General Rules: Monsters - Rope Golem

Rope Golem (adapted from Dragon Magazine #302)
Large Construct

Hit Dice: 16d10+30 (118 hit points)
Initiative: +2
Speed: 30 feet (cannot run)
Armor Class: 27 (-1 size, +2 Dexterity, +16 natural); touch 11, flat-footed 25
BAB/Grapple: +12/+26

Attack: Slam +21 melee (2d8+10, bludgeoning, 20 x2)

Full Attack: 2 slams +21 melee (2d8+10, bludgeoning, 20 x2)

Space/Reach: 10 feet by 10 feet/10 feet
Special Attacks: Constrict, improved grab, rope whirlwind, strangle

Special Qualities: Construct, darkvision 60 feet, magic immunity, DR 40/+3, fire vulnerability, unravel

Saves: Fortitude +5, Reflex +7, Will +5
Abilities: Str 30, Int -, Wis 11, Dex 14, Con -, Cha 1
Skills: -
Feats: -
Environment: Any
Organization: Solitary or gang (2 - 4)
Challenge Rating: 12
Treasure: None
Alignment: Always neutral
Advancement: 17 - 23 Hit Dice (Large); 24 - 49 Hit Dice (Huge)

Also called hangman golems, rope golems are composed of numerous ropes that are twisted and wrapped into the shape of a humanoid figure. Standing almost twice the height of a normal human, the rope golem's face is only a rough outline, with two pure white globs of energy burning where the eyes would be. A rope golem cannot speak, but it expresses acknowledgement of command with the twisting of ropes.

Combat
A rope golem is a ferocious combatant that tries to get in close with opponents before unleashing its rope whirlwind. If it is guarding a location or object, it typically unravels itself, appearing like a long-disused rope.

Constrict (Ex): With a successful grapple check, a rope golem can crush a grabbed opponent, dealing 2d8+15 points of bludgeoning damage.

Fire Vulnerability (Ex): A rope golem takes double damage from fire attacks unless a save is allowed for half damage. A successful save halves the damage and a failure doubles it.

Improved Grab (Ex): If a rope golem hits an opponent that is at least one size category smaller than itself with a slam attack, it deals normal damage and attempts to start a grapple as a free action without provoking an attack of opportunity. If it gets hold, it also constructs on the same round. Thereafter, the rope golem has the option to conduct the grapple normally or simply use the ropes to hold the opponent (-20 penalty on the grapple check but the rope golem is not considered grappled). In either case, each successful grapple check it makes during successive round automatically deals constrict damage.

Magic Immunity (Ex): A rope golem is immune to all spells, spell-like abilities, and supernatural effects, except as follows. Animate rope causes 1d8 points of damage. A mending spell heals the rope golem of 2d8 points of damage.

Rope Whirlwind (Ex): The rope golem can extend a number of ropes and begin to spin, flailing everything in a 10-foot radius. Hits are resolved as slam attacks that do not allow the rope golem to use its improved grab ability. This does not provoke an attack of opportunity, and the rope golem can use his ability once every 1d4 rounds.

Strangle (Ex): When the rope golem grapples a living opponent, it can make a strangle attack as a attack action against the foe it grapples. The ripe golem and its foe make opposed grapple check (or the foe can escape with an Escape Artist check). If the rope golem exceeds the foe's grapple check by 10 or more, it squeezes the breath from that opponent, suffocating the creature in addition to dealing constrict damage. On the following rounds, the rope golem can continue to suffocate the creature as a free action that requires no grapple check so long as the creature does not somehow escape the grapple. This causes the creature to drop to -1 hit points on the second round of suffocation and -10 on the third. When the rope golem grapples an unconscious creature (such as one being suffocated) it does not count as grappled and can make attacks and move about normally.

Unravel (Ex): Once per day, as a standard action, a rope golem can unravel its form to become a heap of tangled ropes that fills a 10-foot-by-10-foot area. While in this form, the rope golem cannot attack or move, but it gains fast healing 5. The rope golem can reform into its humanoid appearance as a full-round action.

Construct: Rope golems are immune to mind-influencing effects, poison, paralysis, stunning, disease, death effects, and necromancy effects. Rope golems cannot heal damage on their own, but often can be repaired through the use of the Craft Construct feat or arcane magic. Rope golems are not subject to critical hits, nonlethal damage, ability damage, ability drain, fatigue, exhaustion, or energy drain. They are immune to any effect that requires a Fortitude save (unless the effect also works on objects, or is harmless). Rope golems are not at risk of death from massive damage but are immediately destroyed when reduced to 0 hit points or less. Since it was never alive, a rope golem cannot be raised or resurrected.

Construction
A rope golem's body is crafted from numerous magically crafted ropes. The golem costs 90,000 shillings to create, which includes 1,250 shillings for the construction of the body. Creating the body is a complex task that requires a successful DC 20 Use Rope check. The creator must be 16th level and able to cast arcane spells.

Caster Level: 16^th; Prerequisites: Craft Construct, animate rope, geas/quest, limited wish, polymorph any object; Market Price: 180,000 shillings; Cost to Create: 90,000 shillings and 2,400 experience points.

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