Oak Golem — Warden of the Ancient Grove
The woodcutters have returned without their axes. Their blades hang from branches too high to reach. No wind carried them there. On the trunk of an enormous oak, fresh sap gleams in the grooves of a carved face—and the tree has moved a dozen paces closer to the road since sunrise.
Fashioned from ancient heartwood, the oak golem is a carefully carved woodland guardian, with a humanlike trunk, heavy wooden fists, bark armour and living roots curling about its feet. Some wear moss and the nests of birds that have mistaken them for sleeping trees. Others bear the marks of axes and woodworking tools beneath their protective runes.
Who Made the Warden?
Some oak golems were made by druids to bar a road that cut across a burial grove. Others were commissioned by nobles, forest wardens or woodcutters who could not defend their timber from soldiers. A golem’s maker carves or magically binds its instructions into the wood. The creature guards what it was ordered to guard; centuries later it may still consider a long-abandoned cart track forbidden ground.
The greatest risk comes from a command that once made sense. A golem told never to admit iron-bearing strangers may threaten a peaceful traveller wearing a small knife. One ordered to guard the king’s oaks may attack the king’s own men after the woodland is sold. A trustworthy companion might carry a token of safe passage; a cunning foe might steal it and pass without challenge.
What Is Happening Right Now?
The villages beneath an old forest must rebuild their bridge before spring floods arrive. The nearest oak trunks stand beside a ruined shrine, just beyond an ancient boundary no one now remembers. A royal forester has marked those trees for felling, and the woodland guardian has woken to enforce the oath buried in its bark.
The workmen find their axes stacked at the old boundary each morning. The forester intends to bring armed retainers next time. A shrine-keeper claims the oath is recorded on a carved wooden tablet hidden within a fallen tree, while the timber merchant promises to reward anyone who destroys the guardian. There is still time to choose a different stand of timber, bargain for a passage or discover whose instructions the golem truly obeys.
Signs, Habits and Motives
The golem often gives a warning before violence: it blocks the path, lifts a felled log back into place or tears the haft from an axe. Its movement is not the speech or thought of a treant. It is a construct following a task whose terms may be narrow, ancient and dangerously literal.
The sound of its awakening is timber bending under impossible weight. Roots pull free of damp ground, deep green light catches in the carvings, and one heavy foot falls. Those who stand outside its line of duty may be ignored. Those who set fire to the grove or strike the oath-bound trees may discover that it was made for war.
Oak Golem Stat Blocks
Choose your game’s rules. The Oak Golem originated in an AD&D magazine appearance; the D&D 3.5e statistics below are a later attributed fan adaptation. The 2014, 2024 and Pathfinder 1e entries are original conversions, not official creatures from those games. Each panel has its own save DCs, action economy and spell interactions.
Oak Golem — D&D 2024
Huge Construct, Unaligned · CR 10 (5,900 XP; PB +4)
AC 18 (natural armor); Initiative −1 (9); HP 225 (18d12 + 108); Speed 30 ft.
| STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24 (+7) | 8 (−1) | 22 (+6) | 3 (−4) | 14 (+2) | 5 (−3) |
Saving Throws Con +10, Wis +6; Resistances Piercing and Slashing damage from nonmagical attacks; Immunities Poison and Psychic damage; Charmed, Exhaustion, Frightened, Paralyzed, Petrified and Poisoned conditions. Senses Darkvision 60 ft., Passive Perception 12. Languages Understands Druidic and Sylvan but can’t speak.
Traits
Constructed Nature. It needs neither food, drink, air nor sleep. False Appearance. While motionless, it resembles an ancient gnarled oak or wooden monument. Heartwood Stability. It has Advantage on saving throws against effects that knock it Prone or forcibly move it.
Sun-fed Repair. At the start of its turn in direct sunlight, the golem regains 10 HP if it has at least 1 HP and has taken no Fire damage since the end of its last turn. This does not function underground, indoors or at night. Fire does not automatically inflict additional damage.
Actions
Multiattack. The golem makes two Slam attacks.
Slam. Melee Attack Roll: +11, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 23 (3d10 + 7) Bludgeoning damage. A Large or smaller creature hit must succeed on a DC 18 Strength saving throw or fall Prone.
