Josef ben Loewe
07-28-09, 04:49 AM
…While the origin of golems is unknown, golems have been used for ages by all sorts of wizards. There are numerous myths about the first golem ever created; some of those myths are even so absurd to claim that the humanoid races are in fact themselves golems. Due to the illogical and non-confirmed nature of these claims, I have decided not to deal with these myths concerning the origin of the golem…
…Most commonly from clay, golems are physical beings created through magical means. At their birth they receive instructions from their creator which is usually a specific set of rules, tasks and limitations. Golems live by these rules and will not function without them. These instructions must be carefully prepared and written down so no mistakes are made. Loopholes or gaps in the instructions can be lethal, especially when instructing a warrior golem…
…Golems are not limited to a specific shape or size. It is up to the creator to find a form which is suitable for the goal of the creature. During the course of its service the size and shape can usually be adjusted though care must be taking that the golem will still understand its own body…
- Quotes from ‘Treatise on the nature of golems’ by Rabi Bezalel ha-Moreinu, pages 13, 87 and 204.
While Josef ben Loewe is a golem, he has not been created, at least not by a specific summoner that is. Deep within a mountain somewhere between Salvar and Berevar, a group of dwarven golem crafters had their base of operations. Countless golems were created from the mountain’s perfectly suited materials and as a result magical residue penetrated the ground. Even years after the dwarves had left, the earth radiated with remnant energy.
The process must have taken years, but somehow a shape slowly started to form; clay attached itself to stone, consolidated by mystical energies. Years, if not decades later the evolutionary process ended with a sentient being: a golem with no master other then the very planet itself.
It did not last long however, only minutes later it crumbled to the ground, lacking willpower and a proper construction to maintain itself. Yet mother earth was patient and started over and over again, until it did not disperse anymore. Roaming through the many caves and lairs in the mountain the golem slowly mastered the ability to control it self consciously, creating his own rules in order to give any meaning to his surrounding and give guidance to his actions.
Based on what he encountered the golem learned, analyzed and simplified, growing in knowledge and skill as he processed more and more information. Now, more then a century later the golem even has a surprisingly good understanding of the most complicated process known to mankind: social interaction. While basic compared with those who were born in society, Josef has a deep enough understanding of social rules to function properly in it
.
==========================================
Index:
1. History (above)
2. General Information
3. In Short
4. Physical Traits
5. Personality
6. Innate Skills and Talents
7. Magical Abilities
==========================================
General InformationName: Josef ben Loewe
Nicknames: Golem, monster, clay man, the brick, etc.
Age: 164 years
Race: Construct: a golem made of mostly clay and rock
Gender: Male body build, but lacking any reproductive organs.
Place of birth: Deep within a mountain between Salvar and Berevar.
Current location: N/a, he has no residence and has wandered through many regions.
Occupation: A job here and there to for fun or to help others out; he himself does not need money for clothing, food or shelter.
In shortAppearance: Massive, mighty strong but slow and somewhat clumsy, clay and rock as flesh and bone.
Personality: Appears autistic, lives by self created and mainly arbitrary rules, socially weak but an enthusiastic talker and friend.
Skills: Strong and durable yet slow and inaccurate. Can travel through ground and rock, cover enemies in mud to slow them and stomp the ground to create chaos among his enemies.
History: In contrary to normal golems, he has not been created but has created himself. Due to his unnatural birth he did not receive rules to fuel his functioning. Forced to make those himself he travels the world in search of the perfect set of rules which he can live by.
Physical TraitsBeing a golem made of clay and stone means Josef has a rather particular body. By consuming materials like rock and mud he can restore his body and grow in size. Most of the time he will appear in a ‘standard size’ in which he feels the most comfortable.
As such, the following is a description of his ‘basic’ appearance, which is how he looks normally.
Height: 2,20 meter
Weight: 150 kilogram
Skin Colour: Mostly light brown; sports various other tints of brown.
Hair Colour: n/a
Eye Colour: Dark brown
Appearance: From a distance Josef would look like a giant of a man, but up close you would undoubtedly identify him as a golem. At least a head taller and weighting about twice as much as most humanoids, he is massive indeed. His bones are made of rock, his abundant muscles are as harsh as a tree and his flesh consists of flexible but durable clay.
