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Into the Past: Prototype Robotic Apprentice

Previous entries in this mini-series of visiting past Nimmeria:

These new and updated gearsmen guard Xoud’s laboratory at the Technic League Compound before he had built The Choking Tower.  This is the prototype version of the fully functional apprentice found in the Choking Tower.  My players groaned when they saw this guy get up from studying in Xoud’s library as the pair of them had caused a great deal of pain to their other characters.  At this stage, Xoud had not quite cracked the secret to robots casting spells.

PROTOTYPE ROBOTIC APPRENTICE 250px-Robotic_apprentice
Medium construct (robot), lawful neutral

Armour Class 18 (mage armour)
Hit Points 190 (19d10)
Speed 30’ ft. hover (ignores terrain effects, but not true flight)

STR 16 (+2)        DEX 21 (+5)       CON 10 (+0)
INT 10 (+0)         WIS 14 (+2)        CHA 10 (+0)

Skills Arcana +8, Cybertheurgy +8, Perception +5
Damage Resistances bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical weapons that aren’t skymetal.
Damage Immunities necrotic, poison, and psychic
Condition Immunities charmed, frightened, paralysed, petrified, poisoned, and stunned
Senses Darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 13
Languages Gothic and Common
Challenge 8 (5,000 XP)

Electromagnetic Aura.  This model still has kinks that need sorting out but this particular fault provides a measure of protection to the robotic apprentice.  It constantly gives off a powerful aura of electromagnetic energy out to 10 feet.  All living creatures that star their turn in the aura are dazed (no reactions, no flanking bonus, target grants combat advantage).

Fragile Construct. If the robotic apprentice is bloodied it loses its multiattack action.

Gift of the Machine God. As a creature of technology, the prototype robotic apprentice gains many damage and condition resistances and immunities but it is also susceptible to lightning based attacks.

ACTIONS                                  
Multiattack. A prototype robotic apprentice can make four slam attacks or two slam attacks and use hypnotic casting.

Electromagnetic Slam. Melee Weapon Attack: +8 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target.
Hit: 10 (2d8 +2) bludgeoning damage and ongoing lighting damage.  The target is also weakened (dealing half damage) if it does not make a DC 16 Constitution saving throw at the start of its turn.

Hypnotic Casting.  The prototype robotic apprentice can’t quite cast anything beyond cantrips like prestidigitation, but it continues to try.  It’s perfect somatic form and gentle swaying movements combined with a specular light show it creates when attempting to cast a spell has a hypnotic effect on creatures not immune to psychic damage.  Each creature that can see the hypnotic casting must make a DC 16 Wisdom saving throw or become dazed (grant advantage to attackers, lose reactions and can not flank enemies or provide any benefit from flanking to allies (like sneak attack)).  If already dazed, it takes 12 (2d6+6) psychic damage instead.

REACTIONS                              
Berserk Flailing.  When a prototype robot apprentice has lost half of its hit points it immediately uses electromagnetic slam against each adjacent enemy.

DESCRIPTION
Not quite as advanced as the later models this machine is still a deadly opponent.

Posted in 5e, Dungeons & Dragons, Into the Past, Iron Gods