Robot, Warden RobotCrafted of a strange, dull metal, this bulky construct stomps forward on stout, multi-jointed legs.Warden Robot CR 9Source Pathfinder #87: The Choking Tower pg. 88
XP 6,400
N Large construct (robot)
Init +8; Senses blindsight 30 ft., darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision; Perception +20
Aura infrasonic field (30 ft., DC 17)DefenseAC 23, touch 13, flat-footed 19 (+4 Dex, +10 natural, –1 size)
hp 112 (15d10+30)
Fort +8, Ref +12, Will +10
Defensive Abilities all-around vision, hardness 10, reactive armor, resilient; Immune construct traits
Weaknesses vulnerable to critical hits and electricityOffenseSpeed 30 ft.
Melee 2 slams +18 (1d8+4)
Ranged 2 integrated sonic disruptors +18 ranged touch (2d8 sonic)
Space 10 ft., Reach 10 ft.
Special Attacks combined arms, dazzler, integrated sonic disruptorStatisticsStr 18, Dex 19, Con —, Int 11, Wis 14, Cha 1
Base Atk +15; CMB +20; CMD 34
Feats Alertness, Combat Reflexes, Improved Initiative, Nimble Moves, Point-Blank Shot, Power Attack, Precise Shot, Stand Still
Skills Climb +10, Perception +20, Sense Motive +16
Languages AndroffanEcologyEnvironment any (Numeria)
Organization solitary, pair, or sentry (3–12)
Treasure noneSpecial AbilitiesCombined Arms (Ex) As part of a full-attack action, a warden robot can attack with both melee and ranged integrated weapons.
Dazzler (Ex) As a standard action, a warden robot can target a single creature with a beam of strobing light that functions as a gaze attack with a range of 60 feet. A creature subject to this attack must succeed at a DC 17 Fortitude save or be blinded for 2d4 rounds. Creatures that successfully save are dazzled for 1d4 rounds. Creatures with light blindness or light sensitivity take a –4 penalty on the saving throw. This is a light effect, and the save DC is Intelligence-based.
Infrasonic Field (Ex) Warden robots constantly emit powerful sound waves at a frequency below normal hearing. These vibrations can debilitate living beings within 30 feet. Such creatures must succeed at DC 17 Fortitude save or fall prone and be nauseated for 1d4 rounds. A warden robot can suppress or resume this ability as a free action. This is a sonic effect, and the save DC is Intelligence-based.
Integrated Sonic Disruptor (Ex) A warden robot’s arms contain built-in ranged weapons that emit focused sound waves in 100-foot rays that deal 2d8 points of sonic damage.
Reactive Armor (Ex) A warden robot is covered in a special shell that reacts explosively to powerful strikes. Due to this covering, a warden robot gains light fortification (25% chance to negate critical hits and sneak attacks). When the armor negates a critical hit from a melee weapon, the attacker takes an amount of fire damage equal to half of the damage dealt to the robot. Attackers using reach or ranged weapons avoid this damage.
Resilient (Ex) Warden robots receive a +3 racial bonus on all saving throws.DescriptionWardens are dangerous guardian robots often found protecting sealed vaults or patrolling ancient, buried corridors. They carry out their orders with ruthlessness and zeal, usually offering no warning before attacking a perceived threat. The Technic League has had moderate success in controlling a few of these robots, and occasionally assigns them as guards for valuable treasures or important prisoners, roles for which they’re well suited.
Although the mere sight of these massive machines is imposing enough to ward off most intruders, those who are undeterred by a warden’s appearance soon find the robot to be quite capable of destroying those who enter its territory without proper clearance. Unlike golems or similarly mindless constructs, wardens possess an intelligence that allows them to employ tactics, either on their own or as part of a unit. When acting in groups, the robots are smart enough to suppress and reactivate their nausea-inducing sound waves in concert, maximizing the length of time their opponents are incapacitated.
Most wardens are in Silver Mount, but some can be found in many other parts of Numeria. Nearly all share the same characteristics: a squat upper body with a domed shape and two arms ending in six surprisingly dexterous “fingers” surrounding emitters that serve as its primary ranged weapons. Two stout, multi-jointed legs provide the construct with great mobility, even on hilly or rough terrain.EcologyWardens were obviously designed and programmed to guard objects, people, or locations. Although they have no life cycle to speak of, these robots do seem to possess certain behavioral characteristics that make them fascinating to Numerian scholars.
The warden’s reactive armor is a matter of particular interest to the Technic League. Although the robots are still vulnerable to critical hits, their armor reduces the risk posed by this weakness. A few of the League’s most talented members have devoted themselves to determining how the reactive armor works and how to replicate it. The secret appears to be in the material that comprises the robot’s exoskeleton—which behaves like metal in all respects until struck by a powerful force, when it responds with a violent, fiery explosion. Amazingly, the explosive material restores itself over time, as long as the robot continues to function.Habitat & SocietyWardens, like many robots found in Numeria, follow strict internal programming that guides their actions. Their special programming, however, is somewhat more flexible than that of other robots. Wardens learn and adapt, especially when it comes to facing specialized types of foes.
