Tomb Warden

Dormant, a tomb warden is a beautifully carved high-relief frieze of armed, armored dwarves on a seamless stone wall. Kin to stone golems, it is made by dwarf priests to guard places they have no other way to protect. When trespassers enter, the figures come to life.

Each figure fills about 5 square feet of wall, and most wardens have four or more, all one unbroken carving. Every figure has its own hit points and fights on its own. When animated it bulges out in three dimensions but keeps at least half its bulk sunk in the stone, parts emerging and sinking back as it turns, and it can reach about 5 feet. A destroyed section regrows in a month as long as the heart survives.

Somewhere inside lies a crystal heart with 25 hit points per original section, so four sections means a 100-hit-point heart. Reaching it means tunneling through rock or using magic to expose it. Disturbed, it sprouts four 5-foot stone tentacles that each strike once a round for 2d8. Destroy it and every section goes still within 3d6 turns.

The warden sees through all magical defenses, including invisibility, displacement, stoneskin and protective items. Enchanted armor and shields count as plain ones, so plate mail +3 with a shield +4 still means AC 2 plus Dexterity, and anyone relying on a protection ring or defensive bracers stands at AC 10.

It can be hurt only by picks, mattocks, or type B (blunt) weapons enchanted to at least +1, and few spells matter. For 1d4 rounds after stone to flesh, the heart or one section can be harmed by normal weapons. Within its area, transmute mud to rock restores every section, heart included, to full. Disintegrate deals 1d12 to a section and shuts it down for 1d6 rounds, or 2d12 to the heart with no other effect. Passwall opens a gap, though nearby figures can attack anyone stepping in, and if cast in the right spot it exposes the heart. Meld into stone lets the caster enter the warded wall.

Tomb wardens exist only in dwarf-built underground halls, usually guarding narrow passages that intruders cannot easily dodge. Mute, they still follow simple orders with conditions, such as attacking every orc plus anyone who fails to give the password.

They never eat, sleep, breathe or breed. The maker must be a lawful good dwarf priest of 12th level or higher, with one assistant priest of 7th level or better per section. The work takes two months and 65,000 gp of materials, plus a month and 10,000 gp for each section, and all priests must help shape the heart and carve the figures. Finally they pray for direct divine help, which their god grants only if they truly have no practical alternative way to guard the place. Under optional quest spell rules, this favor may be treated as a quest spell.