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Hammerbold, Head Kolbold of the Ironsgate Tremor Forges - AI-generated fantasy Monster

Hammerbold, Head Kolbold of the Ironsgate Tremor Forges

Told around the Ironsgate pits as a tinkerer who rose far beyond his kin, Hammerbold was handpicked by Aster to keep the drill tanks moving. Stories say he can whisper to the machines and make stubborn metal obey his will. Some workers revere him as both smith and ward against the Green Mist.

Monsters
Medium humanoid · CR 7 · Unique (boss)

Hammerbold, Head Kolbold of the Ironsgate Tremor Forges

A mechanic kobold boss infused with artificer magic and industrial augmentations who commands the forge and weaponizes the environment
AC18
HP136/136
CR7
Init
STR
DEX
CON
INT
WIS
CHA
ConditionsNone

Combat

AC 18 · HP 136 · CR 7

Hammerbold, Head Kolbold of the Ironsgate Tremor Forges

Medium humanoid (kobold (mechanist)), lawful evil
Armor Class18 (armored plating and shield)
Hit Points136 (13d8 + 78)
Speed
30 ft.,
Climb 20 ft.
STR
DEX
CON
INT
WIS
CHA
Saving ThrowsStrConInt
SkillsArcanaInvestigationPerception
Damage Resistances
fire resistance
Immunities
poisoned,
poison damage
Weaknesses
Cold and water effects disrupt heated metal and can negate his hammer's added damage.
Destroying or stealing Flowing Emeralds cripples his most dangerous abilities.
Senses
darkvision 60 ft.,
passive Perception 11
Languages
Draconic,
Common,
Kobold
Challenge7
Tinker Tongue. Hammerbold can speak with machines and make basic checks to manipulate forge equipment without tools. He can take the Use an Object action to operate heavy forge machinery as a bonus action.
Flowing Emeralds. Hammerbold stores arcane energy in his Flowing Emerald Belt. He can expend 1 belt charge to regain one expended spell slot of 1st or 2nd level as a bonus action. The belt has 3 charges and regains charges at dawn.
Forge Hardened. He is resistant to fire. If a creature that deals cold damage hits Hammerbold with a melee attack, Hammerbold can attempt a Intelligence check to redirect steam onto the attacker, dealing 7 () fire damage.

Spells

Artificer Spellcasting (integrated) (cantrip, various). Hammerbold knows these spells as innate artificer-like castings. Spell save , spell attack +6. He has 4 1st-level slots, 3 2nd-level slots, and 2 3rd-level slots. Prepared spells include: shield, cure wounds, identify; scorching ray, heat metal, shatter; fireball, haste.
Shield (level 1, abjuration). Shield. As a reaction when hit by an attack or targeted by the magic missile spell, gain +5 AC until the start of his next turn.
Heat Metal (level 2, transmutation). Heat Metal. Target a manufactured metal object to cause ongoing fire damage and impose disadvantage while heated.
Scorching Ray (level 2, evocation). Scorching Ray. Three rays of fire, each requiring a ranged spell attack.
Fireball (level 3, evocation). Fireball. A classic blast to pressure grouped intruders, often used to shape fights toward the molten pits.
Haste (level 3, transmutation). Haste. Used to grant himself extra speed and defense in crucial moments; lasts up to 1 minute unless dispelled.

Actions

Inferno Forging Hammer. Melee Weapon Attack: to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 17 () bludgeoning plus 7 () fire. If the target is wearing metal armor or carrying a nonmagical metal item, the strike heats the metal. The target must succeed on a Constitution saving throw or suffer an additional 9 () fire damage and have disadvantage on attack rolls and ability checks that rely on the heated item until the end of its next turn. Once used on a given creature, this additional effect cannot be applied to the same creature again until the Hammerbold finishes a short or long rest.
Mechanist Cannon (left arm). Ranged Weapon Attack: to hit, range 60/240 ft., one target. Hit: 18 () fire damage. The cannon has 3 charges. Hammerbold can spend 1 charge to add an extra fire damage to the shot or spend 2 charges to force the target to make a Strength saving throw or be pushed 10 feet and knocked prone. The cannon regains expended charges at the start of Hammerbold's turn.
Arcane Ember Turret. The turret is attached to Hammerbold's left shoulder and acts on his initiative immediately after his turn. The turret has a single target attack that does not require Hammerbold to use his action. Ranged Spell Attack: to hit, range 90 ft., one target. Hit: 10 () fire damage. The turret can be commanded to fire twice on Hammerbold's turn by spending an action. The turret has 6 hit points, AC 13, immunity to poison and psychic damage. If turret is destroyed it takes Hammerbold 10 () fire damage as embedded systems explode.
Flowing Emerald Overload. Recharge 5-6. Hammerbold reaches to a Flowing Emerald on his belt and releases a searing pulse into the forge floor. Each creature in a 20-foot radius centered on Hammerbold must make a Dexterity saving throw, taking 36 () fire damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. The pulse superheats nearby metal. On a failed save, nonmagical metal objects in the area glow white hot and suffer a cumulative penalty of -1 to AC and attack rolls until cooled by 1 minute of inactivity or immersion in water. Multiple pulses stack.

