Skip to main content

Magitech Monsters

By November 16, 2015January 30th, 2024Monsters

Monsters
Comments from the Finger: If you’re gonna run a magitech campaign, you need monsters. For all the focus that this type of campaign setting gives constructs, it’s absolutely imperative to have more than what the Monster Manual provides. Hopefully, this gives DMs more options, and gives gives players a few more things to be terrified of.

Cadaver Collector

Cadaver collectors are ghastly constructs, layered in thick plates of metal and stone from which protrude a multitude of various spikes, all barbed and covered in gore. Upon these spikes a cadaver collector mounts the corpses it collects for it master, if it still has one. They are massive constructs, standing about 12 feet tall hunched over, and weighing about 4,000 pounds.
    Body Gatherers. Cadaver collectors were originally built to serve exactly the purpose their name implies. Those with an interest in collecting the dead would deploy the constructs to bring bodies back from a battlefield. Corpses gathered in this fashion are sometimes used by generals to provide information on an enemy’s forces, as well as to fuel magical or medical research. Most often, though, cadaver collectors were dispatched to gather bodies for the creation of undead.
     Abandoned Titans. In times of peace, cadaver collectors usually sit idle, finding out-of-the-way locations near the site of their last great battle to wait for a new master to give them new orders. Others find employment performing their grisly task for masters who are not so discriminating about where corpses are collected. Still others have found, through a certain perverse twist of logic, that if no battle can be found, they can find ways to start a conflict so that bodies become available and they can realize their purpose once more. Some have just ceased to function correctly. With a lack of purpose, they are unable to distinguish between bodies living or dead, and collect each indiscriminately.
     Constructed Nature. A cadaver collector doesn’t require air, food, drink, or sleep.

Cadaver Collector
Large Construct, lawful neutral
Armor Class 18 (natural armor)
Hit Points 189 (18d10 + 90)
Speed 25 ft.
STR 20 (+5), DEX 8 (-1), CON 20 (+5), INT 5 (-3), WIS 10 (+0), CHA 3 (-4)
Senses blindsight 10ft., darkvision 60ft., passive Perception 10
Damage Immunities poison
Condition Immunities charmed, exhaustion, frightened, paralyzed, poisoned
Languages understands commands given in any language but can’t speak
Challenge 10 (3,900 XP)
Magic Resistance. The cadaver collector has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.
Spiked Armor. At the start of each of its turns, the cadaver collector deals 11 (2d10) piercing damage to any creature grappling it.
ACTIONS
Multiattack. The cadaver collector makes two attack, one with its fist, and one with its spikes.
Fist. Melee Weapon Attack: +9 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit16 (3d6 + 5) bludgeoning damage.
SpikesMelee Weapon Attack+9 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit22 (3d10 + 5) piercing damage.
Paralysis Gas (Recharge 5- 6). The cadaver collector exhales a 30 foot cone of gas. Each creature in that area must succeed on a DC 16 Constitution saving throw or be paralyzed for 1 minute. A creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success. 

Clockwork Constructs

Clockwork constructs consist of a vast array of specialized mechanical servants, imbued by their magitech cores with motion and limited reason.
     Autonomous. Clockwork constructs are designed to perform a simple task commanded by their master. Often, each construct, or group of like-purposed constructs, signify their master by a command word, and all other creatures are merely neutral agents, which are either ignored or treated with hostility, depending on their commands.
     Limited Intelligence. With a limited memory for commands, each type of clockwork construct must perform a specific task, and often fail if a task requires abstraction to accomplish that task. They find it challenging, if not outright impossible, to improvise solutions or deal with paradoxical instructions, so a construct’s master should be extremely careful with his commands.
     The possibility for greater intelligence in a clockwork construct is not unheard-of, it’s merely a matter of sophisticated magic. No less than three distinct doomsday scenarios involve awakening the numerous legions of clockwork constructs with true intelligence, and their subsequent uprising against their living overlords. Each of these is more unlikely than the last, but it does fill a number of people with paranoid dread to consider the possibility.
     Immortal Servants. For all intents and purposes, a construct does not age or die. Without regular maintenance, they are likely to fall into disrepair over time, but provided replacement parts and the ability to use them, a construct will never become inactive.
     During their operation, they will never meaningfully deviate from their programming, and will always attempt to complete the task to which they are assigned. It is possible that, due to minor malfunctions, this programming can become corrupted, resulting in bizarre behavior or faulty logic in interpreting their orders, but such situations are rare in the short term.
     Constructed Nature. A clockwork construct doesn’t require air, food, drink, or sleep.

