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View Full Version : [3.5] The Hellstriders - Customizable Biological Demonic Power Armor



Xefas
2012-08-19, 03:56 AM
Previous Demon City Stuff:
Martial Adept Base Class: The Primordialist (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=237502)
Martial Discipline: Infernal Monster (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=176059) / Martial Discipline: Malfeasant Heart (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=189444) / Martial Discipline: Desolate Arbitrator (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=232080)
Epic Level Martial Discipline: Primeval God-Monster (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=250965)
Unique Demon: Sondok, She Who Stands in Doorways (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=249635)
Epic Unique Demon: Ligier, the Green Sun (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?p=13646259)
Demon Race: Neomah, the Makers of Flesh (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?p=13689899)


http://i.imgur.com/9Vp4E.jpg

The minds and cultures of the Abyss are unfathomably varied, and so it should be no surprise that, with so many perspectives directed at obscene violence, a truly spectacular array of different and diverse warmachines have been produced by its many nations. From the hideous, towering crab-clawed artillery/melee hybrid Defilers fielded by Orcus to the handheld Personal Evokers invented by Demogorgon to allow mortal cultists to become rampaging behemoths capable of participating in battles of the magnitude that clashes between Demon Princes typically operate on, there is no shortage of mechanized brutality in the Infinite Abyss.

The Demon City has its own machines of destruction, just as any layer, and the most famous, both inside and outside of its borders is, with good reason, the Hellstrider.

Named such for their first use during the time before the Great Wheel, as the lesser souls of the Baernoloths fought alongside the Baatorians to defend Hell against the onslaught of Asmodeus and his Archon forces. Backed by immense Solars and Planetars, looming 30 or more feet in height, the Baernoloths had few things on such a scale other than some of their own Second or Third Circle Souls, which were not numerous enough to meet every threat. With more and more battles turning against them, eventually the mere sight of these angelic monsters was enough to send a Baatorian legion to rout.

The solution, as is time and again proven to be the case in so many situations life presents us with, was giant armored demon robots. Working together, the finest craftsman of the Baernoloth hierarchies created the first Hellstrider, a huge mechanical monstrosity forged of chaos, abyssal flesh, demon souls, tainted metals, intricate mechanical arrays, and powerful sorceries. From this prototype, many mass-produced models followed, as well as the training of a likewise number of Obyrith, Yugoloth, Baatorian, and First Circle pilots. All across Baator, Angels were being challenged like never before, being dragged down and torn apart, feasted upon by the ravening hordes beneath. Morale improved, and the Archons had a true fight on their hands.

We know how that war ended. But the Hellstrider still persists in the armies of the 627th layer of the Abyss and, more rarely, elsewhere. The most heroic of demons are chosen as their pilots, and they are the focal point of joyous parades among the city, and objects of fear to would-be invaders, posted in highly visible areas where the Demon City meets other layers, as if daring the occasional passing warband or visiting diplomat to initiate hostilities.

Outside the Demon City, it is known that the Obyrith Lord Obox-Ob possesses a few functioning Hellstriders, professed to be relics from when his eldest children piloted them eons ago during the siege of Baator. The Demon Lord Graz'zt has a personalized Hellstrider that he has yet to actually field in a real combat situation, a gift or payment from the nobility of Malfeas. What service he has provided in return, or shall provide in return, is a secret between himself and the Demons of the Third Malfean Circle. Rumor has it that Bel, Archduke of Avernus, the First Hell, has been looking into reverse-engineering the concept for Devil usage, although there is no evidence he has succeeded yet. Disturbingly, the same mechanisms in place that allow him to bind and channel the power of the previous Archduchess of Avernus, Zariel, are not all that dissimilar from the ones that stabilize the demonic essence within a Hellstrider. The prospect of a suit created from such a powerful entity is a terrifying one.

