Clockwork Creature (CR +1; 3PP)

The clockwork creature whirs to life at the whim of its master. Made of various metals and granted the soul of a monster, this construct is designed to resemble a living creature in both form and function. A clockwork creature serves as an aide, guardian, or even friend to its creator, or to anyone its creator designates.

A clockwork creature’s body is a complicated construction of gears, wires, chains, and struts, often covered with riveted metal plating to give it the form of the living creature it mimics. Magic and engineering give a clockwork creature access to the powers of the creature it resembles, thus enabling its creator to effectively gain the aid of any being desired.

Creating a Clockwork Creature

Clockwork” is an inherited template that can be added to living, corporeal creature (referred to hereafter as the base creature) that does not have the ooze type. A clockwork retains all the base creature’s statistics and special abilities except as noted here.

Challenge Rating: Same as base creature +1.

Alignment: If a clockwork is mindless its alignment changes to neutral. (See Abilities to determine if the clockwork is mindless. )

Type: The base creature’s type changes to construct with the clockwork subtype. The base creature loses all other subtypes the base creature had.

Senses: A clockwork gains darkvision +60 ft. and low-light vision.

Armor Class: Natural armor class increases by 1 for every 2 racial Hit Dice the clockwork has. Additionally a clockwork does not suffer from any armor check penalties due to armor.

Hit Dice: Change all of the base creature’s racial HD to d10s. Recalculate all hit points based on the new hit dice. A clockwork gains bonus hit points based on its size as all constructs do, but loses any bonus hit points due to Constitution.

Saving Throws: Recalculate the clockwork’s saving throws as a construct.

Table 2-11: Clockwork DR
Total HD Damage Reduction
1—5 5/adamantine
6—10 10/adamantine
11—15 15/adamantine
16—20 20/adamantine
21+ 25/adamantine

Defensive Abilities: A clockwork loses all the defensive abilities, immunities, DR, and SR of the base creature. It gains construct traits, and acid, cold, fire and sonic resistance 10. If the base creature’s energy resistance is higher, use that value. If the base creature has immunity to electricity it loses it as well as any other kind of electricity resistance.

A clockwork gains DR that is dependent on its total HD as given on Table 2-11.

Weaknesses: The clockwork gains vulnerability to electricity. A clockwork also gains the following weakness.

Metal Body (Ex)

A clockwork creature is largely composed of metal. It counts as a ferrous creature for the purpose of rusting grasp and other spells that have special effects on metal.

Attacks: If the base creature does not have any natural attacks it gains a primary slam attack. This attack does damage based on its size.

Abilities: Str +4, Dex +4, Int –6 (see below), Wis –2 (minimum 1), Cha –6 (minimum 1).

Unlike most clockworks, a clockwork creature may have an Intelligence score. However, if a clockwork creature’s adjusted Intelligence is zero or less it becomes mindless and has no Intelligence score. As a construct, a clockwork creature does not have a Constitution score.

BAB: Recalculate the clockwork’s BAB as a construct.

CMB/CMD: Recalculate the clockwork’s CMB and CMD.

Feats: A clockwork gains Dodge, Improved Initiative and Lightning Reflexes as racial bonus feats.

Skills: A clockwork creature gains skill points for its racial Hit Dice as a construct, or none if mindless. Recalculate its available skill points, then purchase its skills afresh, treating the base creature’s skills and any skills in which the creator has 5 or more ranks as class skills. The clockwork creature retains any skill points gained from class levels and any racial bonuses the base creature has.

Due to its innate understanding of its own being, a clockwork creature gains a +5 racial bonus on Craft (clockwork), and Disable Device checks. The clockwork gains both of these skills as class skills, can be used untrained and does not need to have tools to use these skills. However, the clockwork creature takes a –5 penalty on Stealth checks because its internal mechanisms constantly click and whir while it functions.

Languages: A clockwork creature that is intelligent enough to speak languages speaks those that its creator teaches it. Orders from its creator are heeded regardless of language, but a clockwork creature must understand the language of another commander to follow their orders. If it does not, it simply obeys the last orders of its creator.

Special Qualities: A clockwork creature gains the following special qualities.

Created Mind (Ex)

A clockwork creature only accepts commands from its creator or designated surrogate. A surrogate can be designated by the creator for any length of time and be rescinded by the clockwork’s creator. If the clockwork creature is not mindless, it can act independently of any commands that are given to it. If it wishes to directly disobey a command, a clockwork needs to make a successful Will save (DC 20). If the clockwork fails, it follows the command to the best of its ability as if under a command spell. If a command would destroy the clockwork creature or otherwise cause it harm, it gets a second Will save (DC 15) immediately after the fi

Once a clockwork’s creator dies or frees it, the clockwork becomes an independent creature no longer in thrall to its creator. A free clockwork no longer follows any other creature’s commands unless magically compelled. Clockworks typically continue to perform the last tasks it was commanded to complete. However, those clockworks that are not mindless can act independently an outside its last commands.

Creator Bond (Ex)

A clockwork creature can instinctively detect the location of its creator within 100 ft., regardless of magical and natural barriers. Within this range the clockwork gains a +10 circumstance bonus vs. Bluff, Disguise checks and any other effect made to impersonate the clockwork’s creator.

Environment: any
Organization solitary
Treasure incidental

Construction

Clockwork creatures are created like golems. Because it is composed of various metals and composite materials, a clockwork creature weighs nearly twice what the base creature does.

Creating a clockwork creature is difficult and costs at least 2,000 times its CR in gold pieces. Making a clockwork requires Craft (clockwork) check with a DC of 25 + 5 for every 10 CR, e. g. CR 10-19 clockworks have a DC of 30 to create. Additionally, the Craft Construct feat and the ability to cast spells is required to make a clockwork.

The caster level of the clockwork creature’s creator is 10th or the CR of the clockwork creature -1, whichever is higher (minimum 1st). For clockwork’s of CR greater than 20, the creator needs the Mythic Crafter feat (see Mythic Feats).

To complete the construction some or all of the following spells: animate objects, geas/quest, limited wish, polymorph any object, and resist elements are needed. Other spells may also be required as determined by the GM.

Section 15: Copyright Notice

Advanced Bestiary, Copyright 2014, Green Ronin Publishing, LLC; Author Jeff Hersh, Developer Owen K.C. Stephens

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