Stone Golem — The Unmoving Oath
The memorial’s bronze doors have not opened in four centuries. The carved warrior on the left still has its sword, and the carved warrior on the right still bears the names of a vanished clan. On the third step an adventurer sets down an iron crowbar. Only then does the warrior turn its head. Dust falls from the joints. It has mistaken the crowbar for a siege tool, and the last order it was given is to admit no armed company.
The Watch That Outlives Its Masters
Stone golems are chiselled from great blocks of sound granite, basalt or other durable rock. They are not living stone folk. Each one is a vessel for a bound animating force, constrained by maker’s marks and a set of instructions. Many resemble ceremonial guards, masked heroes, ancestral champions or beasts depicted as upright warriors. The decoration matters to their builders and may disguise an immobile golem as a common statue.
The dwarven golem tradition began as a means of keeping refuge doors, drinking water and clan archives safe during the struggle against the giant successor kingdoms. Among those first ward-smiths, a carefully worded order meant freedom: a guardian at the gate while every miner, elder and child could sleep. Later guilds sold or copied the craft, and stone sentinels came to stand beneath merchant halls and royal treasuries as well as in mountain holds.
Its mind is no more sophisticated than its binding. It does not take offence, weigh evidence or negotiate terms. It simply holds its ground, identifies an apparent breach of orders, and moves with crushing purpose. The danger lies as much in the command as in the fists.
What It Is Doing Now
At a town’s old bridge, a stone golem has begun pulling the keystones from the parapet. It once protected an underground evacuation route; each season it checks for structural weaknesses and replaces damaged masonry with whatever stone it can reach. The original quarry road is buried under houses. It has decided the newer bridge is the quarry. The council wants the work stopped before the span fails, the stonemasons want the living marvel studied, and a dwarven archivist insists the original order was altered by a later lord who needed a private escape passage.
Recognising Its Work
Look for deep footprints dusted with fresh gravel, grooves polished into stone where a heavy figure has turned for a century, and old mason’s marks struck through with a second seal. A dormant guardian may be a statue, a doorway pilaster, or a kneeling figure set beneath the foundations. The grinding of its joints often gives the only warning before it moves.
Facing a Stone Golem
It excels when the party must cross a boundary: a bridge, staircase, lock, tomb entrance or narrow gate. It is slow enough that position and routes matter, yet hard enough to endure a battle in which its foes exhaust their strongest attacks. It will shove forward and obstruct access rather than pursue a clever spellcaster across a field unless the command specifically requires pursuit.
Look for the true object of its duty. A dwarven vault may have a command-stone keyed to a family mark; an imperial tomb may demand that weapons remain sheathed. The adventurers can retreat, trade information with the heirs, restore a seal or find a lawful route through. Destroying the guardian solves one problem and may expose everyone behind the gate to a worse one.
Stone Golem Stat Blocks
Choose the rules used at your table. In 2024 this golem fires force bolts and slows enemies while attacking; earlier versions cannot do the same. Pathfinder and 3.5e have specific spell vulnerabilities and different crafting requirements.
Stone Golem — D&D 2024
Large Construct, Unaligned · CR 10 (5,900 XP; PB +4)
AC 18 · Initiative +3 (13) · HP 220 (21d10 + 105) · Speed 30 ft.
| STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 22 (+6) | 9 (−1) | 20 (+5) | 3 (−4) | 11 (+0) | 1 (−5) |
Immunities Poison and Psychic damage; Charmed, Exhaustion, Frightened, Paralyzed, Petrified and Poisoned conditions. Senses Darkvision 120 ft.; Passive Perception 10. Languages Understands Common and two additional languages but cannot speak.
Traits
Immutable Form. The golem cannot shape-shift. Magic Resistance. Advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.
Actions
Multiattack. Make two attacks in any combination of Slam and Force Bolt.
Slam. Melee Attack Roll +10, reach 5 ft. Hit: 15 (2d8 + 6) Bludgeoning plus 9 (2d8) Force damage.
