Brain golem

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A brain golem, ', is a type of monster that appears in dNetHack, notdNetHack and notnotdNetHack. The brain golem is a type of golem composed of brain matter, and it is strong, thick-skinned, amphibious, breathless, and incapable of regenerating HP in addition to other standard golem traits. A tame brain golem may turn traitor.

A brain golem has two claw attacks and the ability to occasionally emit mind blasts similar to mind flayers. Brain golems possess fire resistance, sleep resistance, poison resistance, cold resistance, shock resistance, and death resistance.

Generation

Brain golems are not randomly generated in the main branch of the dungeon or Gehennom, and normally-created brain golems are always hostile. Brain golems always generate with 40 HP.

Brain golems make up 114 (7%) of the monsters randomly generated on the Anachrononaut quest, and several brain golems are generated below the home level of the Quest: four are generated on the locate level, eight are generated on each of the lower filler level(s) at level creation, and sixteen are generated on the goal level at level creation. Several brain golems are also generated on the Android quest, with the same quantities on the lower filler level(s) and goal level as the Anachrononaut quest.

Brain golems may also generate as minions of Ilsensine.

Origin

Brain golems are creatures that originate from Dungeons & Dragons, where they debut in the 2nd Edition Advanced Dungeons & Dragons sourcebook The Illithiad. A brain golem is an eight-foot-tall humanoid construct that is made entirely of brain tissue, with a bud of an elder brain for a head - some brain golems are sprouted entirely from the tissue of the elder brain, and an elder brain can sprout up to 3 simultaneously.

Brain golems exist only to serve an elder brain and its illithid community: they cannot communicate in any way, but can receive, understand and react to the telepathic orders of mind flayers, and will not attack any mind flayer. Once their task is completed, the golems return to the elder brain and merge back with them. Brain golems attack by mind-blasting opponents, using their strong arms to batter weaker opponents, and are protected by an internal force field similar to the "mage armor" spell.

Encyclopedia entry

A creation of the ancient race of mind flayers, brain
golems may be the most horrible of all their kind.
They exist purely for the desire of illithids and are
unswayed from their goals.

A brain golem appears as a huge, burly humanoid with
an oversized brain for a head. In fact, the whole body
is made up of brain tissue, but is covered with a thin
film of slimy skin.

In a book by a sage called Hapworth is a tale told by
two rescued human prisoners of the illithids, who
apparently saw a brain golem created. Although the
magic used was unknown to the humans, the brain golem's
body seemed to be a combination of different racial
brains. As for the head, this was taken from a part of
the elder brain of the mind flayers. The skin was a
membrane oozed from that same being.

[ Dungeons and Dragons 2nd Edition Complete Monstrous Manual, TSR ]