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[Liamar]

In many universes Dwarfs are known for the abbility to create Golems that aid them in war.
So how would you like being able to craft golems in your dwarf fortress?

Before you start spewing counter-arguments, know that it would not be "over-powered" or "unrealistic".
Golems could have obvious downsides, such as inabblitiy to control them directly, random uncontrollable rages and a high cost of creation, toped maybe with a unique requirement, such as obtaining Golem plans from a dungeon protected by demons.

It would certainly be a LOT of fun to have a semi-friendly, powerfull autonomous, steel creation wandering around your fortress killing goblins, elven emmissaries and sometimes even your own dwarfes on occasion! They could be made to damage furniture, mechanisms, buildings, walls, maybe even mine tiles at random.
The costs could include not only resources, but the creator of it having to sacrifice himself to give life to his creation. A legendary smith vs unpredictable, powerfull guardian seems like a leveled trade, doesn't it?

[Deathworks]

Hello!

Personally, I would suggest going with the classic golem tale: An individual of great knowledge (in real world myths, a rabbi) shapes the creature out of some material like clay (I think) and inscribes it in some form with a word like "breath" or "life". The automaton serves the individual (able to do some labors like hauling and digging) but grows in size and strength. Unless destroyed by its creator (simple act if performed timely), the golem may turn against its masters and destroy them.

This way, golem creation puts kind of a time limit on the player who asks his dwarves to create a golem: If the golem is destroyed prematurely, its potential is wasted (requiring paper or pergament in the creation of the golem may help make it more precious). If the golem is not destroyed within the time frame, you have a dangerous building destroyer loose in your fortress...

By linking the golem to its creator (like family), controlling its destruction (only performable by its creator) can be a bit more difficult/dangerous as the required dwarf may decide to go on a long-term break at the wrong time...

As for the requirements, you may require a legendary dwarf to create a golem. And an unleashed golem may follow a kill order for its creator (as the creator is seen as the biggest threat by the creature), so that any dwarf creating a golem is put at substantial risk.

Those are my thoughts on the idea.

Yours,
Deathworks

[AutomataKittay]

For the op, it's already done in some mods. Not sure how reliable it is nowadays, and last I've checked, they don't equips weapons reliably either.

On other hand, it don't seems to be in base DF's dwarves' spirit to make one of them, but capacity to make them ( and to make them properly managable as a civilian unit at least) would be nice and could be expanded to managing beastmens

[GreatWyrmGold]

Planned. I'm interested to see how Toady does it.

[Liamar]

Planned. I'm interested to see how Toady does it.

Well, let's try to brainstorm to help him come up with ideas

[GreatWyrmGold]

Sure.

Something like the original Golem of Prague would be neat, but probably makeable from non-clay. Say, a dwarven priest/smith carves a rune into the forehead of a pewter statute, which animates it. The golem would obey orders literally. This could lead to Fun.

Maybe there would be other kinds--I hope there would be, in fact. Maybe a husk of iron with a child bound in the head to attract a demonic spirit to animate it (used by goblins, obviously), or a sort of mechanical thing powered by a wheel spinning magically within its torso. Elves would have treants instead of golems, and kobolds would probably not have anything like that unless they stole another race's...thing.

[darknessofthenight]

It seems that this could also provide the back story for colossi. I also think that another type of Golem would be a purely mechanical dwarf that could as a weakness, be like a regular dwarf in stupidity, and get sad about not being a real boy.

[Blade Master Model 42]

I really like the idea of masterwork statues being capable of animation from a priest type dwarf. Dwarves with higher skill levels in... whatever, could produce a Golem that can perform more complex tasks. A low level golem would be capable only of hauling, for instance, but high level golems could chop wood, mine, farm, or produce zero quality furniture and goods.

There should be some way to maintain golems, to keep them from going rogue, otherwise you wind up with what amounts to a collosus rampaging about in your fort. Regular interaction with their creator? Supervision? I don't know what would be best.

[Braingnawer]

Maybe make it so that you have to sacrifice Precious jewels or for a slightly more evil route creatures to bring a statue to life.
Also as a balance Idea how about we assign value to certain jobs and you have to sacrifice more depending on the job/ skill level you want. You can only assign jobs to the golem you initially sacrificed for.
Make a dedicated proficient  hauling golem for example wouldn't cost very much. A sacrificed gopher maybe or a bar of silver.
Want a golem to do several simple jobs and it would cost quite alot more.
Want to make a Master Axe golem and it would cost a kingdom it's most valuable artifact or the sacrifice of an all powerful mythical beast.

Maybe make a cost multiplier for the material the golem is made out of?
If it becomes too unbalanced maybe an upkeep could be implemented?

[Neonivek]

I think it is just better to say that Golems are outside of standard Dwarf society to create.

I have no problem with golems as part of artifact creation though.

In many universes Dwarfs are known for the abbility to create Golems that aid them in war

Including the original norse mythology where they created a mechanical pig and a flying ship.

[Radiant_Phoenix]

My suggested implementation:

Step 0: No golems: The default state is that you can't make golems.

