2010-09-16

Monsters of the Gatehouse

So the first section of the first level is effectively a gatehouse to the rest of the dungeon.  It's been sealed for millenia, locked away from the outside world and the rest of the dungeon.  So, I figure most of the encounters in there will be automatons, slowly rusting away and going insane as time marches on.

Automaton, Lesser
AC: 5
HD: 2
Move: 120' (40')
Attacks: 1 weapon
Damage: 1d6 + 1
No. Appearing: 1d8
Save As: Fighter: 2
Morale: 10
Treasure Type: U
Alignment: Neutral

The automatons are roughly man-like machines fashioned of stainless steel framing, with stainless plates covering particularly vulnerable runs of hydraulic hoses and wiring.  They were created to perform service and maintenance duties.  Their heads are cylindrical, with a speaker grill for speech and two crystalline eyes providing binary vision.  The rust stains on these automatons are minor, and speak to the amount of upkeep they are providing for themselves, through diligent maintenance and/or successful cannibalization of other automatons.  The weapons they carry are crude blades made of sharpened stainless steel plating.  Time has not been kind to their mental functions, and a reaction roll determines their behavior towards PCs.

As automatons have minds, spells such as Charm Person, Sleep, and Fear will work on them (Sleep will cause them to go into "hibernation mode" for the duration of the spell.  They will announce this fact loudly as the lights in their eyes dim, and their bodies slump over midstride, completely motionless).

Automaton, Lesser, Jury-Rigged
AC: 6
HD: 1
Move: 90' (30')
Attacks: 1 weapon
Damage: 1d6
No. Appearing: 1d8
Save As: Fighter: 1
Morale: 8
Treasure Type: U
Alignment: Chaotic

The jury-rigged automatons have been badly damaged, and have repaired themselves with whatever was at hand.  For the most part, this is the ancient skeletal remains of the former human staff of the gatehouse.  They are badly rusting, missing large sections of plating over chafed hoses and wiring, and have replaced structural steel with human bones.  The rusty cylinders protecting their heads have often been replaced with cracked human skulls.  Their badly damaged minds are bent on self-preservation, and they will most likely attack PCs for their "fresh parts".  Reaction rolls are at -4.

Automaton, Greater
AC: 3
HD: 4 *
Move: 120' (40')
Attacks: 2 light plasma guns
Damage: 1d6 each
No. Appearing: 1d4
Save As: Fighter: 4
Morale: 12
Treasure Type: U
Alignment: Neutral

These automatons are the soldier-class machines.  They are bigger, have heavier plating, and more protection over joints, to prevent damage to hoses and wiring.  Each forearm has an integral plasma gun, capable of firing up to 60' away.

Automaton, Greater, Jury-Rigged
AC: 4
HD: 3
Move: 90' (30')
Attacks: 1 weapon
Damage: 1d6 + 2
No. Appearing: 1d4
Save As: Fighter: 3
Morale: 12
Treasure Type: U
Alignment: Chaotic

Like lesser jury-rigged automatons, these machines are a mixture of human bones and machine.  Their plasma guns have long since failed (otherwise they'd be in tip-top shape from parts cannibalization).  Reaction rolls for these automatons are at -4.

Stirge, Radioactive
AC: 7
HD: 1+1 **
Move: 30' (10')
  Flying: 180' (60')
Attacks: 1
Damage: 1d3
No. Appearing: 2d4
Save As: Fighter: 4
Morale: 12
Treasure Type: L
Alignment: Chaotic

These stirges became trapped within the gatehouse, and with no living food, they attacked the thinner glass piping in the reactor core, confusing the warm radioactive goo within for human blood.  They have heavily mutated from this diet of glowing green sludge, becoming incredibly-long-lived and able to sustain themselves off the energy-rich goo.  They would certainly welcome the change of diet that the PC's blood would provide, however.

When they attack, for every round after the first attack the stirge remains attached to a victim, on a roll of 1-2 on d6, they will accidentally regurgitate green goo into their victim instead of sucking blood.  If the victim fails a save versus poison, roll a d6 to see the effects on the victim:

1. Dies
2. Loses point of constitution
3. Gains point of strength, but greenish tinge causes loss of 1 charisma
4-6. Takes 1d6 damage

Their radioactive nature has enhanced their resistance to toxins and energies of all sorts, causing them to save as a Level 4 Fighter.

These stirges are green and glowing, and nest inside the broken empty tubes that they have already sucked dry.  From a distance, they look like football-shaped lumps of green goo.

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