Monster: Bolter Battelwrought

Battlewrought, Bolter

A spidery contraption composed mostly of a heavy crossbow with segmented legs and a long flexible tail.

CR 2; XP 600
CN Small Outsider (battlewrought, chaotic, extraplanar)
Init +5; Senses darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision; Perception +6

Defense
AC 13, touch 12, flat-footed 12 (+1 Dex, +1 natural, +1 size)
hp 21 (2d10+10); regeneration 2 (cold iron or lawful)
Fort +3, Ref +4, Will +1
Defensive Abilities constructed
Weakness rust vulnerability

Offense
Speed 40 ft., climb 20 ft.
Melee sting +4 (1d3+1)
Ranged heavy crossbow +4 (2d8, 19-20/x2)
Spell-Like Abilities (CL 1st, concentration +1)
Constant—abundant ammunition, gravity bow
3/day—true strike

Statistics
Str 13, Dex 13, Con 10, Int 7, Wis 12, Cha 10
Base Atk +2; CMB +2; CMD 13 (25 vs trip)
Feats Improved Initiative, Point-Blank Shot, Precise Shot
Skills Acrobatics +6, Climb +6, Perception +6, Stealth +10
Language does not speak but understands all spoken languages as per truespeech
SQ big weapon, reloading tail

Ecology
Environment any
Organization solitary, pair, or flock (3-14)
Treasure standard

Special Abilities

Big Weapon (Ex): A bolter is a living crossbow scaled for a Medium creature and deals damage accordingly, adjusted for its constant gravity bow spell-like ability.

Reloading Tail (Ex): A bolter's tail is flexible, strong, and semi-independent, being able to reload the heavy crossbow as a swift action.

Rust Vulnerability: A bolter affected with rust-inducing effect has its regeneration suppressed for the duration of the effect. Instantaneous rust effects suppress the regeneration for 1 round.

Bolters are the least and the smallest of the battlewrought, little more than mobile self-firing crossbows composed of debris of thousands of wars across the universe. They serve as scouts and ranged support for battlewrought troops. Their intuitive grasp of tactics and matters of war is much better than their lowly overall Intelligence score would suggest and some of them develop curiosity bordering recklessness, while others prefer to wait hidden in ambush to scouting.

A bolter battlewrought can become a familiar of a non-pacifist character with Improved Familiar feat (requires 7th caster level). It can be also acquired as a 4th level cohort.

The Battlewrought

The war incarnate, the spiritual debris of endless battles, the battlewrought are embodiment of conflict itself. While they appear to be husks made of discarded armors, broken weapons, and pieces of ancient siege engines, they are animated with a living force, spirits formed from out of the raw chaos of war.

Battlewrought Subtype: Battlewrought are spirits of war inhabiting shells made of shattered arms and armor. They have following traits.

Body Weaponry (Ex): All the weapons, shields, and armors used by battlewrought are parts of its body. They cannot be disarmed or removed. They can be sundered but they regenerate in 1 round if broken or 1d4+1 rounds if destroyed.

Constructed (Ex): Although battlewrought are living outsiders, their bodies are constructed of physical components, and in many ways function like constructs. For the purposes of effects targeting creatures by type (such as a ranger's favored enemy and bane weapons), battlewrought count as both outsiders and constructs. They are immune to death effects, disease, mind-affecting effects, necromancy effects, paralysis, poison, sleep, stun, and any effect that requires a Fortitude save (unless the effect also works on objects, or is harmless). Battlewrought are not subject to nonlethal damage, ability damage, ability drain, fatigue, exhaustion, or energy drain. They are not at risk of death from massive damage. They have bonus hit points as constructs of their size.

Low-light Vision.

Saves: A battlewrought good saves are Fortitude and Reflexes.

Skills: A battlewrought counts Acrobatics, Intimidate, Knowledge (engineering), and one Profession skills related to war and its specific role such as siege engineer, soldier, teamster, or sailor as its class skills in addition to regular Outsider class skills.

Regeneration (Ex): All battlewrought have regeneration, usually suppressed by cold iron or lawful effects. The amount regenerated varies between battlewrought.

Truespeech (Su): A battlewrought can speak with any creature that has language as if using tongues (caster level 14th). This ability is always active.

Wrought For Battle (Ex): A battlewrought racial HD counts as fighter levels when meeting prerequisites of combat feats. A battlewrought gains bonus combat feats as if its racial HD were fighter levels.