Ellanise turns, attempting to use momentum to plunge the blade of her dagger into the metal hide of the automaton (attack: 22, damage: 10, sneak attack: 6). She then pulls her arm down, dragging the weapon to damage it further (attack: nat 20 for 26 — of course on the nick attack and not the attack with sneak attack — damage: 13).

Balling her other hand into a fist, she attempts to punch it, but it turns, and her attack glances off its shoulder (attack: 10).

The dagger plunges into the automaton’s side with a metallic crunch, slipping between a fractured plate. As you yank downward, the edge carves a deep furrow through the exposed inner mechanisms. It shudders as your follow-up carves clean through a cable beneath its collar joint. Something inside snaps with a high-pitched whine, as it lurches unnaturally, one arm momentarily locking at the elbow. Your punch comes in swift, but it rotates just in time. Your knuckles strike the brass plating and skid harmlessly off with a dull clang.

The automaton staggers back a step, sparks and blue-white vapor pouring from ruptured seams. The glow from its core pulses rapidly and then flares, blinding for a second. Every plate along its frame locks tight. Then, with a violent snapping hiss, the outer armor segments detach, falling away like broken shell casings and exposing the reinforced, rune-inscribed endoskeleton beneath. The air hums with a low, angry frequency as dozens of small arcane circuits across its limbs ignite in sync.

“PRIMARY FUNCTION OVERRIDDEN. ROGUE PROTOCOL ENGAGED.”

Its eye flares to a searing white. The hum now becomes more of a scream. It rears back. It's movement is no longer smooth or methodical, instead, it appears fast, erratic, and somehow, more lethal than before.

Rogue Protocol at 25% HP.
It stops attempting to destabilize and restrain and begins attacking with lethal force.
Gains multiattack, damage increases, loses Arcane Relay Core, but gains vulnerability to lightning damage.

- Ellanise (20) 
- Käinen (10) 
- Archival Retrieval Automaton (10)
- Rowan (9)
- Teryn (7)

The impact came sudden, like a invisible hammer hitting his whole body. He felt a sharp pain from the chest and the metallic taste of blood in his mouth. As the automaton escaped, he stood, hair over face. Käinen, liftied his head slowly. Quietly. His hair parted, revealing a manic blue eye and an unhinged red smile. That’s how it gotta be, he thought jumped back into the fray. He didn’t like pain or hardship but he did enjoy a good fight.

Swift like the wind the goliath moved, first catching his chain then the enemy’s arm. Understanding its structure better he found an easier time turning it, pressuring the enemy into another grapple. His hand moved even faster, pulling the chain in sequence. Once again the machine escapes.

It was selfish of him, but Käinen felt, if for a moment, that the creature stood there for him. A challenge to constrain. If only he would try grappling back, it would be like his days in the monastery. Adrenaline’s speaking too loud, said the voice of his mind making he realize that for a moment his reason for being there disappeared. For a moment there was no mission and a deadly, arcane security mechanism, brought him fun. In the end he wasn’t that different from the warriors of his homeland.

Notes: Käinen will try grappling again - DM, please roll a Str/Dex save (your choice) for the automaton. If the automaton succeeds, Käinen will tray a second time. If the automaton fails, Käinen will use the chain to restrain the automaton and keep his grapple. For brevity's sake I rolled Käinen's athletics check to use the chain. 

The automaton surges forward with pure killing instinct, raw energy behind its every move, but you're already in position. You meet its charge, catching an arm mid-swing and twisting hard. The chain loops tight around the exposed frame, locking just beneath a key joint. The construct bucks violently, howling in defiance. It lurches and pulls, hard enough that the chain rings out like struck iron, but you maintain your hold.

The automaton’s optical core flickers wildly now, caught in an internal loop between attack directive and movement override. Its arms flail but lack leverage, limbs overpowered by your hold.

Teryn’s eyes flick to Käinen holding the writhing construct in check like some mythic beast-tamer. It’s enough. The perfect opening.

The high elf lifts one hand, fingers splayed like a conjurer pulling threads from unseen winds. Glimmering greenish light pools at his palm, spiraling with thorny sigils and the faint scent of crushed jasmine. “Let’s see how you like this,” he murmurs. The eldritch blast arcs out in a jagged line of fae-born force, its edges bristling like antlers of light. 

Action: eldritch blast to hit with advantage 18, damage 3

Rowan’s giant frame looms over the thrashing construct like a threshing tower. Seeing Käinen’s chain bite deep but the automaton still bucking, he sheaths the shortsword with a metallic hiss and reaches out his newly titanic hand. “Hold ’im steady, big fella—let’s truss this mule for good.”

Veins corded with giant might, Rowan clamps a broad palm across the automaton’s plated shoulder and drives his other forearm behind its head-ring, locking the machine in an iron vise of flesh and rune-bright muscle. Sparks spit where metal grinds against his bracer, but he leans in, boots digging grooves in the ward-etched floor, adding his weight to Käinen’s chain to pin the construct fast and rob it of leverage for its lethal swing. 

Action: stow short sword, grapple the automaton with DC 14

(I'm unsure if the automaton freed itself from the chain's restrained or the grappled, but if either is still active the automaton would have disadvantage with all attacks.)