Description
Automata of bone and clay, of iron and straw and pallid flesh, these nearly unstoppable creatures cut a swath through the Alliance defenders and tore many of their shining cities down with their bare hands. Stories that predate the Flight tell of human hubris in pursuit of forbidden power and knowledge, kingdoms destroyed by their own powerful creations. Those few who survived the invasion called the monsters Golems and fled before them, ancient stories of man’s folly come to life at long last.
In their day-to-day interactions, Golems often appear aloof and cold, detached from those around them. Much of this can be attributed to their means of creation. Their tortured souls have lost much of their humanity after being ripped from their mortal bodies and spending decades trapped in a lurching shell doing the evil bidding of the Grand Coven. Many, however, prefer to keep a distance between themselves and their smaller, more fragile companions lest a wrong move or action cause major harm.
That being said, those mortals who have had dealings with the mighty Golems state that they are the most honorable, honest, and forthright of the Accursed, and make for the finest friends and most determined enemies.
HISTORY OF THE CURSE
Created by the Soulforger to lead the Coven’s armies to victory, Golems are slow and implacable machines of destruction. Using the darkest of rites and the blackest of magics, the Soulforger stripped the souls of men and women culled from the Outlands and placed them in inanimate bodies. These tortured souls acted as semi-living power sources; spirit engines burning hatred, rage, pain, despair, and suffering driving their new bodies to incredible feats of savagery. The initial Golems were built in a variety of styles out of different materials, each one designed to fill a specific niche from heavy infantry to infiltration. Some were made of stone or iron, living statues whose dense hides could turn even the sharpest blade. Others were made of dead flesh and bone, disparate body parts sewn together and brought to life through Witchcraft , alchemy, and liberal application of newer, untested scientific techniques like the harnessing of the electric fluid. Still others were made of straw, wood, scrap, clay, sand, or anything that could hold a humanoid form and contain a soul. To control them, the Soulforge branded Witchmarks into their bodies, making them subservient in perpetuity, or so it was thought.
Golem Witchbreed Package
Constructed: Construct: Constructs add +2 when attempting to recover from being Shaken, ignore 1 point of Wound penalties, don’t breathe or eat and are immune to disease and poison, don’t Bleed Out, and Wounds are removed with Repair instead of Healing with no “Golden Hour.”
Deliberate: Attribute Penalty (Agility –2), Reduced Pace (–1)
Hindrance: Outsider (Minor)
Hindrance: Minor Weakness to Appropriate Substance (+4 Damage suffered)
Edges
Thunderclap
- Requirements: Novice, Golem, Spirit d8+
The creation of a Golem is a complicated process involving a number of strange and arcane sciences known only to the Crone. Among these is the application of the fl uid to fuse the mortal soul to the artifi cial body and start the life processes in motion. Some Golems retain a bit of this energy and can use it to deal stun damage to opponents. When a Golem with this Edge makes a Fighting roll to attack with his fists, his opponent must make a Vigor roll at -2 or be Shaken and knocked prone. This test occurs whether or not the attack deals any damage.
Disembodiment
- Requirements: Novice, Golem, Vigor d8+
The Golem has been designed in such a way that its components remain under the control of its soul, whether or not they are physically connected. As an action, the golem may detach (or reattach) a single limb, which can continue to function in spite of its separation from the body. Even if that limb does not appear to contain sensory organs, the golem retains access to the full gamut of sensory input from the detached limb. The limb is also capable of crawling, slithering, or hopping independently at Pace 2. It cannot, however, take combat actions, but is treated as a completely separate character for determining non-combat actions. Further, the main body suff ers from the One Arm or One Leg Hindrance until the limb is reconnected.
True to Its Origin
- Requirements: Seasoned, Golem, Vigor d8+
Some Golems embrace their artificial nature. When in the presence of its base material, the Golem may spend a benny to absorb its Toughness in pounds of that material and immediately recover one Wound.
Expand the Senses
- Requirements: Seasoned, Golem, Spirit d10+
Some Golems learn to embrace the materials from which they are made. Rather than trapping their souls within the original form of their construction, they may briefly extend their senses to other materials made of that same material. With a successful Spirit test, the Golem’s soul can leave its body for up to one hour to inhabit—though not control—another object of that same material within the body’s line of sight. Each raise adds up to an additional hour to the duration. When this time is up—or at a sooner time of the Golem’s choosing—the soul snaps back to its body. If the Golem’s native body is destroyed while the soul is absent, the Golem’s soul goes on to the afterlife. Note that the target object may move outside of the body’s line of sight after the transfer is initiated. There is no range requirement for the Golem to return to its body. The Golem does not have any physical control over the target object, it merely extends its senses to the location.
For example, a straw golem could shift its perception to a bale of hay or a field of straw. A flesh golem could transfer its perception to other dead flesh. A stone golem could shift its perception to that of a mountain or castle. Limitations are entirely subject to the Gamemaster’s discretion.