First owlbears, now this:
Feb. 16th, 2007 08:23 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
alliancesjr"A wizard did it" is the explanation for many strange things. Wizards, obviously, are peculiar people, and are most likely drunk beyond belief.
This 8-inch long cookie is crudely shaped in the form of a humanoid and given eyes and mouth with delicious-looking white frosting.
Gingerbread golems are tasty man-shaped cookies transformed into construct messengers, designed for delivering complex communications over long distances. They are temporary creations, eventually going stale after a few weeks, but exist long enough to fulfill their duties.
Unlike most golems, gingerbread golems are somewhat intelligent and can remember and repeat anything told to them. This makes them a superior form of message carrier than, say, a pigeon, because they can actually answer questions posed by the recipient regarding the message, such as, “How long ago were you sent?” or “Were you seen by anyone on your way here?” Because they have short “life” spans, they are generally created for a specific message, and are often abandoned after that, left to dry up in an odd corner of the kitchen.
Gingerbread golems can be directly commanded by their creator if he or she is within 60 feet, but as they are useless in battle that is rarely the case. Instead, the creator usually gives them complex instructions to deliver their messages, such as, “Bring this message to the Earl of Hogton, who lives in Hogton Castle.” The golem’s natural direction sense will lead him to the castle automatically. The creator might also instruct him to proceed at top speed, or to ensure that no one sees or captures him, or any other qualifier the golem is capable of understanding.
Gingerbread golems speak any languages known by their creators.
Very rarely, an evil bard might craft evil gingerbread cookies as secret assassins. In this case, he or she would replace their Run feat with the Weapon Finesse feat and arm them with a little poisoned dagger (giving them an attack line of “Diminutive dagger +11 melee (1 plus poison)”.)
Direction Sense (Su): A gingerbread golem always knows how to get to any destination with which its creator is familiar. Its knowledge is only as good as that of its crafter, though; if the creator is misinformed, then so is the golem. The gingerbread golem is also treated as being under the effects of the know direction spell at all times.
Magic Immunity (Ex): A gingerbread golem is immune to any spell or spell-like ability that allows spell resistance. In addition, certain spells and effects function differently against the creature, as listed below:
Staleness (Ex): A gingerbread golem stays fresh for two weeks after its creation. Every day thereafter, the golem must make a Fortitude save (DC 10) or start to go stale. Once staleness begins, the golem loses 2 points of Dexterity each day. When its Dexterity equals 0, the golem has gone completely stale; it is destroyed at that time.
Construct Traits: Gingerbread golems are immune to all mind-affecting effects, poison, sleep effects, paralysis, stunning, disease, death effects, and necromancy effects. They cannot be healed damage on their own, though they can be repaired. They are not subject to critical hits, nonlethal damage, ability damage, ability drain, fatigue, exhaustion, and energy drain.
Skills: Gingerbread golems have a +4 racial bonus to Escape Artist and Tumble skill checks.
CL 5th, Craft Construct, animal messenger, expeditious retreat, know direction. Price 200 gp. Cost to Create: 130 gp + 8 XP.
Gingerbread Golem
Diminutive Construct
Hit Dice: 2d10 (11 hp)
Initiative: +6
Speed: 50 ft. (10 squares)
Armor Class: 22 (+4 size, +6 Dex , +2 natural), touch 18, flat-footed 20
Base Attack/Grapple: +1/–14
Attack: Slam +2 melee (1d2–3)
Full Attack: Slam +2 melee (1d2–3)
Space/Reach: 0 ft./0 ft.
Special Attacks: None
Special Qualities: Construct traits, darkvision 60 ft., direction sense, low-light vision, magic immunity, staleness, uncanny dodge
Saves: Fort +0, Ref +7, Will +1
Abilities: Str 4, Dex 23, Con –, Int 8, Wis 12, Cha 10
Skills: Escape Artist +11, Hide +18, Jump +5, Knowledge (geography) +0, Move Silently +8, Tumble +14
Feats: Run
Environment: Any
Organization: Solitary
Challenge Rating: 2
Treasure: None
Alignment: Always neutral
Advancement: 3–4 HD (Diminutive), 5–6 HD (Tiny)
This 8-inch long cookie is crudely shaped in the form of a humanoid and given eyes and mouth with delicious-looking white frosting.
