Copyright 2009 Wizards of the Coast

The first Monster Manual included an Homunculus entry. The MM2 has a few more, which we’ll look at now.

As mentioned in the original post, homunculi are relatively simple constructs distantly related to golems, the model rocket to the golem’s Saturn V. They’re much weaker but also much simpler to make, and their construction includes some programming shortcuts that make them good at being guards. There are specific shortcuts to guard an object, a creature, or an area. Homunculi are quite intelligent and clever when fulfilling the tasks they were designed for, but are not good for anything else.

In this entry we meet two new homunculus models.

Stonefist Defender

This Small, spiky animated statue is built to act as a bodyguard and combat buddy to a living creature. Its programming makes it very good a coordinating with its “client” during a fight. I imagine a society with plenty of access to magic would build mass quantities of them for use as “combat drones”, supplementing infantry or scouts.

The defender is a Level 2 Skirmisher with 38 HP. It has darkvision, runs at a nice speed of 8, and is immune to disease and poison. It’s surprisingly acrobatic: it can Tumble as an at-will move action to shift 3 squares instead of the usual 1.

The defender’s only attack is a Spiked Fist that’s pretty average on its own, but gains all sorts of situational bonuses when the creature fights according to its programming: by using its high mobility to flank enemies engaged with its “client”. It has a +2 bonus to hit enemies adjacent to the client, and gains +1d6 bonus damage when flanking those enemies.

Arbalester

Arbalesters are animated ballistas! They can move around using wheels or legs, and reload themselves. They’re used as mobile turrets, and can be ordered to watch over a specific area. That same magic-rich society that makes defenders could have arbalesters helping defend fortresses or following patrols around as mobile artillery pieces.

Arbalesters are Level 4 Artillery with 43 HP. They move around at Speed 6, and have the standard traits of darkvision and immunity to disease and poison. They’ll attack with improvised slams if pressed into melee, but their Bolts are of course a much better option. They can temporarily increase their rate of fire to make a Double Shot (recharge 4+), firing bolts at two targets within 5 squares of each other.

They can be set to Guard an Area 5 squares on a side. If any enemy is within this area when the arbalester starts its turn, Double Shot recharges automatically. Their use as defensive turrets is obvious, but they can also be used offensively if transported within range of enemy positions and ordered to “guard” those positions. This will cause them to rain bolts upon those areas until no enemies remain.

Sample Encounters and Final Impressions

Our sample encounter is Level 3: 3 stonefist defenders, 1 arbalester, and a dwarf hammerer. This is obviously a military squad from that magic-rich civ - an organic officer, and his drone complement.

Thinking of these two homunculus models as military drones makes them seem quite interesting as opposition.