Golem (5e Race)

## **Golem**

*"The more rigid its physical form, the less likely the golem is to lose its sense of purpose. The clay ones can be a bit twitchy."*

*-Words of warning in the Manual of Golems*

### Elemental Spirit in Material Form

The construction of a golem begins with the building of its body, requiring great command of the craft of sculpting, stonecutting, ironworking, or surgery. Sometimes a goIem's creator is the master of the art, but often the individual who desires a golem must enlist master artisans to do the work. After constructing the body from clay, flesh, iron, or stone, the golem's creator infuses it with a spirit from the Elemental Plane of Earth. This tiny spark of life has no memory, personality, or history. It is simply the impetus to move and obey. This process binds the spirit to the artificial body and subjects it to the will of the golem's creator.

### Ageless Guardians

 Golems can guard sacred sites, tombs, and treasure vaults long after the deaths of their creators, carrying out their appointed tasks for all eternity while brushing off physical damage and ignoring all but the most potent spells. A golems can be created with a special amulet or other item that allows the possessor of the item to control the golem. Golems whose creators are long dead can thus be harnessed to serve a new master.

### Freed Slaves

However, while most bound golems last until the golem is destroyed, some golems are created with free will, or the magic used to create it was not powerful enough to keep it enslaved for all of its existence. These golems become free, and most, due to their lives existing almost exclusively of violence, become adventurers, mercenaries, and other similar jobs. Some of them still possess mannerisms of obedience, while others prefer to forget all about their previous lives and become chaotic by choice.

### Golem Names

Golems are almost never named by their masters, so when they are freed, names are a strange concept to them. Most of them base their names on jobs that they had, either for their previous master or that they currently hold, while some may choose to take their master's name on as their own.

### Golem Traits

Your golem character has the following racial traits.

slam. You learn to deliver a devastating strike when you take the attack action you can make a slam attack +proficiency bonus+Constitution to hit 2D6+strength bludgeoning damage

***Ability Score Increase.*** Your Strength score increases by 1.

***Age.*** Golems are created mature, and do not age.

***Alignment.*** Golems are all created to serve, and even those who have gained freedom typically go towards lawful alignments.

***Size.*** Aside from flesh golems, which are roughly the same size and weight as humans, most golems are taller and weigh three to four times as much as humans. Your size is Medium.

***Speed.*** Your base walking speed is 30 feet.

***Living Construct.*** Even though you were constructed, you are a living creature. You are immune to disease. You do not need to eat or breathe, but you can ingest food and drink if you wish. Instead of sleeping, you enter an inactive state for 4 hours each day. You do not dream in this state; you are fully aware of your surroundings and notice approaching enemies and other events as normal.

***Darkvision.*** Your sight was enchanted to let you see in the dark corridors of your former master. You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can’t discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.

***Immutable Form.*** You have advantage on saving throws against effects that would alter your form.

***Languages.*** You can speak, read, and write Common, and one language of your choice. The other language is typically the language of your master.

***Subrace.*** Golems exist in four varieties; clay golems, flesh golems, iron golems, and stone golems.

### **Subraces**

#### **Clay Golems**

The least solid of the four golems, clay golems are often formed because they are cheap, durable, and only take about a month to complete. Priests of faith often bind divine power into clay golems, to create holy guardians.

***Ability Score Increase.*** Your Wisdom score increases by 2.

***Acid Resistance.*** You have resistance to acid damage.

***Holy Conduit.*** You know the *sacred flame* cantrip. When you reach 3rd level, you can cast the *cure wounds* spell as a 2nd-level spell once with this trait and regain the ability to do so when you finish a long rest. When you reach 5th level, you can cast the *spiritual weapon* spell once with this trait and regain the ability to do so when you finish a long rest. Wisdom is your spellcasting ability for these spells.

#### **Flesh Golems**

Favored more so by necromancers than by the typical artisans that create golems, flesh golems are constructed out of a multitude of corpses instead of the typical minerals used to craft golems. The elemental spirit bound inside flesh golems is the most willing to escape, causing them to go berserk from time to time.

***Ability Score Increase.*** Your Constitution score increases by 2.

***Lightning Resistance.*** You have resistance to lightning damage.

***Berserk.*** When you make your first attack on your turn, you can decide to attack recklessly. Doing so gives you advantage on melee weapon attack rolls during this turn, but attack rolls against you have advantage until your next turn.

#### **Iron Golems**

Out of the four kinds of golems, iron golems are both the most expensive and most powerful of them all. Their metallic bodies are amazingly expensive, and it takes up to three months just to create one, but they are almost unstoppable war-machines.

***Ability Score Increase.*** Your Strength score increases by an additional 2.

***Fire Resistance.*** You have resistance to fire damage.

***War Machine.*** You have proficiency with two martial weapons of your choice.

***Born to Destroy.*** You have poison breath, you can use it you expel a 15' cone of toxic gas. Targets make a DC 15 Con saving throw on a fail they take 4d6 poison damage and half on a success. This recharges on a 6.

#### **Stone Golems**

The most respected of the four golems, stone golems are usually chiseled to resemble impressive giant statues. Though most bear humanoid features, stone golems can be carved in any form the sculptor can imagine. Ancient stone golems found in sealed tombs or flanking the gates of lost cities sometimes take the forms of giant beasts.

***Ability Score Increase.*** Your Dexterity score increases by 2.

***Natural Armor.*** While not wearing armor, your armor class equals 13 + your Dexterity modifier. You can equip a shield and still gain this benefit.

***Ancient Defensive Stance.*** As a bonus action, while you have one hand free, you can choose to enter a defensive stance that is centuries old. You add your proficiency bonus to your armor class until the start of your next turn. After using this trait, you must take a short or long rest before doing so again.

**Detect Balance Score**

**Base Race: 15**

**Clay Golems: 32**

**Flesh & Iron Golems: 28**

**Stone Golems: 29**