The Chassis

At its most basic, each Hellstrider begins in a Huge-sized humanoid shape; two arms, two legs, torso, head – and appears like a massive suit of full-plate armor. It has a cockpit set into the torso that fits a single Medium-sized pilot comfortably, with perhaps enough room for a second Medium sized creature to squeeze in if the need were dire, opening from the front of the machine. Inside, the pilot sits and places their various appendages (often arms and legs) inside of bio-mechanical slots which lock into place and fuse with the pilot's nervous system (creatures without a nervous system, such as Undead and Constructs cannot pilot a Hellstrider for this reason). A moment later, the pilot goes blind, deaf, mute, and numb as their senses are transferred to the machine. After a minute's time, the integration is complete, and the flesh-eyes within the Hellstrider's helm blink open. The pilot sees, hears, and feels through the Hellstrider, and may speak through its mouth (although the voice is likely quite different from their own). From this point, they may operate all of the Hellstrider's functions. When they wish to disengage, they must go inactive for another full minute before their body regains its senses and the fuselage retracts its nerve-assimilators. While attached, the body of the pilot is much like an organ for the Hellstrider, and prematurely removing them is likely to kill the pilot and heavily damage the suit in the process.

Modules may change this, but at its core, a pilot's stats are modified in the following ways while integrated with a Hellstrider. All saving throws associated with a Hellstrider are calculated as DC (10 + 1/2 pilot's character level + an ability score modifier stated in the ability). A Hellstrider in Berserk Mode (see below) that has effective Outsider hit dice may use their own character level to calculate saving throws in place of their pilot's.

Type: Change to "Outsider [Chaotic, Evil]". The Pilot's native plane remains the same, so they may be [Native] or [Extraplanar].
Size: Change to "Huge". Disregard any size-based bonuses to physical ability scores or natural armor as a result of this change. These things are covered by other aspects of the Hellstriders. Other modifications, such as Reach, Grapple/Hide modifiers, and so on, still apply.
Speed: Lose all movement speeds other their base land speed. Base land speed becomes 40ft.
Ability Scores: Strength becomes 28. Dexterity becomes 10 or stays the same, whichever is lower. Constitution becomes 20 or stays the same, whichever is better. Recalculate hit points accordingly.
Qualities: You lose access to all Extraordinary and Supernatural abilities gained as part of your race, or otherwise tied to your physical form. However, you gain the following abilities.

Trampling Steps (Ex): You may move through the spaces of creatures two or more size categories smaller than yourself without provoking an attack of opportunity or attempting an Overrun. In addition, the first time in a turn that you move through a creature's space in this way, they must make a Reflex save (DC is Dexterity based) or take [1d8 + (strength modifier x 1.5)] damage.

Mayhem (Ex): You deal double damage against inanimate structures of at least Large size. Houses, battlements, and siege equipment crumble like sand under your wrath.

Hybrid Body (Ex:) You receive only half the normal benefit from magical healing. However, repair spells and infusions also provide half their normal benefit.

Armor: You lose access to any statistics or effects granted by your currently worn armor, although other magical items continue to function. Instead, you have a +13 Armor bonus, a -8 Armor Check Penalty, 95% Arcane Spell Failure Chance, and a Maximum Dexterity Bonus of 0.

Maintenance: After 25 total hours of operation, a Hellstrider requires maintenance, in the form of one Craft (Machines) check, and one Heal check. The DC is 20 + 1 per module on the Hellstrider + 1 for every 5 hours after the first 25 that it has not received maintenance. Failed checks may be retried, although each check requires an hour of work, so repeated failure may be undesirable. Taking 10 on a check consumes a total of three hours. Both checks may be made simultaneously, if they are being made by different workers. Once a Hellstrider has not received maintenance for 35 hours, and every 5 hours after that, there is a 50% chance that a random module will cease functioning until it receives maintenance. If there are no modules left to deactivate, and a deactivation is rolled, the Hellstrider ceases functioning altogether, and the maintenance DC increases by 10.

A Note on Hellstriders and Hit Points
As you may have noticed, a pilot maintains more-or-less the same number of hit points within a Hellstrider as they do without. How then does a big hulking robot get taken down after 5 hit points of damage if their pilot only has 5 hit points remaining when they step into the cockpit? The answer lies in the transference of trauma between machine and pilot. A character reduced to 5 hit points has been physically weakened to a significant degree. Even if the Hellstrider is the one taking the hit, they have become part of the suit at that point, and their body is subject to the same suffering as the Hellstrider itself. 5 hit points of damage may not have done more than dent the metal behemoth, but it may very well have stopped the heart of the pilot, whose physical fortitude could withstand no additional pressure. It is rigorous business, piloting a Hellstrider, and not to be taken lightly.

