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The Wonders of Sneak Attack

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  • FinneousPJFinneousPJ Member Posts: 6,455
    @elminster Isn't that a trivial distinction? What is the difference between skeletal undead and golems made from bones?
  • FardragonFardragon Member Posts: 4,511
    edited December 2014
    You can't turn golems, they aren't affected by mace of disruption, several other things.

    In terms of lore, skeletons are animated by energy drawn from the negative material plane, golems aren't.
    elminsterjackjack
  • FinneousPJFinneousPJ Member Posts: 6,455
    @Fardragon What are golems animated by and why does it make a difference?
  • lroumenlroumen Member Posts: 2,508
    Before you take the discussion too far, let me say that I forgot to add my /joke /sarcasm annotations. ;)
    jackjackelminsterJuliusBorisov
  • FinneousPJFinneousPJ Member Posts: 6,455
    I'm surprised. I definitely would attempt to turn a bone golem.
    jackjackBelgarathMTHJuliusBorisov
  • jackjackjackjack Member Posts: 3,251
    Golems are magical constructs, correct?
    So I guess a Wizard did it.
    BelgarathMTHFinneousPJJuliusBorisov
  • FinneousPJFinneousPJ Member Posts: 6,455
    @jackjack But a wizard also did necromancy...
    jackjackJuliusBorisov
  • WowoWowo Member Posts: 2,064
    Flesh Golems require Animate Dead and golems are generally infused with the spirit of an earth elemental while animate dead spell by definition is infusing corpses with negative energy.
    lunar
  • lunarlunar Member Posts: 3,460
    'Van Richten's Guide to Created' book sheds some light into the dreaded secrets of golems. According to his studies, he believes that the force that animates the golem is not created per se. Rather, it is a pre-existing spirit, drawn into the vessel that is the golem body, and then trapped within it. Such animating forces may be of two varieties:a dark spirit or a stolen life force. Both are horrid in their own way.
    ameliaboggins
  • FardragonFardragon Member Posts: 4,511
    lunar said:

    'Van Richten's Guide to Created' book sheds some light into the dreaded secrets of golems. According to his studies, he believes that the force that animates the golem is not created per se. Rather, it is a pre-existing spirit, drawn into the vessel that is the golem body, and then trapped within it. Such animating forces may be of two varieties:a dark spirit or a stolen life force. Both are horrid in their own way.

    That's specifically for the Ravenloft (gothic horror) campaign setting. It doesn't necessarily apply in the Forgotten Realms.

    You can go back to the inspiration for golems in jewish mythology (speciacally clay golems), or Frankenstein (flesh golems) but DnD generally treats them as magical robots.
  • lunarlunar Member Posts: 3,460
    Fardragon said:

    lunar said:

    'Van Richten's Guide to Created' book sheds some light into the dreaded secrets of golems. According to his studies, he believes that the force that animates the golem is not created per se. Rather, it is a pre-existing spirit, drawn into the vessel that is the golem body, and then trapped within it. Such animating forces may be of two varieties:a dark spirit or a stolen life force. Both are horrid in their own way.

    That's specifically for the Ravenloft (gothic horror) campaign setting. It doesn't necessarily apply in the Forgotten Realms.

    You can go back to the inspiration for golems in jewish mythology (speciacally clay golems), or Frankenstein (flesh golems) but DnD generally treats them as magical robots.
    Right. In any case, whether being a magical robot or animated by powers truly alien and unknown to humankind, they are very different than humanoid, living beings. They are not undead, either. Thus it makes sense that they are immune to many things that hamper the living and the undead. 3e simplified things by calling them 'constructs' and giving them a wider set of pre-determined immunities and resistances.

  • DarkcloudDarkcloud Member Posts: 302
    Undead are dead beeings brought back to life. Golems are inanimate things brought to life. With bone Golems the inanimate object just happens to be bones.
    ShikaoFardragon
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