Gold Elementals - Clad in Creation

Elementals are easily among my favourite creatures in Dungeons and Dragons after the titular dragons themselves. I've covered the elemental type a great deal here on the Apotheosis Studios blog, because they continue to fascinate me as a creature type.

The final steps of its latest creation - golem by Svetlin Velinov

In alchemy, the fundamental metals have shaped the world in just an influential way as the pillar elements of air, earth, fire, and water. These metals are rare and valuable for those who use them in their magic. This leaves creative game masters like myself to wonder how best to adapt them to the wild and expansive worlds they weave. Constantly brewing monsters and spells will leave me on gold sooner or later.

Gold Elemental Golems

The true form of the gold elemental more closely resembles an ooze than a solid elemental creature. Gold elementals were aggressively hunted for their valuable bodies at the dawn of civilisation, even more aggressively than silver elementals. Unlike the silver elementals, who became more bestial and violent, gold elementals sought to preserve themselves, and use their combined abilities to craft and invent.

Gold has remarkable abilities in conduction of both heat and electricity. This is a knowledge that the gold elemental has used to their advantage for millennia. Gold elementals will travel far and wide to scavenge parts or trade pieces of itself for resources to build and to construct. As it forages, the gold elemental will seek to build itself a large suit powered by the static electricity in its body. Each gold elemental's suit is unique and different. Engineered from the pieces it was able to beg, barter, or steal.

Gold Elemental Golem Stats generated with homebrewery

Gold elementals have an immense lifespan. As long as they are able to retain electricity, they can perpetuate themselves. This makes them consistently eager to learn, grow, and gain understanding. Each gold elemental is a master artificer, but some specialise beyond that. Some become experts of history or a knowledgeable topic. While others can become masters of magic or science. The knowledge a gold elemental has is worth more than its own weight.

Build to Learn

The gold elemental has little intent on destruction. That would often lead to repercussions on it. Instead they usually lead sequestered lives of learning and building. They are quick to enlist the aid of adventurers for their ability to fetch it specific books or parts for a creative endeavour, in exchange for its services as a wise figure or a builder.

Now we want to hear from you. What wonders would gold elementals build in your setting? How would your characters react to an ooze piloting a mech? Let us know in our discord server or in the comments below.

Adam Ray contributes much for adventurers here on Apotheosis Studios. As co-founder of fantasticuniverses.com, they write about card gaming and PC gaming to a corner of the internet he carved out themselves. On Youtube, they can be found game mastering for No Ordinary Heroes, or editing the antics on The Hostile Atmosphere. Find where they dwell by climbing their Linktree.