Walls and Golems and Robots, Oh My! [Book of Gears]

[Kaelik]

Disclaimer: Apparently one of the eight hundred contradictory definitions of the various mental attributes involves Cha being "self awareness" this is stupid and doesn't mean anything. Charisma is force of will, or some dumb shit, it has nothing to do with self awareness, because self awareness isn't even a real thing.

What the hell is a Warforged?
"And how is it different from a Golem or an Animated Object?"

So Constructs are big piles of object that do things by magic. Objects, as we know, have no Con, Int, or Cha score. They also have no Soul, and no Mind.

So what can you do to an object to make it a construct? Four things:

1) You can give it instructions.
2) You can give it a Soul.
3) You can give it a Mind.
4) You can give it a Soul and a Mind.

If you give an object instructions, it still has no Con, Int, or Cha score. It just follows instructions. This is basically just a trap, but one that isn't diffused by not stepping in the bad square, but instead by Silent Image or figuring out the instructions and gaming them.

Classic examples include: Animated Objects, Statues that punch people who take the sacred Artifact, and Walls that bullrush people into other walls.

Animate Objects

Instead of Animating Objects attacking whatever you designate, you are permitted to give it any instructions you want. It will then follow those instructions to the best of it's ability as a Mindless Soulless object with a possibly non permanent duration. Changing instructions is a move action.

So for the DM, whenever you have an Animated Object, first decide what are it's instructions. That's all it will do. Interpret your initial instructions as literally as possible to reward clever players short circuiting the Animated Object.

Special Note: Ravid's tell Animated Objects to attack the nearest non Ravid, to their location, all the time. This includes other objects. Ravid's can't change orders. They are stupid assholes.

Animated Objects have all the normal construct traits, and the hardness of the substance they are made of.

Golems

Golems are big old objects bodies infused with a Soul. They get to have special powers because of this. Sometimes it's spell immunity, sometimes it's the ability to go beserk, sometimes it's lazors.

Golems souls allow them to be basically immortal, but it comes at a cost. The soul is intricately tied to the body, so the body really matters. Golems lose some Construct immunities:

Golems are subject to Ability Damage, Ability Drain, Energy Drain, Critical Hits, and Stunning.

They gain a Charisma score of 15 and only ever 15.

Finally, Golems have emotions, but not thoughts. These sorts of emotions include but are not limited to: Curiosity at where the people just went, Anger at people who attack them, ect.

So Golems will defend themselves and attempt to avoid damage even if it is not part of their instructions, and they will not be easily duped by a silent Image, but will instead attempt to break down the wall.

Robots

Robots are smart. They have a mind, and come in two forms, Souled and Soulless.

In either case, Robots have no Con score. Soulless Robots have no Cha score (and so can't be many classes with Cha based casting or abilities, or at least not be them well.)

Robots lose all the same immunities as Golems, and are also subject to Mind affecting effects.

Robots are usually constructed quite well, and as such, gain, in addition to the size bonus to HP, 2HP per HD.

Robots without souls can be repaired easily, even from destruction, by things that repair objects. This also repairs their mind. Souled Robots can be repaired as well, but must either have a new soul grafted on, or the old one called back somehow.


Constructs for PCs

Warforged Soldier:
30ft move speed, ect, the normal jazz
Ability Score: +2 Str, -2 Dex
Soulless Robot.
No LA, because LA is retarded.

Warforged Artillery:
Basically a Human, but with the immunities of a Robot instead of a feat.

Flavor the races as whatever else you want.

[Prak]

The golem charisma has an interesting side effect. Namely, it is dumb as the rock it's made from, but it's perfectly self aware. More so, infact, than the average human.

[RobbyPants]

So, robots with a mind and soul would be subject to Ability Damage, Ability Drain, Energy Drain, Critical Hits, and Stunning and be able to take PC classes?

Can the base 15 Cha improve innately, such as by putting the point you get every 4 levels into it? Or is that just a rule for monsters, and PCs roll Cha normally?

[Kaelik]

So, robots with a mind and soul would be subject to Ability Damage, Ability Drain, Energy Drain, Critical Hits, and Stunning and be able to take PC classes?

Can the base 15 Cha improve innately, such as by putting the point you get every 4 levels into it? Or is that just a rule for monsters, and PCs roll Cha normally?

1) Also subject to Mind affecting stuff.

2) No, 15 Cha for golems cannot be improved.

