Editing Golem (section)

=Dungeons and Dragons=
In D&D, Golems are mid-tier enemies that are treated sort of like man-made [[elemental]]s, with each type being made purely out of only one substance. There's about as many kinds of Golem as there are things out of which you could potentially make them, from quasi-robot Steel Golems to quasi-Frankenstein's Monster [[Flesh Golem]]s. You could even use clay, if you're the kind of person whose pet tortoises die of boredom, though they do have ''some'' unique abilities. (Chiefly, hasting themselves and having a chance of going berserk.)

They tend to have lots of raw strength and hit points, on top of high damage reduction and magic resistance (or even immunity) as a racial trait. Some of the more-exotic types have magical powers. [[Warforged]] are the closest thing to a PC variant golems possess, and even then they're really a grey area between golem and straight-up robot... unless you play Third Edition, in which case you can play as a [[Maug]], a Zelekhut [[Inevitable]], or any of the other honest-to-god nonliving constructs that WotC had the balls to give level adjustments and favored classes for use as player characters.

[[Ravenloft]] adds the added wrinkle of "dread golems"; while they may look and act like regular golems at first glance, the Dark Powers have used the obsessiveness of their crafters (who may not even know what they're making- all they need is a strong enough desire to create a thinking being) to make them truly sentient, rather than being unthinking automata. Unfortunately, the Dark Powers' "gift" also makes dread golems extremely malicious by nature, and most if not all of them will eventually attempt to murder their creators.

==Material Golems==
You might think that golems get pretty old, pretty quick, but they come in a massive array of forms, abilities and levels. And we mean '''massive'''; check out this list!

* '''Adamantine'''
<gallery>
adamantine golem ELH.jpg
</gallery>
* '''Amber''': A [[Mystara]]n golem, typically fashioned in the form of a great cat. Appeared in [[Advanced Dungeons & Dragons]].
<gallery>
amber golem MC Mystara.jpg
</gallery>
* '''Ash''': Native to [[Dark Sun]], creating these golems requires a whole lotta ash, the blood from an Athasian fire drake, and the spells ''wish'', ''burning hands'', ''polymorph any object'', and ''geas''. They can burn whatever is in their touch, hurl fireballs, and emit clouds of caustic ash.
<gallery>
ash golem MC12.jpg
</gallery>
* '''Brain''': Created by [[illithid]]s and widely regarded as one of the ''stupidest'' possible golems for that choice. The key component is a chunk of neural tissue from an Elder Brain, and these golems are treated as the most useful and valuable slaves in an illithid community.
<gallery>
Brain golem Dragon 193.png
Brain golem MA.jpg
Monsters brain golem.jpg
brain golem MCAV1.jpg
Brain golem 3e.jpg
</gallery>
* '''Bone''': A golem fashioned from bones taken from felled [[skeleton|skeletal undead]]. May have debuted as part of the [[Ravenloft]] setting, but has quickly become a generic D&D staple.
<gallery>
Bone golem MM 2e.png
</gallery>
* '''Clay''': One of the most iconic golems of all time, as this is the actual mythical golem. In old-school D&D parlance, this was actually considered a "lesser" golem, like the [[Flesh Golem]].
<gallery>
Clay golem S4.png
Clay golem 1e.png
Clay golem MCV1.jpg
Flesh golem Clay golem MM 2e.png
clay iron golem 4e.png
Clay golem 5e.jpg
</gallery>
* '''Chitin''': Native to [[Dark Sun]], creating these bug-flesh golems requires a sufficient supply of chitin or giant bug carcasses ([[kank]]s are favored for how common they are), which need to be painted in a mixture of Athasian earth drake blood and the juices squeezed from potion fruits for ''animal control'' and ''vitality''. Then the caster hits the mess with the spells ''animate dead'', ''geas'', ''polymorph other'', and ''wish'', and bang, you got a Chitin Golem. Only [[defiler]]s can create this golem type in AD&D. They're impervious to spells of 5th level or lower, as well as to all necromancy spells, and they wield toxic claws to rip people apart.
<gallery>
chitin golem MC12.jpg
</gallery>
* '''[[Flesh Golem|Flesh]]''': Basically Frankenstein's Monster. They got their own page.
