Iron Sphere

An iron ball covered in black panels sits at the statue’s feet. It seems slightly out of place, its surface smooth and bright.

Small construct, unaligned

Armor Class 16 (natural armor)
Hit Points 60 (8d6 + 32)
Speed 30 ft., burrow 10 ft., climb 20 ft.

STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
16 (+3) 13 (+1) 18 (+4) 4 (-3) 10 (+0) 3 (-4)

Skills Athletics +6, Perception +3
Damage Resistances cold, fire; bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical attacks
Damage Immunities lightning, necrotic, poison, psychic, radiant
Condition Immunities charmed, exhaustion, frightened, poisoned, prone
Senses blindsight 60 ft. (blind beyond this radius), passive Perception 13
Languages understands the languages of its creator but can’t speak
Challenge 5 (1,800 XP)

Special Traits

  • Construct Nature. The iron sphere doesn’t require air, food, drink, or sleep.
  • Immutable Form. The sphere is immune to any spell or effect that would alter its form.
  • Siege Monster. The sphere deals double damage to objects and structures.
  • Standing Leap. The sphere can launch itself into the air by extending the rods within it like pistons. The sphere’s long jump is up to 25 feet and its high jump is up to 15 feet, with or without a running start.
  • Tunneler. The sphere can burrow through solid rock at half its burrow speed and leaves a 5-foot-wide, 5-foot-high tunnel in its wake.

Actions

  • Multiattack. The iron sphere makes three melee attacks.
  • Blade. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 7 (1d8 + 3) slashing damage.
  • Piston. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 7 (1d8 + 3) bludgeoning damage.
  • Spike. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 7 (1d8 + 3) piercing damage.
  • Lightning Cannon (Recharge 5-6). The sphere extends a metal rod from one of its many facets and fires a bolt of lightning in a 20-foot line that is 5 feet wide. Each creature in that line must make a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw, taking 22 (4d10) lightning damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.

About

Hidden Threat. From a distance, the iron sphere appears to be a ball four feet in diameter. Closer inspection reveals square plates in the sphere, each crowned by a black hemisphere. Iron spheres usually find placement as art objects, sometimes incorporated into statuary displays or among white stones, vases, or other decorative notions.

Unpredictable Opponent. Once the iron sphere becomes active, it rolls toward a threat, deploying what weapons it deems necessary by means of the pistons beneath each plate on its exterior. Some pop open like a chest’s lid, some fire outward, and others split open to reveal a blade, a spike, or a nozzle.

Direct Control or Set to Guard. The owner of an iron sphere gives it commands through a gem, which can be concealed inside the plate at the topmost part of the sphere when not being used to control the sphere.

Alternate Traits and Actions

Source ExpCod (Open Design)

The following changes allow GMs to alter an iron sphere without modifying its challenge rating.

  • Acid Jet (Recharge 5-6). The iron sphere extends a nozzle from an open panel and shoots a stream of acid in a 20-foot line that is 5 feet wide. Each creature in that line must make a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw, taking 22 (4d10) acid damage on a failed save… or half as much damage on a successful one. The iron sphere loses its Lightning Cannon action.
  • Autonomous Flight. The iron sphere has a fly speed of 30 feet. The iron sphere loses its burrow and climb speeds, and it loses its Standing Leap and Tunneler traits.
  • Cold Iron Weapons. The iron sphere’s melee attacks count as cold iron for the purpose of overcoming resistance and immunity to attacks and damage. The iron sphere loses its damage resistance to bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical attacks made with cold iron.
  • Dual-Weaponized. The iron sphere has two of the following actions: Acid Jet, Flamethrower, Ice Catapult, and Lightning Cannon. Each action recharges on 6. The iron sphere replaces its Lightning Cannon action with Dual-Weaponized.
  • Flamethrower (Recharge 5-6). The iron sphere extends a nozzle from an open panel and releases a fan of fire in a 15-foot cone. Each creature in that cone must make a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw, taking 22 (4d10) fire damage on a failed save or half as much damage on a successful one. The iron sphere loses its Lightning Cannon action.
  • Ice Catapult (Recharge 5-6). The iron sphere extends an arm from an open panel and lofts an icy sphere up to 20 feet away that explodes in 10-footradius sphere centered on the sphere’s point of impact. Each creature in that sphere must make a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw, taking 22 (4d10) cold damage on a failed save or half as much damage on a successful one. The iron sphere loses its Lightning Cannon action.
  • Silvered. The iron sphere’s melee attacks count as silvered for the purpose of overcoming resistance and immunity to attacks and damage. The iron sphere loses its damage resistance to bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical attacks that are silvered.
  • Temple Sphere. The iron sphere is consecrated to a specific deity. It will not attack creatures wearing or presenting the deity’s holy symbol. The sphere has advantage on attack rolls against creatures regarded as enemies to the deity, and these creatures have disadvantage on saving throws against the sphere’s special abilities. Additionally, the sphere gains the Deific Burst attack:
    • Deific Burst (Recharge 5-6). The iron sphere unleashes a burst of holy or unholy energy in a 20-foot-radius sphere centered on the sphere. Each creature in that sphere must make a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw, taking 22 (4d10) necrotic or radiant (or other damage type, as appropriate to the deity) damage on a failed save or half as much damage on a successful one. This trait and attack replace the iron sphere’s Siege Monster trait and Lightning Cannon attack.
Section 15: Copyright Notice

Creature Codex. © 2018 Open Design LLC; Authors Wolfgang Baur, Dan Dillon, Richard Green, James Haeck, Chris Harris, Jeremy Hochhalter, James Introcaso, Chris Lockey, Shawn Merwin, and Jon Sawatsky.

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