Warmachines of the Elven Imperial Fleet
by Leroy Van Camp IIII was never really very happy with the Spirit Warrior from the Spelljammer Monstrous Compendium Appendix. It was a cool concept, mecha in a fantasy game, but I found the idea of the elves using the undead hard to swallow, especially since so many more likely alternatives sprung to mind. What follows is my alternative, the Spirit Warrior I use in my campaign. I feel it fits with the style of the elves of Arcane Space more closely than the official version.
Note that in my games the Spirit Warrior is still in use by the Fleet, as compared to the offical version.
What is a Spirit Warrior?
The Elven Imperial Fleet is one of the most powerful single forces
in Arcane Space, and possibly the most powerful. This is due to
several reasons, including numbers, resources and level of
organization. Another one of these reason is magic; no other group
seems to have access to as much magic as the Fleet (except,
perhaps, for the Arcane).
The Spirit Warrior is an example of this. A Spirit Warrior is essentially a magical item that is empowered by a spirit of nature and piloted by an elf who rests inside of it. It is a machine of war, and nearly all enemies of the elves start to have second thoughts when they see one moving in to attack.
A Warrior is a twelve foot tall humanoid construct, having two arms and two legs and a head. It looks much like a full suit of plate armour, though it is obviously not metal. Composed of the same material that makes up the elven ships, its body is modified Starfly plant grown over a strong wooden skeleton. It has five fingers and a thumb, all ending in short but useful claws. It's feet have two large toes, also clawed, as well as a reverse claw on its heel, giving it a lot of gripping power.
The head of the Warrior sports two back swept horns, more for appearance that practical use. Its face is smooth and featureless, sporting no eyes, ears mouth, or other facial features.
The color of a Spirit Warrior can vary, from dark green through to dull yellow, depending on the whims of the wizard that tended the growth. They tend not to be have a single shade, instead shifting from lighter or darker over different parts of the body.
A portion of the interior of the body and legs are hollow, and are accessible through the front, by several plates that splay open like a rose; there are several redundant plates covering the seams where these plates meet, protecting them and making the front as tough as any other part of the Warrior. There is a saddle and harness arrangement inside for the pilot to sit, as well as some hand-holds, as the use of hands is not required to operate a Spirit Warrior.
Control of a Spirit Warrior is done by linking the pilot's mind with the spirit that is bound in the Warrior; in effect is the Warrior. Once this is done the pilot is in full control, as if the Spirit Warrior was his own body. The spirit retains awareness, and can communicate to the pilot. The Spirit Warrior is trained in the ways of combat and tactics, and will often point things out or offer suggestions to the pilot.
The Spirit Warrior, as a construct, is also capable of acting on its own, should the pilot be killed or disabled. The Spirit Warrior is intelligent, though to a lesser degree than an elf or human, and capable of making its own decisions, should the need arise. They are totally loyal to the elves, though, and have few interests beyond combat.
The Capabilities of the Spirit Warrior
The Spirit Warrior is a machine of war, designed expressly for
combat. While they are capable fighters in their own right, they
almost always enter combat piloted; each pilot is assigned to an
individual Warrior. Entering the ranks of Spirit Warrior pilots is
difficult, open only to elite marines, and requires much additional
training.
Not surprisingly, the Warrior is capable of both dealing out and withstanding a huge amount of damage. Wielding eight foot long swords and having the strength of a cloud giant, they can take down just about any normal marine in one blow while their hardened carapace turns most attacks. Add to this the fact they are piloted by highly experienced warriors and you have an amazingly potent weapon.
The most common initial tactic of the Spirit Warrior units is to render a ship inoperable through destruction of the steering mechanics; the magic sword of a Spirit Warrior is more than capable of slicing through most masts. They can destroy most siege engines with a single blow and often then start to carve a passage to the helm room.
The Guiding Hands: The Spirit Knights
Although a Spirit Warrior is fully capable of entering combat
without a pilot, this is almost never done; only in the case of
emergency would a pilotless Warrior be mustered. The reason for
this is fairly simple: while Warriors have excellent minds for
tactics and combat skills, they generally do not think quite as
quickly as an elven pilot.
