new construct - Sun Golem

Hi, folks,

I only got one comment on this construct on the other board, so I am posting it again for your review, if you have time.

Thank you,

- Devon

Sun Golem (Large construct)
Hit Dice: 14d1014 (77 hp)
Initiative: +4 (Dex)
Speed: 40 ft.
AC: 25 (-2 size, +7 natural, +4 Dex, +6 deflection)
Attacks: 2 slams +15 melee, and light ray +10 ranged touch
Damage: slam 1d10+7, light ray 2d6
Face/Reach: 10 ft by 10 ft./ 10 ft.
Special attacks: retributive strike, disruption, spell-like abilities
Special Qualities: construct, illumination, all-around vision, darkvision 120 ft., immunities
Saves: Fort +4, Ref +4, Will +4
Abilities: Str 24, Dex 18, Con --, Int 12, Wis 16, Cha 20
Skills: Spot +7, Search +5
Feats: multiattack
Climate/Terrain: any
Organization: solitary
Challenge Rating: 9 (could be 10 - 11)
Treasure: none
Alignment: usually neutral good
Advancement: 15 - 28 HD (Large), 29 - 42 HD (Huge)

The Sun golem is an immense construct, 16 feet tall, and almost 10 feet across. It's center is a blazing sphere of light and positive energy 7 feet across, and the rest of the body seems to loosely frame the inferno. The clockwork body is made of brass and steel, and the upper torso does not seem to visibly connect to the hips and legs. The body is embellished all over with baroque solar imagery, and usually holy inscriptions. It appears to have no head, eyes or other obvious sensory apparatus but for a row of three colored lenses on each shoulder, the size of small shields. These great lenses separate from the body when the golem is active, hovering around the sphere of radiance much like Ioun stones, causing multicolored spotlights to move across the surroundings. Occasionally the lenses can be seen to focus, much like eyes, as it seeks out evil in the vicinity.

Ecology:
The Sun golem is usually created by clerics of lawful or good churches to support its clerics and warriors as they fight against invasions of powerful undead. It is imbued with positive energy, and can bring that energy to bear on anything it sees as a threat. The area upon which it stands occasionally becomes suffused with a small amount of positive energy, causing a gradual increase in plant growth--plants harvested from the golem's footsteps are great for use in the creation of healing potions.

At the core of a Sun golem is an immense gem that serves as a conduit to the positive material plane. Should this conduit be destroyed or rendered otherwise inert, the upper torso will fall into the hip joints, destroying the golem.

Combat:
In addition to being a strong melee combatant, the Sun golem is able to channel energy through its array of lenses to create various magical effects.

All-around vision (Su): The Sun golem can see in all directions at once, so it cannot be flanked. It also receives a +4 bonus to Spot and Search checks.

Darkvision (Su): The sun golem has darkvision with a range of 120 feet.

Illumination (Su): The sphere of radiant energy at the center of the Sun golem shines in a 70-foot radius, illuminating the immediate area as it were daylight, affecting anything susceptible to sunlight.

Disruption (Su): To undead or other creatures susceptible to positive energy, the Sun golem does an additional 1d10 points of positive energy damage with each successful melee strike.

Spell-like abilities (Sp): The Sun golem can generate each of the following effects three times a day, once per round, as a 14th-level spellcaster (DC 22 + spell level): searing light, cure light wounds, color spray, daylight, detect chaos, detect evil, dispel chaos, dispel evil, magic circle against chaos, magic circle against evil, negative energy protection, remove paralysis

As long as the golem is in natural sunlight (and not the light that it generates by itself), the golem can perform each of the following spells three times a day, once per round, as a 14th-level spellcaster (DC 22 + spell level): raise dead, regenerate, cure serious wounds, healing circle, remove disease

Immunities: The golem is unaffected by magic except as follows: fire heals the golem 1 hit point for every die of damage done; electricity paralyses the golem for 1 round per die of damage.

Retributive Strike (Su): Should a Sun golem be destroyed, the sphere of positive energy at its core will explode, flooding the immediate area with light and positive energy. The burst does 7d8 positive energy damage to everyone in a twenty-foot radius (Fort save for half, DC 22); each creature must also make a Reflex save (DC 22) or be blinded permanently; a successful save means the creature is only blinded for 1d4+4 rounds.

Construct: A construct is not subject to critical hits, subdual damage, ability damage, ability drain, or energy drain. It is immune to any effect that requires a Fortitude save (unless the effect also works on objects).

no comments?

bump

I say this now on all golem threads... how do you make one of these?

golem construction

I've started a new thread on this forum about golem creation. I'm awaiting some input before I begin writing golem creation rules for the golems I've done.

Is it wrong for me to feel silly just cutting and pasting the iron golem details (with minor modifications) just because it's the biggest and baddest golem out there?

- Devon

Okay, I've made some modifications, including updated Positive Energy effects, and how to create the golem. There are quite a few spell-like abilities, though, so the spell list is pretty cumbersome. Any advice on how I could simplify the "spells required" list would be appreciated.

