An iron golem from Dungeons & Dragons.
A construct, animate, simulacrum, created or golem is any being that was made ("constructed") and brought to life ("animated") rather than born. Constructs may be nearly mindless automatons, or may be fully sentient characters in their own right. They are generally found in the fantasy genre, with the equivalent in science fiction being a robot or android. (However, note that one of the inspirations for modern constructs was the Monster from Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, the first science fiction novel.)
Construct is a broad category of creatures, both anthropomorphic and not. In Dungeons & Dragons, construct is a creature type that includes creatures such as golems and clockworks, beings that are not merely objects, but not natural creatures either.
Some games may include constructs as player characters. For example, Promethean: The Created features classic constructs who long to become human.
Some undead can be considered constructs, when the undead is created through necromancy that removes its connection to its previous life or lives.
Types of construct in role-playing games[]
Golem[]
A golem from the D&D Monster Manual.
Golems are anthropomorphic constructs animated by magic (often divine magic). Golems originated in Jewish folklore, famously in tales featuring Judah Loew ben Bezalel, the late-16th-century rabbi of Prague. In the original folklore, golems were made of clay or mud, but in role-playing games they can be made out of a wide variety of other materials. For example, Dungeons & Dragons features golems made of material including metal, wood, stone, and even flesh (i.e. dead bodies).
Golems, also called Tammuz (after a Babylonian god unconnected to Jewish folklore), are one of the character types in Promethean: The Created.
Clockworks[]
Clockworks are a type of construct more similar to a sci-fi robot than a magically animated being. They are made of mechanical parts and often move as a result of clockwork. They are relatively common in the steampunk genre.
Warforged[]
Warforged are a type of construct from the Eberron setting of Dungeons & Dragons. One are one of the common playable races in that setting.
Unborn[]
An unborn is a type of living construct in Fantasy Craft.
Homunculus[]
A homunculus is a small construct, generally anthropomorphic, connected to alchemy.
External links[]
- Construct at Forgotten Realms Wiki (on Fandom)