The pilot of a Warrior is known as a Spirit Knight, or just Knight. As mentioned, they are an elite unit, hand chosen from amongst the best of the marines. To become a Knight is to enter a position of honor, as promotions tend to come quickly to elves who do well.
But combat ability is not the only factor in choosing a Knight, they also look for a certain personality type. Linking one's mind with that of a spirit is not easy, requiring a certain amount of meditative practice, and many are not up to it. It can take months of practice to learn how to properly sync up with the spirit to achieve proper control. Even then the Knight has much to learn, and improves his control over the course of experience.
To become a Spirit Knight requires that the elf be at least 6th level and have a Wisdom and Dexterity of 13 or more. Training takes long enough that the Knight is 8th level upon completion.
The Elven Fleet and The Spirit Warrior's Role
Spirit Warriors are an uncommon commodity in the Elven Imperial
Fleet; the process by which they are made requires a large amount
of time and the work of numerous experts. Because of this the
Spirit Warrior is an elite fighter, with the pilot position given
only to those elves that have proven themselves in direct
combat.
The number of Spirit Warriors that serve with a fleet vary, depending on the level of combat they expect to see. On the average there are 12 Spirit Warriors on every Leviathan Class Armada, and 18 on a Hive Class Armada. Most standard patrols carry one Warrior per Man o' War. Men o' War outfitted for war generally carry more, from 3 to 6. Smaller ships only carry Warriors if outfitted for war. Most smaller outposts and bases also have a couple of Warriors on the premises. A large number of the Spirit Warriors in any one sphere are located at that sphere's base of operations, which is typically an orbital station, with numbers from 36 to 50.
On the Leviathan Armadas the Warrior's are primarily used for defense from boarding. When the elves board other ships half of them are used as an initial strike, then move on to ship destruction (their magical swords will slice through most masts with a bit of work), followed by clean up of what the elven marines might be having trouble with.
Twelve of the Warriors on the Hive Armadas are used in a similar way, while the other six will board the Fireflies if they engage an enemy, one to a ship. These will then drop onto enemy ships during a flyby and proceed to wreck havoc on a ship, going for the masts or other steering devices first, then looking to get to the helm room and disable the ship. Barring that they will try to destroy the ship's weapons, then marines. If they become severely damaged or overwhelmed, they will teleport back to the ship, as long as it is within range.
On any other ship they are typically used in a similar matter, depending on the circumstances. They are used as defense at bases.
Creation
The creation of a Spirit Warrior is a long, difficult task, as it
requires the expertise of 5 different people: the artificer who
constructs the initial frame upon which all other aspect are built;
the botanical wizard that takes that frame and grows the hard shell
that makes up the Spirit Warrior's body; the wizards that
takes the completed frame and enchants it with the spells it will
need to function; the shaman that summons and binds the insect
spirit into the Warrior; and the trainer that takes the new Spirit
Warrior and teaches it and the person who will pilot all about
their new lives.
Construction of the frame, while a vital part of the process, is a much simpler step than those that follow. The frame is constructed of ironwood that has been alchemically treated to increase its strength to nearly that of steel. The joints and connections are actual steel. The frame looks a lot like a skeleton, including down to the fingers, though the body is odd, since the ribcage extends the full length of the torso, as well as along a portion of the legs, allowing room for the pilot. This frame is put through rigorous tests to insure it is up to the task of supporting a war machine.
Once all tests are done, a completed frame is passed on to Plant Master, a wizard that specializes in magic dealing with the growth and alteration of plants. Around this frame the Master grows the plant-shell that will make up the body of the Spirit Warrior. This plant, derived the Starfly plant, is the same plant that is used to build the elven ships, and is extremely tough. The plant is grown all around the frame, and although the Spirit Warrior looks like a suit of armour, the plant actually takes up all space not meant for the pilot; it is both the skin and the "meat" of the unit.
Properly growing the plant around the frame takes close to six months, since hurrying the process tends to create a more brittle plant. Many spells and natural techniques are used to shape the plant into the proper form, but these always produce some minor variance; no two Spirit Warriors ever look exactly alike.
