Peon (3.5e Monster)

These industrious little fellows are good natured and always friendly, their cutesy appearance often standing out against their oftentimes darker purpose.

Peons are a mass-produced brand of mechanical servant; constructs programmed with a conscience to be forthcoming and cooperative. They are small and easily manageable, but their services and company may quickly transcend the price you pay for them. Peons are modeled after the type of activity they are meant to perform, and carry equipment that helps them fulfill that duty. Despite their purpose-guided programming, Peons are surprisingly charismatic little creatures with remarkable aptitude for creativity and innovation.

Combat
Although Peons are generally weak, they can be formidable in groups and are prone to displaying organized strategy when provoked. Peons work together very well regardless of the task.

Peons use a proficiency point system to apply for proficiency in weapons. Weapon proficiency costs one proficiency point for simple weapons, two proficiency points for martial weapons, and three proficiency points for exotic weapons. Peons are automatically proficient with their natural weapons.

 (Ex): Peons are protected by a self-generated protective field. They receive a deflection bonus to Armor Class equal to their Charisma modifier.

Builder Peon
Armed with a portable toolbox, the builder peon has all the tools for the job. Aside from its aptitude for construction work, the builder peon has 2 proficiency points that they can use to become proficient in any suitable weapon.

 (Su): Builder peons can store items in an extradimensional pocket inside their bodies that can store up to 100 pounds worth of items without causing any encumbrance to the peon due to load. As such, Builder peons are treated to always have the tools at hand for any possible job. They get a +2 circumstance bonus to any Craft check. This bonus is already subsumed in the table above.

 (Ex): When aiding another with any of the two Craft skills that it has ranks in, a builder peon may always take 10, granting the master an automatic +2 bonus to his/her check when it is actively aiding him/her.

Spell-Like Abilities: 3/day—mending. 1/day—make whole. Caster level 2nd.

Skills: Worker peons standardly have three ranks in two Craft skills and two Knowledge skills of the creator's choice, as well as two ranks each in Listen and Spot. The creator may interchange the builder peon's skillset to contain three such Craft skills and one such Knowledge instead.

Battle Peon
Battle peons are sentinels customized for battle. They have sturdier bodies and stronger slam attacks than their non-combatant counterparts. Individually they are not very impressive, but in mowing squads they can be a more formidable foe. A battle peon has 6 proficiency points that they can use to become proficient in any suitable weapon.

 (Ex): Battle peons are equipped with a multitude of upgrades that give them greater combat ability. A battle peon's creator or master may outfit it with up to three upgrades, chosen from the upgrade list. A battle peon may only have a maximum of one Armor upgrade and one Weapon upgrade, but there is no limit on Module type upgrades.

Skills: Battle peons standardly have four ranks in Jump as well as two ranks each in Listen and Spot.

Servant Peon
These peons are designed primarily for social purposes. They aid their masters in house work or in arcane study, and possess the skillset required to act as castelains, study aides or butlers. Physically they look like their counterpart,except that they often have the texture of a prim necktie printed on their front, or some other physical characteristic that sets them squarely apart from their more mundane brothers. A servant peon has 3 proficiency points that they can use to become proficient in any suitable weapon.

Spell-Like Abilities: At the creator's choice, the servant peon may have a number of spell-like abilities at its disposal. The spell-like abilities that a servant peon can cast are established at the moment of its creation, and increase the base experience point cost of crafting it, as well as adding the particular spells that the peon's spell-like abilities emulate to the requirement list of the crafting.

A servant peon may cast up to three cantrips, two 1st-level spells and one 2nd-level spell as spell-like abilities per day. If the creator wishes, he may also allow his servant peon to be able to cast a certain spell-like ability more than once per day, at the cost of its spell variety (such as one 1st-level spell 2/day). In addition to this, he may also select any cantrip with a duration that is not 'Instantaneous' to be permanently active on the servant peon, to be dismissed and reactivated at will. For more information on the XP cost, see Construction.

 (Ex): Servant peons are equipped with upgrades that allow them more customization. A servant peon's creator or master may outfit it with one Module type upgrade (see upgrades below).

Skills: Servant peons standardly have three ranks in any one Knowledge skill, any one Craft skill, and in the Spellcraft and Use Magic Device skills, as well as two ranks each in Listen and Spot.


 * Adamantine Body (Armor): Armor bonus to AC increases by +3, granting a +2 bonus to Strength and a -2 penalty to Dexterity. Movement speed decreases by -5 ft. Existing DR/adamantine increases by 2 points.
 * Athletic Boost (Module): Increases land speed by 5 ft. and grants a +4 bonus to Climb and Jump checks.
 * Evasion (Module): As rogue.
 * Flamer (Weapon): Outfits the peon's wristguard with a mounted flamethrower. The flamer deals 2d6 fire damage in a 10-foot cone (Reflex DC 12 half) as a standard action. The peon may opt to use its flamer as a full-round action, dealing damage during its turn and again at the start of the opponent's turn.
 * Improved Deflection (Module): deflection bonus increases by +1.
 * Resistance (Module): Grants resistance 5 to three energy types or resistance 10 to one energy type.
 * Mithril Body (Armor): Armor bonus to AC increases by +2, +5 ft. to movement speed.
 * Power Fist (Weapon): Fixes a compact hydraulic ram at the end of the peon's arm, enhancing its natural attacks. Its base slam damage doubles to 2d4, its critical threat range increases to 18-20, and on a critical hit the opponent must make a DC 12 Fortitude save or be Stunned for 2 rounds.
 * Sensors (Module): Grants a +4 bonus to Listen and Spot checks, and allows it to see invisibility, as per the spell, once per day at caster level 1st.
 * Shocker (Weapon): Outfits the peon's arm with a mounted electric charge module, allowing it to deal 2d10 electricity damage on a successful melee touch attack. Attack rolls with a shocker weapon against metallic creatures or creatures in metal armor are made with a +3 competence bonus.
 * Spell Shield (Module): Grants spell resistance 15.
 * Sound Burst (Weapon): Deals 1d8 sonic damage in a 10 ft. cone and deafens everybody in the area of effect for 2d4 rounds. A successful DC 12 Fortitude save negates the deafening effect and halves the damage dealt.

A peon's body must be created from high grade metals and crafted into component shape with a DC 25 Craft (engineering) check. To create a peon, 10 points in Knowledge (arcana) and Knowledge (architecture and engineering) is required. The base materials consist of cured and high-grade steel samples weighing in at roughly 100 pounds, as well as special components, magical receivers and catalysts that are worth 250 gp.

Base Prerequisites: CL 9th; Craft Construct, aid, eagle's splendor, lesser geas, shield. caster must be at least 9th level; Price 2,500 gp; Cost 1,250 gp + 50 XP

Further Prerequisites

Builder Peon: make whole, mending, secret chest; +90 XP. Battle Peon: +35 XP per upgrade chosen. Servant Peon: All the spells that are being converted into spell-like abilities; +125 XP.