Because of his weight, the golem has large feet which can carry and balance his body. He sports short legs though, making him look rather silly and clumsy. His torso is relatively small at the tips but he has massive shoulders. His left shoulder is bigger then his right and consists mostly of rock instead of a mix of clay and stone. As such he has frequently used his left shoulder as a shield when crashing into a person or object.
With Josef’s long and broad arms he is almost able to touch his knees without having to bend over. The golem’s head is fitted on a rather short neck which makes it hard for him to look around without turning his torso. A keen observant might notice that Josef does not have actual eyes, instead his eye sockets are filled with two dark brown rocks functioning as eyes.
- Rule 120: Be careful not to scream unnecessary when people are around; they are easily scared.
Clothing: While he is not required to dress since he lacks reproductive organs, he usually does dress to not scare humans too much. Because of his peculiar and large body, normal clothing rarely fits him. That is why he commonly wears long, usually dark coloured rags over his body.
Physical Condition: Not surprisingly, Josef ben Loewe is extraordinary strong and durable. With enough momentum he can easily walk through a door or even crash through a (wooden) wall. With his weight alone he could crush a child, or break a dog’s spine. While arrows and swords and the like do hurt him, he can survive multiple wounds which would have been fatal for a human.
While he is overly strong, the golem is equally slow and clumsy. With enough speed he could indeed crash through a wall, but his short legs do not allow him to gain that much speed easily. Because he turns and moves slowly, most people will have no problem to outrun him or evade most of his attacks. His sheer size makes him an easy target for weapons and spells. But when he does finally land a solid hit, the impact of his attack will make up for it.
All in all, the clay man will dominate most bar fights with his sheer size and strength, but a quick and agile opponent could attack him while staying out of harms way.
- Rule 58: Humans break easily, avoid rough contact if possible during non-hostile situations.
PersonalityJosef ben Loewe has an awkward personality. Normally, golems receive a specific list of rules, tasks and limitations which the golem can only but obey. Not having received any type of clear instructions and rules at his creation, Josef was forced to create his own. While he can create his own rules this does not mean he is completely free. He must have rules and regulations to be able to function and is limited by those laws until he decides to changes them.
The following is a list containing a number of example rules which regulate who he is and what he does:
Rule 1: Life is confusing, make rules to simplify life.
Rule 1 exception 1: The life of a stone is simple.
Rule 1 exception 1 extension: Living stone is complicated.
Rule 1 exception 2: Clay has a more complicated life.
Rule 1 exception 2 extension: Living clay is even more complicated.
Rule 2: Exceptions are confusing, do not make too many exceptions.
Rule 5: Stones taste good. Eat stone regularly.
Rule 5 extension: Clay and mud taste good as well. Eat clay and mud regularly.
Rule 24: Small spaces are not appropriate and to be avoided or enlarged.
Rule 24 extension: Enlarging small spaces which belong to other beings is commonly seen as an aggressive act; avoid if possible.
Rule 56: Dead people who are alive are evil and are to be killed or otherwise avoided.
Rule 56 extension: Necromancers are included in above rule.
Rule 62: Staying in the same place for too long is bad for my health and makes me nervous.
Rule 98: Cats make me angry and nervous; they should be avoided or killed.
Rule 98 extension: Cats hate water, use water to make cats nervous or dead.
Rule 99: Water is good. Jumping from great heights into water is even better.
Rule 100: Before jumping from a great height, the height, manner of impact and my current physical conditions must be taking in account. Do not jump from a height which will damage me beyond repair.
Rule 100 extension: Swimming is hard; when in deep water keep moving, do not sink.
Rule 251: Crying and screaming people are sad and should be helped.
Rule 251 extension: Not all screaming people are sad, people can scream in different ways expressing different things, which is complicated. See other rules concerning social interaction for clarification.
Rule 258: Laughing people makes me happy and excited. It makes me smile.
Rule 258 extension: Laughing and playing children make me even happier. It makes me laugh.
A good example of a rule Josef lives by, is his dislike of cats (rule 98, a very important rule). In the first year after his birth he had a bad encounter with several cats who for some reason attacked him, scratching him all over his body. Even though they could not seriously harm them he was unable to catch them and throw them off his body. It was only until he stormed from a cliff into a lake that he managed to get rid of the cats, resulting in rule 99.
