Clay Soldiers

School: Alteration.
Regency: 3/unit Req'd Temple: 4
Gold: 2/unit Caster Level: 12th level priest
Duration: Permenant

The priest casting this spells enchants a number of clay statues to serve as soldiers. The clay statues are prepared especially for the purpose of this spell. The clay soldiers are then placed in storage until called to service. With the casting of the spell a staff is created, the clay soldiers will obey the commands of any priest of the same faith carrying the staff.
(If you've seen the clay statues unearthed from old Chinese tombs, they are the inspiration for the spell.)

The priest has several limitations when casting this spell. First, he must declare a home province for each unit of clay soldiers created. Each level of temple holding controlled can 'maintain' one unit of clay soldiers. The priest can designate any temple holding as the home for the unit, not just the one where the spell is cast. The priest can only enchant 1 unit/3 character levels with a single spell. When controlling the soldiers with the staff, a single priest may control up to 1 unit/3 character levels at once, as long as he remains in line of sight.
Note: Any staff will control any clay soldiers created by a priest of the same faith. The staves are very jealously guarded by their owners. A priest may create additional staves at a cost of 1 RP and 1 GB/each (character action).

Clay soldiers should be left at rest whenever possible. For every turn a unit is 'activated,' either moving to a new province or fighting a battle, it has a 5% chance of going berzerk and attacking everything in sight. There is no chance of regaining control. A berzerk unit of clay soldiers no longer needs to be maintained by a temple holding (you cannot intentionally force a unit to go berzerk, though continually activating the unit will do much the same thing). Non activated clay soldier units can be transported by boat, wagon, etc. This costs 1 GB/unit transported by river or road, or requires a ship, counting against the ship's transport capability).

Individual stats: HD 4; AC 7; Move 7; #att 1; Dam 2d8; fearless; takes damage from spells as clay golem; standard golem immunities.

Unit stats: Move 1; Melee 5; Defense 3; Hits 3; Morale 3; Immune to F&R results.

Variant Calvary Unit: Move 1; Melee 6; Charge 7; Defense 3; Hits 4; Morale 3; Immune to F&R results. counts as 2 clay soldiers in all respects; number summoned; number allowed per province; number a priest can control; etc.

By Joshua Franklin

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