Gingerbread golems are tasty man-shaped cookies transformed into construct messengers, designed for delivering complex communications over long distances. They are temporary creations, eventually going stale after a few weeks, but exist long enough to fulfill their duties.
Unlike most golems, gingerbread golems are somewhat intelligent and can remember and repeat anything told to them. This makes them a superior form of message carrier than, say, a pigeon, because they can actually answer questions posed by the recipient regarding the message, such as, “How long ago were you sent?” or “Were you seen by anyone on your way here?” Because they have short “life” spans, they are generally created for a specific message, and are often abandoned after that, left to dry up in an odd corner of the kitchen.
Gingerbread golems can be directly commanded by their creator if he or she is within 60 feet, but as they are useless in battle that is rarely the case. Instead, the creator usually gives them complex instructions to deliver their messages, such as, “Bring this message to the Earl of Hogton, who lives in Hogton Castle.” The golem’s natural direction sense will lead him to the castle automatically. The creator might also instruct him to proceed at top speed, or to ensure that no one sees or captures him, or any other qualifier the golem is capable of understanding.
Gingerbread golems speak any languages known by their creators.
Combat
Gingerbread golems do not fight—they flee, and very effectively. Most combats involving a gingerbread golem are situations where someone is attempting to intercept the message the golem carries, either by destroying it or (tougher still) capturing it. Their intelligence makes them quite good at evading foes, allowing them to run or hide as necessary to continue their journey.Very rarely, an evil bard might craft evil gingerbread cookies as secret assassins. In this case, he or she would replace their Run feat with the Weapon Finesse feat and arm them with a little poisoned dagger (giving them an attack line of “Diminutive dagger +11 melee (1 plus poison)”.)
Direction Sense (Su): A gingerbread golem always knows how to get to any destination with which its creator is familiar. Its knowledge is only as good as that of its crafter, though; if the creator is misinformed, then so is the golem. The gingerbread golem is also treated as being under the effects of the know direction spell at all times.
Magic Immunity (Ex): A gingerbread golem is immune to any spell or spell-like ability that allows spell resistance. In addition, certain spells and effects function differently against the creature, as listed below:
- A purify food and drink spell can stave off staleness for a single day. Do not count the day the spell is cast towards determining the onset of staleness; if already going stale, the spell also restores 2 lost Dexterity points (but does otherwise not reverse the process).
- Any fire effect burns the soft cookie body of the the gingerbread golems, reducing its speed by 5 feet, but grants it damage reduction 1/— and increases its natural armor bonus to +3. This effect can only be achieved once, and it is reversed if the golem is returned to freshness by purify food and drink. (Some creators deliberately burn their golems to make them tougher.)
Staleness (Ex): A gingerbread golem stays fresh for two weeks after its creation. Every day thereafter, the golem must make a Fortitude save (DC 10) or start to go stale. Once staleness begins, the golem loses 2 points of Dexterity each day. When its Dexterity equals 0, the golem has gone completely stale; it is destroyed at that time.
Construct Traits: Gingerbread golems are immune to all mind-affecting effects, poison, sleep effects, paralysis, stunning, disease, death effects, and necromancy effects. They cannot be healed damage on their own, though they can be repaired. They are not subject to critical hits, nonlethal damage, ability damage, ability drain, fatigue, exhaustion, and energy drain.
Skills: Gingerbread golems have a +4 racial bonus to Escape Artist and Tumble skill checks.
Construction
Ginger is a rare spice in most medieval societies, with a single ounce costing about 10 gp. Cooking up a gingerbread golem requires additional arcane ingredients as well, and the body costs 30 gp total. Baking the body requires a Profession (baker) skill check (DC 15) and takes 1 day.CL 5th, Craft Construct, animal messenger, expeditious retreat, know direction. Price 200 gp. Cost to Create: 130 gp + 8 XP.