Force Bolt. Ranged Attack Roll +9, range 120 ft. Hit: 22 (4d10) Force damage.
Bonus Action
Slow (Recharge 5–6). The golem casts slow without components, using Constitution (spell save DC 17). Apply the 2024 spell’s normal area, duration, concentration and saving throw rules.
Rules: 2024 Basic Rules — Stone Golem; SRD 5.2.1, CC BY 4.0.
Stone Golem — D&D 2014
Large construct, unaligned · CR 10 (5,900 XP)
AC 17 (natural armor) · HP 178 (17d10 + 85) · Speed 30 ft.
| STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 22 (+6) | 9 (−1) | 20 (+5) | 3 (−4) | 11 (+0) | 9 (−1) |
Damage Immunities Poison, Psychic, and Bludgeoning, Piercing and Slashing from nonmagical attacks unless adamantine. Condition Immunities Charmed, Exhaustion, Frightened, Paralyzed, Petrified, Poisoned.
Senses Darkvision 120 ft.; Passive Perception 10. Languages Understands its creator’s languages but cannot speak.
Traits
Immutable Form. Immune to effects that would change its form. Magic Resistance. Advantage on saves against spells and magical effects. Magic Weapons. Its weapon attacks are magical.
Actions
Multiattack. Two Slam attacks. Slam. Melee Weapon Attack +10, reach 5 ft., one target; hit 19 (3d8 + 6) Bludgeoning damage.
Slow (Recharge 5–6). Choose any creatures the golem can see within 10 feet. Each must pass a DC 17 Wisdom save or lose reactions, have half speed and no more than one attack per turn. An affected creature can take an action or bonus action on its turn, not both. These penalties last up to one minute; a creature can repeat the save at the end of each of its turns.
Rules: 2014 Basic Rules — Stone Golem, SRD 5.1, CC BY 4.0.
Stone Golem — Pathfinder 1e
CR 11 · XP 12,800 · N Large construct
Init −1; Senses Darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision; Perception +0.
AC 26 (touch 8, flat-footed 26) · HP 107 (14d10 + 30) · Fort +4, Ref +3, Will +4 · DR 10/adamantine · Immune construct traits and magic.
Speed 20 ft. · Melee two slams +22 (2d10 + 9) · Space/Reach 10 ft./10 ft.
| STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 28 (+9) | 9 (−1) | — | — | 11 (+0) | 1 (−5) |
Base Atk +14; CMB +24; CMD 33. Organization solitary or gang (2–4); Treasure none.
Special Abilities
Slow (Su). Once every two rounds, the golem creates a 10-foot-radius burst around itself as a free action. The slow effect lasts seven rounds; Will DC 17 negates.
Immunity to Magic (Ex). Immune to spells and spell-like abilities that allow spell resistance, with specific interactions: transmute rock to mud slows the creature for 2d6 rounds (no save); transmute mud to rock restores all lost HP; stone to flesh negates its damage reduction and spell immunity for one full round without physically transforming it.
Construction
Single high-quality granite or comparable stone block of at least 3,000 lb., valued at 5,000 gp. CL 14th; Price 105,000 gp; Cost 55,000 gp. Requirements include Craft Construct, antimagic field, geas/quest, limited wish, and symbol of stunning; Craft (sculpture or stonemasonry) DC 19.
Rules: Pathfinder 1e Bestiary — Stone Golem, OGL.
Stone Golem — D&D 3.5e
CR 11 · N Large construct
HD 14d10 + 30 (107 HP) · Init −1 · Speed 20 ft. · AC 26 (touch 8, flat-footed 26).
Base Atk/Grapple +10/+23 · Attack slam +18 melee (2d10 + 9) · Full Attack two slams +18 · Space/Reach 10 ft./10 ft.
DR 10/adamantine · Immune construct traits and magic · Saves Fort +4, Ref +3, Will +4 · Darkvision 60 ft.; low-light vision.
| STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 29 (+9) | 9 (−1) | — | — | 11 (+0) | 1 (−5) |
Skills/Feats —; Organization solitary or gang (2–4); Alignment neutral; Treasure none. Advancement 15–21 HD (Large), 22–42 HD (Huge).