Modules

The basic Hellstrider chassis has a market value of 100,000gp, but no Hellstrider is left bare for long. While they may not be enchanted directly like a magic item, a combination of craftsmanship and sorcery may create Modules capable of being installed into a Hellstrider in order to augment their abilities. A Hellstrider can hold a maximum of one Arm Module, one Leg Module, one Shoulder Module, one Chest Module, one Head Module, and any number of Extra Modules.

A Module requires one day per 1,000gp of market value to craft, half the market value in raw materials, and 1/25th of the market value in XP. Each Module has a prerequisite spell that needs to be cast at some point during the crafting, and a Craft DC that needs to be made by the crafter at the end of the crafting process. The skill used will either be Craft (Machines) or Heal, depending on whether the Module is primarily biological or mechanical. If the Craft/Heal check fails, the Module will take an additional day per 2,000gp of market value to finish – complete with another Craft/Heal check at the end, which may delay it once more. If a Craft/Heal check is failed by 5 or more, one-third of the raw materials are ruined. A Hellstrider Chassis is constructed in the same way as a Module.

Modules may only be installing or removed on an inactive Hellstrider. Installing a module requires a DC 20 Craft (Machines) check. Failure is not immediately evident. Rather, the first time that module is activated, or a roll is made that would be modified by that module, the pilot realizes that the module is not functioning. Under optimal conditions, a pilot will test every module after activating their Hellstrider to make sure they are all functioning and, if not, have them removed and reinstalled. Optimal conditions are not always present. Removing a Module is a DC 20 Craft (Machines) check. Failure indicates that damage has come to the Hellstrider in the process. Effectively, five hours are "added" to the time until it will require maintenance.

Modules cannot be deactivated via magic-dispelling effects, such as a Dispel Magic spell. However, in Anti-Magic Zones, or Dead Magic Zones, all Modules temporarily cease operation until the zone is exited. The base Chassis continues functioning normally in these conditions.

Berserk Mode

Although it may look like an elaborate machine, every Hellstrider is, at its core, a demonic creature – one often made from the composite of many monsters, fused together and suborned into servitude. The beast is usually silent, conscious but unaware. There are, however, times when it may awaken, and the pain and confusion it feels at its new existence, the physical and psychological trauma it has suffered, all boil to the surface and it enters Berserk Mode. The armored plates that adorn its body creak and shift as bulging musculature and sinew creep into view. Its helm peels away to show living eyes and an organic mouth full of razor-sharp teeth. Howling incoherently, it will attempt to kill any living thing that it sees and, having accomplished that, will seek out new prey, or occasionally content itself with extensive property damage.

The first and most common circumstance is when the pilot of a Hellstrider is knocked unconscious by some means, but not killed (in the case of a pilot being at -1 or lower hit points, a Hellstrider in Berserk Mode may still operate without hindrance, until the pilot actually dies). The Hellstrider is awake, but there is no guiding force, so its mind unfetters itself and begins its rampage. In this case, the Hellstrider operates with the same statistics it normally has with its pilot inside. It may even activate the pilot's personal magic items (if the pilot would already be capable of doing so while piloting the Hellstrider). This Berserk Mode lasts either until the Hellstrider gives out from lack of maintenance, or until the pilot regains consciousness. In the latter case, the pilot may spend 5 minutes attempting to reestablish control. Multiple attempts can be made, if necessary, and each attempt has a 50% chance of success.

The second happens only when a Hellstrider has become particularly attached to a given pilot. Once a pilot has operated a Hellstrider for a thousand hours or more, and driven it in at least one successful encounter against an enemy of a challenge rating equal to or greater than the pilot's character level, the Hellstrider will form a bond. Afterward, if the Hellstrider goes Berserk, it will refrain from directly attacking any living things that the pilot would designate as an ally. And, should the pilot ever be in imminent life-threatening danger while outside the Hellstrider, but within 100 miles of it, it will activate of its own accord, go Berserk, and seek out its pilot with a supernatural empathic sense of their location.

In this case, a Hellstrider's statistics function as if it had Outsider hit dice equal to 7 + 1 per Module currently installed within it. It has mental statistics of "-", and thus no hit points, operating with the singular goal of destroying everything between itself and its pilot's safety.

If a pilot does not operate a Hellstrider for a year and a day, it forgets about them until another bond is established. If multiple pilots meet the requirements for bonding with a single Hellstrider, its bond functions for the pilot who has driven it in the most encounters with challenge rating appropriate enemies. If there would still be a tie, the Hellstrider's bond remains with the pilot who first met the requirements.