- Devon

Sun Golem (Large construct)
Hit Dice: 14d1014 (77 hp)
Initiative: +4 (Dex)
Speed: 40 ft.
AC: 25 (-2 size, +7 natural, +4 Dex, +6 deflection)
Attacks: 2 slams +15 melee, and light ray +10 ranged touch
Damage: slam 1d10+7, light ray 2d6
Face/Reach: 10 ft by 10 ft./ 10 ft.
Special attacks: retributive strike, disruption, spell-like abilities
Special Qualities: construct, illumination, all-around vision, darkvision 120 ft., immunities
Saves: Fort +4, Ref +4, Will +4
Abilities: Str 24, Dex 18, Con --, Int 12, Wis 16, Cha 20
Skills: Spot +7, Search +5
Feats: multiattack
Climate/Terrain: any
Organization: solitary
Challenge Rating: 9 (could be 10 - 11)
Treasure: none
Alignment: usually neutral good
Advancement: 15 - 28 HD (Large), 29 - 42 HD (Huge)

The Sun golem is an immense construct, 16 feet tall, and almost 10 feet across. It's center is a blazing sphere of light and positive energy 7 feet across, and the rest of the body seems to loosely frame the inferno. The clockwork body is made of brass and steel, and the upper torso does not seem to visibly connect to the hips and legs. The body is embellished all over with baroque solar imagery, and usually holy inscriptions. It appears to have no head, eyes or other obvious sensory apparatus but for a row of three colored lenses on each shoulder, the size of small shields. These great lenses separate from the body when the golem is active, hovering around the sphere of radiance much like Ioun stones, causing multicolored spotlights to move across the surroundings. Occasionally the lenses can be seen to focus, much like eyes, as it seeks out evil in the vicinity.

Ecology:
The Sun golem is usually created by lawful or good churches to support its clerics and warriors as they fight against invasions of powerful undead. It is imbued with positive energy, and can bring that energy to bear on anything it sees as a threat. The area upon which it stands occasionally becomes suffused with a small amount of positive energy, causing a gradual increase in plant growth--plants harvested from the golem's footsteps are great for use in the creation of healing potions.

At the core of a Sun golem is an immense gem that serves as a conduit to the positive material plane. Should this conduit be destroyed or rendered otherwise inert, the upper torso will fall into the hip joints, destroying the golem and causing a tremendous explosion.

Combat:
In addition to being a strong melee combatant, the Sun golem is able to channel energy through its array of lenses to create various magical effects.

All-around vision (Su): The Sun golem can see in all directions at once, so it cannot be flanked. It also receives a +4 bonus to Spot and Search checks.

Darkvision (Su): The sun golem has darkvision with a range of 120 feet.

Illumination (Su): The sphere of radiant energy at the center of the Sun golem shines in a 70-foot radius, illuminating the immediate area as it were daylight, affecting anything susceptible to sunlight.

Disruption (Su): To undead or other creatures susceptible to positive energy, the Sun golem does an additional 1d10 points of positive energy damage with each successful melee strike.

Spell-like abilities (Sp): The Sun golem can generate each of the following effects three times a day, once per round, as a 14th-level spellcaster (DC 22 + spell level): searing light, cure light wounds, color spray, daylight, detect chaos, detect evil, dispel chaos, dispel evil, magic circle against chaos, magic circle against evil, negative energy protection, remove paralysis.

As long as the golem is in natural sunlight (and not the light that it generates by itself), the golem can perform each of the following spells three times a day, once per round, as a 14th-level spellcaster (DC 22 + spell level): raise dead, regenerate, cure serious wounds, healing circle, remove disease.

Immunities: The golem is unaffected by magic except as follows: fire heals the golem 1 hit point for every die of damage done; electricity paralyses the golem for 1 round per die of damage.

Retributive Strike (Su): Should a Sun golem be destroyed, the sphere of positive energy at its core will explode, flooding the immediate area with light and positive energy. The burst does 7d8 positive energy to everyone in a thirty-foot radius (Fort save for half, DC 22). Positive energy heals mortal creatures but does damage to undead. The energy does not heal a mortal beyond its maximum hit points, and if an opponent takes care to absorb as much as possible, they will gain temporary hit points but they must save each round it is above its maximum or explode, dying instantly (Fort save, DC 20). Each creature in a 100-foot radius must also make a Reflex save (DC 22) or be blinded permanently; a successful save means the creature is only blinded for 1d4+4 rounds.

Construct: A construct is not subject to critical hits, subdual damage, ability damage, ability drain, or energy drain. It is immune to any effect that requires a Fortitude save (unless the effect also works on objects).

Construction:
The cost for creating the Sun Golem is 140,000 gp, which includes the physical body and all the materials and spell components that are consumed or become a permanent part of it.

The body costs 2,800 gp to create, and requires an Armorsmithing or similar Craft check at DC 20. The lenses require a Glassmaking check at DC 17, and cost 3,000 gp.

Enchanting the sun golem can only be undertaken by a 16th level character with the Craft Magic Arms and Armor and Craft Wondrous Item feats, as well as the ability to cast divine spells. The creator must sacrifice 2,100 xp to the golem's creation. The spells required are geas/quest, limited wish, polymorph any object, heal and gate.

The following spells must be penned into magic scrolls and placed in the golem's body, to be burned when the final binding process occurs: searing light, cure light wounds, color spray, daylight, detect chaos, detect evil, dispel chaos, dispel evil, magic circle against chaos, magic circle against evil, negative energy protection, remove paralysis, raise dead, regenerate, cure serious wounds, healing circle, remove disease. The money and xp expended for these scrolls counts against the final total of xp sacrificed to the golem.