A golem is an artificial humanoid body which is animated by an elemental spirit and under the control of its creator.

Flesh Golem

The flesh golem stands a head and a half taller than most humans and weighs almost 350 pounds. It is made from a ghoulish collection of stolen human body parts, stitched together to form a single composite human body. Its skin is the sickly green or yellow of partially decayed flesh. A flesh golem smells faintly of freshly dug earth and dead flesh. No natural animal, such as a dog, will willingly track a flesh golem.

It wears whatever clothing its creator desires, usually just a ragged pair of trousers. It has no possessions, and no weapons. The golem can not speak, although it can emit a hoarse roar of sorts. It walks and moves with a stiff jointed gait, as if it is not in complete control over its body parts.

Combat: The lesser golems are mindless in combat. They follow the orders of their master explicitly, and are incapable of any strategy or tactics. They are emotionless in combat, and cannot be easily provoked (unless they have broken control and gone berserk). They will not use weapons for combat, even if ordered to, always preferring to strike with their fists. Flesh golems have a strength of 19 for purposes of lifting, throwing or breaking down doors.

Flesh golems can only be struck by a magical weapon. Fire and cold based spells merely slow them for 2-12 (2d6) rounds. Any electrical attack restores 1 hit point for each die of damage it would normally have done. All other spells are ignored by the creature.

The elemental spirit in a lesser golem is not bound strongly, resulting in a 1% cumulative chance per round of combat, calculated independently for each fight, that it will break free of its master. The flesh golem’s master has a 10% chance per round of regaining control. To do this he must be within 60 feet of the flesh golem, and the creature must be able to see and hear its master. No special spells are required to regain control, its creator just has to talk to it forcefully and persuasively, to convince it to obey.

Habitat/Society: Golems are automatons, artificially created and under the direct control of their creator. They have no society and are not associated with any particular habitat. They are frequently used to guard valuable items or places. A lesser golem can obey simple instructions involving a single, direct action. They make poor servants because each detail of a task must be given as a separate command.

Ecology: Golems are not natural creatures, and play no part in the world’s ecology. They neither eat nor sleep, and “live” until their bodies are destroyed, usually in combat.

Clay Golem

The clay golem is a humanoid body made from clay, and stands about 18 inches taller than a normal man. It weighs around 600 pounds. The features are grossly distorted from the human norm. The chest is overly large, with arms attached by thick knots of muscle at the shoulder. Its arms hang down to its knees, and end in short stubby fingers. It has no neck, and a large head with broad flat features. Its legs are short and bowed, with wide flat feet. A clay golem wears no clothing except for a metal or stiff leather garment around its hips. It smells faintly of clay. The golem can not speak, or make any noise. It walks and moves with a slow and clumsy gait, almost as if it were not in control over its actions.

Combat: Clay golems conform to the strategies listed above for the flesh golem except as noted here. A clay golem has a strength of 20 for the purposes of lifting, throwing or smashing objects. They can only be struck by magical blunt weapons such as hammers or maces. A move earth spell will drive the golem back 120 feet and inflict 3-36 (3d12) points of damage upon it. A disintegrate spell merely slows the golem for 1-6 rounds and causes 1-12 points of damage. An earthquake spell cast directly at a clay golem will stop it from moving that turn and inflict 5-50 (5d10) points of damage. After it has engaged in at least one round of combat, the clay golem can haste itself for 3 rounds. It can only do this once per day. Damage done by the golem can only be cured by a heal spell from a priest of 17th level or greater.

The elemental spirit in a lesser golem is not bound strongly, resulting in a 1% cumulative chance per round of combat, calculated independently for each fight, that it will break free of its master. If a clay golem does manage to break control, it becomes a berserker, attacking everything in sight until it is destroyed. Its first action is to haste itself, if it can. Unlike the flesh golem, there is no chance to regain control of a rampaging clay golem.