Golems

Golems are constructs.

A construct is an animated object or artificially created creature.

They have low-light vision.

Constructs have darkvision.

They have immunity to all mind-affecting effects (charms, compulsions, morale effects, patterns, and phantasms).

Constructs have immunity to bleed, disease, death effects, necromancy effects, paralysis, poison, sleep effects, and stunning.

They cannot heal damage on their own, but often can be repaired via exposure to a certain kind of effect or through the use of the Craft Construct feat. Constructs can also be healed through spells such as make whole. A construct with the fast healing special quality still benefits from that quality.

Constructs are not subject to ability damage, ability drain, fatigue, exhaustion, energy drain, or nonlethal damage.

They are immune to any effect that requires a Fortitude save (unless the effect also works on objects, or is harmless).

Constructs are not at risk of death from massive damage. They are immediately destroyed when reduced to 0 hit points or less.

A construct cannot be raised or resurrected.

A construct is hard to destroy, and is more robust based on size.

Constructs do not breathe, eat, or sleep.

Golems are magically created automatons of great power. They stand apart from other constructs in the nature of their animating power – golems are granted their magical life via an elemental spirit, typically that of an earth elemental. The process of creating a golem binds the spirit to the artificial body, merging it with this specially prepared vessel and subjecting it to the will of the golem’s creator.

Being mindless, golems do nothing without orders form their creators. They follow instructions explicitly and are incapable of complex strategy or tactics. A golem’s creator can command it if the golem is near and can see and hear its creator. If uncommanded, a golem usually follows its last instruction to the best of its ability, though if attacked it returns the attack. The creator can give the golem a simple command to govern its actions in his absence, or can order the golem to obey the commands of another, but the golem’s creator can always resume control by commanding the golem to obey him alone.

The cost to create a golem includes the cost of the physical body and all the materials and spell components used in its creation. Each golem has different materials required and total cost for its creation.

The market price of a golem with more Hit Dice than the typical golem is increased by 5,000 gp for each additional Hit Die it possesses beyond the standard for its kind, and increases by an additional 50,000 gp if the golem’s size increases. Building a golem with the advanced simple template increases its cost by 15,000 gp.

Flesh Golems

A flesh golem is a ghoulish collection of stolen humanoid body parts, stitched together into a single composite form. Its cadaverous flesh has a sickly green or yellowish tint. A flesh golem wears whatever clothing its creator desires, usually just a rugged pair of trousers. It has no possessions and no weapons. A flesh golem stands 8 feet tall and weighs 500 pounds.

When a flesh golem enters combat, there is a cumulative chance each round that its elemental spirit breaks free and the golem goes berserk. The uncontrolled golem goes on a rampage, attacking the nearest living creature or smashing some objects smaller than itself if no creature is within reach, then moving on to spread more destruction. The golem’s creator, if near, can try to regain control by speaking firmly and persuasively to the golem. It takes a minute of inactivity by the golem to reset the golem’s berserk chance.

A flesh golem cannot speak, although it can emit a hoarse roar of sorts. It walks and moves with a stiff-jointed gait, as if not in complete control of its body.

A flesh golem is immune to any spell or spell-like ability that allows spell resistance. In addition, certain spells and effects function differently against the creature, as noted below:

·        A magical attack that deals cold or fire damage slows a flesh golem (as the slow spell).

·        A magical attack that deals electricity damage breaks any slow effect on the golem and heals it.

Although most flesh golems are mindless, there are persistent rumors of unusual golems who somehow retain the memories of a previous life. The head (and thus brain) of such flesh golems must be just the right combination of fresh and (in its previous life) strong-willed, and even then luck and chance during the golem’s creation seem just as important in retaining the creature’s mind. Certainly most who construct flesh golems prefer mindless slaves over free-willed creation, and as a result intelligent flesh golems are rare indeed.

Flesh golems ignore damage from most weapons and natural attacks. Wounds heal immediately, or the weapon bounces off harmlessly. They can take normal damage from energy attacks (even nonmagical ones), spells, spell-like abilities, and supernatural abilities. Adamantine weapons can damage flesh golems normally.

Iron Golems

An iron golem has a humanoid body made from iron. It can be sculpted into any shape its creator desires, but it almost always displays armor of some sort, from simple and utilitarian to ceremonial and ornate. Its features are much smoother than those of a stone golem. Iron golems sometimes carry a weapon in one hand, though they rarely use these, relying instead on their slam attacks.

An iron golem deals powerful blows.

An iron golem is 12 feet tall and weighs about 5,000 pounds. An iron golem cannot speak or make any vocal noise, nor does it have any distinguishable odor.

An iron golem can exhale poisonous gas. This gas cloud persists; any creature within the area when the golem creates it (as well as any creature that passes through the cloud) is exposed to the cloud’s poisonous effects. This poison is magically created each time the golem uses this power.

Although the practice has fallen out of favor in modern times, the ancients of certain powerful civilizations once took great pride in crafting iron golems of tremendous size and strength. These golems, which are never smaller than Huge, still exist in remote parts of the world, mindlessly following the orders of a long-dead empire.

An iron golem is immune to spells or spell-like abilities that allow spell resistance. Certain spells and effects function differently against it, as noted below.

• A magical attack that deals electricity damage slows an iron golem (as the slow spell).
• A magical attack that deals fire damage breaks any slow effect on the golem and heals it.
• An iron golem is affected normally by rust attacks, such as those of a rust monster or a rusting grasp spell.

An iron golem’s body is sculpted form 5,000 pounds of iron, smelted with rare tinctures costing at least 10,000 gp.

They are resistant to weapons damage, except for adamantine weapons.

Stone Golems

A stone golem has a humanoid body made from stone, frequently stylized to suit its creator. For example, it might look like it is wearing armor, with a particular symbol carved on the breastplate, or have designs worked into the stone of its limbs. Its head is often carved to resemble a helmet or the head of some beast. While it may be sculpted to carry a stone shield or stone weapon such as a sword, these aesthetic choices do not affect its combat abilities.

A stone golem can use a slow effect, as the spell. The effect is a burst centered on the golem.