Reactions

Arcane Countermeasures. Arcane Countermeasures. When a creature casts a spell within 60 feet that targets Hammerbold or includes him in its area, he can use his reaction to gain a bonus to his AC against that spell or impose disadvantage on the casting roll for the spell if the spell requires an attack roll. Once used, this reaction cannot be used again until the start of his next turn.
Shielding Weld. Shielding Weld. When a melee attack would hit Hammerbold, he can use his reaction to slam his mechanist left arm into place, gaining +3 to AC against that attack. If the attack misses due to this reaction, the attacker takes 3 () fire damage from scalding steam.
Role
Solo
Built for
7

Gear

  • Inferno Forging Hammer (weapon, Priceless workshop heirloom)A heavy, hand-forged warhammer rimmed with molten veins. Functions as a +1 magic weapon dealing an extra 2d6 fire on a hit; the heating effect can force a Con save on targets wearing metal.
  • Flowing Emerald Belt (wondrous item (integrated), Priceless)A set of Flowing Emerald crystals embedded in a leather belt. These crystals grant charges to power Overload and stabilizing effects; they glow with inner motion.
  • Mechanist Prosthesis (artifact (integrated), Priceless)Mechanist left arm with built-in cannon and small plated shield. Contains 3 cannon charges that regenerate 1d3 at the start of Hammerbold's turn.

Feats

Master Tinkerer (homebrew)
Overheater (homebrew)

Augmentations

Left arm mechanist cannon and plated shield
Embedded Flowing Emerald control vest
Shoulder-mounted arcane turret

Notes for the game master

Proficiency bonus +3
Spellcasting uses a single casting ability (Intelligence, +6 spell attack, DC 15)
Cannon and turret act independently but are controlled by Hammerbold; turret acts on Hammerbold's initiative immediately after his turn.

Tactics

  1. Opening

    Hammerbold opens by activating the turret and firing a preemptive ember bolt, then uses Mechanist Cannon to mark a key threat. He then advances to engage armored foes with his Inferno Forging Hammer while commanding the turret to harass support characters. He may attempt to overcharge a nearby forge conduit to create hazardous ground early in the fight.

  2. Mid-fight

    Hammerbold stays near furnace lines and steam pipes to exploit line-of-sight and to use environmental hazards. He uses the turret and cannon to pressure ranged attackers, uses Inferno Forging Hammer against armored or metal-wearing foes, and casts spells like heat metal or scorching ray to incapacitate spellcasters and heavy armor. He spends turret and cannon charges to force movement or knockdown priority targets.

  3. End of the fight

    If reduced below half hit points Hammerbold focuses on area denial, using Flowing Emerald Overload and cannon pushes to separate and drive the party onto hot forge terrain. If severely damaged he attempts to retreat toward the central forge pit where his turret and cannon have cover and where he can threaten plunging molten metal attacks.

  4. Retreat

    If his turret is destroyed and his left arm crippled Hammerbold attempts to fall back to the central regulator and trigger a controlled overload to cover his retreat. If his Flowing Emeralds are shattered he becomes frantic and may surrender to bargain for aid, or try to blow the forges and himself up to deny capture.

How it fights

Focus fire on the party's front-line to break shields and create openings for cannon pushes.
Use Flowing Emerald Overload to split grouped parties and force them into molten pools.
Target spellcasters or ranged attackers with the turret while using spells to control armor and movement.