Having registered and reflected upon the situation, Josef had decided that cats are bad and jumping in water from a height is good. Ever since that moment the golem passionately hates cats (he either avoids or crushes them) and loves jumping in the water, even though he is not a good swimmer.
Forced to regulate his personality and acting by rules, Josef is not a flexible person. Over the years he has created a hundreds rules, tasks, ethical principles and exceptions. While able to change his inner workings, he does not happily or quickly do so. To other people he will probably appear autistic and socially weak, which indeed quite accurately describes aspects of his personality.
During his many travels he has trained his social skills and learned about ethics, yet is still weak or at least awkward in social settings. He does, however, greatly enjoy talking and is truly interesting in the life of other beings. As such, most people who do not care about his appearance or nature take his weak social skills for granted, especially since the golem can be quite a loyal and useful friend.
Like his self created rules, his emotional life is mainly reactive of nature. Josef mostly experiences emotions based on his direct surrounding and the current situation. Happy things like flowers and laughing children greatly excite him, as do wandering about in nature. Seeing people cry or scream for help deeply touches him and he will most probably instinctively try to help them.
However, violence changes things. Strangely enough violence does not move him at all in most situations. When someone is being tortured you can bet he will help the tortured man. Put him in the middle of a battlefield and he will not be bothered at all by screaming and dying men. It does not turn him into a bloodthirsty war machine either; somehow he is just unable to emotionally register a purely violent situation.
That is why he usually does not hold a grudge against enemies and is able to easily forgive and forget. This is not true in all situations however, the main exception being his hatred for cats and his tendency to overly protect friends.
Due to certain rules Josef prefers to wander around the world instead of staying in the same place for too long, despite the confusing nature of new situations. By making even more rules, extensions or exceptions to said rules he simplifies new situations so he can give meaning to them and know how to react. During his long life time he has become increasingly better to more quickly analyze new situations and create proper rules.
- Rule 1: Life is confusing, make rules to simplify life.
Innate Skills and Talents(Note: I will only shortly describe his physical powers since I’ve already described those in detail further above.)
Golem: His golem nature gives Josef certain characteristic strengths and weaknesses. He is strong and durable, but also slow and clumsy. He is naturally resistant to weapons and magic spells, but will be easily hit by them. He can pick up a large rock with relative ease and throw it quite some distance, but his opponents will probably see it coming and be able to dodge it.
In short, his physical attributes are affected as such:
- Strength and durability increased to 1.75.
- Speed and accuracy decreased to 0.75.
There are other consequences as well. Certain elements and magical spells have odd results when applied to his body. Take fire as an example: he is not set aflame easily but the heat hardens his clay, making him less flexible yet more durable.
In general, most offensive spells, elements and weaponry hurt him less when compared to humans due to his great durability. The rare composition of his body results in different reactions with said elements then how a being from flesh and blood would react.
- Rule 71: Golem, clay man, brick, servant, creature, monster, giant and element are all possible names for other beings to call me, with or without additions like stupid, dumb, big, clumsy, and horrible. So confusing.
Brawler: While not a violent person himself, Josef has a body made for combat. His particular body gives him quite some advantages when fighting, especially in close combat. It also comes with certain disadvantages however. Not only is he slower and less accurate, he also is not able to take use of most weapons.
Bows, daggers, throwing knifes and the like are practically impossible for him to use due to his big hands and clumsiness. The only weapons he might be able to use (with practise) are two-handed swords and especially large blunt weapons like hammers.
At the moment he is untrained in the use of any weapon and he would require more training then others if he would ever desire to use such weaponry. On the other hand, Josef does not have a great need for made weaponry since his fists and body are lethal enough. The sheer force behind his punches more then make up for his lack of weapons, if only he did not have such a hard time hitting an opponent.
- Rule 57: Crushing, bashing, throwing and smiting are proper methods to kill. See rule 57 extension 1-80 for various other appropriate methods.
Rock Eater: Like a regular person Josef ben Loewe has to eat, however his diet is dramatically different then those of most other beings. In order to survive he eats rocks, mud, dirt and stones.
