Wretched Creations
Rules for Flesh Golem Player Characters

"And do you dream?" said the demon. "Do you think that I was then dead to agony and remorse? … A frightful selfishness hurried me on, while my heart was poisoned with remorse. Think you that the groans of Clerval were music to my ears? My heart was fashioned to be susceptible of love and sympathy, and when wrenched by misery to vice and hatred, it did not endure the violence of the change without torture such as you cannot even imagine."

—Mary Shelley, Frankenstein

Introduction

In Van Richten's Guide to the Created, Ravenloft DM's were presented with the mechanics for transferring the mind of a PC into the body of a golem. In those rules, the golem's physical form provides obvious benefits, but the subsequent mental and moral deterioration makes such transference an undesirable situation at best. Thus, the mechanic is presented as temporary technique of personal terror, and the PC is expected (if the player wishes to retain his or her character) to be restored to his or her original body eventually.

However, not all golems have their animating life force stolen from living sentient beings. When a golem is created with no such mind transference, Van Richten hypothesizes that the animating force is a kind of vague "evil spirit". Such a spirit is drawn to the lifeless creation by the intense desires and unholy hubris of the creator. Furthermore, such a spirit is, in the words of the good doctor, "utterly devoid of morality, pity, and sheer humanity".

But what if Van Richten was wrong in his assumption? What if the soul that inhabits a newly created golem is something more than a supremely malevolent entity, completely incapable of remorse? In the Requiem rules, the Kargat shattered the notion that the undead are uniformly and irredeemably evil, that they should forever be relegated to the role of villain rather than hero. True, the effects of the Negative Energy Plane corrupt the soul (such as it is) of the undead hero, eroding his or her will over time. Such heroes are supremely tragic figures, and highly appropriate to the gothic horror setting of Ravenloft.

Why, then, must the golem be incapable of nobility? True, the alien soul within a golem's breast pines for carnage and suffering. But if the undead can for a time resist the dark energies within, why not a golem? Could not one of the Created also take up arms against the agents of darkness? Could he not bulwark himself against the rage, confusion, and self-loathing he feels, and refuse to make the mistakes of his creator?

In that spirit, presented here are rules for creating flesh golem PC's in the Ravenloft campaign setting. After a great deal of early development and debate, I decided that these rules should deal only with creations of flesh. Not only are flesh golems the most common variety of Created in the Lands of Mist, but golems from more unusual materials present their own complications that would necessitate another level of complexity to these rules. Furthermore, there is a sense of tragedy and—yes—humanity to a flesh golem that is not as easily captured by, say, a mechanical golem.

Credit Where Credit Is Due

Obviously, the immediate inspiration for these rules is Requiem: The Grim Harvest and Van Richten's Guide to the Created. Much of the material presented below—including the alignment grid and the proficiency-based abilities—are taken directly from the Requiem rules. No less important are the excellent systems for lycanthrope ("Beasts at Heart") and broken one ("The Making of Men") PC's developed by John W. Mangrum for the Book of Souls Netbook. Furthermore, thanks should go out to my long-suffering players for assistance in playtesting this system.

Flesh Golems in Ravenloft - A Brief Overview

The flesh golems of the Ravenloft setting are quite different from the lumbering automatons encountered in other AD&D worlds. Although Van Richten’s Guide to the Created covers the golems of the Land of Mists in great detail, a quick summary of its main points is in order.

Creation

The Ravenloft flesh golem is not created through the rituals of a spellcaster, but through the mundane (yet unspeakable) pursuits of obsessive men and women. By cobbling together pieces of dead flesh, such individuals hope to create life, to construct a perfect being to their exact specifications. These body parts must come from no less than six individuals. At the minimum, each arm, each leg, the trunk plus head, and the brain must each be procured from a different individual. By utilizing multiple “donors”, the creator ensures that there is a sufficient spark of life to allow for animation, but not enough lingering essence from the previous personalities to prevent it. Furthermore, since the expectations of the creator often demand much from the creation, many more “donors” than six are frequently utilized, and some creators are even known to turn to nonhuman flesh.

