Homunculus

This vaguely humanoid creature is about the size of a cat but looks more like a toothy, winged devil.

Homunculus CR 1

XP 400
Any alignment (same as creator)
Tiny construct
Init +2; Senses darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision; Perception +3

DEFENSE

AC 14, touch 14, flat-footed 12 (+2 Dex, +2 size)
hp 11 (2d10)
Fort +0, Ref +4, Will +1
Defensive Abilities construct traits

OFFENSE

Speed 20 ft., fly 50 ft. (good)
Melee 1 bite +3 (1d4–1 plus poison)
Space 2-1/2 ft.; Reach 0 ft.

STATISTICS

Str 8, Dex 15, Con —, Int 10, Wis 12, Cha 7
Base Atk +2; CMB +2; CMD 11
Feats Lightning Reflexes
Skills Fly +10, Perception +3, Stealth +12
Languages Common (cannot speak); telepathic link

SPECIAL ABILITIES

Poison (Ex)

Bite—injury; save Fort DC 13; frequency 1/minute for 60 minutes; effect sleep for 1 minute; cure 1 save. The save DC is Constitution-based and includes a +2 racial bonus.

Telepathic Link (Su)

A homunculus cannot speak, but the process of creating one links it telepathically with its creator. A homunculus knows what its master knows and can convey to him or her everything it sees and hears, out to a distance of 1,500 feet.

ECOLOGY

Environment any
Organization solitary
Treasure none

A homunculus is a miniature servant created by a spellcaster from his own blood. They are weak combatants but make effective spies, messengers, and scouts. A homunculus’s creator determines its precise features; some are more refined looking, but most creators don’t bother to improve the creature’s appearance beyond the minimum necessary for functioning.

Homunculi are little more than tools designed to carry out assigned tasks. They are extensions of their creators, sharing the same alignment and basic nature. A homunculus never willingly travels more than a mile from its master, though it can be removed forcibly. If this occurs, the creature does everything in its power to return to this range, as it cannot communicate with its master beyond this distance. An attack that destroys a homunculus deals 2d10 points of damage to its master. If the creature’s master is slain, the homunculus goes insane—it loses its Intelligence score, all feats, and all skill ranks, and generally claims the immediate surroundings as its domain, mindlessly attacking any who intrude upon its lair.

On rare occasions, a homunculus freed from its servitude rises above its master’s original intent and becomes more than a half-insane construct guardian of a long-forgotten lair. In some cases, a homunculus might even come to see itself as the rightful heir to its master’s legacy, or even the reincarnated spirit of the master himself.

Construction

A homunculus is shaped from a mixture of clay, ash, mandrake root, spring water, and one pint of the creator’s own blood. These materials cost 50 gp. After the body is sculpted, it is animated through an extended magical ritual that requires a specially prepared laboratory or workroom, similar to an alchemist’s laboratory, and costing an additional 1,000 gp to supply. If the creator is personally constructing the creature’s body, the building and ritual can be performed together. A homunculus with more than 2 Hit Dice can be created, but each additional Hit Die adds +2,000 gp to the cost to create.

The person whose blood is used to form a homunculus’s body becomes its master; it is possible for one person to give blood for the creation, another to sculpt the base material, and another to magically animate it as a minion for the one who provided the blood.

CL 7th; Price 2,050 gp

CONSTRUCTION REQUIREMENTS

Craft Construct, arcane eye, mirror image, mending; Skill Craft (leather) or Craft (sculptures) DC 12; Cost 1,050 gp.

Improved Homunculi

Source Pathfinder Player Companion: Alchemy Manual

A character with the Craft Construct feat can create homunculi with new abilities in addition to those normally possessed by homunculi.

To create a homunculus with one or more improvements, the crafter must include large quantities of certain reagents (represented by the price listed for each of the improvements below) while performing the ritual to create a homunculus. For every 1,000 gp worth of additional abilities to be granted to the homunculus, the DC of the Craft check to create the homunculus increases by 1 (minimum +1).

The crafter can also add new abilities to an existing homunculus by performing a brief surgical procedure. To do so, the crafter must purchase the necessary reagents and make a successful Heal check (DC equal to the DC of the Craft check necessary to create such a homunculus from scratch).

  • Acid Breath: By distilling brimstone and aqua regia, a crafter can bestow upon the homunculus the ability to spit a 15-foot-line of acid. This is a breath weapon that deals 1d6 points of acid damage per 2 Hit Dice of the homunculus. The damage from this attack can be halved with a successful Reflex save (DC 10 + 1/2 the homunculus’s HD). Price: +1,500 gp.
  • Extra Eyes: By adding silver shavings to the homunculus, a crafter can imbue it with additional eyes, granting it the all-around vision special quality and a +4 racial bonus on Perception checks. Price: +4,000 gp.
  • Spell-Like Ability: By incorporating 10 potions of the same spell in the homunculus’s creation, a crafter can imbue the homunculus with the power to use that spell once per day as a spell-like ability. Price: Total cost of the potions used.
  • Spit Poison: By adding gold and realgar to the homunculus, a crafter can give it the ability to spit its poison as a ranged touch attack that deals no damage but exposes the victim to the poison’s effect as though it were a contact poison. The ability has a range of 15 feet with no range increment. Price: +6,000 gp.
  • Toughened Hide: By adding diamond dust and cold iron to the homunculus, a crafter can increase its natural armor bonus to AC by 1, 2, or 3. Price: +1,000 gp (+1), +4,000 gp (+2), or +9,000 gp (+3).
  • Voice: By adding dew of lunary and platinum to the homunculus, a crafter can grant it the ability to speak in a voice that sounds eerily like a diminutive version of its master’s. Price: +500 gp.
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