Unwept, unhonour'd, and unsung [Creature, MitP]

[Thistle]

Not quite sure of challange rating. I'm guessing around CR 18 right now.

Sarmess picked the lock to the adamantine door as best she could. But the Builders had made the lock out of a less pure alloy, and the several thousand years of neglect had taken its toll. She swore loudly in abyssal, making her companion jump. Sarmess sighed.
“I’m telling you Henbeth there is nothing to worry about. In a place like this even everything is too old to be a nuisance. If it weren’t for the fact that gold doesn’t corrode we wouldn’t even be here. The wards couldn’t stop a halfing child, the traps are rusted shut, and the guardians have left or died.”
“It’s the ones that don’t die that worry me.” said Henbeth.

Forgotten Golem
Large Construct
Hit Dice: 40d10+30 (250)
Initiative: +5
Speed: 40
Armor Class: 35
Base Attack/Grapple: 30
Attack: Slam +44 (6d8+14 plus Aging Touch) crit 19-20 x2
Full Attack: 2 Slams (6d8+14 plus Aging Touch)
Space/Reach: 10 ft./10 ft.
Special Attacks: Aging Touch
Special Qualities: Construct traits, Damage Reduction 10/adamantine and bludgeoning, Darkvision 60ft, Immunity to Magic, Outside of Time, Return to Dust, Return from Dust, Low-light Vision
Saves: Fort +13, Ref +14 Will +12
Abilities: Str 38, Dex 13, Con –, Int 15, Wis 8, Cha 7
Skills: Disable Device 27, Intimidate 41, Knowledge(Arcana) 22, Knowledge(Architecture) 22, Knowledge(History) 22, Use Magic Device 41
Feats: Power Attack, Cleave, Great Cleave, Weapon Focus (Slam), Dodge, Mobility, Spring Attack, Improved Critical (Slam), Improved Initiative, Combat Reflexes, Combat Expertise, Whirlwind Attack, Ability Focus (Aging Touch), Improved Natural Attack
Environment: Any
Organization: Solitary, gang (2-3
Challenge Rating: 18?
Treasure: None
Alignment: Always Neutral
Advancement: –
Level Adjustment: –

The heap of ruble shifts as you approach. Pulverized rock, rusted shards, and dust swirl and compress together to form an tall elongated humanoid. Splinters of mirror and crystal gleam as hard but intelligent eyes.


None know the origins of these creatures. Some believe they were built in their current form, in anticipation for when other guardians of powerful treasures would fail. Others say it is a natural progression in a golems “growth” as it ages, as the simple programming and commands “evolve” into intelligence. A few say it is a constructs version of undeath, when the golem should be destroyed by time but the bound spells and elements don’t release their hold.
Whatever the case, whenever they are encountered it is normally at sites so ancient even the gods have forgotten they exist. Others have gained enough free will to leave the charges of their guardianship.
Though they speak three distinct languages no one has been able to translate them. It is unsure whether they understand any modern form of speech, though they have been known to react violently to any that speak Aboleth. A forgotten golems stand 10ft high and weighs 1000 pounds.

Combat
The likehood of a forgotten golem attacking seems to from golem to golem. Some will allow a group to loot its ruins with seeming indifference, others will atack any who come within a mile of their sites. It should be noted that those that choose to defend their treasures tend not to object to using those very artifact themselves.

Immunity to Magic(Ex): A forgotten golem is immune to any spell or spell-like ability that allows spell resistance. In addition, certain spells and effects function differently against the creature, as noted below.
A slow spell deals 1d6 damage per caster level (max 20d6) to the golem (save for half).
A haste spell heals 1d6 damage per caster level (max 20d6) to the golem (save for half).
A time stop spell caste within 400ft fully heals the golem.

Outside of Time (Ex): A forgotten golem matches whatever time frame best suits its needs. If a haste, time stop spell, or time hop power is caste within 400ft of the golem it can match the accelerated speed. The golem then acts as if under the effect of the spell until it expires. A forgotten golem can choose not to be included in a spells effect. Unlike the caster a time golem may enter an antimagic field while under the effect of time stop.
A golem can freely interact with creatures no matter what time frame they are in. For example a forgotten golem can move and harm items and creatures while under the effect of time stop. It may harm a creature in temporal stasis or coated in quintessence. If a forgotten golem scrapes off quintessence it automatically makes the percentage to keep the quintessence from evaporating. It may still attack a character using the time hop power as if it were still in the place it was before the power was manifested.