The animating force that will be housed in such a monstrous form can come from one of three sources. The first source (and subject of this article) is an inhuman “darkling spirit”, drawn to the fleshy shell by the psychic energy of the creator’s obsession. The second is a stolen life force that has been taken from another intelligent being and transferred into the golem’s form. Finally, there is the possibility of brain transplantation, wherein the brain of a living being is actually used in the golem’s construction. The moment when body and spirit are fused requires an intense jolt of energy, and although this energy is often physical—such as a bolt of lightning—animation can also be achieved through the sheer psychic power of the creator’s obsession.

Common Traits

Flesh golems exhibit incredible Strength, Dexterity and Constitution. Contrary to popular belief, their Intelligence is often that of a normal human. However, their Wisdom and Charisma are pitifully low. Golems are free from most biological concerns, including respiration, aging, and susceptibility to disease and poison. Though they must eat, their nutritional requirements are slight. They are immune to any magic that affects the mind, including telepathic powers. A golem does, however, have a constant telepathic bond with its creator, allowing the creature to sense its progenitor’s thoughts. Most golems are highly resistant to physical damage, even from magical weapons and damage-dealing spells. Because of their powerful Constitution, most regenerate to some degree. Furthermore, many of the Created have unique abilities relating to their creation. Most also possess a zeitgeber, a stimulus that produces a programmed response from the golem.

Psychological Development

Most flesh golems go through a well-defined psychological progression following their creation. At first the golem experiences utter dependence on its creator. It trusts its creator implicitly, and the creator helps the golem learn about its new form and the world around it. Eventually, this idyllic situation is replaced by confusion as the golem encounters other intelligent beings and begins to sense that it is somehow different. The creator’s perfect child is revealed to be less than ideal. This confusion escalates into betrayal as the golem learns that it is a powerful being, held in check and manipulated by the creator. As time wears on, the creator is viewed less and less favorably by the golem. Exposed to its creator’s every thought, the golem comes to regard the creator with contempt, and manipulates the madman to torment him. Inevitably, the golem descends into utter hatred for its creator. Such a situation usually ends with the brutal murder of the creator at the hands of his creation.

Character Creation

This system deals with the creation of starting flesh golem characters whose life essence come from a so-called "darkling spirits". As noted earlier, mechanics for transferring existing PC's into golem bodies have been covered in Van Richten's Guide to the Created. Since the rules presented below deal only with flesh golem PC's, "golem" will from hereon be synonymous with "flesh golem". Furthermore, gender-specific ("he" and "she") and neutral ("it") prounouns will be used interchangeably, since a flesh golem's gender is sometimes muddled or completely indistinct.

Ability Scores

One of the more remarkable traits of flesh golems is their above average—and often, super-human—physical prowess. Almost without exception, the Created exhibit astonishing might, agility and stamina. And while many inexperienced hunters might believe otherwise, flesh golems have as much capacity to reason and mental acuity as a normal human. However, they are cursed with childlike simplicity; they have poor judgement and are easily manipulated. Finally, their dark souls, unusual upbringing, and hideous appearance make them social misfits with little capacity to relate to others

To generate a golem hero's ability scores, roll for each trait as shown below:

Character Race

Golem heroes have no race per se. If they can be said to be of any player character race, in the sense that race is a unified set of abilities and culture, golem heroes are of the golem race! Nonetheless, the body parts that compose a golem came from someone. Though the multitudinous origins of most golem parts are strictly human, occasionally a nonhuman piece finds its way into the mix, so to speak. More often than not, this is a deliberate act of the golem's creator in an attempt to imbue his or her creation with a specific feature or ability he or she finds desirable. Golems with such nonhuman parts have abilities and traits that derive from the original owner.

