Animated Object, Animated Silverware

Animated Silverware Swarm Creature1

N Large Construct Mindless Swarm

Senses Perception +5; darkvision

Skills Acrobatics +8

Str +1, Dex +3, Con +4, Int -5, Wis +0, Cha -5

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AC 16 (12 when broken); construct armor; Fort +9, Ref +8, Will +3

HP 14; Hardness 3; Immunities death effects, disease, doomed, drained, fatigued, healing, mental, necromancy, nonlethal attacks, paralyzed, precision, poison, sickened, unconscious; Weaknesses area damage 3, splash damage 3

Construct Armor Like normal objects, an animated silverware swarm has Hardness. This Hardness reduces any damage the swarm takes by an amount equal to the Hardness. Once an animated silverware swarm is reduced to fewer than half its Hit Points, or immediately upon being damaged by a critical hit, its construct armor breaks, removing the Hardness and reducing its Armor Class to 12.

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Speed 20 feet

Slice and Dice [one-action] (magical) Each enemy in the animated silverware swarm’s space takes 1d6 piercing or slashing damage (DC 17 basic Reflex save)

Stick a Fork in It [one-action] The animated silverware swarm attempts to pin a single creature. The target must attempt a DC 17 Reflex save.

• Critical Success The target is unaffected.
• Success Silverware pins portions of the target’s clothing and gear. The target takes a -10-foot circumstance penalty to its Speeds as long as it remains in the swarm’s space.
• Failure As success, and the target also can’t Step until it leaves the swarm’s space.
• Critical Failure The target is thoroughly pinned by the silverware, becoming immobilized until it Escapes (DC 17) or uses 2 Interact actions to remove all of the silverware pinning them down.

About

Many animated objects have useful functions but become dangers when uncontrolled. Nobles are known to pay great amounts to animate their silverware, both for ease in cleaning and to serve as novelties during dinner parties. Most animated objects are created for convenience or out of vanity.

Spellcasters often animate brooms and dishes to aid with cleaning, books and scrolls for aid with research, and carts and carriages for transport. Most objects are animated without the intent of using them as guardians, and many animated objects exist without the rest of the world ever noticing. Only those with money and power choose to animate objects as guardians, and these are the animated objects most likely encountered on adventures.

The process for animating objects varies from object to object and by the needs of the ritual. Some rituals designate a controller whom the animated object obeys.

Without orders, many animated objects fall back to defensive tactics. In other cases, the ritual may have been poorly performed or may have failed after many years, causing the animated object to enter an uncontrollable state where it attacks anything it sees.