Over time his body deteriorates: chunks of rock fall off and friction slowly removes layers clay of his body. Exercise and combat greatly increases this process. Instead of bleeding blood he will loose pieces of mud, clay and stone when hurt. By eating the various materials he consists off, he restores his body and mends his ‘wounds’.
About half the weight of the eaten materials is lost while processing it. As such he gains half the weight of whatever he eats. This allows him to become quite a lot smaller and lighter when he does not eat for a while and in turn grow and become heavier when he does eat sufficient.
Being smaller and lighter makes him less strong and durable but makes him faster and more agile at the same time. Increasing his size has the opposite effect: he becomes slower and less agile but his strength and durability increase in equal amount.
It should be noted that the golem is also affected by the type of material he eats and not only the amount. When he consumes a lot of stone he will be sturdier but equally slow. Absorbing a lot of clay will in turn make him less durable but he will be able to move at a faster pace.
At this moment Josef is able to change his weight, size and his strength vs. speed ratio up to 30%. As such his maximum height and weight is respectively 2.86 meter and 195 kilo, while his minimum height and weight is respectively 1.54 meter and 105 kilo.
This process normally takes hours or even days, but a single meal or ‘snack’ is enough to (re)gain some weight. That’s also the only usage of this skill in an average battle. This is mainly an utility skill and for roleplaying. In a battle or quest this skill is limited to restore minor to medium wounds over some time.
Logically, absorbing softer materials like clay and mud is a lot easier then absorbing stones and brick. Clay and mud can even be applied directly to his body, though this is a lot less effective way to mend his body.
- Rule 5: Stones taste good. Eat stone regularly.
- Rule 5 extension: Clay and mud taste good as well. Eat clay and mud regularly.
Magical AbilitiesTraverse Earth: Quite accurately calling himself ‘son of the planet’, the golem shares a deep bond with mother earth. Using that bond Josef has learned to partly compensate for his lack of speed. This magical talent allows him to teleport a short distance by magically appear and reappear.
In the first part of the spell, Josef’s body crumbles to the ground and is absorbed by the very planet itself. A moment later however, he is reconstructed from the earth in a different place. The process is taxing on his body and he looses weight based on the distance travelled, moderately hurting him in the process.
The maximum distance he can Traverse depends on his size as the further he goes the more weight he looses. On average he could Traverse about 20 meter using this spell without seriously damaging himself, but he would still be in great pain.
A side effect of this ability is that when his body reassembles he consists relatively more of the materials of the location he appears at. For example, if he would Traverse to a rocky location he would consist of more rock then he did before the spell.
One of the limitations of this spell is that he can only use it in areas with enough mud, clay or stone. He can not Traverse from, to or through materials like deep water, metals, air or wood and requires a solid and direct connection between the starting and end location.
- Rule 221: Earth moves best through earth. Become one with mom to travel at speed.
Layer of mud: Taking mud or soft clay from his own body, Josef covers a small area (about 2 by 2 meter) and everyone in it with a layer of sticky mud. Victims of this spell are slowed in their movement and their actions cost more energy and time. The mud can be most easily removed by a shower of water or a magical spell, but removing it by hand is a tricky job.
Like all of his others spells this ability requires materials of his own body. Since he looses some mud with this spell he also slows himself, because less mud makes him less flexible and agile. He is affected less then his enemies however, and can absorb mud to regain speed.
- Rule 178: Apply mud to enemy to make them move on a proper pace.
Shockwave: Josef stomps the ground, sending a disturbance through the earth in a specific direction. The earth shudders and ripples violently for a few seconds, causing objects and persons to fall down. While the shockwave itself does not deal serious damage to anyone, falling objects and weakened structures might cause some havoc. Josef primarily uses this spell to disorientate enemies to give him a short time of opportunity.
Like all of his magical abilities, Shockwave is partly a physical skill as he really does stomp the ground, but through magical means he enhances and amplifies the shockwave so it travels further and in a specific direction. As such, jumping from a height or being heavier increases the effect of this spell, while the shockwave will be smaller when he is lighter and has no momentum.
Though less then his other abilities, to fuel the magical part of this skill Josef sacrifices some clay and rock.
