Converting Monsters from Polyhedron Magazine

Status
Not open for further replies.

log in or register to remove this ad

Shade

Monster Junkie
freyar said:
Dex 15 is good. How about adding "and magic" to the DR?

Done and done.

Updated.

Shadow golems are slightly malevolent in their actions and will seek to twist the meaning of their masters wishes. Therefore, care must be used in giving instructions; simple commands (i.e. stop, go, kill, take, etc.) are far more likely to be carried out without incident than are complex chains of instructions.

Flavor text only or something akin to the berserk ability?
 


Shade

Monster Junkie
CR 13?

Shadow golems can be constructed by illusionists of 14th-level or higher. The process entails the casting of the following spells into an specially-fashioned obsidian statue: continual darkness, summon shadow, shades, and alter reality. Construction of a shadow golem requires two months of time and 60,000 gp.

Construction
A shadow golem’s body is chiseled from a single block of obsidian, weighing at least 3,000 pounds. The stone must be of exceptional quality, and costs 5,000 gp. Assembling the body requires a DC X Craft (sculpting) check or a DC X Craft (stonemasonry) check. (Stone golem DCs are 17, so maybe 19 here?)

CL 14th; Craft Construct, deeper darkness, greater shadow conjuration, limited wish, caster must be at least 14th level; Price 60,000 gp; Cost 32,500 gp + 2,400 XP.

Note: I dropped shades and went with greater shadow conjuration so a 14th-level caster could still craft it.
 


Shade

Monster Junkie
Updated.

All that's left is weight.

A greater stone golem is 18 feet tall and weighs around 22,000 pounds.

These guys are two feet shorter and could weigh less due to the shadowstuff that makes up part of their being.
 

freyar

Extradimensional Explorer
Well, dropping 2 feet would give something like 19,800 lbs, so why don't we drop a bit more and go to 17,000 or 18,000?
 



Shade

Monster Junkie
COPPER GOLEM
FREQUENCY: Very rare
NO. APPEARING: 1
ARMOR CLASS: 7
MOVE: 6"
HIT DICE: 40 hit points
% IN LAIR: Nil
TREASURE TYPE: Nil
NO. OF ATTACKS: 2
DAMAGE/ATTACK: 3-12/3-12
SPECIAL ATTACKS: See below
SPECIAL DEFENSES: See below
MAGIC RESISTANCE: See below
INTELLIGENCE: Semi
ALIGNMENT: Neutral
SIZE: L (7 1/2' tall)
PSIONIC ABILITY: Nil Attack/Defense Modes: Nil
LEVEL/X.P. VALUE: VII/2,380

Copper golems can be created by non-good clerics of 14th-level or higher. The process requires the cleric to spend not less than one month praying and fashioning a figure set in copper, then employ bless (or curse if the caster is evil), chant, resist fire, commune, flame strike, and animate object. The entire process costs at least 50,000 gold pieces for materials alone.

The resulting copper golem appears to have skin of red-hot metal, and eyebrows, beard, and hair of flowing flames.

The copper golem will obey its master so long as the cleric keeps a copper talisman, which was made along with the golem, upon his person. The cleric must display the talisman openly to command the golem.

A copper golem attacks as a 9 hit die monster, inflicting 1/2 damage to fire-using creatures or double damage to cold-using creatures. Only +1 or better weapons can damage copper golems, and all non-fire using creatures within 10' must save vs. spells each round or take 1d8 points of damage from the heat unless magically protected from fire.

Magical cold slows the golem by 50% for 2-12 rounds, and a cloudburst inflicts 10 points of damage to a copper golem. Submersion in water will kill a copper golem in 5 rounds. Copper golems are as strong as flesh golems, and they can be healed by magical fire on a 1 hit point for 1 hit point basis like iron golems.

Originally appeared in Polyhedron #30.
 

Shade

Monster Junkie
Looking at ability scores...