Once the unit is fully grown, it moves on to a group of sorcerers who spend the next year enchanting it. Another group spends their time enchanting the swords used by the Spirit Warriors, although they do this year round, since the swords are not specific to individual Warriors. During this time it is still also in the care of the Plant Master, to insure it stays healthy, and that it does not overgrow.
With numerous enchantments now laid upon the unit, the final step in the actual creation of the Warrior is performed: the summoning and binding of an insect spirit into the Warrior. Although this step takes but a short time—the ritual is only an hour in length—it is the most important; if the proper spirit is not found and bound, the result is a possible monster, or a Warrior that does not have enough intelligence to be trained. The risk is compounded by the fact that once a spirit has been bound to the unit, it can never have another spirit bound to it again, even if the previous spirit is exorcised.
Once the spirit is bound, and the unit becomes a full Spirit Warrior, its training starts. Experts take it and train the spirit in the ways of combat, as well as instilling in it a love of elves and a sense of duty. The trainer must also break the spirit's "spirit," so to speak; since the Spirit Warrior is designed to work with the pilot, and only take actions when the pilot is wounded or killed, much of the Warrior's initiative is quelled. It is taught that the pilot is in command. Since the Spirit Warrior has a fairly low intelligence, this is virtually never a problem.
The Warrior is fully versed in combat tactics and the skills of sword use and hand-to-hand, which they excel at. Once of the enchantments on the Warrior is a sort of combat mind; when it comes to thinking about combat and tactics, Spirit Warriors are geniuses. Although a Spirit Warrior is not given much initial training in the strategic aspects of warfare, they start to learn this over the years as well. It is said that only a fool ignores the combat advice of a Spirit Warrior.
In the last quarter of its training the Warrior is matched with the Knight who will initially use the Spirit Warrior. This elf is always an experienced pilot, who continues the Spirit Warrior's training in the field. Because of their nature, Spirit Warriors often pick up the personality quirks of Knights they spend a lot of time with, and the first pilot seems to have the most influence.
The training of a Spirit Warrior takes five years.
The Mind of the Spirit
Once the insect spirit is bound to the Warrior unit, and it becomes
a full Spirit Warrior, the spirit slowly begins to change. Insect
spirits were chosen because they were the most capable of adapting
to the form they were bound to, had a mind that was not normally
violent but fully able to engage in combat, and learned and evolved
a higher intelligence than other non-human spirits.
When a Spirit Warrior is first created, it is given some time to adapt to its new, corporeal form, which takes several weeks. It is given free reign during this time, although in a large walled forest compound. At this point their is little fear that the Warrior will escape or cause harm, and since all of the magical powers of a Spirit Warrior require a conscious decision to use, they have no access to these.
Once the Warrior is comfortable with having a body, its basic training begins. At first this is extremely difficult, as the insectoid mind is not use to such things; it has certain instincts it wishes to follow, and making it do as ordered takes a lot of patience. At this time it has only an animal intelligence (3), and is taught only basic things, such as fetching objects or following on command; the kind of things you would teach a dog. The sight of a 12 foot humanoid doing tricks on command can be humorous.
As the Warrior becomes more comfortable with its trainer, more elves are introduced to it, and more complex things are taught. Within 6 months the Warrior comes to trust the elves, and sees them as friends. It also slowly starts to understand how to follow strings of commands. At this point its Intelligence is 4.
The next two years sees a surprising leap in intelligence, as it learns to understand speech beyond basic commands, enough that it can even start to string its own sentences together. By now it loves all things elven, and even considers itself an elf to some degree. Through this training much of its insectoid nature is lost, replaced with a more humanoid mindset. Its loyalty to elves and the Fleet are now unquestionable, and it understands its role in things. It's Intelligence is now 7.
Now the training for warfare begins. It learns how to access its powers, and its combat mind begins to kick in and learn. It is drilled in the skills it will use, and meets other Spirit Warriors, whom they spar with. They are taught a certain amount of Fleet history, to teach tactics. After this final training, along with learning how to work with a pilot, the Warrior's Intelligence is 8.
Up release from training, it is given what a Warrior sees as the ultimate gift: the right to choose a name for itself. Up until this point it is given a simple name, often little more than something based on its appearance or initial behavior.
When a Warrior leaves training it has the mind of young child, but one that has been tempered with discipline and the arts of warfare.