Automaton

Automatons are an expendable, catch-all weapon platform. Lacking arms capable of manipulating objects, and walking on a pair of stubby legs, each automaton is constructed around a simple type of weapon, which takes up the bulk of their form. This design is inexpensive to implement and repair, if marginally inelegant.
     Automatons embody “dumb” constructs, lacking the ability to strategize. They instead opt to walk directly toward their target and swing wildly. However, in great numbers this flocking behavior can easily overwhelm unprepared opponents.

Automaton (Arbalester)
Small Construct, lawful neutral
Armor Class 13 (natural armor)
Hit Points  16 (3d8+3)
Speed 20 ft.
STR 10 (+0), DEX 14 (+2), CON 12 (+1), INT 2 (-4), WIS 10 (+0), CHA 4 (-3)
Damage Immunities poison, psychic
Condition Immunities blinded, charmed, deafened, frightened, paralyzed, petrified, poisoned
Senses blindsight 60ft. (blind beyond this radius), passive Perception 7
Languages
Challenge 1/2 (100 XP)
Death Burst. When an automaton dies, it explodes in a burst of fire. Each creature within 5 feet of it must make a DC 10 Dexterity saving throw, taking 7 (2d6) fire damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.
ACTIONS
Multiattack. The automaton makes two attacks with its light crossbow.
Light Crossbow. Ranged Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, range 80/320 ft., one target. Hit: 7 (1d8 + 2) piercing damage.

Clockwork Knight

The personal bodyguards of noblemen and foot soldiers of many mechamancers, clockwork knights are reasonably competent in battle. They are sleek, bipedal warriors, equipped with an extendable sword embedded in one arm. Each is able to maneuver in combat for a more advantageous position, and press the offensive when their opponent is weak, but this is the extent of their intelligence. They have trouble handling abstraction, and are apt to fall into traps.
     Without manually changing their parameters, clockwork knights have difficulty differentiating between hostile and neutral agents after fighting for a course of weeks. For example, if a party of clockwork knights spent a month battling lizardfolk bandits in a swamp, they might inadvertently attack innocent lizardfolk when they return to the city. Thus, a clockwork knight abandoned for decades is likely to find all creatures, including its own master, hostile, and attack on sight.

Clockwork Knight
Medium construct, lawful neutral
Armor Class 15 (natural armor)
Hit Points 65 (10d10 + 10)
Speed 30 ft.
STR 18 (+4), DEX 14 (+2), CON 12 (+1), INT 10 (+0), WIS 10 (+0), CHA 10 (+0)
Damage Immunities necrotic, poison
Condition Immunities blinded, charmed, deafened, frightened, paralyzed, petrified, poisoned
Senses blind sight 60 ft. (blind beyond this radius), passive Perception 14
Languages understands common but can’t speak
Challenge 5 (1800 XP)
Martial Advantage. Once per turn, the clockwork knight can deal an extra 14 (4d6) damage to a creature it hits with a weapon attack if that creature is within 5 feet of an ally of the clockwork knight that isn’t incapacitated.
Spell Immunity. The clockwork knight is immune to three spells chosen by its creator. Typical immunities include fireball, heat metal, and lightning bolt.
ACTIONS
Multiattack. The clockwork knight makes two longsword attacks.
Longsword. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 10 (1d10 + 4) slashing damage.
Thunderwave. The clockwork knight can cast thunderwave, with spell save DC 15.

Variant: Effigy
Due to their humanoid builds, clockwork knights are sometimes engineered with a sophisticated humanoid chassis in place of armor. These knights are able to appear as an individual humanoid, rather than a construct. They can perform simple programmed tasks, such as walking a particular route or responding to specific questions with specific phrases.
     However, effigies are not perfect representations. They move in vaguely mechanical ways, and possess an uncanny, almost dead, look. To discern that an effigy is not genuine, a creature can use its action to inspect its appearance and must succeed on a DC 16 Intelligence (Investigation) check. This check is made at disadvantage is the effigy is far away, in poorly lit conditions, or otherwise obscured.
     An effigy has 14 AC, a challenge rating of 3 (700 XP), and has the following action option in place of the clockwork knight’s longsword and multiattack:
Slam. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 8 (1d6+4) bludgeoning damage.

