demiurge1138
Inventor of Super-Toast
Oh, I like convoy. Didn't notice that.
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NOW LIVE! Into the Woods--new character species, eerie monsters, and haunting villains to populate the woodlands of your D&D games.
Special Conversion Thread: Sheens
- Thread starter Shade
- Start date
demiurge1138
Inventor of Super-Toast
Agreed to CR 5, and agreed to them being done!
Shade
Monster Junkie
Burrower
Few—that is, few who still live—have actually seen a burrower’s body in its entirety, as it spends most of the time below ground. The burrower’s body is composed of two segments. The “burrower chassis” appears as a 24’-long cone composed of a strange mirror-bright substance. The cone is almost needle-sharp at its origin, and at the base widens to a diameter of only 4 feet. The anterior segment is connected to the cone via a short flexible stalk, allowing the rear body to swivel in all directions. This segment appears as a mass of spindly metallic arms, each jointed several times, and each ranging in length from 10 to 30 feet. All the tentacle-like arms possess small orifices at their end. The burrower can fire minor but focused plasmatic bursts from each orifice, and it can uses its many-jointed arms to manipulate objects and grapple foes.
The burrower moves through the earth with its cone chassis. In a manner similar to a water-wheel conveyor belt, the cylindrical sides of the cone constantly flow from tip to base. The native strength of the cone, combined with a reinforcing version of a sheen defensive field, allow the cone to pierce even hard rock, and through the action of the moving cone, pull the creature through the earth trailing its mass of manipulative arms after.
When attacking biological lifeforms on the surface or within a nearby cavern, the burrower’s preferred tactic is to tunnel to within a few feet of the open air, then burst through the rock with only its arms, leaving the bulk of its body beneath the surface.
The burrower’s primary function is prospecting. When mineral-rich veins are found, the burrower can create several shafts, allowing mining-specialized walker sheens easy access. In a pinch, the burrower defends itself and the cyst by attacking any biological life form that becomes aware of it. Burrowers must return to the machine cyst where they were constructed once every month to replenish their complete energy stores.
Burrower, sheen (1d4): AC -3 (iron chassis—see SD); MV 6, Br 9; HD 10; hp 50; THAC0 11; #AT 6; Dmg 1d6 (arm lash); SA plasma needles, can attack foes up to 15 feet away from earth; SD submerged tactics, immune to all mind-affecting spells, spells that affect life force, and psionics; SW Magic susceptibility; SZ H (24’ long); ML Champion (16); AL N; XP 4,000; Str 17, Dex 9, Con 20, Int 7, Wis 5, Cha 0.
SA – Plasma Needles. In addition to six physical arm lashes, a burrower can simultaneously attack using its burning plasma needles every round, directed from the ends of six other spindly arms. Foes must be within 30 feet of the end of the arms (up to 60 feet from the arms’ nexus), and are each allowed a saving throw vs. paralyzation. On a failed save, the foe suffers 1d4+1 points of damage. Note that a burrower could concentrate all its plasma needles attacks on a single foe, forcing multiple saves.
SD – Submerged Tactics. The burrower launches its attacks from beneath protective earth, using only its long arms. All attacks aimed at the protected sheen’s chassis incur a -8 penalty to attack roll due to cover. Foes can attempt to hit individual arms but suffer a -4 penalty to the attack roll for the called shot. Each arm has 8 hip. If a burrower loses six or more arms, it attempts to disengage, though brave foes can attempt to follow it using the 4’-diameter tunnel fo the burrower’s earthy wake.
SW - Magic Susceptibility. Most forms of machines are unsuited to resist mage, with the exception of mind-affecting magic. Sheens make saving throws against all spells with a -3 penalty, and sheens suffer an additional +1 point of damage per die of damage delivered from spells that cause physical harm. Thus, a 6d6 fireball inflicts 6d6+6 points of damage to a sheen.
Originally appeared in Dragon Magazine #270 (2000).