<gallery>
flesh golem 1e.jpg
flesh golem MM 1e 2.jpg
flesh golem MCV1.jpg
flesh golem MCR3.png
Flesh golem Clay golem MM 2e.png
flesh golem DoDread.jpg
flesh golem 4e.jpg
flesh golem 5e.jpg
</gallery>
* '''Fungus''': One of a collection of "lesser" golems featured in [[Dragon Magazine]] #341.
<gallery>
fungus golem Dragon 341.png
</gallery>
* '''Garbage''': One of a collection of "lesser" golems featured in [[Dragon Magazine]] #341.
* '''Gemstone''': Native to the [[Forgotten Realms]] and were created in ancient [[Mulhorand]]. They come in '''Ruby''', '''Emerald''' and '''Diamond''' flavors and escalating toughness in that order. In modern times, or at least AD&D, they are only seen in [[Thay]], and only the Zulkir of Evocation knows how to make them.
<gallery>
gemstone golem spellbound.png
ruby golem MCAV4.jpg
emerald golem MCAV4.jpg
diamond golem MCAV4.jpg
thay gemstone golem 3e.jpg
</gallery>
* '''Glass''': Renowned for its beauty, often incorporated into stained glass features.
<gallery>
Gargoyle golem Glass golem MM 2e.png
glass golem VRGttCreated.jpg
glass golem CotN The Created.jpg
TWBTW Glasswork Golem.png
</gallery>
*'''Ice''': Appeared in [[Dragon Magazine]] #44
<gallery>
ice golem Dragon 44.png
</gallery>
* '''Iron''': Traditionally the strongest, nastiest of the Big 3: clay, stone and iron.
<gallery>
iron golem 1e.jpg
iron golem MCV1.jpg
clay iron golem 4e.png
iron golem 5e.jpg
</gallery>
* '''Lightning''': A [[Forgotten Realms]] creation, a golden mannequin bristling with powerful electrical energies.
<gallery>
Lightning golem MC11.png
</gallery>
* '''Maggot''': Ever wondered how you can make the [[Flesh Golem]] more disgusting? Meet the ''Maggot'' Golem, which looks and smells exactly how you're picturing it. This guy showed up in [[Ravenloft]], and its creator actually became a demilord during that brief period of time when Azalin was deposed.
<gallery>
Maggot golem GH3.jpg
Maggot golem MCAV4.jpg
Maggot golem Dragon 339.png
</gallery>
* '''Magma''': One of the most powerful golems native to [[Dark Sun]], created by the [[Athasian Dragon]].
<gallery>
magma golem.jpg
</gallery>
* '''Mist''': Native to [[Ravenloft]], and less a golem and more a magic-spawned hateful doppelganger of a wizard whose experiments in creating golems goes awry.
<gallery>
mist golem MCR3.png
mist golem DoDread.jpg
</gallery>
* '''Mithral'''
<gallery>
mithral golem ELH.jpg
</gallery>
* '''Mud''': Basically a soggier, grosser cousin to the Clay Golem, native to [[Mystara]].
<gallery>
mud golem MC Mystara.jpg
</gallery>
* '''Obsidian''': A powerful golem native to [[Dark Sun]]. 
<gallery>
obsidian golem MC12.jpg
</gallery>
* '''Paper''': One of a collection of "lesser" golems featured in [[Dragon Magazine]] #341.
<gallery>
paper golem Dragon 341.png
</gallery>
* '''Rock''': You might be thinking [[Derp|"isn't that the same as stone?"]] Well, yeah. Like the Skeletal Golem, this is basically the [[Mystara]]n version of a golem seen elsewhere in the multiverse, and it's largely identical, save for some fiddly little details.
<gallery>
rock golem MC Mystara.jpg
rock golem MC12.jpg
</gallery>
* '''Salt''': One of the weaker [[Dark Sun]] golems.
<gallery>
salt golem.jpg
</gallery>
* '''Sand''': Native to [[Dark Sun]].
<gallery>
sand golem MC12.jpg
</gallery>
* '''Silver''': A metallic golem native to [[Mystara]] made of silver and filled with quicksilver (mercury), which somehow makes it incredibly fast.