Brass Golem: Str 20, Dex 11, Con --, Int 3, Wis 14, Cha 7
Gold Golem: Str 27, Dex 8, Con --, Int --, Wis 11, Cha 1
Iron Golem: Str 33, Dex 9, Con —, Int —, Wis 11, Cha 1

Maybe between gold and iron?

Str 29, Dex 9?
 

freyar

Extradimensional Explorer
Hmm. This is flavorfully a lot like a shield guardian.

The physical stats sound reasonable, maybe. Is there a reason that the brass is so much weaker, though? Since brass has copper in it, I'd think the brass and copper golems should have similar stats (or maybe I'm being too logical).
 

Shade

Monster Junkie
Yeah, too logical. Different designers, for starters. Perhaps they based it off value of the metal vs. durability? Dunno.
 

Mortis

First Post
freyar said:
I'd think the brass and copper golems should have similar stats (or maybe I'm being too logical).
Not that it means much but the brass and copper dragons have the same scores in their physical abilities across all age categories, the copper dragon has +2 to its mental ability scores over the brass dragon at all age categories.

So to cheat a little ;)
Str 20, Dex 11, Con --, Int 5, Wis 16, Cha 9

Regards
Mortis
 

Shade

Monster Junkie
I just noticed the "are as strong as flesh golems" bit.

Flesh Golem Abilities: Str 21, Dex 9, Con —, Int —, Wis 11, Cha 1

So you're about spot-on. :)

I'd say that gives us our Hit Dice (9).

Semi- Int equates to 2-4, so let's drop the Int to 4 (still better than the brass).
 

freyar

Extradimensional Explorer
2 slams with extra fire damage? (maybe +1d6)

Fiery aura (Su): Copper golems are very hot, so all creatures within 10 ft must make a DC X Fort save each round or take 1d4 hp of damage. The save DC is Strength (?) based.

(I nerfed that a bit, since the greater flame snake, which seems like it should be considerably more challenging, only does 1d6 damage in a 5 ft radius.)

Immunity to Magic (Su): Copper golems are immune to all spells or spell-like abilities that allow spell resistance, except as follows:

A magical attack that deals cold damage slows a copper golem (as the slow spell) for 3 rounds, with no saving throw.

A magical attack that deals fire damage breaks any slow effect on the golem and heals 1 point of damage for each 3 points of damage the attack would otherwise deal. If the amount of healing would cause the golem to exceed its full normal hit points, it gains any excess as temporary hit points. A copper golem gets no saving throw against fire effects.

(Mostly lifted from the iron golem. Didn't know what to do about cloudburst, since it's not in the SRD. Replace with sleet storm or ice storm?)

Vulnerability to Water (Ex): If a copper golem is immersed in water, it loses one fifth of its hit points each round and is destroyed completely on the fifth round.

(Basically lifted from the vampire.)
 

Shade

Monster Junkie
All that looks good.

freyar said:
(Mostly lifted from the iron golem. Didn't know what to do about cloudburst, since it's not in the SRD. Replace with sleet storm or ice storm?)

Let's just go with "spells with the water descriptor", lie we dif for the Tin Man.
 



Shade

Monster Junkie
Shade said:
The copper golem will obey its master so long as the cleric keeps a copper talisman, which was made along with the golem, upon his person. The cleric must display the talisman openly to command the golem.

Modifying from the shield guardian...

When it is fashioned, a copper golem is keyed to a particular magical talisman. Henceforth, it regards the bearer of that talisman to be its master, protecting and following that individual everywhere (unless specifically commanded not to do so). The talisman must be openly displayed to the golem when issuing commands.

A copper golem obeys its master’s verbal commands to the best of its ability, although it is not good for much beyond combat and possibly simple manual labor. It can also be keyed to perform specific tasks at specific times or when certain conditions are met. The bearer of the talisman can call the copper golem from any distance, and it will come as long as it is on the same plane.
 

Status
Not open for further replies.

Epic Threats

An Advertisement

Advertisement4

Top