Battlemind Docent (3.5e Monster)

''An adorably small construct about the size of a rat skitters between your legs, shaped like a beetle with six legs, two pincer-like arms, and a stiff adamantine carapace. The thing seems mostly harmless, until it clambers up the arm of the nearby iron golem and attaches to its chest. Suddenly the iron golem's eyes light up with a terrible piercing intelligence...''

The battlemind docent was a product of war. After the succeess in generating thinking intelligent constructs in the form of warforged, scientists attempted to reverse engineer the warforged docent to see if they could imbue the sentient spheres onto non-warforged designs. The end result was the battlemind docent, a mobile docent which is a construct in its own right. Intelligent and capable of martial maneuvers, it is fairly harmless fighting on its own. However if it is allowed to bond with another construct, it can take the construct over and access an expanded list of maneuvers powered by a much stronger body. However, due to apparent instabilities in the programming which led to several unfortunate berserk golems, the production of these docents has ceased... legally anyways.

The battlemind docent resembles a metallic beetle with a black adamantine shell and composite body. It is only 8 inches long, but weighs 4 pounds. Battlemind docents do not speak but have a telepathic bond with their hosts, if the host golems have minds of their own.

Combat (Battlemind Docent)
Battleminds know they are vulnerable and never present a stand up fight. It flees to locate a suitable construct host as soon as possible, and attempts to bond with it. Once it possesses a new body, it fights with all the cunning and fury of a skilled warrior. It considers its hosts as expendable and will sacrifice them if tactically prudent for the sake of the mission.

Adamant Carapace : The battlemind docent has a relatively soft inner body, but a hard outer shell. While it provides no armor class benefits it does grant an additional 5 hit points per HD. When it has bonded with a construct host, the battlemind docent's adamantine carapace makes a form-fitting seal against the body of the golem, protecting the vulnerable docent. While bonded, the battlemind docent has hardness 20.

Arc Bolt : As a standard action the battlemind carapace can project a small jet of flame with a ranged touch attack in 30 feet. It deals 1d6 fire damage.

Arc Cutter : A battlemind carapace can generate a small torch to burn or weld small metal objects together. As a full-round action it can attempt to set fire to a flammable object or weld two pieces of metal with a hardness of 15 and below together as a touch attack. It can weld up to 1 cubic foot of metal each round.

Bonding : As a full-attack action the battlemind docent can leap at its target and attempt to bond with it. The battlemind docent can jump up to half its move speed (10 feet) without a Jump check and make a touch attack, provoking an attack of opportunity as it does so (though it does not have a chance of disrupting this attack). If the touch attack is successful any construct creatures take 1 point of damage and must make a Will save, DC 15, or fall under the control of the docent as if by magic jar. This bypasses immunity to mind-affecting effects. Once in control, the adamant carapace shuts flush against the creature's skin granting the docent hardness 20. The docent may be targeted while bonded to a host construct at a -4 penalty. Otherwise the only effective way to remove a docent is through destroying its host, destroying the docent (with the host's AC and -4 to the attack roll), or otherwise making the host unsuitable for combat, so the battlemind docent abandons the body. The host construct's will is replaced by the docent and it may select new maneuvers as defined in Style Impression. The host construct gains the Battlemind template (shown below) for the duration.

A battlemind docent can remain attached to a construct indefinitely, and if possible it will be found in this state. It will abandon its body if it is tactically sound to do so, as the actual body of a battlemind docent is rather weak.

Immunity to Magic : A battlemind docent is immune to any spell or spell-like ability that allows spell resistance.

Maneuver-Like Abilities: body of stone (boost), endure destruction (counter), heavy body (stance)

Style Impression: A battlemind docent possesses the knowledge of golem heart maneuvers levels 1st through 9th which is knows but cannot access. Only by bonding with another construct can it employ them by proxy, using the strength of its host to initiate the maneuvers. When bound to a host it can learn one maneuver at each level and may add them to the list of maneuver-like abilities it possesses. The original CR of the host creature determines the initiator level and the level of access of maneuvers a host has to the style. For example, a CR 13 creature only can learn up to the 7th level maneuvers, while a CR 17 creature can learn up to 9th level maneuvers. As is normal with maneuver-like abilities the host golem does not need to qualify for the pre-requisities of the maneuvers.

Combat (Battlemind Iron Golem)
Breath Weapon : 10-foot cube, cloud of poisonous gas lasting 1 round, free action once every 1d4+1 rounds; initial damage 1d4 Con, secondary damage 3d4 Con, Fortitude DC 19 negates. The save DC is Constitution-based.

Immunity to Magic : An iron golem is immune to any spell or spell-like ability that allows spell resistance. In addition, certain spells and effects function differently against the creature, as noted below.

A magical attack that deals electricity damage slows an iron golem (as the slow spell) for 3 rounds, with no saving throw.

A magical attack that deals fire damage breaks any slow effect on the golem and heals 1 point of damage for each 3 points of damage the attack would otherwise deal. If the amount of healing would cause the golem to exceed its full normal hit points, it gains any excess as temporary hit points. For example, an iron golem hit by a fireball gains back 6 hit points if the damage total is 18 points. An iron golem gets no saving throw against fire effects.

An iron golem is affected normally by rust attacks, such as that of a rust monster or a rusting grasp spell.

Maneuver-Like Abilities: arcane consumption strike (strike), body of stone (boost), crafter's touch (boost), dust devil blade (boost), endure destruction (counter), heavy body (stance), iron fist (strike), mass impact (counter), prison of the earth spirit (strike), sulutio materia (strike)

Shield : The iron golem gains the shield ability. This iron golem's shield provides a +4 deflection bonus and has 65 hit points which regenerate at a rate of 1 hit point per minute.

Speed
The construct gains a +10 bonus to its movement speeds.

Armor Class
Shield (Su): The construct gains the shield ability, except the shield gained is based on its CR, not its HD. For example a CR 13 creature would have a shield which provides 65 hp. While the shield is active, the construct gains a +4 deflection bonus to AC. Use the creature's original CR to determine bonus.

Special Attacks
Arc Strike (Su): The natural attacks and melee weapons of the construct gain an extra 1d6 fire damage.

Maneuver-Like Abilities: The construct gains the Battlemind Docent's maneuver-like abilities, as well as additional maneuver-like at each level from the golem heart discipline. It uses its original CR to determine what level maneuvers it knows and its effective initiator level.

Special Qualities
Fast Healing (Ex): The construct gains fast healing equal to half of its original CR (round down, minimum 1).

Abilities
The construct gains +6 Str and +6 Dex. Use the Battlemind Docent's mental ability scores or the base creature, whichever is better.

Skills
Use the Battlemind Docent's skill ranks or the base creature, whichever are better.

Feats
Add the Battlemind Docent's feats known to the base creature. It is also proficient in all simple and martial weapons.

Challenge Rating
As base creature +3

Alignment
As Battlemind Docent