Friday, March 3, 2017

Frightful Fridays! Terrorpin

Hello, and welcome to this week's Frightful Fridays! This one had me reaching back into the archives of images friends have sent along the way. The idea of a massive construct turtle resonated with me, so here you go. It starts off a lumbering brute of a creature, but it transforms into a crazed engine of destruction under certain circumstances. Hopefully, it will be quite the surprise to the PCs.

I hope you enjoy the terrorpin, and I'll see you later with another monster.



This creature looks like a gigantic, ponderous, armor-plated turtle. Its most formidable features are its powerful jaw and mouth lined with serrated edges, seemingly capable of crushing anything.
Terrorpin      CR 12
XP 19,200
N Gargantuan construct
Init –1; Senses darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision, tremorsense 120 ft.; Perception +4
DEFENSE
AC 27, touch 5, flat-footed 27 (–1 Dex, +22 natural, –4 size)
hp 148 (16d10+60)
Fort +5, Ref +4, Will +9
Defensive Abilities fortification (25%), retraction; DR 10/adamantine; Immune construct traits, cold, electricity, fire; Resist acid 20
OFFENSE
Speed 20 ft., swim 40 ft.
Melee bite +22 (3d6+10 plus grab), slam +22 (4d6+10)
Space 20 ft.; Reach 15 ft.
Special Attacks constrict (3d6+10), sundering bite, trample (4d6+15, DC 28)
STATISTICS
Str 31, Dex 9, Con —, Int —, Wis 19, Cha 4
Base Atk +16; CMB +30 (+34 grapple); CMD 39 (43 vs. trip)
Skills Swim +18
SQ frenzy
ECOLOGY
Environment any
Organization solitary or pair
Treasure none
SPECIAL ABILITIES
Frenzy (Ex) When a terrorpin takes any acid damage or is reduced to less than half its hit points, its base speed increases to 60 feet. Additionally, while in this state, it can trample and then make a bite attack from the location its trample ends. A frenzied terrorpin incurs a –2 penalty to its AC.
Retraction (Ex) If commanded, a terrorpin can retract its head into its armored shell, increasing its fortification to 50%. However, it cannot make bite attacks and is effectively blind (50% miss chance) when it makes slam attacks.
Sundering Bite (Ex) A terrorpin can make a sunder attempt with its bite attack against an opponent's weapon or armor without provoking attacks of opportunity. It bypasses hardness as if it were using an adamantine weapon.

Terrorpins are constructed guardian creatures with similarities to golems, but are powered by clockwork or steam-driven mechanisms rather than elemental spirits. Their creators have a modicum of control over the constructs and can transfer that control to another creature during the crafting process. Terrorpins often have internal cavities where their controllers can sit in comfort, untouchable by opponents until the terrorpins have been utterly destroyed. When they are operating on standing orders, they have some autonomy and might attempt to destroy weapons proving particularly effective against them. Terrorpins give the illusion of being lumbering monstrosities, but, when they take sufficient damage or when acid harms their internal systems, energy reserves kick in and allow them to rampage through opponents. A terrorpin’s controller can override this rampage; otherwise, it requires healing the creature to restore it to its normal ponderous state.

Standard terrorpins stand only 18 feet tall, but their necks give them extra reach. They typically weigh over 10 tons. While rituals are unnecessary to create the constructs, the adamantine and intricate machinery that go into building them cost 40,000 gp, and a craftsperson must have the Craft Construct feat.