straw and ragdoll golems

Straw golems are often nicknamed Scarecrow golems. Scarecrow golems are the weakest and the cheapest golems available. A typical scarecrow golem will roughly as well as a low tier zombie , but they cost the ten to twenty times as much. Sure, animating zombie warriors is usually illegal and animating scarecrow golems is usually not illegal, but straw golems are not popular soldiers.   Scarecrow golems are almost laughably easy to set on fire. They also are brought down by slashing weapons fairly easily. They are however, almost invulnerable to bludgeoning attacks and falls. They are usually light weight and can be knocked around pretty far.   Scarecrow golems are worthless in a straight up fight, but that doesn’t mean they are worthless, period. Scarecrow golems can be used for low level security, because no one expects a scarecrow to attack them. Scarecrow golems dressed up in military uniforms can look like normal soldiers from a distance and have been used as military decoys.   If you really need to send a message to someone prone to killing messengers, you can pin a letter to scarecrow golem and send it instead of a living messenger. It’s also kind of an insult. Receiving a golem messenger shows “I think you have no honor and you aren’t worth me sending a real person to talk to you.”   Scarecrow golems usually have their strength magically enhanced (to a approximate an average human), if they don’t they will hit like a pillow. Some indulgent nobles let their pre-adolescent children wail on scarecrow golems with wooden practice swords for training or just for fun. Very small golems can also be created as toys for rich people such as children's  dolls that dance or a doll sized straw golem to pass the butter.   Some troupes of performers keep scarecrow golems around in gaudy costumes whenever they need a stunt double to “die” during a performance. Again dancing scarecrows is sometimes amusing.   On a sinister level, a straw golem who are equipped with poison can be serious threats, especially if they have a wily ghost controlling them. More than a few evil Chucky Dolls have been equipped with poison to assassinate targets. Especially the children of nobility. Because of this, many nobles refuse to allow straw golems near their children.   Sometimes golem crafters make a ragdoll golem. Ragdoll golems and straw golems can be made by the same spell but they very similar in terms of stats. Ragdoll golems cost a bit more but they are somewhat better at taking hits and a bit heavier. Beyond these small differences, all the generalities stated about straw golems apply to them.   Ragdolls can also be alchemically treated to be fire resistant.   For the RPG mechanics of creating straw or ragdoll golems, check out Straw and Ragdoll Golems by the Numbers