Clockwork, Clockwork AssassinThis sleek, one-eyed construct crouches, ready for battle. Its arms
end in weapons—a rapier and a compact crossbow bolt launcher.Clockwork Assassin CR 13Source Bestiary 6 pg. 59
XP 25,600
N Medium construct (clockwork)
Init +12; Senses darkvision 120 ft., low-light vision, mistsight;
Perception +0 (+20 in sentinel mode)DefenseAC 27, touch 20, flat-footed 17 (+8 Dex, +2 dodge, +7 natural)
hp 119 (18d10+20); fast healing 10
Fort +6, Ref +16, Will +6
Defensive Abilities evasion, rapid repair; DR 10/adamantine; Immune construct traits
Weaknesses vulnerable to electricityOffenseSpeed 40 ft., climb 30 ft.
Melee +1 rapier +25/+20/+15/+10 (1d6+7/15–20)
Ranged 4 projectiles +26 (1d4+6/19–20 or smoke)
Special Attacks projectile launcher, sneak attack +2d6StatisticsStr 22, Dex 26, Con —, Int —, Wis 11, Cha 1
Base Atk +18; CMB +24; CMD 44
Feats Improved Critical (rapier), Improved Initiative, Lightning Reflexes
Skills Climb +14, Perception +0 (+20 in sentinel mode); Racial
Modifiers +20 Perception in sentinel mode
SQ difficult to create, integrated rapier, standby, swift
reactions, windingEcologyEnvironment any
Organization solitary, pair, or contract (3–8)
Treasure noneSpecial AbilitiesIntegrated Rapier (Ex) One of a clockwork assassin’s arms ends in an integrated +1 rapier. This weapon cannot be disarmed, sundered, or removed, and becomes nonmagical if the clockwork is destroyed. A clockwork assassin’s programming allows it to wield its +1 rapier as if it were proficient in its use.
Projectile Launcher (Ex) A clockwork can fire up to four projectiles from its hand mechanism. For each projectile, it chooses between a dagger-like metal blade or a smoke bomb, in any combination it wishes. Each attack resolves separately. Blades resolve as thrown daggers. Smoke bombs function as smokesticks centered on the area targeted. When created, a clockwork assassin’s projectile launcher contains 40 blades and 10 smoke bombs.
Rapid Repair (Su) A clockwork assassin repairs damage dealt to itself swiftly, gaining fast healing 10. Once per day, as a full round action that provokes attacks of opportunity, a clockwork assassin can bolster its rapid repair to heal 40 hp and refill its projectile launcher with eight blades and two smoke bombs.
Standby (Ex) A clockwork assassin can place itself on standby as a standard action. While on standby, it cannot move or take any actions. It remains aware of its surroundings but takes a –4 penalty on Perception checks. Time spent on standby does not count against its wind-down duration. A clockwork assassin can exit standby as a swift action—if it does so to initiate combat, it gains a +4 racial bonus on its Initiative check.DescriptionClockwork assassins are efficient killers, ready to leap into murderous action as soon as intruders are detected. A clockwork assassin stands 6 feet tall and weighs 400 pounds.ConstructionThe creator of a clockwork assassin must start with crafted
clockwork pieces worth 12,000 gp.
CLOCKWORK ASSASSIN
CL 16th; Price 150,000 gp
CONSTRUCTION
Requirements Craft Construct, gaseous form, geas/quest, keen
edge, and major creation, creator must be at least caster level
16th; Skill Craft (clockwork) DC 20; Cost 81,000 gpCreatures in "Clockwork" CategorySource Bestiary 3 pg. 53
Clockwork constructs are the technological cousins of golems, constructed with a combination of magic and precise technologies dependant upon the internal churning and turning of thousands of intricate springs, screws, and gears.
There are those who would scoff at the work of clockwork engineers, whose constructs seem at best merely imitations of the creations brought to life by practitioners of the purely arcane arts. However, those canny enough to realize the potential of clockwork engines know their true power to be both exotic and potent. In worlds where clockworks are common, these creatures can rival even the most powerful of golems for raw power. Massive giants comprising countless nuts and bolts have torn entire empires asunder. Time and time again, clockwork creatures have proven themselves a formidable presence in the face of more traditional rivals, and those who have borne witness to the feats of these creatures know to hold their tongues before questioning the constructs' power.
Clockwork creatures function by combining magical energies and clockwork mechanisms. The myriad metal parts that go into the construction of a clockwork creation require absolute precision in order to function properly, so they must be built by only the steadiest of hands. Amateurish attempts at clockwork construction typically result in nonfunctional units or misfires, and many an engineering lab has been burned to the ground by novices seeking to learn the basics of clockworks and the elements that power them.
Particularly guileful crafters may construct miniature clockwork spies that can record sound, and rumors tell of even more advanced technologies that allow visual recording. While magical wonders such as spells can allow the user to scry information or to see where one isn't normally physically able to, clockwork spies provide an edge in that their memories are concrete and incorruptible, enabling them to make flawless recordings of events not subject to the regular perversions of human memories.
Clockwork creations, as their names suggests, must be wound up before they animate. The creator of a clockwork crafts a unique key for each creation. This key is typically inserted into the clockwork's back and turned clockwise to wind it. Turning the key counterclockwise has the effect of winding the machine down, though only a willing (or completely helpless) machine will allow itself to be unwound in this way, meaning either its creator or someone its creator has specifically designated can normally do so. Since each key is totally unique, construction of a new key (or bypassing a key entirely) requires a successful Disable Device check (DC = 20 + the clockwork's CR). Larger clockworks tend to have larger keys, and particularly huge keys require more than one set of hands to turn. Rather than seek assistance from other engineers, eccentric or hermetic inventors often rely upon other clockwork creations to help them turn keys or aid in the creation of more monumental constructs. Other times, engineers give copies of keys to their most trusted clockworks, which can be programmed to wind allies and even themselves as the situation requires.
