Megalith Golem — Guardian of the Stone Circle
Seven standing stones have moved in the night. The circle was complete at dusk. By dawn, the ancient slabs have risen and locked together into a giant’s shape: two massive legs, broad shoulders, arms of stacked stone and a weathered head carved with forgotten signs. Moss falls from the joints as it takes its first step. The cattle flee when the runes across its chest begin to glow.
A megalith golem is a humanoid construct built from several immense stones taken from ancient circles, sacred avenues or abandoned burial sites. Long slabs form its arms and legs; broader blocks become its torso and shoulders, while a shaped capstone serves as its head. Enchanted joints hold the weathered stones together without mortar. Each piece retains its moss, chisel marks and ancient runes, which flare to life when the guardian moves. Unlike an ordinary stone golem, the megalith carries the power and obligations of a whole sacred site in its body.
Why the Stone Was Raised
Some were raised by secretive ritual circles to guard ancestral tombs; others were bound to protect burial paths from raiders. A corrupted druid might command such a stone, but the golem’s magic is not a judgement upon every druid or the lands they keep. The evil is in the rite, the stolen stone and the task imposed on it.
Mortal stone-warding traditions reach back to dwarven refuge builders who bound guardians against the successors of the giants. Megalith golems are a rarer branch of that craft, fashioned from older sacred stones rather than newly quarried blocks. Their arms can smash a gate and their weight can break a road, but they still obey the precise instructions of their makers; a flawed oath may be exploited without destroying the guardian.
What Is Happening Right Now?
On a moorland ridge, the stones of a forgotten circle have begun disappearing. A shepherd saw them assembling in the mist: three blocks made a broad chest, others became arms and legs, and the northern capstone settled where a head should be. A landowner plans to quarry the remaining stones for a bridge, while a keeper of local traditions fears the waking guardian is preparing to seal a burial chamber beneath the ground.
An old survey records seven stones, but only six stand on the hill. The seventh became the lintel of a village mill decades ago, and the partly assembled guardian is searching for it. Recovering that block may complete the golem and restore the protective circle—or place the miller’s family directly in reach of its rune-covered hands. The characters can trace the old oath, negotiate with the claimants or stop the guardian before it tears the mill apart.
Signs and Behaviour
A megalith golem can stand motionless among the stones it was built from, looking like a collapsed monument until a trespass, a horn or a forbidden crossing awakens it. Its enormous feet split the earth as it advances; rune-carved fists overturn walls and crush those barred by its maker’s oath. The weakness symbols engraved on its limbs are a second defence: touching the guardian may drain the strength from an intruder’s arms.
The stone’s blindness to changed law creates choices. An innocent traveller carrying an enemy banner might be marked for death. A thief bearing the maker’s token might cross safely. Breaking the golem can also break the circle it was raised to maintain, leaving the place exposed to the danger beyond its ancient boundary.
Megalith Golem Stat Blocks
Select the edition at the table. The D&D 3.5e version retains the published third-party d20 statistics for a single animated monolith. In this campaign, a megalith golem is assembled from multiple standing stones; the Pathfinder 1e, D&D 2014 and D&D 2024 blocks are adaptations of that idea. Their rune saves and action economies are different and should not be mixed.
Megalith Golem — D&D 2024
Original D&D 2024 campaign conversion · Huge Construct, Unaligned · CR 8 (3,900 XP; PB +3)
AC 17 (rune-carved rock); Initiative −2 (8); HP 161 (14d12 + 70); Speed 20 ft.
| STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 28 (+9) | 7 (−2) | 20 (+5) | 3 (−4) | 6 (−2) | 1 (−5) |
Saving Throws Str +12, Con +8. Damage Immunities Poison, Psychic. Condition Immunities Charmed, Exhaustion, Frightened, Paralyzed, Petrified, Poisoned. Senses Darkvision 60 ft., Passive Perception 8. Languages Understands the language of its maker but cannot speak.
Traits
Immutable Form. The golem cannot shape-shift. Magic Resistance. It has Advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects. Siege Stone. Its attacks deal double damage to objects and structures.
Runes of Waning Strength. Once per turn, a creature that touches the megalith or is hit by its Crush must make a DC 16 Constitution saving throw. On a failure its Strength-based attack rolls and ability checks have Disadvantage until the end of its next turn. A creature can be affected only once per round.
Softened Stone. An effect specifically turning solid stone to mud (where available in the campaign) Restrains the golem until the end of its next turn. A stone-restoring effect ends this condition and restores 20 HP, no more than once per encounter. These are original campaign interactions, not official 2024 rules.
Actions
Multiattack. Two Crushing Impact attacks.
Crushing Impact. Melee Attack Roll +12, reach 15 ft., one target. Hit: 25 (3d10 + 9) Bludgeoning damage, and the target is exposed to Runes of Waning Strength.
Trample (Recharge 5–6). The golem advances up to its Speed through creatures and objects along a straight path. Each creature in its path makes a DC 18 Dexterity saving throw, taking 36 (5d10 + 9) Bludgeoning damage and falling Prone on a failure, or half damage without falling Prone on a success. A creature can be damaged only once per use.