Rootbind (Recharge 6). The golem strikes the ground, causing thorned roots to erupt in a 20-foot-radius ground area within 30 feet of it. Creatures of its choice in the area make a DC 18 Dexterity saving throw, taking 18 (4d8) Piercing damage and becoming Restrained on a failure, or half damage without the condition on a success. The area is Difficult Terrain for 1 minute. A Restrained creature can repeat the save at the end of each turn, ending the condition on a success.
Forest’s Grasp (1/Day). Tangled timber and roots rise in a 10-foot Emanation around it for 1 minute. The area is Difficult Terrain for other creatures. When an enemy starts its turn in that area, it must make a DC 16 Strength saving throw, taking 14 (4d6) Bludgeoning damage and being pushed 10 feet away on a failure, or taking no damage on a success.
Reaction
Nature’s Reprisal. Trigger: A creature within 10 feet hits the golem with a melee attack. Response: The attacker makes a DC 16 Dexterity saving throw. On failure, thorned vines deal 9 (2d8) Piercing damage and Grapple it (escape DC 16); the golem can have only one creature Grappled by this ability at a time.
Optional Encounter Upgrade
Optional Elite Warden (GM variant). For a climactic encounter, the golem can make a single Slam as a legendary action at the end of another creature’s turn, once per round. Recalculate its encounter difficulty upward when using this option; this is not part of the base CR 10 creature.
Edition note: Original 2024-compatible campaign conversion; not a creature in the official 2024 Monster Manual or SRD 5.2.1. Uses 2024 saving-throw and action terminology. Its CR is an encounter-design estimate.
Oak Golem — D&D 2014
Huge Construct, Unaligned · CR 10 (5,900 XP)
Armor Class 18 (natural armor); Hit Points 225 (18d12 + 108); Speed 30 ft.
| STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24 (+7) | 8 (−1) | 22 (+6) | 3 (−4) | 14 (+2) | 5 (−3) |
Saving Throws Con +10, Wis +6; Damage Resistances piercing and slashing from nonmagical attacks; Damage Immunities poison and psychic; Condition Immunities charmed, exhaustion, frightened, paralyzed, petrified, poisoned. Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 12. Languages understands Druidic and Sylvan but can’t speak.
Traits
Constructed Nature. It needs neither food, drink, air nor sleep. False Appearance. While motionless, it resembles an ancient gnarled oak or wooden monument. Heartwood Stability. It has Advantage on saving throws against effects that knock it prone or forcibly move it.
Sun-fed Repair. At the start of its turn in direct sunlight, the golem regains 10 hit points if it has at least 1 hit points and has taken no fire damage since the end of its last turn. This does not function underground, indoors or at night. fire does not automatically inflict additional damage.
Actions
Multiattack. The golem makes two slam attacks.
Slam. Melee Weapon Attack: +11 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 23 (3d10 + 7) bludgeoning damage. A Large or smaller creature must succeed on a DC 18 Strength saving throw or be knocked prone.
Rootbind (Recharge 6). Thorned roots burst from the ground in a 20-foot-radius area within 30 feet of the golem. Enemies of its choice make a DC 18 Dexterity saving throw, taking 18 (4d8) piercing damage and becoming restrained on a failure, or half damage without the condition on a success. The area is difficult terrain for 1 minute. A restrained creature repeats the save at the end of each of its turns, ending the condition on a success.
Forest’s Grasp (1/Day). For 1 minute, animated roots fill a 10-foot radius around the golem. The area becomes difficult terrain. An enemy that starts its turn there makes a DC 16 Strength save; on failure it takes 14 (4d6) bludgeoning damage and is pushed 10 feet away.
Reaction
Nature’s Reprisal. Trigger: A creature within 10 feet hits the golem with a melee attack. Response: The attacker makes a DC 16 Dexterity saving throw. On failure, thorned vines deal 9 (2d8) piercing damage and grapple it (escape DC 16); the golem can have only one creature grappled by this ability at a time.
