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The Mechanics of the Iron Cobra from DRAGON(R) issue #164
A mechanical serpent has no ecology, after all!
by Spike Y. Jones
(C)1990 by TSR, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
"As you can easily hear, Grainne, our own crwth is much
gentler in tone than the quayteros of the worshipers of Ishtar
the Dancer. Now, compare my telyn with this other harp called a
kissar. It's made from the skull of a minotaur that has had
strings attached to its horns by--"
"Look at Aidan! Look at Aidan!" cried Fiona, interrupting the
bard in midlesson.
"If you're trying to look like a fool, Aidan, you're doing a
good job of it," muttered the children's older sister.
"I'm trying to get this horn to blow, Grainne, but it just
won't work."
"That `horn' is actually a very rare instrument in this
country," said the bard, "for I found it in a land beyond the
Imbran Mountains, and indeed, beyond the deserts on their nether
side. It is a `naganai'."
"A what?" asked the red-headed boy.
"A `snake-flute' in the language of a man named Gawara
Hawara."
"It doesn't look like a flute," observed Grainne.
"Or a snake," added Fiona.
"And it doesn't sound like either," added Aidan with a grin
as he handed the tube of wood and metal to its owner, who took it
in his right (and only) hand.
"That's a part of its special magic," said the bard.
"Magic? Like in the stories?"
"Yes, Fiona, magic like in the stories."
"And was there magic when you got the flute?"
"Yes, Aidan, there was magic in the 'nai, and there was magic
all around it, and there is magic in it still."
"And will you please tell us about it, Mr. Farwanderer?"
"I wonder how it was that I knew what the next question asked
of me would be? Yes, Grainne, I will tell you this story, but
only as I can see that otherwise our music lesson will go no
farther this day. Fiona, bring me the other naganai, the polished
wooden one, from my instrument satchel. Aidan, you get me a drink
to wet my lips--but only water, mind you; it's hardly past
dusk. And Grainne, you merely make yourself comfortable here
while the others are about their tasks, for you shall have a task
of your own--a musical task--to perform later."
There had been a sound, and from close by. It was not a
proper command and had been nothing at all intelligible, but it
was the first time in untold years and miles that there had been
a sound. The listener hesitated in the near darkness--then
moved in that direction. It was so close.
"Years ago when I was still earning the title `Farwanderer,'
for I had yet to see many of the faraway places that by now I
have, I arrived in the city of Mangala on the banks of the Porah
River. I was traveling in those eastern lands looking for an
education of sorts and the means to support myself until the
education was through. In Mangala I found what I thought was a
way to combine the two.
"The average person of that place is much the same as those
of Mardukan to our south, but their magicians are of a different
sort entirely. While Mardukanian spell-casters use their
elaborate rituals to ensure good harvests and to protect their
people from barbarian and monster attacks, Mangalan wizards use
their magicks to fabricate items of power for their personal
profit. And I had heard of one such magical creation, rumored to
be unique in the world.
"This thing, called the Light of Surya, was a flawless
diamond that had been magically engraved with the words to a
number of spells of great power. Fortunately, those spells could
only be cast by one strong of will and pure of heart, and the
mage who possessed it, Gawara Hawara, had neither, having gained
the periapt by way of a poisonous snake, as he was both a coward
and a scoundrel. While I myself had not the . . . magical
aptitude to use such a device, I thought that retrieving and
returning it to the rightful owners would be beneficial to all
involved--including myself," he added hastily before Aidan
could say the same. "I was younger then, and willing to lay aside
my greatest talent for a bit of glory and a chance at being
killed." He hefted the strange flute in his hand.
"Did you sneak in and grab it?" asked Fiona.
"Or did you break in and fight for it?" countered Aidan.
"Being not as rash as many another young adventurer," the
bard continued blithely, "I did not present myself at the mage's
door and demand the return of the periapt. Instead, remembering
such sage phrases as `ignorance breeds indigence' and `over
hurried, soon buried,' I decided to first learn as much as I
could concerning Gawara Hawara's security measures.
