Elder Eidolon
The art of crafting magical constructs to serve as guardians has existed for eons. It was an old practice when the humanoid races took their first tentative steps toward the mastery of magic, and today, most constructs that exist are based on the humanoid form. Yet constructs from previous epochs still exist in the darkest, most secluded regions of the world. Known collectively as elder eidolons, these ageless creatures guard sits that have long since been abandoned, the races that built them having faded into obscurity. Eidolons are all that remain of these ancient races, and from their form one can surmise that the world is better off without them.
An elder eidolon is built of ancient rock, basalt, porphyry, obsidian, or other igneous stone. Its surface is covered with ancient runes or glyphs from forgotten, dead languages. While the features of an eidolon might appear somewhat eroded or timeworn, the creatures remain quite sturdy and dangerous. Eidolons are mindless, and do only what they are ordered to do by their creators. The process for creating eidolons has long since passed into antiquity, so eidolons that still exist are without masters. They continue to perform their prior tasks, relentless and eternal in their obedience. These instructions must be simple, such as "Remain here and attack any humanoids that enter this room" or "Patrol the perimeter of this building." Often, the focus of an eidolon's task has long since crumbled away, yet the construct continues to guard or patrol for eons after the location itself has gone to dust.
Damaged eidolons repair themselves quickly, or can be repaired in an appropriate workshop or laboratory. The person performing the repairs must have the Craft Construct feat or 10 ranks in Knowledge (architecture and engineering), and must spend 50 gp and 1 hour per hit point restored.
Creating An Elder Eidolon
"Elder eidolon" is an inherited template that can be added to any aberration, animal, dragon, giant, humanoid, magical beast, monstrous humanoid, plant, or vermin. An eidolon uses all the base creature's statistics and special abilities except as noted here.
Size and Type: The creature's type changes to construct. It loses all subtypes and does nor gain the augmented subtype. It uses all the base creature's statistics and special abilities except as noted here. Recalculate base attack bonus, saving throws, feats, and skills as described below.
Hit Dice: Drop any Hit Dice gained from class levels (to a minimum of 1 Hit Die) and change remaining Hit Dice to d10s. As a construct, the creature loses any bonus hit points for a high Constitution, but gains bonus hit points based on its size, as shown below:
| Size | Bonus Hit Points |
| Small | 10 |
| Medium | 20 |
| Large | 30 |
| Huge | 40 |
| Gargantuan | 60 |
| Colossal | 80 |
The creature's natural armor improves by 4 points. The creature also gains a +4 deflection bonus to its Armor Class, since its form does not wholly exist in the Material Plane. See Otherworldly Geometry, below.
Base Attack: The creature's base attack bonus changes to its Hit Dice x 3/4, as a cleric.
Attack: An elder eidolon retains all the natural attacks, manufactured weapon attacks, and weapon proficiencies of the base creature. An eidolon based on a creature that has no natural attacks gains a slam attack as shown below, which it can use in place of a manufactured weapon attack. (An eidolon with two slams can wield a weapon in one hand and make a slam attack with its off-hand at a -5 penalty, adding half its Str bonus to the damage roll).
| Size | Attack |
| Tiny | 1 slam (1d2 plus 1-1/2 Str bonus) |
| Small | 1 slam (1d3 plus 1-1/2 Str bonus) |
| Medium | 1 slam (1d4 plus 1-1/2 Str bonus) |
| Large | 2 slams (1d6 plus Str bonus) |
| Huge | 2 slams (2d6 plus Str bonus) |
| Gargantuan | 2 slams (3d6 plus Str bonus) |
| Colossal | 2 slams (4d6 plus Str bonus) |
Special Attacks: An elder eidolon loses all of the supernatural special attacks, spell-like abilities, and extraordinary special attacks allowing a saving throw based on Constitution. It retains extraordinary special attacks that do nor permit a saving throw (such as rake, rend, or constrict) or that allow a saving throw based on Strength (such as trample). In addition, an eidolon gains the following special attack:
Insanity Aura (Su): The elemental forces that power an elder eidolon warp rime and space and cause horrible hallucinations in those nearby. Any living creature within 10 feet of an eidolon must make a successful Will saving throw (DC 10 + 1/2 the eidolon's Hit Dice + Wis modifier) each round or become confused for 1 round.
