Sand Golem
Construct · no Crown (Mundane)
T3d8Minor
Desert dune shapers, sand golems bury foes in avalanches, winds reforming their grains.
Tier 3 · Role Minor · Pool Vigor 3 (+3 overflow) · AC 11 · ATK +4 · Save DC 15 · Dmg 3 (flat)
| Stat | Score | Mod | Die |
|---|---|---|---|
| Body | 18 | - | - |
| Mind | 4 | - | - |
| Sense | 16 | - | - |
| Heart | 12 | - | - |
| Cunning | 6 | - | - |
| Fate | 12 | - | - |
A Minor has no attribute mechanics: the scores describe the creature, they do not roll.
Passives
Sand Form
Resistant to slashing and piercing damage from nonmagical weapons; blades pass through loose sand. It seeps through gaps an inch wide, and while motionless it is indistinguishable from a dune. A bucket of water thrown on it deals 1 damage and clots its grains for 1 round (it cannot use Sand Shift or seep through gaps).
Mindless Construct
Immune to poison, charm, and fear. It does not flee at 0 Vigor and fights until destroyed.
Maneuvers
Sand Burial
One creature within 10 ft standing on sand or loose earth makes a Body save (DC 15) or is dragged waist-deep (restrained, Body check to escape) and takes 1 Vigor damage as the ground grinds shut around it.
Reactions
Sand Shift
When hit by a melee attack, the golem flows 5 ft in any direction without provoking reactions.
Tactics
GM tactics
Ambushes from desert terrain where it is indistinguishable from the landscape. Uses Sand Burial to immobilize melee fighters and Sand Shift to slip away when cornered. Water is its greatest weakness-prepared adventurers bring waterskins.
Running it
Rules
- Vigor equal to Tier, with an overflow of the same size behind it: 3, then 3 more. Neither half regenerates.
- A hit deals a flat 3, no roll. A crit (natural 20 only) rolls d8 and never lands below 3.
- Crits on a natural 20 only.
- Minor: no stat modifiers or dice in play; its scores describe the creature, they do not roll.
- At 0 Vigor it breaks and flees, out of the fight but alive; Fanatics fight on into the overflow instead.
- Total damage reaching 6 kills it outright, and a single blow of 6 or more kills it on the spot.
- Vigor damage is simply damage against a Minor: its whole pool is Vigor.
- Two attacks in a normal turn: Tier 3+ Minors get a second.
- Group morale: when its group loses half its number, fled or dead, the rest check morale.
- NPCs never take wounds.