Spherium (3.5e Monster)
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| Spherium | |
|---|---|
| Size/Type: | Medium Construct (Bot, Psionic) |
| Hit Dice: | 15d10+20 (102 hp plus shield 75 hp) |
| Initiative: | +0 |
| Speed: | hover 40 ft (perfect) |
| Armor Class: | 28 (+5 deflection, +8 natural), touch 15, flat-footed 23 |
| Base Attack/Grapple: | +7/+12 |
| Attack: | Slam +12 melee (2d6+7, 20/x2) |
| Full Attack: | Slam +12 melee (2d6+7, 20/x2) |
| Space/Reach: | 5 ft/5 ft |
| Special Attacks: | Harvesting Ray, Orbital Emitters, PLAs |
| Special Qualities: | Bot Traits, Communications Relay, Construct Traits, Darkvision 60 ft, DR 5/adamantine, EMP Vulnerable, Energy Shield, Fast Healing 3, Immunities, Low-Light Vision, Programming, Resist Cold/Fire 20, Resist Electricity 10, Self-Replication, Sensor Array, Tongues |
| Saves: | Fort +3, Ref +3, Will +10 |
| Abilities: | Str 20, Dex 10, Con -, Int -, Wis 25, Cha 1 |
| Skills: | Profession Navigator +17 |
| Feats: | - |
| Environment: | Outer Space |
| Organization: | Solitary |
| Challenge Rating: | 10 |
| Treasure: | None |
| Alignment: | Always True Neutral |
| Advancement: | 16-30 HD (Medium), 31-45 HD (Large) |
| Level Adjustment: | — |
The probe whirred to life with a message. "We come in peace." it declares, only to immediately break into a new voice. "Priority over-ride. New behavior dictated. Must break target into component compounds."
From the depths of space they came. Drifting through the void arrived a fleet of scattered alien probes, seeking out new life, studying them, and then departing to transmit their findings to whatever mysterious beings released them into the heavens. These strange constructs are round, man-sized, eye-like spheres with complex stylized designs of brass and iron etched on its surface, and containing a massive marble-like crystal eye. Surrounding it orbit a dozen smaller crystal eyes devoid of their metallic shell, held in place by tethers of strange energy as they zip and fly around at high speed. It has no visible form of propulsion, and how it performs any tasks or moves is a mystery, for defeated spherium have their crystal bodies shrink and go inert, and the metal shell appears to provide no function to their use. Their propulsion method works in space, and within the void their speed builds upon the speed they moved last round (as long as it is in the same direction) allowing it to reach amazing speeds.
What is known about them is that these machines are intended as probes. They often speak in multiple languages and electromagnetic frequencies at once, often with the same message that "they come in peace" and expressing a desire to learn, study, and report. Thus, few get in combat with the peaceful messengers. However, some have been known to malfunction and use its self-replication ability to replicate with the base components of the very people they are trying to make peaceful contact with.
Spherium are generally 5 to 6 feet in diameter, and weigh inconsistent amounts, sometimes light as a feather while other times seeming to weigh thousands of tons. They speak all languages as they are under a constant tongues effect, but are ultimately just bots and only repeating pre-programmed questions and responses.
Combat
Normal spherium are completely non-hostile, attacking only when assaulted first. However, there have been words of several "malfunctioning" spherium whose programming set the priority of self-replication far too high. As a result, these spherium have been attacking creatures under the false assumption that they are "component compounds" needed to be harvested and turned into additional spherium.
With their orbital emitters, they are capable of handling a large number of targets at once. Fighting a spherium is not unlike battling some manner of giant mechanical beholder.
Communications Relay (Ex): The spherium is capable of electromagnetic communications, and uses it (typically in the form of radio waves) to communicate with any receptive device capable of seeing it, including other spherium.
EMP Vulnerable: The spherium possesses the EMP Vulnerable flaw. Due to its electrical resistance, it must take 35 or more points of electricity damage to risk being dazed.
Energy Shield (Ex): The spherium possesses a shield with 5 hp per HD, and granting a +5 deflection bonus to AC. The spherium's fast healing does not apply to its shield hp. When the shield is down, it loses its deflection bonus, but the shield will return at full strength in 1d4+1 rounds.
If its shield is up and it fails its save against EMP Vulnerable, it can immediately lose the shield to avoid being dazed. However, this puts the shield out for 1d4+1 minutes instead.
Harvesting Ray (Su): The main "weapon" of the spherium, the central eye can project a powerful needle of extreme magnetism, which tears the target into their base components and draws them into a thin beam a few microns thick into the eye. Its useful for stripping materials of their component compounds. It is also an extremely deadly weapon.
The harvesting ray is a ranged touch attack out to 60 ft, dealing 7d6 damage and forcing a Fortitude save against taking 1d2 points of ability damage to all ability scores, save negates the ability damage but not the hp damage. In addition the spherium recovers half the hp damage it dealt as healing for itself.
Immunities: The spherium is immune to the usual construct immunities, plus immune to dazzling and blindness. It's wide sensory bay permit it multiple ways of coping with visual distortions and excessive (or lack of) light.
Orbital Emitters: The spherium is constantly surrounding by an orbiting array of 6 crystal spheres made out in the shape of eyes. They behave like ioun stones, but have no function separated from the main body. Through the emitters, the spherium can project a variety of magical rays not unlike a beholder's eyestalks. Firing an orbital emitter is a free action on its turn, though it can only focus up to three emitters on a single target at once. The range of the emitters is 120 ft. The spherium possesses the following emitters with a manifester level of 10, and the saving throws are Wisdom based.
- Iridescent Spiral Orb (Ps): Lesser confusion at will.
- Kinetic Silver Orb (Ps): Telekinetic force at will.
- Quivering Yellow Orb (Ps): Matter agitation at will. Concentration is a free action in lieu of casting.
- Silverblack Orb (Ps): Cure light wounds or inflict light wounds at will.
- Starfire Orb (Ps): A ray which deals 4d6 points of fire damage, and counts as scorching ray for the purposes of counterspelling.
Programming: The spherium possesses the following programs: Attack, Calculate, Collect, Communication, Identify Creature, Identify Object, Job Function (Profession Navigator), Reposition, Search, Self-Preservation, and Sort.
Psi-Like Abilities (Ps): At will-astral traveler, aura sight, control light, create sound, detect psionics, know direction and location; 3/day-dispel psionics, touchsight; 1/day-psionic true seeing. The saving throws are Wisdom based.
Self-Replication (Ex): Not a skill used in combat, provided enough base materials (about 2000 lbs of rock, metal, and carbon) the spherium can replicate another spherium. It takes one of its orbital emitters as a base, then reverses the flow of its harvesting ray to "print" a shell around the crystal base. The entire process takes 8 hours, after which the new spherium is activated and able to act on its own. The process can be interrupted by dealing at least 35 points of damage to the proto-spherium, which possesses an effective hardness of iron (hardness 10, with the same strengths and weaknesses).
Sensor Array (Su): There spherium is capable of detecting all frequencies of electromagnetic radiation, including radio waves. It also has very keen senses and can see and hear 10 times as far as a human for the purpose of penalties from distance. This increases to 1000 times as far if in a void.
Tongues (Su): The spherium is always under the effect of tongues.
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