The shockwave can travel about 20 meter and is about 5 meter wide on average, depending on his weight, momentum and the composition of the ground.
- Rule 382: Make the earth shiver to make men fall. Use when enemies just do not stop running.
…Most commonly from clay, golems are physical beings created through magical means. At their birth they receive instructions from their creator which is usually a specific set of rules, tasks and limitations. Golems live by these rules and will not function without them. These instructions must be carefully prepared and written down so no mistakes are made. Loopholes or gaps in the instructions can be lethal, especially when instructing a warrior golem…
…Golems are not limited to a specific shape or size. It is up to the creator to find a form which is suitable for the goal of the creature. During the course of its service the size and shape can usually be adjusted though care must be taking that the golem will still understand its own body…
- Quotes from ‘Treatise on the nature of golems’ by Rabi Bezalel ha-Moreinu, pages 13, 87 and 204.
While Josef ben Loewe is a golem, he has not been created, at least not by a specific summoner that is. Deep within a mountain somewhere between Salvar and Berevar, a group of dwarven golem crafters had their base of operations. Countless golems were created from the mountain’s perfectly suited materials and as a result magical residue penetrated the ground. Even years after the dwarves had left, the earth radiated with remnant energy.
The process must have taken years, but somehow a shape slowly started to form; clay attached itself to stone, consolidated by mystical energies. Years, if not decades later the evolutionary process ended with a sentient being: a golem with no master other then the very planet itself.
It did not last long however, only minutes later it crumbled to the ground, lacking willpower and a proper construction to maintain itself. Yet mother earth was patient and started over and over again, until it did not disperse anymore. Roaming through the many caves and lairs in the mountain the golem slowly mastered the ability to control it self consciously, creating his own rules in order to give any meaning to his surrounding and give guidance to his actions.
Based on what he encountered the golem learned, analyzed and simplified, growing in knowledge and skill as he processed more and more information. Now, more then a century later the golem even has a surprisingly good understanding of the most complicated process known to mankind: social interaction. While basic compared with those who were born in society, Josef has a deep enough understanding of social rules to function properly in it
.
==========================================
Index:
1. History (above)
2. General Information
3. In Short
4. Physical Traits
5. Personality
6. Innate Skills and Talents
7. Magical Abilities
==========================================
General InformationName: Josef ben Loewe
Nicknames: Golem, monster, clay man, the brick, etc.
Age: 164 years
Race: Construct: a golem made of mostly clay and rock
Gender: Male body build, but lacking any reproductive organs.
Place of birth: Deep within a mountain between Salvar and Berevar.
Current location: N/a, he has no residence and has wandered through many regions.
Occupation: A job here and there to for fun or to help others out; he himself does not need money for clothing, food or shelter.
In shortAppearance: Massive, mighty strong but slow and somewhat clumsy, clay and rock as flesh and bone.
Personality: Appears autistic, lives by self created and mainly arbitrary rules, socially weak but an enthusiastic talker and friend.
Skills: Strong and durable yet slow and inaccurate. Can travel through ground and rock, cover enemies in mud to slow them and stomp the ground to create chaos among his enemies.
History: In contrary to normal golems, he has not been created but has created himself. Due to his unnatural birth he did not receive rules to fuel his functioning. Forced to make those himself he travels the world in search of the perfect set of rules which he can live by.
Physical TraitsBeing a golem made of clay and stone means Josef has a rather particular body. By consuming materials like rock and mud he can restore his body and grow in size. Most of the time he will appear in a ‘standard size’ in which he feels the most comfortable.
As such, the following is a description of his ‘basic’ appearance, which is how he looks normally.
Height: 2,20 meter
Weight: 150 kilogram
Skin Colour: Mostly light brown; sports various other tints of brown.
Hair Colour: n/a
Eye Colour: Dark brown
Appearance: From a distance Josef would look like a giant of a man, but up close you would undoubtedly identify him as a golem. At least a head taller and weighting about twice as much as most humanoids, he is massive indeed. His bones are made of rock, his abundant muscles are as harsh as a tree and his flesh consists of flexible but durable clay.
