Today's Monster Monday is the sword golem, a magically animated guardian that is forged, Iron Throne-style, out of thousands of swords. This noisy construct can slice and dice its way through any obstacle, launch individual swords at distant targets, blast groups of enemies with an explosion of blades, and even discorporate and transform its body into a wall of spinning swords. In short, this is a versatile monster that can provide a challenge to seasoned adventuring parties, and which fits in well in nearly any dungeon.
The origins of this monster lie in my childhood. I distinctly recall walking through the neighborhood at night and hearing loud scraping and clanking sounds coming from the neighbor's garage, like someone was shaking a sack full of scissors. Obviously, it was just the neighbor digging through his toolbox or something, but because it was dark out (I lived in a wooded area with no streetlights) and because I was young and easily spooked, I imagined a terrible monster whose body was made out of hundreds of swords and blades, all of them scraping rustily together as it moved. The image stuck with me somehow through the succeeding decades, eventually manifesting itself in this monster.
The following text in gold is available as Open Game Content under the OGL. Open Game Content is ©2017 Jonah Bomgaars.
Showing posts with label golem. Show all posts
Showing posts with label golem. Show all posts
Monday, November 27, 2017
Monday, September 12, 2016
Monster Monday: Leather Golem, the Roguish Construct
At the sound of something expensive shattering against the floor above them, Alonzo set down the dice cup.
"Gods dammit, not again! What kind of damn fool keeps a faerie dragon as a pet?"
"The kind of rich eccentric that pays well for guard duty," Iermo reminded him. "I think it's your turn to check."
"Don't you dare take a single sheqel from the pot," he teased, rising to his feet with visible reluctance. "I know exactly what I've wagered so far."
"I wouldn't dream of it." When Alonzo was halfway up the stairs, Iermo started loudly rummaging through the pile of small coins on the table.
"Ha ha, Mister Funny Man. Be quiet, I'm trying to do our job." Alonzo disappeared up the staircase. There was a jangle of keys, the click of a lock, and the faint creak of the old door, followed immediately by a heavy thud, and then silence.
"Alonzo...?" Iermo was on his feet, hand on his scimitar hilt. He rushed to the base of the stair. Alonzo was at the top, dark blood still burbling from a gash in his neck. Iermo took the stairs two at a time, scimitar held in front of him apotropaically. He grabbed a wyrd-lantern from its peg on the wall, stepped over his fallen comrade, and nudged open the blood-spattered door.
The green wyrd-light caught a figure clad head-to-toe in black leather just as it was sliding the Grimoire of Jobor Kha into a pouch on its chest. Iermo lunged forward, bringing his scimitar down in a silvery arc with all his strength. The blade sheared through the thief's arm just above the elbow. It fell to the floor without a single drop of blood. The burglar leapt back, unfurled a whip from its remaining arm, and struck at Iermo. The tip of the lash wrapped around his ankle, and with one quick pull the thief toppled him backward. Iermo got up in time to see the intruder leap out the open window. He scrambled to his feet and bolted to the window. Four stories below, the dark figure bounded across the courtyard, whipped itself up onto the parapets, and disappeared into the city's midnight streets.
Speechless, Iermo stooped to examine the thief's severed arm. The thing had the form of a man's arm, but instead of flesh and bone it was layer upon layer of leather all the way to the core. Braided skeins of leather extending from the wrist formed a long whip which was wound around the forearm like a bracer. As Iermo twisted and turned the arm this way and that, a long blade sprang from a slit between the middle and ring fingers, its keen edge dripping with black poison. "What is this abomination?"
Today's Monster Monday is the leather golem, a versatile construct made of solid leather, built for skulking, stealing, and stabbing. It has whips and poisoned blades built into its arms, retractable thieves' tools and secret loot pockets built into its body, and it smells like a new briefcase.
The following text in gold is available as Open Game Content under the OGL. Open Game Content is ©2016 Jonah Bomgaars.
"Gods dammit, not again! What kind of damn fool keeps a faerie dragon as a pet?"
"The kind of rich eccentric that pays well for guard duty," Iermo reminded him. "I think it's your turn to check."
"Don't you dare take a single sheqel from the pot," he teased, rising to his feet with visible reluctance. "I know exactly what I've wagered so far."
"I wouldn't dream of it." When Alonzo was halfway up the stairs, Iermo started loudly rummaging through the pile of small coins on the table.
"Ha ha, Mister Funny Man. Be quiet, I'm trying to do our job." Alonzo disappeared up the staircase. There was a jangle of keys, the click of a lock, and the faint creak of the old door, followed immediately by a heavy thud, and then silence.
"Alonzo...?" Iermo was on his feet, hand on his scimitar hilt. He rushed to the base of the stair. Alonzo was at the top, dark blood still burbling from a gash in his neck. Iermo took the stairs two at a time, scimitar held in front of him apotropaically. He grabbed a wyrd-lantern from its peg on the wall, stepped over his fallen comrade, and nudged open the blood-spattered door.
The green wyrd-light caught a figure clad head-to-toe in black leather just as it was sliding the Grimoire of Jobor Kha into a pouch on its chest. Iermo lunged forward, bringing his scimitar down in a silvery arc with all his strength. The blade sheared through the thief's arm just above the elbow. It fell to the floor without a single drop of blood. The burglar leapt back, unfurled a whip from its remaining arm, and struck at Iermo. The tip of the lash wrapped around his ankle, and with one quick pull the thief toppled him backward. Iermo got up in time to see the intruder leap out the open window. He scrambled to his feet and bolted to the window. Four stories below, the dark figure bounded across the courtyard, whipped itself up onto the parapets, and disappeared into the city's midnight streets.
Speechless, Iermo stooped to examine the thief's severed arm. The thing had the form of a man's arm, but instead of flesh and bone it was layer upon layer of leather all the way to the core. Braided skeins of leather extending from the wrist formed a long whip which was wound around the forearm like a bracer. As Iermo twisted and turned the arm this way and that, a long blade sprang from a slit between the middle and ring fingers, its keen edge dripping with black poison. "What is this abomination?"
Today's Monster Monday is the leather golem, a versatile construct made of solid leather, built for skulking, stealing, and stabbing. It has whips and poisoned blades built into its arms, retractable thieves' tools and secret loot pockets built into its body, and it smells like a new briefcase.
The following text in gold is available as Open Game Content under the OGL. Open Game Content is ©2016 Jonah Bomgaars.
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