{{Lore}}
Golems are animated constructs made out of inanimate matter. They take on humanoid shapes, with a main body, a head, two arms and two legs. They do not possess hands, instead having balls or stumps, which they mainly use to punch and smash things. Their feet are usually completely flat and have no toes. However, these shapes do not translate into functional limbs, and in fact, were it not for the force that animates them, they have no joints or articulations, and would be completely fixed statues were it not for the force animating them. Although they can perform surprisingly violent actions such as punching or swinging their limbs to attack creatures, they have an extremely low land speed, rarely exceeding 5 feet per second (3.4 mph, comparable to the average human walking speed) and are seemingly unable to jog, run, sprint, or even jump. For this reason, they are considered to be among the slowest and un-agile of creatures in the Mazes. On average, golems are about 7 foot tall; the actual weight varies depending on the type of golem.
The force animating golems is magical in nature. The exact process that creates these hulking constructs is not fully understood, but according to multiple first-hand account witnesses, a cloud of purple-colored miasma coalesces around or into large piles of abandoned material being left in one place, which then animates and reshapes this material into the form of a golem, then continues animating it until it is destroyed. Goleme are hostile and seek to attack any living creatures they see, and there is absolutely no reasoning, taming, pacifying or capturing them - they will not stop attacking, ever, until destroyed. Upon destruction, what remains of the golem briefly shimmers purple as the miasma dissipates, suggesting that the miasma can no longer control something that has been sufficiently destroyed.
Flesh golems are horrific constructs formed out of dead and rotting remains of other creatures, usually forming in hastily-formed body piles in the UA. Being made exclusively out of unliving flesh, they do count as unarmored and expanding ammunition is therefore more efficient against them, but underestimating these monsters is ill-advised. They are relatively light, due to the low density of flesh, with an average weight of about 200 pounds. These golems have actual hands, covered in a thick layer of hard keratin. These hands have three, sometimes four fingers, which they can either ball into fists to perform the usual ''golem punch'', or deploy in a claw-like fashion to scratch and cut opponents with. Golems do not appear to have the dexterity to grasp objects or use tools, still preferring to smash or claw things into submission (or pieces).
Interestingly, flesh golems do not fall apart or turn to dust upon destruction. The creature leaves a body upon death, and not only does it remain tangible, it can actually be butchered and harvested for meat. Although the meat has a tough texture and a nondescript taste that has been likened to [[cow|beef]], it is definitely edible and safe to eat. Each flesh golem can leave a significant amount of meat behind, which makes intentionally hunting them a potentially worthwhile endeavor.
[[Category:Creatures]]