The Book Golem

This is a custom monster written for the story created on Episode 1 of Filling in the Gaps feel free to use it to add some life (or death) to your game night, and make sure to check on the channel on itunes, google play, youtube, and soundcloud!

This will hurt a lot more than a paper cut

“The books lying at your feet move of their own accord. Books stack, and interweave with each other, organized by some unforseen force. As the stack of books grows larger and larger they began to form a humaniod shape. Elongated arms stretch out of the creatures torso, and a long neck ends in a mammoth encyclopedia. The book snaps open and pages crumple together, forming a porcelin doll like face. The golem steps forward, its neck twisting allowing the doll like face to stare at you, and as it does the still doll like face disapears as the pages of the enclopedia flutter until it is replaced by a face stuck in a silent, angry, scream.”

Brawn and Brain

Most golem's are known for the sheer brawn, standing as undamagable guardians for palaces or wizard towers. But what happens when a wizard creates a golem out of his growing collection of spell books?

The Book Golem stands as tall as its couterparts, but sacrifices a portion of its brawn for the utility of spells. Each time the Book Golem casts a spell, the books along its arms rearrange, open and close, and sometimes unleash a blast of pages upon its enemies. As the Book Golem's pages open and wrap around its victums, powerful magics are released, effecting the victums minds.

Below you will find a base Book Golem, as well as an illusion and conjuration magic variant. Adding a variant onto the Book Golem will increase it's difficulty, and all three can create a challening encounter.

Book Golem

Large construct, unaligned

  • Armor Class 14
  • Hit Points 133
  • Speed 30ft.
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
17 (+3) 8 (-2) 12 (+1) 18 (+4) 14 (+2) 12 (+1)
  • Damage Vulnerabilties fire
  • Damage Resistances poison, psychic; bludgeoning and piercing
  • Condition Immunities charmed, exaustion, frightened, paralyzed, petrified, poisoned
  • Senses darkvision 60ft, passive Perception 12
  • Languages understands the language of its creator and can communicate with it telepatically. Knows one additional language for every 100 extra gp its creator spends during creation.
  • Challenge 5 (1,800 XP)

Spellcasting The Book Golem is a 3rd level spellcaster. Its spellcasting ability is Intelligence (spell DC 14, +6 to hit will spell attacks). The Book Golem has the following wizard spells prepared.

Cantrips (at will) Chill touch, mending, message 1st Level (4 slots) Color spray, expeditious retreat, hideous laughter, shield 2nd Level (2 slots) Mirror image, gust of wind 3rd Level (2 slot) Hypnotic pattern

Immutable Form. The Book Golem is immune to any spell or effect that would alter its form

Magic Resistance. The Book Golem has advantage on saving throws agaisnt spells and other magical effects.

Magic Weapons. The Book Golem's weapon attacks count as magical.

Actions

Brain and Brawn. The Book Golem can make one slam attack and cast one spell, or can make two slam attacks.

Slam. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5ft., one target. Hit 10 (2d6 + 4)

Conjuration Variant

This Book Golem specializes in magically separating itself to overwelm its foes. Pages fly becoming razor sharp insects, piles of books fall off and reform into additional entities; this golem can quickly turn a 1v4 encounter into an even fight if players arent careful.

This variation gains these additional spells and abilities (and is able to use them) and is considered a challenge rating 7 (2,900)

Lifeshare. Each time the Book Golem uses a spell or ability marked with LR it deals itself 8 damage.

Split As a reaction, and after an attack has been declared, the Book Golem may add 5 to its AC. If the attack made agaisnt the Book Golem does not excede its AC by 5, or misses, the book Golem spilts into two seperate Book Golem. The HP for each Book Golem can be decided by the DM, but the new Book Golem's HP has to be at least 45% of the origanl's HP. The copies share spell slots, but may each hold their own concertration spells, and make spell saves, DC's, and other checks separatly. A Book Golem must have more than 50 HP to use this ability

Spellcasting The Book Golem is a 3rd level spellcaster. Its spellcasting ability is Intelligence (spell DC 16, +6 to hit will spell attacks). The Book Golem has the following wizard spells prepared.

1st Level (4 slots) Color spray, expeditious retreat, hideous laughter, shield

2nd Level (3 slots) Mirror image, gust of wind

3rd Level (3 slots) Hypnotic pattern, fear

4th Level (2 slots) Black tentacles, phantasmal killer (LR)

5th Level (2 slots) Insect plague (LR), Animate objects (LR), this spell can only create objects up to medium in size)



Credit: Nicholas Galanin

Credit: https://mistermuck.deviantart.com/

Illusion Variant

This Book Golem specializes in manipulating the minds of those who face it. Pages fly from its arms and chest, surrounding its victims in a fluttering illusion zone. Many face their worst fears, or find themselves lost in old memories or stories from ages ago.

This variation gains the following spells and abilities (and is able to use them) and is considered a challenge rating 7 (2,900)

Page Sphere (Recharge 6) The Book Golem creates a whirlwind of pages and scrolls in a 20 foot diameter sphere. Other creaures in the sphere have disadvantage on INT and WIS saving throws, and take 1d4+4 (6) psychic damage on the end of each of their turns while they remain in the sphere. Creatures outside the sphere have no line of sight with creatures inside the sphere, and cannot enter the sphere unless they first make an attack agaisnt it dealing at least 6 damage, or any amount of fire damage. The sphere dissipates after 3 rounds, after the sphere takes 40 damage, or after the Golem takes 40 damage. While in the sphere, the Golem also regains 2d6+3(9) at the end of each of its turns and has an additional 4 AC.

Spellcasting The Book Golem is a 3rd level spellcaster. Its spellcasting ability is Intelligence (spell DC 16, +6 to hit will spell attacks). The Book Golem has the following wizard spells prepared.

1st Level (4 slots) Color spray, expeditious retreat, hideous laughter, shield

2nd Level (3 slots) Mirror image, gust of wind, levitate

3rd Level (3 slots) Hypnotic pattern, fear, slow,

4th Level (2 slots) Black tentacles, phantasmal killer

5th Level (1 slots) Dominte Person, telekinesis

Victory!

Small arcane explosions errupt along the limbs and chest of the Book Golem. Its neck rears back as the its face flutters between differnt pained expressions. It snaps forward, running towards (player) in one last defiant attack, but its legs, and arms lose their shape, and its momentum carries the mountain of books forward, collapsing infront of (player) at the center of the pile, one last book flutters through pages, until finally slamming shut.


To reward your players for defeating the Book Golem you may award a wizard a spell tome with some or all of the Book Golem's spells, or you may reward your players with 1 book from the following list for each player.

Each is a one time use book, and falls apart in the players hands after being used.

Looted Tomes
Title Effect
Detect Life for Dummies A player can detect a being up to 5 miles away. They do not know their direct location but general direction
10 Habits for Highly Effective Evil Spirits The player can move through other creatures and objects as if they were difficult terrain for 3 days. They takes 5 (1d10) force damage if they end their turn inside an object
The Power of Positive Spellcasting Refills all creatures spell slots within a 10 ft radius.
War and Peace .. and other things The player may read from the text to reach inside the book and retrieve a the weapon they read about. (You as the DM can set in place the correct strength weapons)
The Awesome Tome of Golems Gives you the instructions on how to build a Book Golem.