Tomb Warden

Tomb wardens are related to stone golems. Dwarf priests construct them to serve as tireless guardians for areas they cannot otherwise protect.

At rest, a tomb warden looks like a group of finely rendered figures of armed and armored dwarves carved in high relief on a seamless stone surface. When trespassers invade the area guarded by a tomb warden, the figures animate and attack.

Combat: Each figure in a tomb warden occupies a section of wall about 5 feet square. Most tomb wardens have at least four sections, but could have many more. The sections form a single, continuous carving. Each figure has its own hit point total and fights separately If the creature's heart is intact, any section destroyed regenerates in one month.

An animated figure becomes three dimensional, but at least half of its mass remains embedded in the wall. As the figure turns to attack various opponents, different portions emerge from the wall and others meld hack in. A figure can reach about 5 feet to attack.

A tomb warden has a crystalline heart buried within some portion of the construct. The heart has 25 hit points for each section in the original creature; for example, a tomb warden with four sections has a heart with 100 hit points. Attacking the heart requires digging through solid stone or some magical effect that can expose it. If disturbed, the heart produces four stony tentacles, each 5 feet long and capable of striking once a round, for 2d8 points of damage per blow. lf the heart is destroyed, all the construct's sections stop functioning within 3d6 turns.

A tomb warden ignores all magical defenses, including protective magical items, invisibility, displacement, and stone skin spells. Magical armor and shields provide nonmagical protection. For example, a character wearing platemail +3 and carrying a shield +4 would still enjoy a base Armor Class of 2 (plus Dexterity adjustments). Bracers of defense or a ring of protection provide no protection at all (AC 10).

Tomb wardens are immune to all weapons except picks, mattocks, and blunt (type B) weapons of + 1 or better enchantment. Only the following spells have any effect:

Stone to flesh renders the heart or a single section vulnerable to normal weapons for 1d4 rounds.

Transmute mud to rock heals all damage to any section (including the heart) in the area of effec

Disintegrate renders one section inert for 1d6 rounds and causes 1d12 points of damage. If directed at the heart, a disintegrate spell inflicts 2d12 points of damage but has no other effect.

Passwall makes an opening in the wall containing a tomb warden. Nearby figures can attack creatures entering the passage. A passwall spell cast in the right area exposes a tomb warden's heart to attack.

Meld into stone allows the caster to enter a wall containing a tomb warden.

Habitat/Society: Tomb wardens are found only within dwarf-built subterranean complexes, usually guarding constricted areas where intruders cannot easily evade their attacks. A tomb warden cannot speak, but can obey simple instructions that include conditional phrases, such as: "Attack all orcs, and attack any other creature who does not speak the password."

Ecology: Tomb wardens do not eat, sleep, breathe, or reproduce. Lawful good dwarf priests of at least 12th level create them. Construction requires two months and 65,000 gold pieces worth of materials, plus an extra month and 10,000 gold pieces per section. For each section in the tomb warden, the priest must have one assistant priest of at least 7th level.

All the priests involved must participate in shaping the tomb warden's heart and in sculpting the figures. When the stonework is complete, the priests petition their deity for direct aid. The deity grants the favor only in cases where the dwarves involved have no reliable or practical way to protect whatever the warden is to guard. If the optional rules for quest spells in the Tome of Magic are in play, the divine favor can he considered a quest spell.