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View Full Version : D&D 3.x Other tips for balancing this monstruosity



King of Nowhere
2018-07-19, 10:52 AM
I conceived a heavily modified golem used as a sort of mech as one of the main bosses for a 20ish level group. I gave it a lot of mundane, gunpowder-based weapons because my campaign world has the technology for them, and it fit the villain's theme, and I have always been fascinated with the concept of taking a fantasy world and adding technology to it. It is supposed to be a challenge for the whole party; in particular, I want a battle of attrition that would last a while, and since the party have a cleric and a druid, and both keep several healing spells handy, I gave the golem a lot of damaging capacities that can be used as free actions; also, because otherwise action economy would trivialize the encounter anyway.

I see some potential problems, though:
- all the damage skills used together make for a potentially very powerful burst. It may kill some of the weaker party members without giving them any counteract capacity, which does not mix well with a battle of attrition
- I have a rogue in the party, andd he would be totally useless in this battle
- it may still be too weak; the barbarian can deal a lot of damage to it despite the high AC, and with flesh to stone + harm it could go down in a couple rounds

So I'm open for tips


This heavily modified greater stone golem was SPOILER. One of my players read this board, and the background is spoileriffic
gargantuan construct
Hit dice: 60d10+60 (370 hp)
Initiative: -3
Speed: 9 m
Armor class: 52 (-3 dex, -4 size, +24 natural, +13 armor, +5 deviation, +7 shield)
BAB/grapple: +45/+71
Attack: flail +63 melee (6d8+23)
Full attack: flail +63 melee (6d8+23)
Space/reach: 6 m / 6 m
special attacks: slow, gatling gun/incendiary rounds, napalm spray, acid shower, mouth cannon, flail sweep
Special qualities: construct traits, damage reduction 10/adamantine, immunity to magic, fused equipment, pilot post
Saves: fort +20 ref +17 will +20
Abilities: STR 45 DEX 5 CON 0 INT 0 WIS 11 CHA 1
Skills: none
Feats: none
Environment: any
Organization: solitary
Challenge rating: no flippin' idea, somewhere around 25-30 probably?

slow (su): The mecha golem can use a slow effect, as the spell, as a free action once every 2 rounds. The effect has a range of 10 feet and a duration of 7 rounds, requiring a DC 40 Will save to negate. The save DC is Constitution-based.
gatling gun/incendiary rounds: the mecha golem is equipped with a +5 gatling gun embedded into one of its eyes. At every round as a free action it can fire a burst, spraying an area 3 squares wide with incendiary bullets. Every bullet attacks with a +30 to hit and ignores up to 10 points of armor, natural armor or shield combined. it deals 1d12+5 piercing damage (crit *3) and 2d6 fire damage. A creature occupying the central square of the area get attacked by 5 bullets, everyone around get hit by one bullet. Bullets of special materials to bypass damage reduction are available, but must be loaded beforehand. The golem carries enough bullets to fire for ten rounds, it must be reloaded by a maintenance crew afterwards. Cleverly used ice spells keep the weapon from overheating.
napalm spray: the mecha golem has a turret on its lower abdomen that sprays a sticky incendiary liquid as a free action. It deals 12d6 fire damage in a 15-meters cone (reflexes DC 22 halves). Creatures that failed the saving throw are stuck with the burning liquid, and keep burning for an additional 3d6 damage every round for 10 more rounds. Putting out the flames is virtually impossible without magic. Due to the liquid seeping through holes, having cover halves the damage but does not grant evasion against this ability. Napalm spray can be used only every two rounds, because it takes some time to reload the siphons and pistons that power it. The mecha golem has enough fuel for five uses, then it must be reloaded by a maintenance crew.
acid shower: the mecha golem has embedded acid tanks in its chest, and holes to spray it out all around to deter attackers. As a free action it can open them, causing everyone within 3 meters of the golem to take 10d6 acid damage and everyone else within 9 meters to take 2d6 acid damage (reflexes DC 22 halves); this use consumes 2 charges of acid. Alternatively, the pilot can choose to only spray one side of the golem (front/rear), basically a semicircle; this use consumes one charge of acid. The mecha golem has 5 charges of acid, which must then be reloaded by a maintenance crew.
mouth cannon: a cannon firing from a small porthole where the mouth of the golem would be. Inside, a smaller golem manufactured for the specific task reloads the weapon. It has two modes of fire: shrapnel (45 meters cone, 20d6 piercing and slashing damage for creatures within 15 meters, 10d6 between 15 and 30 meters, 5d6 between 30 and 45 meters, no saving throw unless there is cover available, in which case reflexes DC 30 negates) and single shot (+16 ranged contact attack, 40d6+6 piercing and bludgeoning damage). Normally, the cannon fires +1 adamantine rounds to penetrate damage reduction, but different ammunitions can be used. The cannon fires every 3 rounds as a free action and the mecha golem has 40 rounds of mixed types.
flail sweep: as a standard action, the mecha golem can sweep its flail in a semicircle 6 meters wide. Creatures in the area take 3d8+23 damage (reflexes halves, DC 40)
Immunity to magic: same as a stone golem: rock to mud slows it for 2d6 rounds, mud to rock heals it, stone to flesh negates immunity for one round.
fused equipment: magical equipment is fused into the golem, including a +5 full plate armor, +5 shield, +5 flail. The mecha golem also has a +5 deviation bonus to AC. All stats already included.
pilot post: the golem is commanded by a pilot, so it uses the pilot's spot and listen checks. The pilot is given true sight, arcane sight and darkvision, but the convoluted visibility (images are brought in by periscopes and sound by ear-like holes) the pilot takes a -10 penalty to all such checks to perceive anything outside of the golem. While inside the pilot cabin (situated somewhere in the chest) the pilot has full cover and mind blank. The cabin is also dimensionally locked, and too small for another creature to teleport in anyway.