In order to determine if a golem hero has any nonhuman parts, roll on the following tables. For simplicity's sake, this system uses Van Richten's six primary divisions of (1) brain, (2) torso and head, (3-4) two arms, and (5-6) two legs. Typically, flesh golems are not so easily divisible, and the player is free to describe just how such traits were achieved in the golem hero's construction. For instance, elven arms may not necessarily be entire limbs sewn on at the shoulder, but a delicate grafting of elven muscle tissue and tendons on bones taken from several different humans.

The traits listed in the following tables refer to the racial abilities described in Appendix Two of Domains of Dread, while the thieving skill adjustments are self-explanatory.

In addition, there is always a chance that the golem's creator turned to more unusual material than human or demihuman flesh. Every golem hero has a 1% chance of possessing one truly unusual body part. If this is the case, roll on the following table to determine the nature of this part. The result below supersedes any previous results from the tables above.

Character Class

Golem heroes are primarily physical creatures; they are not well-suited to classes that involve intense contemplation or social interaction. Furthermore, though many golems are highly intelligent, the golem's body cannot channel wizardly magic. For these reasons, golem heroes may only be fighters, avengers, thieves or fighter/thieves.

Furthermore, the spiritual battle that golem PC's are constantly waging with themselves precludes the kind of intense focus necessary to quickly advance in a character class. Golem heroes of good alignment require 20% more experience points to advance in level, while neutral golem heroes need 10% more experience.

Alignment and Descent

Although they arrive in the world as innocent as babes, golems soon find that their dark souls drive them to acts of darkness. Though golem heroes may stave off this descent into personal damnation for a time, the decay is as inevitable as the tides. Eventually, the rage and hatred that lurk within will become the hero's master. It is simply a matter of time…

Golem PC's utilize the same "alignment grid" system introduced in Requiem: The Grim Harvest for undead PC's. Starting golem characters should roll one six-sided die and one ten-sided die, and consult the alignment grid below. The dice indicate the row and column of the box to be checked on the grid, respectively. For example, a roll of 3 and 5 would indicate row 3, column 5 (neutral good). Alternately, with the DM's approval, the player may select his or her alignment, placing the check in the center square of the appropriate grid. Of course, no golem PC may begin the game with an evil alignment.

At the conclusion of every adventure, the golem PC's player must check for alignment "descent". He must roll 1d10 and compare the result to the number of the row that he currently has marked on his alignment grid. For the purposes of this roll, a "0" is considered a "10". If that number is equal to or lower than his current position, he adds one to his row number. With this done, he repeats it for his column number. As can be seen, the further the golem plunges into the depths of depravity, the faster the descent.

Golem heroes are also required to check for alignment descent whenever they are called upon to make a powers check. One final note: all golem heroes are assumed to have failed one power check (i.e., they are considered "Unclean").

Common Advantages

Although the existence of a flesh golem is indeed tortured, it also has its advantages. All golem PC's are utterly immune to life-affecting spells and effects, suffocation, disease, and poison. They are also immune to mind-affecting spells and effects, as well as telepathic psionic powers. Attempts to read a golem hero's mind always fail. Note that golems are still subject to fear, horror, and madness checks resulting from mundane situations. In fact, because of their low Wisdom, golem heroes are unusually suceptible to such mental trauma. Finally, like the undead, golem PC's do not age, and suffer no ill effects due to the passage of time.

Though flesh golems require sustenance, it is very limited compared to normal living beings. Once per week, golem heroes must consume an amount of raw meat or carrion about equal to a suckling pig. If they are unable to do so, they lose one point of Constitution per week until the PC consumes enough to make up the cumulative food debt. Lost Constitution points are regained at a rate of one point per day.

Common Disadvantages

Despite their incredible physical prowess and immunities, most flesh golems would give it all up in a second to be free of their less desirable traits.

Perhaps the most obvious handicap possessed by flesh golems is their nightmarish appearance. No matter how pristine a golem hero's appearance, the creature is almost always horrible to behold. Puckered scars criss-cross the golem's skin, stitched with thick black thread. As a being cobbled together from the bodies of others, a flesh golem will always be hounded by its terrifying appearance. A golem hero's meager Charisma score is based entirely on his personal magnetism and social skills, which are very slim. The first impression that many folk receive when encountering a golem for the first time is one of utter shock and horror.

