Background: Golems predate any known literature about their creation. The wizard who discovered the process, if indeed there was only one, is unknown. Some of the rediscoverers have written their secrets in various arcane manuals, enchanted to aid the reader in construction. It is thought that the first golem created was a flesh golem, possibly an accident of some great wizard experimenting with reanimating human bodies. Flesh golems are easier to make than any other sort because they are made of organic material that once lived. Later, the process was generalized to suit certain earthen materials, which produce much stronger golems.

Theory: Golems are all made from elemental material. So far, the great wizards have only discovered how to use various earthen materials, such as clay, stone, iron, and even glass, to make golems. The exceptions, such as the flesh golem, use organic materials as components. The animating force of the golem is an elemental spirit from the elemental plane of Earth. Since the spirit is not a natural part of the body, it is not affected by most spells or even by most weapons (see individual descriptions). The process of creating the golem binds the unwilling spirit to the artificial body, and enslaves it to the will of the golem's creator. The nature of this spirit is unknown, and has so far eluded the grasp of all researchers. What is known is that it is hostile to all Prime Material plane life forms, especially toward the spell caster that bound it to the golem.

Carving or assembling the golem's physical body is an exacting task. Most spell casters end up hiring skilled labor to do it for them, such as a stone mason or dwarf for stone golems, etc. If the maker has no experience working in that material, the construction time is doubled. The standard spells for creating golems specify the size of the creature. Anything bigger or smaller will not work, although some have investigated spells for other sizes of golems, with limited success.

The costs listed include the base physical body and the unusual materials and spell components that are consumed or become a permanent part of the golem. The rituals used to animate the golem require as much as a full uninterrupted month to complete (included in the time below), though some variants such as the necrophidius and scarecrow reduce that time by employing shortcuts. In all cases the spells used can come from devices, such as wands or scrolls. If a magical tome is used to make the golem, no spells are needed, and the level of the spell caster can be significantly lower.

All golems share several traits in common. They are all immune to all forms of poison and cannot be affected by hold, charm, fear, or other mindbased spells, as they have no minds of their own. Certain spells can harm golems; these are mentioned below.
 
These variant golems are close relatives of the dreadful stone golems. They are generally created by powerful wizards and employed as guards or servants in a wide variety of settings.

The caryatid column is a beautiful and wondrous construct. Before activation, it looks like the classical architectural work it is named for, standing about 7 feet tall, and resembling a finely carved pillar in the shape of a beautiful young girl. Close examination reveals that the maiden has a slender sword in her left hand, but there is no indication that the column is anything other than what it appears to be. Once constructed and animated, it is usually assigned to keep watch over a valuable object or special places. It does so, remaining motionless, until its preset activation conditions are triggered (these depend on the creator's instructions). As soon as this happens, the column moves to take action against those who have triggered it.

When activated, the caryatid column undergoes a stunning and swift transformation. The smooth, grey stone that was once its skin changes hue to become light or dark flesh tones (depending on the nature of the carving), the eyes come alive with a gleaming white light, and the thin blade transforms into a fine weapon of gleaming steel.
 In combat, the column lashes out with its gleaming sword, causing 2d4 points of damage with each hit. The column's magical nature gives it a +4 bonus to saving throws, and all nonmagical weapons inflict only half damage. Magical weapons inflict full damage, but do not receive the magical bonus normally due them. For example, a long sword +2 does not gain its +2 bonus, but inflicts normal long sword damage.

There is a 25% chance that a weapon shatters when it successfully strikes a caryatid column. This chance is reduced by 5% for each plus of the weapon. Thus, a sword +2 has only a 15% chance of breaking. A magical weapon with no attack bonus is considered a +1 weapon when checking for shattering.
 A stone to flesh, transmute rock to mud, or stone shape spell destroys the column instantly if it fails its saving throw.
 When a caryatid column has completed its task, it returns to its waiting position and reverts to stone. If it is killed in combat, it (and its sword) reverts to stone for 2d6 rounds, at the end of which time it crumbles into dust.

The caryatid column can be created by a priest or wizard using a special version of the manual of golems. Whenever such a tome is discovered, there is a 20% chance that it describes a caryatid column.