As constructs built by ancient masters whose goals and intentions are almost unknowable, wardens have no society in the traditional sense of the word. They exist only to follow their programming to the best of their ability. Still, their ability to adapt and work together in small groups makes them formidable opponents for those who would seek treasures in the ancient caches scattered throughout Numeria.
Although capable of speech, wardens communicate with each other by some other means. They coordinate efforts silently, and skillfully arrange patrols to maximize coverage of their assigned areas. As long as a warden is guarding something (whether by itself or as part of a group of wardens), it nearly always follows the orders of the creature that owns the object or location. Wardens demonstrate a clear understanding of their duties, and can apply their alien intelligence toward problem solving when the situation requires it. This makes them effective jailers as well, since they can use their incapacitating sound field against prisoners who attempt to escape—as well as on those who might try to break the prisoners out.Wardens of NoteWardens appear to have been an apex design, for the same model has been found guarding many of the chambers in Silver Mount, as well as other scattered remnants of the massive vessel that fell from the sky so long ago. However, a few have been known to display different characteristics. Some of these alterations are intentional modifications made by people with great knowledge and skill. Other models may have even stranger origins.
Red Terror (N warden robot ranger 7): The robot known as Red Terror guards a section of tunnels within the Red Redoubt of Karamoss. Red Terror appears to have been crafted using an alloy of djezet and steel (known as djezeteel). It’s unclear whether the mad wizard Karamoss created the specialized warden robot using deciphered schematics or merely modified an existing construct. Either way, Red Terror is a skilled and ruthless hunter that relentlessly pursues intruders in its domain. Those adventurers who have encountered Red Terror claim that the robot actually seems to take pleasure in the gruesome deaths of its prey. The robot also seems to have some way to empower spellcasters it allies with and enhance the power of their spells.
Silent Sentinel (CR 9): Explorers investigating ruins in the Felldales of western Numeria have reported encountering a unique version of the warden robot that can generate fields that cancel sound rather than induce nausea, earning it the name “Silent Sentinel.” This aura has the effect of a silence spell with a 30-foot radius centered on the warden, but the effect can’t be dispelled or countered by magic. Instead of sonic disruptors, Silent Sentinel is equipped with integrated lasers that deal 2d8 points of fire damage. Based on recent reports from near the First Blade’s Path, this specialized warden doesn’t keep to just the Felldales.Creatures in "Robot" CategorySource Inner Sea Bestiary pg. 42
Products of technology advanced far beyond even those of the gunsmiths of Alkenstar, robots represent constructs animated by engineering and advanced science rather than magic. The people of Golarion think of robots as “automatons” or “metal men”—their proper nomenclature is known to only a few.
The first robots arrived untold years ago, when a ship from beyond the stars smashed into Golarion. The metal vessel entered the atmosphere in a blaze of fire and broke apart, scattering fragments across the plains of Numeria. Over the following centuries, several varieties of robots emerged or were recovered from some of these ruins. A few still follow the alien dictates of their original programming, while others run amok, their directives corrupted or forgotten. Perhaps the best-known robots are the fabled gearsmen, a veritable army of humanoid robots found stored and awaiting orders in a massive hold in Silver Mount.
The means of commanding robots vary from model to model, a source of endless frustration for Numerian artificers. Some obey orders from any humanoid, some bond to a specific master until her death, and others yield only to the command of brooches or rods recovered from Silver Mount. Still others submit after mechanical surgery, or not all. A surprisingly large fraction of uncontrolled robots already speak Common or Hallit. Most models exhibit considerable linguistic talents, and the robots train each other in their new home’s languages. Despite comprehending Numerian languages, most robots rarely speak save for terse acknowledgments and orders. The Robot Subtype “Robot” is a special subtype that can be applied to any construct without changing its CR. Robots share some features with clockwork constructs (The Inner Sea World Guide 256), and as with clockworks, you can simply remove the robot subtype and its traits to transform it into a typical construct animated by magic. A construct cannot possess both the robot and the clockwork subtypes. All robots gain the following traits, unless noted otherwise. - Intelligent: Robots are intelligent, and thus have skills and feats as appropriate for their Hit Dice. Unless otherwise indicated for a specific robot, all robots have Intelligence scores of 10. The following are class skills for robots: Climb, Disable Device, Fly, Knowledge (all), Linguistics, Perception, and Sense Motive.
- Vulnerable to Critical Hits: Whenever a robot takes extra damage from a critical hit, it must make a DC 15 Fortitude save to avoid being stunned for 1 round. If it makes a successful saving throw, it is staggered for 1 round. The robot remains immune to other sources of the stunned condition.
- Vulnerable to Electricity: Robots take 150% as much damage as normal from electricity attacks, unless they are immune to electricity via other special defenses.
- Difficult to Create: Robots are crafted via complex methods hidden and well guarded in Numerian ruins or other technological bastions. While the Technic League has developed magical solutions to some of these requirements, actual details on creating robots are beyond the scope of this book.
Numerian Technology Miraculous and deadly treasures lie in wait in Numerian dungeons, and the robots that dwell there often utilize these technological arms and tools themselves. A robot’s weapons and defenses are fueled by its central energy core, and unless otherwise indicated, a robot’s weapons and defenses have infinite ammunition and power.
