Animates are sentient golems who come from
the dead wastes and ruins of the ancients. Some animates are called collectors,
and seek to gather information on the Realms for mysterious purposes. Animates
of Beltraine are friendly, but the animates of the Black Dome are inimical to
biological beings. Artificers of sufficient talent and power can create
animates, suffusing them with life via elemental energy. The only realm known for creating its own animates is Sabradan
in the distant West.
Although most, if not all animates that are
encountered by humans are of the “collector” variety, there are in fact a
variety of unique animate makes and models in the world. Collectors are viable
as player characters (see chapter II) but other, more dangerous varieties can
be found below.
Unless a collector is accompanied by a
guardian or similar model, the likeliest place in which to encounter these
unusual animates are in their native lands, such as The Black Dome near
Eristantopolis or Ruined Beltraine. Some of these encounters can be extremely
hostile, depending on the intent of the animate in question, or its perception
of threat on the part of the PCs.
Animate Special Feats: animate PCs have range of feats animate collectors (and other models) can be equipped with. The
following examples are based on the most common traits, but are by no means the
only configurations encountered in NPCs.
Animate
Collector
CR ½ (100 XP)
LN medium humanoid living
construct
Initiative +1
DEFENSE
AC 16 (natural armor)
HP 22 (3D8+9)
Resistance: fire, lightning
Immunity: poison, disease
Special: Armor Up (see traits)
OFFENSE
Speed 30 feet
Melee Attack - Fist +3 to hit, reach 5 ft, one
target, hit 3 (1D4+1) bludgeoning damage
Melee attack - Shortsword +3 to hit (reach 5 ft, one
target), hit 1D6+1 slashing damage
Ranged attack - Fire Spray +3 to hit (reach 15 ft, three
targets in cone range), hit 2D8 fire damage, reflex save DC 11 for half damage.
Statistics
STR 13 (+1); DEX 12 (+1); CON 16
(+3); INT 16 (+3); WIS 10 (+0); CH 6 (-2)
Languages: Espanean,
Old Mythric, Logos, Tradespeak
Senses dark vision 60 ft., perception
+2 (Passive 12)
Skills: History +5
TRAITS
Living Construct: The animate is a living
construct, and does not need to eat, breathe or sleep, though an animate with
spell casting ability will need to meditate. Animates are immune to poison.
Living contructs do have an animating spirit, however, and intelligence. As
such they are not resistant to mind altering effects,
Lightning Slowness: Animates are reduced to half
moving speed for one round when struck by lightning, and in that round they
cannot take bonus actions or reactions.
Elemental Imbuement (fire): animates may imbue themselves with resistance to one
elemental type. The sample collector is imbued with fire, but this can vary
among any of the elemental types.
Armor Up. Animate collectors can “seal”
their armor in reaction to an attack that they are aware of. The target gains
disadvantage on the attack. This attack can be performed against any incoming
strike the animate is aware of until the animate actually takes damage, at
which time it is no longer able to effectively armor up until it repairs
itself.
Animate
collectors are the most human looking of the sentient golems, usually appearing
as lavishly decorated humanoids with etched skin made of bronze, gold, wood and
ceramic plates. Their bodies are composed of a curious mixture of clay,
plastic-like substances, woolen material and these black strands of an unknown
carbon-like substance that radiates elemental heat.
Collectors really
don’t like to fight, although they are equipped for it if necessary. Their
primary function is to observe, record, and learn about the many cultures of
Chirak, and if forced to confrontation the animate will seek only to defend and
avoid hurting others. Not all animates are like this, however. Some rogue
collectors, or animates from the Black Dome seem to look down on organic
biological beings as less than worthy, and show an utter disdain for the lives
of others. Such collectors are often found in league with the Arcanists,
seeking out lost and forbidden secrets for exploitation.
Among all
animates, collectors are the only type which is treated for game play purposes
as if it were a true humanoid. As such, the rules for collectors are based
entirely on the character creation rules in Chapter II. All other animates are
built as living elemental construct monsters.
Animate Worker
Drone
CR 3 (700
XP)
LN medium living construct
Initiative +0
DEFENSE
AC 14 (natural armor)
HP 60 (8D8+24)
Resistance: fire, lightning
Immunity: poison, disease
OFFENSE
Speed 30
feet
Multiattack the worker drone can strike with
two fist attacks per action.
Melee Attack - Fist +6 to hit, reach 5 ft, one
target, hit 2D8+4 bludgeoning damage
Statistics
STR 18 (+4), DEX 10 (0), CON 16 (+3),
INT 10 (0), WIS 10 (0), CHA 6 (-2)
Languages: Logos, Old Mythric, 25% chance
of tradespeak or other
Senses: darkvision, perception +0
(passive 10)
Skills: Athletics +6
TRAITS
Living Construct: The animate is a living
construct, and does not need to eat, breathe or sleep, though an animate with
spell casting ability will need to meditate. Animates are immune to poison and
disease. Living contructs do have an animating spirit, however, and
intelligence. As such they are not resistant to mind altering effects,
Lightning Slowness: Animates are reduced to half
moving speed for one round when struck by lightning, and in that round they
cannot take bonus actions or reactions.
Elemental Imbuement (fire): animates may imbue themselves with resistance to one
elemental type. The sample worker drone is imbued with fire, but this can vary
among any of the elemental types.
Animate workers are usually found deep
in the belly of animate cities such as Beltraine. These gangly, lean
mechanicals are comprised mostly of clockwork mechanisms, rubbery joints,
wooden slat carapaces and streams of flowing, radiant elemental energy. The
type of energy is usually a giveaway as to the nature of their driving elemental
force. They rarely seem to have much intelligence to their actions, instead
following whatever obscure programming they have been direct to carry out.
Worker drones
that somehow get loose or find themselves lost in the surface world of squishy
biologicals often have mental breakdowns, being unable to properly process the
data they experience. As such they are rarely deliberately seen outside of
actual animate communities, and those few that wander the land tend to act very
strangely, almost insane (and sometimes even become chaotic neutral in behavior
permanently).
Variant
Worker drone Traits:
Flyers
Some worker drones are equipped with metal wings and
steering columns hooked up to rudders allowing lift and guidance in flight.
These drones have flight speeds of 60 feet, and work on the delicate spires of
the Animate cities. They also work with four clawed limbs instead of a humanoid
form, adding a claw attack option:
Multiattack: flyers can attack up to four times with claws against
targets in range with one action.
Melee
Attack – Claw +6 (5 foot reach, 1
target) 2D8+4 slashing damage and target must make a DC 10 save or is grabbed by
the flyer.
Diggers
Certain worker drones are designed to dig deep into the
earth to forge new passage ways and excavate for new material resources. They
have tremorsense and can move with a burrowing speed of 30 feet. Their drill is
an additional attack:
Multiattack: the digger may strike with two fists or one fist and a
drill.
Melee
Attack - Digger Drill +6 attack (reach 10 feet
up to 2 targets), 4D8+4 piercing and slashing damage and target is knocked
prone.
Next: the battleforms
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