Ice golems are interesting, if somewhat limited, constructs. They don’t risk going berserk like so many other golems do, but they are vulnerable to the energy type most spellslingers rely on more than any other: fire. Also, while their construction costs are low, their required caster level cost is high, especially for a CR 5 monster. The end result is a servant that works best for a specific and somewhat eccentric subset of casters—particularly those that can bolster the golem with cold effects, especially water and certain air elementalists and evokers—or in situations where ordinary golems just won’t do.
The garden parties of Princess Anastasia are known for their ice sculptures, miraculously present even in the hottest summer months. At least two of the sculptures in each display are secretly ice golems, typically in the shape of paired swans. The guards rely on these as a last line of defense for the princess, while still being easy to control and easy to dispose of if necessary (thanks to a healthy supply of flaming sphere scrolls).
The Carouwak halflings hunt and fish the frozen north, spending much of the winter in carefully constructed igloos. The entrance to such an igloo is almost always a disguised ice golem, ready to defend against winter wolves, ice trolls, and the like. Control over the golems is matrilineal; the headwoman in each family bears a token that marks the family golem as hers. This provides a counterpoint to the largely male-dominated clan and tribal leadership roles.
It’s a classic locked room mystery—a prelate bludgeoned to death while shut up in the sacristy, blood spatter and an possible footprints obscured by a puddle of water (presumably from a leak or overturned vessel), and no possible means of escape beyond truly extraordinary means (e.g. ethereal travel). But will the young friars investigating realize the victim shows signs of frostbite in midsummer, or note the unusual number of visits to the temple logged by a certain gnomish wizard?
—Pathfinder Bestiary 161
Continuing yesterday’s conversation, I do not seem to have that magic talk balloon button anywhere—perhaps because I don’t have Disqus loaded? The mystery is royally ticking me off. I can like and reblog to my heart’s content, but not comment. Grrr…
That said, I of course have to respectfully disagree with syringesin. The 1e Manual of the Planes may have been a fun browse for DMs, but the planes themselves were too lethal to be fun for any but the highest-level parties. That was the genius of 2e’s Planescape: making the Planes places you could explore, not just make surgical strikes into. 3.0’s Manual was a step down in that it lost Planescape’s genius cosmopolitan, philosophical flair—but keeping the Planes in reach for low- and mid-level parties is a good thing. You could still get just as dead—but it would be at the end of a night’s adventuring rather than after a few failed saving throws the moment you arrived.
BTW: Best pun sneaked into a D&D product? A: The Zorro-esque Belcadiz elf, Manuel of the Plains, in Bruce Heard’s GAZ3 The Principalities of Glantri.
Ice golems are created by uldras, who use them as guards to help defend their herds of reindeer. Such golems bear conspicuous antlers and large feet, the latter of which helps them navigate rough terrain and snow.
Shores of Swords 