"The first thing I was told by those I approached was that he
guarded himself and his treasures with snakes--mind you, not
just any snakes, but magical creatures with scales of steel and
blood of oil.((1))
"These `iron cobras,' for such were they called, he
constructed for himself in his apartments and released to prowl
the courtyards and recesses of his mansion. It was one such
device as this that he sent to slay the mage-priest of Surya to
gain the magical gemstone I sought, one of many such stolen
articles said to litter his quarters. Many a prospective pilferer
had died in the clutches of these cobras, and only one, Asman,
called `the Lucky' after his one encounter with the snakes, had
survived their attacks to tell me of their effectiveness.
"But the theft and subsequent protection of his ill-gotten
gains were not all for which Gawara Hawara used the cobras. He
would sometimes hire them out as relentless assassins, even
offering them to high officials for legitimate purposes if the
price tendered was exorbitant enough. Whereas a man being hunted
by another man could hope to use trickery or speed to escape his
pursuer, or could hope to defeat him in combat if finally
cornered, the same could not be said of the man chased by the
iron cobras. The iron serpents were unceasing and never lost a
trail once they'd found it.((2)) I was told that they were
invincible in combat. Worse still, they often struck at night or
when their victim was unable to defend himself, making maximum
use of their stealth and deadly poison.
"The cobras were not alive and did not think for themselves.
Instead, they followed the commands given them by Gawara Hawara.
To ensure that the commands could not be overheard and then
spoken by other men, he constructed his serpents in such a way
that they would respond only to commands issued by way of his
flute, his naganai.((3)) No one I spoke with in Mangala knew
the songs he played to command his snakes, as he refrained from
playing where he could be overheard, unless the audience was not
expected to survive to pass on the tune.
"So," said the bard, setting aside the wood and metal 'nai
and taking the plain wooden one, "I first had to learn how to
play this instrument. Luckily, it being one of the more popular
of those played in Mangala, I had my choice of many capable
tutors, and I quickly mastered its techniques of play. Aidan, you
can try to play this 'nai."
Aidan took the proffered instrument and proceeded to produce
two or three audible but painfully bad notes before passing it
back to the bard.
"Now, give it to Grainne and we'll see what sort of
impression my chwibanogl lessons have made on your sister."
The older girl accepted the 'nai, took a few seconds to
nervously adjust her finger-holds, then played a halting but
recognizable scale on it.
"That's better, Grainne, especially as the 'nai can play
notes quite different from the chwibanogl you're used to. You
will both get the chance to continue with your lessons while I
continue with this story. You'll play the tunes I show you, as it
is not easy for me," he said, raising his left arm but not
letting the concealing folds of his sleeve drop away from its
stumped end. "Grainne shall play on the audible 'nai, while Aidan
will follow along silently with the other."
Aidan's expression fell for a moment as he took the silent
'nai. Perhaps Mr. Farwanderer had given him the quiet instrument
to keep him from playing badly again. But the barest hint of a
smirk tickled the corners of the bard's mouth, and the boy
realized that there might be other reasons for the choice of
instruments. His usual smile resurfaced.
"Now, as I was saying," the bard resumed, his face regaining
the serious expression he wore during instruction, "having
learned to play the naganai, I next went to discover the tunes
Gawara Hawara used. Mangala being a city of magicks, I visited a
guild of magicians and asked if I could borrow from them a
scrying device."
"Scrying?" asked Fiona.
"That's like spying," replied Aidan, looking up from his
fingering of the 'nai, "but it's magic."
"By paying them a fair price, leaving the rest of my
instruments in their care as collateral, and promising them
further payment if I was successful, I procured the loan of a
pair of magical eyepieces known as `eyes of the eagle.' Equipped
with these crystals, I rented a room on a hill overlooking Gawara
Hawara's house. Although it was some distance away, with the
crystal eyepieces I could see the mage as if he were but feet
away from me. Every time he came into my sight, I watched him in
hopes that he would give some command to his cobras.
