Sinister constructs?

[MintyThe1st]

I want to find some sinister feeling constructs to throw up against my players. If anyone reading this plays magic, picture the Phyrexians pre-Mirrodin. things with lots of blades and spikes and just a downright mean look to them.

Golems of some sort would be perferable, but isn't a requirement. Also, if you want to throw some suitably Phyrexian undead into the mix, go right ahead.

things i already have:

Iron golem
flesh golem
cadaver collector (MM3)
juggernaut (MM2)
half golems

[Vizzerdrix]

Warforged with armor spikes, or animated torture equipment.

[MintyThe1st]

i want to try and avoid the predictable choices of "Warforged X Y and Z"

[Morcleon]

Shadesteel Golems look like dark, skeletal undead, but are still constructs.

[Particle_Man]

A retriever is literally an evil construct that works in the abyss. Has a spider vibe going on.

http://www.d20pfsrd.com/bestiary/monster-listings/constructs/retriever/

[Dagroth]

Clockwork Horrors (MM2)
Rogue Eidolon (MM2) (leftover guardian of a long-dead cult)
Cadaver Collectors (MM3)
Slaugtherstone Eviscerator (MM3)
Slaugtherstone Behemoth (MM3)

Inevitables.

[Segev]

Pathfinder seems to lean towards creepy ones. Here's a lengthy list (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/bestiary/monster-listings/constructs/).

A few choice call-outs:

Animated objects
Straightjacket (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/bestiary/monster-listings/constructs/animated-object/animated-object-medium/animated-straitjacket/)
Manacles (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/bestiary/monster-listings/constructs/animated-object/animated-object-tiny/animated-manacles/)
Waxworks (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/bestiary/monster-listings/constructs/waxwork-human/)
Skinstitch (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/bestiary/monster-listings/constructs/skinstitch/)
Trompe L'oiel (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/bestiary/monster-listings/templates/trompe-l-oeil-cr-1/[/url) are living paintings that can step out and do stuff when you're not looking.

[DrMotives]

Glass Golems are creepy, they're stained glass windows that have the figures step out and attack. I think they may have originally been Ravenloft content before being ported into generic D&D. Hangman golems are made of rope from gallows, that's pretty creepy. Any construct can be made in an artistic style more like whatever you have in mind; see how different clay golems have been depicted depending on the illustrator. Anything from generic, barely humanoid heaps, to Sumerian looking statues, to General Qin's terra cotta warriors.

I'm not familiar with Phyrexia because I don't play MtG, but looking up the artwork, it seems to have a real H.R. Giger feel to it. The Maug from Fiend Folio could be refluffed into a more spiky, Gigeresque race.

[Particle_Man]

Glass Golems are creepy, they're stained glass windows that have the figures step out and attack.

I saw a movie with a scene like that, but it turned out to be a hallucination. Can anyone remember where that scene was from?

Edit: Young Sherlock Holmes (1985)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uOsxXi-tu_U

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

The Effigy Creature template in Complete Arcane can be applied to sinister-looking foes, such as the Kythons in BoVD (use caution, they're severely under-CRed) or Kruthiks in the Miniatures Handbook.

[ksbsnowowl]

Blade Golems from Lord of the Iron Fortress (basically Iron Golems w/o the breath weapon, a Dex of 19, and two arm blade/axe hand attacks that function as Keen Wounding axes).

[Gildedragon]

Well seeing how handedness isn't a thing in DnD...
Still I guess one could use a horde of Crawling Claws (amazingly these aren't undead). These are explicitly sinister constructs. The spell that creates them explicitly calls out for using left hands.


joking aside, kinda surprised nobody's mentioned this one yet: Blood Golems (of Hextor). Armor is super customizeable for them, so you can throw on some armor spikes and whatnots to make it creepier yet (as if a humanoid form made of semicoagulated blood wasn't enough)

Adamantine clockwork horrors feel very phyrexian too as do Retrievers (bonus points for being a demonic construct and looking very buglike)

There's the Dread Guard and Helmed Horror looking more conventional

The necrophidius is straight up creepy (and another i swore was undead)

Slaughterstone Eviscerators are... bugs with knives... so maybe what ya like?

