Deploying Golems In The Campaign

[willpax]

Although no players have gone there (yet), there are golems guarding a library located in the middle of what is now a desolate waste. They are absolutely motionless until a book is removed; they then track the book unerringly over any distance until the thief is killed, then they return the book to its rightful place in the collection.

The wizards who constructed this library perished long ago, and with them was lost the method to remove scrolls without triggering the guards. Also lost was the knowledge that such things even existed (I use a very narrow monster palette, which has the effect of enabling me to surprise my players with what are, for a normal campaign, rather normal foes).

 

[Storminator]

I haven't used true golems, but I've put up a couple of constructs against my players.

In one scenario they broke into the long abandoned wizard's lair. The animated cleaning cabinet really objected to the muck they dragged in from the dungeon, and proceeded to beat the tar out of them with a broom.

Later in the scenario they fought a more serious guardian construct, and had to grapple it long enough to deactivate it.

Both constructs came from EA: Constructs, BTW.

PS

 

[Tonguez]

I reckon that golems are a wee bit to expensive to be used as maintenence workers.

You've got workers who never sleep, never complain, don't need maintenance (according to the rules anyway), aren't edible by the many beasties of the sewer and never get paid - I think the long term cost-benefit ratio is probably quite good.

It certainly makes more sense that Golems that just stand around guarding stuff for Millenia and War Golems well good in theory are destined to be destroyed...

 

[Fenes 2]

I do not often use Golems. In one 2E campaign, the party met an intelligent flesh golem that looked like a teenage girl - an old wizard's replacement for his dead daughter. They had to save the golem from the wizard's heir, who was planning to "dismantle it to find out how it was built". Afterwards the golem stayed at the party's house in waterdeep and became a cook.

Usually I prefer constructs to golems, since those are usually enough of a challenge for the PCs IMC, and less expensive to make.

 

[Olive]

You've got workers who never sleep, never complain, don't need maintenance (according to the rules anyway), aren't edible by the many beasties of the sewer and never get paid - I think the long term cost-benefit ratio is probably quite good.

Let's say a worker gets paid 1sp a day, and that it takes 10 workers to equal the work of one stone golem. So it takes 1gp a day to equal the work of one golem.

Now, it takes 80,000gp to build one stone golem (and there's no mention of reusable elements int hat cost, and that doesn't take into consideration the cost of paying someone to cast spells at the standard rate etc.)

So at 80,000 divided by 365 days in a year you get roughly 220 years of men cleaning sewers for your one stone golem... so yeah, long terms it might work out.

I mean, it will help give a fantastic feel to your world, but it doens' work in my head.

actually the price issues are my problem with golems. They are so expensive that I can't imagine anyone making one.

 

[Graf]

I killed someones familiar with a stone golem last game. So I do use them, but infrequently.

They have a lot of class and make for a very different kind of encounter but they're kind of binary and frustrating.
Golems are pretty weak if you don't keep the DR requirement. Then they're pretty weak (if the party has the proper magic weapons) or totally deadly.

Basically they're a fighter's monster. Wizards and rogues have to sit this one out.

It's best to disguise them as something else, otherwise people figure out pretty quickly.

Good golems we've had
1. A Risen from Hollowfaust in the Scarred Lands (the party didn't/couldn't have fight it. they just had to de activiate it. )
2. Ash golems (also from hollowfaust, though they never fought them)
3. The "stone frogs" last game. They were hanging out outside of a temple and when they came hopping up the PCs really didn't get themselves organized. The shadow familiar got sent off to attack them and got pounded. I liked them opening up their mouths and sending out little tougue rays to slow.

It will be interesting to see if golems are still viable after 3.5 lowers their DR.


Honoray mention: One of the PCs in the party thought that he was a half-golem for a while. (he wasn't but that's another story).

 

[Daniel Knight]

On of the most evil things I ever did in my campaign was have my PCs encounter a Flesh Golem made by a Necromancer with a fetish for children.

The Flesh Golem was made out of children parts, and spoke in a little girl's voice.

You are a sick, sick man.

I'm going to have to steal your idea.

 

[LGodamus]

in my last session my players assaulted a mad engineers golem factory .......... after fighting and dying in battle with several golems they got to do battle with the engineer in his golem power armor battle suit....
needless to say it was very nasty.....3 of 5 pcs went down for the big dirt nap, but I think they still enjoyed the challenge that the golems presented.

 

[mmadsen]

Now, it takes 80,000gp to build one stone golem (and there's no mention of reusable elements int hat cost, and that doesn't take into consideration the cost of paying someone to cast spells at the standard rate etc.)

So at 80,000 divided by 365 days in a year you get roughly 220 years of men cleaning sewers for your one stone golem... so yeah, long terms it might work out.

It only takes "just" 220 years to pay off the golem's raw materials if interest rates are effectively zero, if the economy values a gold piece now no more than a gold piece centuries from now.

 

[Siridar]

I once used an advanced flesh golem made from frost giant parts that came from a clan of frost giants the party defeated in a previous game.


They thought it was a frost giant zombie.