"A few times a day, he did make rounds of his yards,
inquiring of his constructs if there had been any disturbances,
then replaying their original orders or changing them if anything
noteworthy had occurred.
"It took me a fortnight and more before I felt confident that
I had learned all of the tunes I would need. I watched closely
and mastered the fingerings for a half-dozen different commands."
He reached for Grainne with his one hand. "This," he said,
carefully raising and lowering her fingers over the holes of the
wooden naganai to a simple beat, "was the command to attack
intruders. And this," he said, moving her fingers through an
identical pattern, "was the command to report to Gawara
Hawara."
"But they're the same," Grainne complained.
"Ah, the fingerings are the same, but are the songs?"
"If they were loud or quiet . . . " said Grainne after a
thoughtful pause.
"Or if they were notes with the same fingerings but different
sounds . . . " pondered Aidan.
". . . with different pitches, then the songs would differ."
finished the bard. "Both good answers, and both correct. I
watched Gawara Hawara even more closely for the next week to
notice any signs of intonation changes or octave jumps. And by
way of movements of his cheeks and lips, the way he shifted his
head, and the way the muscles of his throat and mouth tightened
at certain points, I was sure I had been able to determine
exactly what all of the notes were and how the songs were to be
played. Now, try blowing the tune the easiest way."
When Grainne played a passable version of the song, giggling
erupted from Fiona's direction.
"I couldn't help it, Mr. Farwand'rer," the child protested
before the bard could chastise her, "Aidan was blowin', too!"
"I thought you meant for both of us to try it," Aidan
answered as his teacher turned toward him, a look of purest
mischief belying his avowed innocence.
"Be that as it may, it would be to the advantage of all
involved if you merely fingered along with your older sister and
left the cheek puffing to another time. Now, Grainne," the bard
continued, "if you were to blow doubly hard when you reach the
third note, and only just whisper the last, you will find that
you can play notes of different pitch at those two places, one an
octave above, and one an octave below the normal pitch."
Grainne now played a tune quite similar to the first with
only the two requested modifications.
"Very good! That first tune you played, that Aidan tried to
echo, was `attack,' and the second was `report.' Of course, even
if properly played on the naganai in Aidan's care, neither
variation would be audible, but the method would be the same, and
I assumed the result would be, too."
Once in a great while, the naganai's slave would pass
some of its smaller brethren along its journey, lying damaged
beyond repair in the wastes of the desert or at the bottom of
mountain defiles, or even lying rusted beneath the surfaces of
still lakes and slow rivers. All had tried to carry out their
last orders, and all had failed in their attempts. But now the
servant had a new order, an order that would last until
canceled.((4)) It moved quickly to fulfill its command, iron
fangs parting in anticipation.
"And then you got the thing?" asked Fiona, attempting to
steer the story firmly away from the music lesson.
"Yes, dear, it was time to make my try for the Light of
Surya. I had watched the mage until I had determined just these
sorts of differences between the tunes he played regularly. There
were slight variations to some tunes played on different days or
in different places that apparently made the commands more
precise, but I was confident that the general commands I'd
learned were sufficient.
"I readied myself in my least conspicuous clothing, secured
my all-important naganai and a few other tools of value, belted
on my smallsword, and made my way through the dark of the night
to his mansion's outer walls.
"As I began my ascent, I thought for a moment that I spotted
movement further along the garden wall. But when I paused to look
more intently, I saw nothing. I told myself that it was just
nervousness and finished the climb. From the wall's top, I looked
for any sign of cobras in the yard but saw none. One of the
reasons real cobras are dangerous is that they can disappear in
the darkness and undergrowth as effectively as a skilled thief;
apparently, this is one of the reasons cobras were chosen to
model for these constructs.
