Golem, Infestation

Family: Golems

Large construct, unaligned

Armor Class 13 (natural armor)
Hit Points 114 (12d8 + 48)
Speed 25 ft.

STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
20 (+5) 10 (+0) 18 (+4) 16 (+3) 10 (+0) 5 (-3)

Damage Immunities poison; bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical weapons that aren’t adamantine
Condition Immunities charmed, exhaustion, frightened, paralyzed, petrified, poisoned
Senses blindsight 10 ft., passive Perception 10
Languages
Challenge 8 (3,900 XP)

SPECIAL TRAITS

  • Aversion to Fire. If the golem takes fire damage, it has disadvantage on attack rolls and ability checks until the end of its next turn.
  • Berserk. Whenever the golem starts its turn with 50 hit points or fewer, roll a d6. on a 6, the golem goes berserk. on each of its turns, while berserk, the golem attacks the nearest creature that it can see other than its own swarms. If no creature is near enough to move and attack, the golem attacks an object with a preference for objects smaller than itself. Once the golem goes berserk, it will continue to do so until it is destroyed or regains all its hit points.
  • Immutable Form. The golem is immune to any spell or effect that would alter its form.
  • Innate Spellcasting. The dream wasp’s innate spellcasting ability is Intelligence (spell save DC 12, +15 to hit with spell attacks). The dream wasp can innately cast the following spells, requiring no material component.
  • Magic Resistance. The infestation golem has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.
  • Magic Weapons. The golem’s weapon attacks are magical.

ACTIONS

  • Multiattack. The golem makes two slam attacks.
  • Slam. Melee Weapon Attack: +8 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 14 (2d8 + 5) magical bludgeoning damage.
  • Unleash Swarm. An infestation golem typically has four dream wasp swarms (with the abilities of a massive colony) living within it. With an action, it unleashes one or two of these swarms. The unleashed swarms then take their turn (and take future turns at any time during the infestation golem’s turn). One of these swarms that enters the infestation golem’s space can spend half its move or an action to enter the infestation golem’s body. While inside an infestation golem, wounded swarms regain 2d8 hit points at the end of each of the golem’s turns..

TACTICS

Initial Round-The infestation golem unleashes one of its swarms to harry approaching threats. If enemies are approaching fast, it will cast confusion, hold person, mirror image, or misty step to gain a better tactical footing during the fight.

Subsequent Round(s)-If the initial round puts them in an advantageous position, they will push forward with additional swarms. If they are in a weak position, they cast additional spells.

Defensive Round-The golem will use spells to try and control the battlefield or at least move into an advantageous position.

Victorious Round-After a victory, the infestation golem gathers its swarms back into it in order to heal and continues working toward its weird goals.

ABOUT

Those who have lived through encounters with these strange constructs offer no common theme to their purposes: some stand sentinel over the ruins they have no connection to, others senselessly rampage, while others still offer their service to wizards and druids.

There is some debate among peculiar scholars whether the infestation golem is an actual golem. They are created with magic, but the spells are alien to most spellcasters’ understanding of the elemental nature of other golems. The secrets of creating an infestation golem aren’t found in some obscure magical codex, nor are they created by your typical spellcasters. Instead, these creatures are made by rare dream wasp queens.

Beyond the most daring pirates’ routes, live strange, blue and white dream wasps. These creatures are strange enough, with magical powers that grow in proportion to the size of their swarm under the ruthless control of their powerful queen. Stranger still, one queen in a thousand, instead of yielding a powerful hive, it creates an infestation golem.

Constructed with weavings of resin and natural materials, the infestation golem grows out of and around the rare dream wasp queen. The result is a vaguely humanoid shape of great physical and arcane power that serves as home to the queen’s aggressive and deadly children. The queen herself is encased within the golem body and is so intertwined into the material it is impossible to separate her from the golem.

d6 Infestation Golem Treasure
1 Embedded within the hive-like body of the golem are 1d4 100 gp gems.
2 Trapped and covered by the golem’s hive-like body are 1d3 minor magic items from Magic Item Table B.
3 As per #2, but it’s two magic items from Magic Item Table C.
4 As per #2, but it’s one magic item from Magic Item Table F.
5 As per #1 and #2.
6 As per #1 and #3.
Section 15: Copyright Notice

Book of Monstrous Might (C) 2021 Total Party Kill Games. Author(s): Brian Berg, Mark A. Hart & Danny Grimes.

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