Steel Watcher Titan/Combat

Overview

Combat

This page focuses on the Steel Watcher Titan's behaviour during combat encounters.

Attacks and abilities

 Defensive Protocol: Bulwark

Hunker down into an  Unyielding state and  Repair yourself. While hunkered, you can launch  Hellfire Missiles and  Repel combatants.

Recharge: Per battle

 Hellfire Curse ()

Induce a spark of hellfire within a target to give them Disadvantage on Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution Saving throws

WIS Save

 Range: 9 m / 30 ft

AoE: 6 m / 20 ft (Radius)

 Hellfire Missiles ()

Damage: 96~576

96d6Fire

Shoot 24 hellfire missiles upwards that rain down on enemies. Each missile deals 4d6Fire damage.

Hellfire ignores Resistance and Immunity to Fire damage.

DEX Save

 Range: 100 m / 333 ft

 Launch Protocol: Bola ()

Damage: 2~24

2d12Bludgeoning

Shoot a projectile that possibly  Restrains your target.

 Range: 18 m / 60 ft

 Main Hand Attack ()   –  Watcher Greatsword

Damage: 9~42

3d12 + 6Slashing

Strike with a colossal blade to knock a target  Prone and  Maim them.

 Range: 3 m / 10 ft

AoE: 2 m / 7 ft (Radius)

 Multiattack ()

Damage: 18~84

3d12 + 6Slashing

+ 3d12 + 6Slashing

Strike twice with a colossal blade to knock targets  Prone and  Maim them.

 Range: 3 m / 10 ft

 Self-Detonate

Damage: 90~222

12d12 + 78Fire

Explode in a burst of raging hellfire - eliminate all nearby wrongdoers.

DEX Save

 Range: 5 m / 15 ft

 Repelling Protocol ()

Damage: 2~16

2d8Thunder

Expel a wave of force to push assailants back 9 m / 30 ft and knock them  Prone.

STR Save

 Range: 18 m / 60 ft

 Targeting Protocol: Hellfire Missiles ()

Prime and aim your  Hellfire Missiles at a target to fire on your next turn. Hellfire ignores Resistance and Immunity to Fire damage.

 Range: 18 m / 60 ft

Recharge: Per turn

 Terminate Bulwark Protocol

End your  Defensive Protocol: Bulwark and return to your normal combat calibration.

Allies

• 3x Hellfire Watcher

Conditions

Immunities

Steel Watchers are immune to the following conditions:

•  Blinded
•  Charmed
•  Frightened
•  Poisoned
•  Prone
•  Surprised
•  Sleeping
• On Tactician and Honour modes  Wet does not give vulnerability to lightning damage.

Encounter details

After taking a certain amount of damage, the Steel Watcher Titan always triggers  Defensive Protocol: Bulwark before activating  Targeting Protocol: Hellfire Missiles and firing those  Hellfire Missiles on the following turn. This attack can be interrupted by damaging it enough to remove all of the temporary hp granted by Defense Protocol: Bulwark. Upon reaching low hp, the Steel Watcher Titan uses  Self-Detonate (Steel Watcher Titan) to explode just like a regular Steel Watcher.

On Tactician and Honor difficulty, the Steel Watcher Titan loses its vulnerability to Lightning damage and gains additional resistances.

On Honour difficulty, the Steel Watcher Titan becomes the Hellfire Steel Watcher Titan, with a redder model similar to Hellfire Steel Watchers. The titan's AC increases from 15 to 20. Additionally, while in the Titan's Defensive Protocol: Bulwark state, it gains 200 Temporary Hit Points instead of 75, Unyielding Construct (Condition) prevents damage below 40 instead of 15, and Repair Matrix (Condition) heals for 6d8+14hit points instead of 3d8hit points.

Tactics

Using Invisibility (Greater Invisibility) can easily bypass this combat.

Flashblinder grenades are exceedingly effective in this fight. Not only do they  stun the Titan (and the other Steel Watchers in the fight) for two turns, they also instantly remove  Defensive Protocol: Bulwark. In Honour mode, Flashblinders become even stronger since the guaranteed stun ignores the Titan's  Legendary Resistance and since Defensive Protocol is significantly buffed compared to lower difficulties.

Up to four Flashblinder grenades are available from Bumpnagel in Rivington after each Long Rest. They are useful for Steel Watcher encounters.

A character with  Greater Invisibility and Smokepowder Bombs or [Smokepowder Barrels can pre-place these around the Titan and then detonate them at a distance once the Titan activates. By dropping them, stacks can be organised around the Titan and its minions. A stealth check is made each time a bomb or barrel is placed. Once detected, placing them ist still possible as it does not use an action. To get away from the area without creating an  Opportunity Attack,  Misty Step is effective.

On Explorer and Balanced difficulty, Lightning damage (Arrow of Lightning,  Lightning Arrow,  Lightning Bolt or  Chain Lightning) combined with water ( Create Water, bottles of Water or Water barrels) are particularly effective since the Steel Watcher Titan and all three accompanying Hellfire Watchers are vulnerable to it.

The Steel Watcher Titan can knock back party members with  Repelling Protocol, and the Hellfire Watchers can pull them forward with  Reposition Malefactor. The party members should be moved so that such repositioning does not knock them into  Hellfire Missiles or an exploding Steel Watcher.

Given its low Intelligence score,  Absorb Intellect can quickly reduce the Steel Watcher Titan's Intelligence to 0 which instantly kills it with the  Atrophied condition.