Manual of Golems

This appears as a typical magical tome, perhaps even a spell book. It allows the possessor to construct a golem.

A golem manual contains information, spells, and magical power that assist a spell caster to craft a specific type of golem. Each tome allows the creation of only one golem. The tome primarily benefits casters too low level to construct a particular golem and/or those having trouble finding experts to fabricate it's physical shell.

Time and materials cost for golem construction are the same whether the manual of golems is used or not. Once the Golem Construction Ritual is complete, the manual is consumed in a magical fire and the ashes must be sprinkled over the golem's shell to animate it.

• Golem Created. See Vile Monsters, Golem for the different types of golems.

• Required Class. Only magic-users or clerics can create the golems as listed. See also Dangers below.

• Spells Contained. Each tome has the equivalent of spell scrolls integrated within it's pages. When used as part of the Golem Construction Ritual, the possessor automatically succeeds any caster level checks for spell casting. However, a spell caster can choose to cast a spell from the manual for another purpose. If this is done, the manual can never be used to create a golem, but the rest of the spells can be accessed as if spell scrolls. Unlike casting from a spell scroll, the caster must use a complex activity to retrieve and open the book to the correct page before casting the spell (but during casting, there is no delay).

• Time. This is the time to construct the golem. The manual will allow the possessor to perform all tasks necessary for the construction assuming materials are on hand. This includes all fabrication tasks (expertise is magically granted during the construction time). During the listed time, the spell caster cannot be interrupted as each day is full of preparatory tasks and any meanful delay (per the GM) forfeits the entire project.

• Cost. These are material costs to contruct the particular golem. See Vile Monsters, Golem for details on the Golem Construction Rituals.

• XP/GP. Experience is only granted for this item when the golem is actually constructed. If the manual is only harvested for scrolls, the GM will only award XP as per spell scrolls.

DANGERS

If any who open the book is not a magic-user or cleric, they will suffer 6d6 psychic damage (no save) and will drop the book (which falls closed). The one blasted will not know what happened and cannot remember any contents. If a magic-user opens a manual of clay golems, they will be permanently energy drained of 1 level (no save) and blasted as per above. If a cleric opens any manual other than a manual of clay golems, they will be permanently energy drained of 1 level (no save) and blasted as per above. A cleric not of Lawful Good alignment opening a manual of clay golems is not blasted, but will know that they cannot utilize the tome unless they change alignment.

LIMITATIONS

• For each class level under 10th, the spell caster has a cumulative 10% chance of failure once the construction ritual is complete (the golem literally falls apart once it attempts to animate).

MAGICAL BOOKS, MANUALS, OR TOMES

• All detect as magical with a strong aura of alteration.

• A successful identify spell (or the bard ability) can be used to understand the general nature of the work without opening or reading the book: It is meant for a particular class (ex. mages, priests, etc.) or it affects a reader's ability scores (but not the exact score). Wish-type magic will also give the same information with automatic chances for success. In any case, alignment considerations cannot be determined. A legend lore effect is ineffective when used to determine the powers of non-unique magical tomes. All other methods to divine the contents of a magical book, manual, or tome will fail. If two wish-type magic effects are used in succession, a book's exact contents will be revealed.

• The writing in these items can be read by any creature that speaks a language (regardless of the specific language or the creature's ability to read).

• If designed for a particular class, a multi- or dual- class character is treated as if having the class granting the most beneficial result possible (from their existing set of classes).