| Hit Dice: | 5d10+20 (47 hp) |
| Initiative: | +0 |
| Speed: | 20 ft. (can’t run) |
| Armor Class: | 17 (+6 masterwork banded mail, +1 masterwork small steel shield), touch 10, flat-footed 17 |
| Base Attack/Grapple: | +3/+6 |
| Attack: | Longsword +6 melee (1d8+3/19–20) |
| Full Attack: | Longsword +6 melee (1d8+3/19–20) |
| Space/Reach: | 5 ft./5 ft. |
| Special Attacks: | — |
| Special Qualities: | Construct traits, darkvision 60 ft. resistance to cold and fire 10 |
| Saves: | Fort +1, Ref +1, Will +2 |
| Abilities: | Str 17, Dex 11, Con —, Int 6, Wis 13, Cha 2 |
| Skills: | Spot +9 |
| Feats: | Cleave, Power Attack |
| Environment: | Any land and underground |
| Organization: | Solitary, pair, or company (3–5) |
| Challenge Rating: | 3 |
| Treasure: | None |
| Alignment: | Always neutral |
| Advancement: | 6–10 HD (Medium-size); 11–15 HD (Large) |
| Level Adjustment: | — |
A dread guard appears to be an armored undead creature, still bearing the weapons and shield it carried in life. In fact, it is an animated suit of armor, little different from a golem. Those who create dread guards usually do so to obtain guardians for their strongholds—guardians that can never be bribed and rarely fooled.
A dread guard obeys simple commands from its creator, but these are limited to one or two rudimentary concepts. Typical orders include “Stay in this room and attack anyone but me who enters,” and “Kill each person who opens this chest until I tell you otherwise.”
A dread guard never speaks, but it understands commands in its creator’s language.
Dread guards attack mindlessly with their weapons. They are unsubtle and straightforward in combat.
Price (Item Level): 5,000 gp (9th)
Body Slot: —
Caster Level: 5th
Aura: Moderate; (DC 17) transmutation and enchantment
Activation: Standard (command)
Weight: As armor and weapon used
A dread guard may be constructed from any suit of masterwork heavy armor, and a Medium one may wield any Medium or Large martial weapon. A Large dread guard may wield any Large or Huge martial weapon.
Construction requires a martial weapon, but it need not be a masterwork weapon. Assembling the body requires a successful Craft (armorsmithing) check (DC 25).
Prerequisites: Craft Construct, fabricate, geas/quest, polymorph any object.
Cost to Create: 3,059 gp (includes Medium masterwork banded mail, Medium masterwork light steel shield, and Medium longsword) + 178 XP.
The cost of making a dread guard dropped considerably between D&D 3.0 and D&D 3.5. Adjust the cost for Large versions and different melee weapons or different masterwork heavy armor. Consider adding a cost per hit die above the minimum as well. The market price may be adjusted in these cases, but dread guards, like golems, can’t really be sold, as they obey only their creators, so they aren’t considered “treasure” except to those creators.
Source: Monster Manual II, page 87. This creature’s statistics block has been updated to version 3.5 as given in the D&D® V.3.5 Accessory Update for Monster Manual II.