List of Sample Modules
(Hoping to add more over time, as the current selection is woefully incomplete.)

Arm Modules
Ballistic Force Dispensers
Arm Module; Value: 5,000gp; Spell: Magic Missile; Craft (Machines) DC 25
With a particular gesture, long cylinders full of magitechnological instruments deploy from previously concealed slots in the Hellstrider's forearms. With another gesture, the mechanisms begin to whir, before dispensing a dense bolt of pure force from the end of the cylinder. With these, the pilot may make ranged touch attacks that deal 1d6+1 force damage per shot. If they are able to make multiple attacks in a round (such as for having a high base attack bonus), they may fire the force dispensers as many times as they have attacks. If they wish, a pilot may utilize both dispensers simultaneously, functioning as if they were wielding a weapon in both hands.

Effort Multiplying Servo-Motors
Arm Module; Value: 40,000gp; Spell: Bull's Strength; Craft (Machines) DC 28
Motors are integrated with the Hellstrider's muscles that activate automatically under a certain amount of strain, augmenting the limb's actions without requiring additional effort on the part of the pilot or the biological portions of the Hellstrider itself. The Hellstrider effectively gains a +6 Mechanical bonus to its Strength score.

Hulking Thews Extension
Arm Module; Value: 10,000gp; Spell: Enlarge Person; Heal (Machines) DC 25
The ribcage and shoulders of the Hellstrider are extended and supported by metal braces, allowing additional muscular bulk to be added to the arms and pectorals, giving the armor a more "stout" build. The Hellstrider gains the "Powerful Build" trait. This allows them to be considered one size category larger than they are for the purposes of size-modified opposed checks (such as grapple checks, bull rushes, etc), determining whether a special ability will be able to effect them (such as Improved Grab or Swallow Whole), and for the size of weapon they can wield.

Symbiotic Force Amplifiers
Arm Module; Value: 10,000gp; Spell: Bull's Strength; Heal DC 25
Threads of magically conductive tissue augment the musculature of the Hellstrider, particularly massed in the biceps and forearms. When a pilot merges with the machine, their own muscles are linked more perfectly to the Hellstrider, thus allowing them to use their own Strength score if it would be higher than the Hellstrider's base.


Leg Modules
Aquatic Mobility Optimization
Leg Module; Value: 5,000gp; Spell: Quickswim; Heal DC 25
Fins and pressurized organs for controlling buoyancy are installed in the Hellstrider's legs, along with modifications to its reflexive systems that activate upon submerging in water. These new instincts cause the Hellstrider to subconsiously swim as naturally as any fish would, moving gracefully with each eddie and current, despite its massive size. The Hellstrider gains a Swim speed equal to its land speed.


Shoulder Modules
Abyssal Wing Transplants
Shoulder Module; Value: 45,000gp; Spell: Demon Wings; Heal DC 28
A pair of enormous membraneous wings are affixed to the Hellstrider's shoulderblades, granting them a Fly speed equal to their land speed, with average maneuverability.

Howling Propulsion Thrusters
Shoulder Module; Value: 60,000gp; Spell: Heart of Air; Craft (Machines) DC 30
Rectangular protrusions are installed in the Hellstrider's shoulders, and along their back, connected to a core of pressurized elemental energy within the fuselage. At the pilot's will, the thrusters explode into life, issuing geysers of howling heat and air and propelling the Hellstrider through the air. The Hellstrider adds +10 feet to their land speed, and gains a Fly speed equal to their land speed, with perfect maneuverability.

Chest Modules
Agility Optimized Systems
Chest Module; Value 12,000gp; Spell: Cat's Grace; Craft (Machines) DC 26
Additional computing modules within the cockpit itself and optimized wiring systems allow the Hellstrider to act in perfect unison with the pilot's every thought and motion. The pilot uses their own Dexterity score when driving the Hellstrider, its Armor Check Penalty is reduced to 0, and its Maximum Dexterity Bonus increases to 4.