Special Qualities: An elder eidolon loses all special qualities of the base creature, but gains the special qualities listed below.
Construct Traits: An eidolon has immunity to poison, sleep effects, paralysis, stunning, disease, death effects, necromancy effects, mind-affecting spells and abilities (charms, compulsions, phantasms, patterns, and morale effects), and any effect that requires a Fortitude save unless it also works on objects or is harmless. It is nor subject to extra damage from critical hits, nonlethal damage, ability damage, ability drain, fatigue, exhaustion, or energy drain. It cannot heal damage, but it can be repaired. It has darkvision our to 60 feet and low-light vision.
Damage Reduction: An eidolon gains damage reduction based on the base creature's Hit Dice:
| Hit Dice | Damage Reduction |
| 1-3 | 1/adamantine |
| 4-6 | 3/adamantine |
| 7-10 | 5/adamantine |
| 11-15 | 7/adamantine |
| 16 or more | 10/adamantine |
Fast Repair (Ex): An eidolon repairs damage to itself at a rare of 5 hit points per round as long as it is above 0 hit points.
Immunity to Magic (Ex): An eidolon is immune to any spell or spell-like ability that allows spell resistance. In addition, certain spells and effects function differently against the creature, as noted below.
Etherealness immediately repairs damage to an eidolon equal to the spell's caster level. Dimensional anchor causes an eidolon to cease functioning for 1 round (treat as if dazed). Dimensional lock does not interfere with an eidolon's operation, but an eidolon that enters the area of a dimensional lock spell or similar effect loses the benefits of its otherworldly geometry and its insanity aura.
A transmute rock to mud spell slows an eidolon (as the slow spell) for 2d6 rounds, with no saving throw, while transmute mud to rock heals all of its lost hit points.
A stone to flesh spell does nor actually change an eidolon's structure, but negates its damage reduction and immunity to magic for 1 round.
Otherworldly Geometry (Su): An eidolon's form incorporates what should be impossible geometrics. This warping of planar realities around an elder eidolon grants it a +4 deflection bonus to its Armor Class.
Saves: Recalculate an eidolon's saving throws. The eidolon's base save bonuses are Fort +1/3 Hit Dice, Ref +1/3 Hit Dice, and Will +1/3 Hit Dice.
Abilities: Modify the base creature's ability scores as follows: Strength +8, Dexterity +4. An eidolon has no Constitution or Intelligence score. Change its Wisdom score to 11, and its Charisma score to 1.
Skills and Feats: An eidolon loses all skill points and feats, except feats that improve its attacks, such as Improved Natural Attack, Multiattack, or Weapon Finesse.
Environment: Any.
Organization: None.
Challenge Rating: As base creature +3.
Treasure: None.
Alignment: Always neutral.
Advancement: -
Level Adjustment: -
Constructing An Elder Eidolon
Although the technique to build eidolons is ancient and, for all practical purposes, lost to time, rules for creating them are presented here. Discovering the secrets of creating eidolons could form the core of a high-level adventure.
The eidolon's creator must have the Craft Construct feat. The eidolon's body must be built from stone, and requires a DC 25 Craft (sculpting or stonemasonry) check. Knowledge (architecture and engineering) can be substituted for the Craft skill when building an eidolon. The cost of the eidolon's body depends on its size:
| Size | Cost |
| Tiny | 500 gp |
| Small | 1,000 gp |
| Medium | 2,000 gp |
| Large | 5,000 gp |
| Huge | 10,000 gp |
| Gargantuan | 25,000 gp |
| Colossal | 50,000 gp |
The market price is 6,000 gp per Hit Die of the eidolon, plus the cost of its body. The cost to create is 3,000 gp and 240 XP per Hit Die, plus the cost of the body. The minimum caster level to create an eidolon is equal to its Hit Dice.
For example, a Gargantuan eidolon with 20 Hit Dice has a marker price of 145,000 gp and requires 4,800 XP to create. The cost to create is 85,000 gp, and the caster must be at least 20th level.