<gallery>
silver golem MC Mystara.jpg
</gallery>
* '''Skeletal''': The [[Mystara]]n version of a bone golem, characterized by having four arms and so being able to make more attacks.
<gallery>
skeletal golem MC Mystara.jpg
</gallery>
* '''Snow''': Native to [[Ravenloft]]. A 5e version appeared in the ''Rime of the Frostmaiden'' module.
<gallery>
Snow golem RA2.jpg
snow golem MCR3.png
snow golem DoDread.jpg
snow golem 5e.jpg
</gallery>
* '''Stone''': Traditionally one of the strongest of all the common golems, second only to the Iron Golem.
<gallery>
Stone golem 1e.jpg
Stone golem Monster card.jpg
Stone golem MCV1.jpg
stone golem VRGttCreated.jpg
Stone golem 5e.jpg
</gallery>
* '''Straw''': Appears only in ''Van Richten's Guide to the Created'' for [[Ravenloft]]. Essentially a variant Scarecrow.
<gallery>
straw golem VRGttCreated.jpg
</gallery>
* '''Tin''': One of a collection of "lesser" golems featured in [[Dragon Magazine]] #341.
* '''Wax''': There's two different kinds of wax golems in D&D. The first is a shapeshifting golem that originally debuted in AD&D for [[Ravenloft]]. The second is a "lesser" golem, which was part of an article full of the things in [[Dragon Magazine]] #341.
<gallery>
wax golem MCR3.png
wax golem CotN The Created.jpg
wax golem DoDread.jpg
</gallery>
* '''Wood''': Once again there are two kinds. One native to [[Dark Sun]] and the other one of a collection of "lesser" golems featured in [[Dragon Magazine]] #341.
<gallery>
wood golem MC12.jpg
wood tin wax golem Dragon 341.png|Wood, Tin and Wax
</gallery>

==Specialized Golems==
Oh, and if the generic material-based golems of AD&D aren't enough, it also featured specialized types of golem, too:
* '''[[Autognome]]''': A [[clockpunk]] automaton built by the tinker gnomes of [[Spelljammer]] with a penchant for malfunctioning.
<gallery>
Autognome MC9.jpg
</gallery>
* '''Blood Golem of [[Hextor]]''': A golem made of the blood of sacrificial victims, clad in magical armor and wielding flails.  Because it is constantly leaking blood it must replenish itself regularly by draining it from recently killed corpses.
<gallery>
Blood golem Dragon 292 1.jpg
Blood golem Dragon 292 2.jpg
Blood golem FF 3e.jpg
</gallery>
* '''Brass Minotaur''': A powerful vengeance implement, consisting of a [[minotaur]] skeleton bathed in brass to create a sculpture that is then animated.
<gallery>
Brass minotaur MCAV4.jpg
</gallery>
* '''Bog Hound''': Dog constructs made from the rotting plant matter of a swamp.
<gallery>
Bog hound Howls in the Night 1.jpg
Bog hound Howls in the Night 2.jpg
Bog hound MCAV2.jpg
</gallery>
* '''Burning Man''': A crude golem made of burning coal.
<gallery>
Burning man MCAV2.jpg
</gallery>
* '''Caryatid Column''': A stone golem designed to resemble a statue of a beautiful woman being used as a support column, but which can step out of its column to battle intruders.
<gallery>
Caryatid column tSoR.jpg
Caryatid column MM 2e.png
</gallery>
* '''[[Carrionette]]''': A relative to the Doll Golem native to the [[Ravenloft]] domain of Odiare, made from a marionette. Capable of stealing a person's body by stabbing them with a magic needle, leaving the victim's mind trapped in the marionette. 
<gallery>
Carrionette MC Ravenloft.jpg
Jumping carrionette.jpg
Carrionette 2e.png
Carrionette Dragon 339.png
</gallery>
* '''Clockwork Eunuch''': An enchanted clockwork golem used to guard harems in [[Al-Qadim]], and thus designed to resemble the stereotypical big fat turban-wearing eunuch harem guard. Somehow incredibly skilled at grappling things despite having big-ass scimitars in lieu of hands.
* '''Clockwork Swordsman''': A [[Mystara]]n invention that is nearly indistinguishable from a human.