A Spirit Warrior never fully loses its insectoid nature, but in many ways now thinks and acts like an elf. They feel elven culture is superior, and that the Elven Imperial Fleet is a force of good and order. Unlike elves, though, the Warrior only really thinks in terms of combat and strategy. While they have personalities, and can be friendly or caring, they do not spend time pursuing other interests. When the pilot is off spending time with its family, the Spirit Warrior often sits in its storage chamber, reminiscing past battles or going over its tactics, thinking of ways to improve them. They do have sense of camaraderie with other Warriors, and will sometimes get together with the other Warriors on the ship for discussions. While they often enjoy themselves, these get-togethers never wander beyond warfare, future and past engagements, the Fleet and politics.
This, and their inconvenient size, limits their involvement in any other aspect of elven society. And while the elves usually come to trust and respect Spirit Warriors, even call them friends, this is how they prefer it. Although they would never admit this to the Warriors, the elves do not truly see them as elves or equals; they come close, but not are still non-elves. In the end, they are more like allies than family.
Over the years and decades the mind of the Spirit Warrior continues to grow and learn, but because of the magic enhancements this is primarily focused on combat and warfare. Most Warriors will not survive to see their Intelligence go beyond 8; an Intelligence of 9 is extremely rare, and the number of Warriors with an Intelligence of 10 could be counted on one hand. Such Spirit Warriors rarely see actual combat anymore, instead they serve as advisors to Admirals and the Council.
Rogue Spirit Warriors
The combat mind enhancement magicks of the Sprit Warrior focuses
its thoughts and intellect towards warfare. But it also helps to
serve another function, that of keeping the Warrior loyal. It
doesn't actually do this by controlling the mind of the
Warrior; the loyalty of the Spirit Warrior is instilled early in
training. But by focusing their thoughts on the martial, a Spirit
Warrior does not come to recognize that the people they love, that
they consider themselves a part of, do not return these sentiments
to the same degree. They see their role a bit differently than
their masters, and their masters prefer it this way.
But the combat enhancement is magical, and magic can be a fickle force. One of the enchantments placed on a Warrior unit during creation is specifically designed to counteract the effect of dispelling magicks, but this is not one hundred percent effective, and sometimes during combat the enchantments on the Spirit Warrior are temporarily dispelled. When this happens little becomes of it; the Warrior is still controlled by the pilot, who typically tries to reduce any risk to himself or his Warrior until the dispel wears off.
But sometimes, for whatever reason, the dispelled Warrior is put in a situation where they are not controlled by the pilot, and find themselves out of immediate danger. Without their combat mind, they suddenly find themselves thinking slightly differently, with more freedom and clarity. For the most part little ever results from this. The still feel loyalty, and before anything can come of it, the dispel is gone and the combat mind returns.
It is possible, though, for the Warrior to see beyond this during its short tenure of freedom. Once they have experienced more normal thought, they find their minds straying a bit later. As time goes on they start to chafe under the combat enhancement, coming to understand that there is a magical barrier on their intellects, and they start to fight it. The combat mind is not insurmountable, and the Warrior learns how to set it aside with a bit of willpower.
Once they have learned to do this, the Warrior is considered a rogue. It does not take long for them to see that their past beliefs on their role in elven society has been inaccurate. By this time the rogue's behavior becomes erratic, as it fights the combat mind. Once this happens the Fleet recognizes the problem and puts an end to the Warrior, knowing full well it will now longer serve its purpose, and will eventually go insane.
In the past there has been one exception to this, an older Spirit Warrior of great intelligence, relative to Warriors, and an incredible amount of combat and strategy experience. It managed to fool its Knight pilot and the other elves and actually escape. No one knows what ever happened to it.
The Spirit Link Skill
A Spirit Warrior is much like a living creature, and to climb
inside one and control it is not something a person can do
untrained. This is where the Spirit Link skill comes in. It
represents the ability of the Knight to link his mind with that of
the Spirit Warrior, through quickly entering a meditative state,
making the Warrior's body an extension of his own. When a
Knight first learns the skill his actions tend to be a bit clumsy,
as the link is tenuous. As he gains in skill and experiences he
adapts to what is virtually a new form, that of a twelve foot tall
war machine.
