GOLEM

Golems are magically created monsters. There are four different sorts, and each will be detailed separately. All but the flesh golem are created from earthen components. The former is created from the remains of humans.

The creation of a golem involves ultra-powerful spells and elemental forces.

Magical creatures with hit dice equal to or greater than those of the golem are able to attack with effect. 

For purposes of determination of hit dice, figure 4.5 hit points per hit die, and points being rounded up. Thus a flesh golem has 9 dice, a clay golem 11, a stone golem 14, and an iron golem 18.

Once per day the golem can be hasted for three melee rounds after engaging in at least one round of combat. During this period it strikes twice per round. (If out of control, the golem will immediately haste itself if it has not previously done so.) Attacks by a clay golem are based on 11 hit dice.

Damage inflicted upon living matter by a clay golem is only repairable by means of a healing spell from a cleric of 17th or greater level.

Polyhedron #14; Dispel Confusion, p.8: ADQ: The Monster Manual states that damage on living matter from a clay golem can only be cured by a healing spell from a 17th or higher level cleric. Does this mean that only the clerical Heal spell can be used to cure this?

ADA: All healing spells from a 17th or higher level cleric will work here. Scroll spells from a 17th or higher level cleric won't be effective in the healing process.

Polyhedron #14; Dispel Confusion, p.8: ADQ: Will a Raise Dead work on a character killed by a clay golem?

ADA: In this instance, yes. The Raise Dead process is much like the normal healing process. A character would get one point a day in healing normally (even from clay golem damage), so bringing a character completely back to life would work and not be contingent on the cleric being 17th level or higher.

Clay golems can be struck only by blunt magical weapons such as hammers or maces. Other weapons do not affect it. 

Spells do not affect it, except as follows: 

— move earth will drive the golem back 12" and inflicts 3-36 hit points of damage, 

— disintegrate will slow the golem 50% and inflicts 1-12 hit points of damage, and 

— an earthquake cast directly at a clay golem will stop it from moving that turn and inflict 5-50 hit points of damage.

Once created the clay golem is under the command of the cleric who created it. Each melee round the clay golem is in combat there is a 1% cumulative chance that it will be imbued with a Chaotic Evil spirit. If this happens, the clay golem immediately passes from the control of the cleric and attacks any living thing, moving to the closest one to attack, and proceeding on to the next after killing it. This behavior will continue until the golem is destroyed, for control can never be regained.

A clay golem can be created by a Lawful Good cleric of 17th or higher level (unless a magical tome is used, in which case a lower level cleric can create one). It requires a resurrection spell, an animate objects spell, a commune spell, a prayer spell, and a bless spell. The cleric must first fashion a man-shaped clay statue, and once this is sculpted the cleric must go through an uninterrupted ritual using the spells delineated. Materials to do the spell require an outlay of 20,000 gold pieces. Vestments for the ritual cost another 30,000 gold pieces, minimum.

The flesh golem is very powerful and able to smash through doors and wooden structures of normal construction. For example, a flesh golem would break through an oaken door with iron reinforcing bands and hinges, in 5-8 melee rounds. It does 1 point of structural damage to wooden constructions only every 3 melee rounds.

Normal weapons do not harm flesh golems, but magical weapons have normal effect. 

Spells of most sorts have no effect on such monsters, but fire or cold based spells (such as wall of fire, fireball, ice storm, etc.) slow the golem by 50% for 2-12 melee rounds. 

Electrical attacks restore damage to the golem in direct relation to the number of dice of damage normally done, i.e. a 6 die lightning bolt restores 6 hit points of damage which the golem might have sustained.

However, for each turn of melee a flesh golem engages in there is a 1% per melee round cumulative chance it will go berserk, attacking at random anything in sight. The monster's master has a 10% per melee round chance of regaining control of the golem.

The creator of the flesh golem controls the monster, being able to have it follow simple commands (go ahead, stop, kill, etc.). The master of the golem can have it suspend its functioning until a set event takes place (such as someone entering its room).

A flesh golem can be created by means of a magical tome or by a high-level magic-user employing a wish spell, a polymorph any object, a geas, a protection from normal missiles and a strength spell. The latter case demands a level of magic-use of at least the 14th. The cost in materials is 1,000 gold pieces per hit point of the golem. It requires 1 month to fashion the creature.

In addition to striking, an iron golem will breathe out a cloud of poisonous gas, 1" x 1" x 1", directly before it, once every 7 melee rounds.

