By some reading of the rules, a typical golem is effectively neutralized by a Silent Image. Say of 4 walls surrounding it. The lack of intelligence and memory and causal reasoning will cause it not to find this incredulous and try to interact with it. It will just accept that there are 4 walls and it will wait.
Is this correct? Where's the catch? Is this the easy-out vs golems?
Addendum: The construct traits specifically mention immunity to mind-affecting effects (including patterns and phantasms) - but a figment (silent image) is specifically NOT a mind-affecting effect.
I know that Pathfinder isn't 3.5, but this is what WotC have to say on the matter (link):
Illusions and Mindless Creatures
Unraveling an illusion is partly a matter of intellect, but mostly a matter of analysis and perception. Any creature can attempt to disbelieve an illusion because every creature has a Wisdom score. A mindless creature, however, is much less likely to find something just plainly unbelievable (and thus gain a saving throw to disbelieve with no study or interaction) than a creature with an Intelligence score would be. A mindless creature lacks an internal catalog of memories and expectations that can generate the level of incredulity required to evoke instant disbelief.
By some reading of the rules, a typical golem is effectively neutralized by a Silent Image. Say of 4 walls surrounding it. The lack of intelligence and memory and causal reasoning will cause it not to find this incredulous and try to interact with it. It will just accept that there are 4 walls and it will wait.
Is this correct? Where's the catch? Is this the easy-out vs golems?
its depends what a golem programmed instructions are
Stand here defend this door and never stray more than 30 feet from the door then when you put up the wall it will no longer see its guard spot by the door and possibly try to find it and try smashing through your image (testing it)
If before combat you see a golem guarding an area and its instruction were to attack intruders on sight, then putting up 4 walls around it would block it sight but not its instructions and you'd prob get away with it.
aas always with silent image its as good as your DM will let it be.
For example we were defending a town from a red dragon I threw up a permanent image of a silver dragon to draw its attention, DM ruled it didn't need to test it to know it was fake, the red dragon simply guessed it was too convivent for a silver dragon to simply appear and ignored the image.
If I were a golem, I'd try punching those walls, just in case. As said earlier, it depends on the instructions that were given to the said golem, but most constructs will probably try anything they can to do what they must. Even surrounded by four walls, I think they'll eventually try to take them down if their purpose requires it.