General Rules: Monsters - Glyph Guardian (Template)

Glyph Guardian (from Dragon Magazine #302)

Glyph guardians, also known as seal guardians or portal guardians, are golems with a wide variety of body types. Created to guard a doorway or passage and mystically bound to the area in the process, glyph guardians are constructed from a variety of materials. Most are stone, a number are wood, and clay and iron glyph golems are not unheard of. regardless of the materials used in their creations, all glyph guardians have one thing in common - their writings.

Arcane runes scrawl their way across the glyph guardian's body and blaze with intense mystical energy. This is the mark of a glyph guardian and the true substance of their form, for glyph guardians are nothing less than a collection of arcane glyphs bound to a golem. Mystical rituals infuse the construct with energies normally reserved for doors and lids and in the process make the golem an animated extension of the portal it guards.

Glyph guardians trade mobility for power. The process of transforming a regular golem into a glyph guardian changes the nature of the construct, making it part of the area it is set to guard and thus capable of receiving certain enchantments that can only be normally applied to immobile structures. Within their protected area, glyph golems are an overwhelming opponent, but they are powerless to leave their protectorate, and no force can remove them.

"Glyph guardian" is a template that can be added to any golem. It uses all of the base creature's abilities except as noted here.

Hit Dice: Same as the base creature.

Speed: Same as the base creature.

Armor Class: Same as the base creature.

Attacks: Same as the base creature.

Damage: Same as the base creature.

Special Attacks: A glyph guardian retains all the special abilities of the base creature and also gains the following ones:

• Bursting Blow (Su): All the glyph guardian's natural attacks deal +1d6 points of acid, cold, electricity, fire, or sonic damage as chosen by the glyph guardian's creator at the tile the golem is made into a glyph guardian. On a successful critical hit, a natural attack instead deals +1d10 points of the appropriate energy damage.


• Ghost Touch (Su): A glyph guardian's natural attacks function as ghost touch weapons.


• Guardian Ray (Su): As part of the creation ritual, the glyph guardian is given the ability to fire a ray at foes. This ray has a range of 100 feet and requires a ranged touch attack to hit the foe. The ray can take one of three forms as chosen by the glyph guardian's creator at the time the golem is made into a glyph guardian.
  
  
  
  • Fire Ray: A scarlet beam of pure heat blasts the interloper for 7d6 points of fire damage. In addition, the creature struck suffers effects identical to a heat metal spell and must succeed at Will saving throws to negate the effect for the metal objects it carries. The save DC is 10 + half the glyph guardian's Hit Dice.
  
  
  • Cold Ray: A silvery blue beam that crackles like breaking ice and frosts the air to visibility along its length streaks out to the trespasser for 7d6 points of cold damage. In addition, the creature struck suffers effects identical to a chill metal spell and must succeed at Will saving throws to negate the effect for the metal objects it carries. The save DC is 10 + half the glyph guardian's Hit Dice.
  
  
  • Necromantic Ray: A beam the color of clotted blood snaps out to lash the intruder for 7d6 points of negative energy damage. Undead are healed by this attack instead of damaged. In addition, the creature struck suffers effects identical to a ghoul touch spell for 7 rounds unless it succeeds at a Fortitude saving throw. The save DC is 10 + half the glyph guardian's Hit Dice.


• Stasis Blow (Su): Once every 1d4 rounds, some of the glyphs on the glyph guardian's body activate, and a serpent of amber energy forms around one of the glyph guardian's natural attacks. If the glyph guardian makes a successful melee attack roll or melee touch attack, the opponent must succeed at a Fortitude save or be caught in a stasis field for 1d4 days as per sepia snake sigil. Many glyph guardians are commanded to ignore creatures contained in the amber stasis fields a glyph guardian's stasis blow imparts; this allows their creators to deal with intruders and other foes as they please. The save DC is 10 + half the glyph guardian's Hit Dice.

Special Qualities: A glyph guardian retains all the special qualities of the base creature, and also gains the following ones:

• True Sight (Su): A glyph guardian sees all things as they are. This ability functions as the divine version of true seeing with a range of 60 feet. A glyph guardian always sees into the Shadow Realm.


• Bonded Area (Ex): The glyph guardian is mystically made part of its guardian domain and as such is physically incapable of leaving it. The DM must define this area before the encounter begins. This area could be as small as a single room or as large as an entire castle complex, but it can be no larger than an area that could be encompassed in a 1,000-foot-diameter sphere.
  
  
  
  The glyph guardian cannot step out of its bonded area for any reason, nor can it be forcibly removed by any magical means; all such attempts fail. Not even the glyph guardian's creator can order it beyond the area it was created to guard. it is possible to use physical means, such as pushing the glyph guardian out o the area, but the glyph guardian teleports or simply walks back in as son as it is able if it cannot use its teleport ability. Should it be impossible for it to enter or stay in the bonded area (the room it was bonded to is filled with stone, the floor has been replaced with a pit, and so on) the glyph guardian loses the glyph guardian template and becomes a normal golem under the command of the creator.


• Erase Vulnerability (Ex): Although most glyph guardians boast an impressive resistance to spells and damaging magic, their source of additional power is also the source of another weakness. Vital components of a glyph guardian's magical writings are susceptible to the erase spell, just like certain magical glyphs are. Targeting the glyph guardian with this spell automatically inflicts 5d6 points of damage and prevents it from using all of the supernatural special attacks and supernatural special qualities derived from this template for 1d6 rounds.


• Teleport without Error (Su): The glyph guardian can teleport itself, its creator, and up to 50 pounds of objects anywhere within its bonded area without a chance of error. Using this ability is a move-equivalent action for the glyph guardian. It must be touching its creator to teleport its creator.

Saves: Same as the base creature.

Abilities: Same as the base creature.

Skills: Same as the base creature.

Feats: Same as the base creature.

Climate/Terrain: Any land and underground.

Organization: Same as the base creature.

Challenge Rating: As the base creature +3.

Treasure: Same as the base creature.

Alignment: Always evil (any).

Advancement: Same as the base creature.

Level Adjustment: Same as base creature +2.

Construction

To create a glyph guardian, the creator must first meet all the requirements for creating the base creature. After all requirements for the golem are met, the creator must invest an additional 40,000 shillings for mystical warding materials, which may not be reused. The creator must be at least a 14^th-level caster. Creation drains an additional 1,600 experience points and requires the Craft Wondrous Item feat, dimensional anchor, explosive runes, glyph of warding, sepia snake sigil, and teleport without error.

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