NPC's who first gaze upon a golem's visage must make a reaction roll with a +12 (!) penalty. For this reason, no NPC, no matter how receptive, will ever have a response better than "Cautious" to a golem PC. Furthermore, the DM may even rule that a horror check is appropriate. Alternately, the DM may decide how a given NPC reacts, keeping in mind that the response will never be positive or even neutral. Most NPC's will simply scream and run away as fast as they can. For this reason, most golem PC's always swath themselves in concealing clothing.

Keep in mind that this does not apply to NPC's who have had extended contact with the golem PC. If the PC can win the trust of an NPC before revealing his or her true nature, the reaction roll may be waived, although the NPC will always at least be shocked by the revelation. On the other hand, careful role-playing might even negate a particularly bad reaction roll after some time. For instance, an NPC who is initially hostile to the golem PC might eventually be convinced that the "monster" is both intelligent and peaceful. However, this process will probably take a great deal of time and cautious interaction.

Although a golem hero's companions may find his appearance to be a hindrance, they will inevitably come to fear the creature's uncontrollable rage even more. Certain stimuli can unleash a primal fury in the golem's darkling spirit. To satiate this volcanic rage, a golem PC may even rip his own companions to pieces.

Every time a golem hero is exposed to violence (even if he is not participating), involved in any kind of hostile confrontation (even verbal), or is surprised, the player should roll a six-sided die and consult the following table:

Although the player must act out the required result, he does not relinquish control of his or her character to the DM. The golem hero is still very much himself; he is simply overcome by the violent impulses of his own soul. For this reason, any evil acts committed as a result of the rage roll are still subject to powers checks.

While this rage might be a intrinsic quality of the golem's soul, every golem hero also has a legacy from his creation and upbringing. This legacy is called a zeitgeber (TSIGHT gay-ber). The player must select one stiumlus (a sight, sound, odor, situation, etc.) that triggers a programmed response in the golem. This response varies from individual to individual, and should be related to the golem PC's background. For instance, a golem whose creator took her out to pick wildflowers every day might giggle happily and grasp at invisible butterflies when exposed to the scent of daisies. Regardless, the zeitgeber is always something that removes the golem mentally from his current situation, rendering him unable to take any actions for 1d6 rounds. Most golem heroes are aware of their zeitgeber, and guard it like a vital secret. In the hands of an enemy, a zeitgeber can be a powerful thing indeed.

Proficiencies

The Created have the same capacity to use weapon and nonweapon proficiencies as normal PC's. However, there are two important distinctions to a golem hero's proficiencies. First of all, the golem's "donated" brain retains some lingering memories from its previous life. These manifest as random nonweapon proficiencies that the character automatically possesses at character creation. Secondly, in order to develop their unnatural powers, golem PC's must spend nonweapon proficiency slots.

When created, a golem PC must devote half of his or her starting nonweapon proficiency slots (rounded up, including bonus slots for high Intelligence) to randomly determined proficiencies. The type of proficiencies is partially dependent on the racial origins of the golem's brain. Roll on the following tables until half of the PC's proficiency slots are filled.

Proficiencies that are specialized for specific locales should be linked to the domain where the golem hero was created. Furthermore, because of the natural erosion of mental information during death and decay, these predetermined proficiencies are never pristine in their functioning. All predetermined proficiencies have a -3 penalty applied to them. This penalty may be bought off at character creation (or later) by spending additional slots to re-purchase the proficiency. Since the re-purchased proficiency is built on a pre-existing mental foundation, it gains a permanent +1 bonus. By doing this, the golem essentially attempts to perfect skills he or she only vaguely remembers.

For example, a player rolls up swimming as a predetermined proficiency. After the golem hero has advanced few levels, the player decides that this is a useful enough skill, but not if he has to endure a -3 penalty. Accordingly, the player spends a nonweapon proficiency slot to repurchase the swimming proficiency. His swimming proficiency no longer has the -3 penalty, and in fact now has a permanent +1 bonus.

