Happy New Year and welcome back to Frightful Fridays! (not actually on Friday this week) The new year starts with a ball of needles which bounces around and treats characters as its pincushions. It then flies apart into a veritable swarm of needles to get up close and stabby.
I hope you enjoy the needlesphere, and I'll see you later this week with another monster. Thanks for reading!
A cohesive ball of needles rolls of its own accord. Painfully sharp needles, dripping with a viscous red fluid, fly from the mass.
Needlesphere CR 11
XP 12,800
N Large construct
Init +9; Senses blindsight 60 ft., darkvision 60
ft., low-light vision; Perception +9
DEFENSE
AC 27, touch 15,
flat-footed 21 (+5 Dex, +1 dodge, +12 natural, –1 size)
hp 112 (15d10+30)
Fort +5, Ref +12, Will +6
Defensive Abilities
needle defense; DR 10/bludgeoning
and magic; Immune construct traits; Resist cold 10, fire 10
OFFENSE
Speed 40 ft.
Melee slam +18
(4d6+4 plus pain and poison)
Ranged 4 needles
+19 (1d6+4 and poison)
Space 10 ft.; Reach 10 ft.
Special Attacks
autonomous attacks, poison
STATISTICS
Str 18, Dex 21, Con —, Int —, Wis 13, Cha 5
Base Atk +15; CMB +20; CMD 36 (can't be tripped)
Feats DodgeB,
Improved InitiativeB, Lightning ReflexesB, MobilityB,
Spring AttackB
Skills Perception
+9; Racial Modifiers +8 Perception
SQ camouflage,
needleswarm form
SPECIAL ABILITIES
Autonomous Attacks
(Ex) A needlesphere can make ranged needle attacks as part of a full attack
or when it uses Spring Attack.
Camouflage (Ex) Since
a needlesphere looks like a pile of needles when at rest, a DC 20 Perception
check is required to notice it before it attacks for the first time. Anyone
with ranks in Knowledge (dungeoneering) can use this skill instead of
Perception to notice the creature.
Needle Defense (Ex)
Any creature that strikes a needlesphere with a non-reach melee weapon, unarmed
strike, or natural weapon takes 1d6+4 points of piercing damage from the needlesphere’s
needles, suffers from the creature’s pain attack, and is subject to the
creature’s poison.
Needles (Ex) A
needlesphere’s needles have a range increment of 20 feet. If the sphere is
reduced to 50 or fewer hp, it can no longer make ranged attacks.
Needleswarm Form (Ex)
On command or when a needlesphere drops to 30 or fewer hp, it reverts to a
swarm of needles (refer to the statblock below). The needleswarm has the
needlesphere’s current hp or the needleswarm’s listed hp, whichever is lower.
Pain (Ex) A foe hurt
by a needlesphere’s slam attack or needle defense must succeed at a DC 22
Reflex save or a needle breaks off in its flesh, causing the target to become
sickened until all embedded needles are removed. Removing a needle requires a
DC 15 Heal check made as a full-round action. For every 5 by which the check is
exceeded, one additional needle can be removed. On a failed check, the needle
is still removed, but this deals 1d6+4 points of damage to the victim. The save
DC is Dexterity-based.
Needlesphere Poison
(Ex) Needle or slam—injury; save
Fort DC 17; frequency 1/round for 6 rounds;
effect 1d4 Dex; cure 2 consecutive saves.
Slam (Ex) A
needlesphere’s slam attacks deal bludgeoning and piercing damage.
A cloud of needles
swirls around a tiny core of metal. Each needle glows red as if it was just
pulled from a fire.
Needleswarm CR 11
XP 12,800
N Fine construct (swarm)
Init +9; Senses blindsight 60 ft., darkvision 60
ft., low-light vision; Perception +9
DEFENSE
AC 26, touch 24,
flat-footed 20 (+5 Dex, +1 dodge, +2 natural, +8 size)
hp 97 (15d10+15)
Fort +5, Ref +12, Will +6
Defensive Abilities
swarm traits; Immune construct
traits; Resist cold 10, fire 10
OFFENSE
Speed 30 ft., fly
30 ft. (perfect)
Melee swarm (3d6
plus 2d6 fire, distraction, pain, and poison)
Space 10 ft.; Reach 0 ft.
Special Attacks
distraction (DC 17), poison
STATISTICS
Str 1, Dex 21, Con —, Int —, Wis 13, Cha 5
Base Atk +15; CMB —; CMD —
Feats DodgeB,
Improved InitiativeB, Lightning ReflexesB, MobilityB,
ToughnessB
Skills Fly +21,
Perception +9; Racial Modifiers +8
Perception
SPECIAL ABILITIES
Pain (Ex) A foe
hurt by a needleswarm’s swarm attack must succeed at a DC 22 Reflex save or a
needle breaks off in its flesh, causing the target to become sickened until all
embedded needles are removed. Removing a needle requires a DC 15 Heal check
made as a full-round action. For every 5 by which the check is exceeded, one
additional needle can be removed. On a failed check, the needle is still
removed, but this deals 1d6 points of damage to the victim. The save DC is Dexterity-based.
Needlesphere Poison
(Ex) Swarm—injury; save Fort DC
17; frequency 1/round for 6 rounds; effect 1d4 Dex; cure 2 consecutive saves.
Needlespheres are odd golem-like constructs created to serve
particularly sadistic spellcasters who can afford them. Like many lesser
golems, needlespheres are programmed to guard an object or area when created;
this programming typically cannot be changed after creation. The spheres have
two basic forms: a densely compact sphere with the ability to fire individual
needles at multiple targets, and a loose collection of needles capable of
swarming targets. The magnetic energy holding the swarm form together generates
friction among the needles, causing them to superheat and burn targets caught
in the swarm.
Construction
A needlesphere is created from 1,000 pounds of individual
masterwork needles and a chunk of magnetic ore costing a total of 5,500 gp.
Needlesphere
CL 9th; Price 45,500 gp
CONSTRUCTION
Requirements
Craft Construct, lead blades, lesser geas, poison, summon swarm,
caster must be at least 11th level; Skill
Craft (sculpting) DC 20; Cost 25,500
gp