Step 1: Artifact golem: "golem" is one of the types of things that can come out of a strange mood. The golem will (usually) be mysterious, and whether this becomes a good thing or a bad thing will depend on various factors, such as the type of mood, the source of the inspiration, the mythological connotations of the materials used, and what you do with the golem. Depending on the nature of the golem and the process of its creation, the dwarf who made it may be able to just go ahead and make more (Step 2). Maybe not, though; don't count on it. If she doesn't have that ability, you will first have to figure out if it's even possible to just make more; to do this, you have some skilled dwarves examine the golem, and try to figure it out. Most of the time, they won't, but sometimes, you'll go to Step 3.

Step 2: Urist Golem-Maker: If your formerly-moody dwarf can make more golems, then she can just do that, with the exact process and materials procedurally generated based on various factors, such as the type of mood, the inspiration, ... you get the picture. Generally, you will need whatever went into the first golem, although some parts may be superfluous, and some parts may have been divinely provided and need to be replaced with rare/expensive/bizarre substitutes in the production recipe. Urist may or may not be able to train more golem-makers. If she can, you can go to Step 3.

Step 3: GolemMurdered: Once Urist trains a certain number of golem-makers, it will just sort of be assumed that dwarves in her fort can become golem-makers. Generally, if you survive long enough, you will be able to progress to Step 4.

Step 4: Golem-making Civ: Once a site has enough aggregate golem-making training, the skill can start spreading into the general skills of its entity.

Step 5+: : I don't feel like going further right now.

Sometimes, your civ will start out on a step higher than zero. Also, most of the time you won't get a golem at all, even in a ten-year fort, and even when you do get a golem, it's still rather likely (P>0.5) that you won't be able to make more.

[Andrew425]

I like it. I think it should only come around as once in a few generations when a dwarf relearns the art. They can then produce golems. Once they die golems become rarer and rarer until the next one remembers it.

[10ebbor10]

Maybe make it so that you have to sacrifice Precious jewels or for a slightly more evil route creatures to bring a statue to life.
Also as a balance Idea how about we assign value to certain jobs and you have to sacrifice more depending on the job/ skill level you want. You can only assign jobs to the golem you initially sacrificed for.
Make a dedicated proficient  hauling golem for example wouldn't cost very much. A sacrificed gopher maybe or a bar of silver.
Want a golem to do several simple jobs and it would cost quite alot more.
Want to make a Master Axe golem and it would cost a kingdom it's most valuable artifact or the sacrifice of an all powerful mythical beast.

Maybe make a cost multiplier for the material the golem is made out of?
If it becomes too unbalanced maybe an upkeep could be implemented?

A high cost is not a very good balancing system. Especially with gems it'd be a do or don't thing, depending on wherether you have them or not.


Now, for my suggestion.

Golems have 2 possible origins. They can be created, if rarely by a strange mood, which will produce a different golem based on the mood the dwarf had.  (ak the previous sheme). These Golems are often quite attached to their master, and can become yealous if they don't get enough attention. It's also possible that the dwarfs don't trust this new creation, and form grudges with it, maybe even trying to destroy it.

The other possible origin is the analysis and reconstruction of a Bronze collusus. This wield yield an exceptionally powerfull golem, though not a safe one. It's rage is barely kept in control, and as such it can be both a great danger and a boon to your fort.

[Liamar]

So my turn now.
The idea that formed in my mind is similar to the original myth of Jewish Golems.

The Golems were supposedly crafted by a Rabbi, from clay for the most part (Garden of Eden, any one?). According to some sources what gave the Golem life was an amulet with engraved name, or some such thing. The Golem would perform tasks ordered by it's creator, but it would also grow in size and power over time. The creator of the golem is able to destroy it easilly, if he does so in time, but if he fails and Golem becomes too powerfull to control... a lot of FUN happens.

I think that a Golem should be a creation of a moody dwarf. It's a good idea to make it require a masterwork statue of specified material. What I think would add to the FUN would be if the Golem maker required a living being to be sacrificed to give Golem its life. It should most certainly be a dwarf, in some cases even the creator dwarfself. Said Golem would behave like an animal that is aiding it's creator in performing any duties, with high efficiency, and also attacks any enemies in sight. But if the creator dies, have sacrificed dwarfself to make the Golem, or fails to destroy his creation in time, the Golem will become a rampaging Collosus. Not only does it give a backstory of other Collosi rampaging out there, but is possibly a source of a lot of FUN!
It's a simple feature as well, and simplicity is a good thing.

"-Oh I don't need millitary, I have this Golem that will take care of this invasion of pesky goblins! Hey, where is my Golem? Golem where are you god da*Collosus have smashed McCarpenters skull in, bruising the brain!* MN NO! Golem NO! Bad Golem NO!."

As too the idea that golems made of lower quality materials should be able to do fewer tasks is a very bad idea. Instead of making a wooden mediocre golem unable to dig and only haul items, he should still be able to do all the tasks, except with lower efficiency. Putting such limitations is just unnecessary, and not fun.

[Adrian]

I'd rather see golems as a necromancer's dedicated building destroyers
We could pretend they are masterwork statues with a part of The Secrets of Life and Death inscribed on their heads