After half of a starting golem hero's nonweapon proficiencies are predetermined, the player is free to devote the remaining slots however he or she wants. Starting golem PC's may purchase proficiencies from the Common group, the appropriate class group, and the racial group corresponding to the race of his or her creator at normal cost. After character creation, however, they may no longer purchase from any racial group without paying an extra slot. Furthermore, golem heroes may also utilize their nonweapon proficiency slots to purchase supernatural powers.

The available golem powers are summarized on Table 20, and descriptions of each ability follow.

Animate Undead (4 slots): Once per week, the flesh golem may animate undead as the wizard spell of the same name. The golem may animate a number of undead equal to twice its Hit Dice, and the undead are always zombies. The golem is limited to generic empathic commands, such as feelings of rage, and is unable to direct such commands at specific individuals (the undead never attack the golem, however). As normal for Ravenloft, the use of this ability necessitates a powers check.

Attack Resistance (3 slots/plus): This proficiency grants the golem complete resistance to normal physical attacks. For every three slots spent on this proficiency, weapons must have at least +1 enchantment to strike the golem. For instance, by spending six slots on Attack Resistance, the golem may only be struck by +2 weapons or better.

Cause Disease (Varies): Though flesh golems are incapable of being afflicted with disease, some have ability to inflict a plague through their touch. Whenever a golem with this ability makes a successful barehanded attack, there is a chance that the victim will be infected by a disease.

The severity of the disease is dictated by the number of slots allocated to this ability. For one slot, the golem acquires the ability to inflict a debilitating disease. This disease begins to take effect 1d6 turns after the character is infected. At that point, the victim loses 1 point of Strength per hour until he is reduced to a Strength of 2. Victims without Strength ratings lose 10% of their hit points per hour until reduced to 10% of their starting hit point total. At that point, the victim is assumed to be so weak that he is practically helpless.

For three slots, the golem’s attacks inflict a fatal disease. A fatal disease takes effect immediately upon the failing of a saving throw. From that point on, the victim gains no benefit from any of the cure wounds spells (cure disease spells still work, though), the natural remedies of those with the healing proficiency, or any regenerative ability. Any wounds sustained by the infected character heal at 10% of their normal rate. With each day that passes, the character loses 1 point of Constitution until that score reached 0. When that happens, the infection as run its course and the character has died. Creatures without Constitution ratings lose 10% of their maximum hit points per day until all of these are lost.

Cause Despair (2 slots): Three times per day the golem may send out a wave of despair through some eerie action, such as ripping its own flesh or gibbering maniacally. This counts as the golem’s action for that round. Anyone looking at the golem must successfully save vs. death or be overwhelmed with feelings of apathy and despair. Affected individuals can only defend themselves, and may not take any offensive actions or attempt to flee at a rate faster than a slow walk. This effect lasts as long as the golem remains in the victim’s sight.

Climb Walls (2 slots): This proficiency is identical to the thief skill of the same name, save that the character must make a proficiency check to determine success or failure. The adjustments to success presented in Domains of Dread (pg. 268-70) are applied to the check at a rate of +/-1 for every +/-5% adjustment. The racial modifiers from Tables 2-5 above also apply. This ability is only available to non-thief golems.

Damage Immunity (2 slots): This ability is an enhanced version of Damage Resistance (see below) that make the hero utterly immune to one specific form of elemental attack. Examples of possible attack forms include fire, cold, electricity, or acid. Not only is the golem utterly unharmed by such attacks, but any saving throws mandated by the attack are automatically successful.

Damage Resistance (1 slot): Players who select this advantage should select one specific form of elemental attack to which their character is less vulnerable than normal. Examples of possible attack forms include fire, cold, electricity, or acid. Whenever the character is hit by an attack to which he is resistant, he suffers only half damage. In addition, any saving throw that the character is called upon to attempt because of the attack is made with a +4 bonus.

