Golem, Blasphemous

Family: Golems

Medium construct, lawful evil

Armor Class 19 (natural armor)
Hit Points 260 (40d8+80)
Speed 30 ft., fly 90 ft.

STR	DEX	CON	INT	WIS	CHA
20 (+5)	17 (+3)	16 (+3)	21 (+5)	15 (+2)	19 (+4)

Saving Throws Str +12, Int +12, Wis +9, Cha +11
Skills Deception +11, Insight +9, Investigation +12, Nature +12, Perception +9, Persuasion +11, Religion +12
Damage Resistances cold, fire, psychic, necrotic; bludgeoning, piercing, slashing
Damage Immunities poison
Condition Immunities charmed, exhaustion, frightened, petrified, poisoned, stunned
Senses blindsight 60 ft., darkvision 120 ft., passive Perception 19
Languages Abyssal, Common, Deep Speech, Draconic, Dwarvish, Elvish, Infernal, Undercommon
Challenge 23 (50,000 XP)

SPECIAL TRAITS

• Artificial Response. When the golem is paralyzed or stunned, it can use a bonus action to repeat a saving throw, ending the condition on itself on a success.
• Evasion. When the golem makes a Dexterity saving throw to reduce the damage of a spell or attack, on a success it takes no damage and on a failure it takes half damage.
• Legendary Resistance (3/Day). If the golem fails a saving throw, it can choose to succeed instead.
• Magic Resistance. The golem has advantage on saving throws made against spells and other magical effects.
• Targeting Relays. The golem does not have disadvantage from making ranged attacks while within reach of an enemy.
• Technological Spellcasting. The golem is a 20th-level spellcaster that uses Intelligence as its spellcasting ability (spell save DC 20; +12 to hit with spell attacks). It casts spells using technological devices it crafts (2 lb. cantrips, 1/2 lb. per spell level; AC 10 + spell level, 40 hp each) and its spells ignore the effects of counterspell, dispel magic, and antimagic fields. The golem has the following spells prepared:
  • Cantrips: acid splash, eldritch blast, minor illusion, produce flame, shocking grasp
  • 1st (4 slots): detect magic, guiding bolt, shield, thunderwave
  • 2nd (4 slots): acid arrow, invisibility, misty step, scorching ray
  • 3rd (3 slots): fireball, lightning bolt, vampiric touch
  • 4th (3 slots): locate creature, stone shape, wall of fire
  • 5th (3 slots): cone of cold, flame strike, hold monster
  • 6th (2 slots): chain lightning, disintegrate
  • 7th (2 slots): finger of death, prismatic spray
  • 8th (1 slot): antimagic field
  • 9th (1 slot): weird

ACTIONS

• Multiattack. The golem makes any combination of four unarmed strikes and necroblasts.
• Unarmed Strike. Melee Weapon Attack: +12 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 15 (2d8+6) bludgeoning damage plus 10 (3d6) necrotic damage.
• Necroblast. Ranged Weapon Attack: +10 to hit, range 100/500 ft., one target. Hit: 25 (5d8+3) necrotic damage.
• Necrobeam (Recharge 5-6). The golem unleashes the weapon in its chestplate, blasting a potent beam of foul energy in a 120-foot line that is 15 feet wide. Each creature in that line must make a DC 20 Dexterity saving throw, taking 104 (16d12) necrotic damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. A creature that fails its saving throw cannot magically heal damage from the necrobeam.

LEGENDARY ACTIONS

The golem can take 3 legendary actions, choosing from the options below. Only one legendary action option can be used at a time and only at the end of another creature’s turn. It regains spent legendary actions at the start of her turn.

• Reinforce Armor. The golem regains 19 (4d6+5) hit points as it releases small insectile cherubs that flit about doing repairs.
• Sensory Sweep. The golem makes a Wisdom (Perception) check. This check is made as if it had cast detect magic, though it does not require an action to see magical auras.
• Trigger Device (Costs 2 Actions). The golem activates one technological spellcasting device of 4th-level or lower.

ABOUT

Golems created with unholy power or untested arcane techniques eventually gain sentience, especially when a master dies or abandons their creation. Once it thinks for itself a golem’s intellect rapidly grows and it quickly realizes the corruption that plagues mortals who utilize unholy power-something that is no concern for an automaton, presenting instead a source of energy ripe for exploitation. Through decades and centuries of reconstruction, these constructs gradually ascend in form to become blasphemous golems.

A blasphemous golem relentlessly pursues evil artifacts and vile rituals to increase its power completely unconcerned with the consequences such pursuits inflict on mortals or the lands in which they live. Isolated in the wilderness far from prying civilization, these constructs build and maintain lairs filled with cursed items and unholy blasphemies that are constantly expanding in number as they travel across dimensions in search of others once a world has been scoured of all they might use.

These need not be only objects either-the sacrilegious automatons are not above keeping mortals they think might be useful for rituals or to unlock magic protected from unliving hands.

Without a soul to speak of it is no surprise that a blasphemous golem willingly contends with the gods themselves without fear, seeking out lesser deities that are waning in power that might be stolen away. The automatons execute these divine entities and capture the potent essence that leaks out inside of heretical technology, using what they’ve gathered to build devices that have effects which ripple across entire planes of existence. In worlds afar the faithful experience relentless night terrors, the mortal servants of gods are wracked by phantom pains, and the night sky becomes just a little bit darker all so that one of these constructs can eke out just a little bit more power for its dark pursuits.

Blasphemous golems are painfully patient and devilishly dubious in their doings, though their precise and logical plans tend to lack flavor and flair. They lair in places no living creature could hope to survive- within lava caverns, surrounded by corrosive acid spouts scattered across the ocean floor, inside of passages deep below ground where breathable air is a scarcity-and are willing to wait for time to kill their enemies while pursuing other endeavors. Although it is not impossible to predict what a blasphemous golem will do, it is no simple feat to proscribe to the same demanding logic they employ and few are able to do so. In combat a blasphemous golem dives straight into the fray, forcing spellcasting foes to target allies while it unleashes necrotic energies and powerful technology. As an unholy creation however, it harbors great hatred for the faithful and those blessed by the gods, preferring to target these individuals before any others.

When overwhelmed by great magics the construct casts antimagic field and relies on its superior strength to defeat its enemies, pummeling into them and only fleeing when reduced to 80 hit points or less.