"I crept toward the manse across the compound, headed for a
small door that I'd seen Gawara Hawara use but rarely--and I
was almost discovered. One of his mechanical minions approached
me along the path, but apparently I saw it before it saw me. I
immediately stopped and attempted to blend silently into the same
shadows the cobras were using for concealment, as I did not want
to betray my presence by playing my 'nai too soon. The silvery
snake stopped short of my concealment and spread its hood out
about its head, turning in all directions as a human would turn
with a hand cupped to his ear.((5)) Luckily, although it
looked directly at me for a time that felt like hours, it finally
refolded its hood and glided swiftly past. Evidently, it was
intent on finding something or someone else.
"Shaken but not unnerved by this good fortune, I waited until
the iron serpent was well gone, then made for the door. It had
been locked, but the device was a simple one, the mage putting
trust in the abilities of his iron guardians to protect him. I
left the door ajar behind me, in case I had no time later for a
leisurely exit, and I proceeded cautiously forward.
"It was not dark inside, for the mage had attached some small
globes to the ceiling at intervals that cast magical light bright
enough to allow navigation of the corridors without fear of
bumping against walls or breaking crockery. I had no sure idea
where the periapt was secured, but I assumed that it would be in
the center of the building, away from entrances as vulnerable as
the one I had come through, and that it would be close to the
rooms Gawara Hawara occupied, mages and misers often surrounding
themselves with their treasures. So, I made my way upward and
inward.
"Stealing through the mage's apartments was a nerve-wracking
experience, as I paused and hid at every imagined sound. Although
everything was sized for humans, there were small holes cut into
the walls and doors to allow easy access for the snakes, a fact
demonstrated when another inattentive iron sentinel emerged from
one of these channels a short distance ahead of me and departed
across the hall.
"I eventually ascended a flight of stairs and arrived at a
room that appeared to be the location of Gawara Hawara's room,
and hopefully of the Light of Surya. Gathering my courage, I
opened the last door and entered the chamber. As I'd guessed, the
room contained a mass of treasure; silver, gold, gems, jewelled
arms and armor, and beautiful works of art, all illuminated by
the magical light-globes fixed in the doubly high ceiling. And
nowhere could a cobra be seen. Made bold by this wealth of wealth
and dearth of protection, I stepped in and made for an alabaster
pedestal in the room's center, upon that shone the gem I
sought.
"And it was at this moment I learned that it is never wise to
assume the unlikely. For there I was in the most important room
of the mage's lair, and it did not enter my mind that he would
have guarded that room more effectively than the rest of his
demesne. Before I could traverse half the distance to my goal,
something that I had previously taken to be a rolled
carpet((6)) unfurled, showing itself to be a shockingly huge
iron cobra that raised its head more than my own height above the
floor.((7))
"Guessing that it would not be wise to attempt to bluff this
monster, I grabbed my naganai and played the command song for it
to `stand fast and report,' the tune I was most sure of. Now,
Grainne, if you remember it. . . ." he said expectantly. Grainne
raised the 'nai to her lips and complied, and the bard returned
to his narration when she had completed a halting rendition of
the command. "To my chagrin, the monstrous snake failed to pause,
continuing its measured advance. Thinking that I'd mistaken the
tune, I played another song" --at which point Grainne played
"return to patrols" unbidden-- "but it did me no better. The
cobra approached still.
"Realizing that there had somehow been an error in my
preparations, I drew my smallsword and took a defensive stance.
Much faster than its stately stalking of me, the automaton lashed
out. Desperation more than skill enabled me to jump aside at the
last possible moment. As I dodged, I stabbed my blade at the
automation, only to have the weapon clang and shatter against a
surface stronger than my sword's cheap steel.((8)) That action
was my last against the periapt's final warder. Before I could
even think of another attack to make, it reared up once more and,
with a lightning lunge, thrust its fangs into my shoulder and
poisoned me."
Years of silence had been broken less than an hour before
by meaningless noise, then again minutes later by an actual
command: the command to attack all but the holder of the naganai.
It should have made no difference to the serpent, but it seemed
to move a trifle faster through the darkness than it had before,
as if to fulfil this latest order before the holder of the
naganai could pick up and move away. It was the last and greatest
of its kind. It would not fail now.
