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  1. - Top - End - #1
    Dwarf in the Playground
     
    Danu's Avatar

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    Default [Monster] Stationary Guardian

    STATIONARY GUARDIAN
    Medium Construct
    Hit Dice: 6d10+20 (53 hp)
    Initiative: +0
    Speed: None
    Armor Class: 18 (+8 natural), 10 touch, 16 flat-footed.
    Base Attack/ Grapple: +4/ +11
    Attack: Greatword +11 melee (2d6+10/ 19-20)
    Full Attack: Greatsword +11 melee (2d6+10/ 19-20)
    Space/Reach: 5 ft./ 5 ft.
    Special Attacks: Flay Flesh, Smite 3/day
    Special Qualities: Blindsense 5 ft., construct traits, DR 6/adamantine and bludgeoning, immunity to magic, tremorsense 5 ft.
    Saves: Fort +2, Ref +2, Will +3
    Abilities: Str 24, Dex 10, Con -, Int -, Wis 10, Cha 1
    Feats: Cleave (b)
    Environment: Any
    Organization: Solitary
    Challenge Rating: 3
    Treasure: None
    Alignment: Neutral
    Advancement: None

    It’s almost like a suit of normal fullplate standing before you, a greatsword clutched in steel gauntlets set at presentation before it, gripped in everlasting metal. The almost ostentatious armor is decorated with strange runic sigils, none of which are close enough to make out. As soon as you step close, however, the armor suddenly tenses and swings the greatsword with astounding speed!

    A stationary guardian is an eternally vigilant protector, which stands in complete silence, never moving. Unlike the standard construct, these guardians are more for show then utility, being slightly more inexpensive to make then the more powerful golems.
    A stationary guardian is incapable of moving of its own volition, and it cannot sense anything beyond its immediate area. While it is deadly within the squares it can threaten, its especially vulnerable to ranged spellcasters or archers.
    Intelligent mages attempted to correct this error by imbuing the construct with some measure against arrows and spells, but the more patient heroes can simply stand back and chip away at the animated armor until the magic holding it together collapses, leaving a suit of masterwork fullplate behind.

    ORIGIN
    Originally created by a rather bored artificer mage, the first stationary guardians were simply commanded to stand in one spot and attack all that came into reach of its sword.
    When this rather simplistic tactic proved to be surprisingly effective against unwary adventurers, the mage began to craft more; these made specifically for this stationary position. Without the need to imbue such constructs with extensive magical instructions, the spellcaster was able to craft a reasonably powerful, yet magically simple construct.
    Its true value, however, was against the unwary or warned. Once an adventurer learned of this particular construct’s inability to give chase or to defend from ranged attacks, they were easily capable of planning rather simple stratagems for defeating the stationary guardians.
    The name of the original crafting mage is unclear; some also credit this same ancient mage with the construction of several other frequently used golems and other guardians heard of today. Whatever the name, his legacy lives on for the foreseeable future.

    COMBAT
    A stationary guardian is always treated as if it is readying an action to attack anything that comes within 5 ft. of it. This accounts for what seems to some as an almost supernatural speed to their swing. A stationary guardian will not attack any creature that speaks a specific command word, specified at its time of creation.

    Flay (Ex): Any damage dealt by a stationary guardian is extremely resistant to healing. Characters with wounds inflicted by a stationary guardian cannot heal the damage naturally, and any character attempting to cast a healing spell on the inflicted damage must succeed on a DC 18 caster level check, or the spell has no effect. Once a creature has been completely healed of all hit point damage he has currently incurred, he is no longer affected by this ability.
    Immunity to Magic (Ex): A stationary guardian is not affected by any spell or spell-like ability that allows spell resistance.
    Smite (Su): Three times a day, a stationary guardian may attempt to strike a furious blow against any foe that it threatens. It makes a normal melee attack against the chosen foe with a +4 bonus on its attack roll. If successful, it deals +6 points of damage.

    TREASURE
    When destroyed, a stationary guardian usually leaves a functional suit of masterwork fullplate, sized for a human, as well as the greatsword.

    CONSTRUCTION
    Creating a stationary guardian is rather simple. It requires the use of a suit of fullplate, preferably masterwork, to serve as the base for the creature’s body. It also requires the addition of a standard greatsword, although some mages take the extra cost to give their guardian masterwork or even magical greatswords.
    The suit of armor must be fitted to a wooden dummy, which must be constructed specifically for this purpose. Crafting the dummy requires a DC 20 Craft (Carving) check.
    The construct must be placed in the area it will guard, within a mystical circle created with the use of talcum, salt, and rare oil and spices costing at least 1000gp. You then perform a ritual, which consumes the wooden dummy and gives the stationary guardian its form.
    A stationary guardian with more than 6 Hit Dice can be created, but each additional Hit Dice adds 2,000 gp to the cost to create.
    CL 6th; Craft Construct, animate objects, inflict light wounds, caster must be at least 6th level; Price 9,000 gp; Cost 4,500 gp + 360 XP.
    Last edited by Danu; 2007-04-22 at 08:46 PM.

  2. - Top - End - #2
    Dwarf in the Playground
     
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    Default Re: [Monster] Stationary Guardian

    Questions? Comments? Ideas?

    I'd rather this not go into the graveyard of old posts without at least one comment. ^_^

  3. - Top - End - #3
    Dwarf in the Playground
     
    Ali's Avatar

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    Default Re: [Monster] Stationary Guardian

    Very interesting. I like it, but does it need the smite ability?