Combat
Slow (Su). Once every two rounds, a free-action slow effect reaches 10 feet, lasts seven rounds and permits a Will DC 17 save.
Immunity to Magic (Ex). Spells allowing spell resistance have no effect, except that transmute rock to mud slows it 2d6 rounds without a save, transmute mud to rock fully repairs its HP, and stone to flesh cancels DR and immunity to magic for one full round.
Construction
Chisel the body from a single 3,000 lb. stone block worth 5,000 gp; Craft (sculpting or stonemasonry) DC 17; CL 14th. Requires Craft Construct, antimagic field, geas/quest, slow, symbol of stunning; Price 90,000 gp; Cost 50,000 gp + 3,400 XP.
For the published Greater Stone Golem (CR 16) and its complete 3.5e statistics, see the dedicated Greater Stone Golem section below.
Rules: D&D 3.5 SRD — Stone and Greater Stone Golems, OGL.
What a Broken Command Looks Like
The first failure is often almost funny: a statue guarding a disused road turns away merchants using a new roadbed. Then it becomes frightening. A stone golem trained to defend a treasury stops anyone removing damaged coins from the walls, including masons hired to save the building. A golem left to maintain a bridge may regard a flood-scoured riverbank as an enemy to be buried under rock.
Damage need not make it mad. A creator may have intended its lethal response, or a claimant may be carrying the wrong seal. Learn why it attacks before declaring it a monster to be smashed.
Adventure Encounters
The Bridgewright’s Oath
The guardian is dismantling the parapet stone by stone, and a busy market crossing will soon collapse. A hidden inscription inside its chest refers to a blocked mountain escape tunnel. Stop it by restoring access to the original quarry, finding the authority that amended its orders, or convincing both human and dwarven claimants to share the route. Breaking the golem may save the bridge but seal the escape passage forever.
The King’s Borrowed Ancestor
A noble family has placed a golem inside its ancestral mausoleum and insists it depicts an honoured forebear. A claimant from another house produces a mason’s contract proving the body was stolen from a dwarven war memorial. Both sides offer payment, while the golem begins to strike anyone who reads the disputed names aloud. The rightful seal lies behind an effaced carving; restoring it could settle the feud—or discredit the reigning lord.
Dust in the Guildhall
In Prague, a guild vault’s marble sentry has started turning visiting merchants to the wall whenever they speak of a missing account book. A young stonecutter knows which mason changed its orders but fears what else the ledgers reveal. The party may retrieve the account book, bargain with the guild, or uncover a route through the vault’s forgotten foundations.
The Greater Stone Golem
Some ancient works were built on a giant’s scale. A Greater Stone Golem is an eighteen-foot guardian of exceptional weight and strength, capable of holding a fortress gate or sealing a narrow mountain passage. Its crushing reach and slow pulse make an oath-bound guardian far more dangerous than the smaller stone sentinels above.
Choose your game’s edition below. The D&D 3.5e statistics come from the published SRD. Pathfinder 1e uses a distinct, clearly identified campaign conversion grounded in an existing CR 16 Pathfinder stone golem. Both fifth-edition versions are campaign conversions, not official Wizards of the Coast stat blocks. Use each edition’s own rules without mixing statistics between tabs.
Greater Stone Golem — 5.5e / 2024
Campaign conversion · Huge Construct, Unaligned · CR 16 (15,000 XP; PB +5)
Armor Class 19 (stone plating); Initiative +4 (14); Hit Points 324 (24d12 + 168); Speed 30 ft.
| STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 28 (+9) | 8 (−1) | 24 (+7) | 3 (−4) | 11 (+0) | 1 (−5) |
Saving Throws Str +9, Dex −1, Con +7, Int −4, Wis +0, Cha −5. Damage Immunities Poison, Psychic. Condition Immunities Charmed, Exhaustion, Frightened, Paralyzed, Petrified, Poisoned.