Optional Elite Variant
Optional Elite Warden (GM variant). For a climactic encounter, the golem can make a single slam as a legendary action at the end of another creature’s turn, once per round. Recalculate its encounter difficulty upward when using this option; this is not part of the base CR 10 creature.
Edition note: The previously supplied fifth-edition statistics form the basis of this original 2014-compatible version. This is not a published 2014 Monster Manual or SRD creature. The Slam has been corrected to 3d10 + 7 for Strength 24.
Oak Golem — Pathfinder 1e
CR 11 (XP 12,800) · Neutral Huge Construct · Campaign Conversion
Initiative −2; Senses darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision; Perception +3.
Defence
AC 26, touch 6, flat-footed 26 (−2 size, −2 Dex, +20 natural); HP 126 (12d10 + 40 Huge construct bonus + 20 enchanted heartwood); Fort +4, Ref +2, Will +7; DR 10/adamantine; Immune construct traits and most magic; Weakness vulnerability to fire.
Offence
Speed 30 ft.; Melee 2 slams +19 (2d10 + 9 plus Knockdown); Space/Reach 15 ft./15 ft.; Special Attacks Rootbind, Forest’s Grasp.
| STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 28 (+9) | 6 (−2) | — | — | 16 (+3) | 5 (−3) |
BAB +12; CMB +23; CMD 31; Environment ancient temperate forests; Organisation solitary or a grove with allied creatures; Treasure none. Languages magically obeys commands given in Druidic or Sylvan but cannot speak.
Special Abilities
Camouflage (Ex). When motionless in its native woodland, the golem resembles a carved oak; a creature must succeed at a DC 30 Perception check to notice its artifice before it moves.
Rootbind (Su). As a standard action once every 1d4 rounds, the golem animates thorny roots in a 30-foot-radius patch of ground within 30 feet. Creatures there make a DC 19 Reflex save; failure deals 3d6 piercing damage and inflicts the entangled condition. The area is difficult terrain for 1 minute. A trapped creature can escape with a DC 19 Strength or Escape Artist check as a standard action.
Forest’s Grasp (Su; 1/day). As a standard action, the golem animates undergrowth within 20 feet for 1 minute. The area is difficult terrain; creatures it regards as enemies must save against DC 19 Reflex at the start of each turn or take 2d6 bludgeoning damage and be pushed 10 feet.
Knockdown (Ex). A Large or smaller target damaged by a slam must succeed on a DC 25 Reflex save or fall prone.
Sun-fed Repair (Ex). It heals 5 HP at the start of its turn in direct natural sunlight while above 0 HP. Any fire damage suppresses this repair for one round.
Immunity to Magic (Ex). The golem ignores spells allowing spell resistance, except that magical fire damages it (including its listed vulnerability), entangle and plant growth can slow it for 2d6 rounds; warp wood damages it for 3d6 and wood shape restores 3d6 hit points. These interactions are specific to this conversion.
Construction
A life-sized guardian carved from ancient oak, strengthened by spell-bound roots and protective runes. Suggested Craft (carpentry or sculpting) DC 20, caster level 12th, Craft Construct, barkskin, commune with nature, liveoak and shillelagh; suggested price 80,000 gp. The creator must provide sufficient ancient heartwood, which cannot be replaced by ordinary timber without changing the guardian’s powers.
Edition note: Original Pathfinder 1e campaign conversion, not an official Paizo oak golem. The old page mixed a 12d10 + 60 HP total with ordinary construct bonuses; the extra 20 HP is now identified as enchanted heartwood. AC, attacks, saves and CMB/CMD have been recalculated from the displayed ability scores and size.
Oak Golem — D&D 3.5e
CR 8 · Neutral Large Construct · Fan D&D 3.5e Adaptation
Hit Dice 9d10 + 30 (79 HP); Initiative +3; Speed 20 ft. (4 squares); AC 18 (−1 size, −1 Dex, +10 natural), touch 8, flat-footed 18.
Base Attack/Grapple +6/+15; Attack Slam +10 melee (1d6 + 5); Full Attack 2 slams +10 melee (1d6 + 5); Space/Reach 10 ft./10 ft.
| STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21 (+5) | 9 (−1) | — | 2 (−4) | 11 (+0) | 11 (+0) |
Special Attacks Entangle; Special Qualities construct traits, DR 10/slashing, darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision, immunity to magic; Saves Fort +3, Ref +2, Will +3.