[RobbyPants]

2) No, 15 Cha for golems cannot be improved.

Fair enough. I'm assuming enhancement bonuses and the like would still count, as they're bonuses?

[Kaelik]

2) No, 15 Cha for golems cannot be improved.

Fair enough. I'm assuming enhancement bonuses and the like would still count, as they're bonuses?

GARGGGAA!

It's a fucking Golem! Golems have Cha 1 normally, because it has nothing to do with them. They don't need any goddam Cha, they don't have Sorcerer levels, they don't make UMD checks, they don't do anything. The only reason I changed it to 15 is so that I could remove ability score damage immunity without making them insta die to anything that does Cha damage.

It doesn't matter what their Cha score is! It can be 1 or it can be elevendy billion. No one cares except people who cast Flensing and people who manifest Ego whip.

Shit like this is why I don't write things, I tried to make Constructs make sense, and be vaguely balanced as PCs, and instead of "This is too powerful, change X" or "Okay, that's workable." I get "DURRR! I need to know the Cha score of mindless automatons who want to Wish for higher Cha and wear a magic item of Cha!"

[RobbyPants]

Robots

Robots are smart. They have a mind, and come in two forms, Souled and Soulless.

So, robots with a mind and soul would be subject to Ability Damage, Ability Drain, Energy Drain, Critical Hits, and Stunning and be able to take PC classes?

Can the base 15 Cha improve innately, such as by putting the point you get every 4 levels into it? Or is that just a rule for monsters, and PCs roll Cha normally?

I'm not talking about golems. I'm talking about robots. The ones you said could have a mind and a soul. According to your whole soul schpiel, they get 15 Cha. That's all I was asking about. Try to keep up.

[Prak]

In his defense, I was confused too. For robots, I would assume the Cha would be variable.

[Kaelik]

I'm not talking about golems. I'm talking about robots. The ones you said could have a mind and a soul. According to your whole soul schpiel, they get 15 Cha. That's all I was asking about. Try to keep up.

Golems

...

They gain a Charisma score of 15 and only ever 15.

...

Robots

Robots aren't Golems. That's why they are in a different section. Golem rules do not apply to Robots. Try to keep up. By which I mean, learn how to read.

[Prak]

yeah, that's basically what I figured when I read it... Or at least that the golem rules were no more than a very base line, and that a robot would obviously improve upon them.

[RobbyPants]

No, that makes more sense now. I thought the hard-set 15 was a property of them having a soul and not being a golem.

So, for robots with souls, do they just roll it as normal? I see you list warforged as soulless, but you still say robots come it two varieties. How do the souled varieties work?

[Kaelik]

Warforged Artillery has a soul, so they can have Sorcerers as well as Wizards.

Soulless Robots just have no Cha score, and can't do Cha things.

Soulled Robots can make UMD checks and stuff.

[LR]

Charisma: Any creature capable of telling the difference between itself and things that are not itself has at least 1 point of Charisma.
Anything with no Charisma score is an object, not a creature.
Anything without a Charisma score also has no Wisdom score.

Are you seriously saying that a creature who lacks the ability to distinguish between itself and its environment is not only sapient but playable as well? Is the point to play as a device that can pass the turing test while lacking self-awareness?

Also, why don't Constructs get Constitution? Constitution represents structural integrity a lot better than arbitrary hit points, and constructs don't even get d12 HD like Undead.

[RobbyPants]

Okay, so on to what you were actually looking for:

Warforged Soldier:
30ft move speed, ect, the normal jazz
Ability Score: +2 Str, -2 Dex
Soulless Robot.
No LA, because LA is retarded.

I have to agree with LR that unless you redefine how Cha works, having no Cha is pretty much unplayable.

Other than that, they're sitting on a pretty similar list of immunities to Eberron's warforged, right? That seems in line with LA +0. It's really handy in the right circumstances, but it doesn't break the game.

Would it be an issue to set them up with something stupid like Cha 1 and make them immune to Cha damage?

Warforged Artillery:
Basically a Human, but with the immunities of a Robot instead of a feat.

So, a bunch of immunities for a feat? As I said earlier, it's handy, but not broken. It makes fighting things like ghasts a piece of cake, but you still have to deal with other odd side-effects, like Disintegrate. It's workable.

[Kaelik]

FYI, all you dumbasses, I put a little disclaimer at the top so all you retards can stop balbbing about the self awareness of rocks like it actually matters.