<gallery>
Clockwork swordsman MCSC.jpg
Clockwork swordsman MCAV4.jpg
</gallery>
* '''Clockwork Warrior''': A dwarven-made metal behemoth.
<gallery>
Clockwork warrior TSR Jam 1999.jpg
</gallery>
* '''Coin Golem''': From [[Ravenloft]].
<gallery>
coin golem CotN The Created.jpg
</gallery>
* '''Copper Automaton''': enchanted clockwork soldiers of copper and brass native to [[Al-Qadim]].
<gallery>
copper automaton MC Al-Qadim.png
Copper automaton Caravans.png
</gallery>
* '''Demonflesh''': A [[Flesh Golem]] made from demon parts.
<gallery>
Demonflesh hellfire brain golem 3e FF.jpg
</gallery>
* '''Doll Golem''': An animated doll.
<gallery>
Doll golem MM 2e.png
zombie doll golem DoDread.jpg
</gallery>
* '''Drolem''': A [[Flesh Golem]] built out of dragon parts.
<gallery>
drolem MC Mystara.jpg
</gallery>
* '''Figurine Golem''': A malicious miniature golem that disguises itself as a [[Figurine of Wondrous Power]], native to [[Ravenloft]]. There are many different varieties, made from various different materials; ceramic, crystal, diamond, ivory, obsidian (jagged or smoothed, each is its own variant), and porcelain.
<gallery>
ceramic figurine MCR3.png
crystal figurine MCR3.png
ivory figurine MCR3.png
obsidian figurine MCR3.png
porcelain figurine MCR3.png
figurine DoDread.jpg
</gallery>
* '''Furnace Golem''': A variant iron golem that is created to serve as a secondary [[spelljammer]] helm.
<gallery>
furnace golem MCS1.jpg
</gallery>
* '''Gargoyle Golem''': A stone golem designed to replicate a [[gargoyle]], which somehow gives it a petrifying touch. Also has an '''Iron''' Gargoyle Golem variant, which is only found in [[Mystara]].
<gallery>
Gargoyle golem Glass golem MM 2e.png
iron gargoyle golem MC Mystara.jpg
</gallery>
* '''Gloom Golem''': Made out of clay dredged from the river Styx in [[Hades]].
<gallery>
gloom golem MM3 3e.jpg
gloom golem cormyr.jpg
</gallery>
* '''Guardgoyle''': Created by [[Zhentarim]] wizards.
<gallery>
guardgoyle RoZK.png
</gallery>
* '''Guardian Warrior''': [[Mystara]]n ceramic construct resembling a horse and rider.
<gallery>
guardian warrior MC Mystara.jpg
</gallery>
* '''Half-Golem''': The product of an experiment gone wrong (2e) or people who have received prosthetic golem limbs (3e).
<gallery>
half-golem MC Ravenloft2.jpg
half golem 3e 1.jpg
half golem 3e 2.jpg
</gallery>
* '''Hammer Golem''': A dwarf-made golem with a hammer and pickaxe for hands.
<gallery>
hammer golem Dragon 193.png
hammer golem MCAV1.jpg
</gallery>
* '''Hellfire''': Constructed by devils
<gallery>
Demonflesh hellfire brain golem 3e FF.jpg
</gallery>
*'''Helmed Horror''': An animated suit of armor.
<gallery>
Helmed horror MCAV1.jpg
</gallery>
* '''Iron Cobra''': A snake construct. 3e added a '''Bronze Serpent''' variant.
<gallery>
iron cobra FF 1e.png
iron cobra MC14.png
iron cobra 3e.jpg
iron cobra 4e.jpg
iron cobra 5e.png
iron cobra B1.png
Bronze serpent 3e.jpg
</gallery>
* '''Juggernaut''': A giant stone golem that runs about on stone rollers, crushing anything in its way.
<gallery>
juggernaut AC9.png
juggernaut DMR2.png
juggernaut 3e.jpg
juggernaut 5e.jpg
juggernaut B4 PF.png
</gallery>
* '''Living Idol''': From [[Al-Qadim]]. Stone golems so ancient that we have no idea who made them. They are incredibly powerful. No matter how damaged they are--unless they are complete pulverized into gravel--the largest remaining fragment will retain their sentience and powers. For some reason, they are almost always the center of worship of a cult.