This skill is handled in a manner different from most, regardless of the skill system being used. The only way to gain this skill is through experience. A teacher giving initial information will help, but all the theory in the world won't help until the potential Knight climbs into the Warrior and gives it a try.
This skill starts at a skill level of 10, representing the basics of mind-syncing with the Warrior. Add to this the character's Wisdom bonus. To actually sync up takes a roll, but is a only relevant in combat situations, since the Knight can make one attempt per round until he succeeds. Note that if the Warrior for some reason does not wish to link with the Knight, all attempts will fail; the Spirit Warrior must be willing. Of course the Knight must be inside the Warrior to link.
Beyond being used to create the link, the Spirit Link skill has one primary effect: none of the character's Dexterity and Dexterity-based skills can be considered higher than his skill in Spirit Link when used through a Warrior. If the Knight's Dexterity or any of his Dexterity-based skills are higher than his skill in Spirit Link, they are reduced to Spirit Link's level while in the Warrior. Also, his THAC0 is similarly capped, as shown on the chart below...
| Link Level | THAC0 |
|---|---|
| 10 | 16 |
| 11 | 15 |
| 12 | 14 |
| 13 | 13 |
| 14 | 12 |
| 15 | 11 |
| 16 | 10 |
| 17 | 8 |
| 18 | 6 |
| 19 | 4 |
| 20 | 2 |
The THAC0 cap applies for final THAC0, with bonuses for Strength and Specialization. It does not include magical bonuses, though
The only way to improve the Spirit Link skill is through experience and training. If a character uses the Link skill in a significant manner, or is able to spend a considerable time in training, or both, put a check mark next to the skill. When the character advances a level, if he has a mark his Spirit Link skill raises by 1 and the mark is erased.
The Spirit Warrior On Its
Own
There are basically two sets of stats for the Spirit Warrior: one
while unpiloted and one while piloted, though there are things
common to both.
An unpiloted Spirit Warrior has the following stats...
| Strength | 23 |
|---|---|
| Dexterity | 12 |
| Constitution | 18 |
| Intelligence | 8/18 |
| Wisdom | 10/18 |
| Charisma | Variable |
| Alignment | Lawful Good |
| Armour Class | -2 |
| Hit Dice | 100 hit points (14 HD) |
| Move | 18, Jump up to 30 feet forward or 15 feet up |
| THAC0 | See below |
| No. of Attacks | 2 with claws, 3/2 with sword, 1 with other melee weapons |
| Damage | 2d4+11 per claw or 4d6+13 for the sword, plus magic bonus |
| Magic Resitance | Nil |
| Special Attacks | None |
| Special Defenses | See below |
| Saving Throws | As Fighter for corresponding THAC0 |
The number before the slash for Intelligence and Wisdom represent that attributes' rating for most situations, while the number after the slash is for anything involving combat, warfare, strategy or tactics. This is for most Warriors; after 10 years their combat Intelligence rises to 19, and after another twenty years it rises to 20. Charisma can vary, and should be rolled on 2d4+6, though it is often considered lower when dealing with anything but another Warrior or an elf of the Fleet.
The THAC0 of the Spirit Warrior depends on its experience, which for simplicity is based on age and shown on this chart...
| Age in Years | THAC0 |
|---|---|
| 0-2* | 19 |
| 3-4* | 18 |
| 5 | 16 |
| 6-8 | 14 |
| 9-10 | 12 |
| 10+ | 10 |
Note that these numbers are for claws and most weapons. They are considered specialized in their swords and gain the normal +1 bonus to this, plus the sword's magical bonus.
The Spirit Warrior has the full range of senses, excluding taste, since they have no mouth. Their sight is not actually based on visual light, and extends in all directions. Darkness has no effect on them, and they cannot be blinded. A Warrior is capable of speech, which seems to come from it's entire body and can be quite loud should the Warrior desire.
Due to its nature a Spirit Warrior is immune to all illusions and mind-affecting magic, unless the source of the mind magic is from a shaman (from the Shaman supplement). They are immune to poison, disease, petrification, or anything else that acts upon living flesh. Because their vision is more of a magical nature they do not suffer form any sort of gaze attack. They are unaffected by any sort of energy draining attacks, but do suffer from similar attacks that do outright damage.
