Brass Colossus
A massive and powerful construct, brought back by Vasily from his journeys through space-time.
General Information
A brass golem is a metal shell around a core of fire. Brass golems burn like the fire elemental spirits that are used to animate them. Their gaze attacks make them ideal for taking out large numbers of enemies. They are usually sculpted in vaguely humanoid shapes, made to look like mighty warriors, fearsome minotaur-like creatures, or other such forms. The air ripples around their bodies, due to the palpable aura of heat that surrounds them. A brass golem’s eyes burn like hot coals.
Brass colossi are the largest brass golems ever created, and very few specimens have ever been made. They guard important temples to powerful gods of fire, or the lairs of the oldest of red dragons. One such colossus was created by the late Grand Sultan of the efreet?, until it was destroyed in the Sultan’s final, climactic battle against the combined forces of good.
Though a brass colossus can make devastating slam attacks with its searing-hot fists, such golems often wield weapons specially created for their use. Such a weapon must be a Huge, two-handed, slashing +3 weapon of greater wounding; a greataxe or a shamsir (two-handed scimitar) are the most common choices. The weapon must be crafted from brass forged with elemental fire. Very few weaponsmiths across the planes know the techniques for creating such weapons, and most of them can be found among the azers? of the Realm of Fire?.
Origin
When Vasily returned from his journey through the distant realms of possibility, he brought back several items of great power. Among these was an inactive brass colossus—a massive golem, 18 feet tall, vaguely humanoid, and sculpted from brass. It was somewhat damaged, but more importantly, it was inactive—that is, it did not contain an animating elemental spirit. This meant that the golem was simply an inert statue, rather than an animate construct; and unless a ritual was performed to bind a spirit of elemental fire to the golem, inert it would remain.
The Mephit Alternative
Thanks to some mildly reckless, though fruitful, experimentation, Taras discovered that Neek?, his fire mephit companion, can physically enter and inhabit the empty brass colossus; and, as fire mephits are creatures of elemental flame, Neek can animate the colossus—effectively making it a fully functional golem (but with the mephit’s mental statistics, rather than that of a normal brass colossus). Thus, the Neek-“piloted” golem can effectively behave intelligently (well, as intelligently as a fire mephit, anyway), follow instructions, communicate, etc.
Though Neek’s initial attempts at animating the golem were halting, and he had some difficulty mastering all of its elemental powers (not to mention the challenge of handling basic motor control of a Huge construct), the mephit has been steadily improving his control of the colossus. He can now control the golem with reasonable effectiveness (some more practice will make perfect). However, inhabiting and animating the colossus still takes great exertion on Neek’s part, and doing it for more than a few minutes at a time exhausts him.
Combat Statistics
Brass colossus
(Numbers in brackets indicate values changed when Neek? inhabits and animates the golem.)
N Huge construct (fire)
Init –2 [+2]; Senses darkvision 60 ft.; low-light vision; Listen +2 [+14], Spot +2 [+14]
Aura fire aura (10 ft., 2d6 fire damage, no save)
Gaze smoldering gaze (30 ft., 2 Con damage, Fort DC 26 negates)
Defense
AC 26, touch 6, flat-footed 26 (–2 size, –2 Dex, +20 natural)
DR 10/adamantine
hp 337 (25d10+200); fast healing 10
Fort +8, Ref +6, Will +10 [+7]
Defensive Abilities energy resistance
Immune construct traits, fire, magic
Weaknessess vulnerability to cold
Offense
Speed 20 ft. (can't run)
Melee 2 slams +29 (4d6+13 plus 2d6 fire)
Melee Weapon +32/+32 (weapon damage +22,+2d6 fire, +wounding)
Note: This brass colossus does not possess a weapon.
Grapple +33
Space 15 ft.; Reach 15 ft.
Special Attacks burning blood (10-ft. line, 2d6 fire damage, Ref DC 26 negates)
Spell-Like Abilities [from Neek]
- 1/hour — scorching ray (CL 7th)
- 1/day — heat metal (DC 15, CL 6th)
Statistics
Str 36, Dex 7, Con —, Int — [9], Wis 15 [11], Cha 1 [16]
Base Atk +18
Special Qualities death throes
Special Abilities
- Burning Blood (Ex)
- Each time the brass colossus takes at least 10 points of damage (after damage reduction) from a piercing or slashing weapon, a gout of flame sprays out through the damaged shell, dealing 2d6 points of fire damage in a 10-foot line (Reflex DC 26 negates).
- Death Throes (Ex)
- When a brass colossus is destroyed, its core explodes in a massive fireball, dealing 20d6 points of damage to everything in a 60-foot radius (Reflex DC 26 half).
Note: This brass colossus probably does not have the death throes special power if animated by Neek? instead of a bound fire elemental spirit. - Energy Resistance
- The brass colossus takes energy damage as an object (with a hardness of 10). Halve electricity damage before applying hardness. Due to the golem’s cold vulnerability, it takes full (non-reduced) damage from cold, and hardness does not apply.
- Fire Aura (Ex)
- The flaming core of a brass colossus heats up its metallic body to extremely high temperatures. The golem’s slam attacks deal 2d6 points of fire damage, and any creature attacking the colossus with natural weapons or an unarmed strike takes the same damage. Additionally, any creature within 10 feet of the colossus takes 1d6 points of fire damage per round (no save).
- Immune to Magic (Ex)
- A brass colossus is immune to any effect that allows spell resistance, except as follows. A cold effect slows it (as the spell) for 3 rounds, with no saving throw. A fire effect breaks any slow effect on the golem and cures 1 point of damage for every 3 points it would otherwise deal. A quench spell dazes the golem for one round with no save, and negates its gaze attack for that round.
- Smoldering Gaze (Su)
- Any living creature within 30 feet of a brass colossus that meets its gaze must succeed at a Fortitude saving throw (DC 26) or advance one step on the Constitution damage track as it burns from the inside out: blood boils, bones crumble and turn to ash, and cellular structure breaks down from the heat.