Original campaign conversion for D&D 2024, based on the 3.5e Megalith Golem in Monster Encyclopaedia II: The Dark Bestiary (Mongoose Publishing, 2005). Not an official Wizards of the Coast 2024 creature.
Megalith Golem — D&D 2014
Original D&D 2014-compatible conversion · Huge Construct, Unaligned · CR 8 (3,900 XP)
AC 17 (natural armour); HP 161 (14d12 + 70); Speed 20 ft.
| STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 28 (+9) | 7 (−2) | 20 (+5) | 3 (−4) | 6 (−2) | 1 (−5) |
Saving Throws Con +8, Wis +1. Damage Immunities Poison, Psychic and Bludgeoning, Piercing or Slashing from nonmagical attacks that aren’t adamantine. Condition Immunities Charmed, Exhaustion, Frightened, Paralyzed, Petrified, Poisoned. Senses Darkvision 60 ft., Passive Perception 8. Languages Understands its creator’s languages but cannot speak.
Traits
Immutable Form. Immune to magic changing its shape. Magic Resistance. Advantage on saving throws against spells and magical effects. Siege Monster. Double damage to objects and structures.
Symbol of Weakness. A creature that touches the golem or is struck by its Crush must succeed on a DC 16 Constitution save or have Disadvantage on Strength checks and Strength saving throws for 1 minute. The creature repeats the save at the end of each turn, ending the effect on success; a creature is subject to only one application each round.
Stone’s Undoing. A transmute rock to mud effect that targets it Restrains it for 1d4 rounds without a save, if that spell exists in the game. Mud-to-rock magic ends the effect and restores 20 HP. These are conversion rules.
Actions
Multiattack. Two Crush attacks.
Crush. Melee Weapon Attack +12 to hit, reach 15 ft., one target. Hit: 25 (3d10 + 9) Bludgeoning damage and exposure to Symbol of Weakness.
Trample (Recharge 5–6). Move up to 20 ft. through the spaces of other creatures, which must make DC 18 Dexterity saving throws, taking 36 (5d10 + 9) Bludgeoning and being knocked Prone on a failure, or half without Prone on a success. No creature takes damage more than once from the same Trample.
Original 2014-compatible conversion of the published Mongoose Publishing d20 3.5e creature. This is not an official 2014 Monster Manual or SRD stat block.
Megalith Golem — Pathfinder 1e
Original Pathfinder 1e conversion · CR 8 (XP 4,800) · NE Huge Construct
Initiative −2; Senses Darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision; Perception −2.
Defence
AC 25, touch 6, flat-footed 25 (−2 size, −2 Dex, +19 natural); HP 100 (11d10 + 40); Fort +3, Ref +1, Will +1; DR 10/magic and adamantine; immune to Construct traits and most magic.
Offence
Speed 20 ft.; Melee Crush +18 (3d6 + 13 plus Symbol of Weakness); Space/Reach 15 ft./15 ft.; Special Attack Trample (3d6 + 13, Reflex DC 24 half).
| STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 28 (+9) | 7 (−2) | — | — | 6 (−2) | 1 (−5) |
Base Attack +11; CMB +22; CMD 26; Environment any land; Organization solitary or cromlech (2–7); Treasure standard.
Special Abilities
Symbol of Weakness (Sp). Any creature touching or struck by the runed stone is affected as by symbol of weakness (Will DC 11 negates). A dispel magic effect suppresses the carved runes for ten rounds, after which they reactivate. The runes are integral to the stone and cannot be erased like an ordinary magical trap.
Trample (Ex). A full-round action that moves through eligible opponents’ squares, dealing 3d6 + 13 Bludgeoning damage; DC 24 Reflex half.
Immunity to Magic (Ex). Immune to effects allowing Spell Resistance. Transmute rock to mud holds it motionless for 1d6 rounds with no save. Transmute mud to rock cancels the effect and repairs all lost HP. Stone to flesh does not change its form but suppresses DR and immunity to magic for 1d6 rounds.
Construction — Campaign Conversion
For this assembled-stone campaign variant, several standing stones weighing at least six tons in total must be gathered from a single ancient, magically charged site. Preparing their runes and binding joints requires special reagents costing 3,500 gp. CL 14th, suggested creator level 15th; Price 80,000 gp, Cost 43,500 gp; Craft (calligraphy, sculpture or stonemasonry) DC 15. Requires Craft Construct, animate objects, geas/quest, permanency and symbol of weakness. Adapt these requirements to the Pathfinder spells and crafting rules.
This Pathfinder 1e version is a campaign conversion from the Dark Bestiary 3.5e source, not a published Paizo creature. Attack, CMB and CMD values have been recalculated using Pathfinder’s Construct base attack progression.
Megalith Golem — D&D 3.5e
Published third-party D&D 3.5e creature · Dark Bestiary (2005) · CR 8 · NE Huge Construct
Hit Dice 11d10 + 40 (100 HP); Initiative −2; Speed 20 ft. (4 squares).
