once the transient golem has assumed a physical form, it can maintain that form indefinitely by absorbing more hit points before its current supply is exhausted. It can render itself partly insubstantial and reach into a living creature to steal more energy, yet keep the physical form it has already assumed. The theft is so swift and subtle that the golem can do this in a crowd without anyone noticing, including the victim (who unexpectedly suffers a seizure and passes out a moment or two later).
Special Defenses: As mentioned, the transient golem is invulnerable to attack, physical or magical, while in its natural state. Furthermore, the creature cannot be detected except by a detect magic spell, which reveals the presence of something (conjuration/summoning magic) in the air.
In its adopted physical form, the transient golem can leave the Mists at will, but it can silently call to them and make them rise thickly within 1d4 rounds -- or within just one round if any form of fog already exists. Once the Mists have risen, the golem can step into them and become completely and instantly obscured; treat the creature as though it were affected by an invisibility spell. This is an effective escape mechanism. Special Vulnerabilities: Any spell designed to expel creatures -- such as banishment, dismissal, or dispel evil -- will drive off the mist form. Spells designed to prevent intrusion -- such as avoidance, globe of invulnerability, protection from evil, repulsion, and even sanctuary -- are effective deterrents to the golem's infusion ability. You may wish to allow other means undertaken by adventurers to repel the transient golem, especially if the solutions are clever or reasonable.
Like a mist horror, the transient golem can be turned by a 9th level (or greater) priest who presents a holy symbol. The golem is considered "special" on the Turning Undead table.

Construction
The transient golem is a creature of mist. But it also has an essential physical component that serves as the actual construct, the Created. (Without it, this unusual monster could not be classified as a golem.) The true physical vessel of the transient golem is a crystal ball about the size of a man's fist. It lies in the Mists, and the souls of thirteen mist horrors have been trapped within the crystal, forming the golem's critical "spark of life." Though the reason is unclear, this crystal ball can never leave or be taken from the Mists of Ravenloft. (Perhaps the crystal innately attracts them.) Because the Mists seem to exist outside the boundaries of normal space, the transient golem can manifest anywhere they do. Provided the golem is within the Mists, it can summon the crystal to its feet, though it rarely does so. Of course, when it adopts a physical form, the golem can leave the Mists at will, yet they always float somewhere within 100 yards of the creature. The crystal lies within that veil, and spellcasters can use locate object to find it, provided they know what they're seeking.
Mental Abilities: When the transient golem assumes a physical form, the creature does not normally retain any of the host's memories or abilities, nor does it possess any consciousness of the mist horrors trapped in its crystal ball. The golem begins physical life much like a complete amnesiac; its memories go no further back than the very moment it took shape. The golem picks up the first language or languages it hears almost instantly, and it learns extremely quickly. It can understand others within a few rounds, it can speak its first halting sentence after listening to others talk for about an hour, and it can speak fluently within a day. At this rate of acquisition and retention, the transient golem can blend into most societies within a week. Extraordinary Abilities: Each time the transient golem assumes a new shape, it has a 10% chance of adopting the abilities of that creature. Armor class, THAC0, spells, proficiencies, nonweapon proficiencies, and all other salient abilities function as innate powers that work identically to those of the host. You can adjust the boundaries of the golem's acquired abilities to suit the balance and tone of your campaign.
Zeitgeber: This creature has a peculiar Achilles' heal: It cannot resist fresh blood. In its natural state, the transient golem is most attracted to any character who happens to be bleeding. In physical form, the creature cannot resist touching any open wound it sees. Interestingly, the bleeding host experiences nothing like an infusion. There no pain whatsoever, and the contact completely closes the wound. It can even save a character's life because the golem's touch is tantamount to binding wounds, even upon a character who has suffered massive damage. Witnesses have called the results a miracle. If the golem has an appropriate form, they often believe it has the powers of a paladin. The truth is not so rosy. While the wound is closed, no hit points have been restored. Rather, the transient golem has absorbed the character's lost hit points, represented by the flowing blood. You can simply transfer all lost hit points to the golem or roll percentiles to determine how many points from the injury at hand would actually be present in the flowing blood. If the creature is in mist form, it will assume the wounded character's appearance (after moving to a safe place, away from retribution). If it already has a physical form, the golem can use the stolen hit points to sustain its present appearance.

