Jason Andresen (order #1578489) - Jump page for Jubei

are not entirely understood—magical residue can animate
pieces of worked metal, usually in the form of debris, into certain
recurring forms. Fields of energy that completely suppress
magic surround these animatons, and they have additional abilities
that can cause permanent loss of magical enchantment.
Though I’ve heard tell of others, there are several more
common recurring forms of animaton, each with slightly varying
abilities. I have heard primarily of three varieties: the large
serpentine gear wyrm, the bizarre rip cutter (which resembles a
pile of flailing chains wearing a suit of armor), and the small
but deadly chain runner (a humanoid form, composed largely
of chain and wire). Though each has its own distinctions, the
image of a walking pile of junk is haunting indeed.
They are universal in their basic behavior, which
seems to be to seek out and feed on magical energies.
This is how the branch in Fellig was assaulted
and damaged so horribly; the wizards present were
rendered impotent and unable to save their home.
They tried to defend it with physical force, but in
this regard the animaton was exploiting their weakness.
Unfortunately, only a few men occupied the
Fellig site at the time,
and the assaulting
Gear Wyrm
animaton seemed
to be of greater power
than is usual.
I’ve never heard tell of an animaton
demonstrating any real intelligence,
but there seem to be certain
“instinctive” behavior patterns present
in all. This is what piqued my interest
in them most, as I had hoped it might
shed light on my theories on instinctive
behavior in living creatures. However, study has been slow.
These constructs are exceedingly rare, usually only occurring in
places where great magical energies have been wrought. I have
encountered a few among the junk-strewn battlefields along
the Llael-Khador border, as well as in a few scattered ruins, but
in all cases my companions and I had to put the terrors down
before they ran amuck.
5
Animatons
Combat
The following abilities are common to all animatons.
Absolute Magic Resistance (Su): All spells cast upon or
which would otherwise directly affect an animaton have no
effect on it whatsoever, and no amount of spell strength can
overcome this.
Greater Dispelling (Su): All animatons can cast greater dispel
magic at will, as a normal action. They cast this spell as wizards
with a caster level equal to their hit dice +7. Furthermore, if
they exceed the required dispel check
DC by 15 or more, there is a
1% chance per HD of the
animaton that the dispelling
is permanent—if cast
upon an item, that item
loses its magical properties;
if cast upon a target
affected by a spell, that
spell may never affect that
target again; if cast as a
counterspell, that spell is
permanently removed from
the caster’s spell list; creatures
using spell-like abilities lose
those abilities; and so on. To
remove this effect one must have
restoration cast by either a cleric of
Morrow with Ascendant Corben
as a patron or a cleric of Thamar
with the Magic domain.
(Do note that, though an animaton
may recognize a spell, magic
item, or other enchantment, it does
not comprehend what is going on.
It uses this ability out of instinct
and reflex—so it will not target specific
items intentionally.)
Null Field (Su): All animatons
are surrounded by a field that
nullifies magic within a
10-foot-radius per HD
(double that in the
case of the
chain
runner).
It functions identically to an
antimagic field spell with the exception that it does not suppress
any of the animaton’s own abilities.
Spell Consumption (Su): Any time an animaton successfully
dispels any magic effect, either by greater dispel magic or by its null
Jason Andresen (order #1578489) 9