Hideous Laugh (2 slots) Some golems are capable of utterly a horrible laughter that terrifies every creatures that hears it. Upon making a successful proficiency check, the golem character can cause all who hear its laugh to make a successful saving throw vs. death magic with a -2 penalty. Those who fail suffer the effects of a failed fear check (see Domains of Dread pg 141-144). This ability is usable three time per day, and counts as the golem’s action that round.

Hide in Shadows (2 slots): This proficiency is identical to the thief skill of the same name, save that the character must make a proficiency check to determine success or failure. The adjustments to success presented in Domains of Dread (pg. 268-69) are applied to the check at a rate of +/-1 for every +/-5% adjustment. The racial modifiers from Tables 2-5 above also apply. This ability is only available to non-thief golems.

Hyper Regeneration (6 slots): Although many golems are always slowly regenerating on account of high Constitution, this powerful ability allows the golem hero to quickly recover hit points once he has been struck down. When the character is reduced below 0 hit points, he immediately begins regenerating 10 hp per round, until he is fully healed. The hero may rise at any time during this process once his hit points are above 0. However, the golem never regenerates damage done by fire or acid. If a PC has taken more than his full hp completely from fire or acid damage, he is utterly destroyed.

Move Silently (2 slots): This proficiency is identical to the thief skill of the same name, save that the character must make a proficiency check to determine success or failure. The adjustments to success presented in Domains of Dread (pg. 268-69) are applied to the check at a rate of +/-1 for every +/-5% adjustment. The racial modifiers from Tables 2-5 above also apply. This ability is only available to non-thief golems.

Resilient Flesh (2 slots/plus): Many golems seem to shrug off devastating magical attacks like so much water. Not only is their flesh particularly resistant to damage, but their very nature seems to blunt the effects of arcane energies. For every two slots a player devotes to this ability, the golem hero receives a +1 bonus to all saving throws against damage-dealing magic.

Stench of Decay (3 slots): A golem with this ability carries the ripe stench of decay about its body. Anyone—including allies—within ten feet of the hero must make a successful saving throw vs. poison or become utterly overcome by the stench. Affected individuals are unable to take any actions other than retching for 1d4+1 rounds. This save must be made each time an individual comes within range, but once the saving throw is made, the individual may remain unaffected until he leaves the ability’s range.

Weapon Resistance (2 slots): Some golems are less susceptible to attack by specific types of weapons. A player who selects this special ability must specifiy one weapon type-bludgeoning, slashing or piercing-to which her character is partially immune. Whenever the character is attacked with such weapons, she suffers only half damage.

Vulnerabilities

As in the Requiem campaign, golem PC’s may earn extra proficiency slots by selecting vulnerabilities. At character creation, a player may select up to 1d4 vulnerabilities for his or her golem hero. Each vulnerability earns the character one extra nonweapon proficiency slot to spend. Vulnerabilities may not be added after character creation, however.

Allergen: The golem finds a substance of the player’s choice painful to touch. The allergen should be related to the PC’s creation or past. For instance, if the golem’s creator wore a rose in his lapel, the golem might have roses as his or her allergen. The golem might be unable to touch roses, rose oil, and even rosewater. Essentially, the golem has an allergic reaction to the dangerous material. The golem finds the material uncomfortable to the touch, and takes 1 hp of damage per turn spent in direct physical contact with the substance.

Allergen Ward: The PC cannot even stomach the presence of an item of the player’s choice. When the hero is presented with its allergen, it must make a successful Fear check to avoid fleeing the area. Even if the check is successful, the creature is unable to approach within 10’ of the offensive substance.

In some cases, an allergen can be used to create a barrier which the golem cannot cross. In the above example, rose petals could be spread in an unbroken circle to keep out the golem.

Animal Repulsion: Whenever the hero comes within 100’ of an animal, that animal will become nervous and skittish. If possible, the animal will flee from the hero as quickly as it can. If prevented from retreating, the animal will become increasingly more frantic until, when the hero comes within 25’, the animal becomes panicked.

