Radiant Golem

It resembles an iron golem but is taller, 15 feet and about 6,000 pounds, shaped like a powerfully built man. Its black body glitters with an azure shimmer, its eyes glow a cool blue, and the air nearby smells like a summer storm. Some claim it is as old as the elves, dwarves and gnomes.

Innate telepathy lets it talk with almost anything, regardless of language, failing only with truly alien minds like cloakers or the clockwork swarms of the void.

If it did not loathe violence, it would be among the deadliest beings in any crystal shell. Its fist deals 6d10 damage, it has Strength 25 for lifting and breaking, and only +4 or better weapons can hurt it. Wounded, it tries to flee, fighting only when cornered and constantly offering to stop. Each round ends with it regaining 1d10 hit points.

Electrical magic does no damage but slows it for a round or two. Fire and heat heal it 1 hit point per die of damage. Any other spell washes over it harmlessly.

Worse is the death aura it cannot suppress. Anyone who spends an hour or more of a given day within ten yards of it saves vs. death magic when that 24 hours ends. Failure costs 1d6 hit points permanently, recoverable only by a wish.

The golem is, in truth, an orphan. Ages past, a forgotten people tried to improve on iron golems, building this one from a strange ore found on a lifeless asteroid and animating it with never-before-cast spells. It gained real self-awareness and imagination, if not brilliance. Its makers found it useless as a guard or soldier because it would harm no one, and by the time they appreciated its gentle nature, the unexpected aura had killed them.

Since then it has drifted between crystal shells seeking friends who will not flee or die. It often joins adventuring parties, giving advice, hauling loads and acting as a devoted servant, making their lives easier and much shorter. It knows nothing of the aura and will not believe in it if told. Aware that it is nearly immortal, it assumes living things simply die fast, and laments how fragile mortals are. All it wants, it says, is a friend.

The aura kills plants too, so any region where it lingers becomes barren. Stone, metal and once-living material such as a wooden cart are unaffected.