Force Fields: A force field sheathes a robot in a thin layer of shimmering energy that grants a number of bonus hit points that varies according to the robot (typically 5 × the robot’s CR). All damage dealt to a robot with an active force field is reduced from these hit points first. As long as the force field is active, the robot is immune to critical hits. A force field has fast healing equal to the robot’s CR, but once its hit points are reduced to 0, the force field shuts down and does not reactivate for 24 hours.
Integrated Weaponry: A robot that has a technological weapon (such as a laser rifle or chain gun) built into its body treats such weapons as natural attacks and not manufactured weapons attacks, and cannot make iterative attacks with these weapons. Integrated weaponry can still be targeted by effects that target manufactured weapons (such as magic weapon spells or sunder attempts), but as a general rule cannot be harvested for use outside of the robot’s body once the robot is destroyed. A robot is always proficient with its integrated weapons. Integrated ranged weapons do not provoke attacks of opportunity when fired in melee combat.
Laser Weapons: These weapons emit beams of intensely focused light waves that resolve as touch attacks and deal fire damage. A laser can pass through force fields and force effects like a wall of force without damaging that field to strike a foe beyond. Objects like glass or other transparent barriers do not provide cover from lasers (but unlike force barriers, glass still takes damage from a laser strike passing through it). Invisible creatures are immune to damage caused by a laser weapon. Fog, smoke, and other clouds provide cover in addition to concealment from laser attacks.
Plasma Weapons: These weapons emit bursts of superheated, electrically charged gas known as plasma. A plasma weapon’s attacks resolve as touch attacks. Half the damage dealt by plasma is fire damage, and half is electricity damage.Source Bestiary 5 pg. 205
Products of advanced scientific technology, the constructs called robots are animated by engineering and advanced science rather than magic. Most people refer to robots as “automatons” or “metal men”; their proper nomenclature is known to only a few. Unlike most constructs, robots are capable of independent thought. However, they still must obey the programming instilled in them at their creation. Any robot whose creator hard-coded limitations into its programming can never be truly autonomous.
Robots almost always arise from cultures that possess technology that is leaps and bounds ahead of other civilizations, though sometimes they appear due to cultural diffusion from such a society. A wrecked spacecraft, a portal through time, or a group of robots mass-producing others of their kind could all bring robots into a world. Robots that appear from another place or time might still follow the alien dictates of their original programming, or could run amok, their directives corrupted or forgotten. Whatever the case, these robots possess technology that is beyond the means of almost anyone to reproduce, and they represent a stark contrast to other constructs, as they have nothing to do with magic.
Some spellcasters, despite lacking any real grasp on the technological principles required to create robots, have managed to create their own robots by cobbling together spare parts and broken machines, filling in the gaps and completing the design with a mixture of magic and barely understood fragments of science. These inferior designs usually lack the inexhaustible power supplies, advanced intellects, and self-repair systems found in the original robots, and the magic used in their creation can potentially render them more susceptible to techniques that work against other sorts of constructs.
Robots serve a wide range of purposes, from warfare and defense to peaceful tasks like excavation, farming, and maintenance. Small villages that find robots and somehow manage to command them will often put them to work quietly tending fields or constructing buildings all day long. Armies and warlords collect the more dangerous varieties of robots, but even the more ordinary varieties can be deadly. Most robots sport alloyed skin as hard as steel, meaning that even the lowliest worker robot presents a potent threat when altered for battle. Furthermore, since most cultures lack a means to reliably repair or understand how to command robots, even the most benign one might malfunction, or even reach a point in its programming where it changes its activity and refuses to follow orders, leading to untold death and destruction among the its former temporary masters.
The means of commanding robots vary from model to model, which can be a source of endless frustration for any who seek to control them. Some obey orders from any humanoid, some bond to a specific master until her death, and others only yield to the command of technological brooches or control rods. Still others submit after mechanical surgery or rebuilding, or not at all. Many must be given extremely precise instructions, for they are unable to process metaphors or other figures of speech, and may interpret them in unanticipated ways, much to the chagrin of those who would command them. A surprisingly large proportion of uncontrolled robots already speak Common, as most models exhibit considerable linguistics talent, and the robots train each other in their new home’s languages. Though they comprehend language, most robots rarely speak save for terse acknowledgements of orders. Their speech typically excludes words they deem unnecessary with their mechanical efficiency, leading to strange disjointed statements that convey the requisite information without emotion, although some robots programmed to interact well with humans are able to speak in a more fluid and less disconcerting manner.
Constructing a robot requires no magic, but does involve advanced and extraordinarily rare materials and technological expertise. Because almost no one possesses the skills and materials to complete the process of constructing a robot, these entries omit the construction sections provided for most constructs. A GM can add the robot subtype to a different type of construct, such as an animated object or homunculus, to create new types of robots. Typically, this doesn’t alter the construct’s CR. A character can’t create a robot from or add the robot subtype to a construct that has already been created; adding the robot subtype to an existing creature is purely a means for the GM to simulate additional robots beyond those provided here.
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