Head Modules
Basic Animated Intelligence
Head Module; Value 24,000gp; Spell: Fox's Cunning; Craft (Machines) DC 28
Powerful magitechnology filters, stabilizes, and condenses the disparate chaotic thought patterns of the Hellstrider into something resembling true sapience. The Hellstrider has, independent of its pilot, an Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma score of 10. It has 50 skill points, which are arranged permanently as part of the creation of the Module. All skills are class skills for the Hellstrider, other than Autohypnosis, Iajutsu Focus, and Use Magic/Psionic Device, and it may have a maximum of 10 ranks in any given skill. It also has two feats of its own, decided as part of creating the Module. It has no ability to defy the control of its pilot, and a pilot may freely utilize the Hellstrider's skills and feats as they wish.

Hellstriders with Animated Intelligences that enter Berserk Mode do not necessarily become mindless killing machines (or mindless guardian machines). They are simply free to exercise their free will for as long as they continue Berserking. Hellstriders that have only ever known a life of constant war are likely to act not all that dissimilarly from a standard Berserking Hellstrider. Those that are abused, demeaned or, perhaps, learn all too much about their own existence, may become suicidal, and enact their defiance by destroying themselves and/or their pilots during a Berserk. Hellstriders that are allowed to grow and develop their own personalities will act accordingly – a few pilots in the Demon City are known for combining this Head Module with a Restraint Matrix Key Extra Module to allow their Hellstrider to live something akin to their own life. In one famous case, a Malfean Hellstrider took up aspirations to become a pacifist and a poet, refusing to serve in battle and, instead, would screech its obscene prose throughout the docking bay where it was stationed. That Hellstrider is still in service today, although its Animated Intelligence has since been replaced with a less irritating Module.


Extra Modules
Blade-Rebuking Reinforcements
Extra Module; Value 15,000gp; Spell: Mage Armor; Craft (Machines) DC 26
Quite simply, additional armored plates are affixed to the Hellstrider, along with a few magical treatments and mechanical modifications to reduce the majority of the ungainliness which would normally result. The Armor Bonus the Hellstrider grants is increased by 4.

For an additional 50,000gp, this Module may be permanently upgraded to grant 4 more armor, in addition to the 4 it already grants.

Dynamic Camouflage Array
Extra Module; Value 10,000gp; Spell: Invisibility; Craft (Machines) DC 25
The subconscious, hibernating awareness of the Hellstrider is harnessed and focused outward, while being linked to an intricate series of panels spread across the exterior of the machine. The panels project colors and patterns, while the dormant minds within continuous calculate and recalculate the patterns required to blend in with a changing environment as the Hellstrider moves. This eliminates the size-based Hide penalty the Hellstrider would normally suffer. As a minor side-benefit, a pilot may also choose to have the Hellstrider display any colors on its exterior that they wish - this negates the normal camouflage benefit in most cases, but it allows, for instance, for the showing of patriotic colors during a parade, or simply something aesthetically pleasing during down-time.

Titanic Exoskeleton Retrofit
Extra Module; Value 80,000gp; Spell: None; Craft (Machines) or Heal DC 40
While most citizens of the Demon City fall into the four to eight feet category, some are quite larger, and an elite class of Hellstrider is required for them to pilot, as the smaller scale version is already too cramped to extend the fuselage any further. Unlike most modules, this one is permanent, and cannot be removed once installed. The Hellstrider's size increases to Gargantuan, with the likewise increase to space, reach, and assorted size modifiers to grappling, hiding, attack rolls, and armor class. In addition, their default Strength increases to 36, and their default Constitution increases to 24. The base Armor Bonus they grant improves to +16, and the damage of their Trampling Step ability becomes (2d6 + [Strength modifier x 1.5]). The cockpit allows for a Large creature to pilot the Hellstrider now, although it will still conform to a Medium sized pilot if necessary.

Restraint Matrix Key
Extra Module; Value 20,000gp; Spell: Rage; Heal DC 26
Sinuous coils of mystically attuned wiring are threaded around the neural pylons which absorb, constrain, and distort the demonic psychologies that infest the inner workings of the Hellstrider. These wires are connected to an emergency shutdown device implanted somewhere in the beast, which in turn is linked to an external magical token. This token, often a brass key, although it may take other forms, need only be grasped and mentally willed into activation with a standard action. Once activated, the Hellstrider immediately awakens and goes into Berserk Mode. If the pilot is currently inside, the Hellstrider's statistics function as if the pilot were unconscious during a rampage. If there is no pilot inside, then they gain the Outsider hit dice and other statistics associated with an empathic release. The Key cannot undo a Berserk state, only induce it.

