Thassaloss

A thassaloss is a golemlike, four-armed construct of fused bone made by the senior priests of a cruel demigod. Their rites char the bones black, and sickly green light glows in the empty eye sockets. Greater and lesser forms look almost identical and share most defenses, but only the greater has any spark of thought. Either may carry weapons instead of using its talons, the lesser more often, and the lesser is usually a little smaller.

The greater form is semi-sentient: it never forms goals of its own, but it follows orders with flexibility and some cunning and can improvise solutions (use its Intelligence score for such problems). Emotionless, it fights with talons or weapons and obeys detailed instructions about when to withdraw, return, pursue or hold. It counts as Strength 18/76 for lifting, throwing and battering down doors or barriers.

Once per round, on top of its melee attacks, it can turn its gaze on one foe within 10 yards; a failed save vs. spell leaves the target feebleminded, as the spell with normal modifiers, for 2d10 turns. It sensibly aims this at spellcasters and leaves a feebleminded victim for later while handling more urgent threats.

Illusions, mind-affecting magic such as charm, hypnotism and magic jar, and hold and sleep spells all fail against it. Poison, paralysis and gas do nothing. Cold deals half damage, or a quarter on a save, and every edged weapon except hewing weapons such as axes deals half damage. Behead it, with a vorpal sword for instance, and it loses its gaze and drops to 0 Intelligence, yet still fights on as a mindless machine.

The lesser form wields two weapons alongside its talons or four in their place. Its gaze paralyzes one target within 10 yards for 2d4 rounds unless the victim saves vs. spell. Mindless, it strikes randomly among nearby foes unless commanded otherwise. It shares all the greater form's defenses and counts as Strength 17 for lifting, bending bars and the like.

Neither form has a society or habitat; both are tools of their makers. The priests set them over treasures and unholy sites, send them raiding into foreign lands, especially a vast border forest, and parade them through conquered towns to terrify the people into submission. A greater thassaloss can make limited choices while carrying out orders, yet unlike many golems it can never escape its creator's control, so it is a more dependable servant. Lesser ones guard less important places and treasures.

A thassaloss has no part in any natural order. It needs neither food nor sleep and keeps going until destroyed, usually in battle.