I didn't know if you wanted anything "fleshy" looking... but you do have flesh golems so: Demonflesh golems

In Dragmags:

Relief Golems (Dr 344) are living carvings that move within walls.
Rune Golem (Dr 343) is pretty metal... antlers and wood and bone... so maybe not the phyrexian feel ya want

[unseenmage]

Animated Objects of Hook Horror corpses or other appropriately themed creature's corpse.

Chain Golem

Effigy of an appropriately themed creature.

Minor Servitor is just like Animate Objects but creates a free willed, sentient construct.

Awaken Sand on some Black Sand is undead friendly. And again makes a free willed, sentient construct.

Crawling Claws were already mentioned but bear repeat.
Put them in spiked gauntlets and they're a whole different image.
Use Golem hands for them and the imagery changes again.
Keep in mind there are two versions, the 3.0 version from Monsters of Faerun is individual hands.The 3.5 version from Lost Empires of Faerun is a swarm.

[daremetoidareyo]

Don't forget the most sinister of them all: the calzone golem: https://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd%2Foa%2F20010413a

[The Viscount]

The fang (MMIV) and gloom (MMIII) golems are both pretty menacing. If your PCs are high enough level the Hellfire Engine (FCII) is big, tough, and undeniably evil.

Mindflayers of Thoon have various cool constructs (MMV).

[Coidzor]

You'd need to adjust them for balance reasons, but Clockwork Horrors are basically a space/interdimensional locust plague, but for metal and ore and oil instead of biomatter.

[ShurikVch]

Automaton, Hammerer (Monster Manual II)
Automaton, Pulverizer (Monster Manual II)
Magmacore Golem (Monster Manual V)
Minogon (http://nwn.wikia.com/wiki/Minogon) (Dragon #302) - 11 HD, CR 10 Minotaur-like Construct powered by Fire Elemental
Razor Golem (http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/mm/20030418a)
Shardsoul Slayer (Monster Manual V)
Seven-Headed Juggernaut (Dungeon #124) - every head have different Breath Weapon
Yurushyu's Automaton (Dungeon #138)
Zodar (Fiend Folio)

Iron Golem have many variations, such as:
Lesser Iron Golem (Harvest of Darkness) - 9 HD
Old One Guardian (Dragon #302) - 16 HD CR 14, flame shield and elemental storm every d4 rounds
Siege Golem (Dragon #295) - no Breath Weapon, but Ballista on the back
Feuer (http://archive.wizards.com/dnd/article.asp?x=dnd/mm/mm20010330c)
Terrible Iron Golem (Dungeon #112) - 24 HD CR 16, inbuilt keen +5 weapons (poisonous sword and petrifying whip)
Tod (http://archive.wizards.com/dnd/article.asp?x=dnd/mm/mm20010706a)
Talos, the Triple Iron Golem (Book of Vile Darkness) - 54 HD CR 22

If [epic] stuff is OK, then Anaxim (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/epic/monsters/abomination.htm#anaxim) and Iron Colossus (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/epic/monsters/colossus.htm#)

[Tvtyrant]

Elder Eidolons are like super creepy, cthulian effigies. They are literally hard to hit because of their weird non-euclidean construction, and are designed to be high level monsters.

Sickstone golems are radioactive constructs.

[Gildedragon]

Tod (http://archive.wizards.com/dnd/article.asp?x=dnd/mm/mm20010706a)


and the even lesser known flesh golem Chad
;)

[ExLibrisMortis]

Any construct can be turned into a hivenest monster, becoming host to a swarm. Pick a nice undead swarm (bloodmote cloud?) and go to town. Technicaly, the swarm must be vermin, but screw that.

[Gildedragon]

Any construct can be turned into a hivenest monster, becoming host to a swarm. Pick a nice undead swarm (bloodmote cloud?) and go to town. Technicaly, the swarm must be vermin, but screw that.

Oooh Dread Blossoms.
"The wizard's telekinesis keeps the suit of armor pinned to the ceiling. Suddenly the visor opens and velvety red flower petals, like roses, come tumbling out"

[Dagroth]

and the even lesser known flesh golem Chad
;)

I thought Chad was a paper golem that hung around and caused problems with elections.

[CIDE]

May have been mentioned but the thoon constructs are pretty wicked.