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Into the Past: “Knight” Class Gearsman (Mk. I)

So, I am running a mini-campaign for my kids and my wife. The kids wanted a combat heavy game so I grabbed the 4e adventure Revenge of the Giants (because thematically it fits better in my World and 4e is great for tactical combat setups) and started converting it as I wanted to play something like Against the Giants (I also pilfer stuff from Storm Kings Thunder – because, giants). One of the optional quests is to retrieve skymetal to create some special artifact weapons.  In the original adventure, all the skymetal is gone so the characters go back in time and steal it from the wizard Acererak.

Since in my Iron Gods AP, the adventurers (literally) nuked Silver Mount and it no longer exists, this gave me the idea to have that wizard be Furkas Xoud while he was still with the Technic League.  Not only did this give my players a kick as they played through the Iron Gods AP and so knew who he was it let me revisit the setting and create some updated gearsmen and other tech gear.

They eventually faced the still living Xoud but instead of fighting him they talked him into providing the skymetal they needed but also to trade future knowledge for some technological weapons.  Not only did he find out that there is an evil intelligence in Silver Mount but that his future self-found out about it from an android called Casandalee (they did not reveal that the hunt killed him). Nicely setting him up for the AP.

Was a fun little side trek for me and the players.  I always like doing campaign callback when I can to show the player’s actions actually do change things in the continuity of The World.

Here is one of the updated gearsmen guarding Xoud’s lab at the Technic League Compound.

“KNIGHT” CLASS GEARSMAN (MK. I)Screen Shot 2015-03-05 at 17.10.28
Medium Construct (robot), neutral

Armour Class 18 (reinforced skymetal plating)
Hit Points 60
Speed 20 ft.

Str 18 (+4)        Dex 13 (+1)       Con 16 (+3)
Int 10 (+0)        Wis 10 (+0)      Cha 10 (+0)

Skills Perception +4
Damage Resistances bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical weapons that aren’t skymetal.
Damage Immunities necrotic, poison, psychic
Damage Vulnerabilities lightening
Condition Immunities charmed, frightened, paralysed, petrified, poisoned, stunned
Senses Darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 14
Languages Gothic
Challenge 4 (1,100 XP)

Adaptive Learning. A gearsman can automatically gain skills, proficiency and feats as needed though it can only have one new ability active at any given time.

Battlefield Tactics. The gearsmen gains a +2 bonus to melee attacks if it has an ally adjacent to the target.

Charge Weapon. Any metal melee weapon wielded by a gearsman becomes charged with lightening and deals +3 (1d6) points of lightning damage on a hit.  This damage is included in the attack.

Gift of the Machine God. As a creature of technology gearsmen gain many damage and condition resistances and immunities but they are also susceptible to lightning attacks.

Scanner.  The gearsmen gains double proficiency bonus in the Perception skill.

Self-Repair (Recharges after Long Rest). A gearsman’s nanites repair it of damage at the rate of a number of hit points per hour equal to its CR (4 hit points per hour for most gearsmen). Up to once per day, as an action, it can repair any robot it touches for 12 (4d6) points of damage—if a gearsman uses this ability on itself, it automatically heals itself of the maximum amount of damage: 24 points.

ACTIONS                                   
Combined Arms.  The gearsman can make two melee attacks.

Neural Sword.  Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft.; one target.
Hit: 10 (1d6+1d6+4 plus resonance) sonic and lighting damage (including 3 lightning damage from charge weapon).  Resonance: As the neural sword hits it causes a high-pitched whine causing momentary disorientation in living creatures.  On a failed DC 15 Constitution save the target gains disadvantage on combat attack rolls and is marked (see Knight’s Honour).   A successful save cancels these effects.

Knight’s Honour (Recharges 3~6).  When a creature is marked by the gearsmen it releases a sonic boom that effects all non-robots within 5-feet of the gearsmen doing 2d8+5 sonic damage.  The target also takes 5 psychic damage until it attacks the gearsmen.

Machine Slam.  Melee Natural Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft.; one target.
Hit: 8 (1d8+4) bludgeoning damage.

REACTIONS                              
Resolve (1/day).  When a knight model gearsman if bloodied it repairs 10 hit points, gains 10 temporary hit points and can make a saving throw against an ongoing effect.

GEAR                              
Gearsman can use weapons and other items as a human so it is not uncommon to find them carrying weapons, in particular, crowd control type weapons like the neural sword which ceases functioning on a critical fail (assuming characters can figure out how to use it properly and has the same base attributes as a short sword).

Posted in Dungeons & Dragons