AC 25 (−2 size, −2 Dex, +19 natural), touch 6, flat-footed 25; DR 10/magic and adamantine; immune to Construct traits and most magic; low-light vision and darkvision 60 ft.
Base Attack/Grapple +8/+25; Attack Crush +15 melee (3d6 + 13); Full Attack one Crush +15 melee; Space/Reach 15 ft./15 ft.
| STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 28 (+9) | 7 (−2) | — | — | 6 (−2) | 1 (−5) |
Saves Fort +3, Ref +1, Will +1; Skills/Feats —; Environment any; Organisation solitary or cromlech (2–7); Treasure standard; Alignment always Neutral Evil; Advancement 12–22 HD Huge, 23–33 HD Gargantuan.
Special Attacks
Symbol of Weakness (Sp). Any creature touching or touched by the megalith is subject to its permanent symbol of weakness (Will DC 11 negates). The symbols cannot be disarmed or scraped away as an ordinary trap. A dispel magic effect suppresses them, but they resume after ten rounds.
Trample (Ex). 3d6 + 13 Bludgeoning damage, Reflex DC 24 half; the golem rolls over opponents with its immense block-like body.
Special Qualities
Immunity to Magic (Ex). Normally unaffected by spells permitting Spell Resistance. Transmute rock to mud holds it for 1d6 rounds, no save. Transmute mud to rock releases it and repairs all missing HP. Stone to flesh suppresses both its DR and magic immunity for 1d6 rounds without changing its stone shape.
Construction
A single natural stone block of at least six tons, found at a site of great evil power and treated with reagents worth 3,500 gp; Craft (calligraphy, sculpture or stonemasonry) DC 15. CL 14th; Price 80,000 gp; Cost 43,500 gp + 3,060 XP. Requires Craft Construct, animate objects, geas/quest, permanency, symbol of weakness, and a maker of level 15 or higher.
Source: J. C. Alvarez, Monster Encyclopaedia II: The Dark Bestiary, ©2005 Mongoose Publishing (d20/3.5e, OGL). The publisher’s original creature is a single monolith, unlike the assembled-stone guardian described in this campaign. The earlier site text alternated between “symbol of weakness” and “symbol of fear”; only the weakness symbol is used here. The original listed caster level 14th and creator level 15th are preserved as printed.
Running the Megalith at the Table
Its size and slow movement are the encounter. Give players a hillside with ditches to jump, standing stones that obstruct the golem’s reach, livestock to move and an ancient boundary the guardian’s orders forbid it from crossing. Foreshadow its magic with carved signs on smaller stones and the tale of someone whose hands failed when they touched the monolith. A towering guardian of assembled megaliths is a moving obstacle as much as an opponent.
Before combat, let the party discover a maker’s mark, a forgotten stanza naming those who may pass, or a local story of a ritual interrupted by rain. The 3.5e spell interactions are especially dramatic: changing stone into mud holds it fast, and restoring the stone repairs it. The fifth-edition conversions use deliberately simpler, explicitly optional translations.
Adventure Encounters
The Last Stone of the Circle
A miller has unknowingly built his grindstone from the seventh monolith of a sacred circle. The assembled golem marches toward the mill to reclaim its missing shoulder-stone; its enormous feet crack the embankment, threatening everyone downstream. The characters can restore the missing stone, negotiate with its owners or reroute the old oath; destroying the guardian could leave something sealed beneath the circle free to rise.
The Shepherd’s Line
A guardian assembled from the valley’s ancient boundary stones has begun driving flocks away from a sheltered pasture. The villagers want it shattered before winter, while a map etched inside an old cairn suggests the stone is guarding against a creeping blight underground. A grieving family believes its child lies in a barrow the golem now refuses to let anyone enter. The party must decide whether its orders are misplaced or still necessary.
The Borrowed Quarry
An ambitious lord offers generous payment to move an enchanted black stone into his fortress gate. He promises to use it as a bulwark, but another claimant produces a centuries-old deed forbidding the stone’s removal. When the quarry ropes tighten, the other old stones rise and join together into a guardian that reaches for the stolen slab. Its rune marks both armed men and labourers as trespassers, and the party must find a way to release the trapped workers without letting the quarrel become a massacre.
After the Stone Falls
Even a shattered megalith may retain the maker’s mark or fragments of the boundary oath. A rune tracing, a carved lintel or a surviving golem manual can reveal the purpose of the circle. Selling the stone for building material may be tempting; returning it to the place it was taken from may save lives decades later.
Related Creatures and Magic
Explore the golem family, Stone Golem, Iron Golem, symbol of weakness, transmute rock to mud, stone to flesh, adamantine and Craft Construct.
Source and licence: J. C. Alvarez, Monster Encyclopaedia II: The Dark Bestiary (2005), © Mongoose Publishing, published for the d20/3.5 rules under the OGL. The Pathfinder and fifth-edition versions and the adventure situations are original conversions and setting content. Monster names, original artwork and prose from the publisher remain subject to their respective rights.
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