Post/Author/DateTime	Post
ieattrollsforbreakfast 09-22-04, 12:35 PM	I am re-posting this straight from the contest. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to improve it? I'll post some other examples soon. Armathrope Armathropes are what artificers across the land dream of. With the strength and resilience of a construct and the intelligence and adaptability of a living creature, the armathropes are ultimate weapons in the arsenals of powers across the land. Through intense, painful magical ritual, a creature can be endowed with the ability to replace its weak flesh with strong wood and metal at will. By nature armathropes tend to be reserved and care little for anything outside their appointed tasks. The heart of an automaton beats inside them, they were created to serve and that’s what they intend to do. Some might even say that the armathropes border on madness. Of course there are exceptions. Armathrope nimblewrights are especially known for their tendency to leave their master behind. In their natural form, armathropes look almost identical to their unaltered kin, although they usually have angular, more defined features. In hybrid form, the armathrope’s inorganic abilities begin to show themselves. In the case of a metallic armathrope, the creature’s skin becomes plated and smooth and claws and teeth are replaced with blades. Imperfections are removed and the creature’s eyes become pupil-less orbs of molten iron. In construct form, skin turns to metal and the construct within is fully realised. Unlike lycanthropy and entomanthropy, armathropy cannot be spread like a disease. Rituals are required to create these abominations of the natural order, and such power cannot be allowed to spread so easily. Creating an Armathrope “Armathrope” is a template that can be added to any corporeal humanoid, giant, animal, dragon, magical beast or monstrous humanoid. The armathrope template is an aquired template. This template gives a creature of any type listed above (hereby referred to as the base creature) the ability to shapeshift into a construct, referred to as the base construct. The construct must have a similar basic structure to the body of the base creature. Size and Type: The base creature’s type does not change, but the creature gains the shapechanger subtype. The armathrope takes on the characteristics of some type construct. The armathrope can also assume a hybrid form that mixes features of the construct and base creature. The base construct can be any construct with the same size category as the base creature. Hit Dice and Hit Points: Same as the base creature plus those of the base construct. The armathrope does not gain extra hit points based on its constitution modifier for its construct hit dice, though it does gain bonus hit points based on the base construct’s size. Speed: In the base creature’s form, the armathrope moves at the base creature’s speed. In hybrid and construct form, the armathrope uses the base construct’s speed. Armor Class: The armathrope gains a +2 bonus to its natural armour in its natural form. In hybrid and construct form, it uses the natural armour of the base construct or the base creature, whichever is better. Base Attack/Grapple: Add the base attack bonus for the base creature to the base attack bonus for the base construct. Note that an armathrope’s grapple modifier may alter in hybrid and construct form due to an increase in strength in these forms. Attacks: Same as the base creature or base construct, depending on which form the armathrope is using. An armathrope in hybrid form uses the natural weapons of the base construct. Note that the description of a particular natural attack may change based on the form of the base creature if it is advantageous to do so. For example, a creature with claws will have its claws enhanced as it shapeshifts. These claws may deal damage of the base construct’s slam attacks, but will instead deal slashing damage and can still be used for special attacks that require the use of claws, such as Rend. Damage: Same as the base creature or base constructl depending on which form the armathrope is in. In hybrid form, the use base construct’s damage. Special Attacks: An armathrope can use the special attacks of the base creature in either hybrid or natural form, but not in construct form. In construct form, the creature gains the use of any extraordinary special attacks of the base construct. Special Qualities: A armathrope retains all the special qualities of the base creature in natural and hybrid form, but not in construct form. In construct form, the armathrope retain any extraordinary special qualities of the base construct, other than magic immunity. An armathrope also gains these additional special qualities: Alternate Form (Su): A armathrope can shift into construct form as though using the polymorph spell on itself, though its gear is not affected, it does not regain hit points for changing form, and only the specific construct form indicated for the armathrope can be assumed. It does not assume the ability scores of the construct, but instead adds the construct’s physical ability score modifiers to its own ability scores. An armathrope also can assume a hybrid form with prehensile hands and some construct features. Changing to or from construct or hybrid form is a standard action. A slain armathrope reverts to its natural form, although it remains dead. Separated body parts retain their construct form, however. Damage Reduction (Ex): In hybrid form, the armathrope gains damage reduction 5/adamantine. In construct form, use the damage reduction of the base construct or damage reduction 5/adamantine, whichever