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    Default Re: [Monster] Stationary Guardian

    looks ok. thumbs up

  5. - Top - End - #5
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    Default Re: [Monster] Stationary Guardian

    Since the guardians can't actually move, I wanted them to be able to do enough damage to not necessarily kill a 3rd level character (unless it critted) but to leave them with something highly memorable. On average it does about 17 points of damage, 23 if it smites. While that generally wouldn't put down a 3rd level fighter, it'd be close enough to definitely alarm him.

    So, does it need the smite? Probably not... but what's more memorable then the one swing that nearly killed you? Especially when the cleric has a heck of time healing you up later on? The PCs I run in my games have learned to hate these things with a passion, even when they discover them as 6th to 10th level characters.

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    Saint George's Avatar

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    Default Re: [Monster] Stationary Guardian

    I can easily see this making a group of PCs very paranoid. A long hallway of statues with only a couple of them actual golems... the horror....

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    Dwarf in the Playground
     
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    Default Re: [Monster] Stationary Guardian

    I once set up a 15 ft. wide corridor, roughly 45 ft. long. Every 15 spaces had two of these things, so that no two were within 5 ft. of each other. Rather then taking them all one at a time, the heavy hitter of the party instead charged the one down at the far end of the corridor.

    Typically, I treat these things as always readying an action to attack if something comes enters their threatened space. So not only did he set off the readied action from every single guardian, but he also provoked AoOs all the way down the line.

  8. - Top - End - #8
    Library Lovers Contest Winner
     
    Duke of URL's Avatar

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    Default Re: [Monster] Stationary Guardian

    Quote Originally Posted by Danu View Post
    I once set up a 15 ft. wide corridor, roughly 45 ft. long. Every 15 spaces had two of these things, so that no two were within 5 ft. of each other. Rather then taking them all one at a time, the heavy hitter of the party instead charged the one down at the far end of the corridor.

    Typically, I treat these things as always readying an action to attack if something comes enters their threatened space. So not only did he set off the readied action from every single guardian, but he also provoked AoOs all the way down the line.
    So... how far did (s)he make it?

  9. - Top - End - #9
    Dwarf in the Playground
     
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    Default Re: [Monster] Stationary Guardian

    He made it all the way to the last guardian, but missed his attack. Next round, the four guardians took their swings and knocked him to roughly -17.

    The part conferred amongst themselves and decided not to go get the barb's body, leaving his corpse there to decay in the dust whilst they found another tomb to loot. This, of course, left the barbarian's player fuming.

  10. - Top - End - #10

    Default Re: [Monster] Stationary Guardian

    Am I the only one who saw the name of this thread and envisioned a golem made of writing paper?

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    Default Re: [Monster] Stationary Guardian

    I didn't think about stationary, but it would be rather cruel - paper cuts sting like the dickens, after all. Would their weapons automagically be Keen?
    Avvie by Mr_Saturn

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    Default Re: [Monster] Stationary Guardian

    I like this idea...

    ...in the past I have added the animated objects template to small suits of fullplate with shields and longswords. A trigger in front of the "statues" set them off. The shield gave them a bit of AC, cuz the template means that the armour dosnt give itself AC (alternative: "I swing at the armor! AC 16?", "Misses, you hit...the armor..."), but hardness 10 kept the PC's at bay.

    Yeah, the first two "statues" the PC's see have a go at them, and the puddle of water over there turns out to be a grey ooze. My group hates it when I start describing the room they're in...
    We the Unwilling,
    Lead by the Unqualified,
    Have been doing the Unimagineble
    For so Long, with so Little,
    That we shall now attempt the Impossible
    With Nothing!

  13. - Top - End - #13
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    Default Re: [Monster] Stationary Guardian

    Quote Originally Posted by Glooble Glistencrist View Post
    Am I the only one who saw the name of this thread and envisioned a golem made of writing paper?
    *lol* I thought 'stationary' sounded a bit better then 'stand still golem'. ^_^

    Quote Originally Posted by ampcptlogic View Post
    I didn't think about stationary, but it would be rather cruel - paper cuts sting like the dickens, after all. Would their weapons automagically be Keen?
    Dragon Magazine issue #341 has several lesser types of golems, one of which is the 'paper golem'. And, you guessed it... augmented critical on the 'slash' attacks. ^_^

    Quote Originally Posted by magic8BALL View Post
    I like this idea...

    ...in the past I have added the animated objects template to small suits of fullplate with shields and longswords. A trigger in front of the "statues" set them off. The shield gave them a bit of AC, cuz the template means that the armour dosnt give itself AC (alternative: "I swing at the armor! AC 16?", "Misses, you hit...the armor..."), but hardness 10 kept the PC's at bay.

    Yeah, the first two "statues" the PC's see have a go at them, and the puddle of water over there turns out to be a grey ooze. My group hates it when I start describing the room they're in...
    Animated objects... hey... that's a good point.

    Although, in the long run, it'd be far cheaper to make this constuct then to make a permanently animated suit of fullplate. But the suit of fullplate does have a sense of style, doesn't it? ^_^

  14. - Top - End - #14
    Barbarian in the Playground
     
    Wraithy's Avatar

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    Default Re: [Monster] Stationary Guardian

    Quote Originally Posted by Glooble Glistencrist View Post
    Am I the only one who saw the name of this thread and envisioned a golem made of writing paper?
    I imagined that, but if it was guardian to ye olde stationary pot it would have to be programed with puntastic phrases...

    Guardian: "YOU SHALL BE ERASED!!!!!!!"
    *adventurers groan painfully in unison*
    adventurer: YOU SUCK!
    Guardian: "prepare to WRITE your will"
    I'm back... possibly... any minute now... brb.

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    Barbarian in the Playground
     
    Reptilius's Avatar

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    Default Re: [Monster] Stationary Guardian

    I saw something like this in Demon Stone. Only they had greataxes and killed everything but you.
    Goblin Shaman by Simius

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