Straw Golem – My First Monster Manual - Infinite Cortex Creations

This installment of the My First Monster Manual blog series is the Straw Golem known as Jack-O-Lantern.

Environment: Any

Monster Type: Varies

Color: A Golem can be made from any material and will be the color of the material.

Features: A range of sizes depending on the maker’s design.

Abilities: Poison and disease immunity, Resistant to most magic.

Recommended Equipment: Not Applicable

Introduction:

A Golem is a construct made using very powerful magic. They are typically made from materials such as mud, straw, clay, iron, or stone. It will follow its maker’s instructions and is extremely strong, resilient, and determined to fulfill those instructions. Being a magic construct, they require no rest and are immune to poison, disease, and resistant to most types of magic. They make excellent guardians and protectors.

Investigation:

We made our way to the field Madeleine had marked on our map with the scary pumpkin head and warnings of danger. Not sure what we might find; we made our approach with extreme caution. Keeping our distance at first, everything seemed rather plain. A large bountiful field of a variety of fruits and vegetables spread out in front of a small cabin. Behind the cabin was a beautiful apple orchard. In the middle of the field stood a solitary figure, a motionless scarecrow with a pumpkin head. Could this be the terrible monster Madeleine had warned us about.

Observations:

We started to relax when it happened so suddenly. The scarecrow moved, quicker than most men could, and started sprinting right towards us. We jumped off the path and into some bushes away from the field. The large pumpkin head dove to the ground rummaging in the dirt until it popped back up with a large rat caught in its hands. Upon completing the task of getting rid of the pest, it made a slow walk back to the center of the field. We figured as long as we didn’t try to take anything or cause harm to the harvest we would be safe to approach the cabin. As we got closer we noticed the pumpkin head staring at us. At the cabin, a witch, known as Dame Alice greeted us. She invited us in for tea and explained that her scarecrow was a Straw Golem named Jack o’ Lantern. She crafted Jack to protect her fields and orchard, which explained the aversion a twilight fairy would have for it.

Conclusion:

With Alice’s permission, we were able to inspect Jack closely. Even though he was constructed of a simple material such as straw, he was a powerful monster. We would not want to be caught taking anything from her fields. Golems are an impressive feat of magic and can be extremely dangerous depending on their mission. Ones made from Iron are almost indestructible.

About:

The Straw Golem is part of our “My First Monster Manual” blog series where we will feature each of the monsters we are considering for inclusion in our new children’s book. Click here to learn more info on My First Monster Manual.

Artist: Joshua Johnson – joshings.com