Background
The creator of this golem remains a mystery. (The identity has been left uncertain so you can choose someone who suits your campaign.) Scholars speculate that the creator served the likes of Azalin, Strahd von Zarovich, or some other domain lord who is obsessed with escape from Ravenloft. One thing is sure: Whoever created this being was a powerful mage. The wizard was probably seeking a way to navigate the Mists by constructing a golem made of their very fabric -- a golem with which he or she could maintain a telepathic link.
This creator prepared a crystal ball with a trap the soul spell, then found his way into the Mists (probably with the aid of the Vistani) and wandered there until encountering a mist horror, whereupon he triggered the spell and ensnared the creature. He repeated this process until he had entrapped thirteen mist horrors, then returned to his laboratory. There he cast many enchantment, illusion, and necromantic spells over the crystal, binding the mist horrors' life forces to the glass and transforming them into a single entity. The golem's first self-directed act was to summon the Mists and then infuse with its creator, absorbing his living essence (or unliving essence, as the case may be) and taking physical form.
The adventure to follow assumes a certain history for this golem. At first, the creature was grateful for its new life, for it loved the physical and emotional sensations that flowed through it. But the golem passed through all five stages of mental development very rapidly: feeling dependence, confusion, betrayal, contempt, and finally hatred toward its creator. The wizard prevented the golem from feeding until the very last second when he was displeased (perhaps he was a sadist), and the agony of partial diffusion quickly taught the golem that its creator was neither benevolent nor beloved. The creature called upon the Mists to steal away the crystal, and to this day the object is well hidden in their embrace. Having gained control of its own phylactery, the golem repeatedly drained the wizard until he died.

Psychology
In mist form, the golem has only one instinct: to locate a host and absorb life energy so it can attain real life. There is no evil intent in the assimilation of another's life energy, so a paladin does not detect the creature's approach, and spells that involve good and evil (other than abjuration and protection magic) have no effect upon the transient golem.
Once the creature assumes a physical form, its next instinct is self-preservation, and it will take the most direct course of action available to it to maintain its new shape. The monster also begins to accumulate experience and memories immediately, and it quickly develops sophisticated methods to sustain itself without revealing its true nature. For example, the transient golem might gain human form and then make its way to another domain, where it could set up shop as a butcher. There it could feed subtly and indefinitely on the life energy of slaughtered animals without anyone being the wiser, and it could even establish itself as a respected citizen. Such a creature would have something of a dual personality, perhaps reaching a point where it didn't even recognize what it was doing as it absorbed life energy to sustain itself -- the golem would come to believe it is exactly what it appears to be.

Combat
Using its infusion ability, the golem approaches an unprotected host almost undetectably and enters the body. The host can feel the unwholesome mist filling his lungs, and he (or a companion) can expel the creature provided an appropriate abjuration spell is cast in that same round. Otherwise, the host is seized with searing pain throughout his or her entire body, resulting in the loss of 1d10x10% of current hit points (minimum of
5 hp) and a blackout of 1d4+1 rounds. Those who lose 50% or more of their hit points must make a successful system shock roll or lose 1 point from each of their Ability Scores for 1d4-1 days.
Characters who witness the seizure, particularly if the transient golem took them unaware, are subject to fear checks at the sight of a friend suddenly writhing in agony and then passing out. Similarly, they are subject to horror checks when they see blood-red smoke pour out of the body after the host passes out.
Once in solid form, the golem avoids combat, which certainly is not its forte. Until it acquires enough knowledge and memory to blend into its surroundings, it will employ brutal, ruthless tactics to sustain itself. Thereafter, it sustains itself as subtly as possible, avoiding any circumstance that might expose its true identity. Nevertheless, the golem's hunger is cold, and given the opportunity it will take as much life as it can, even if its actions result in death.
As its identity develops, the transient golem's tactics become more refined. It soon discovers regular and reliable sources of energy within the means of its species. In other words, in cat form, the transient golem might scratch a few humans for their blood at first, but it would eventually learn to hunt mice for its energy (which is a way to sustain itself without getting kicked). A human transient golem might initially attack young, weak women and children in a back alley, but eventually might become a barber trained in the art of bloodletting for health -- it's less likely to draw a vengeful crowd.
Whatever the golem's form may be, its zeitgeber remains in effect. The mere sight of exposed blood overwhelmingly commands the creature to touch and absorb.