Golem Creator Advice! PC


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Hello everyone, I am going to be partaking in a new campaign, and id like to try something different. Id like to make a character that actually creates his henchmen, golems or something even less complicated. However, my question is, how feasible is it to make a PC that can create things to fight for him?

What I find cool about the golem idea is the character himself going through the campaign collecting the necessary pieces or components. However, it seems that the difference between the CL and the creature being created is a sizeable difference, so a CR 8 golem and CL 12-13 doesnt seem nearly as useful.

Is there any economic/easy way to do this? I feel like playing a summoner is the easy way out of making all of this happen, although its been suggested to me.


Not actual golems, but:

  • Raising the dead might give you the same thing at lower levels, but then there's the alignment issue.
  • Lesser Simulacrums are probably not worth the rubies, but the full blown ones are nice.
  • Unseen Servants may not be able to fight, but they can help even in combat - loading your crossbows, or holding up a blanket to grant you total cover.
  • Intelligent Items with some form of mobility make for interesting henchmen too.


A wizard could get Craft Construct by level 5 and if he has the cash could start with Iron Cobras easily enough.


Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Superscriber; Pathfinder Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber
Nermal2097 wrote:
A wizard could get Craft Construct by level 5 and if he has the cash could start with Iron Cobras easily enough.

It has recently come to my attention that a magus could get it at level 5 too.


Double checking the construction requirements for Iron Cobras, you can't use spellcraft. It needs particular craft skills like weapons or armour. Which might mean careful application of skill points


Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Superscriber; Pathfinder Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber
Nermal2097 wrote:

Double checking the construction requirements for Iron Cobras, you can't use spellcraft. It needs particular craft skills like weapons or armour. Which might mean careful application of skill points

You can substitute Spellcraft for any magical construction. Such skill listings are generally for people without the Spellcraft skill (such as master craftsman who can make magic items, but is not a caster).

That's for enchanting though. It's easy enough for the spellcaster to forego the skill and simply hire an artisan to craft the body while he enchants it.

Dark Archive

I recently went through this and the Pathfinder SRD was very useful. Use the search engine on golems. It explains how to build custom golems and the cost (besides special materials) is based on per hit dice.

I would normally copy/paste it for you but on my smart phone, but a little search FU on the SRD should turn up the info easy enough.

The above link address is WWW.d20pfsrd.com

Search Bestiary / golems and on the golems page should be a link called... Building and modifying constructs.


Animating the dead is probably your best bet for low level permanent minions. The Undead Lord cleric archetype can create an undead buddy at first level, and clerics of any type have access to the lesser animate dead spell at third level, though many good aligned deities (plus Pharasma) will probably refuse access to this spell, although what self respecting animater of the dead would worship any of those anyway?

Dark Archive

I very well may play a Cleric and just do that, but I did seem to enjoy the golem idea more. It just seems very unpractical to create golems as an actual PC. The cost seems astronomical to have more than one or two, and the gap in CR to CL is just too big of a gap. Like, what am I going to do with a CR 2 golem after I create it at CL 7?

I wish they wouldve made some sort of archetype that lowers the cost etc, while maybe sacrificing other things. It seems to hard to be a creator in Pathfinder, although I am not a long time player, and I could be missing key elements.

Lantern Lodge RPG Superstar 2015 Top 32

Why not reflavor the Summoner?
An eidolon is infinitely customizable, and you can take the feat Resilient Eidolon to allow it to stay active for a short time after you are incapacitated.
Flavor it like a clockwork servant that needs to be wound up periodically or it goes inert.

You could also reflavor any of the other 'buddy' classes (ones with familiars, animal companions, or mounts) or you could use the Leadership feat.


I looked into this recently, and it seems that to create a CR2 Iron Cobra you need 2 LVL 6 spells and 1 LVL 8 one. You could buy scrolls and attempt to cast them, but it seems most have a CL of at least 11 as a basic requirement. It seems that making Golams is an NPC thing because by the time you can make them, they are no longer a real threat to you. Unless there was a way to make them at lvl5 (when you can get the feat) without having to make checks on scrolls and to be able to make creatures who CR is not so low that is it pointless.

I realize that was a runon sentance. But the point is, it is fairly pointless to make Golams because the CR of the creation is too low compaired to the CL needed. You have to be lvl 11-16 to beable to make the CR 8 ones. Sure if you want the best Golams it works, but somehow I don't think you are that high lvl.

I would like to see wizards beable to create constructs at earlyer lvls that can help them. But not sure how you can with the rules :(


For non-permanent golems just cast animate object. Ok it's another cleric spell and you have to be 13th level to cast it, but it doesn't cost anything unless you want to make it permanent.

Dark Archive

Gunner-Recall wrote:

I very well may play a Cleric and just do that, but I did seem to enjoy the golem idea more. It just seems very unpractical to create golems as an actual PC. The cost seems astronomical to have more than one or two, and the gap in CR to CL is just too big of a gap. Like, what am I going to do with a CR 2 golem after I create it at CL 7?

I wish they wouldve made some sort of archetype that lowers the cost etc, while maybe sacrificing other things. It seems to hard to be a creator in Pathfinder, although I am not a long time player, and I could be missing key elements.

Wizards have Arcane Discoveries

- Golems Construction from UM. Could house rule it for your game.


ddgon wrote:

I looked into this recently, and it seems that to create a CR2 Iron Cobra you need 2 LVL 6 spells and 1 LVL 8 one. You could buy scrolls and attempt to cast them, but it seems most have a CL of at least 11 as a basic requirement. It seems that making Golams is an NPC thing because by the time you can make them, they are no longer a real threat to you. Unless there was a way to make them at lvl5 (when you can get the feat) without having to make checks on scrolls and to be able to make creatures who CR is not so low that is it pointless.

I realize that was a runon sentance. But the point is, it is fairly pointless to make Golams because the CR of the creation is too low compaired to the CL needed. You have to be lvl 11-16 to beable to make the CR 8 ones. Sure if you want the best Golams it works, but somehow I don't think you are that high lvl.

I would like to see wizards beable to create constructs at earlyer lvls that can help them. But not sure how you can with the rules :(

Each spell you are missing adds +5 to the craft check DC. So you could still chance it at level 5. Taking Skill Focus in the crafting skill will help a lot.


I like the idea of making simulacrums of golems. Lot of bang for your buck in this approach.


A bit of a high level solution Happy, but also a good one if the DM allows it. Personsally I think it works on a thematic basis, as both simulacrums and golems are constructed in the lab, just think of it as a "normal" golem you create but decided to infuse it with shadow magic to keep the costs down at the expense of efficency.

Just thought: Second-hand Golem Salesman!


Golem dealerships, cool.

my homebrew setting includes a. guild of wizards that specialize in construct creation. their specialty is using glass treated with the Glassiron spell to make Iron Golem just because they look fancy.

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