<gallery>
living idol ALQ2.png
living idol MC13.png
</gallery>
* '''Living Statue''': Native to [[Mystara]]. Comes in crystal, iron, jade, rock, ooze, silver and steel
<gallery>
Living statue MC Mystara.jpg
</gallery>
* '''Magic Golem''': A golem that began appearing in the [[Forgotten Realms]] after the [[Time of Troubles]], created by somehow fusing a human soul to a [[Wild Magic]] zone to create a mindlessly obedient creature of pure magical energies as the ultimate "fuck you spellcasters" servant.
<gallery>
magic golem RoZK.png
magic golem MCAV3.jpg
</gallery>
* '''Mechanical Golem''': A <s>robot</s> mass of vicious machinery given clumsy life as a golem, native to [[Ravenloft]].
<gallery>
mechanical golem MC Ravenloft 1.jpg
mechanical golem MC Ravenloft2.jpg
mechanical golem MCR2 cover.jpg
mechanical golem CotN The Created.jpg
</gallery>
* '''Mek''': A [[Mystara]]n <s>robot</s> golem of unknown origins with an insectoid appearance.
<gallery>
Mek MC Mystara.jpg
</gallery>
* '''Metagolem''': A <s>straight-up freaking robot</s> sapient golem made of metal with intricate mechanical innards.
<gallery>
Metagolem MCAV1.jpg
</gallery>
* '''Naàruk''': A 10-foot tall winged bull composed of bronze, created by the [[enduk]] of [[Mystara]] as a magical flying troop transport.
<gallery>
naaruk MCSC.jpg
</gallery>
* '''[[Necrophidius]]''': A bone golem mockery of a [[naga]], comprised of a fanged humanoid skull atop the skeleton of a giant snake. So-called because "Bone snake" would've never made it past the editors.
<gallery>
necrophidius FF 1e 1.png
necrophidius FF 1e 2.jpg
Necrophidius MC5.jpg
necrophidius MM 2e.png
bone naga MCAV1.jpg
necrophidius 3e.jpg
</gallery>
* '''Patchwork Golem''': Scraps of leather and cloth sewn together and stuffed with cotton.
<gallery>
patchwork golem CotN The Created 1.jpg
patchwork golem CotN The Created 2.jpg
</gallery>
* '''Radiant Golem''': A rare and powerful golem that sheds a magical death aura, implied to be made out of radioactive material.
<gallery>
radiant golem MCS1.jpg
</gallery>
* '''Scarecrow''': An animated scarecrow; what did you think it was?
<gallery>
Scarecrow MC5.jpg
scarecrow MC Ravenloft 1.jpg
scarecrow MM 2e.png
scarecrow 1.jpg
scarecrow Dungeon 154.png
scarecrow Dungeon 183.jpg
scarecrow 5e.jpg
</gallery>
* '''Shaboath Golem''': A golem constructed from magically animated water by [[aboleth]]s.
<gallery>
shaboath golem Night Below.jpg
</gallery>
* '''Spiderstone''': A [[drow]]-crafted golem consisting of obsidian magically worked into a four-armed drow.
<gallery>
Spiderstone golem Dragon 193.png
spiderstone golem MCAV1.jpg
spiderstone golem CotSQ.jpg
</gallery>
* '''Stone Guardian''': A giant stone golem used as a temple guardian.
<gallery>
Stone guardian 1e.png
</gallery>
* '''Temple Critter''': 1-foot tall golems made by priests to maintain and defend temples.
<gallery>
temple critter MCSC.jpg
</gallery>
* '''Transient Golem''': A cloud of fog or mist that only takes solid form after it kills someone, becoming a perfect duplicate of them.
<gallery>
transient golem CotN The Created.jpg
</gallery>
* '''Vault Guardian''': Golems of stone or metal created by [[Zhentarim]] wizards to guard vaults (go figure).
<gallery>
vault guardian RoZK.png
</gallery>
* '''Zombie Golem''': A [[Flesh Golem]] made from rotting, dead bodies infused with necromancy.
<gallery>
zombie golem MC Ravenloft 1.jpg
zombie doll golem DoDread.jpg
</gallery>