"But you couldn't have been poisoned! You're still
alive!"
"The sting of a bee needn't kill to frighten away a curious
boy, Aidan, and not all poisons need be fatal in order to be
effective.((9)) In this case, it was enough for the venom to
leave me paralyzed, lying on the flagstones until Gawara Hawara
could investigate the clamor we had made; after that, my death
would be assured.
"I was too distraught to judge the interval, but I imagine
Gawara Hawara was not long in coming. He was a tall man with a
shaven pate, and he was wrapped entirely in many-layered green
robes. A jewelled dagger hung at his hip, and he had in his hand
the same silvered naganai that Aidan now holds. With a most evil
look on his face, he approached to question me before having me
disposed of. But before he could ask his first question, we both
heard a clinking sound from somewhere across the room.
"Whirling about, Gawara Hawara saw nothing. Only momentarily
puzzled, he lifted the naganai to his lips and began to play. At
first I thought the poison of the cobra had deafened me, for I
heard no sound from the 'nai, but I soon realized that it must be
something else for I could still hear the rustling of his robes.
Immediately after this realization, a normal-size iron cobra
appeared from one of the perforations in the walls. Moments
later, another appeared, then a third. When they'd halted before
them, Gawara Hawara played another silent tune and they opened
their fans, `looking' for the unseen assailant. I discovered then
that part of the magic of this naganai was that it could be heard
only by his iron legions.
"Of a sudden, one of the snakes ceased its rotations and a
whispering sound like wind through dry leaves came from
it.((10)) Hearing this, Gawara Hawara played yet another
soundless song. Immediately, all of his small charges made for
the shadows behind one treasure pile.
"Realizing that he'd been found out, a man dressed all in
black leapt from behind an urn of coins and landed beside the
leading snake. Swinging downward with a glowing sword, he struck
its head off with one blow, then grabbed its fallen body and
slung it about him, spraying the floor between himself and the
other snakes with its ichor. Then, with extraordinary calm, he
took a handful of slim darts from his belt and dipped their tips
in the venom dripping from the downed cobra's fangs.
"Not at all dismayed by this apparently senseless act, the
other snakes continued forward, but once they arrived at the pool
of fluid their progress stopped. Writhe and twitch as they might,
they could neither move forward nor retreat from the blood of the
fallen one.((11)) That being the case, the brazen thief walked
up to the plinth and plucked the Light of Surya that sat
there.
"This I thought was the man's only mistake, for he'd
apparently forgotten about the enraged Gawara Hawara. After the
mage recovered from his shock at the scene, he uttered an oath in
his foreign tongue and desperately played the command to attack
once more.
"At this last command, the immense serpent whose head had
hung over me now started after the thief. Audacious and unafraid
to the end, the man in black stood his ground, selected an
envenomed dart, and calmly blew it through his dart-tube at the
mage. Not being interested in watching his adversary fall dead to
the floor, he turned to where I lay on the floor and removed the
scarves he had worn to hide his face.
"To my surprise, the man was familiar, but it was not until
he spoke that I recognized him. `Thank you,' Asman the Lucky
said, `for showing me the way into Gawara Hawara's lair, and for
showing me the Light that I have sought all these years.' Then he
turned and ran down the stairs, barely eluding the monstrous
cobra that followed in slow but determined pursuit.
"It took me some while to get up from where I lay.
Surprisingly, I was not attacked in that time. The snakes that
had been stranded in the oily puddle had evidently escaped and
joined the pursuit of Asman, and unless they caught him, they're
probably pursuing to this day. Only the gods know where they've
all gone now."
On a chilly night like this, a human would call the light
streaming from the windows of the two-storied building friendly.
To the long, sinuous figure in the black street outside, the
light was merely a signpost that its mission was coming to a
close. With mechanical precision unhampered by the dents and
scratches it had collected on its years-long journey, the
serpentine machine advanced on the inn's front door to carry out
the first order it had received since it had left the tower in
Mangala. Its head lowered to serve as a ram. The door would not
hold beyond the first blow.
