Post by rorrik on Jul 16, 2015 19:45:17 GMT
I one day hope to create an invasion from space campaign in a fantasy setting. These little guys would be part of the vanguard for the invasion and would make up the first few encounters and make for the hook. The idea came to me during a Mail Bag of Holding Section where they mentioned they would change monster health, but not AC because the players would notice. I introduce a monster with an excuse for its AC increasing:
A.I. Scout
Medium Construct
Hit Dice: 2d10+20
Initiative: -1
Speed: 25 ft. 5 squares
Armor Class: 14 (-2 Dex, +6 Natural), touch 8, flat-footed 14*
Base Attack/Grapple: -2/0*
Attack: Punch +2 melee (1d4+4)
Full Attack: 2 Punches +2 melee (1d4+4)
Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Spell-like
Special Qualities: Darkvision 60 ft., Machine Learning, Exposed Wires
Saves: Fort +6, Ref +4, Will +6
Abilities: Str 18, Dex 7, Con 0, Int 0, Wis 10, Cha 1
Skills: -
Feats: -
Environment: Any
Organization: Solitary or Gang (2-4)
Challenge Rating: 1
Treasure: None
Alignment: Always lawful
Advancement: -
Level Adjustment: -
Spell-like abilities: Shocking Grasp-Caster Level 1, 3/day
Machine Learning: Each time an attack is made on the A.I. Scout, it gains +1 AC against that attacker on all future attacks, cumulative with maximum +10 from Machine Learning. Similarly, each time the A.I. Scout attacks an enemy, it gains +1 BAB on all future attacks against that enemy, cumulative with maximum +16 from Machine Learning.
Exposed Wires: Unlike most constructs, A.I. Scouts are vulnerable to critical hits. Crits deal regular critical damage, but the attacker is automatically stuck with the Shocking Grasp spell-like ability.
Combat: An effective strategy is to focus on attacking a single target, probably the closest. Once a good BAB bonus has been reached, the enemy can be finished with a Shocking Grasp. During this time, AC will have increased against other enemies who can be attacked until down or bonuses allow them to be hit with Shocking Grasp reliably as well. In groups, they will try to single out a target each to avoid having to learn the techniques of all enemies.
These scout robots form the vanguard of an invading alien army. Their armor plating is incomplete leaving exposed bundles of wires and the robots chassis are early, experimental models with awkward motions and rudimentary learning applied only on an individual basis. They also lack the inter-robot communication that later models use to learn from each other's experience.
You could drop these guys into any campaign setting, maybe as explorers gone off course.
A.I. Scout
Medium Construct
Hit Dice: 2d10+20
Initiative: -1
Speed: 25 ft. 5 squares
Armor Class: 14 (-2 Dex, +6 Natural), touch 8, flat-footed 14*
Base Attack/Grapple: -2/0*
Attack: Punch +2 melee (1d4+4)
Full Attack: 2 Punches +2 melee (1d4+4)
Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Spell-like
Special Qualities: Darkvision 60 ft., Machine Learning, Exposed Wires
Saves: Fort +6, Ref +4, Will +6
Abilities: Str 18, Dex 7, Con 0, Int 0, Wis 10, Cha 1
Skills: -
Feats: -
Environment: Any
Organization: Solitary or Gang (2-4)
Challenge Rating: 1
Treasure: None
Alignment: Always lawful
Advancement: -
Level Adjustment: -
Spell-like abilities: Shocking Grasp-Caster Level 1, 3/day
Machine Learning: Each time an attack is made on the A.I. Scout, it gains +1 AC against that attacker on all future attacks, cumulative with maximum +10 from Machine Learning. Similarly, each time the A.I. Scout attacks an enemy, it gains +1 BAB on all future attacks against that enemy, cumulative with maximum +16 from Machine Learning.
Exposed Wires: Unlike most constructs, A.I. Scouts are vulnerable to critical hits. Crits deal regular critical damage, but the attacker is automatically stuck with the Shocking Grasp spell-like ability.
Combat: An effective strategy is to focus on attacking a single target, probably the closest. Once a good BAB bonus has been reached, the enemy can be finished with a Shocking Grasp. During this time, AC will have increased against other enemies who can be attacked until down or bonuses allow them to be hit with Shocking Grasp reliably as well. In groups, they will try to single out a target each to avoid having to learn the techniques of all enemies.
These scout robots form the vanguard of an invading alien army. Their armor plating is incomplete leaving exposed bundles of wires and the robots chassis are early, experimental models with awkward motions and rudimentary learning applied only on an individual basis. They also lack the inter-robot communication that later models use to learn from each other's experience.
You could drop these guys into any campaign setting, maybe as explorers gone off course.
