Having introduced the concepts of hirelings, mercenaries, and companions to represent various kinds of NPC ally, the question remains: how would an Aetrimonde campaign handle the PCs getting their hands on a golem and wanting to operate it? Well, if that interests you, read on…today’s post features an excerpt from the Bestiary section on golems detailing one way that a GM could make a steam golem work as a companion:
Operating a Steam Golem
With the GM’s cooperation, an adventuring party can conceivably build, salvage, steal, or otherwise acquire a golem and use it as a heavy hitter in their adventures. While it is always up to the GM how to handle an allied golem in their campaigns, here are some suggested rules:
Combination Companion and Mercenary: A golem is sometimes a companion played by one of the players, and sometimes a mercenary played by the GM. It must have a handler among the PCs, and as long as its handler is able to give instructions that the golem can see or hear, that PC’s player also controls the golem. If the handler is staggered, restrained, gagged, silenced, or otherwise unable to give visible or audible instructions, the golem is then played by the GM.
Fueling: Most kinds of golem require fuel or power of some sort; in the case of steam golems, they require large amounts of relatively clean water, and typically run their boilers on alchemically distilled fuel, consuming a liter per day (costing 2gp) just for basic motive power; for periods of intense activity, like combat, they can consume a liter of fuel in just 2 hours. Older and cruder steam golems might run on other fuels like coal or wood, but this makes them even less efficient. Other types of golem require different fuels: clockwork golems need regular winding, ley golems are powered by the magical field generated by a ley tap, and flesh golems are energized by bottled lightning.
Repairs: As constructs, golems have a single resurgence, which they can use only if a trait or action specifically notes that it works on constructs. A character trained in Engineering or who has a relevant perk may, as a main action, perform field repairs on a golem allowing it to use its resurgence: this represents some crude, temporary repair work like freeing a stuck piston, patching a fuel leak, or extracting a fragment of metal from delicate innards. A golem that uses its resurgence regains it only when another character (again, trained in Engineering or with a relevant perk) performs more extensive repairs (patching rents in its armor, swapping damaged parts out for spares, etc.) during a short rest.
Salvaging: A completely destroyed golem can usually be salvaged to obtain parts worth half as much as it would cost to build it from scratch. This generally includes its noofactor, which can then be inserted into a replacement body.
Customizing a Steam Golem
A steam golem typically starts out as one of the models described in this section, but is then customized by its operators. PCs fortunate enough to have a golem can do this too (again, with the cooperation of the GM). Common customizations include:
Military-Grade Plating: A steam golem chassis typically provides the benefits of full plate, including 3 armor resistance. For around 100gp, this can be further upgraded to provide 5 armor resistance.
Integrated Weaponry: A steam golem’s arms can be augmented or replaced with built-in weapons like rotary saws, pile-drivers, or cannons. A typical modification of this type costs around 100gp and requires that the golem be trained to use it (see below).
Enchantments: A golem’s chassis can be enchanted like full plate, and its fists (or integrated weapons replacing them) can be enchanted like weapons. The golem must be trained to use each enchantment.
Kineto-Thaumic Converter: Rather than building a power source into each part of a golem that receives an enchantment, all of a golem’s enchantments can instead be designed to run off of a Kineto-Thaumic Converter, a sophisticated turbine that generates magical power from steam power. The Converter costs around 100gp, but can power any number of enchantments on the golem’s chassis and weapons, replacing the power sources that would normally be needed for magical items. The Converter doubles the golem’s fuel consumption, and the golem must be trained to regulate the Converter.
Ingrained Instructions: A golem can be trained with default behaviors that it falls back on when not under the control of a handler, such as “fall back and shoot enemies” or “protect your handler if they are incapacitated.” Each instruction of this type requires the golem to be trained.
Quirk Suppression: A golem whose noofactor develops an unwanted personality quirk can have this quirk erased through training.
Golem Training: For each customization that requires a golem to be trained, its handler must spend 8 hours attempting the training and then attempt an Engineering check. The Difficulty of this check is 10 for the first round of training (which is necessary when connecting a noofactor to a fresh golem body) and increases by 1 for each successive round of training. If the handler fails one of these checks by 5 or more, the golem develops a new personality quirk.
Resetting a Noofactor: A noofactor that develops too many personality quirks can be reset during a long rest, erasing all of the golem’s training and resulting in a fresh, blank noofactor.
How This Contributes to Gameplay
Okay, purely aside from the fact that controlling a giant steam-powered robot is cool, what do these rules accomplish, and how do they help to make an Aetrimonde campaign interesting?
The rules on operating a steam golem are largely intended to maintain suspension of disbelief: they govern practical things like having to fuel it, make repairs, and give it instructions to make up for its limited intellect.
However, the rules on customizing a steam golem are designed to help a steam golem become a character in its own right. A lot of characters become invested in NPC companions, and offering the option of customizing a newly-acquired steam golem chassis, making it theirs, encourages this. Accordingly, the rules make it difficult to completely “kill off” a steam golem, by making it possible to retrieve its noofactor and build it a new body.
The training system also encourages this kind of investment, by helping to develop a steam golem’s personality. I have not included a table of personality quirks in this post, but among them are traits like “Vengeful: When the steam golem is critically hit, its handler must succeed on a Difficulty 10 Charisma check to maintain control of it; on a failure, the GM takes control of the steam golem and plays it as a companion while it tries to kill whatever damaged it.” By tying personality quirks to advanced training, putting lots of resources and time into creating a golem ensures that it also has the basis of a personality, rather than just being a tool for the party to deploy against their enemies.
Finally, the possibility of resetting a noofactor allows for the possibility of fixing a golem mind that has gotten too neurotic (due to repeated training failures, or quirks imposed by the GM based on how the golem has been used…). However, I would strongly encourage GMs to roleplay the golem’s awareness of what is about to happen to it when the PCs move to reset its noofactor. Depending on the golem’s personality, history with the PCs, and other factors, this could range from feebly resisting as the PCs start to disconnect its noofactor, to violently making a bid for freedom (a doomed, futile one, since it will run out of fuel sooner or later, but still).
Up Next
Why encourage GMs to guilt-trip the PCs like this? Well…I’ll get into that in my next post, covering the Secret Lore of Golems!
Aetrimonde 
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