"I was too weak from the lingering effects of the poison to
make much use of the treasures piled around me, so I selected a
few choice and expensive pieces to make up for the loss of the
prime treasure and limped out of the room. As I passed the body
that had been Gawara Hawara, a cautious thought struck me and I
took from his hands the magical naganai with which he had
commanded his crawling weapons. Then, knowing full well that the
rest of the booty would be long pillaged before I could heal and
return, I painfully made my way back to my room on the other side
of Mangala. Through all the intervening years, I have kept the
naganai here, just in case I should happen to meet one of his
iron snakes, still intent on punishing the thief and I."
"Mr. Farwanderer, you can't play the 'nai anymore, so why do
you still keep it around?"
"Ah, Aidan, while no one can play a song on it, nor can I
play many of the cobra's commands, it might still be useful." He
took the instrument from the boy and quickly, almost carelessly,
fingering a short flurry of soundless notes. "In an emergency, I
need only remember that the tune to make the snakes resume their
normal patrols, as if no enemy had been encountered, needs but a
single hand to play."
The serpent paused, head drawn back and flattened for the
blow. Yet another new command had been given: "Resume patrols in
the compound in Mangala." Clockwork eyes gleamed in the moonlight
as it appeared to considered the order and reach a decision.
Then, in unhurried silence, the cobra turned its 18' of iron
power from its target and began the return trip across the
mountains, the deserts, and the rivers to home.
<Footnotes>
Iron cobras are described in the AD&D(R) 1st Edition FIEND
FOLIO(R) tome, pages 52-53. It is assumed herein that these
creations can be made by high-level wizards, and that they are
more common than generally believed (they are certainly far less
powerful than iron golems). Iron cobras have a 50% chance to hide
in shadows (the FIEND FOLIO tome says they hide as well as
8th-level thieves, but this chance is 49%).
1. While they exhibit some signs of life, iron cobras are
merely cunningly designed magical constructs. Rare and expensive
materials, powerful spells, and secret crafting techniques are
required to build them, with different combinations of these
creating iron cobras with different capabilities. Still, many
components are held in common by all such devices: mithral,
adamantite, or meteoritic iron; a vial of oil of
slipperiness; and many gemstones crafted into gears and bits
of machinery. The cost of constructing even the smallest and
least useful of these automatons is 2,000 gp.
A mage owning a manual describing the methods of constructing
iron cobras will protect it dearly, as it can fetch a price in
the hundreds of gold pieces--thousands if it contains special
directions such as those for creating giant iron cobras.
As an aside, while these constructs are the sort of thing
that the tinker gnomes of Krynn might manufacture, an iron cobra
appearing in a DRAGONLANCE(R) setting would likely have come from
some other universe, as the cost for tinkers to make an iron
cobra would be well above 20,000 steel pieces. But if confronted
with an iron cobra or the remains of one, a tinker would have to
make a check vs. wisdom on 2d12 in order to tear himself away
from the fascinating device.
2. Iron cobras are not alive, so they do not need food,
water, or sleep, nor will they ever forget a command or be
distracted from a task. Thus they make excellent servitors and,
because of their combination of tracking and lethal combat
capabilities, are sometimes used by bounty hunters or even
respectable legal authorities.
3. Iron cobras can be commanded in many ways, the means being
decided upon during creation. While most iron cobras obey voice
commands, some respond only to coded messages, hand signals,
nonverbal sounds (such as musical instruments) or other exotic or
long-range modes of communications. The manual used to create an
iron cobra includes a list of possible command devices, so that a
person possessing a deactivated iron cobra and the manual from
which it was created could, through trial and error, determine
the one method of controlling it.
The commands themselves can be of any sort the creator
desires, from such simple things as "attack," to complicated
orders such as "attack, targeting spell-casters first, followed
by elves, then by all others." Whatever the commands, they must
be selected at the time of the cobra's creation; it will answer
to no commands not built into it after that.
Whatever the commands and command method decided upon, they
must be individually programmed into each iron cobra created.
