Train Tuesday Part 112: Rolling Thunder

Greetings, fellow Hovertrain protestors! Look, The Forgotten Rails gets it – not everyone is a fan of Waterdeep’s new revolutionary mode of mass transportation. Invasive routes have to be established. Key lands seized. Creatures of all shapes and sizes relocated. And on, and on. So, certain Constructs have been created to keep the locals in line. Let’s meet their latest robotic muscle.

Now, Omin Dran understands the critical role security plays in The Forgotten Rails’ success. He knows the role branding plays in launching a new enterprise and its effect on profits… and he loves profits. We’ve already introduced a plethora of Constructs and their assigned duties. He’s committed to the Hovertrain’s founders to ensure operations run continuously without issue. Besides, simply deploying an imposing presence will scare plenty of the Waterdeep locals and nudge them to all get on board (pun intended).

With that said, lead engineer Collis Strutt has created a couple of robots armed to the gills, which can be deployed to quickly eradicate large threats and protests. Besides, every Construct army needs a few shock and awe units, right?! Now, Collis will be the first to admit that he might have gotten a little carried away with these mechanized meatgrinders, but he’s still pretty proud of his latest creation. He also thinks those forest conversationalists are too emotional and was told to build something that would send them running for the hills.

Our savage STL comes from Mike Hershey, also known as mrhers2. We’ve really enjoyed combing through his free 3D print library and all the fab little nuggets he has for our DnD campaigns. This particular Roller Bot was especially appealing as those treads were so darn cool. This TTRPG 3D Print is modular and considered supportless. However, he offers a fully assembled single STL file, which we immediately sliced (while adding our own supports for safety’s sake).

DM Ben “volunteered” to color this crazy Construct up as he thought a paint scheme similar to one of our favorite mechs in this series – the Probe Golem would do nicely here. He loves that scuffed-up metal look.

Nothing too nuts on the steps here, but we did go back and hit the model numerous times until we got the shading right.

• Prime Flat Black | Slapchop Base.
• Wheels P1: Layer FAN Deep Gray.
• Wheels P2: Drybrush FAN Gun Metal.
• Wheels P3: Edging with ASP Grim Black.
• Wheels P4: FAN Strong Tone Wash.
• Body P1: Layer Citadel Contrast Basilcanum Grey.
• Body P2: Drybrush FAN Frost Blue.
• Body P3: FAN Soft Tone Wash.
• Weapons: ASP Enchanted Steel.
• Vents: ASP Hoard Bronze.
• Optional Effects: FAN Fresh Rust and FAN Oil Stains.

We wanted these mechanized beasts to look worn and weathered with lots of grimy residue from their slew of weaponry and fierce firefights. Also, we wanted a little contrast between its tank-style treads and the heavily armored upper body.

Again, DM Ben wanted a Construct that could open round 1 with just a frenzy of chaotic attacks. The only thing Collis Strutt couldn’t perfectly solve was the risk of overheating. Each round, there is a growing chance that one or more of its attacks will lock up and require six seconds to cool before refiring (but more on that below).

Let’s break down some of these different attacks:

• Large Core Side Cannon: 20-foot radius, cone. +6 attack/3d8 bludgeoning, range 100 ft.
• Large Core Side Flame Thrower: 15-foot cone, 1d8+1 fire, Dex Save (DC 14) for half,
• Front Mini Guns: 3 single shots. 1d10+2 piercing, range 80 ft.

We looked at all sorts of Construct builds here for ideas, including Artillerist Artificer, the Gundam option, the Destroyer Mech, and all the usual DnD 5e firearm mechanics. So, this homebrewed robot build is a mishmash of those other monsters.

On its other side is an oversized crossbow mechanism that rapidly fires up to five heavy crossbow bolts, which auto-load in rapid succession. DM Ben wants these to be lightning arrows, so there’s more of a razzle-dazzle light show when this Construct goes off on its prey. Imagine five crazy-fast arrows, all firing in a blink of an eye at +5, 1d6+1 damage…even worse, if a single target is hit with 3 of these arrows in one round, they have to make a DC 12 Con Save or become stunned for one round.

DM Ben has dubbed this rumbling monstrosity, “The Destroyer”. While it has a heavily armored upper body (AC 19), its wheels are more susceptible to damage (AC 14), and players must take a -2 penalty on a called shot. However, if players aim high, they can slowly attempt to disable some of that immense firepower (22 or higher attack hit randomly disables a weapon).

Also, at the end of each round, there’s a 15% chance that each weapon will overheat and require one round to cool and recover. For hit points, we’ll go with a tough 150 (like the sample Mech Destroyer from above) in the hopes it can survive 2-3 rounds.

Until next time!