Bestiary - Thoughts on Constructs Part 2

Metal Constructs

Metal statues that have been animated. Possibly a suit of animated plate armor. They typically have the construction glyphs on the inside. the statues are typically humanoid or beast but the effect is the same as they rarely use weapons and if they do it will be made of the same material as the construct itself.

• Golem, Bronze - Statue made of bronze. Common in classic age societies, often painted. Was brass but why? The Greeks actually made bronze statues and that weathered greening bronze looks really cool.

• Golem, Gold - Statue made of gold. Typically found in tombs and crypts where large amounts of gold won't draw undo attention. Gold is soft as far as metals go so its limbs can be cut off even if the thing is hard to kill. Also gold has a lower melting point that most other metals so gold golems are vulnerable to fire.
• Golem, Iron - Statue made of iron. Iron is expensive and useful for making armor and weapons so statues of iron are rare except to decorate tombs but an iron golem would be very difficult to fight and i can imagine weapons getting blunt and breaking.
• Gorgon - An iron bull is used in many chaos executions. Sacrifices are put inside and a fire is then started beneath. Occasionally this causes the spirit of the dead to possess the bull to prevent it from being dragged into the afterlife. I think the iron bull Gorgon from D&D fits as a construct better than some magical beast roaming the world.
• Serpent, Iron - Statue of a serpent made of iron. Created primarily by snake worshipers and Naga.

Plant/Wood Constructs

Naturally constructs made of wood and plants are very vulnerable to fire. Still they are popular among the Fey and nearly invisible to see in a forest when they are not moving.

• Feyward Tree - A tree occupied by the spirit of an Elf.
• Golem, Wood - A statue carved out of wood, assembled together out of wood pieces, or a dead tree with a spirit inside to animate. This is the kind of thing Druids might make to defend their groves.
• Haunted Construct Scarecrow - Hoping to avoid the afterword occasionally a spirit will possess a person or body, in this case the silly beast animated a scarecrow.
• Serpent - A spirit trapped in a stick. The stick may be carved like a serpent or not but it will act like one and quickly break off any branches that inhibit it's slithering.
• Wyrwood - Tiny wood golem used as a spy or messenger by Elves.

Stone Constructs

Stone Constructs are made of stone, and thus very difficult to damage. They can be made in humanoid or beast shape. They don't use weapons so any damage would be bashing damage. Typically they are statues but not necessarily.

• Golem, Rubble - A pile of flagstones, masonry, bricks, boulders, or even stones animated so as to act as a single golem. Because they are not truly united any piercing or slashing damage just slips between the pieces and any blunt weapon damage is doubled as pieces are knocked clear.
• Golem, Stone - An animated stone statue, usually marble but stone is not unheard of. A statue that looks/acts like a structural column is known as a caryatid column, one dedicated to protecting a city is known as a cephalophore, a gargoyle on a building so animated is known as a gargoyle. Sometimes a stone golem will just be a head animated to watch over a location.

Science Fiction/Steampunk Constructs

• Aballonian - Aballonians are intelligent, self-modifying constructs. I don't know what Aballonian means and it reminds me too much of abalone so the name has to change.
• Brain Cylinder - A brain in a jar. I love brains and/or heads in jars that can communicate to players. The undead version I call a semi-lich.
• Golem, Alchemical - Primitve clockwork.
• Golem, Clockwork Golum - Steam and/or gear powered robots animated by a spirit.
• Octopod Mechanic Drone - Octopus-like repair robot.
• Robot - Not a construct with an animating spirit so much as a robot with artificial intelligence. Robots come in a multitude of sizes and shapes as they are usually created with a specific task in mind. Many are not even humanoid as treads are often more appropriate for certain tasks.

Note - The art above is copyright Stefan Poag. I make no claims to it beyond loving his work and will remove it if asked.