"Gods dammit, not again! What kind of damn fool keeps a faerie dragon as a pet?"
"The kind of rich eccentric that pays well for guard duty," Iermo reminded him. "I think it's your turn to check."
"Don't you dare take a single sheqel from the pot," he teased, rising to his feet with visible reluctance. "I know exactly what I've wagered so far."
"I wouldn't dream of it." When Alonzo was halfway up the stairs, Iermo started loudly rummaging through the pile of small coins on the table.
"Ha ha, Mister Funny Man. Be quiet, I'm trying to do our job." Alonzo disappeared up the staircase. There was a jangle of keys, the click of a lock, and the faint creak of the old door, followed immediately by a heavy thud, and then silence.
"Alonzo...?" Iermo was on his feet, hand on his scimitar hilt. He rushed to the base of the stair. Alonzo was at the top, dark blood still burbling from a gash in his neck. Iermo took the stairs two at a time, scimitar held in front of him apotropaically. He grabbed a wyrd-lantern from its peg on the wall, stepped over his fallen comrade, and nudged open the blood-spattered door.
The green wyrd-light caught a figure clad head-to-toe in black leather just as it was sliding the Grimoire of Jobor Kha into a pouch on its chest. Iermo lunged forward, bringing his scimitar down in a silvery arc with all his strength. The blade sheared through the thief's arm just above the elbow. It fell to the floor without a single drop of blood. The burglar leapt back, unfurled a whip from its remaining arm, and struck at Iermo. The tip of the lash wrapped around his ankle, and with one quick pull the thief toppled him backward. Iermo got up in time to see the intruder leap out the open window. He scrambled to his feet and bolted to the window. Four stories below, the dark figure bounded across the courtyard, whipped itself up onto the parapets, and disappeared into the city's midnight streets.
Speechless, Iermo stooped to examine the thief's severed arm. The thing had the form of a man's arm, but instead of flesh and bone it was layer upon layer of leather all the way to the core. Braided skeins of leather extending from the wrist formed a long whip which was wound around the forearm like a bracer. As Iermo twisted and turned the arm this way and that, a long blade sprang from a slit between the middle and ring fingers, its keen edge dripping with black poison. "What is this abomination?"
Today's Monster Monday is the leather golem, a versatile construct made of solid leather, built for skulking, stealing, and stabbing. It has whips and poisoned blades built into its arms, retractable thieves' tools and secret loot pockets built into its body, and it smells like a new briefcase.
The following text in gold is available as Open Game Content under the OGL. Open Game Content is ©2016 Jonah Bomgaars.
Golem, Leather CR 8
XP 4,800
N Medium construct
Init +5; Senses darkvision 60 ft., low-light
vision; Perception +2
DEFENSE
AC 22, touch 22, flat-footed 10 (+5
Dex, +7 natural)
hp 80 (11d10+20)
Fort +3, Ref +8, Will +5
DR 5/adamantine; Immune construct traits, magic
Defensive Abilities evasion, improved
uncanny dodge,
OFFENSE
Speed 40 ft., climb 20 ft.
Melee short sword +16/+11 (1d6+3 plus
poison) or 2 whips +16 (1d3 nonlethal plus disarm or trip)
Space 5 ft.; Reach 5 ft. (15 ft. with whip)
Special Attacks berserk, haste, sneak
attack (+6d6)
STATISTICS
Str 16, Dex 20, Con --, Int --, Wis 14, Cha 1
Base Atk +11; CMB +16; CMD 29 (cannot
be disarmed)
Feats Agile ManeuversB, Weapon
FinesseB
Skills Acrobatics +16, Disable Device +16,
Stealth +16
SPECIAL ABILITIES
Berserk (Ex)
When a
leather golem enters combat, there is a cumulative 1% chance per round that its
elemental spirit breaks free and the golem goes berserk. The chance resets to 0% after one minute of
inactivity. A berserk leather golem
often acts differently from other berserk golems due to its roguish spirit;
some berserk leather golems steal any and all valuables they can obtain and
hoard them in a safe spot, others go on random murder sprees, though all retain
some semblance of self-preservation.
Once a golem goes berserk, no known method can reestablish control.
Haste (Su)
After it has
engaged in at least 1 round of combat, a leather golem can haste itself once
per day as a free action. The effect
lasts 3 rounds and is otherwise the same as the spell.
Poison (Ex)
The body of
the leather golem contains a reservoir of poison which it channels to its blade
as a free action, coating it before every strike. Alternately, the leather golem can excrete
one dose of the poison directly into a container as a standard action. The controller of the leather golem can
choose what poison to fill the reservoir with.
Changing the poison is a process that takes 1 hour of work and requires
at least 30 doses of the poison in question.
Greenblood
oil – injury (blade); Save
Fortitude DC 13; Frequency 1/round
for 4 rounds; Effect 1 Con damage; Cure 1 save.
Roguish Spirit (Ex)
A leather
golem is infused with the spirit of a particularly roguish elemental, granting
the otherwise mindless construct the ability to better carry out its orders and
adapt to changing situations. The
leather golem counts as a rogue with a level equal to its Hit Dice for the
purposes of its Sneak Attack and Improved Uncanny Dodge special abilities. It can also use the Acrobatics, Disable
Device, and Stealth skills using its Hit Dice as skill ranks, although these do
not count as class skills for the leather golem. The leather golem also gains Agile Maneuvers
and Weapon Finesse as bonus feats.
Immunity to Magic (Ex)
A leather
golem is immune to any spell or spell-like ability that allows spell
resistance. In addition, certain spells
and effects function differently against the creature, as noted below.
-A magical
attack that deals cold damage slows a leather golem (as the slow spell) for 3 rounds, with no saving
throw.
-A grease spell hastes the leather golem
(as the haste spell) for 3 rounds,
with no saving throw.
-A disintegrate spell deals 3d6 points of
damage to the golem (no save).
-A leather
golem is affected normally by the spells cat’s
grace, invisibility, and sands of time.
Integrated Weapons (Ex)
The short
sword and whips are integrated into the body of the leather golem. The golem cannot be disarmed of them. The blade and the whips can be retracted into
or extended from the leather golem’s body as free actions.
ECOLOGY
Environment any
Organization solitary or gang (2-4)
Treasure none
Leather
golems are created to serve as unquestioning thieves, secret bodyguards, or unrelenting
assassins for their masters. They appear
to be humanoids wrapped in leather, but are in fact solid leather all the way
to the core. Leather golems are equipped
with a battery of tools and weapons, including a retractable shortsword blade,
a reservoir of poison, thieves’ tools, and twin whips on either arm. It uses the whips to disarm and trip
opponents in combat and to aid in climbing.
Some masters use clothing and cloaks to disguise the true nature of
their leather golems, while others prefer to let the unsettling nature of a
humanoid made entirely of leather speak for itself.
Leather golems are constructed with a number
of built-in pouches and pockets for storing up to 2 cubic feet or 20 pounds of useful
items or stolen goods. Some leather
golems are even fitted with a bag of holding to enhance their carrying
capacity.
Construction
A leather
golem’s body must be fashioned from 250 pounds of the finest quality leather
and treated with rare oils and powders worth 1,000 gp.
CLAY GOLEM
CL 9th; Price 31,000
Construction Requirements Craft Construct, cat’s
grace, envious urge, geas/quest, haste, locate object, spider climb, creator must be caster
level 9th;
Skill Craft (leather) DC 14; Cost 16,000 gp
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-your apotropaic d20 despot
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