Emperor Colossus
I have long had a fascination with giant constructs, and though fantasy games rarely feature the kind of cool flying robots I like so much, there’s definitely room for some big nasty constructions. This week’s Exotic Encounters features the emperor colossus, a giant roaming copper statue that levels everything in its path before moving on. Can you survive in the shadow of this dread giant?
Emperor Colossus
This giant construction appears to be made from copper and its form resembles that of some twisted humanoid, perhaps an orc, bearing a crimson crown upon its massive head. It towers above its surroundings and its footfalls shake the earth.
EMPEROR COLOSSUS CR 24
XP 1,228,800
N Colossal construct
Init +2; Senses darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision; Perception +30
DEFENSE
AC 44, touch 0, flat-footed 44 (–2 Dex, –8 size, +54 natural)
hp 275 (30d10+110)
Fort +10, Ref +8, Will +10
Defensive Abilities armor of the colossus, dread return; DR 20/adamantine; SR 35;
Immune construct traits, polymorph
OFFENSE
Speed 60 ft., fly 200 ft. (clumsy)
Melee 2 slams +41 (4d8+28/19-20)
Special Attacks boot of the colossus, breath of the colossus, crown of the colossus, fist of the colossus
STATISTICS
Str 48, Dex 6, Con —, Int 16, Wis 10, Cha 10
Base Atk +30; CMB +57; CMD 65
Feats Blinding Critical, Cleave, Craft Magical Arms and Armor, Craft ConstructB, Critical Focus, Great Cleave, Greater Vital Strike, Improved Initiative, Improved Critical (slam), Improved Vital Strike, Master Craftsman, Power Attack, Skill Focus (Craft [armor], Craft [constructs]), Toughness, Vital Strike
Skills Craft (armor) +39, Craft (constructs) +39, Fly +12, Perception +30, Swim +49
SPECIAL ABILITIES
Armor of the Colossus (Su): Whenever an emperor colossus successfully resists a spell with its spell resistance, its body becomes supernaturally charged, granting it an armor bonus to AC equal to the level of the spell resisted for 1d4 rounds.
Boot of the Colossus (Ex): As a standard action, the emperor colossus can stomp on a Medium-sized or smaller creature, dealing 20d6 points of bludgeoning damage and allowing the emperor colossus to make a combat maneuver check to grapple the target as a free action which does not provoke attacks of opportunity. If the check is successful, the target is automatically pinned.
Breath of the Colossus (Ex): An emperor colossus manufactures a deadly poisonous acidic gas within its body, which it can expel as a full-round action. Once per day, as a full-round action, the emperor colossus can expel a cloud of acidic gas in a 30 foot-radius spread. Any creature that begins her turn within the cloud suffers 10d6 points of acid and must succeed on a Fortitude save (DC 25) or suffer 1d4 points of Constitution damage. The cloud persists for 1 minute or until dispersed by winds of at least 20 mph.
Crown of the Colossus (Su): An emperor colossus is capable of controlling other constructs with its magic crown. Mindless constructs within 120 feet of an emperor colossus fall under its control, as though with the spell dominate monster, so long as they remain within 1 mile. Constructs with an Intelligence score are allowed a Will save (DC 25) to ignore this effect.
Dread Return (Ex): An emperor colossus is extremely resilient and, if destroyed, automatically reassembles. The first time an emperor colossus is reduced to 0 or fewer hit points, it is automatically restored to full hit points in 1d4 rounds. Additionally, it gains a +4 bonus on attack rolls and deals an additional 1d8 points of damage with its slam attack for 24 hours. After the emperor colossus uses this dread return ability, it is unable to use it again for 24 hours. If he is destroyed within this period, he is permanently destroyed.
Fist of the Colossus (Ex): An emperor colossus is extremely adept at destroying walls and other fortifications, and its slam attacks deal an additional 100 points of damage to objects and bypass any hardness the object possessed.
Ecology
These dread automatons were first created on a remote planet in the depths of the void for the purpose of glorifying a long-forgotten and terrible king. Made in his twisted image, the colossus stood as the king’s sentry, ensuring that his will would be carried out even if he were not around. Eventually the king vanished, perhaps to another plane of existence, and the colossus was left in its stead. Eventually the colossus gained some degree of sentience and, like the king that created it, began to conquer and mold the world around its. It slaughtered the people of its world and destroyed their buildings before creating another colossus in his image to stand guardian over its conquered world and departing to find more worlds to demolish. Now, hundreds of planets have fallen to these terrors, which have grown ever more sophisticated, creating civilizations of constructs and grand palaces to serve their vanity. Their empire stretches across the distant reaches of the stars on planets now devoid of all life, their cultures just a distant memory. The few scholars who hold any knowledge of these dread beasts feel that the end of the universe is inevitable at their hands, unless some great force can intervene before it is too late.
A typical emperor colossus stands 80 feet tall and weighs several thousand tons, though rumors persist of even larger, more magnificent versions of the creature, which stretch miles into the air and whose very weight crushes planets.