Who it attacks first

Front-line melee combatants wearing metal armor
Ranged attackers and spellcasters
Engineers or party members trying to sabotage the forge

Works well with

Works well with swarms of mechanic kobolds to flank and set up metal traps
Pairs with drill tank units to pin foes and apply continuous environmental pressure

How to beat it

Disrupt or remove Flowing Emerald crystals to cut off Overload.
Target and destroy the shoulder turret to reduce ranged pressure.
Use cold or water effects to neutralize heated metal and deny the hammer's extra effect.
High mobility to avoid being pinned by push and prone effects from the cannon.

Ways to avoid a fight

Negotiate for trade of forge secrets in exchange for spare Flowing Emerald fragments.
Intimidate or intimidate-check to force him to reveal drill tank schematics if captured.
Use downtime to bribe or reprogram mechanist workers to switch allegiance.

Ecology

A stocky kobold roughly the size of a human's forearm larger than average, covered in welded plates, belts of tools, and copper tubing. Flowing Emerald power stones pulse along a thick leather belt at his waist. His right hand is a forge-blackened warhammer with molten seams, his left arm is a reinforced mechanist prosthetic with an integrated cannon and plated shield. A small brass turret bristles from his left shoulder, its lenses glowing ember-red. Steam hisses from vents in his back and the smell of hot metal clings to him.

Behavior

Methodical, proud, and obsessively protective of his forges. He issues clipped orders to mechanic kobolds and treats machinery as extensions of himself. In combat he is tactical, using gadgets and the environment rather than brute force alone. He will prioritize protecting Flowing Emerald crystals and his forge control consoles.

How it lives

Hammerbold maintains a network of mechanist kobolds and steam-servitors that keep the forges running. He cultivates a small ecosystem of scavengers and waste-recycling contraptions that thrive on scrap metal and ember ash. Flowing Emerald crystals are rare and treated like living cores; they require constant focus and calibration.

Lair

The lair includes active furnaces, steam blasts, conveyer belts and molten pit traps. Hammerbold can activate environmental hazards as lair actions: 1) Blast of scalding steam from a vent in a line, DC 15 Dexterity save or 14 (4d6) fire damage and stunned until end of next turn; 2) Magnetic clamps engage to pin a metal-wearer in place, DC 15 Strength save to resist; 3) Localized coolant release to extinguish small fires but also create slippery surfaces.

Habitat
Ironsgate Tremor Forges, a cavernous industrial chamber full of furnaces, steam pipes, conveyor rails, weld sparks and molten pools

Signs that it is near

Ragged tracks of soot and small melted metal droplets on the floor
The constant hiss of steam and distant clang of hammer on anvil
Scent of ozone and burning coal in the air

Tags

construct-touched,
artificer,
boss,
fire,
mechanist

Lore

Told around the Ironsgate pits as a tinkerer who rose far beyond his kin, Hammerbold was handpicked by Aster to keep the drill tanks moving. Stories say he can whisper to the machines and make stubborn metal obey his will. Some workers revere him as both smith and ward against the Green Mist.

What drives it

Maintain the forges, keep the drill fleet operational, perfect weapons for Aster, protect and hoard Flowing Emeralds, and prove his craft superior to any challenger.

After the fight

If defeated, the Ironsgate Tremor Forges begin to malfunction. Without Hammerbold's stabilizing influence the drill tanks lose power within hours unless the party secures replacement Flowing Emerald crystals or reprograms the forge regulators. Surviving workers scatter or turn to scavenging the damaged machinery. If Hammerbold is captured alive the party can interrogate him for information about Aster, the drill tank designs, and the vault where additional Flowing Emeralds are held.

“Stories say he can whisper to the machines and make stubborn metal obey his will.”
From its lore

Variants

A weakened Hammerbold that has only one Flowing Emerald and a damaged turret for lower-level parties
An overcharged Hammerbold variant with extra turret fire and more HP for higher-stakes encounters

Hooks

Plot hooks

Aster requires a routine feed of Flowing Emeralds and the party is hired to intercept a convoy Hammerbold defends.
Hammerbold is experimenting on a legendary weapon; stopping him could prevent a devastating new drill weapon.
A local village's water supply is being tainted by forge runoff. Hammerbold knows the filtration controls.

How to use it

Boss fight in the main forge chamber, with environmental hazards and moving platforms.
Defend-or-destroy mission where party must prevent Hammerbold from powering up a drill tank.
Capture scenario where party wants Hammerbold alive to learn the location of Flowing Emerald stores.

Treasure

A small cache of Flowing Emerald fragments worth 500 gp to the right buyer, a partial drill tank schematic, and a batch of experimental weapon blueprints

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