Golems aren’t always giant, fearsome constructs created by archmages or archfey druids. Sometimes they are minor constructs created by hedge mages and other petty spellcasters to guard a shadowland gambling hall, a scrivener devil’s library, or a thieves’ guild’s arcane library. These three minor golems are the sorts of creatures that would be made to be a last line of defense for your paper goods magic items, whether scrolls or decks of cards.
Deck Golem
Gambler’s Friend. Deck Golems are constructs made from playing cards, created to safeguard arcane casinos and underground gambling dens, as well as to punish troublemakers and cheaters.
Stealthy Sentry. When inactive, deck golems appear as large stacks of playing cards, and can be hard to spot by intruders.
Creator’s Connection. The deck golem has an enchanted card at its heart, inscribed with arcane runes. If the deck golem is destroyed, the characters can search though the destroyed cards to find the “heart card” and use it as a random card from a deck of many charms.
DECK GOLEM CR 7
Medium Construct
Armor Class 14 (natural armor)
Hit Points 123
Speed 20 ft.
Perception 9 Stealth 9
Immune thunder | Golem Resilience
Senses darkvision 60 ft.
Languages understands the languages of its creator but can’t speak
| STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA |
| +2 | +3 | + 1 | −2 | −1 | −5 |
Construct Nature. The golem doesn’t require air, food, drink, or sleep.
Thunder Absorption. Whenever the golem is subjected to thunder damage, it takes no damage and instead regains HP equal to the thunder damage dealt.
Fire Weakness. The deck golem takes double damage from fire attacks and spells.
Golem Resilience. The golem is immune to poison and psychic damage and bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage from nonmagical attacks. In addition, it is immune to exhaustion and to the charmed, frightened, paralyzed, petrified, and poisoned conditions.
Immutable Form. The golem is immune to any spell or effect that would alter its form.
Magic Weapons. The golem’s weapon attacks are magical.
ACTIONS
Multiattack. The golem makes two Slash attacks.
Slash. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 18 (3d6 + 6) bludgeoning damage.
BONUS ACTIONS
Flurry (Recharge 5–6). Until the end of its next turn, the golem gains a +2 bonus to its AC, has advantage on DEX saves, and can make a Slash attack as a bonus action.
Ink Golem
Scrivener’s Friend. Ink golems are constructs made from arcane ink, often created to safeguard spellcaster’s libraries and sanctums.
Stealthy Sentry. When inactive, deck golems can appear as large pails or buckets of ink or paint, and can be hard to spot by intruders.
Creator’s Connection. The ink golem has an enchanted inkwell at its heart, inscribed with arcane runes, that animates it. If the ink golem is destroyed, the characters can search though the golem’s inky remains to find the inkwell, which can be used as a magical inkwell to inscribe scrolls or spellbooks at half the normal cost, in half the usual time.
INK GOLEM CR 5
Medium Construct
Armor Class 13 (natural armor)
Hit Points 88
Speed 30 ft.
Perception 7 Stealth 7
Immune bludgeoning, fire | Golem Resilience
Senses darkvision 30 ft., tremorsense 30 ft.
Languages understands the languages of its creator but can’t speak
| STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA |
| +2 | +4 | + 2 | −4 | −4 | −5 |
Bludgeoning Absorption. Whenever the golem is subjected to nonmagical bludgeoning damage, it takes no damage and instead regains hit points equal to the bludgeoning damage dealt.
Construct Nature. The golem doesn’t require air, food, drink, or sleep.
Fire Immunity. The ink golem takes no damage from fire attacks and spells.
Golem Resilience. The golem is immune to poison and psychic damage and bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage from nonmagical attacks. In addition, it is immune to exhaustion and to the charmed, frightened, paralyzed, petrified, and poisoned conditions.
Fluid Form. The golem is immune to any spell or effect that would alter its form.
Magic Weapons. The golem’s weapon attacks are magical.
ACTIONS
Multiattack. The golem makes two Slam attacks.
Slam. Melee Weapon Attack: +9 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 10 (3d6 + 2) bludgeoning damage. The target must succeed on a DC 13 STR save or be poisoned until the end of its next round.
BONUS ACTIONS
Suffocate. If the ink golem hits with both Slam attacks on one target, the target must make a DC 15 DEX save. On a failure, the target is subsumed by the ink golem, is restrained, and begin suffocating. A creature can repeat this save at the end of each of its turns to end this effect.
Paper Golem
Scroll Guardians. Paper golems are often created to be guardians for arcane libraries, archives and scrivener’s monasteries where magical books and scrolls are housed.
Stealthy Sentry. When inactive, paper golems can appear as large stacks of paper, and can be hard to spot by intruders.
Creator’s Connection. The paper golem always has a magical scroll at its heart, animating it. If the golem is destroyed, the scraps and ashes of the golem’s remains contain a magic scroll of the GM’s choice.
PAPER GOLEM CR 4
Medium Construct
Armor Class 14 (natural armor)
Hit Points 48
Speed 30 ft.
Perception 10 Stealth 10
Immune Golem Resilience | Immune to Cantrips & Scrolls
Senses Tremorsense 30 ft.
Languages understands the language of its creator but can’t speak
| STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA |
| +2 | +3 | + 1 | −4 | −4 | −5 |
Construct Nature. The golem doesn’t require air, food, drink, or sleep.
Fire Weakness. The golem takes double damage from fire attacks and spells cast using spell slots.
Golem Resilience. The golem is immune to poison and psychic damage and bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage from nonmagical attacks. In addition, it is immune to exhaustion and to the charmed, frightened, paralyzed, petrified, and poisoned conditions.
Immune to Cantrips and Scrolls. The golem is immune to damage from cantrips and effects from spells cast from scrolls.
Immutable Form. The golem is immune to any spell or effect that would alter its form.
Magic Weapons. The golem’s weapon attacks are magical.
ACTIONS
Multiattack. The golem makes two Slam attacks.
Slam. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 10 (2d6 + 2) bludgeoning damage. If the golem hits a target with both slam attacks, the target must succeed on a DC 13 STR save or be knocked prone.
BONUS ACTIONS
Flurry of Paper (Recharge 6). Until the end of its next turn, the paper golem has advantage on DEX saves, and slashes all Medium or smaller creatures within 10 feet. An affected creature must make a DC 13 DEX save. On a failure, it deals 2d10 slashing damage and the target is pushed back 10 feet. On a success, the target takes half as much damage and is not pushed back. Flying creatures have disadvantage on the save.
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