Golem

Golems are magically created automatons of great power. The golems described here supplement the golems given in other sources (see the index above).

Combat

Golems are tenacious in combat and prodigiously strong as well. They are emotionless and cannot be provoked, but those described here are inherently cruel and love to torment their foes.

A golem’s creator can command it if the golem is within 60 feet and can see and hear its creator. If not under a command, a golem usually follows its last instruction to the best of its ability, though if attacked it returns the attack. The creator can give a golem a simple program to govern its actions in his or her absence, such as “Remain in an area and attack all creatures that enter” (or only a specific type of creature), “Ring a gong and attack”, or the like.

Construction

The cost given for each golem includes the price of the physical body, plus all the materials and spell components that are consumed during the process or that become a permanent part of the golem. The first task in the construction ofagolem is assembling the golem’s physical body. The creator can assemble the body personally or hire someone else to do the job. The builder must have the appropriate skill, which varies with the kind of golem being constructed.

The real work of creating a golem involves extended magical rituals that take two months to complete. Understanding the rituals requires a character of the specified level who has the Craft Magic Arms and Armor and Craft Wondrous Item feats. The creator must labor for at least 8 hours each day in a specially prepared laboratory or workroom. Thechamber is similar to an alchemist’s laboratory and costs 500 gp to establish.

When not working on the rituals, the creator must rest and can perform no other activities except eating, sleeping, or talking. If personally constructing the golems body, the creator can perform the building and the rituals together. Missinga day of rituals means the process fails and must be started again. Any money spent is lost, but XP are not. The golem’s body can be reused, as can the laboratory.

Completing the ritual drains the appropriate XP from the creator and requires casting any needed spells on the final day. The creator must cast the spells personally, but they can come from outside sources, such as scrolls.

Blood Golem

The blood golems are foul constructs made of the coagulated blood of sacrificial victims. Girded in magic armor and bearing masterwork weapons, they bring death to the enemies of the faith. (In Greyhawk-based settings, these are commonly called blood golems of Hextor.)

Without its armor, a blood golem looks like a vaguely humanoid shape made out of thickened red and black blood. It constantly leaks blood wherever it goes and is often surrounded by swarms of flies and other flying vermin that dine on its leavings. Although satisfied with this raw form, recently the creators of these golems have added a final step in which they seal the golem in a custom-made suit of full plate +1 with masterwork heavy flails fused to each of its arms. This suit of armor includes two spherical reservoirs on the shoulders that store more blood to fuel the creature. Metal pipes and valves convey the creature’s blood within the armor, but the seals are imperfect and it still leaks fluid.

Because it is a construct, a blood golem can remain motionless in one place for days, although it requires fresh blood on a regular basis requirement makes it a poor guardian for remote places that do not have many visitors.

Combat

A blood golem is straightforward in combat: It simply lashes out at its foes with its heavy flails, which are actually parts of its body. It is a cruel and malicious combatant, in that it apparently derives satisfaction from slaying enemies despite its lack oftrue intelligence.

Blood Siphon (Su): A blood golem can suck the blood out of a helpless creature or a body that has died within the past hour, dealing Constitution damage at the rate of 1 point per full round. Every Constitution point lost in this fashion heals the golem 5 hit points. (The golem usually restores its hit points to maximum before filling its reservoirs so that it can remain at full strength.) Both the golem and the victim must remain motionless. Creators of blood golems often provide them with bound or unconscious victims for this very purpose.

Whirlwind of Death (Ex): A blood golem can spin its upper body and cause its flails to rotate at high speed. This ability allows it to attack all creatures within its reach as if it had the Whirlwind Attack feat. In the round after the golem performs this maneuver, it can take only a single attack or move action.

Blood Dependency: Because a blood golem constantly leaks its own vital fluid, it must absorb blood from other creatures to continue functioning. The golem loses 5 hit points per day, regardless whether it is engaged in physical activity or merely stands motionless for the entire day, If the golem’ armor is removed or destroyed, this loss increases to 10 hit points per day. If the golem reaches 0 hit points from blood leakage, it is destroyed, leaving only its armor.

Blood Reservoir (Ex): The reservoirs in the golem’s armor hold blood equivalent to 20 points of Constitution, which is about as much as the capacity of two average human bodies. The golem normally draws 1 point of Constitution from the reservoir every day to sate its blood dependency. It can draw blood from its reservoirs as a free action, and it often does so during combat.

Magic Armor: A blood golem is encased in a suit of full plate armor with an enhancement bonus of at least +1. If the golem is destroyed, the armor can be reused for another blood golem, but it does not resize to fit other creatures.

Magic Immunity: A blood golem is immune to all spells, spell-like abilities, and supernatural effects, except as follows. A gentle repose spell acts as a slow spell for 3 rounds with no saving throw. Regenerate restores 1 hit point of damage per caster level. Horrid wilting does half or one-quarter damage if the golem fails or succeeds on its saving throw, respectively.