is better. Low-Light Vision (Ex): An armathrope has low-light vision in any form. Spell Resistance (Ex): An armathrope gains spell resistance equal to its HD in hybrid form, and spell resistance equal to its HD+5 in construct form. This ability replaces any magic immunity the base construct possesses. Limited Construct Traits (Ex): In construct form, an armathrope gains darkvision out to 60ft, immunity to poison, sleep effects, paralysis, stunning, death effects and necromancy effects. It is not subject to critical hits, fatigue or exhaustion. It is also immune to any effect that requires a fortitude save (unless the effect also works on objects or is harmless). In addition, the armathrope is immune to any effect from the healing subschool. Base Save Bonuses: Add the base save bonuses of the base construct to the base save bonuses of the base creature. Abilities: All armathropes take a –2 penalty to Charisma. In addition, when in construct form, a armathrope’s strength and dexterity scores improve or decrease according to those of the base construct. These adjustments are equal to the construct’s normal ability scores –10 or –11. An armathrope in hybrid form modifies its physical ability scores by the same amount. In addition, an armathrope may also gain an additional ability score increase by virtue of its extra Hit Dice. Skills: An armathrope gains skill points equal to (2 + Int modifier, minimum 1) per Hit Die of its construct form, as if it had multiclassed into the construct type. Any skill given in the base construct’s description is a class skill for the armathrope’s construct levels. If the base construct is mindless, Listen and Spot are its only class skills. In any form, an armathrope also has any racial skill bonuses of the base creature and of the base animal, although conditional skill bonuses only apply in the associated form. Feats: An armathrope gains extra feats based on its construct hit dice. For every extra hit dice that would bring its character level to a multiple of 3, the armathrope gains a feat. The armathrope is entitled to these feats even if the base construct is mindless. Environment: Same as either the base creature or base construct. Organization: Solitary, troop (2-5) or as base creature. Challenge Rating: By class level or base creature, modified according to the HD of the base construct: 1 HD or 2 HD, +2; 3 HD to 5 HD, +4; 6 HD to 10 HD, +6; 11 HD to 20 HD, +8; 21 or more HD, +9. Adjustments may need to be made if the base construct possesses powerful extraordinary special attacks/qualities or high ability scores. Treasure: Standard. Alignment: Any. Advancement: By character class. Level Adjustment: Same as the base creature +5 . In addition, an armathrope’s character level is increased by the number of racial Hit Dice the base construct has. Adjustments may need to be made if the base construct possesses powerful extraordinary special attacks/qualities or high ability scores. Sample Armathrope: Iron Troll Natural Form Large Giant (Shapeshifter) Hit Dice: 6d8+36 plus 18d10+30 (192hp) Initiative: +2 Speed: 30ft Armour Class: 16 (-1 size, +2 Dex, +5 natural) Base Attack/Grapple: +16/+26 Attack: Claw +22 melee (1d6+6) Full Attack: 2 Claws +22 melee (1d6+6) and bite +20 melee (1d6+3) Space/Reach: 10ft/10ft Special Attacks: Rend 2d6+9 Special Qualities: Darkvision 90ft, regeneration 5, scent, alternate for Saves: Fort +17, Ref +10, Wis +9 Abilities: Str 23, Dex 14, Con 23, Int 6, Wis 9, Cha 4 Skills: Listen +14, Spot +15 Feats: Alertness, Iron Will, Track, Multiattack, Power Attack, Cleave, Endurance, Diehard, Great Cleave Hybrid Form Large Giant (Shapeshifter) Hit Dice: 6d8+36 plus 18d10+30 (192hp) Initiative: +1 Speed: 20ft Armour Class: 32 (-1 size, +1 Dex, +22 natural) Base Attack/Grapple: +16/+37 Attack: Claw +33 melee (2d8+17) Full Attack: 2 Claws +33 melee (2d8+17) and bite +31 melee (1d6+8) Space/Reach: 10ft/10ft Special Attacks: Rend 2d8+25 Special Qualities: Darkvision 90ft, regeneration 5, scent, alternate form, damage reduction 5/adamantine, spell resistance 24 Saves: Fort +17, Ref +9, Wis +9 Abilities: Str 45, Dex 12, Con 23, Int 6, Wis 9, Cha 4 Skills: Listen +14, Spot +15 Feats: Alertness, Iron Will, Track, Multiattack, Power Attack, Cleave, Endurance, Diehard, Great Cleave Iron Golem Form Large Giant (Shapeshifter) Hit Dice: 6d8+36 plus 18d10+30 (192hp) Initiative: +1 Speed: 20ft Armour Class: 32 (-1 size, +1 Dex, +22 natural) Base Attack/Grapple: +16/+37 Attack: Claw +33 melee (2d10+17) Full Attack: 2 Claws +33 melee (2d10+17) and bite +31 melee (1d6+8) Space/Reach: 10ft/10ft Special Attacks: - Special Qualities: Darkvision 60ft, alternate form, damage reduction 5/adamantine, spell resistance 29, limited construct traits Saves: Fort +17, Ref +9, Wis +9 Abilities: Str 45, Dex 12, Con 23, Int 6, Wis 9, Cha 4 Skills: Listen +14, Spot +15 Feats: Alertness, Iron Will, Track, Multiattack, Power Attack, Cleave, Endurance, Diehard, Great Cleave ---------------------------------- Environment: Cold mountains Organisation: Solitary or troop (2-5) Challenge Rating: 15 Treasure: Standard Alignment: Usually chaotic evil Advancement: By character class Level Adjustment: +11 This example uses a troll as the base creature, incorporating features of an iron golem.
Mithral Icesilver 09-22-04, 03:42 PM	Nice. I must say, the idea never occured to me, but it's a really good idea for devastating opponents. A nice familiar to use with this would be a cross between a pet rock (I have a build for one) and a toad. Ironwyrm Golems are Large, right? Hehehe... Stick this on a Juvenile or Young Adult Topaz Dragon and we have the ultimate water-destruction machine...