Xefas
2012-08-19, 04:02 AM
An extra post, either if I run out of room for modules, or want to post some example machines once the module list gets large enough.

Garryl
2012-08-19, 05:08 PM
This looks interesting. I'd like to steal some of these ideas for my own homebrew some day, if that's alright.

Under maintenance, you say that the Hellstrider requires maintenance after 25 hours of operation. However (other than increased maintenance DCs) there are no penalties for 10 hours after that limit (modules don't start to deactivate until 35 hours of use). Is that a typo?

How long does maintenance take? Retries are 1 hour apiece, and for some reason taking 10 takes 3 hours (instead of the normal time for a check). How long doe the first maintenance attempt take? Also, can the same person perform both the Craft and the Heal components of maintenance at the same time?

How long does it take the cockpit to open when in use (such as to pick up or drop off the passenger)? How much cargo can the Hellstrider store inside the cockpit? Can a pilot be force-fed a potion by the passenger? Can the pilot be attacked separately from the Hellstrider itself (such as by an incorporeal foe or the Arcane Archer's Phase Arrow ability)?

How do Hellstrider hit points work, exactly? Does the Hellstrider itself have a pool of hit points? Is all damage taken directly by the pilot? Is a piloted Hellstrider even considered at all separate and distinct from the pilot, rather than being a singular being?

Xefas
2012-08-19, 08:29 PM
This looks interesting. I'd like to steal some of these ideas for my own homebrew some day, if that's alright.

Sure, I mean, it's all d20 mechanics and Exalted fluff. I don't own anything. Thank you for the helpful post, by the way. It's just what I needed/was hoping for! Clearly I need to add a few things and clarify others.

Under maintenance, you say that the Hellstrider requires maintenance after 25 hours of operation. However (other than increased maintenance DCs) there are no penalties for 10 hours after that limit (modules don't start to deactivate until 35 hours of use). Is that a typo?

It's not a typo. After 25 hours, you can do maintenance. It's not until 35 hours that stuff starts breaking. So, performing maintenance before that point is what you might call "preventative maintenance". Sort of like if your refrigerator is on the fritz, you might want to get it fixed or replaced before it completely craps out on you. You can put it off for longer, but you might come home one day with a broken refrigerator full of spoiled food.

How long does maintenance take? Retries are 1 hour apiece, and for some reason taking 10 takes 3 hours (instead of the normal time for a check). How long doe the first maintenance attempt take? Also, can the same person perform both the Craft and the Heal components of maintenance at the same time?

I'll go clarify these a little later tonight. The intention is that each check, including the first, is 1 hour. I think I'll end up taking out the "taking 10 = 3 hours" bit, just because I don't think it'll make any difference in most situations.

For the last questions, no, the same person cannot make both checks simultaneously. I think this is fairly clear:

Both checks may be made simultaneously, if they are being made by different workers.
If not, I'll make it even more explicit.

How long does it take the cockpit to open when in use (such as to pick up or drop off the passenger)? How much cargo can the Hellstrider store inside the cockpit? Can a pilot be force-fed a potion by the passenger? Can the pilot be attacked separately from the Hellstrider itself (such as by an incorporeal foe or the Arcane Archer's Phase Arrow ability)?

Right! All things I will be adding tonight. Thank you again.

How do Hellstrider hit points work, exactly? Does the Hellstrider itself have a pool of hit points? Is all damage taken directly by the pilot? Is a piloted Hellstrider even considered at all separate and distinct from the pilot, rather than being a singular being?

All damage is taken directly by the pilot, and the Hellstrider is considered an extension of the pilot (it simply modifies the pilot's statistics, as given in the Chassis section). The exception is when it goes Berserk without a pilot inside, in which case it becomes its own unique entity for the duration, and gains hit dice and other hit die-based statistics, as noted in the Berserk Mode section.

Garryl
2012-08-19, 09:49 PM
So it's sort of like a temporary template, then? That makes sense.

What are the hit points (and other stats) of an inactive Hellstrider? Also, a lack of hit points for a berserk Hellstrider is wrong. With no Wisdom or Charisma scores, it is an object, and objects do have hit points.

How long (and/or difficult) is maintenance before the 25 hour mark?

Can Hellstriders for non-Medium creatures be made? Other than LArge creatures through the Titanic Exoskeletal Refit, that is.