Thus the creator could use similar but subtly different commands
for each of his constructs, so that determining the commands for
one might not help an attacker use them against others. This
would also allow the controller greater subtlety in issuing
commands.
4. Many iron cobras are created with a built-in "fail-safe"
command that comes into effect if the cobra spends a considerable
length of time without receiving orders. Typical fail-safes
include commands to return to the cobra's creator, to its owner,
or to a specific place after a period of time has elapsed (up to
one year). Iron cobras designed to be left alone for unlimited
periods of time, such as guardians of a tomb, sometimes use other
fail-safes, such as commands to slay all intruders, to prevent
the theft of the treasures in the lair, or to hide and await
further instructions.
5. Every iron cobra can detect a single specific property by
spreading its hood and orienting it on that quality. Typical
properties detected for are covered by existing divination spells
(e.g., good, evil, magic, undead, invisibility, etc.); the ranges
and areas of effects are as if those spells were cast by a
12th-level human mage, with the divinatory ability being usable
as many times each day as desired. Other divinatory properties
can be used, but the mage must have cast on the near-completed
construction a spell designed (for example: a spell that detects
those who worship a particular god, for one who plans to use his
iron cobra against the worshipers of an opposed deity).
The iron cobra's construction manual will list specific
materials that must be varied according to the detection spell
bestowed on it (e.g., an iron cobra designed to detect poison
would include eyes glazed with celadon, purported to locate such
substances, while one designed to detect magic might replace
those with eyes of magic-sensing star sapphires).
While an iron cobra is almost infallible at detecting the
property for which it was constructed, it cannot serve every
purpose. If a mage built an iron cobra to detect evil, for use as
a guardian of his treasures, a neutral-good thief would elude his
precautions. Thus, owners of more than one iron cobra often have
them constructed to detect different properties such as evil,
magic, and poison, in hopes that intruders and victims will be
revealed by at least one of these traits.
Without its outspread hood, an iron cobra is incapable of
sensing anything beyond that which is mundanely presented to it
by way of sight, sound, or touch (unlike a real snake, it has no
sense of taste or smell). The hood has the same armor class as
the rest of the cobra, but attacks specifically aimed at the hood
can damage it without destroying the cobra itself. The hood has
the equivalent of one-fifth of the cobra's normal hit points
(never less than one point), but these points are in addition to
those listed for the iron cobra and are not calculated into its
hit-point total for purposes of destroying the machine or for
experience-point calculations.
6. The normal construction of an iron cobra is such that it
obviously appears to be a machine. If its creator adds 10% to its
cost and construction time, the cobra can be made to have some
other outward appearance, the most common of these being the
appearance of an actual cobra (or other type of snake, if the
hood and its detection abilities are eliminated).
7. Most iron cobras are of the small and inexpensive sort,
but some are giants as large as six times standard size. The cost
of manufacturing huge cobras is considerably more than six times
that needed to make normal iron cobras, running as high as 50,000
gp depending on what "special features" are included. Some mages
would spend those thousands on having many normal iron cobras,
but some consider it a fair price for a huge serpent's combat
capabilities and its effect on enemy morale.
The giant iron cobra is identical in all ways with the
smaller version of the same monster except as shown in the Iron
Cobra Table and in other notes here. Both are unaffected by
spells such as snake charm. Although some think that
cold or lightning spells should have a special effect on them,
they are insulated so that they suffer no more than any living
creature caught in one of these spells. Thus, an ice
storm cast on one would still do damage normal to the spell,
but it would have no extra effects due to the nature of the
target.