Senses Darkvision 120 ft., Passive Perception 10. Languages Understands Common and two additional languages but cannot speak. Challenge 16 (15,000 XP; proficiency bonus +5).
Traits
Immutable Form. The golem cannot shape-shift. Magic Resistance. The golem has Advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.
Siege Monster. Its attacks deal double damage to objects and structures. This added campaign trait is particularly dangerous around bridges and city walls.
Actions
Multiattack. The golem makes three attacks, using Slam or Force Bolt in any combination.
Slam. Melee Attack Roll: +14 to hit, reach 15 ft., one target. Hit: 20 (2d10 + 9) Bludgeoning damage plus 5 (1d10) Force damage.
Force Bolt. Ranged Attack Roll: +14 to hit, range 120 ft., one target. Hit: 27 (5d10) Force damage.
Bonus Actions
Slow (Recharge 5–6). The golem casts Slow without material, somatic or verbal components, using Constitution as its spellcasting ability (spell save DC 20). The spell follows the 2024 rules, including concentration and its normal saves.
Encounter Guidance
A single guardian is intended as a formidable high-level opponent, especially at an immovable gate. Three attacks deal roughly 75 damage in melee or 81 at range if all hit, before resistance. Its magic resistance, long reach and bonus-action Slow remain dangerous; check the party’s resources, battlefield and encounter budget before using it. This is not an official 2024 monster statistic block.
Campaign conversion based on the 2024 SRD Stone Golem and the 3.5e Greater Stone Golem.
Greater Stone Golem — 5e / 2014
Campaign conversion · Huge construct, unaligned · CR 16 (15,000 XP)
Armor Class 19 (natural armor); Hit Points 310 (23d12 + 161); Speed 30 ft.
| STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 28 (+9) | 8 (−1) | 24 (+7) | 3 (−4) | 11 (+0) | 1 (−5) |
Saving Throws Str +9, Dex −1, Con +7, Int −4, Wis +0, Cha −5. Damage Immunities Poison, Psychic; Bludgeoning, Piercing and Slashing from nonmagical attacks that aren’t adamantine. Condition Immunities Charmed, Exhaustion, Frightened, Paralyzed, Petrified, Poisoned.
Senses Darkvision 120 ft.; Passive Perception 10. Languages Understands its creator’s languages but cannot speak. Challenge 16 (15,000 XP).
Traits
Immutable Form. Immune to spells or effects that would alter its form. Magic Resistance. Advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects. Magic Weapons. Its weapon attacks count as magical.
Siege Monster. Its attacks deal double damage to objects and structures (additional campaign trait).
Actions
Multiattack. The greater stone golem makes three Slam attacks.
Slam. Melee Weapon Attack: +14 to hit, reach 15 ft., one target. Hit: 25 (3d10 + 9) Bludgeoning damage.
Slow (Recharge 5–6). The golem chooses one or more creatures it can see within 15 feet. Each must make a DC 20 Wisdom saving throw or be unable to take reactions, have half speed and make no more than one attack per turn; an affected target may take an action or bonus action, not both. The effect lasts for up to one minute, with another saving throw at the end of each affected creature’s turns, ending on a success.
Encounter Guidance
Its normal round of three Slams averages 75 damage if all three attacks hit. Damage immunities, magic resistance, long reach and Slow make it a serious obstacle for an unprepared party. Check encounter difficulty using the 2014 DM rules. This is not an official 2014 monster statistic block.
Campaign conversion based on 2014 Stone Golem Basic Rules (SRD 5.1) and 3.5e Greater Stone Golem.
Greater Stone Golem — Pathfinder 1e
Campaign conversion · CR 16 (XP 76,800) · Neutral Huge construct
Initiative −2; Senses Darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision; Perception +0.
Defence
AC 27 (touch 6, flat-footed 27; −2 Dex, +21 natural, −2 size); HP 271 (42d10 + 40); Fortitude +14, Reflex +12, Will +14; DR 10/adamantine; Immunities construct traits, magic (see below).
