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Clay Golem 5e: Cursed Wounds, Haste and Acid
A clay golem is a CR 9 Large Construct with AC 14 and 133 hit points in the 2014 rules. It's the golem that kills characters permanently: its slam can reduce your hit point maximum by the damage dealt, and a character whose maximum hits 0 dies. In 2014 that damage stays until someone casts Greater Restoration. It also has Acid Absorption (acid heals it), Haste for extra armor and an extra slam, and a Berserk trait that, unlike the flesh golem's, nobody can talk down. The 2024 version drains less per hit but with no save, swaps Haste for a bonus-action Hasten that gives it three slams, and resists all weapon damage.
Languages understands the languages of its creator but can't speak
Challenge 9 (XP 5,000; PB +4)
Traits
Acid Absorption.Whenever the golem is subjected to acid damage, it takes no damage and instead regains a number of hit points equal to the acid damage dealt.
Berserk.Whenever the golem starts its turn with 60 hit points or fewer, roll a d6. On a 6, the golem goes berserk. On each of its turns while berserk, the golem attacks the nearest creature it can see. If no creature is near enough to move to and attack, the golem attacks an object, with preference for an object smaller than itself. Once the golem goes berserk, it continues to do so until it is destroyed or regains all its hit points.
Immutable Form.The golem is immune to any spell or effect that would alter its form.
Magic Resistance.The golem has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.
Magic Weapons.The golem's weapon attacks are magical.
Actions
Multiattack.The golem makes two slam attacks.
Slam.Melee Weapon Attack: +8 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 16 (2d10 + 5) bludgeoning damage. If the target is a creature, it must succeed on a DC 15 Constitution saving throw or have its hit point maximum reduced by an amount equal to the damage taken. The target dies if this attack reduces its hit point maximum to 0. The reduction lasts until removed by the greater restoration spell or other magic.
Haste (Recharge 5–6).Until the end of its next turn, the golem magically gains a +2 bonus to its AC, has advantage on Dexterity saving throws, and can use its slam attack as a bonus action.
Stat block from the SRD 5.1 (2014 rules) by Wizards of the Coast, licensed under CC-BY-4.0. Check an encounter with this monster in the encounter calculator.
The slam. +8 to hit, 16 (2d10 + 5) bludgeoning. A creature it hits makes a DC 15 Constitution save or its hit point maximum drops by the damage taken. The reduction lasts until Greater Restoration or other magic removes it. A long rest doesn't help. A level 7 wizard with 44 maximum hit points who fails three saves against average slams is dead, even if the cleric kept healing them to full.
How often that save fails:
Constitution save
Fails DC 15
Expected max HP lost per hit
+0
70%
about 11
+2
60%
about 10
+5 (proficient)
45%
about 7
Haste (Recharge 5-6) is an action. Until the end of its next turn it gets +2 AC (16), Advantage on Dexterity saves and a bonus-action slam. Count the slams: on the Haste turn it makes only one (the bonus action, since Haste used its action), and next turn it makes three. That's four slams over two turns, exactly what it would make without Haste. The 2014 Haste is a defensive move that changes the timing, not a damage boost.
Berserk triggers when it starts a turn at 60 hit points or fewer: on a 6 on a d6 it attacks the nearest creature it can see. Unlike the flesh golem, nobody can calm it. It stays berserk until destroyed or fully healed.
Its speed is only 20 feet, the slowest of any golem.
Clay Golem in the 2024 Rules
The 2024 clay golem (SRD 5.2.1) keeps CR 9 and AC 14 and rebuilds the rest.
Acid Absorption.Whenever the golem is subjected to Acid damage, it takes no damage and instead regains a number of Hit Points equal to the Acid damage dealt.
Berserk.Whenever the golem starts its turn Bloodied, roll 1d6. On a 6, the golem goes berserk. On each of its turns while berserk, the golem attacks the nearest creature it can see. If no creature is near enough to move to and attack, the golem attacks an object. Once the golem goes berserk, it continues to be berserk until it is destroyed or it is no longer Bloodied.
Immutable Form.The golem can’t shape-shift.
Magic Resistance.The golem has Advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.
Actions
Multiattack.The golem makes two Slam attacks, or it makes three Slam attacks if it used Hasten this turn.
