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Im running a campaign and my players have a long stint of travel through what i imagine as open fields and forrested area with little to no roads coming up, and I have an idea for a random encounter.
the entry on the homunculus it says that if their master were to die they tend to go crazy and claim where ever they are as their territory. And attack any that move through it.
My idea is that an old lonely wizard created a bunch of homunculi as travel buddies to keep him company, along one of his travels he dies either by natural causes or otherwise, either way the party comes across this wizards decayed body and notice it is in what looks to be an old camp. when they search the area to scavenge what they can from the place, all the homunculi this wizard created pop out and attack.
My players are both level 10, so I know I will need around 10 homunculi to make it interesting, but is there any rule that says a wizard can't have multiple homunculi? I ask simply because i never hear about anyone having more than one, is there any reason why? Is there some un written rule somewhere? At a cost of only 1050 each im surprised there aren't 3 or 4 running around with every wizard
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No there are no limitations on how many you can have and there is no limit on how much you can improve one. (Every 2K gold gives them an extra HD and all the perks that has).
However, from an RP perspective Homunculi are cowardly, fawning, sycophantic little psychopaths with serious self-control issues. Think Pathfinder Goblins with less self-control and have fun with that.
This is actually a fun idea, let us know how it works out.
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You realize that it's not a random encounter if you specifically plan it out right? :P
I doubt that it'll be the least bit threatening for the PCs at level 10, although it does sound entertaining.
Threatening? Potentially lethal actually.
Imagine this, for the cost of a decent +2 sword (10K ish) you can build a homunculus with 5-6HD, all the construct traits wielding a bow that shoots DC 16+ poison sleep arrows that knock you out for an hour. It's got 3-4 feats so it has all the required archer feats (point blank, rapid shot, manyshot, deadly aim) and it's tiny and flying so it's almost impossible to hit.Now make 10 of them (avg CR is 3 so you can add up to 12 of them to get a CR 10 challenge) and have them flying around shooting at the part.
Give a few of them UMD and have them use the dead wizards wands/scrolls/etc. and watch the party scream.
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You realize that it's not a random encounter if you specifically plan it out right? :P
I doubt that it'll be the least bit threatening for the PCs at level 10, although it does sound entertaining.
Threatening? Potentially lethal actually.
Imagine this, for the cost of a decent +2 sword (10K ish) you can build a homunculus with 5-6HD,
Oh, sure, if you triple a creature's HD, yeah, then it would be a different story.
Standard homonculi are CR 1 monsters; 10 of them won't make a dent in a level 10 character.
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You could have a Homunculus with levels in Urban Barbarian, with the Dervish Dancer and Lunge feat, that wears another Homunculus with the Construct Armor Modification, that wears another Homunculus with the Construct Armor Modification, that wears another Homunculus with the Construct Armor Modification, that wears another Homunculus with the Construct Armor Modification, that wears another Homunculus with the Construct Armor Modification.
Just a note: you cannot raise a Homunculus' HD more than once (to 3HD). Ultimate Magic p113 states that you cannot raise the HD of a construct by more than 1/2 of it's original HD.
- Gauss
Of course, I did not state otherwise. But to break the rules you should be aware of them.
- Gauss
Your players are BOTH level 10? You have two PCs? How's that working out for you?
My group has three players, and we usually have to include a DMPC just to make the party work alright.
Its not bad, there is a group of 3 of us that have been playing together for roughly 8 years now, we each take turns dming, we've had people come and go and at one point had a group of 9 players and 1 dm, but we 3 are the only ones left that can commit to a regular game basis.
Normally we have to dumb down the encounters a little or the person dming will play a character who is the strong silent type. Cohorts are another way to go. We each have our different ways of dealing with what is essentially Half a group.
Blackblood, if you use all the other homunculi as meat armor, what is left to use as a meat shield?
Ascalaphus, random as in it does not further the storyline, and I wasn't looking for this encounter to kill them, more just a surprise attack. with construct immunities in play and both of them being magic users (one a wiz./druid one straight druid and neither have use wild shape thus far) I think it will be interesting to see what spells they use up trying to over come this unique encounter
intresting...
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Just a note: you cannot raise a Homunculus' HD more than once (to 3HD). Ultimate Magic p113 states that you cannot raise the HD of a construct by more than 1/2 of it's original HD.
- Gauss
As I've said before, that is a strictly optional rule from an optional chapter in that book. It in no way affects a standard constructs creation.
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Ascalaphus, random as in it does not further the storyline, and I wasn't looking for this encounter to kill them, more just a surprise attack. with construct immunities in play and both of them being magic users (one a wiz./druid one straight druid and neither have use wild shape thus far) I think it will be interesting to see what spells they use up trying to over come this unique encounter
I was just joking. Actually it sounds like it could be a good, funny encounter. It doesn't have to be scary if it's more a comedy of errors kind of thing. Killing a very frustrating monster is satisfying even if it wasn't dangerous :)
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I thought the rule was that after the first 1/2 hit dice you had to kick them up a size category...or is my memory just making that up to play tricks on me?Just a note: you cannot raise a Homunculus' HD more than once (to 3HD). Ultimate Magic p113 states that you cannot raise the HD of a construct by more than 1/2 of it's original HD.
- Gauss
You CAN increase their size every time they increase their HD by 50% but you don't have to.
You CAN increase their size every time they increase their HD by 50% but you don't have to.I thought the rule was that after the first 1/2 hit dice you had to kick them up a size category...or is my memory just making that up to play tricks on me?Just a note: you cannot raise a Homunculus' HD more than once (to 3HD). Ultimate Magic p113 states that you cannot raise the HD of a construct by more than 1/2 of it's original HD.
- Gauss
Where are the rules for increasing size based on HD? I can't find them.
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Where are the rules for increasing size based on HD? I can't find them.You CAN increase their size every time they increase their HD by 50% but you don't have to.I thought the rule was that after the first 1/2 hit dice you had to kick them up a size category...or is my memory just making that up to play tricks on me?Just a note: you cannot raise a Homunculus' HD more than once (to 3HD). Ultimate Magic p113 states that you cannot raise the HD of a construct by more than 1/2 of it's original HD.
- Gauss
Beastiary, page 295, under step 1.
Because a construct’s size is limited, a Hit Dice modification cannot increase its size. Therefore Hit Dice modification can never increase the base construct’s Hit Dice beyond 50% of its total HD.
Now, Mathwei ap Niall states that this section is optional. Nothing I have seen in the preface of this chapter nor in the section on constructs states that it is 'optional'. The entirety of Crafting Constructs is optional since GMs may not allow a player to craft one. But, we are not talking about players crafting them. We are talking about a GM providing them for a challenege. As such, the GM should be aware of the rules before he changes them.
- Gauss
We'll be playing Saturday night so ill update Sunday on how it all went
Having them have the ability to use their former master's magic items seems like a neat idea. It would offset their low HD.
What did the wizard die of, anemia? :D (because you use blood to create a homonculous).
This reminds me of a story from Epic Illustrated magazine, where the main character, a weakened wizard named "Hal" tries to defeat his nemesis, an evil wizard named "Vard", with the help of his homunculi (he had a bunch). The homunculi knew the secret though, that Vard was the evil half of Hal, and Hal had tried to banish his evil half, creating his own nemesis. The homunculi tore Vard to pieces, returning his essence to "Lord Halvard" who learned his lesson.
It'd be tempting to include these homunculi as part of a larger story surrounding the bygone wizard. Maybe they're too small to actually harm the PC's but while the PC's are avoiding the onslaught, they come across the remains of the wizard's keep, and discover those homunculi collectively hold a secret that was part of the legacy of the wizard...