Lava Golem

"That's not the normal golem box." "What do you mean?" "I mean we don't usually get golems delivered in crates made of shaped obsidian enchanted with frost runes." "Well, this isn't the usual golem, Zarlazz." "Please tell me you're not trying to procedurally generate monsters." "No, of course no-- hmm, that could actually --" "Never mind, just tell me what's in the box."

We've been bumping into the difficulty cap for DFRPG monsters at about 300 points and $80k in gear without careful planning and encounter management, so I've decided it might be time to build some custom monsters to challenge my team. Here's the first of what I hope becomes a regular series — monsters that pose new and interesting challenges for the delver who can already take on everything. There's a medium-term goal of adding a toggle in the generator so you can drop these more advanced monsters into your game.

Lava Golem

A lava golem is a powerful magical guardian made by binding a fire elemental (Monsters p.25) inside a traditional stone golem (Monsters p.54). The talent required to create such a construct means both the base golem and the fire elemental invested in it carry considerable power. Delvers often fail to recognize the danger of piercing such a golem's skin until it is too late. It stands about 8 feet tall, with small holes around its waist where a dull red glow shows when it is inactive — and where jets of fire erupt to blast anyone who gets too close to the elemental within. Sometimes that elemental is only loosely bound, and begins to attack the moment it is released from its stony prison.

ST: 30      HP: 50      Speed: 7.00
DX: 14      Will: 10    Move: 7
IQ: 8       Per: 10
HT: 14      FP: N/A     SM: +1
Dodge: 10   Parry: 12   DR: 4

Gooey Lava Center: Any cutting, piercing, or impaling damage that pierces DR releases a pressurized gout of lava back at the attacker, hitting at effective skill 12 out to 4 yards for 2d(2) burning and 1d crushing. It cannot be parried, but can be dodged or blocked. Any weapon or projectile that triggers it also takes 2d burning damage (see Exploits p.55-56).

Hot Hands (18): 3d+6 crushing + follow-up 2d burning. Apply burning to armor as well as the delver. Treat as a weapon, not a body part. Reach C, 1.

Flame Jets (18): 2d+2 burning. Treat as a jet spell (Spells p.12) with reach C-3.

Traits: Automaton; Cannot Learn; Doesn’t Breathe; Doesn’t Eat or Drink; Doesn’t Sleep; Extra Attack 2; High Pain Threshold; Homogeneous; Immunity to Disease; Immunity to Heat/Fire; Immunity to Poison; Indomitable; No Blood; Pressure Support; Reprogrammable; Unfazable; Unhealing (Total); Unnatural.

Skills: Brawling-18; Innate Attack (Jet)-18.

Class: Construct.

Notes: No golem will negotiate or reveal useful information.