If the animal is prevented from fleeing, its behavior will depend on its nature. Hunters, like dogs, wolves, or great cats, will attack the hero. Less aggressive creatures like horses, cattle, or deer, may injure or even kill themselves in their wild drive to escape.

It is impossible for the hero to mask his true nature, even with the aid of magic. Spells may fool common folk, but the senses of animals are far keener.

Weapon Vulnerability: A weapon or tool selected by the player is capable of harming the golem PC when blessed. This is not a weapon material, but an actual weapon type, such as a sword, pitchfork, or mace. As with allergens, the specific type of weapon should ideally be related to the golem’s history.

Character Background

Perhaps more than the average Ravenloft hero, a golem PC should have a clearly defined background and history. The story of the hero’s creation and trials is an integral part of her identity. It is the hero’s decision, however, whether to embrace that identity or shun it in favor or forging a destiny of her own.

It is not absolutely necessary to develop a background for a golem hero. There is great potential for an amnesiac golem, who knows nothing of where he comes from. An entire campaign can revolve around a PC’s pursuit of his identity and origin. Imagine the emotional power inherent in a scene where the PC, after years of searching, finally throws open the door to a decaying laboratory, his eyes falling upon the stained and charred slab where he first entered the world. However, the DM should be consulted if this is the track a player wishes to take, for although it means interesting story possibilities, it also means more work.

Who was your creator?
The story of the PC’s creator is just as important as the story of the PC herself. The creator’s life is a prelude to the golem’s own, brief existence. The creator’s background should include not only mundane details about his life (such as race, social class, profession, etc.), but also his personality. Not all creators are mad from their humble beginnings, but most are at least a little egocentric.

Why were you created?
In many ways, this question is to a golem what “Who am I?” is a normal person. What was the fundamental emotion that drove the creator to pursue such an unspeakable task as the creation of life? Pride? Hatred? Lonlieness? Desire? Some incomprehensible delusion that demanded it? How did the creator commit such vile acts as grave robbing and desecration? Did he feel remorse for stealing from the dead, did he rationalize it to himself, or was he just an unfeeling monster? Were particular parts chosen for their beauty or abilities? Perhaps the creator wished to bring a loved one back to life, or to create a perfect, amalgam being. Maybe the creator intended to use the golem as an unstoppable weapon, or to raise it lovingly like the child he couldn’t have.

What was your early existence like?
Most golem PC’s will have been “living” for only a year or two. Their early existence with the creator is vital in shaping their perceptions of the world. As the golem learns to adjust to the world, its early memories are filled with a dizzying mixture of happiness and confusion. The world is full of things to explore and experience, yet there are nagging doubts and painful moments. Most creators are loving and attentive to their creations, but maybe your creator was abusive from the outset. Such a PC might be severely scarred from his experiences with his creator, and find himself socially crippled in the extreme.

When did you first realize you were “different”?
Eventually, every golem’s psyche is dealt an irrecoverable blow. There is a moment when the golem truly begins to realize that something is not “right” about its existence. Since the creature has no frame of reference other than its own initially, this usually comes when it first encounters a person other than its creator. Such encounters rarely end well for any of the parties involved. Sometimes, however, the golem figures out on its own that its heritage is not “normal”. Regardless of how it occurred, how did such a pivotal moment come about for your character? How did he react emotionally to such psychological trauma? What were the long-term effects of this event?

What happened to your creator?
In most cases, since golem PC’s do not possess a telepathic link to their creator, it is assumed that the madman is dead. Almost all golem heroes experienced the loss of their creator before they could enter the betrayal stage of psychological development. This is not ironclad, however. Perhaps the golem killed his creator in an unexpected fit of rage (hence the failed power check), but the PC came to regret such an unspeakable act. If the hero did not have a direct hand in the creator’s death, how *did* he pass on? Perhaps he suddenly took ill or perished in an unexpected accident. Was he murdered by someone he wronged, perhaps a “donor’s” loved one? Lynched by irate villagers? Caught and executed for his crimes? In these latter cases, how did the PC escape with his life?