Rust Vulnerability: A blood golem’s armor is vulnerable to rust attacks, such as from a rust monster or the rusting grasp spell. If its armor is destroyed in this manner, the golem’s AC drops and it makes slam attacks instead of flail attacks. Once its armor is gone, the golem loses its blood reservoir, and it loses hit points to blood leakage at the rate of 10 hit points per day instead of 5 per day.

Construction

A blood golem’s semisolid body is created from the blood of 16 Medium-size humanoids sacrificed to an evil god (such as Hextor). Extracting the blood from the sacrificial victims requires a Heal check (DC 15). The creator must be 14th level and able to cast divine spells.

The magic armor of the golem costs the standard amount for its kind, except that the material cost for the masterwork full plate costs more than the normal amount because of the larger size and special requirements of the golems physiology (total cost for the armor is 4,150 gp). The masterwork flails cost 315 gp each. Blood golems can be built with more powerful armors or weapons.

Prerequisites: Craft Construct, animate objects, bull’s strength, gentle repose, heal.

Cost to Create: 17,280 gp, 809 XP, 25 days.

Blood Golems and Book of Vile Darkness

If you are using the sacrifice rules from Book of Vile Darkness in your game, replace the Heal check to extract the blood with a Knowledge (religion) check to make a successful sacrifice. The DC is 40, and the creator need not meet the other prerequisites (minimum level, XP cost, and spells known) to create the golem if the check is successful.

Source: Fiend Folio, page 84. Changes applied as per the D&D^® v.3.5 Accessory Update.

Brain Golem

A creation of the mind flayers, a brain golem exists purely to fulfill their desires.

A brain golem appears as a burly humanoid, about 8 feet tall and 5 feet wide, with an oversized brain serving as its entire head. In fact, the whole body is made up of brain tissue that is covered with a thin film of slimy skin.

Brain golems do not speak or understand any language, despite their intelligence, but they respond to telepathic commands from any mind flayer.

Combat

Brain golems enter combat with a mind blast and then focus their physical attacks on weak-looking opponents. They never attack mind flayers under any circumstances.

Mind Blast (Su): This attack is a 60-foot cone. Anyone caught in this area must succeed on a Will save (DC 15) or be stunned for 3d4 rounds. A brain golem can use this ability once per minute.

Inertial Armor (Su): A brain golem’s body is surrounded by a tangible field of force similar to that created by the mage armor spell, granting it a +4 armor bonus to Armor Class. Unlike mundane armor, inertial armor carries no armor check penalty, speed reduction, or arcane spell failure chance. Because it is composed of force, incorporeal creatures can’t bypass it the way they do normal armor.

Construction

A brain golem’s body is formed from the brains of intelligent creatures and topped off with a bud from a mind flayer community’s elder brain to form the creatures “head”. Its skin is a membrane secreted by the elder brain bud.

Assembling the body requires 1,000 gp and a Heal check (DC 15).

Prerequisites: Craft Construct, bull’s strength, feeblemind, geas/quest, limited wish, mage armor, polymorph any object.

If created by a psion, the prerequisites are the Inertial Armor feat, animal affinity, astral construct VII, domination, matter manipulation, and mind blast.

Cost to Create: 23,500 gp, 1,760 XP, 45 days.

Brain Golems and the Expanded Psionics Handbook

If you are using the Expanded Psionics Handbook in your campaign, rather than being an arcane spellcaster, the creator of a brain golem can be a psion of 16th level or higher with access to the Inertial Armor feat, animal affinity, astral construct VII, domination, matter manipulation, and mind blast.

Source: Fiend Folio, page 85. Changes applied as per the D&D^® v.3.5 Accessory Update.

Demonflesh Golem

The ultimate example of fiendish grafting, the demonflesh golem is a collection of demonic body parts assembled into a truly vile whole.

A demonflesh golem bears a superficial resemblance to a flesh golem, Its overall form is humanoid, with the addition of a pair of membranous wings and a long, thin tail. Its left arm is muscular and sinewy, with a large, clawed hand, while its right arm is more slender and ends in a heavy, bony hand. Its right leg is long and agile, while its left is thicker and heavier. Despite having a pronounced limp, the creature moves quickly and can climb and jump with remarkable ease. One eye is bright red and has a black iris, while the other is yellow with no visible iris, but it has a pupil shaped like a cat’s.

Unlike most golems, a demonflesh golem is reasonably intelligent, and it speaks and understands Abyssal.

Combat

A demonflesh golem attacks in a whirling fury. Its left, clawed arm seems to attack of its own volition, and its tail lashes wildly from side to side during combat.

Claw Graft (Ex): A demonflesh golem’s left arm can attack independently of the golem’s control. This allows a golem to make a second attack each round. This means the golem can attack with its slam, then move, and then attack with its claw, all in a single round (but it cannot attack twice with its claw). The clawed arm has a Strength score of 35, attacks at the golem’s full base attack bonus (plus its higher Strength bonus), and gains its full Strength bonus on damage rolls.

Fear Gaze (Su): Anyone within 30 feet of a demonflesh golem who meets its eyes must succeed on a Will saving throw (DC 19) or be paralyzed with fear for 1d4 rounds. Demonflesh golems are immune to their own gaze attacks and to those of others of their kind.