8. As iron cobras are made of exotic and strong metals, laced
together by powerful enchantments, normal weapons used against
them do only half damage on a hit. In the case of giant iron
cobras, the metals used are as much as six times as thick, and
the enchantments similarly stronger. Because of this, the giant
iron cobra's skin is much tougher than that of the small version
and a nonmagical weapon (which will do the giant cobra no harm)
has a possibility of breaking against it. If the attacker misses
with a roll high enough to have hit armor class 10, his weapon
has struck the snake's skin and, if it fails a saving throw vs.
crushing blow, it will shatter. Additionally, for every bonus
point of damage done due to the attacker's strength, the saving
throw for the weapon will be one point worse because such
forceful blows are more likely to break the weapon. Thus, if the
sword of a character with a 16 strength was forced to make a
save, it would have a 5% worse chance of making its save than the
weapon of a weaker character due to the stronger's +1 damage
bonus.
9. Just as the iron cobra can have any sort of detection
spell centered on its hood, it also can be equipped with any type
of poison in its fangs. Poison can be changed by the controller
of the cobra whenever desired by merely draining out the old
poison and replacing it with a new one. Typical toxins include
those that cause damage or death, those causing special effects
such as paralysis, sleep, or various discomforts (disease,
allergies, rashes, etc), and other, more exotic, substances that
can incapacitate or cause insanity in victims.
Whatever the substance injected into the victim on a
successful hit, an iron cobra is equipped with only 3-8 (1d6+2)
doses of it, and they cannot withhold poison at will; whenever
they bite, if they still contain poison, it will be delivered
into their victim.
While giant iron cobras would appear to have capacity for
more poison than normal ones, they still carry only 3-8 doses of
their poison, but have larger and more potent doses. Thus, if the
same poison is used by both small and giant iron cobras, that of
the larger mechanism is 10% more effective (save vs. poison at
-2 beyond any adjustments vs. the poison of the smaller
machine).
10. While iron cobras are usually given instructions that
preclude the need for return communication ("kill all
intruders"), some mages consider it useful to allow their charges
to communicate information as well as perform other tasks. The
most common method of doing this is to program certain movements
of its body to correspond to specific reports it is likely to
need making. If this is done, a reporting iron cobra will look
very much like a live snake as it sways its body and bobs its
head to convey a message to its master.
Although they are not normally constructed for it, iron
cobras can also be built that have the capacity for rudimentary
speech. Without lungs, lips, and other sound-generating devices,
they can be made to "speak" by rasping together some of the gears
in their mouths and the plates on their backs or hoods in code
(so a short mouth rasp might mean "intruders have been detected,"
while a repeated scraping sound might mean something as mundane
as "tea is being served in the library"). In no case can an
untrained person interpret these noises or movements.
11. Most of the iron cobra's components are reduced to
useless scrap if it is destroyed, making its resale value after
destruction less than 10% of its intact value, but some
substances within it retain their use if separated quickly from
the rest to prevent contamination. These include the oil of
slipperiness lubricating its gears, which acts as described
in the Dungeon Master's Guide for 1-4 hours after being
removed from the cobra, and its poison, which maintains its full
effects for 1-4 turns after removal.
Iron Cobra Table
-- -- Normal -- Giant --
CLIMATE/TERRAIN -- Any -- Any -- --
FREQUENCY -- Very rare -- Very rare --
ORGANIZATION -- None -- None --
ACTIVITY CYCLE -- Any -- Any --
DIET -- Nil -- Nil --
INTELLIGENCE -- Non (0) -- Non (0) --
TREASURE TYPE -- 2,000+ gp -- 25,000+ gp -- --
ALIGNMENT -- Neutral -- Neutral --
NO. APPEARING -- 1 (1-6) -- 1 --
ARMOR CLASS -- 0 -- -2 --
MOVEMENT -- 12 -- 9 --
HIT DICE -- 1 -- 5 --
THAC0 -- 19 -- 15 --
NO. OF ATTACKS -- 1 -- 1 --
DAMAGE/ATTACK -- 1-3 -- 1-8 --
SPECIAL ATTACKS -- Poison -- Poison --
SPECIAL DEFENSES -- See text -- See text --
MAGIC RESISTANCE -- Nil -- Nil --
SIZE -- Small (3'long) -- Huge (18'long) -- --
MORALE -- 20 -- 20 -- --
XP VALUE -- 270 -- 1,400 --
END FILE