Obsidian Figurine

Built from chips of volcanic glass, an obsidian figurine is usually shaped like a monkey, gorilla or other ape, though a few human forms exist. An untrained eye would call these the crudest of the five figurine types: lumpy, irregular and bristling with sharp edges, they only loosely resemble the animal they copy. Some are given up to 6 needle-like spines that jut from the body. They cannot speak but understand their owner's commands.

An obsidian figurine fights only on command, but once loosed it is surprisingly nasty. Its whirl of cutting blows and kicks deals 1d8 points of damage per round to its chosen target. Owners often smear poison across its edges first; enough can be applied for three rounds of fighting, and each victim must save vs. poison or take double damage.

Each point of damage a spined figurine inflicts carries a 10% chance (not counting the extra from poison) that a spine snaps off inside the wound. The embedded spine is agonizing and costs 1 hit point per round while it stays in, doubled if the golem was poisoned and the victim fails a save. Pulling it free takes a full round of effort from both the victim and a helper, since nobody can extract it alone. A figurine that has lost every spine can never be fitted with new ones.

Weapons below +1 cannot damage it, but any form of magical attack can. Each time a weapon strikes it, a burst of tiny fragments fills a 10-foot radius, and everyone inside must save vs. breath weapon or take 1d2 damage. Magical fire, cold and electricity cause the same splintering burst.

These golems have a basic intelligence but no initiative. They do exactly what they are told, use no tactics their master did not suggest, and fight until destroyed.

This is the cheapest and quickest figurine to build. The maker shapes the body from obsidian chips and fuses them in a forge or kiln, then casts mending, limited wish and enchant an item. The whole job takes only three weeks and 3,000 gold pieces.

Some makers grind and polish the finished figurine smooth, which makes it unusually receptive to magic. A smoothed figurine has no spikes, cannot be poisoned and deals only 1d4 damage per round. In exchange, its master can store inside it any single spell he knows, whatever its type or level; the golem holds it until cast, after which the master must refill it. Loading it takes the same time the master would spend memorizing or praying for that spell.