Golems come in all shapes and sizes, and certainly aren't necessarily the lumbering, magic-proof behemoths originally described by Gary Gygax. These days, there are all sorts of options for materials and construction, and even for options as player characters.
Eberron campaign setting introduced the concept of Warforged, a race of demi-golem constructs who have personality (sources seem to vary on where they got those, exactly) and autonomy, having been "freed" after the Last War. They're designed as a playable character race, which means they're easy (ish) to use, and relatively balanced, with a few different options for customization. They can be relatively easily reflavoured if you want them to be closer to 'true' golems, as well. How you can use Golems in your game: - Much like in Terry Pratchett's Discworld books, golems may in fact be somewhat common as domestic or industrial servants. Your Player Characters might be invested in their freedom, or in getting use out of them. - Reflavouring Warforged into steam-powered or clockwork constructs could make them more appetizing for players who would like less "potato shaped" golem races, and they may be very finely-worked depending on their position. A gold-plated Bard golem might go by the name 'Musicbox', while a duelist might have velvet-layered portions and ridiculous flourishes built in, and a soldier might be wrought of darkened iron with intimidating smoke flues built into the back. - This can be easily used for a slightly more steampunk game, even if you still want to mix in some magic. Golems themselves may take on more elaborate aspects of technology or construction, varying from the simple "slabs of stone/clay assembled together and given a shem". Perhaps they house elemental crystals as their hearts, or brains? Perhaps they include a humanoid's soul essence, and might remember some of their old life? Also posted on Game Masters Stash on 9 January 2019. Comments are closed.
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