Because of his weight, the golem has large feet which can carry and balance his body. He sports short legs though, making him look rather silly and clumsy. His torso is relatively small at the tips but he has massive shoulders. His left shoulder is bigger then his right and consists mostly of rock instead of a mix of clay and stone. As such he has frequently used his left shoulder as a shield when crashing into a person or object.
With Josef’s long and broad arms he is almost able to touch his knees without having to bend over. The golem’s head is fitted on a rather short neck which makes it hard for him to look around without turning his torso. A keen observant might notice that Josef does not have actual eyes, instead his eye sockets are filled with two dark brown rocks functioning as eyes.
- Rule 120: Be careful not to scream unnecessary when people are around; they are easily scared.
Clothing: While he is not required to dress since he lacks reproductive organs, he usually does dress to not scare humans too much. Because of his peculiar and large body, normal clothing rarely fits him. That is why he commonly wears long, usually dark coloured rags over his body.
Physical Condition: Not surprisingly, Josef ben Loewe is extraordinary strong and durable. With enough momentum he can easily walk through a door or even crash through a (wooden) wall. With his weight alone he could crush a child, or break a dog’s spine. While arrows and swords and the like do hurt him, he can survive multiple wounds which would have been fatal for a human.
While he is overly strong, the golem is equally slow and clumsy. With enough speed he could indeed crash through a wall, but his short legs do not allow him to gain that much speed easily. Because he turns and moves slowly, most people will have no problem to outrun him or evade most of his attacks. His sheer size makes him an easy target for weapons and spells. But when he does finally land a solid hit, the impact of his attack will make up for it.
All in all, the clay man will dominate most bar fights with his sheer size and strength, but a quick and agile opponent could attack him while staying out of harms way.
- Rule 58: Humans break easily, avoid rough contact if possible during non-hostile situations.
PersonalityJosef ben Loewe has an awkward personality. Normally, golems receive a specific list of rules, tasks and limitations which the golem can only but obey. Not having received any type of clear instructions and rules at his creation, Josef was forced to create his own. While he can create his own rules this does not mean he is completely free. He must have rules and regulations to be able to function and is limited by those laws until he decides to changes them.
The following is a list containing a number of example rules which regulate who he is and what he does:
Rule 1: Life is confusing, make rules to simplify life.
Rule 1 exception 1: The life of a stone is simple.
Rule 1 exception 1 extension: Living stone is complicated.
Rule 1 exception 2: Clay has a more complicated life.
Rule 1 exception 2 extension: Living clay is even more complicated.
Rule 2: Exceptions are confusing, do not make too many exceptions.
Rule 5: Stones taste good. Eat stone regularly.
Rule 5 extension: Clay and mud taste good as well. Eat clay and mud regularly.
Rule 24: Small spaces are not appropriate and to be avoided or enlarged.
Rule 24 extension: Enlarging small spaces which belong to other beings is commonly seen as an aggressive act; avoid if possible.
Rule 56: Dead people who are alive are evil and are to be killed or otherwise avoided.
Rule 56 extension: Necromancers are included in above rule.
Rule 62: Staying in the same place for too long is bad for my health and makes me nervous.
Rule 98: Cats make me angry and nervous; they should be avoided or killed.
Rule 98 extension: Cats hate water, use water to make cats nervous or dead.
Rule 99: Water is good. Jumping from great heights into water is even better.
Rule 100: Before jumping from a great height, the height, manner of impact and my current physical conditions must be taking in account. Do not jump from a height which will damage me beyond repair.
Rule 100 extension: Swimming is hard; when in deep water keep moving, do not sink.
Rule 251: Crying and screaming people are sad and should be helped.
Rule 251 extension: Not all screaming people are sad, people can scream in different ways expressing different things, which is complicated. See other rules concerning social interaction for clarification.
Rule 258: Laughing people makes me happy and excited. It makes me smile.
Rule 258 extension: Laughing and playing children make me even happier. It makes me laugh.
A good example of a rule Josef lives by, is his dislike of cats (rule 98, a very important rule). In the first year after his birth he had a bad encounter with several cats who for some reason attacked him, scratching him all over his body. Even though they could not seriously harm them he was unable to catch them and throw them off his body. It was only until he stormed from a cliff into a lake that he managed to get rid of the cats, resulting in rule 99.
