Monster Monday - Tremortusk (Patreon)

Each step of the machine shook the very ground, landing with a booming crash that was almost deafened by its trumpeting cry. The soldier hefted his cannon into place, leveling it at the approaching tremortusk as the machine began its own assault. Around him, the operative and witchwarper ducked for cover beneath the assault of the mechadon's salvo cannons and the belch of fire from its trunk. As the glow of its eyes shifted from blue to yellow to red, it began to pick up speed. Its thundering footsteps fell faster and faster and it gave another bellowing roar as it 'tusks' gleamed with vicious intent...

This massive, mecha mammoth makes a mess of malcontents in melee and at midrange, melting, mashing, and mauling in a marvelous mix-em-up.

This week is another collaboration with Cameron McLoud, but it's one of Horizon's own machines rather than an original idea. It's one of the big ones that was introduced in the sequel game, Horizon Forbidden West, and seemingly designed to resemble a mechanical mammoth but has an array of distinctive features. I followed Cam's lead when determining the level, but kind of went my own way when it came to designing its abilities and the such.

When it comes to the basics, its bulk and power lends to an extreme Strength while its defenses lean towards low. Its AC, Reflex, and Will are all in that range while it has high HP and Fortitude. This is influenced both by the innate immunities that constructs are afforeded as well as the tremortusk's game-based elemental weaknesses and resistance to cold and fire damage. It also has some physical resistance that can actually stripped away by targeting the clamps and links that hold the plates in place. On the offensive side of things, it sticks to more of a middlegrounds as it has a rather massive arsenal. I wanted to go extreme damage on its tusks, but the decision to have them equipped with Improved Grab led to me settling for high damage instead. It can follow such attempts with a Constrict to deal a little below low damage but with a high DC Fortitude save.

Getting into said arsenal, I thought Blazing Boulder was a lot of fun. The tremortusk can use the flame from its trunk as an Area Fire, or light a boulder ablaze with its and launch it at others to deal unlimited use area damage with a high DC Reflex save. Failing the save also leads to a creature being knocked prone from the impact of the stone. The tremortusk can also fire off its Plasma Rails for the same damage value and save, but rather than inflicting a condition, it leaves behind hazardous terrain. It's a brief effect, but it's some area control it can lay down while dealing some less common damage types. The last of its abilities without a cooldown is its Trumpet, which is one of its few effects that targets something other than a Reflex save. It requires an extreme DC Fortitude save instead, which is mainly because it doesn't deal damage and its main effect is deafness (which isn't as potent as it was in PF1e). However, it does have the chance of inflicting stunned and that led to the inclusion of the incapacitation trait. Also, it's a level eighteen creature, so permanent deafness on a crit fail felt fine.

The last of its abilities is its Thunderous Stomp. It's the sole effect with both a cooldown and limited use area damage and is me doing a tiny bit of streamlining and just designing a single electrical emanation effect instead of the smaller multi-stomps. Though they could also have been fun. In any case, it's another high DC Reflex save to avoid the shocks but the force of the landing causes a localized tremor that requires an extreme DC save as it simply knocks foes prone.

ENCOUNTER HOOKS

It is the Grass That Suffers: Some enterprising raiders have managed to affix a howdah to the back of a tremortusk. They will shoot at the players from atop their war mount, but the howdah could be treated as a new component that, when destroyed, falls from the back of the tremortusk and deals heavy damage to those within it. If using this idea, the howdah should have Hit Points of at least 50 and even more based off of how much damage the collapse should inflict.

Glass Flooring: The heroes find themselves facing off against tremortusk on fragile footing - whether that be a layer of ice or a crumbling cliffside. As the tremortusk thunders about, its weight causes collapses throughout the battlefield. The heroes might eventually be able to turn this to their advantage but have to be wary that they don't fall victim to it first.

Have a monstrous Monday!