Aging Touch (Su): Anything a forgotten golems touches rapidly ages and crumbles into dust. This has the effect of a constant rusting grasp spell that also effects wood, stone and any metal. The forgotten golems caster level is 20. A magic item hit by a forgotten golem must make a fort save DC 10 or lose its enchantments as the magic within unravels. If a creature is hit it must make a Fort save DC 30 or age ten years. Whether a creature makes its save or not it is treated as hasted for ten rounds (the golem’s Outside of Time trait applies to this haste effect). A forgotten golem may suppress this ability at will. Any aging can only be reversed by a miracle or wish spell at a rate of 20 years per casting. The save DCs are Charisma-based.

Return to Dust (Ex): A forgotten golem can collapse into a heap a will. While in this state it gets a +10 to hide checks, is undetectable by any form of divination, is incapable of being damaged, it cannot attack, and heals 2 HP per day. The forgotten golem remains aware of its surroundings at all times. It can reassemble itself taking two full round actions that provoke attacks of oprtunity.

Return from Dust (Ex): A forgotten golem cannot be truly destroyed. If reduced to 0 HP it crumbles to dust. Over the course of a year a new construct forms in the place the forgotten golem originally came from (often a buried tomb, sunken city, or desolate desert where nothing remains of a grand city that had stood there thousands of years ago).

[Lord Iames Osari]

NICE!

Just, y'know, fix the boldface tags.

[Loren_and_Kivsith]

I like the concept. I had never really thought about what happens to golems after they were past their usefulness. I do have one nitpick.

Outside of Time (Ex): A forgotten golem matches whatever time frame best suits its needs. If a haste, time stop spell, or time hop power is caste within 400ft of the golem it can match the accelerated speed. The golem then acts as if under the effect of the spell until it expires. A forgotten golem can choose not to be included in a spells effect. Unlike the caster a time golem may enter an antimagic field while under the effect of time stop.
A golem can freely interact with creatures no matter what time frame they are in. For example a forgotten golem can move and harm items and creatures while under the effect of time stop. It may harm a creature in temporal stasis. It may still attack a character using the time hop power as if it were still in the place it was before the power was manifested.

You should state in the last line that it can still attack for one round after a character uses a time hop power; the way you've worded it, it could theoretically go on attacking empty space indefinitely, and keep hitting the character.

Other than that, I like it. CR 18 seems about right, as far as I can tell.

[martyboy74]

You may want to tell if it does something special around quintessence, that's some wierd stuff there.

[Thistle]

Just, y'know, fix the boldface tags.

Fixed it.

You should state in the last line that it can still attack for one round after a character uses a time hop power; the way you've worded it, it could theoretically go on attacking empty space indefinitely, and keep hitting the character.

I phrased it so it could do just that. They can always make a Wisdom check to get out early.

You may want to tell if it does something special around quintessence, that's some wierd stuff there.

Added some quintessence text.

[ExHunterEmerald]

Me likey. I'd vote on MitP if I had the slightest clue about making the cut...

[Thistle]

What's MitP?

[Fax Celestis]

What's MitP?

Lookit the MitP in my sig.

[I_Got_This_Name]

Might want to reconfigure its save DCs. Typically they are 10 + 1/2 hit dice + an ability modifier (usually Cha for magic, Con for biological effects like breath weapons and poison, and Str for brute force, but probably not Cha for this thing) + a racial modifier (usually 0); the last two are noted (which ability is used, and how big of a racial bonus or penalty, if any).

Also, you might want to mention counters to Aging Touch. All magical aging I add (see my Xig-Yu and vote for it) can have 1 year removed by Limited Wish, or all of it removed by a Wish or Miracle. You might want to do something similar.

Fix that up, and you've got an MitP: Yes.

[Fizban]

Is this updated from a couple days ago? I seem to remember a forgotten something. Anyway.

Excellent. Great high level golem with fun abilities. I've always liked time creatures/spells/etc.

[Thistle]

Increased the DCs a bit to use that formula. Never have been able to figure how to set DCs aside from winging it, so thanks for that tip.
Added a caster level for rusting graps effect.
Added a wish/miracle reverse effect for aging.