Few—that is, few who still live—have actually seen a burrower’s body in its entirety, as it spends most of the time below ground. The burrower’s body is composed of two segments. The “burrower chassis” appears as a 24’-long cone composed of a strange mirror-bright substance. The cone is almost needle-sharp at its origin, and at the base widens to a diameter of only 4 feet. The anterior segment is connected to the cone via a short flexible stalk, allowing the rear body to swivel in all directions. This segment appears as a mass of spindly metallic arms, each jointed several times, and each ranging in length from 10 to 30 feet. All the tentacle-like arms possess small orifices at their end. The burrower can fire minor but focused plasmatic bursts from each orifice, and it can uses its many-jointed arms to manipulate objects and grapple foes.
The burrower moves through the earth with its cone chassis. In a manner similar to a water-wheel conveyor belt, the cylindrical sides of the cone constantly flow from tip to base. The native strength of the cone, combined with a reinforcing version of a sheen defensive field, allow the cone to pierce even hard rock, and through the action of the moving cone, pull the creature through the earth trailing its mass of manipulative arms after.
When attacking biological lifeforms on the surface or within a nearby cavern, the burrower’s preferred tactic is to tunnel to within a few feet of the open air, then burst through the rock with only its arms, leaving the bulk of its body beneath the surface.
The burrower’s primary function is prospecting. When mineral-rich veins are found, the burrower can create several shafts, allowing mining-specialized walker sheens easy access. In a pinch, the burrower defends itself and the cyst by attacking any biological life form that becomes aware of it. Burrowers must return to the machine cyst where they were constructed once every month to replenish their complete energy stores.
Burrower, sheen (1d4): AC -3 (iron chassis—see SD); MV 6, Br 9; HD 10; hp 50; THAC0 11; #AT 6; Dmg 1d6 (arm lash); SA plasma needles, can attack foes up to 15 feet away from earth; SD submerged tactics, immune to all mind-affecting spells, spells that affect life force, and psionics; SW Magic susceptibility; SZ H (24’ long); ML Champion (16); AL N; XP 4,000; Str 17, Dex 9, Con 20, Int 7, Wis 5, Cha 0.
SA – Plasma Needles. In addition to six physical arm lashes, a burrower can simultaneously attack using its burning plasma needles every round, directed from the ends of six other spindly arms. Foes must be within 30 feet of the end of the arms (up to 60 feet from the arms’ nexus), and are each allowed a saving throw vs. paralyzation. On a failed save, the foe suffers 1d4+1 points of damage. Note that a burrower could concentrate all its plasma needles attacks on a single foe, forcing multiple saves.
SD – Submerged Tactics. The burrower launches its attacks from beneath protective earth, using only its long arms. All attacks aimed at the protected sheen’s chassis incur a -8 penalty to attack roll due to cover. Foes can attempt to hit individual arms but suffer a -4 penalty to the attack roll for the called shot. Each arm has 8 hip. If a burrower loses six or more arms, it attempts to disengage, though brave foes can attempt to follow it using the 4’-diameter tunnel fo the burrower’s earthy wake.
SW - Magic Susceptibility. Most forms of machines are unsuited to resist mage, with the exception of mind-affecting magic. Sheens make saving throws against all spells with a -3 penalty, and sheens suffer an additional +1 point of damage per die of damage delivered from spells that cause physical harm. Thus, a 6d6 fireball inflicts 6d6+6 points of damage to a sheen.
Originally appeared in Dragon Magazine #270 (2000).
Shade
Monster Junkie
I think we'll want to re-use this...
Tunneling (Ex): A hammer golem can burrow through solid stone at a speed of 5 feet, leaving behind an intact tunnel. A hammer golem designed for mining (with picks for both hands) can tunnel at its burrow speed.
In this case, I'd just let it tunnel at its burrow speed.
It sounds like it gets improved cover while underground, and its arms can be sundered like octopus tentacles.
Tunneling (Ex): A hammer golem can burrow through solid stone at a speed of 5 feet, leaving behind an intact tunnel. A hammer golem designed for mining (with picks for both hands) can tunnel at its burrow speed.
In this case, I'd just let it tunnel at its burrow speed.
It sounds like it gets improved cover while underground, and its arms can be sundered like octopus tentacles.
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