Warforged Cycle (3.5e Monster)



''This sleek black motorcycle possesses a disturbing and vicious looking glowing red mono-eye in front, flanked by quad headlights. Its body is sleek, with tires with glowing electric rims and a large exhaust vent. To your surprise, the thing moves without a rider as sharp blades spring from the tires menacingly.''

In 2101, war was beginning...

The Lord of Blades began his war against humanity, and created many deadly variants of the warforgedECS race in their war against organics. The warforged cycle was one such creation, a high speed individual transportation device which was a scout and skirmisher unto its own. Even after the initial devastating attack, they roam the barren highways seeking out pockets of resistance or working as mounts for their allies on the battlefield.

Warforged cycles are motorcycles which are made of the same semi-living components of the warforged, as well as a mind of its own. It rarely speaks, usually communicating only through emphatic growls and electric noise, but they understand common. They weigh 600 lbs.

Combat
Warforged cycles do not have much offensive capability, with a useful but weak shotgun and limited melee options. However, they are fast, and can play keep-away by dashing in and out of combat, making ride-by attacks, sideswipes, and shotgun blasts and then running away if badly wounded.

Gyroscopic Stability : Though it has no arms to push itself back up from prone, it needs none due to powerful gyros that keep it standing upright even at a standstill. As a free action at the beginning of its turn it can stand up from being prone without provoking attacks of opportunity. It also has a +8 racial bonus to Balance checks, and a +4 bonus on ability checks made to resist being bull rushed or tripped when standing on the ground (but not when climbing, flying, or otherwise not standing firmly on the ground). The gyros give it a good Reflex save progression as well.

Living Construct Traits : Unlike other constructs, a living construct has a Constitution score. A living construct does not gain bonus hit points by size but gains (or loses) bonus hit points through a Constitution bonus (or penalty) as with other living creatures. Unlike other constructs, a living construct does not have low-light vision or darkvision. Unlike other constructs, a living construct is not immune to mind-influencing effects. They have immunity to poison, sleep effects, paralysis, disease, nausea, fatigue, exhaustion, and energy drain. A living construct cannot heal damage naturally. Unlike other constructs, living constructs are subject to critical hits, effects requiring a Fort save, death from massive damage, nonlethal damage, stunning, ability damage, ability drain, and death effects or necromancy effects.Unlike other constructs, a living construct can use the run action. Living constructs can be affected by spells that target living creatures as well as by those that target constructs. Damage dealt to a living construct can be healed by a cure light wounds spell or a repair light damage spell, for example, and a living construct is vulnerable to a harm spell. However, spells from the healing subschool provide only half effect to a living construct. A living construct responds slightly differently from other living creatures when reduced to 0 hit points. A living construct with 0 hit points is disabled, just like a living creature. He can only take a single move action or standard action in each round, but strenuous activity does not risk further injury. When his hit points are less than 0 and greater than -10, a living construct is inert. He is unconscious and helpless, and he cannot perform any actions. However, an inert living construct does not lose additional hit points unless more damage is dealt to him, as with a living creature that is stable. They may be raised and resurrected as normal. They do not need to eat, sleep, or breathe. They must still rest 8 hours to prepare spells, and can still benefit from the effects of consumable spells and magic items such as heroes' feast and potions.

Nitro : Once per minute as a swift action, a warforged cycle can double its move speed for 1 round. When using overland movement it can time nitro bursts to go 50% farther distance than normal.

Powerful Build : The physical stature of the warforged cycle lets them function in many ways as if they were one size category larger. Whenever a warforged cycle is subject to a size modifier or special size modifier for an opposed check (such as during grapple checks, bull rush attempts, and trip attempts), the warforged cycle is treated as one size larger if doing so is advantageous to him. A warforged cycle is also considered to be one size larger when determining whether a creature’s special attacks based on size (such as improved grab or swallow whole) can affect it, as well as the creatures capable of riding it (thus the warforged cycle can hold a medium rider just fine). A warforged cycle can use weapons designed for a creature one size larger without penalty (if it has hands). However, its space and reach remain those of a creature of its actual size. The benefits of this racial trait stack with the effects of powers, abilities, and spells that change the subject’s size category.

Sideswipe : As a full-round action the warforged cycle can move up to its move speed in a straight line and attack any creature it passes by in its reach once with its Wheel Blades. It provokes attacks of opportunity for moving as normal, though it will often tumble successfully through them. It cannot perform this through difficult terrain.

Simple Minded : Though almost as intelligent as a man, the programming of the warforged cycle is fairly simple and direct, always focused on the mission, the road ahead, or other aspects. This unshakable resolve gives it a +6 racial bonus against enchantment effects.

Shotgun :  As a standard action the warforged cycle can shoot a blast of energy out in a 20 foot cone, dealing 1d6 force damage per two HD, with a Reflex save for half damage. The DC is 10 + 1/2 HD + Dex modifier.

Wheel Blades : Though it lacks hands, the warforged cycle has a pair of retractable semi-mobile blades on its wheels for traction and attacking creatures it runs into or runs by. They are automatically masterwork and deal 1d8 slashing damage with a 18-20/x2 critical, and may be enhanced as any manufactured weapon. When trampling it may choose to deal slashing damage instead of bludgeoning. The wheel blades count as a (large) one-handed weapon and they are finessable weapons.

Vehicle Traits : As a vehicle of sorts, the warforged cycle has a few unique properties. It counts as a warforged and may take warforged racial feats and items. It can enhance its own body (the same composite body armor of a warforged; AC +2, no Max Dex, no ACP, and 5% ASF) and possesses 25% fortification. It has no arms or ability to manipulate objects, and cannot make grapple checks (though it can still make grapple checks to escape a grapple). It cannot wield weapons either, nor use any skill that requires hands (though it can make climb checks against inclines, though not up sheer walls or use handholds). It can be ridden by one medium creature in battle (due to powerful build) or two medium creatures outside of combat. While ridden, its rider can use their standard action to activate one of the warforged cycle's weapons (such as the shotgun, or making an extra melee attack) using the rider's BAB instead of the warforged cycle's. Finally, being a motorcycle the warforged cycle does come up with a typical HUD, including a speedometer, manual controls, and headlights (treat as a bulleye lantern activated as a free action at will). Some models come with keys for manual override, or even permitting the warforged cycle to move autonomously in the first place depending on make and model. As sentient beings, however, many warforged cycles take offense to those would do not allow them their own free movement and so the practice has fallen out of favor after a series of fatal high speed crashes.

Skills: The warforged cycle has a +8 racial bonus on Balance and Tumble checks. It may also make jumps (using hydraulics in its wheels) and may use its Dexterity for determining jump checks.