Helper Golem
Golems
"You saw that I was unformed, as a golem"
Psalm 139:16
Created from Raw Materials. The Hebrew word "golem" in Hebrew refers to a rough humanoid form made from clay, rock, or other raw material. When Adam is created by God in the Genesis story, he is first created as a golem (when God forms his body from dust), and then brought to his full human by the breath of divine creation. The power to create a life is one that resides with God alone, but this has not stopped many clerics and mages from trying over the years.
Animated Constructs. There is no record of when the ritual was discovered, or who discovered it, but legend tells that certain mages and artificers developed a way to animate mounds of clay, giving them a spark of life that allowed them to perform simple tasks. These animated constructs were named "Golems," and the ritual of their creation is jealously guarded by those who have knowledge of it.
The ritual takes a full hour to perform, during which time the mage shapes clay, dirt, rock, or other raw material into the rough form of a massive humanoid. The ritual is completed when the mage etches the Hebrew letter aleph "א" into the forehead of the golem, imbuing it with a semblance of life force. Because the letter aleph is pronounced by exhaling, the letter is itself a reflection of the action God took in breathing life into the world. Furthermore, the aleph is one of the letters used in the name that God revealed to Moses in the burning bush, so this letter has important spiritual and even magical significance. However, because this ritual is worked by human hands and not by God's, a Golem is not truly alive. Golems are constructs that are knit together and animated by the magic of the spellcaster that created them, and have no will or mind of their own.
Mindless Servants. A Golem is neither good nor evil, as it serves as a tool of its creator. Whether this tool is used to help or hurt people is left to the will of the creator. A Golem is usually designed for one specific purpose, and it serves in this purpose to the best of its ability. It obeys all commands given to it by its creator without question, and does not stop until its instructions have been completed. However, without a mind of its own, a Golem follows commands to the letter, and is incapable of interpreting the intentions of its creator. For example, a Golem ordered not to allow "anyone" to enter a wizard's laboratory will block entry to even the wizard himself. A Golem ordered to "pick up supplies from the market" may travel to the market and lift the requested supplies into the air, but is unlikely to return home, since this was not part of its instructions. Thus, many mages consider Golems to be more trouble than they are worth as practical servants.
General Features. A Golem cannot speak, and would have nothing to say if it could. Most Golems are extremely unformed in appearance, lacking any discernible decor, personality, or even facial features. Because the ritual to create a Golem must be repeated every 24 hours to sustain its existence, few mages take the time to make them look particularly comely. The one feature that all Golems share is the "א" carved into their forehead. This is the most crucial part of the ritual to create a Golem, and it is in this symbol that a Golem's spark of life resides. If this symbol is crossed out, smudged, or otherwise destroyed, a Golem is instantly reduced to 0 hit points, collapsing to the floor as a shapeless pile of raw material. Hiding, covering, or altering the symbol with illusory magic has no physical effect on the Golem, which continues to function as normal.
Helper Golem
Large Construct, Lawful Neutral
Armor Class 12
Hit Points 105
Speed 25 ft.
| STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 (+5) | 10 (+0) | 20 (+5) | 4 (-3) | 10 (+0) | 8 (-1) |
Skills Athletics +8
Damage Immunities Poison, Psychic
Condition Immunities Charmed, Exhaustion, Frightened, Poisoned
Senses Darkvision 60 ft., Passive Perception 13
Languages Understands the language of its creator, but cannot speak.
Challenge 4 (1,100 XP)
Features
Shem. If the symbol on the Golem's forehead is crossed out, damaged, or destroyed, the Golem is immediately reduced to 0 hit points.
Powerful Build. The Golem counts as one size larger when determining its carrying capacity and the weight it can push, pull, or lift.
Innate Spellcasting. The Golem can innately cast the following spells, requiring no material components.
1/Day Each: Floating Disk, Spider Climb (Self Only)
Actions
Fist. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 16 (2d10 + 5) bludgeoning damage and the target is grappled (escape DC 16). Until the grapple ends, the target is restrained. The Golem has two hands, each of which can grapple one target.
Bible5e custom monster. Its specific traits supplement the current rules. See Using Bible5e Monsters.