Slam.Melee Attack Roll: +9, reach 5 ft. Hit: 10 (1d10 + 5) Bludgeoning damage plus 6 (1d12) Acid damage, and the target’s Hit Point maximum decreases by an amount equal to the Acid damage taken.
Bonus Actions
Hasten (Recharge 5–6).The golem takes the Dash and Disengage actions.
Stat block from the SRD 5.2.1 (2024 rules) by Wizards of the Coast, licensed under CC-BY-4.0. Check an encounter with this monster in the encounter calculator.
2014 Clay Golem
2024 Clay Golem
HP / Speed
133 / 20 ft.
123 / 30 ft.
Weapon defense
Immune to B/P/S from nonmagical attacks that aren't adamantine
Resistant to all B/P/S, magical or not
Slam
+8, 16 bludgeoning
+9, 10 bludgeoning + 6 (1d12) acid
Max HP drain
Equal to all damage, DC 15 Con save
Equal to the acid damage, no save
Drain lasts
Until Greater Restoration or other magic; a long rest doesn't help
No duration in the stat block, so the general rule applies: a Long Rest restores it (as does Greater Restoration)
Haste
Action: +2 AC, Advantage on Dex saves, bonus-action slam
Hasten, bonus action: Dash and Disengage, then three slams instead of two
Berserk
60 HP or fewer; ends at full HP
Bloodied; ends when no longer Bloodied
What changes at the table:
•The drain is smaller but certain. 2024 strips about 6 maximum hit points per hit with no save, instead of about 16 on a failed save. It's steadier attrition and far less likely to kill outright.
•A long rest fixes it now. The 2024 Slam doesn't say how long the reduction lasts, so the Rules Glossary's Long Rest entry applies: "If your Hit Point maximum was reduced, it returns to normal." The 2014 drain explicitly lasts until Greater Restoration or other magic removes it. That one change takes most of the fear out of the 2024 clay golem.
•Hasten is pure offense. The 2024 golem spends its bonus action to Dash and Disengage, crosses up to 60 feet without opportunity attacks, and slams three times. No AC boost.
•Magic weapons are no longer the answer. The 2024 golem resists every weapon, magical or not. Spells (other than acid, poison and psychic) are the efficient damage.
How the Clay Golem Fights
Intelligence 3 means it doesn't pick targets cleverly. Its stat block does the cruelty for it.
Grind, don't burst. Against AC 16, a 2014 slam hits 65% of the time and a 2024 slam 70%:
Golem
Normal turn
Haste or Hasten turn
2014
2 slams, about 21 damage
1 slam on the Haste turn, 3 the next, about 10 then 31
2024
2 slams, about 22 damage and 8 max HP
3 slams, about 34 damage and 13 max HP
Every hit matters twice: once for hit points, once for the maximum. A long fight against a clay golem leaves characters at full "health" with half their usual pool.
Pick on whoever it reaches. The 2014 golem's 20-foot speed means it hits whatever is closest, usually the front-liners with the best Constitution saves. The 2024 golem can Hasten 60 feet into the back line without provoking and slam the wizard three times. Run it that way.
Berserk late. Each turn it starts below the threshold has a one-in-six chance to make it attack the nearest creature. Place its master's servants, prisoners or valuables nearby so Berserk causes collateral damage the party cares about.
Guard, don't patrol. Its creator's best use for a clay golem is a fixed post: a temple sanctum, a reliquary, a sealed tomb. Slow and patient guardians fit the stat block.
Running a Clay Golem Encounter
A clay golem is CR 9, worth 5,000 XP. The hit point drain makes it harder than its XP suggests in 2014, and closer to its XP in 2024. Using the 2024 budget for four characters:
Party level
Budget (Low / Moderate / High)
Clay golem encounter
7
3,000 / 5,200 / 6,800
One golem (5,000): Moderate (just under the 5,200 budget)
8
4,000 / 6,800 / 8,400
Golem + a priest who serves the shrine it guards (5,450): Moderate
9
5,200 / 8,000 / 10,400
Golem + mage (7,300): Moderate; two golems (10,000): High (just under the 10,400 budget)
The 2014 Dungeon Master's Guide guidelines, used by our encounter calculator, rate a single clay golem as Hard for four level 7 characters.
