"The old man’s hand twitched with a glimmer of regret, outstretched toward the fire he was avidly concentrating on. The screams were causing his men, veteran mercenaries, to show visible revulsion. Eventually the noise faded and the flames subsided, his efforts were rewarded.
The ash shifted and moved, taking form in front of him. His enemies had become his weapon."
– Excerpt from "the war crimes of Wolfgang Scheunacht."
Creation of Cremation. An ash golem is very rarely created by accident, as the process to create such a construct involves a mass sacrifice of sentient beings.
The ash that makes up the golem’s form must come from sentient beings that the creator has burned alive as part of the creation ritual. The fire that cremates the sacrifices to ash becomes a part of the golem, and it is believed that the sacrificed souls live on in agony inside the ash.
Uncontrolled Carnage. Although rare, it is possible for ash golems to form unintentionally where mass loss of life from fire has occurred, such as forest fires. Sometimes when the deaths are purposeful it is said that an ash golem may rise to allow the dead their vengeance on the killers.
A wild ash golem knows little else other than destruction, causing fire and death wherever it may roam. It is said that those engulfed by a wild ash golem will see hallucinations of those who died as their spirits attempt to communicate.
Ash Golem
Huge construct, unaligned
Armor Class 16 (natural armour)
Hit Points 154 (14d12 + 56)
Speed 40 ft.
| STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18 (+4) | 16 (+3) | 18 (+4) | 4 (-3) | 8 (-1) | 1 (-5) |
- Damage Immunities fire, poison, psychic; bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical weapons that aren’t adamantine
- Condition Immunities blinded, charmed, deafened, exhaustion, frightened, paralyzed, petrified, poisoned
- Senses blindsight 60 ft., passive Perception 9
- Languages understands the language of its creator and/or sacrifices but can’t speak
- Challenge 12 (8,400 XP)
Ash Form. The golem can move through a space as narrow as 1 inch wide without squeezing. A creature that touches the golem or hits it with a melee attack while within 5 feet of it takes 7 (2d6) fire damage.
Immutable Form. The golem is immune to any spell or effect that would alter its form.
Magic Resistance. The golem has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.
Magic Weapons. The golem’s weapon attacks are magical.
Actions
Multiattack. The golem makes either two slam attacks or one slam attack and it uses its engulf ability.
Slam. Melee Weapon Attack: +8 to hit, reach 5ft., one target. Hit: 15 (2d6 + 8) bludgeoning damage plus 7 (2d6) fire damage.
Engulf. The golem moves up to its speed. While doing so, it can enter Large or smaller creatures’ spaces. Whenever the golem enters a creature’s space, the creature must make a DC 18 Dexterity saving throw.
On a successful save, a creature can choose to be pushed 5 feet back or to the side of the golem and takes 7 (2d6) fire damage. A creature that chooses not to be pushed suffers the consequences of a failed saving throw.
On a failed save, the golem enters a creature’s space, and the creature takes 21 (6d6) fire damage and is engulfed. The engulfed creature can’t breathe, is restrained, and takes 31 (9d6) fire damage at the start of each of the golem’s turns. When the golem moves, the engulfed creature moves with it.
An engulfed creature can try to escape by taking an action to make a DC 18 Strength check. On a success, the creature escapes and enters a space of its choice within 5 feet of the golem.
Ashen Breath (Recharge 6). The golem exhales burning ash in a 15-foot cone. Each creature in that area must make a DC 18 Dexterity saving throw, taking 31 (9d6) fire damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.
The area is heavily obscured. This effect lasts for 1 minute or until a wind of moderate or greater speed (at least 10 miles per hour) disperses it.
Created by u/IndirectLemon