I am currently playing a gnome wizard that has taken the Craft constuct feat and is 8th lvl. According to the MM I qualify for the min caster level required to make a flesh golem. My character wouldn't create one (he has an aversion to grave robbing). But As I looked over what it would take to craft one I was supprized to find almost all the required spells well out of my characters abilities.
I looked on to other constructs and found that many of them required ressurection spells. I have two problems with this. One with this spell requirements it means that no wizard can create any of these constructs without the help of a cleric, or at least the ability to cast wish. requireing the casting or wish, the materials required for ressurection. bump up the monetary and XP costs to a frightening extent. So much so that it is far less painful to just buy a construct servant. Two golems are powered by elemental spirits which ressucetion spells do not work on.
I have talked to my DM and he has agreed to go over the spell list and devise a new list that is acheivable by a caster of the minimum required level.
Any comments?
Well, only the clay golem requires you to cast "Resurrect", others are made through the power of very wizardy spells.
I do not know why, but I somehow associate clay golems a lot with Divine magic and clerics. Maybe because they originally come from a judaic background? They are the original golems of an old jewish story after all.
If you're not interested in a flesh golem, you should put off taking the Feat to later, when you will have the power to craft iron or stone one (or a Shield Guardian). I do not think that there is anything wrong with the golems as they are.
Btw. how could you have the "Craft Construct" Feat at lvl 8? It has "Craft Magic Weapons and Armor" as pre-requisite, so you probably took that one as Wiz5, but I don't see how you'd get another Feat before reaching your next level (i.e. HD9)?
Bocklin
Btw. how could you have the "Craft Construct" Feat at lvl 8? It has "Craft Magic Weapons and Armor" as pre-requisite, so you probably took that one as Wiz5, but I don't see how you'd get another Feat before reaching your next level (i.e. HD9)?
Bocklin
6th lvl feat
6th lvl feat
Btw. how could you have the "Craft Construct" Feat at lvl 8? It has "Craft Magic Weapons and Armor" as pre-requisite, so you probably took that one as Wiz5, but I don't see how you'd get another Feat before reaching your next level (i.e. HD9)?
Bocklin
Duh... So much for posting from work... Too many non-D&D things on my mind. ;-)
Bocklin
I just looked through the MM, and Bocklin is right. Most golems beside clay require spells accessable by wizards. The problem is that they are often of spell levels substantially above the caster level required to make the golem, meaning that the caster would have to make use of scrolls, which gets quite pricey in and of itself, not to mention when combined with paying for the golem's body.
This seemed like a problem to me at first, considering the fact that the golem's CR is far below what the caster's typical enemies will be. However, their immunity to most forms of magic, the fact that they will be working in tandem with the rest of the party, etc., should give them enough survivability to make it worth it.
Or, if you're using them more as guardians, like many NPCs would, combine them with undead, traps, and summoning devices to make a fairly deadly maze, even for something significantly higher in CR than the golem. CR is calculated for a fight against the party, and is often unreliable when compared to other creatures, so the golem could hold its own in such a situation fairly well, I think, even against another adventuring party, since NPCs have less resources than the average character.
As for getting enough money to do all of that, while I wouldn't just hand out enough treasure to make that a viable option for everyone, if the golem crafter in question dedicated enough effort to the task, it's certainly possible for him to make such a force and set up. After all, the NPCs do it, so why not the characters? Going into the magic item business and selling arcane knowledge in the form of scrolls and spells is rather profitable, and will, in a reasonable amount of time, net the character enough wealth to realize his golem-making dreams, though it still won't be cheap, will take XP, and will stop the adventuring process for a while (unless the DM turns said process into an adventure in its own right).
But, those are the prices one must pay to be a golem crafter. Sorry for rambling, but what I was trying to get at was the fact that, while not easy, making constructs is well worth the energy.
So far I have come up with Caryatid Columns, which can be created by 10th level casters (still two levels away), and Iron Cobras, which require a 12th level caster, thowing out all REALLY high level requirements and any golems that require body parts or grave robbing of any sort.
As a side note, Hammerers and Pulverizers have no listed means of creation. While I get some constructs, like clockwork horrors, aren't meant to be built, what is up with automatons? I would assume they they would fit the bill perfectly for dwarven and gnomish spellcasters.
Guardgoyles from City of Splendors: Waterdeep only require CL 7th . . . still searching for any other low CL constructs.
Forget Golems. Use Effigies from Complete Arcane, they're so much more cost efficient.
Agreed. Effigies are very good lower CR constructs to have kicking around.
Another alternative is Craft Homunculus, as per the Artificer (Eberron). The Homunculi are great for lower level casters and they can be built with more HD (2000 gp extra per HD). This beefs them up considerably at lower levels and makes them very attractive.
I once fleshed out a Gnome Techsmith (Forgotten Realms) which was a Divine caster with craft construct. I did quite a bit of research on possible construct options which I can share with you:
Construct Base Cost Mfg Cost XP
Brass Golem (MMII - 117) [CL 16 Arcane] 200000gp 75000gp 8000
Bronze Serpent (MMII - 40) [CL 16 Arcane] 200000gp 75000gp 8000
Helmed Horror (MoF - 60) [CL 18 Arcane] Unknown Unknown Unknown
Iron Cobra (FF - 103) [CL - 12 Both] 20000gp 7500gp 400
Iron Golem (MMI - 136) [CL - 16 Any] 150000gp 56250gp 6000
Nimblewright (MMI - 162) [CL - 18 Arcane] 35000gp 13125gp 1400
Runic Guardian (MMII - 182) [CL - 16 Any] 200000gp 7500gp 8000
Shield Guardian (MMI - 223) [CL - 15 Any] 120000gp 45000gp 4800
Drakestone Golem (DRACO - 164) [CL - 16 Any] 175000gp 95000gp 6400
Ironwyrm Golem (DRACO - 165 [CL - 18 Any] 225000gp 125000gp 8000gp
I once fleshed out a Gnome Techsmith (Forgotten Realms) which was a Divine caster with craft construct. I did quite a bit of research on possible construct options which I can share with you:
Construct Base Cost Mfg Cost XP
Brass Golem (MMII - 117) [CL 16 Arcane] 200000gp 75000gp 8000
Bronze Serpent (MMII - 40) [CL 16 Arcane] 200000gp 75000gp 8000
Helmed Horror (MoF - 60) [CL 18 Arcane] Unknown Unknown Unknown
Iron Cobra (FF - 103) [CL - 12 Both] 20000gp 7500gp 400
Iron Golem (MMI - 136) [CL - 16 Any] 150000gp 56250gp 6000
Nimblewright (MMI - 162) [CL - 18 Arcane] 35000gp 13125gp 1400
Runic Guardian (MMII - 182) [CL - 16 Any] 200000gp 7500gp 8000
Shield Guardian (MMI - 223) [CL - 15 Any] 120000gp 45000gp 4800
Drakestone Golem (DRACO - 164) [CL - 16 Any] 175000gp 95000gp 6400
Ironwyrm Golem (DRACO - 165 [CL - 18 Any] 225000gp 125000gp 8000gp
Very nice list, Jester. The nimblewright is in MM II on that page. I only mention this in case anyone was looking them up. I have a character who was looking to take this feat and now I know I will most likely wait until 15th level.