The strength of an iron golem is three times greater than that of a flesh golem. An iron golem can do 1 point of structural damage per melee round.

An iron golem can be struck only by magical weapons of +3 or greater enchantment. Normal and magical weapons under +3 do no damage.

The only magical attacks which affect the iron golem are electrical, such as a lightning bolt, which slows the monster 50% for 3 melee rounds. 

Magical fire attacks repair damage on a 1 hit point for 1 hit point basis. 

Iron golems are subject to attack from the rust monsters.

The golem created always remains under the control of the magic-user who created it. It can obey any simple commands. It will stand, non-functioning, as a guard until some event takes place, i.e. until a door is opened, a book read, etc.

Construction of an iron golem, bipedal and manlike, requires a magical tome or a magic-user of 18th or higher level employing the following spells: wish, polymorph any object, geas, and cloudkill. The cost in materials is 1,000 gold pieces per hit point, and it requires 3 months construction time.

In addition to its normal attack, the stone golem is able to cast a slow spell on any opponent within 1" of its front facing every other melee round.

The Strength of a stone golem is twice that of a flesh golem. It does 1 point of structural damage every other melee round.

Once created the stone golem can be controlled by its creator, and it will understand and obey simple commands, i.e. attack, stop, wait, go, etc. The golem can be made to stand and wait to attack until someone does something to trigger the golem.

Stone golems of man-like shape are constructed by means of a magical tome or a magic-user of 16th or higher level employing the following spells: wish, polymorph any object, geas, and slow. The cost in materials is 1,000 gold pieces per hit point, and it requires 2 months construction time.

The result is a slim, decorative stone pillar about 7' high. A casual glance will reveal nothing more than this decorative piece of stonework which will perhaps stand with an identical partner either side of the entrance into a chamber, chapel or throne-room. Closer inspection will reveal that the column is not, as would be expected, radially symmetrical about its longitudinal axis and has the very slender shape of a human female. Once such detail has been discerned, it will be clear to the observer that one of the 'hands' of the female, held close to her side, carries a slim sword which blends into the rest of the stone so smoothly that it is near-invisible.

Caryatid columns are much like stone golems (see ADVANCED DUNGEONS & DRAGONS MONSTER MANUAL - Golem, Stone) in that they are created by means of a magical tome or by a magic-user of 16th level or higher, who must use the same spells as for the creation of a stone golem; however the cost is slightly higher and the time taken doubles because of the intricacy of the creation.

A caryatid column will always have a specific defensive function (and will never be met as a wandering monster). This might be to guard a treasure chest, to prevent intrusion into a particular area or another similar task. This task will have been set by the creator who, if near at hand when the column animates, will be able to control it with simple verbal commands. More often, though, the creator is absent when the column performs its task, in which case it will follow simple courses of action which have been predetermined by the creator.

The caryatid column will 'activate' as soon as any act is committed which its task specifically prohibits — the approach of a potential thief towards the treasure the column has been set to guard, an intrusion into a 'forbidden' area and so on. When it does animate, the caryatid column takes on a fleshy appearance, it reduces to about 5½-ft height and its form expands slightly so that it now appears as a fair young maiden. The sword, formerly of stone, becomes steel and it is this weapon that the caryatid column will use in melee if necessary, striking as a creature of 5 HD to inflict 2-8 hit points of damage.

However the caryatid column will not necessarily enter into combat; its main task is to guard the treasure, prevent intrusion into a particular area or another similar task and if it can carry out this task without combat it will attempt to do so. Its behaviour will depend a great deal on the circumstances and the instructions given by its creator but it might, for example, attempt to divert the attention of intruding adventurers from the forbidden area and lead them to a place where they will be trapped, attacked by a monster or subjected to spell attack by the creator of the column. If combat is inevitable, however, the caryatid column will initiate it.

Normal weapons inflict only half damage on the creature and magical weapons do full damage but without the magical bonus. 

If a weapon, magical or otherwise, hits the caryatid column, there is a 25% chance (not cumulative) that it will snap, with each 'plus' of a magical weapon reducing that chance by 5% (so a +4 sword would have a 5% chance of snapping); magical weapons with no 'plus' are treated as if +1.

When the caryatid column's task is complete — intruders killed, treasure no longer vulnerable, for example - it will return to its original position and revert to its original stone shape, the sword becoming stone as well. If the column is killed, it returns to stone (as does the sword) on the spot.