Level 11: #71
Chapter: Level 11 — Castle Life
Rusty & Co.
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Aw, shells.
Classically, golems can also be stopped by removing the shem that holds the power that animates them. Usually this is a slip of paper, parchment, or a small fired-clay tablet placed in the brow of the golem, inscribed with the Hebrew word for “truth”. Removing or striking one letter from this word turns it into the word for “death” and prevents the golem from reanimating if the shem is reinserted.
If one can break the enchantments that bind a golem’s animating spirit to its body, the spirit will bail to the elemental planes at the first opportunity. The process of exiting the body is usually destructive, but not always. A disjunction spell would do it, provided the golem fails its will save. Dispel magic might work. Golems are immune to any spell that allows spell resistance in 3.5, but Dispel Magic and Disjunction don’t allow spell resistance, so they go through. In later editions, golems lose their spell immunity entirely.
Destroying the animating spirit without damaging the body will also render a golem inert.
You can tell Presti isn’t a conjurer.
Presti is a fine conjurer. We’ve just witnessed her conjuring a house rule.
I don’t think disjunction would stop a golem, once animated a golem is classified as a creature and not a magical item, and I don’t recall any specific clause stating it can be disenchanted.
If the golem does have magic immunity, it’d also be very difficult to stop without killing it. But I believe there are a few spells specifically designed to fight golems. Now if you want to kill the golem without physically destroying it, you’d need something that isn’t subject to spell resistance that doesn’t deal physical damage. There are some spells like that, but probably more common are supernatural abilities, which are generally not subject to spell resistance.
A beholder’s eye rays, for instance, are supernatural abilities and thus not subject to spell resistance; a beholder could use its inflict moderate wounds eye ray to deal non-physical damage to a golem. A character with the Dweomerkeeper prestige class could also put any spell they can cast through supernatural transformation, thus making them able to affect golems. An effective option, then, would be to cast a maximized shivering touch, dealing a flat 18 points of dexterity damage. Once the golem is reduced to 0 dexterity, it is paralyzed and therefore immobile.
Edit: Not sure this would work come to think of it, cause I think things with a – constitution are immune to ability damage in general, but I can’t recall that for sure. General principle applies though, there’s probably *something* that could be put through supernatural spell that would stop it without physically destroying it.
Still, given that they very likely do not have any weird options available to them, it’s reasonable enough to shorthand that by saying that the only way to stop a golem is to destroy it, since going into a spiel about dweomerkeepers and supernatural abilities and such is a bit time-consuming for the situation they’re currently in.
The only way they currently have at their disposal (as far as she knows at the moment) to stop a golem is to destroy it.
Constructs specifically are immune to ability damage.
Are these golems proper constructs, though? I mean, they check all the boxes, but they were animated by a bit of magic dust. It usually takes a lot more than that to make a proper golem.
Maybe they are easier to stop than a golem made the ‘proper’ way?
All creatures have types. Can you suggest another type that might work for this one?
I’d suggest an elemental.
An extraplanar creature native to the Inner Planes? I guess they could try to find someone who speaks Terran.
I suppose it would also depend on if this is a standard stone golem that was animated out of the castle, as well. Whatever this is may be operating under some house rules, or something else entirely. Or maybe something our of an obscure sourcebook.
Still, if it is a stone golem, there would need to be a wizard or sorcerer of at least 14th level to make it, or a cleric with a domain that gives the slow spell. A cleric would need to be at least 15th level, or 14th if they have the magic domain for antimagic field.
So who could have animated it that we haven’t seen? Calamitus comes to mind, though as a Sorcerer he’d need to have the appropriate spells.
Is Grawlf a cleric? We haven’t seen him cast any spells.
That is of course, if this is a normal stone golem, though looking at the srd description, it definitely could be.
This is why it is important to know whether you are in a D&D universe or a folkloric one. Even before which edition.
Why do I get the feeling that Presti is going to “stone to flesh” the whole castle?
I hope not. Would YOU want to live in a castle made of living flesh?
“Stone to flesh” allows spell resistance, so a golem would be immune. Perhaps they could use “transmutate rock to mud” to collapse portions of the structure. Or enhance the she-jelly inside the castle so that SHE controls her shell like a puppet.
If this is castle golem is in fact a colossal stone golem of some variety, then transmute rock to mud will merely function like a slow spell; it’s a special condition of a stone golem’s spell immunity.
Fun fact, if it is a colossal stone golem, then in order to create and animate it, they would need a wizard or sorcerer of at least 14th level, or a 15th level cleric with slow as one of their domain spells. (Or 14th level with the magic domain to get antimagic field in a lower level spellslot.)
Hrm, wonder who that could be,… Calamitus comes to mind, but he’s a sorcerer, so would need the right spell selections.
If only Cube had a sacred sword, he could just look for the glowing symbols to stab.
Then the Viscount would have gone for a different plan. He’s prudent enough to avoid known powers.
Except he’s planning for cube to win, that’s why he sent along the fungicide. Cube’ll still have to win by some other means though, because he’s lacking in the sacred sword department.
Anyone else here recall Viscount’s instructions to Malevolus to return with the fungicide and give it to Cube to get back into the “folksy good graces of the graceful good folk”?
Yeah, probably because the Viscount doesn’t consider the Creminions to be allies, just convenient “enemies of my enemies*” to be allowed to cause some havoc until they are no longer a useful pawn in his schemes.
Maxim 29 of the The Seventy Maxims of Maximally Effective Mercenaries: The enemy of my enemy is my enemy’s enemy. No more. No less
The use of the word “shell” to describe the castle makes me think of hermit crabs.
Hermit ooze?