⚔️ Forged in Blades: Creating the Sword Golem for D&D

May 29, 2025

Adventure Hooks/ At The Gaming Table/ Dungeons & Dragons/ Monsters

“A thousand swords, no soul—only purpose.”

If you’re a Dungeon Master looking to inject a dose of anime flair and metallic mayhem into your campaign, it’s time to unleash a creation that slices through the mundane and dices the expected: the Sword Golem. Built entirely from swords, this construct is the magical equivalent of weaponized origami—each blade a part of its body, each movement a symphony of slashes.

Whether you’re running a high-magic campaign, a plane-hopping arc, or simply want a terrifying encounter in a forgotten armory, the Sword Golem is a perfect storm of elegance, destruction, and unforgettable flair.

💀 Origins & Lore

Sword Golems are rare constructs, created only by the most eccentric of war mages, weaponmasters, or cursed gods of war. Legends say that some are forged from the fallen blades of a battlefield so drenched in blood, the air itself remembered war. Others claim a disgraced blacksmith-lich built one as his final work—infusing each sword with a sliver of his hatred.

They are not just constructs—they are monuments to violence.

🛠️ Anatomy of Blades

Imagine a golem over 8 feet tall, its body a chaotic weave of short swords, longswords, scimitars, katanas, greatswords, and even broken blades. No flesh, no frame—just thousands of swords layered into a vaguely humanoid shape, shifting with a metallic whisper as it moves. Its face is a closed helm made of crossed daggers. Its arms end in fans of sword hilts that can transform into whirling death at will.

🏰 Where to Place It

Here are some scenario hooks to introduce a Sword Golem into your campaign:

The Vault of 1,000 Blades: An ancient weapons cache sealed by a forgotten kingdom. Breaking the seal awakens the golem guardian.
Bladebound Ascension: A cursed warrior slowly becomes the golem over time—a terrifying transformation the players must stop (or harness).
The Duelist’s Tomb: A legendary swordmaster’s grave was built to house their final guardian—crafted from every sword they ever claimed in combat.

Sword Golem

Large Construct, Unaligned
Challenge 14 (11,500 XP)

A towering humanoid construct formed from a swirling mass of swords—each blade imbued with forgotten battles and lingering hatred. It walks not with grace, but with inevitability, and every motion whispers steel.

Armor Class 20 (natural armor made of blades)

Hit Points 255 (30d10 + 90)

Speed 40 ft.

STR	DEX	CON	INT	WIS	CHA
22 (+6)	18 (+4)	20 (+5)	6 (–2)	10 (+0)	5 (–3)

Saving Throws STR +11, CON +10, DEX +9

Damage Resistances Piercing, Bludgeoning, and Slashing from magical weapons

Damage Immunities Nonmagical weapons, Poison, Psychic

Condition Immunities Charmed, Frightened, Paralyzed, Petrified, Poisoned, Exhaustion

Senses Darkvision 120 ft., Passive Perception 10

Languages Understands the languages of its creator, but can’t speak

Construct Nature. Does not require air, food, drink, or sleep.

✦ TRAITS

Swordform Body.

The Sword Golem’s form is composed of hundreds of animated blades. A creature that grapples or is grappled by the golem takes 2d8 slashing damage at the start of each of its turns.

Magical Weapon Integration.

If struck by a magical slashing weapon, the golem can attempt to absorb it (Recharge 5–6). The wielder must succeed on a DC 17 Strength saving throw or the weapon becomes embedded in the golem’s body, nullifying its use for 1 minute. The golem gains 20 temporary hit points.

Shatter Vulnerability.

When hit with thunder damage, the golem must make a Constitution saving throw (DC 16) or become stunned until the end of its next turn, as its body vibrates with chaotic resonance.

✦ ACTIONS

Multiattack.

The Sword Golem makes three attacks with its Blade Arms or uses Blade Barrage and Whirlwind Cut.

Blade Arms. Melee Weapon Attack: +11 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target.

Hit: 18 (2d10 + 6) slashing damage. On a critical hit, the target must succeed on a DC 15 Constitution saving throw or begin bleeding (1d6 additional damage at the start of each of its turns until it receives magical healing or a DC 15 Medicine check).

