Gear Maidens
CR 3 (700 XP)
Medium Humanoid Construct, chaotic neutral
(usually)
Initiative +1
DEFENSE
AC 18 (natural; equivalent to plate)
HP39 (6D8+12)
Immunities: poison, disease, necrotic, psychic, mind-affecting
spells and enchantments
Resistances: cold (plus reduces movement by 30 feet for one
round), bludgeoning, slashing or piercing weapons that are not magical or made of adamantine.
OFFENSE
Speed 30 feet
Multiattack-the gear maiden attacks twice
with its blade arms.
Melee Attack-retractable blade arms; +6
to hit (reach 5 ft; one target); Hit: 1D8+4 slashing; Special: critical strike
on a 19-20; may retract or extend blades as a bonus action once per round.
Statistics
STR 16 (+3), DEX 10 (0), CON 17 (+3),
INT 13 (+1); WIS 9 (-1), CHA 11 (0)
Saves: Constitution +5
Languages: usually an ancient dialect (old Saric) plus common
Senses: Perception +3 (passive 13)
Terrain: any ruins
TRAITS
Construct-does not breath, eat or sleep.
Lighting Attack Reaction - Special: lightning damage heals gear maidens
for the amount of damage rolled (instead of dealing damage).
Cold Damage – Special: cold damage is resisted, but reduced
the gear maiden’s total movement by 30 feet for the round.
Gear maidens are an unusual construct sometimes
found in the ancient ruins of Pergerron. Each gear maiden has the appearance of
a suit of armor or a mannequin made to look like a woman comprised of complex
clockwork moving parts. Most of the gear maidens appear to be one of three
types: jackal-headed, elvish-looking, and on rare occasion smooth, featureless
faces with a mirror of silver where eyes, nose and mouth would be located.
Gear maidens may have served some other purpose
in the ancient past, constructs designed for amusement, or to serve as guards
perhaps. Today they are relics which haunt the ancient ruins, acting
erratically and without purpose. When a gear maiden (or group of such) is
encountered roll to see what their pattern of behavior is (D10):
1-4 - the gear maidens function as if the ruin
around them is still alive; they prop skeletal remains up on chairs, serving
them empty platters of food while serving long-dried bottles of wine. They will
grow antagonistic to anyone who tries to point out the absurdity of their
actions or the deathly nature of those they "serve."
5-7 - the gear maidens are mad, and appear to
have suffered some sort of mania, which they may call
"malfunctioning" to those who can prompt them to speak coherently.
These are deadly, usually attacking randomly before fleeing, only to circle
back later and strike again.
8-9 - some may be found which are coherent,
usually hunting for parts. These gear maidens salvage relics of lore and
preserve them, as if enshrining the lost civilizations of old Sar and other
empires of the past. They are not above cutting down maddened versions of their
own to salvage parts to repair themselves.
10 - Occasionally a cunning and vengeful gear
maiden will be found. These are the deadliest, for they remember the fall of
the old empires, and the destruction of those they served. They will seek to
hunt down and exterminate all humans and demi-humans they come across, and will
do so with great cunning and relish.
Aside from the retractable blades (about as long
as a short sword, but much sharper) gear maidens have the traits of other
constructs, and are immune to any gaseous or poison attacks, as well as any
attacks that affect life force (necrotic damage, for example). They are also
immune to mind-affecting spells, for their magical artificial brains cannot
comprehend or react to the magical influence of the mind. Lighting damage heals
them. Cold damage deals 1/2 damage to them but they are slowed by 20 feet of
movement for 1 round after being subject to the cold-damaging attack (until the
end of their next turn).
An entrepreneurial fighter with some weapon-smithing
skills could extract the arm blades of a destroyed gear maiden to find that
they can serve as the ingredient for enchanted short swords of amazing quality
(+1 short swords).
No comments:
Post a Comment