Golem, Robot

Though corroded and damaged, this bipedal metallic construct moves silently, as though powered by some force other than its own rattling gears.

Robot Golem CR 11

XP 12,800
N Large construct
Init +0; Senses darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision; Perception +0

DEFENSE

AC 27, touch 9, flat-footed 27 (+18 natural, –1 size)
hp 112 (15d10+30)
Fort +5, Ref +5, Will +5 DR 10/adamantine; Immune construct traits, magic

OFFENSE

Speed 20 ft.
Melee 2 slams +22 (2d10+8)
Space 10 ft.; Reach 10 ft.
Special Attacks rend construct (2 slams, 2d10+12), shockwave (30-ft.-radius spread, 8d6 electricity, Reflex DC 19 for half, usable every 1d4 rounds)

STATISTICS

Str 26, Dex 11, Con —, Int —, Wis 11, Cha 1
Base Atk +15; CMB +24; CMD 34

SPECIAL ABILITIES

Immunity to Magic (Ex)

A robot golem is immune to spells or spell-like abilities that allow spell resistance. In addition, certain spells and effects function differently against it, as noted below.

  • A magical attack that deals electricity damage deals half damage to the golem. Additionally, for 1d4+1 rounds the golem gains the benefits of haste and goes berserk. The uncontrolled golem goes on a rampage, attacking the nearest living creature or smashing an object smaller than itself if no creature is within reach; it then moves on to spread more destruction. The golem comes back under the control of its creator when the duration ends.
  • A transmute metal to wood spell reduces the robot golem’s damage reduction by 5 and its natural armor bonus by 9 for 1d4 rounds.
  • A robot golem is affected normally by rust attacks, such as those of a rust monster or a rusting grasp spell.

Rend Construct (Ex)

This functions as the rend special ability, except the robot golem can rend only other constructs.

Shockwave (Ex)

A robot golem can release a pulse of electrical energy held within its nonfunctioning batteries as a standard action once every 1d4 rounds. This pulse is a 30-foot-radius spread that deals 8d6 points of electricity damage to all creatures in its area of effect (Reflex DC 19 half). The save DC is Constitution-based and includes a +2 racial bonus.

ECOLOGY

Environment any
Organization solitary or gang (2–4)
Treasure none

When robots are damaged beyond the abilities of technologists to repair, salvages sometimes animate their frames via magic rather than science. What results is more of a walking mechanical corpse that lacks the intelligence and vulnerabilities of a true robot. Arcanists often employ these magically animated constructs to combat rogue robots or those under the control of their enemies.

Products of advanced scientific technology, the constructs called robots are animated by engineering and advanced science rather than magic. Most people refer to robots as “automatons” or “metal men”; their proper nomenclature is known to only a few. Unlike most constructs, robots are capable of independent thought. However, they still must obey the programming instilled in them at their creation. Any robot whose creator hard-coded limitations into its programming can never be truly autonomous.

Robots almost always arise from cultures that possess technology that is leaps and bounds ahead of other civilizations, though sometimes they appear due to cultural diffusion from such a society. A wrecked spacecraft, a portal through time, or a group of robots mass-producing others of their kind could all bring robots into a world. Robots that appear from another place or time might still follow the alien dictates of their original programming, or could run amok, their directives corrupted or forgotten. Whatever the case, these robots possess technology that is beyond the means of almost anyone to reproduce, and they represent a stark contrast to other constructs, as they have nothing to do with magic.

Some spellcasters, despite lacking any real grasp on the technological principles required to create robots, have managed to create their own robots by cobbling together spare parts and broken machines, filling in the gaps and completing the design with a mixture of magic and barely understood fragments of science. These inferior designs usually lack the inexhaustible power supplies, advanced intellects, and self-repair systems found in the original robots, and the magic used in their creation can potentially render them more susceptible to techniques that work against other sorts of constructs.

Robots serve a wide range of purposes, from warfare and defense to peaceful tasks like excavation, farming, and maintenance. Small villages that find robots and somehow manage to command them will often put them to work quietly tending fields or constructing buildings all day long. Armies and warlords collect the more dangerous varieties of robots, but even the more ordinary varieties can be deadly. Most robots sport alloyed skin as hard as steel, meaning that even the lowliest worker robot presents a potent threat when altered for battle.

Furthermore, since most cultures lack a means to reliably repair or understand how to command robots, even the most benign one might malfunction, or even reach a point in its programming where it changes its activity and refuses to follow orders, leading to untold death and destruction among the its former temporary masters.

The means of commanding robots vary from model to model, which can be a source of endless frustration for any who seek to control them. Some obey orders from any humanoid, some bond to a specific master until her death, and others only yield to the command of technological brooches or control rods. Still others submit after mechanical surgery or rebuilding, or not at all. Many must be given extremely precise instructions, for they are unable to process metaphors or other figures of speech, and may interpret them in unanticipated ways, much to the chagrin of those who would command them. A surprisingly large proportion of uncontrolled robots already speak Common, as most models exhibit considerable linguistics talent, and the robots train each other in their new home’s languages. Though they comprehend language, most robots rarely speak save for terse acknowledgements of orders. Their speech typically excludes words they deem unnecessary with their mechanical efficiency, leading to strange disjointed statements that convey the requisite information without emotion, although some robots programmed to interact well with humans are able to speak in a more fluid and less disconcerting manner.

Constructing a robot requires no magic, but does involve advanced and extraordinarily rare materials and technological expertise. Because almost no one possesses the skills and materials to complete the process of constructing a robot, these entries omit the construction sections provided for most constructs. A GM can add the robot subtype to a different type of construct, such as an animated object or homunculus, to create new types of robots. Typically, this doesn’t alter the construct’s CR.

A character can’t create a robot from or add the robot subtype to a construct that has already been created; adding the robot subtype to an existing creature is purely a means for the GM to simulate additional robots beyond those provided here.

Variants

In addition to the four robots with full entries on the following pages, robots are designed by beings of sufficiently advanced technology for a variety of other tasks. Here is a list of some other robot types and their common uses.

  • Collectors serve as scouts and acquisition agents.
  • Directors enforce order and maximize efficiency.
  • Evaluators determine whether races are fit for contact with other beings.
  • Juggernauts are titanic robots with the ability to shut down technology.
  • Observers are designed for reconnaissance.
  • Reclamators are adept at salvage and construction.
  • Surgeons are equipped to treat injuries.
  • Thought harvesters extract memories from living creatures.
  • Wardens serve as guardians.

Construction

A robot golem’s body used to be a Large robot, but is now nonfunctional. Any major damage on the intended body must be repaired prior to animation.

CL 14th; Price 72,000 gp

CONSTRUCTION REQUIREMENTS

Feats Craft Construct; Spells geas/quest, limited wish, make whole, shatter; Special creator must be caster level 13th; Skill Craft (mechanical) DC 20; Cost 36,000 gp

Section 15: Copyright Notice

Pathfinder Campaign Setting: Numeria, Land of Fallen Stars © 2014, Paizo Inc.; Authors: Jim Groves and Russ Taylor.

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