Spell-Like Abilities: 3/day⁠—​darkness, poison, unholy aura; 1/day⁠—​destruction, horrid wilting, unholy blight. Caster level 20th; save DC 11 + spell level.

Whip Tail Graft (Ex): As a full-round action, a demonflesh golem can direct its tail to attack one creature within 25 feet. Wounds from the tail burn fiercely, causing the creature struck to be dazed for 1 round unless it makes a Fortitude save (DC 11).

Immunity to Magic (Ex): A demonflesh golem is immune to all spells, spell-like abilities, and supernatural effects, except as follows. A death effect slows it (as the slow spell) for 1d6 rounds, with no saving throw. A spell with the chaotic or evil descriptor (such as chaos hammer or unholy blight) breaks any slow effect on the golem and cures 1 point of damage for each 3 points of damage it would otherwise deal. It is fully affected by spells with the law or good descriptor, unless its construct traits make it immune to the spell’s effects (it cannot be blinded by a holy aura, for example, because that effect allows a Fortitude save). As an extraplanar creature, a demonflesh golem on the Material Plane can be driven back to its home plane by a dispel evil or dispel chaos spell (as well as by holy word or dictum), but it is not affected by banishment or dismissal since they are not good or lawful spells.

See Invisibility (Su): A demonflesh golem can continuously see invisibility as the spell cast by a 20th-level sorcerer.

Skills: A demonflesh golem’s fast leg graft gives it a +5 racial bonus on Climb and Jump checks.

Construction

A demonflesh golem can be constructed only in the Abyss or on another chaotic infernal plane (in the D&D cosmology, this would include Pandemonium and Carceri). Assembly requires access to a variety of demon bodies and fiendish grafts, specifically including a claw fiendish arm, a fast fiendish leg, a fearsome fiendish eye, membranous fiendish wings, and a whip fiendish tail.

Assembling the body requires a Heal check (DC 15) and a Knowledge (the planes) check (DC 20).

Prerequisites: Craft Construct, Graft Flesh, darkness, destruction, geas/quest, horrid wilting, planar binding, poison, unholy aura, unholy blight.

Cost to Create: 101,000 gp, 7,960 XP, 200 days.

Source: Fiend Folio, page 86. Changes applied as per the D&D^® v.3.5 Accessory Update.

Hellfire Golem

A hellfire golem is a construct from the infernal planes that is crafted by devils for sheer destructive and pyromaniac delight. It appears as a towering humanoid creature that seems to be formed of brilliant lava covered with a crumbling black crust. Flames leap out from the cracks in its crusty skin and wreathe its body in infernal fire.

Unlike most golems, a hellfire golem is reasonably intelligent, and it speaks and understands Infernal.

Combat

Hellfire golems are not mindless, but neither are they subtle. Their magical abilities involve burning things up, and their physical abilities lend themselves well to the same approach.

Hellfire (Ex): A hellfire golem burns with unearthly fire. Those hit by a hellfire golems slam attack take 2d6 points of hellfire damage. Half of this damage is fire damage, while the other half results directly from unholy power and is therefore not lessened by protection against fire.

Creatures hitting a hellfire golem with natural weapons or unarmed attacks take hellfire damage as though hit by the golem’s slam attack.

Spell-Like Abilities: At will—burning hands, fireball, flare, produce flame; 3/day—flame strike. Caster level 20th; save DC 12 + spell level.

Immunity to Magic (Ex): A hellfire golem is immune to all spells, spell-like abilities, and supernatural effects, except as follows. A quench spell seems to extinguish the flames, suffusing the golems frame for 2d4 rounds, but it actually only halves the damage from its hellfire (negating the fire damage). A cold effect that deals more than 20 points of damage (after overcoming its cold resistance) slows it (as the slow spell) for 1d6 rounds, with no throw. A spell with the lawful or evil descriptor (such as order’s wrath or unholy blight) breaks any slow effect on the golem and cures 1 point of damage for each 3 points of damage it would otherwise deal. The golem is fully affected by spells with the chaotic or good descriptor, unless its construct traits make it immune to the spell’s effects (it cannot be blinded by a holy aura, for example, because that effect allows a Fortitude save).

As an extraplanar creature, a hellfire golem on the Material Plane can be driven back to its home plane by a dispel evil or dispel law spell (as well as by holy word or word of chaos), but it is not affected by banishment or dismissal since they are not good or chaotic spells.

Construction

A hellfire golem can be constructed only on the Nine Hells of Baator or another lawful infernal plane (in the D&D cosmology, this would include Acheron and Gehenna). The body is formed from special clays found only on such planes, and it is suffused with unholy energy from its plane of creation.

Assembling the body requires a Craft (sculpting) check (DC 20). The creator must be 18th level and able to cast both arcane and divine spells.

Prerequisites: Craft Construct, burning hands, fireball, flame strike, flare, geas/quest, planar ally, produce flame.

Cost to Create: 101,000 gp, 7,840 XP, 198 days.

Source: Fiend Folio, page 88. Changes applied as per the D&D^® v.3.5 Accessory Update.