One memory that I have burned into my brain is from when I was 6 years old. A friend and I were at a local grocery store which happened to rent video games. He had enough money to rent a game and grabbed Super Mario RPG for the SNES. The game looked really interesting and I was excited to give it a try when we got back to my house. We finally sat down, he started the game, and I was amazed. This wasn’t your typical Mario fare and I was ready to dive in. My friend then proceeded to play the whole time for the next four hours and then went home with the game. I was devastated. Since then, I always had a special place in my heart for the game as the one that got away (even though I did play it years later). One character I’ve always liked was the newcomer Geno. With all this said, and also because of a request, this week I’m statting up Geno!
This construct resembles a large, wooden doll. It is wearing a bright blue cloak and its eyes glimmer like starlight.
Geno CR 8
XP 4,800
NG Medium construct
Init +10; Senses darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision; Perception +13
DEFENSE
AC 22, touch 17, flat-footed 15 (+6 Dex, +1 dodge, +5 natural)
hp 95 (10d10+40)
Fort +5, Ref +10, Will +6
DR 5/—; Immune construct traits
OFFENSE
Speed 30 ft.
Ranged star shot +16 (6d10)
Special Attack Geno beam ,Geno boost
STATISTICS
Str 16, Dex 22, Con —, Int 16, Wis 17, Cha 19
Base Atk +10; CMB +15; CMD 33
Feats Dodge, Improved Initiative, Mobility, Point-Blank Shot, Precise Shot
Skills Diplomacy +14, Knowledge (planes) +13, Perception +13, Spellcraft +13, Use Magic Device +13
Languages Common, star
SQ star being
ECOLOGY
Environment any
Organization solitary
Treasure none
SPECIAL ABILITIES
Geno Beam (Ex) As a full-round action, can charge a beam of pure energy and fire it at his enemies. The energy fires in a 30-foot line and deals 6d10 points of damage. A creature can halve this damage with a successful DC 19 Reflex save. Geno can use this beam once every 1d4 rounds. The save DC is Constitution-based.
Geno Boost (Ex) As a standard action, Geno can grant an ally within 30 feet a +2 sacred bonus to AC and attack rolls for 1 minute. Only one ally can benefit from Geno boost at a time and if another ally gains the benefit, any previous instance of Geno boost immediately ends. Geno can use this ability up to five times per day.
Star Being (Ex) Geno is a being from Star Road that inhabits a doll, granting it more power than a typical construct. Geno has an intelligence score and can gain feats. He uses 1/2 his Charisma modifier (minimum +0) in place of his Constitution modifier when calculating hit points and Fortitude saves and his Charisma score in place of Constitution when calculation any special ability that relies on Constitution.
Star Shot (Ex) As his primary means of attack, Geno opens his arm and fires a barrage of bullets at an enemy as a standard action. Star shot has a range of 60 feet and does not provoke attacks of opportunity.
Geno is the name of a construct animated by a star from a powerful realm known as Star Road. The star manifested in the terrestrial realm to fight evil and chose the representation of a great warrior to inhabit. The star took on the name of the construct, Geno, and uses its own abilities combined with the empowered body to aid on its quest. Geno uses his star power to great effect, firing pure beams of light at his enemies. His body also has built in firearms that can fire volleys of bullets and even take the form of a cannon. Geno can also use his abilities to empower his allies, filling them with guiding force. It is unknown if destroying Geno’s body would destroy him entirely or if it would simply release the star to be free and manifest elsewhere.
Monstrous Origins
Typically when I try to translate a character into stats, it’s easy enough to interpret that character’s abilities into mechanics. Geno presents an interesting challenge, though. In the various Super Mario RPGs, the player can more directly influence combat by pressing buttons at the right time to increase damage, create combos, or reduce incoming damage. That’s not something that I can directly translate into Pathfinder (I did wrack my brain as to whether or not I could) and so I had to stick with a more traditional approach. Geno in the game was originally a child’s toy brought to life and it had a little pellet shooter. Once he’s life-size, Geno’s shooter becomes deadlier, so I translated it as a strong ranged attack. I also wanted to include some of his special moves and I felt that the two most iconic were his beam and his boost. Luckily, these were easy to translate! Although Geno has more abilities, I think these give the iconic feel of Geno enough for the game.
That’s it for this week! If you end up introducing Geno into your game or you have any request for a future Monstrous Physique, please drop me a line at KnowDirection@hotmail.com.