Blade Barrage. (Recharge 5–6)

The golem fires six swords from its body at targets within 60 feet. Each sword targets a different creature or object.
Ranged Weapon Attack: +9 to hit, range 60 ft., one target per sword.
Hit: 13 (2d8 + 4) piercing damage. Each target hit must make a DC 16 Dexterity saving throw or be knocked prone.

Whirlwind Cut. (Recharge 4–6)

The golem spins in place, unleashing a circular blade storm. Each creature within 15 feet must make a DC 17 Dexterity saving throw, taking 45 (10d8) slashing damage on a failed save, or half as much on a success.

✦ BONUS ACTIONS

Mirage Step. (Recharge 6)

The golem blurs and vanishes, reappearing behind a creature within 60 feet. This movement does not provoke opportunity attacks. The golem immediately makes one Blade Arms attack with advantage. If it hits, it deals an additional 4d8 force damage and ignores damage resistance.

✦ REACTIONS

Aegis of Blades.

When hit by a melee attack, the golem can raise a spinning blade shield. It gains +5 AC against that attack and, if the attack misses, the attacker takes 11 (2d10) slashing damage.

✦ LAIR OPTION (Optional Legendary Setting)

If placed in its creator’s forge or a cursed battlefield, the Sword Golem gains the following:

Lair Trait: Blade Magnetism.

At initiative 20, all unsecured metal weapons within 60 feet fly toward the Sword Golem, either embedding harmlessly or being launched back at random targets. Each creature holding a metal weapon must succeed on a DC 15 Strength check or be disarmed.

✦ DESIGN NOTES

CR Range: 14
Best Used For:

Elite boss fights
Warforged or planar forge-themed campaigns
A climax to an arc involving cursed weapons or ancient wars
Inspirations: Bleach (Ichigo’s “Getsuga Tenshō”), Final Fantasy’s Odin/Zantetsuken, and classic “blender boss” anime moments.

If you want to spice it up, here are some other optional powers:

🌀 Bladestorm (Recharge 5–6)

The Sword Golem explodes into a swirling vortex of blades, flying up to 30 feet and slashing everything within 20 feet of its path. Enemies make a DEX save or take 6d10 slashing damage, half on success. The Golem reconstitutes itself at the end of the movement.

Visual Vibe: Think Ichigo’s Getsuga Tenshō meets a blender made of katanas.

🖤 Heart of the Blade (Passive)

The Sword Golem is immune to non-magical slashing weapons. When struck by a magical slashing weapon, it absorbs a fraction of the blow (gains temporary HP equal to half the damage dealt) unless the wielder succeeds a DC 16 STR check to dislodge the blade.

🗡️ Blade Barrage

As a bonus action, the Sword Golem can launch up to 3 swords from its body at targets within 60 feet. Each sword deals 2d10 piercing damage. The swords then vanish into mist or return to the golem like telekinetically summoned daggers.

Optional rule: Each sword can also carry a minor magical effect like “blind for 1 round” or “banish for 1 round” (one use per encounter).

🧿 Mirage Cut

Once per encounter, the Golem moves with supernatural speed, appearing behind a target in a blink (teleport up to 60 feet to a creature it can see). It then makes a single attack at advantage that ignores resistance and deals an additional 4d8 force damage.

Anime reference: Think of every teleport-slash scene in anime where the villain smirks and the hero suddenly starts bleeding.

🔮 Aegis of Blades

The Golem can use a reaction to raise a spinning shield of swords, granting it +5 AC against one attack and reflecting melee attacks back at the attacker for 2d6 slashing damage.

🧠 Optional Intelligence

While most golems are mindless, the Sword Golem may house a semi-sentient mind—either a trapped soul or a cursed AI-like directive. This gives you options:

A boss fight with monologues, grudges, and blade-themed puns.
A tragic encounter where a once-great hero is bound in blades, seeking release.
A pact-bound weapon entity offering powers in exchange for control.

🎮 Final Thoughts

The Sword Golem is an unforgettable monster to throw at your players. It’s not just a bag of hit points—it’s a cinematic, swirling storm of sword-based insanity that forces players to think creatively, use terrain, and maybe even reason with a creature built from the essence of conflict.

And let’s be honest—what’s cooler than a boss made entirely of swords?

Thanks for reading. Until Next Time, Stay Nerdy!!