Golem, Gold
- Armor Class
- 4 [15] (m)
- Hit Dice
- 13
- Attacks
- Attack (1d6+2)
- Special
- magic weapons to hit, Bestow Curse every 7 rounds, Levitate at will, golem immunities
- Move
- 12
- HDE/XP
- 14/2,600
Description
Gold Golems were originally made by a pharaoh as an ostentatious display of wealth. Although it is powerful in combat, its cost far exceeds its utility, therefore it is quite rare to encounter one. It is always womanly- shaped, wearing the semblance of costly robes (which are part of the golem, and thus made of animated gold). It fights with large golden crooks. In addition to its attack, each gold golem can cast the spell Bestow Curse (usually applying the -4 penalty on attack rolls and saves variant) once every seven rounds. It can also Levitate itself at-will.
A gold golem contains an amount of gold sufficient to mint 80,000 gp.
Golems
Golems are constructs created from non-living matter and animated by magic. They are mindless and immune to sleep, charm, hold, mind reading, telepathy, and other mind-affecting magic.
Golems cannot be harmed by non-magical weapons unless an individual entry says otherwise. A golem may also have material-specific spell interactions, vulnerabilities, or immunities, as described in its entry.
A golem must be given explicit verbal instructions, and the controller must be within 60 feet to command it. If not actively commanded, it follows the last instructions it was given; if attacked, it defends itself but usually does not pursue fleeing attackers. A controller can delegate command, but the creator's commands take precedence.
Once a golem attacks in combat, there is a cumulative 1% chance each round that it becomes berserk. A berserk golem attacks any creature in range, choosing randomly if there are several, and continues seeking new victims if current targets are killed or driven away. The chance resets to 0% only after the golem spends a full round inactive, neither attacking nor being attacked.
The creator may try to calm a berserk golem by spending one round speaking firmly to it and succeeding on a saving throw against magic. If the attempt fails, the golem turns on its creator. If a berserk golem cannot attack anyone for 5 rounds, it becomes inactive again, unless it is pursuing its creator.
Use each individual entry as the source of truth for weapon requirements, spell interactions, material vulnerabilities, breath weapons, grapples, and other exceptions.
See Also
Other creatures in the Golem category: Golem, Amber, Golem, Bone, Golem, Bronze, Golem, Chain, Golem, Clay, Golem, Crystal, Golem, Flesh, Golem, Glass, Golem, Hay, Golem, Household, Golem, Iron, Golem, Lead, Golem, Purifier, Golem, Rope, Golem, Stone, Golem, Straw, Golem, Tin, Golem, Web, Golem, Wood.
Source note: This creature is converted from The Basic Fantasy Field Guide of Creatures Malevolent and Benign – Omnibus Edition, 1st Edition Release 4, © 2010–2025 Chris Gonnerman, R. Kevin Smoot, James Lemon, Matt Sluis, and Contributors. The Basic Fantasy Field Guide textual material is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International; this page adapts that creature to White Box.