Before running the 2014 version, check whether the party can cast Greater Restoration (a cleric, druid or bard of level 9 or higher). If nobody can, the drain sticks until they find someone who can. That's a quest hook, and it's also a lot of punishment. Decide which you want.
How Players Beat a Clay Golem
•Outrun the 2014 golem. Speed 20 feet. A party that keeps 30 feet away and attacks from range takes almost no slams. Haste doesn't help it close distance either, since 2014 Haste grants no extra movement.
•Bring the restoration plan. Greater Restoration (5th level, 100 gp of diamond dust per casting) removes any reduction to a hit point maximum. Ordinary healing like Cure Wounds restores hit points but can't raise the lowered maximum. In the 2024 SRD, Aura of Life (4th level, cleric and paladin) stops hit point maximums from being reduced for allies inside its 30-foot aura.
•Target Charisma. Charisma 1 means it fails a DC 15 Banishment save on a 19 or lower; with Advantage from Magic Resistance it still fails about 90% of the time.
•Shatter is a straight roll. In 2024, Shatter gives every Construct Disadvantage on the save, and Magic Resistance's Advantage cancels it. The 2014 text gives Disadvantage to "a creature made of inorganic material such as stone, crystal, or metal" and doesn't mention clay. DM ruling: clay is mineral, so we count it, which makes it a straight roll in both editions. If you rule otherwise, the 2014 golem rolls with Advantage.
•Use the right damage. It's immune to acid, poison and psychic. Fire, cold, lightning, thunder, force, radiant and necrotic work normally. Against the 2024 version, spells beat weapons because it resists all bludgeoning, piercing and slashing.
Clay Golem Encounter Ideas
The reliquary. A temple's founding relic sits behind a clay golem that has stood in the same alcove for three hundred years. The temple wants the relic moved before the building collapses. The golem obeys only the founder, who is buried under the floor. The party has to move a relic without being touched by a creature whose touch doesn't heal.
Thirty days. The Manual of Golems lists a clay golem at 30 days and 65,000 gp of supplies, the fastest golem to build. A cult has the manual and the money. The party learns about it on day 22. Every day of delay is another day closer to a guardian the cult can deploy.
The penitent (2014 rules). A paladin NPC lost half her hit point maximum to a clay golem years ago and never found a cleric able to fix it. She'll guide the party to the golem's vault in exchange for a Greater Restoration from their cleric, or for the gold to pay a temple. Track her story in your session notes; she's a ready-made ally when she's whole again.
Frequently Asked Questions
What CR is a clay golem in 5e?
A clay golem is CR 9 (5,000 XP) in both editions. It has AC 14 and 133 hit points in 2014, and AC 14 and 123 hit points in 2024.
How does the clay golem reduce hit point maximum?
In 2014, a creature hit by its slam makes a DC 15 Constitution save or its hit point maximum drops by the damage taken, until Greater Restoration or other magic removes it. In 2024, every hit lowers the target's maximum by the acid damage dealt, with no save, until the target finishes a long rest. A creature whose maximum reaches 0 dies.
What does the clay golem's Haste do?
In 2014, Haste (Recharge 5-6) is an action that gives it +2 AC, Advantage on Dexterity saves and a bonus-action slam until the end of its next turn. In 2024 it's called Hasten: a bonus action to Dash and Disengage, after which it makes three slams instead of two.
Does acid heal a clay golem?
Yes. Acid Absorption means acid damage restores hit points equal to the damage instead of hurting it, in both editions.
What's the difference between a clay golem and a stone golem?
The stone golem (CR 10) controls the fight with Slow and has no weakness to exploit. The clay golem (CR 9) does lasting harm with its hit point maximum drain, heals from acid, and can go berserk. The iron golem and shield guardian round out the SRD's constructs of this kind.
Stat blocks: System Reference Document 5.1 (2014) and 5.2.1 (2024), Wizards of the Coast, CC-BY-4.0. Tactics, encounter math and ideas are Loreify's own.
This page includes material from the System Reference Document 5.1 and 5.2.1 by Wizards of the Coast LLC, available under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. Loreify is not affiliated with Wizards of the Coast.