Golem II [Lesser]

Each lesser golem is a humanoid shell driven by an elemental spirit and obedient to whoever built it.

The flesh golem is a patchwork of grave-robbed human parts sewn into one body, about half again a man's height and close to 350 pounds. Its hide has the yellow or greenish cast of spoiling meat and smells faintly of corpse and turned soil; dogs and other natural trackers refuse its trail. It carries nothing, wears whatever its maker gives it (often only torn trousers), and lurches on stiff joints. It cannot talk but can let out a rough bellow.

The clay golem is a crude giant of earth about a foot and a half taller than a man and near 600 pounds, with a huge chest, a neckless flat-faced head, knee-length arms ending in stubby fingers, and short bowed legs. Apart from a stiff leather or metal girdle it goes bare, smells of wet clay, and moves slowly, awkwardly and in total silence.

Neither type thinks. They obey literally, never plan or feel, and are hard to goad unless they have broken free. Both fight only with fists, even if ordered to take up weapons.

The flesh golem counts as Strength 19 for lifting, hurling objects or bursting through doors, and only magical weapons can hurt it. Fire or cold magic merely slows it for 2d6 rounds, electricity heals it 1 hit point per die of damage the attack would have inflicted, and every other spell has no effect.

The clay golem counts as Strength 20 for lifting, hurling or smashing, and only magical blunt weapons such as maces or hammers can hurt it. Move earth hurls it back 120 feet and deals 3d12 damage; disintegrate only slows it for 1d6 rounds and deals 1d12; an earthquake aimed straight at it pins it in place for that turn and deals 5d10. After it has fought for a round or more it may speed itself with haste, lasting 3 rounds, once per day. Injuries it inflicts respond to nothing short of heal cast by a priest of at least 17th level.

The spirit inside a lesser golem is loosely bound. In every fight there is a 1% chance per round, cumulative and reckoned separately for each battle, that it slips its master's control. A rogue flesh golem can be reclaimed: its creator has a 10% chance each round if within 60 feet and both visible and audible to it, needing no magic, only a forceful and persuasive voice. A clay golem that breaks free goes berserk for good, hasting itself first if it still can and then smashing everything nearby until it is destroyed. No one can win it back.

Golems are built servants with no society or preferred terrain, and their usual job is guarding a vault, a doorway or a hoard. A lesser golem can follow only one simple, direct instruction at a time, so any task with steps has to be spelled out command by command, which makes them clumsy servants.

These constructs have no place in nature. They need neither food nor rest and keep going until something breaks their bodies, usually in a fight.