Why did you become an adventurer?
A golem PC’s is an unusual individual, in more ways than one. In the aftermath of their creator’s demise, most golems would either go on a furious rampage of grief, or simply withdraw from the face of the world. Golem heroes are different. Their approach is to make something of their tortured lives, to take up a sword and fight for something. What is it that motivates your PC’s pursuit of adventure? Is it a sense of justice or duty, or perhaps the pursuit of penance for his or her misdeeds? Maybe the golem is more aimless and loss, and is simply looking for a way to fill its existence with something interesting and exciting. Or perhaps he or she is even motivated by greed or thirst for power...

How do you see yourself and others?
Golems have a viewpoint unlike any other creatures in the Land of Mists. In a world of the Born, they are the Created, brought into the world by the whims of a madman. This understandably affects their worldview and their dealings with others. How does your golem hero see his or herself? As a tortured beast seeking only relief from its agony (“We belong dead!”)? A monster trying to fit in? Or maybe something more than human? Furthermore, it is important to clarify how the hero views other intelligent beings. Just because the golem has managed to stave off its descent into evil doesn’t mean that it empathizes strongly with the Born. A golem is still an alien creature, who struggles daily to understand the thoughts and motivations of others. In the golem’s experience, there are three types of people: Itself, the Creator, and Others. The struggle to understand the last type is, in many ways, the most difficult for the PC. Are mortals to be revered, as an ideal to strive for? Pitied? Resented? Feared? Protected?

Tips for DM’s

The DM should not take the presence of a flesh golem PC in his or her campaign lightly. Although golems are powerful creatures, their many disadvantages should deter all but the most twinkie or sophisticated players. The former will min-max their PC into a vampire-shredding juggernaut, brushing off the complaints of outraged companions who have been on the pulping end of the golem’s rages all too often. On the other hand, a mature yet enthusiastic player is the ideal candidate for a golem PC. The player should enjoy the emotional development of their character as much as the statistical development. On the other hand, he or she should be even-handed enough not to demand the constant attention of the story or the DM. Conversely, DM’s shouldn’t give all the interesting plot twists and intense scenes to the golem PC. When there’s a golem in the party, there is a tendency to forget all about the plain old human PC!

No matter what your player’s attitude, it’s important to keep the unique aspects of the golem PC’s existence constantly on his or her mind. This doesn’t require any new rules or ingenious strategies; just some DM savvy and measured application of existing mechanics. There are two simple rules:

Use Ability Checks: The easiest method for emphasizing a PC’s nature is to call for Wisdom and Charisma checks. Although these are only infrequently rolled outside of a proficiency check, for the golem hero they can become a constant source of irritation. Anytime a character attempts to manipulate the hero, a Wisdom check can be appropriate. Another good time to ask for a Wisdom roll is whenever the player asks you a direct question dealing with common sense (“Will I have enough money to…”, “How long will it be before…”, “Is this a good idea?”) Charisma rolls are trickier, but can be called for whenever the PC has to deal with another individual one-on-one, particularly when the interaction is critical to learning something or accomplishing a task. As a point of balance, the DM can waive physical ability checks at certain times. Ask yourself, is there really a need for a Strength roll on the part of a city guard (Strength 14) arm wrestling the PC (Strength 20)?

Isolation, Isolation, Isolation: It’s a tad underhanded and might get exhausting after a while, but constantly remind the player throughout his or her PC’s life that she is hideous, outcast, different, etc. Never slip and allow an NPC to react with anything but suspicion to a golem hero (even if they conceal themselves under clothes and bandages—what would you think of a seven foot tall fellow who looked like a leper?) The painful reminders of the hero’s heritage can never be escaped. Period. Even the most optimistic player can be worn down after countless encounters ending with screams and hurled rocks.

The final caveat is, of course, that the player of a golem PC should never feel like he’s getting away with a good deal. Playing a flesh golem is long on effort and short on benefits. However, this doesn’t preclude that it be rewarding for the player, and fun for everyone in your group.