The Warrior only takes half-damage from lightning or electrical attacks, but suffers full normal damage from fire or acid attacks. They only suffer half-damage from any cold based attacks, but any cold spells that significantly lowers their temperature, such as cone of cold, acts as a slow spell for 1d4 rounds.
The body of the Spirit Warrior is a plant, and is susceptible to plant-base spells, though defensive enchantments grant a +2 bonus to detrimental spells.
Through an enchantment the Warrior is capable of limited regeneration. They have a pool of 100 points, and can use up to 4 per round. This pool slowly refreshes itself at the rate of 10 per day. Normal healing magic does not work for them; the Plant Masters of the Fleet heal them with a plant-specific version of the spells, which are available to both priests and wizards. They are essentially the normal cure spells that work only on plants and plant creatures.
A Warrior is capable of teleporting twice per day with a range of 100 miles, though the destination must be an elven ship or structure composed of the same materials as they (i.e. modified starfly plant). They can cast cure moderate wounds thrice per day on the pilot inside of them.
Under most conditions a Spirit Warrior will not act without being piloted, unless faced with an immediate threat. If the Knight is ever killed or incapacitated, the Warrior's primary objective becomes returning to its ship. If this becomes impossible they are to destroy the enemy and incapacitate their ship.
A Spirit Warrior does not require food or water, but does require fresh air. This is little problem since it is enchanted to create a constant self-refreshing atmosphere about it.
The enchantments on a Spirit Warrior are themselves enchanted, making them harder to dispel. They are considered cast by a 20th level wizard, and the chance to dispel them is never better than 20%. This applies to their swords as well.
Although the Spirit Warrior is a bipedal humanoid, it is very much at home on all fours should the need to arise, a legacy of their insectoid heritage. By doing so they are capable of moving through areas meant for normal sized people, such as through ship corridors. They will move much slower, half-speed, and not have a full range of motion, but can still poke with their swords (for 2d6 rather than 4d6).
Swords of the Spirit Warriors
The standard armament of a Spirit Warrior is an eight foot long
magical broad-bladed bastard sword. The actual abilities of these
swords vary, since they are sometimes assigned different weapons
for different purposes. They all have two abilities in common,
though. First is their resistance to dispelling magicks, same as
for the Spirit Warrior itself. Second is their ability to magically
stick to the Spirit Warrior; should the wielder desire the sword
will firmly attach itself to the body of the Warrior in whatever
location they desire. This is used for ease of carrying when not
being used, and is most often stuck to the back or the forearm.
Most swords beyond the standard are designed for specialized encounters, such as combat gobliniods. Some examples are...
Standard - These are the most commonly assigned weapons, and each Spirit Warrior carries one at all times unless assigned a different one, usually on a temporary basis. They are +2 swords that do double damage (including bonuses from specialization and strength) against all wood and wooden structures. Remember that every 10 points of damage is one point of hull damage.
Orcslayer - This sword has the same function as a standard sword, plus does double damage to gobliniods (goblins, orcs, scro, hobgoblins, bugbears and ogres).
Darkslayer - Designed to combat the undead, these swords are uncommon, since the Fleet sees conflict with undead on rare occasions. They have all the powers of a standard sword, but do double damage against the undead and anything crafted of bone. They are also capable of affecting ethereal or phased creatures.
Giantslayer - Giants are very rare in space, so these weapons see most of their use on ground installations where giants are a threat. The have all the powers of a standard sword, plus do double damage against giants.
It is rumored that the Fleet has several swords designed to kill just about every major spacerfaring race out there, including dwarves, humans and illithids, should the need to use them ever arise.
The Union: The Knight-Warrior
While a Spirit Warrior by itself can be a fearsome opponent, their
capabilities increase greatly when piloted by a fully trained
Spirit Knight. A fully trained Knight will be a minimum of 8th
level, and common experienced Knights are commonly 10th. All
Knights are specialized in the use of the Spirit Warrior's
sword, meaning they will have at least 2 attacks every round, doing
an average of 29 points of damage each. Combined with their ability
to quickly render most ships inoperable and teleport out of many
dangers, the Spirit Warrior is a weapon of war few enemies can look
upon without fear.