Having registered and reflected upon the situation, Josef had decided that cats are bad and jumping in water from a height is good. Ever since that moment the golem passionately hates cats (he either avoids or crushes them) and loves jumping in the water, even though he is not a good swimmer.
Forced to regulate his personality and acting by rules, Josef is not a flexible person. Over the years he has created a hundreds rules, tasks, ethical principles and exceptions. While able to change his inner workings, he does not happily or quickly do so. To other people he will probably appear autistic and socially weak, which indeed quite accurately describes aspects of his personality.
During his many travels he has trained his social skills and learned about ethics, yet is still weak or at least awkward in social settings. He does, however, greatly enjoy talking and is truly interesting in the life of other beings. As such, most people who do not care about his appearance or nature take his weak social skills for granted, especially since the golem can be quite a loyal and useful friend.
Like his self created rules, his emotional life is mainly reactive of nature. Josef mostly experiences emotions based on his direct surrounding and the current situation. Happy things like flowers and laughing children greatly excite him, as do wandering about in nature. Seeing people cry or scream for help deeply touches him and he will most probably instinctively try to help them.
However, violence changes things. Strangely enough violence does not move him at all in most situations. When someone is being tortured you can bet he will help the tortured man. Put him in the middle of a battlefield and he will not be bothered at all by screaming and dying men. It does not turn him into a bloodthirsty war machine either; somehow he is just unable to emotionally register a purely violent situation.
That is why he usually does not hold a grudge against enemies and is able to easily forgive and forget. This is not true in all situations however, the main exception being his hatred for cats and his tendency to overly protect friends.
Due to certain rules Josef prefers to wander around the world instead of staying in the same place for too long, despite the confusing nature of new situations. By making even more rules, extensions or exceptions to said rules he simplifies new situations so he can give meaning to them and know how to react. During his long life time he has become increasingly better to more quickly analyze new situations and create proper rules.
- Rule 1: Life is confusing, make rules to simplify life.
Innate Skills and Talents(Note: I will only shortly describe his physical powers since I’ve already described those in detail further above.)
Golem: His golem nature gives Josef certain characteristic strengths and weaknesses. He is strong and durable, but also slow and clumsy. He is naturally resistant to weapons and magic spells, but will be easily hit by them. He can pick up a large rock with relative ease and throw it quite some distance, but his opponents will probably see it coming and be able to dodge it.
In short, his physical attributes are affected as such:
- Strength and durability increased to 1.75.
- Speed and accuracy decreased to 0.75.
There are other consequences as well. Certain elements and magical spells have odd results when applied to his body. Take fire as an example: he is not set aflame easily but the heat hardens his clay, making him less flexible yet more durable.
In general, most offensive spells, elements and weaponry hurt him less when compared to humans due to his great durability. The rare composition of his body results in different reactions with said elements then how a being from flesh and blood would react.
- Rule 71: Golem, clay man, brick, servant, creature, monster, giant and element are all possible names for other beings to call me, with or without additions like stupid, dumb, big, clumsy, and horrible. So confusing.
Brawler: While not a violent person himself, Josef has a body made for combat. His particular body gives him quite some advantages when fighting, especially in close combat. It also comes with certain disadvantages however. Not only is he slower and less accurate, he also is not able to take use of most weapons.
Bows, daggers, throwing knifes and the like are practically impossible for him to use due to his big hands and clumsiness. The only weapons he might be able to use (with practise) are two-handed swords and especially large blunt weapons like hammers.
At the moment he is untrained in the use of any weapon and he would require more training then others if he would ever desire to use such weaponry. On the other hand, Josef does not have a great need for made weaponry since his fists and body are lethal enough. The sheer force behind his punches more then make up for his lack of weapons, if only he did not have such a hard time hitting an opponent.
- Rule 57: Crushing, bashing, throwing and smiting are proper methods to kill. See rule 57 extension 1-80 for various other appropriate methods.
Rock Eater: Like a regular person Josef ben Loewe has to eat, however his diet is dramatically different then those of most other beings. In order to survive he eats rocks, mud, dirt and stones.
Over time his body deteriorates: chunks of rock fall off and friction slowly removes layers clay of his body. Exercise and combat greatly increases this process. Instead of bleeding blood he will loose pieces of mud, clay and stone when hurt. By eating the various materials he consists off, he restores his body and mends his ‘wounds’.