Offence
Speed 20 ft.; Melee 2 slams +53 (4d8 + 13); Space 15 ft.; Reach 15 ft.; Special Attacks Slow.
| STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36 (+13) | 7 (−2) | — | — | 11 (+0) | 1 (−5) |
Base Attack +42; CMB +57; CMD 65. Skills —; Feats —. Environment any; Organization solitary or gang (2–4); Treasure none; Alignment neutral.
Special Abilities
Slow (Su). As a free action once every two rounds, a 10-foot-radius burst centred on the golem produces a slow effect for seven rounds; Will DC 31 negates the effect.
Immunity to Magic (Ex). Spells and spell-like abilities that allow spell resistance normally fail. Transmute rock to mud slows it for 2d6 rounds without a save; transmute mud to rock heals all lost HP; stone to flesh cancels its DR and magic immunity for one full round without transforming it.
Construction (Campaign Guidance)
One extraordinary block of sound stone weighing approximately 32,000 lb.; Craft (sculpture or stonemasonry) DC 25, CL 16th, and Craft Construct with antimagic field, geas/quest, slow, and symbol of stunning. Suggested campaign price 210,000 gp; cost 110,000 gp including prepared materials. These construction figures are custom, not a published Pathfinder recipe.
Campaign conversion: the Huge CR 16 chassis is supported by the Pathfinder 1e Unique Stone Golem (its setting-specific Runelord control power is deliberately not used). Standard rules: Pathfinder 1e Stone Golem.
Greater Stone Golem — D&D 3.5e
Published D&D 3.5e SRD · Huge Construct · Neutral · CR 16
Hit Dice 42d10 + 40 (271 HP); Initiative −2; Speed 20 ft. (4 squares).
Armor Class 27 (−2 size, −2 Dex, +21 natural); Touch 6; Flat-footed 27. Damage Reduction 10/adamantine; Immunities construct traits, magic (see below); Darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision.
Base Attack/Grapple +31/+52; Attack Slam +42 melee (4d8 + 13); Full Attack 2 slams +42 melee (4d8 + 13); Space/Reach 15 ft./15 ft.
| STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 37 (+13) | 7 (−2) | — | — | 11 (+0) | 1 (−5) |
Saves Fort +14, Ref +12, Will +14; Skills —; Feats —; Environment any; Organization solitary or gang (2–4); Treasure none; Alignment always neutral; Advancement —; Level Adjustment —.
Special Attacks
Slow (Su). Once every two rounds, as a free action, the golem produces a slow effect within 10 ft. for seven rounds. Will DC 31 negates.
Special Qualities
Immunity to Magic (Ex). Immune to any spell or spell-like ability that allows spell resistance. Transmute rock to mud slows it for 2d6 rounds without a save; transmute mud to rock restores all HP; stone to flesh suppresses damage reduction and magic immunity for one full round but does not change its structure.
Construction
Approximately 18 ft. tall and 32,000 lb.; chiseled from exceptional stone. CL 14th; requires Craft Construct, antimagic field, geas/quest, slow and symbol of stunning; caster at least 14th level; Price 196,000 gp; Cost 105,000 gp + 7,640 XP.
Published rules: D&D 3.5e SRD — Greater Stone Golem, OGL.
Rewards and Aftermath
Gold is rarely hidden on a golem. A recovered seal, stonecutter’s design, a ruined command tablet, property deeds to the guarded site, or a copy of a golem manual can be worth far more. An intact golem can defend a settlement or reopen a route. Destroying it may expose a vault, erase evidence of a stolen commission or awaken the fear it held at bay.
Related Creatures, Magic and Materials
Explore the golem family, the Clay Golem, Iron Golem, constructs, adamantine, transmute rock to mud and stone to flesh.
Rules sources: D&D SRD 5.2.1 and 5.1 (CC BY 4.0); Pathfinder First Edition and D&D 3.5 SRDs (Open Game License). Campaign locations, motives and encounters are original setting material. Consult the linked rules sources for licensing and full definitions.
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