# Golems as Characters?



## ckirby (Mar 19, 2002)

I have always liked the idea that a Golem could be used as by a player as their character in the game, instead of just something that they encounter from time to time or create (for the very very very long campaigns).

I've only done it once, in AD&D 2E, when a player lost his life but his soul was trapped in an iron golem.  Now, in general, golems aren't the brightest light on the tree, but they care useful and fun to play as a NPC.

So, to make a short question long, has anyone else explored this type of creation as a possible player character?  If so, what rules are placeing on the players?

Thoughts?  Suggestions?  Rants?  All are welcome.


----------



## Wolfspider (Mar 19, 2002)

Dragonstar has "soul mechs," which are something like golems. (I don't have the book yet, so I can't elaborate.)  You might want to check it out....


----------



## ckirby (Mar 19, 2002)

Soul mechs, huh?  I'll have to look into that.  Thanks.

How about placeing an NPC in a golem?  I'm thinking about making an evil character my players 'will' eventually "take care of", but would like to have him/her return as a golem instead of the all-to-used undead.

Anyone have a golem as a major NPC?


----------



## BluWolf (Mar 19, 2002)

I did use a bone golem as a returning nemesis one time. They kept on tryin gto turn him and got freaked out when the party cleric (the highest lvl PC at the time) couldn't do it.

That aside, there is an article in the current issue of Dungeon I beleave that deals with a half-construct template. This may have some good input.

I like the idea. My homebrew campaign world is a steam-punkish/magically twisted world that would absolutely allow for these sorts of creatures.

I think construct is more the way to go however. Golems as carry a whole slew of uneccesary Special Qualities that may be too powerful for a playable ECL.


----------



## Upper_Krust (Mar 19, 2002)

Reminds me of the character Roger from Hellboy and BPRD comics.


----------



## Piratecat (Mar 19, 2002)

The excellent book Mythic Races has a dwarven stone construct as a PC race. Well balanced, too. Their prestige class lets them become living siege engines!


----------



## ckirby (Mar 19, 2002)

Wow!  Living siege engines!  Now that would be fun to play, but a bit too much for a DM to handle...

DM:  "OK, group, you've entered the castle.  The Lord of the castle is surrounded by his small force of elite warriors.  He smiles at you and says, 'Welcome to my home.  Now, meet your doom!'  What do you do?"

Player 1:  "OK, we point Jeane towards the small cluster and fire her."

Player 2 (Jeane):  "Bang!"


----------



## Garmorn (Mar 19, 2002)

*Soul Mechs*



			
				Wolfspider said:
			
		

> *Dragonstar has "soul mechs," which are something like golems. (I don't have the book yet, so I can't elaborate.)  You might want to check it out.... *




They simply applied the rules of a construct to humans and added the rule that the player could not improve the physical stats thru level gaint improvements nor do spells designed to enhance living creatures like bull strenght work on them.  It ends up very blanced.  

One big draw back is that your clerics can't heal them.  (They are not living.)


----------



## Breakstone (Mar 19, 2002)

I've always wanted to have a villain be a ghost possessing an iron golem who's the head of a mafia.

An intelligent Iron Golem... that'd be cool...


----------



## Vuron (Mar 19, 2002)

I liked the Golem bounty hunter from Ironwood myself. She's a hottie!


----------



## Blacksad (Mar 20, 2002)

*links*

I have no ideas of my own so...
Looking through my links and books, I found some interesting material I think:

Golem 201 at WotC:
http://www.wizards.com/dnd/article.asp?x=dnd/mm/mm20010330a4

Hell in freeport prestige classes (one of them transform you in a construct):
http://www.greenronin.com/files/focus10.pdf

in Dragon 293 the R&D department asks if you can send them any comments, good or bad, on their ECL at scalemail@wizards.com:

Construct
Animated object (no Int)
  Tiny  5
  Small  6
  Medium-size  8
  Large  10
  Huge  14
  Gargantuan  21
  Colossal  36
Golem (no Int)
  Flesh  15
  Clay  19
  Stone  22
  Iron  26
Homunculus  8
Retriever (demon)  20
Shield guardian (no Int) 23

In dragon 292 They give the fiend binder prestige classes, which allow to bind a fiendish spirit into animals, and the in your campaign sidebar proposes to adapt it to gnomes who add the half-machine template to animals instead of the half-fiend template to animals.

The half-machine template is in the adventure Kambranex's machinations in Dungeon 91 (with the shadowchaser mini-game inside).

Creatures of Rokugan features the Guardian Statue with an ECL of 3, you can also find zenmensonsou (living evil siege engine) in it with CR of 7, 8, 9 and 18. 

You can find the bonedreg, the only construct in legion of hell here:
http://www.greenronin.com/files/lohpre.pdf

Magic of Faerun has 7 construct:crawling claw CR 1/3, Ruby golem CR11, emerald golem CR12, diamond golem CR12, thayan golem CR8, helmed horror CR10 (which was inteligent in 2nd edition one such creatures being the militia chief in my major city, and I made it able to speak), tomb tapper CR14.

the Manual of the plane has some inteligent construct:
Inevtable: Zelekhut int8 CR9, kolyarut int 10 CR12, marut int12 CR15
and here you can find the web enhancement with modrons (construct-like outsider), rogue modrons exist with independant ability to think, and a document featuring rogue modrons was ditributed during a preview show attended by WotC for the Manual of the Planes, but nobody ever posted the stats that were in this document :
http://www.wizards.com/dnd/files/modrons.zip

clockwork magic might be of interest too:
http://www.enworld.org/messageboards/showthread.php?s=&threadid=5050


----------



## Voadam (Mar 20, 2002)

*more Construct PCs*

_Mystic Warriors_ by Mystic Eye Games also has a prestige class that turns the character into a construct.


----------