Mechanical Spider

Often the scouts and couriers for mechanists and noblemen, mechanical spiders are extremely nimble. Though merely dumb constructs, mechanical spiders are trusted with sensitive deliveries, as each comes equipped with a crude, yet effective, failsafe: when tampered with, mechanical spiders simply explode. The spiders lack offensive capabilities unless modified extensively by a mechamancer and are extremely fragile, but are irreplaceable to those who trust them with their deliveries and confidential information.
     Mechanical Spiders are spindly and frail, and rarely sustain more than one hit before requiring repair.

Mechanical Spider
Small Construct, lawful neutral
Armor Class 13
Hit Points 3 (1d4+1)
Speed 20 ft., climb 20 ft.
STR 6 (-2), DEX 16 (+3), CON 12 (+1), INT 2 (-4), WIS 10 (+0), CHA 4 (-3)
Damage Immunities poison, psychic
Condition Immunities blinded, charmed, deafened, frightened, paralyzed, petrified, poisoned
Senses blindsight 60 ft. (blind beyond this radius), passive Perception 7
Languages
Challenge 0
Death Burst. When a mechanical spider dies, it explodes in a burst of fire. Each creature within 5 feet of it must make a DC 10 Dexterity saving throw, taking 7 (2d6) fire damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.
Spider Climb. The mechanical spider can climb difficult surfaces, including upside down on ceilings, without needing to make an ability check.
ACTIONS
Carry. The spider can pick up and carry or drop a single object weighing no more than 5 pounds.

Warforged Titan

Among the first warforged created during the Last War of Eberron, titans are a small step forward from massive, mindless war golems. Warforged titans are not true living constructs like other warforged; they are barely sentient, with just enough intelligence to follow changing commands in the heat of battle.
     Standing 15 feet high, with an immense axe embedded into one arm, and a maul embedded into the other, the destruction a titan can inflict is plainly clear. Unlike the sleek, humanoid warforged that were to follow them, the titans were designed only for battle.
     Forerunners of Living Constructs. The warforged titans were an incremental step in the direction of truly living constructs. Command of a successful army requires troops that can follow orders, adapt to changing situations, and learn from their experiences, and the experiences of those around them. Titans perform better in all these areas than golems and other constructs, but fall far short of a living creature, thus necessitating the construction of truly living constructs.
     Line Breakers. Warforged titans are deployed to crush enemy lines and tear through their fortifications. Their thick armor and massive weapons make them ideal to sunder defenses, break down walls, and open a path for infantry.
     Constructed Nature. A warforged titan doesn’t require air, food, drink, or sleep.

Warforged Titan 
Huge Construct, lawful neutral
Armor Class 18 (natural armor)
Hit Points 158 (15d10 + 75)
Speed 30 ft.
STR 26 (+8), DEX 8 (-1), CON 20 (+5), INT 7 (-2), WIS 10 (+0), CHA 3 (-4)
Senses blindsight 10ft., darkvision 60ft., passive Perception 10
Damage Immunities poison
Condition Immunities blinded, charmed, deafened, exhaustion, paralyzed, poisoned
Languages understands commands given in any language but can’t speak
Challenge 13
Concussive Swing. If a warforged titan hits a creature with two attacks on its turns, that target must succeed on a DC 18 Strength saving throw or be knocked prone.
ACTIONS
Multiattack. The warforged titan makes three attacks, one with its axe, and two with its maul, or two with his axe and one with his maul.
Axe. Melee Weapon Attack: +11 to hit, reach 10 ft. , one target. Hit: 26 (3d12 + 6) slashing damage.
Maul. Melee Weapon Attack: +11 to hit, reach 10 ft. , one target. Hit: 26 (3d12 + 6) bludgeoning damage.

Changelog: 2/1/16: Cadaver Collector and Warforged Titan: Construct Nature: referred to Clockwork Constructs, now fixed.

 

 

Leave a Reply