| Mod | Save | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| STR | 18 | +4 | +4 |
| DEX | 22 | +6 | +12 |
| CON | 18 | +4 | +15 |
| Mod | Save | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| INT | 8 | −1 | −1 |
| WIS | 18 | +4 | +10 |
| CHA | 6 | −2 | −2 |
Adaptive Composite Armor
The Drone's armor is engineered to deflect nearly every attack.
- All attacks against the Drone are resolved against AC 25.
- Critical hits against the Drone become normal hits.
- The Drone cannot be affected by Sneak Attack or any feature that represents striking a vital organ or weak point.
Hidden Exhaust Port
On the rear of the Drone is a microscopic exhaust port leading directly to its Arcane Fusion Core.
A creature may attempt to target this weak point only if all of the following conditions are met:
- It uses a ranged weapon attack.
- It has line of sight to the Drone's rear.
The creature then makes a DC 20 Dexterity check.
- Failure: The attack automatically misses. The Aegis drone turns towards the creature that tried to hit it.
- Success: The creature may make its attack roll normally. Now the Agis Drone AC is 12.
If that attack hits:
- The Drone immediately drops to 0 hit points.
- Its Arcane Fusion Core enters a critical state.
No Retreat Protocol
The Aegis Drone exists solely to fulfill its assigned directive and is incapable of fear, hesitation, or self-preservation.
- The Drone can never willingly retreat, surrender, or flee from combat.
- Even when heavily damaged, the Drone continues fighting until it is destroyed or its directive has been fulfilled.
Swarm Protocol
Aegis Drones are designed to operate as a coordinated autonomous defense network rather than as individual units.
Whenever a Drone can perceive a creature, every other Aegis Drone within 1 mile instantly receives that information through an encrypted arcane link. Those Drones know the target's location even if they do not have direct line of sight, although they must still obey the normal rules for making attacks.
Each Drone acts independently unless the DM chooses otherwise.
Loot
When the Drone is destroyed by conventional means, its Arcane Fusion Core becomes unstable.
A creature may spend 1 minute recovering it by succeeding on a DC 18 Intelligence (Arcana) check.
- Success: The core is recovered intact.
- Failure: The core immediately detonates.
Arcane Fusion Core
Rare Wondrous Item
A crystalline sphere roughly 6 inches (15 cm) in diameter containing an enormous amount of arcane energy.
It may be used as a power source for: Constructs, Arcane machinery, Fortresses, Portals, Flying vehicles or Experimental weapons.
Alternatively, as an Action, a creature may throw the core up to 60 feet.
At the end of the following turn, the core explodes.
Radius: 30 ft.
Damage: 12d10 force damage.
Creatures in the area must succeed on a DC 18 Dexterity saving throw or take the full damage, taking half damage on a success.
The Arcane Fusion Core is destroyed after exploding.
Multiattack: The Aegis drone makes:
- 4 Fire Bolt attacks,
- 2 Musket attacks.
It may distribute these attacks among any targets it can see.
Fire Bolt. Ranged Spell Attack: +11 to hit, range 120 ft. Hit: 10 (2d10) fire damage.
Musket. Ranged Weapon Attack: +11 to hit, range 40/120 ft. Hit: 12 (1d12 + 6) piercing damage + 6 (2d6) force damage.
Target Lock: The Drone designates one creature it can see. Until the start of its next turn: That creature gains no benefit from half cover or three-quarters cover against the Drone.
Defensive Recalibration: When an attack misses the Drone by 5 or less, the Drone may immediately move up to half its flying speed without provoking Opportunity Attacks.
Opportunity Attack: When a creature leaves the Drone's effective engagement range in a manner that allows a reaction, the Drone may make one Musket attack against that creature.
Description
"The sky does not darken because a storm approaches. It darkens because they have arrived."
The Aegis Drone is an autonomous arcane construct designed to guard locations, artifacts, or entire civilizations long after its creators have vanished. Suspended in the air by invisible magical stabilizers, it patrols its assigned territory with mechanical precision, neither sleeping nor tiring nor questioning its directives.
Its polished spherical armor is almost impervious to conventional weapons, causing arrows to glance away and blades to slide harmlessly across its surface. Only a microscopic exhaust port concealed on its rear grants access to the volatile Arcane Fusion Core that powers the machine. A flaw so small that striking it requires extraordinary skill.
An Aegis Drone is rarely encountered alone. They operate as a synchronized defense network, sharing information instantly across great distances and coordinating their attacks with frightening efficiency. The destruction of one unit merely alerts the others, triggering an aggressive combat protocol that transforms an already deadly encounter into a desperate fight for survival.
Unlike living creatures, an Aegis Drone possesses no instinct for self-preservation. It cannot be intimidated, bargained with, or convinced to retreat. It executes its final directive until its Arcane Fusion Core is extinguished, making every encounter with these constructs a battle against relentless, emotionless perfection.
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