About half the weight of the eaten materials is lost while processing it. As such he gains half the weight of whatever he eats. This allows him to become quite a lot smaller and lighter when he does not eat for a while and in turn grow and become heavier when he does eat sufficient.
Being smaller and lighter makes him less strong and durable but makes him faster and more agile at the same time. Increasing his size has the opposite effect: he becomes slower and less agile but his strength and durability increase in equal amount.
It should be noted that the golem is also affected by the type of material he eats and not only the amount. When he consumes a lot of stone he will be sturdier but equally slow. Absorbing a lot of clay will in turn make him less durable but he will be able to move at a faster pace.
At this moment Josef is able to change his weight, size and his strength vs. speed ratio up to 30%. As such his maximum height and weight is respectively 2.86 meter and 195 kilo, while his minimum height and weight is respectively 1.54 meter and 105 kilo.
This process normally takes hours or even days, but a single meal or ‘snack’ is enough to (re)gain some weight. That’s also the only usage of this skill in an average battle. This is mainly an utility skill and for roleplaying. In a battle or quest this skill is limited to restore minor to medium wounds over some time.
Logically, absorbing softer materials like clay and mud is a lot easier then absorbing stones and brick. Clay and mud can even be applied directly to his body, though this is a lot less effective way to mend his body.
- Rule 5: Stones taste good. Eat stone regularly.
- Rule 5 extension: Clay and mud taste good as well. Eat clay and mud regularly.
Magical AbilitiesTraverse Earth: Quite accurately calling himself ‘son of the planet’, the golem shares a deep bond with mother earth. Using that bond Josef has learned to partly compensate for his lack of speed. This magical talent allows him to teleport a short distance by magically appear and reappear.
In the first part of the spell, Josef’s body crumbles to the ground and is absorbed by the very planet itself. A moment later however, he is reconstructed from the earth in a different place. The process is taxing on his body and he looses weight based on the distance travelled, moderately hurting him in the process.
The maximum distance he can Traverse depends on his size as the further he goes the more weight he looses. On average he could Traverse about 20 meter using this spell without seriously damaging himself, but he would still be in great pain.
A side effect of this ability is that when his body reassembles he consists relatively more of the materials of the location he appears at. For example, if he would Traverse to a rocky location he would consist of more rock then he did before the spell.
One of the limitations of this spell is that he can only use it in areas with enough mud, clay or stone. He can not Traverse from, to or through materials like deep water, metals, air or wood and requires a solid and direct connection between the starting and end location.
- Rule 221: Earth moves best through earth. Become one with mom to travel at speed.
Layer of mud: Taking mud or soft clay from his own body, Josef covers a small area (about 2 by 2 meter) and everyone in it with a layer of sticky mud. Victims of this spell are slowed in their movement and their actions cost more energy and time. The mud can be most easily removed by a shower of water or a magical spell, but removing it by hand is a tricky job.
Like all of his others spells this ability requires materials of his own body. Since he looses some mud with this spell he also slows himself, because less mud makes him less flexible and agile. He is affected less then his enemies however, and can absorb mud to regain speed.
- Rule 178: Apply mud to enemy to make them move on a proper pace.
Shockwave: Josef stomps the ground, sending a disturbance through the earth in a specific direction. The earth shudders and ripples violently for a few seconds, causing objects and persons to fall down. While the shockwave itself does not deal serious damage to anyone, falling objects and weakened structures might cause some havoc. Josef primarily uses this spell to disorientate enemies to give him a short time of opportunity.
Like all of his magical abilities, Shockwave is partly a physical skill as he really does stomp the ground, but through magical means he enhances and amplifies the shockwave so it travels further and in a specific direction. As such, jumping from a height or being heavier increases the effect of this spell, while the shockwave will be smaller when he is lighter and has no momentum.
Though less then his other abilities, to fuel the magical part of this skill Josef sacrifices some clay and rock.
The shockwave can travel about 20 meter and is about 5 meter wide on average, depending on his weight, momentum and the composition of the ground.
- Rule 382: Make the earth shiver to make men fall. Use when enemies just do not stop running.