The stats of a Knight-Warrior are...
| Strength | 23 | 23 |
|---|---|---|
| Dexterity | Determined by the Knight and the Spirit Link skill | 14 |
| Constitution | 18 | 18 |
| Intelligence | Determined by the Knight | 14 |
| Wisdom | Determined by the Knight | 14 |
| Charisma | Determined by the Knight | 13 |
| Alignment | Determined by the Knight | LG |
| Armour Class | -2, modified by bonus from effective Dexterity | -3 |
| Hit Dice | 100 hit points (14 HD) | 100 hp |
| Move | 18, Jump up to 30 feet forward or 15 feet up | |
| THAC0 | Determined by the Knight and the Spirit Link skill | 11 |
| No. of Attacks | 2 with claws, 3/2 with sword, 1 with other melee weapons | 2/1 |
| Damage | 2d4+11 per claw or 4d6+13 for the sword, plus magic bonus | |
| Magic Resitance | Nil | |
| Special Attacks | None | |
| Special Defenses | See below |
The third colum shows the stats for a typical Knight-Warrior of 10th level and a Spirit Link skill of 14
When a Knight is inside of a Warrior and linked, it has full control of it; it is considered the elf's body and actions the elf takes is done through the Warrior, unless the elf is specifically trying to move his own body inside the pilot compartment. The senses of the Warrior are linked with the Knight, allowing the Knight to see in all directions (one of the things a Knight must learn is to adapt to a 360 degree area of sight). The elf feels touch through the Warrior, but pain is highly muted, so the Knight knows the degree of damage, but does not feel any real detrimental effects. All of the inherent powers of the Warrior are at the command of the Knight: he can teleport, control regeneration and heal himself. The Warrior no longer has control of these.
While linked, the Warrior and Knight can communicate telepathically at a rate several times faster than speech, though this is voluntary; they cannot read each other's mind. This is a huge advantage for the two. With their combat minds and perfect recall the Spirit Warrior is a tactical genius, and often know first hand a huge amount of useful information, such as common enemy tactics and ship layouts. With the link the Warrior can convey a large amount of data, including offering suggestions on tactics and courses of actions. During training a Knight is taught how to use this, and not to ignore it; one of the most common reasons for a prospective Knight not to complete the initial training is because they fail to heed the advice of their Warrior.
As mentioned above under the description for the Spirit Link description, the Knight-Warrior's effective Dexterity is limited by his skill. Upon completion of training most Knights will have a skill of 12, including the bonus for minimum Wisdom. The typical Knight of 10th level will have a Spirit Link skill of 14 and an effective Dexterity of 14; not fabulous but good for a twelve foot behemoth. The Knight can use all of his skills unless his form or size prevent this; a Warrior-Knight is fully capable of things such as acrobatics, juggling or basketweaving, they just might not be as good at it due to the link. A Knight-Warrior is also at home on all fours and moving through enclosed spaces, as with the Warrior.
Knight does not have the same immunity from mind magic and psionics, but an enchantment gives them a bonus of +3 on all saves against them.
Because of the permanent, self-refreshing atmosphere around a Warrior, a Knight does not have to worry about air. The need for food, water and bodily functions make long stays in a Warrior impractical, though.
Normally all damage taken from attacks is applied to the hit points of the Spirit Warrior. Any attack that does more than 31 points or more have a chance of penetrating through the Warrior and striking the Knight inside. For melee weapons the chance is 50% for attackers from 6-18 feet, and decreases by 5% for each foot above or below thereafter, to a minimum of 30% for creatures taller than the Warrior; no minimum for smaller creatures. If this happens a second to-hit roll is made against the armour class of the Knight inside, not including Dexterity bonuses. Most Knights wear plate mail. If this second attack hits, all damage beyond 30 points is applied to the Knight, not the Warrior.
For other attacks the DM will have to judge whether it could strike the Knight and how much damage would be applied. A fireball, for example, could be assumed to automatically hit the Knight-occupied area, and apply damage beyond 30 points to both the Knight and the Warrior, though only one save is used.
