The Panelemental Construct

[Steve]

I know a lot of you guys read Order of the Stick, but I'm not sure how many of you frequent their forums. I'm a pretty regular poster in the Roleplaying Games section and have recently gotten into homebrew. During a study hall today I came up with the idea for a challenging, single-creature encounter for higher-level characters, and, well, I'll let the post demonstrate it.

www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=170033

PS: Tyler, please don't use this.

[grond]

Well Steve, mostly quite good. A few things puzzle me though, so I shall give my thoughts.
It seems that the monster has too high an intelligence, considering that constructs have no intelligence ("-" is in the ability score entry) and the smartest elemental has a score of 10 in that field.
Also, the feat selection in the first mode seems not to fit the bill. Constructs don't tend to have feats, unless they are sort of like built in "bonus" feats, although I may be ignorant in this field. The "no feats" seems to go with the "no intelligence" part. So if intel stays, feats would also.
The stone pillar DC 20 reflex save seems to be off. The DC should be 10 + 1/2 hit dice + pertinent ability score modifier(strength, or constitution for physical attacks) +2 for ability focus. DC should be 22 at the lowest or 32 if we use strength.
My thoughts are that it seems as though the "shell" is like a golem and should enjoy spell immunity, but not have intelligence or feats. It should have the 24 hit dice of the elder elemental it is made from and stone pillar should be either a standard action or a free action once every 1d4 rounds (like a breath weapon). Starting DR should be /adamantine. Shock wave should offer a reflex save, strength based DC, to avoid the sonic damage, avoiding sonic damage avoids the bull rush. Shock wave DC would be around 32. The shell should benefit from earth mastery, air mastery and water mastery, and the Burn special feature (reflex save DC 22). That way it ties in all of the powers from the elementals crammed inside of it. The tempest form seem just this side of perfect, but it should have the slam attacks from a fire elemental, water elemental, and air elemental (any one for attack, all six for full attack) or lose flyby attack. Give it heat metal and chill metal as at will spell like abilities and give it quicken spell like ability feat for both. Give it 6 more hit dice and give it weapon finesse.
I think it gets too many energy dealing damage attacks per round to be a tactical challenge in form 2, it is just a flat out kill it first sort of fight, but nicely favors rangers since they would have the evasion to avoid the damage, the save bonus to make the saves and the chance at having lots of extra damage against elementals. I think if you changed the free action once per round abilities into free action once per 1d4 rounds (lightning bolt, fireball) and added a cone of cold effect, gave the thing the basics of incorporeal (50/50 to hit it, with a magic weapon only) you could get away with a CR 16, long fight that really forces some tactics.
All just my opinions, and I really do think what you put down for starters is pretty cool, neat concept, good execution, there are just things I would change given editorial powers. The players you sick on that thing will either love you or hate you for it.

[Steve]

On the note of the tempest, I tried to keep it gaseous to maintain balance with all of its damage-dealing abilities. Most of its attacks are designed to be mitigated or avoided (like hiding from explosion behind the pillars), though I am considering reducing the caster level of its Lightning Bolt ability. Flyby Attack is added as a feat because it lets you take a standard action mid-move. It's not limited to attacks. The lightning bolt probably should be changed to once per 1d4, though, you're right. I'm also considering replacing its Melt ability with your Heat/Chill Metal idea, because regardless of the save DC, dropping players into something that does a total of 50d6 damage over four rounds seems ridiculous.

The idea of combining the elementals as a whole, in my view, doesn't necessitate that it have all their features, just that it utilize their elements. Having earth mastery and air mastery in the same creature seems kind of contradictory.

I'll review your advice on its shell when I return from school and work.

[grond]

Like I said, what you posted to start with is fairly excellent and I can see the earth mastery/ air mastery thing is a little paradoxical. I figured giving the tempest core physical attacks would allow it to be debuffed, and at the same time allow a higher CR and for players to enjoy the benefits of the expensive armor or shields they may have bought. All the same, the gaseous quality balances it down, since the form it is in would be easily defended against by resist energy spells, rings and armor features, as well as save buffs.
All in all it is an excellent monster in concept and mechanical presentation. Nicely done.