The soldier peered from the alley, finding nothing but rubble and a tank armed not with a cannon but a missile pod. He watched the heavy vehicle for a moment but when it showed no signs of life or occupancy, he signaled to the rest of his squad. They made for the opposite alley, the ragtag band scurrying swiftly before the enemy spotted – only for the soldier to swiftly be proven wrong. Whirring, grinding noises emerged from the armored vehicle as plates began to slide and separate. Its form changed, the vehicle replaced with a towering figure bearing a feminine shape. The segments of its missile pod arced over its back and rested upon its forearms as it barked at them in an unknown language. The soldier urged his companions onward as he settled into his stance, directing his heavy weapon in the direction of the giant robot, which responded in kind by firing an array of rockets. They streaked past him, making similar whirring sounds as they unfolded mid-flight and combined into canid forms that landed in the street and raced after the rest of his crew.
Hands-down, my favorite franchise in the whole world is Transformers. So much so, that I want to bring a bit of it over into Pathfinder Second Edition but in hopes that I will make some more of my own, I’m putting them under a different name. The mechamorphs requires their own rules and basic features to operate smoothly, which is why I included a pair of traits and a standard monster ability. The alternate trait is for the weapons of mechamorphs that they can use in either form while the mechamorph creature trait details its basic functions, establishing them as living creatures who are subject to all the effects that entails. The Convert action is designed as a two-action ability based on the various battle form spells, letting the mechamorph switch between its robot mode and a vehicle mode. For the time being, mechamorphs I make are going to be the same level as the vehicles they transform into until I can figure out how to balance them otherwise.
With all the components and aspects of this creature - the new rules that I had to put together for it - it was a little too complex to bring into Pathfinder First Edition or Dungeons and Dragons Fifth Edition so I hope you're all fine with a bunch of PF2e content.
That being said, we’re going to start out with a level fourteen tank, based on the TOS-1 Buratino with its stats based on the heavy tank from Starfinder First Edition and the vehicles of a similar level in Pathfinder Second Edition. Havoc is meant to serve as a mid-range commander able to bolster her allies and enhance their combat capability. Perhaps the most obvious way she is able to do this is from her Commanding Presence, a decently sized aura that provides a tiny little +1 to attack rolls. However, this bonus can be switched to a different value as a free action that can only be used at the start of her turn. This prevents her from doing something like making attacks benefitting from that bonus and then switching to a defensive boost. While Havoc’s allies are in the range of her aura, she can direct them with Commence Operation. This is a single action inspired by the likes of Soundwave or similar characters commanding their Minicons, granting them an action that can be used as a reaction.
It’s important to remember that Havoc is living artillery, softening up targets before ordering her allies to dive into the fray. She can open this up with Bombard, which is a fairly standard area effect that deals limited use area damage at a high DC. This damage is split between bludgeoning and fire damage given the explosion and it can also leave creatures suppressed, dipping a bit deeper into that Starfinder parlance. While this closes Havoc off from using her Area Fire attacks, Missile Salvo, and likewise for a bit, she can still Drop Smoke to confound her enemies. Normally, she would be thrown off by this as well, but Havoc was originally meant to serve in mines, searching for threats and dangers, which is mechanically represented through her Heatsense that can pierce through the smoke with ease, keeping her attacks on point.
Rounding out Havoc's arsenal is Deploy War Dogs, which actually calls back to the phrase that inspired Havoc in the first place, the classic Shakespearean line of 'Cry havoc and let slip the dogs of war.' The war dogs are minicons designed to work alongside Havoc and have their own stat block. The creatures even have their own stat block, albeit a relatively simplistic one, but the ability to simply add new creatures to the battlefield is based on the bone prophet, a serpent folk able to summon undead with an ability rather than a spell. There's a similar level discrepancy between the bone prophet and its undead as well as Havoc and her war dogs. The dogs themselves are somewhat designed with being companions in mind, between Competent Companions and then Heatsense itself obviously gelling with Havoc's Drop Smoke. They are designed as simplistic skirmishers who dart around the smoke with Pounce and Strafe while hiding within the smoke to use Sneak Attack.
I'd love to make more mechamorphs, but original ones will require funds. In the time being, if you have any specific Transformers you'd like to see, be sure to let me know! I have some ideas in mind but appreciate suggestions.
ENCOUNTER HOOKS
Havoc is a solid enemy to run solo, possessing her own companions to fight alongside, but the greater level difference between the war dogs and the players makes it harder for them to be useful. This was especially apparent in the Monster Mash, where the war dogs were a bit more of a distraction than a legitimate threat. Alternatively, Havoc could be run alongside a crew of mercenaries to make her a far more viable threat who she can direct about the battlefield.
I have a video I made for Havoc that I would appreciate you checking out, which has some extra details to it.
If you're interested in joining the discussion on what creatures/builds I'm working on or just discussing your own homebrew works, check out our Discord! If you want to get some teasers or help us get to our yet unlisted milestones for extra content, check out the Twitter.
Have a monstrous Monday!
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