Golem, Plague
From Monsterbook
This creature is humanoid in shape and reeks of decay. A closer look shows that it appears to be stitched together from pieces of leather into the semblance of humanity. Where some of the stitches have come apart, rotted pieces of flesh threaten to spill out.
PLAGUE GOLEM (CR 5)
- Always E Medium construct (undead)
- Init +0; Senses darkvision; Listen +0, Spot +7
- Languages: none
- AC 12, touch 10, flat-footed 12
- (+2 natural)
- hp 25 (4 HD); DR 10/magic
- Immune: construct immunities
- Resist cold 10, electricity 10; SR 22 (limited, see below)
- Fort +1, Ref +1, Will +1
- Weakness: spell vulnerabilities, vulnerability to turning
- Speed 30 ft.
- Melee 2 fists +5 (1d4+2)
- Space 5 ft.; Reach 5 ft.
- Base Atk +3; Grp +5
- Special Actions breath attack
- Abilities Str 15, Dex 11, Con --, Int 1, Wis 11, Cha 1
- SQ construct traits, pestilence, stench
- Feats toughness, weapon focus (slam)
- Skills Spot 7(+7)
- Advancement 5-7 HD (Medium), 8-16 HD (Large)
Spell Vulnerabilities (Su): The plague golem has a high spell resistance for its CR, but it is vulnerable to some spells that its SR is not effective against. A remove disease spell or effect will suppress the plague golem's breath attack, DR, and SR for 1d4+1 rounds. A slow poison neutralize poison spell or effect causes the golem to act as if confused for a number of rounds equal to the spell caster. The golem gets no saving throw against these effects.
A contagion spell cast against the golem will heal 2d10 points of damage. This spell also bypasses SR automatically.
Vulnerability to Turning (Ex): Because of the necromantic energies used to create a plague golem, it can be affected by a cleric's successful turn or rebuke attempt. A successful turn check will cause a plague golem to be dazed for one round.
Pestilence (Su): A plague golem contaminates crops, food, and water merely by passing within 10 feet of it. Living creatures that consume contaminated food are at risk of contracting whatever disease is attuned to the golem. The typical plague golem carries slimy doom (save DC 14, 1 day incubation period, 1d4 Con damage; see DMG p.292)
Breath Attack (Su): Every 1d4 rounds a plague golem can spew a 30-foot cone of vapor that spreads its disease. Any living creature in the area must make a Fortitude save (DC based on disease type) or immediately suffer the effects of the disease as if the incubation period has passed.
Stench (Su): Any breathing creature within 10 feet of a plague golem must make a Fortitude save (DC 12) or become nauseated. The affected creature can make a new saving throw each round to overcome the nausea. Once the creature saves successfully against the stench, they are immune to the plague golem's stench ability for 24 hours. The save DC is Constitution-based.
A plague golem is a harbinger of pestilence created by arcane magic. The body is a man-made leather skin stuffed with diseased body parts and animated with necromancy.
Strategies and Tactics
A plague golem relies on its spell resistance, damage reduction, and stench ability to protect it from harm.
A plague golem will charge directly into combat, using its breath attack on the first round of combat, then flailing away with its fists against anything that opposes it. It continues to attack until its foes are destroyed, then will continue on with the last command it received.
Adventure Hooks
Villagers have been turning ill recently. The only unusual occurance lately has been a stranger in tattered rags that has been walking along the outlying farms late at night.
A strange man has opened up an apothecary shop in the city. Many of his patients are riddled with disease and later turn up missing. It turns out that he has been intentionally exposing people to disease and abducting them in order to harvest parts for his plague golem.
A drow cabal of necromancers has created a cadre of plague golems and is preparing to unleash them against the surface world as a doomsday weapon against the nation of elves.
Construction
A plague golem's skin must be sewn from leather or a similar material. From a distance, the plague golem can pass for human. The Spot check to identify it as a leather construct is equal to the Craft (leatherworking) check made to initially craft the golem. The innards of a plague golem are diseased body parts that are carefully harvested from still-living beings, requiring a Heal check (DC 20). The specific disease that a plague golem carries depends on the disease infecting his "donors." In addition, a plague golem can be keyed to have its disease only affect one particular race, but to do this all the body parts composing its body must be from the target race. This makes a plague golem an ideal instrument of genocide.
CL 9th; Craft Construct (see MM, page 303), animate dead, contagion, permanency, cater must be at least 9th level; Price 15,000 gp; Cost 7500 gp and 600 xp.
Plague Golem Lore
Knowledge (Arcana)
DC 14: This creature is constructed of harvested body parts bound in a leather skin
DC 15: This result reveals all construct traits
DC 19: This construct spreads disease to anything nearby and its breath can infect a victim with the advanced stages of a disease
DC 24: Although not undead, necromantic energies give it life, so clerics can affect it by channeling divine energy
