The Timed Golem
The Master walked over to the strange symmetrical mechanism. He flipped it over... The sands of the hourglass began to flow and it whirred to life. "One hour," said The Master, "Practice."
Full Description
This is a Golem on a time limit. It has 4 "arms" that also function as legs. It fights upright like a man, but looks more like some sort of beetle. It has an hourglass in the middle of its body. When the hour is up or the hourglass breaks (Tough to do since it is thick and enchanted glass) the golem stops moving and waits patiently to be flipped over, or for more sand to be poured through it. For labor purposes the Golem can be outfitted with a large sand pack, when all the sand is on the ground the Golem will stop working for the day.
This Golem is made as a relatively safe way for young monks to train in combat. The Golem is not designed to be lethal, but can be equipped with blades if desired.
Additional Information
To make a Timed Golem one must first construct the body out of lightweight metals and certain woods. But the animation is done by the ritually-enchanted hourglass and magical sands from holy places. Only the highest order of Master Monks knows the mystic ritual involved in creating the hourglasses required to animate the constructs and are not pleased when they are broken.
These Golems are used only by top-notch monasteries and will only be found in such.
Encounter Ideas:
"Flipped" - While exploring an ancient monastery of, possibly after these Golems became a secret, the PCs accidentally flip one over and have to fight it. It will be tough and the PCs may all end up unconscious only to wake up an hour later to find the thing inert.
"Delay them!" - Maybe some villain has gotten his hands on some of these and uses them to delay the PCs without actually killing them. Maybe some sort of Robin Hood type fellow.
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? Responses (13)
Updated: Added Encounters! Yay!
This is too cute not to like! "come, come to papa, let me flip you lil' beetle"
This one intrigues me for some reason. We'll have to add a 37th chamber to the shaolin temple now.
for labor purposes the Golem can be outfitted with a large sand pack, when all the sand is on the ground the Golem will stop working for the day.
I just want to be sure about the above sentence. So, it can refill itself, if provided a sack of sand? What if it senses when sand is low, and does an akward head-stand, in essence flipping itself over. Can it do that? Or it can be pre-programmed to flip over every 58 minutes or so, maybe?
Well, its got me imagining one and thinking about it, so, nice! Ok, I'll save more questions for chat. Dont want the comment to be longer than the sub :)
simple, yet weird and amusing!
OOoooo, this sounds interesting. So many various uses and plot schmes just popped into my head.
Cute and fun.
Bravo
Tick tock, time if fleeting. The golem has but an hour at a time and then it dies until someon flips the hourglass. Take to heed that once your alotted time is up, there is no hourglass within you that can be flipped and start you up again grasshopper.
What they said! A colorful piece you can hang many things on, even more if it is pulled out of that monastery. Good idea there!
Unique! The idea of building a golem powered by a large hourglass is an amusingly quirky notion. I have no idea what would have led to such a thing, but sometimes magic should be whimsical.
Decidedly unusual!
Everything I can think of has already been said, nice golem.
Very interesting. I'd have to say, the most interesting Golem I've ever encountered.
I remember this one! Viva la Freetext Fiesta!
Thanks for bringing this one on the main page Pieh. I'm always a sucker for a new and different style of golem. This one is just that.