Skills Listen +8, Spot +8; Feats Alertness, Blind-Fight, Improved Initiative, Power Attack; Environment wooded lands; Organisation solitary or gang (2–4); Treasure none.
Combat
Entangle (Su). As a free action once every 1d4 + 1 rounds, the oak golem causes an entangle effect (range 40 ft.; duration 4 rounds; Reflex DC 14 negates). The save is Charisma-based.
Immunity to Magic (Ex). Normally immune to spells and spell-like abilities that permit spell resistance. Fire damage slows it for 3 rounds without a save. Plant growth breaks that slow effect and heals its damage; warp wood deals 2d6 damage; wood shape heals 2d6; repel wood causes it to retreat as if turned.
Construction
The golem is carved from enough recently fallen oak to create an eight-foot, roughly 800-pound statue, treated with oils costing at least 10,000 gp. Craft (woodworking) DC 14; CL 12th; Craft Construct, barkskin, commune with nature, liveoak, shillelagh; Price 40,000 gp; Cost 25,000 gp + 1,600 XP.
Edition note: This later fan conversion was credited on the previous entry to Shade of the EN World forums. The creature first appeared in Polyhedron #30 (June 1986), p. 24, for AD&D. The first-edition publication is not a 3.5e rules source. Obvious legacy errors—touch AC 2 and a purported 14-pound body—have been corrected without changing the creature’s core mechanics.
Running the Oak Golem
Give the fight a boundary and something worth preserving: an endangered spring, a sacred oak with nests high in its branches, or a road that must be opened before nightfall. Roots turn the terrain into a puzzle. A horse and cart cannot simply move through a tangle, and a party that uses fire to clear its way may set the grove ablaze.
Let players earn an advantage by learning the maker’s command, finding an old safe-passage mark or identifying a break in its carved heartwood. The strongest outcome need not be destroying it: if the party can change the duty, the guardian may become an ally—or at least stand aside while the bridge builders pass.
Encounters
The Charcoal Burners’ Road
Several families depend on charcoal sold to the smiths in a nearby town. The oak golem now bars the only cart road. A survey reveals that someone moved the boundary stones during the night, making the woodcutters appear to cross protected ground. The party can restore the boundary or prove the deceit to those who command the guardian; meanwhile the town needs charcoal before its furnaces go cold.
Oak for the King’s Bridge
A flood has taken the bridge, and the royal forester has ordered new timbers cut. A keeper of the grove offers the carved tablet of the oak golem’s instructions—provided the party protects the oldest tree. The timber merchant wants the guardian burnt. The characters may use the tablet to define a new boundary, but they still must persuade the forester not to break his word once the workers are safe.
The Hollow Heart
A storm opens the golem’s chest, revealing an acorn sealed inside a small carved box. A rival spellcaster hires thieves to steal it before the guardian repairs itself in the sun. A nearby treant knows the acorn’s story but refuses to surrender it without proof of the party’s intentions. The acorn is part of an older oath, and its theft may awaken every unfinished guardian in the grove.
After the Battle
An oak golem carries little wealth. A woodcarver’s mark, oath tablet, buried ritual tool or surviving heartwood core is more valuable than a purse. Destroying its body may free the grove or expose it to the very threat its maker feared. The party can offer those relics to another warden, study the broken enchantment or carry the last undamaged fragment back to the sacred tree.
Related Creatures and Magic
Compare the Wood Golem, Stone Golem, the wider golem family and treants. Common spell links include entangle, plant growth, warp wood, wood shape and commune with nature.
Sources and licensing: Polyhedron #30 (June 1986), p. 24, records the Oak Golem’s earlier AD&D appearance (see Echohawk’s monster index). The D&D 3.5e adaptation retained here was credited on the preceding entry to Shade of the EN World forums. The Pathfinder and fifth-edition versions, setting narrative, and encounters are original adaptations. No claim is made that these conversions are official D&D or Paizo material.
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