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: Twice 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

 Hellfire Missiles ()

Damage: 4~24

4d6⁠Fire

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.

 DEX Save

 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

 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: Self

 Repelling Protocol ()

Damage: 2~16

2d8⁠Thunder

Expel a wave of force to push assailants back 8 m / 27 ft and knock them  Prone.

 STR Save

 Range: Self

 Targeting Protocol: Hellfire Missiles ()

Damage: 4~24

4d6⁠Fire

Prime and aim your  Hellfire Missiles at a target to fire on your next turn.

 Range: 18 m / 60 ft

 Recharge: Per turn

 Terminate Bulwark Protocol

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

Immunities

Steel Watchers are immune to the following conditions:

•  Banished
•  Bleeding
•  Burning
•  Charmed conditions, such as  Charmed and  Dominated
•  Drunk
•  Exhausted
•  Frightened conditions, such as  Frightened and  Phantasmal Killer
•  Melting
•  Poisoned conditions, such as  Poisoned and  Nauseous
•  Polymorphed
•  Roiling Hellfire
•  Surprised
•  Unconscious conditions, such as  Sleeping and  Prone
• On Tactician and Honour modes  Wet does not give vulnerability to ⁠lightning damage.

Allies

• 3x  Hellfire Watcher

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 can easily bypass this combat. An invisible character can sneak past the Hellfire Watchers without initiating combat and plant the runepowder bomb.

 Flashblinder grenades are exceedingly effective in this fight. Not only do they  stun the Titan (and the other Hellfire 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 helpful for all Steel Watcher encounters.

If the Ironhand Gnomes were not saved in Act Two, rendering Flashblinder grenades inaccessible, another possible tactic is to have a party member use  Command: Halt on the Steel Watcher Titan while the other party members take out the Hellfire Watchers and beat down the Titan himself. This tactic is supremely effective even on Honour mode. The  Band of the Mystic Scoundrel allows a single party member to contribute damage with their action and use Command as a bonus action.

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 is still possible, as it does not use an action. To get away from the area without triggering an  Opportunity Attack,  Misty Step is effective.

On Explorer and Balanced difficulties, ⁠Lightning damage ( Arrow of Lightning,  Lightning Arrow,  Lightning Bolt, or  Chain Lightning) combined with water ( Create Water,  Water bottles, or  Water Barrels) is 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. Therefore, party members should be careful that such repositioning does not knock them into  Hellfire Missiles or an exploding Hellfire 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.