Constructs in Dungeons and Dragons are creatures made up of inorganic material. They are usually created by intelligent tinkerers, talented magicians, and others with the know-how to forge such automatons. Constructs serve their masters with complete obedience. Performing their duties without distractions like morality and emotions, constructs "live" only to fulfill whatever task is currently at hand.

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There are many benefits to working alongside constructs. Unfortunately, many villains also know this. On top of their unquestionable loyalty, construct's man-made makeup provides them with immunity to a number of attacks and conditions that are deadly to the living.

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Oaken Bolter

Oaken Bolters are the most powerful constructs to visit the material plane as a result of gnomish engineering. Belonging to a subset of constructs known as clockworks, oaken bolters are the product of the gnomes' endless fascination with melding magic and mechanical devices.

The idea is simple enough: a ballista that fires itself. The product is even more dangerous. Bolters make use of not just normal lancing bolts but harpoon hooks and explosive rounds as well. The end result is a defensive engine capable of making even giants think twice.

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Shield Guardian

Shield guardians are amalgamations of metal armor and sturdy wood infused with magic by a wizard or other spellcaster. The key to controlling these so-called "guardians" lies in an amulet that costs 1,000gp to craft. Shield guardians are only ever created to serve one purpose. Protect the wearer of the amulet at all costs. Accordingly, many a rich kingdom calls upon wizards and other magic users so that they will craft shield guardians and their control amulets to protect the kingdom's royal blood.

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Guardians are particularly effective at this as any damage the amulet wearer takes is halfway transferred to the guardian. Furthermore, guardians can be stored with powerful spells that they can cast on specific triggers or when the amulet wearer commands it.

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Clay Golem

Golems are created through a mechanical process that can be found in a manual of golems. Each manual speaks to the creation of only a single type, though there is word of spellcasters binding such manuals together into greater compendiums. Golems crafted from clay first require an artisan of great skill with sculpting and/or stonecutting.

Then, the clay body is infused with a spirit from the elemental plane of earth. Unfortunately, clay does not contain the spirit incredibly well. Consequently, clay golems that suffer damage can sometimes be unbound from their masters, resulting in a freakish frenzy that continues until the golem is utterly destroyed.

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Stone Golem

Stone golems are quite a bit stronger than their clay counterparts. If we're going purely by challenge rating, they're about twice as strong. As opposed to clay golems who are crafted with an all too intractable material, stone golems can be chiseled and carved into an infinite number of likenesses.

Their ultimate form displays the skills and techniques learned through a lifetime of a craftsman's dedication. Besides their innate golem resistances to nonmagical weapons and spells, stone golems also have access to an ability that mirrors the slow spell.

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Cadaver Collector

Cadaver collectors are ancient war machines that endlessly roam the geometric surfaces of Acheron collecting the bodies of those slain in the infernal battlefield. The construct's salvaged armor often features pikes, swords, axes, and other weapons upon which the armor's previous owners were impaled. The construct uses these protrusions as holding places for the bodies of the slain it collects, mounting the bodies all along the outside of its armor.

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But these bodies aren't just for show. The cadaver collector can call forth the spirits of the slain to fight in battle alongside it as specters. Furthermore, the collector has access to a paralyzing stench that can make even the most stalwart of warriors freeze up.

5

Retriever

These spider-like machines bear the visage of their drow creators. First manufactured in order to hunt down and capture demons who would later be pressed into service of the drow, the retrievers soon proved themselves too useful to withhold toward a single task.

The spider engines are powered by the spirit of a bebilith, though the spirit's intellect has long been drilled away. Retrievers fulfill their namesake through the use of beams of force and paralysis as well as the plane shift spell.

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Hellfire Engine

Hellfire Engines are the foremost works of engineering crafted by devilkind. These infernal machines yearn for destruction as though created by demons; however, their yearnings can often go unanswered for long periods of time as the devil army's generals usually hold them in reserve in case of demons pushing too far into Avernus.

Outfitted with lightning flails, a thunderous cannon, or acidic spray, hellfire engines are made to mow down swathes of enemies. Worst of all, any creature slain by the engine automatically rises in the River Styx as a lemure in 1d4 hours. The only way to present this fate is through the quick application of resurrection magic granted there's a body left to resurrect.

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Iron Golem

Iron golems are the penultimate creations from the manuals of golems. While other golems are crafted from strong materials, iron is undoubtedly the strongest of them all. Furthermore, the iron from which these golems are made is mixed with other rare tinctures and admixtures before being pressed into its golem shape.

The result is a construct that's nearly indestructible. Iron golems are also outfitted with the capability of releasing poisonous gases. Lastly, they are often given giant two-handed weapons to ensure a buyer's gratitude.

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Steel Predator

Steel predators come from the mind of a single hexton modron. While there are only 36 hextons in modron society and all normally serve as generals in Primus' army, this particular hexton went rogue after turning its creations against its superiors. These creations have come to be known as steel predators, and anyone with enough coin and the ability to reach Sigil, the city of doors, can hire the modron to craft one.

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The predators serve as relentless assassins, stopping at nothing to destroy their target and return to Sigil as proof of the deed. Steel predators look much like giant metal panthers. What makes them particularly dangerous is their driven focus on a singular target. Couple this with their ability to release an ear-shattering stunning roar and you've got an assassin with an extremely high success rate.

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Marut

While technically called maruts, these constructs are better known by their street name: the inevitables. Primus created maruts to enforce contracts written in the Hall of Concordance within the city of Sigil. Two parties who wish to come to an agreement can have their contract written into a sheet of gold and placed within a marut's chest, provided they have the absurd amount of gold required to pay for such a service. The marut then enforces the terms of the contract until it becomes fulfilled, punishing any party who breaks said terms. Inevitables are large, animated suits of armor with lanky legs and a compressed upper body.

At the center of the upper body is a single unblinking eye underneath which the golden contract rests. Impossibly small wings stem from the marut's shoulders and ankles. Despite their small size, the wings allow inevitables to hover. Maruts earned their nicknames for a reason. The contracts they enforce always see their terms fulfilled. If a marut's contract calls for lethal action, death comes swiftly to the perpetrator through the use of the marut's unerring attacks, arcane chest beam, and ability to transport itself along with up to two other creatures directly into the Hall of Concordance.

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Chris Stomberg

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Chris Stomberg is an avid gamer of all kinds. Board games, card games, tabletop games, video games: if its a game, it will pique his interest. Chris has written anchor stories for news broadcasts, modules for his D&D group, and is currently working on his first novel. His hobbies outside of gaming include yoga, reading, bar hopping, and spending time with friends old and new.

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