Stone Golem

Stone golems are slow and steady constructs typically carved from marble or granite. They're often made to serve as works of art when at rest, so some golem crafters employ master sculptors to ensure the constructs make beautiful statues. Older stone golems might be weathered, with scuffed or cracked surfaces or missing noses and digits, but this weathering is largely cosmetic and doesn't adversely impact the golems' functionality.

Tales tell of particularly immense stone golems residing in certain ancient ruins. Survivors from time-lost civilizations bent on carrying out orders from long-gone masters, these immense stone golems are much more powerful than most stone golems. They are always level 15 or higher and never smaller than Huge in size-most are Gargantuan. Because their size is so great and the structures they dwell in so dilapidated, the awakening of such a stone golem can cause surrounding structures to collapse, ancient foundations to buckle, and ceilings to come crashing down on foes. In addition to the statistics here, these massive stone golems attack with wide, sweeping strikes capable of knocking down multiple targets at once.

Crafted of base materials and then magically animated into a powerful guardian, the legendary golem is a living construct that mindlessly obeys its creator's commands-often continuing to do so for years or even centuries after its creator's death. There exist two known methods of animating a golem. The traditional method involves harvesting and implanting an elemental soul or essence within the newly crafted host statue, a procedure seen as vile and blasphemous to those who value the sanctity of the soul; evil or amoral golem crafters tend to prefer this method. The other, less disreputable technique involves siphoning pure vitality energy into the statue to artificially imitate the creation of a soul. The result does not give the golem a true soul and is generally a more costly and time-consuming method of creation. Regardless of the method used, the resulting golem functions the same. A golem's unique animating force leaves it susceptible to certain forms of magic, but apart from these few weaknesses, it is impervious to magic and difficult to damage with weapons.

Golems work best in play as foes to vanquish rather than allies to accompany player characters on adventures. The process of creating a golem is time-consuming, expensive, and difficult, and only the most talented spellcasters or artisans can even hope to accomplish such an undertaking. While certain magical texts-so-called "golem manuals"-are said to aid golems crafters, for the most part the creation of a golem should be something left in the hands of the Game Master.

Golems have components that can be harvested as trophies or magical components; the value depends on the golem in question. Examples of components that can be harvested from golems are listed in the sidebars.