Much like golems and animated objects, clockwork creatures can be given any number of commands; a perpetually turning script in their core records those orders and programs the rest of the machine. Only one who possesses a key to the clockwork can program it, but any commands given to the construct last until the clockwork is reprogrammed or destroyed. An individual clockwork's potential is only limited by its creator's innovation and aptitude. Unlike many golems, which are trapped in bodies resembling lumbering and fallible cages, clockwork constructs can be repeatedly reworked and reengineered—gears can be oiled, springs can be replaced, and pistons can be fine-tuned. The ever-adjustable framework of these mechanical beasts allows for extreme variation from creation to creation.
Since clockwork creations are mostly mechanical and are at the mercy of their creator's adeptness with the technology, they are prone to the follies of human error. Loose bolts, improper programming, or lack of maintenance are all cause for malfunctions, errors that can range from minute energy leaks to deadly explosions. The most common cause of malfunction, however, is not imparted by the creator, but by the clockwork's destroyer. Creatures attacking the machine gradually unhinge screws and twist cogs with each landed blow, giving the clockwork a greater chance of backfire. Many combat clockworks are thus accompanied by clockwork servants—servitor clockworks that quickly and readily fix their mechanical allies in the heat of battle.
In the earlier days of clockwork technology, many practical hindrances prevented rapid maturation of the devices. Clockwork machines were powered by inefficient, costly resources; however, the advent of arcane enchantment not only has allowed for greater precision in the crafting of gears and other key components, but has also opened up a wide new range of possibilities for defensive systems and offensive weaponry. Early attempts to combine clockwork with steam power or other nonmagical forms of energy tended to overcomplicate the already delicate machinery, and have long since been abandoned as a result. Whispers abound of an even more unusual category of clockwork that has solved this problem and has merged the complexities of steam power with the adaptability of magical energies, yet such exotic and unusual clockworks remain nothing more than rumors in most worlds at this time.
Clockwork AugmentationsSource Pathfinder #123: The Flooded Cathedral pg. 81
In addition to the standard special abilities and qualities granted by the clockwork subtype, many clockwork designs incorporate more abilities designed by their engineers. The following examples are intended to help GMs build new clockworks or modify existing ones. Some of the most common clockwork special abilities have been gathered in this section along with a number of new ones.
Charged (Ex): Equipped with a static generator, a clockwork with this special ability deals an additional 1d6 points of electricity damage with all natural attacks and melee weapons it has.
Efficient Winding (Ex): Built for long missions, a clockwork with this special ability can function for 2 days per Hit Die each time it’s wound. If the creature’s CR is 11 or higher, it can function for 3 days per Hit Die each time it is wound.
Embedded Ioun Stone (Ex): As a full-round action, an ioun stone can be embedded in (or removed from) a slot in the clockwork creature (usually on its forehead). It is possible to embed or remove an ioun stone only if the clockwork is helpless, pinned, or willing. The clockwork gains the benefit of the ioun stone, including its resonant power.
Grind (Ex): A clockwork with this special attack deals additional slashing damage when it makes a successful grapple combat maneuver check because of many twisting gears and churning pistons in its body. This additional damage is equal to 1d4 points (1d6 if Large, 1d8 if Huge, 2d6 if Gargantuan, or 3d6 if Colossal) plus 1-1/2 the creature’s Strength bonus.
Integrated Firearm (Ex): One of the clockwork’s arms ends in a firearm. The firearm generally functions as a pistol or musket intended for a creature of the clockwork’s size, but nearly any firearm of suitable size is possible. The clockwork is considered proficient with the weapon. The clockwork can reload an integrated one-handed firearm as a swift action and an integrated two-handed firearm as a move action. As a standard action, the clockwork can remove the broken condition from an integrated firearm, provided that the condition resulted from a misfire. A clockwork usually has 10 rounds of ammunition and gunpowder stored within a reloading mechanism.
Proficient (Ex): A clockwork with this special ability is proficient with all simple and martial weapons. The clockwork must have humanlike hands in order to gain this ability.
Repair Clockwork (Ex): Clockworks with this special ability are adept at repairing other clockwork constructs. As a standard action that does not provoke an attack of opportunity, the clockwork can repair damage done to either itself or an adjacent clockwork creature, restoring 1d10 hit points to the target. If the repairing creature’s CR is 11 or higher, the amount of hit points restored increases to 2d10.
Self-Destruction (Ex): When the hit points of a creature with this special ability are reduced to 10% of its total or less but are still above 0, the creature self-destructs on its next turn, bursting in an explosion of metal scraps and steam in a 20-foot-radius burst. The damage dealt is equal to 1d6 points for each Hit Die above 5 the construct has (clockworks with 5 or fewer Hit Dice cannot gain this ability). Half of this damage is fire damage and half is slashing damage. A target that succeeds at a Reflex save (DC = 10 + half the clockwork’s Hit Dice + the creature’s Constitution modifier [usually 0]) takes half damage.
Standby (Ex): A clockwork creature with this special ability can place itself on standby as a standard action. While on standby, the clockwork creature cannot move or take any actions. It remains aware of its surroundings but takes a –4 penalty on Perception checks. Time spent on standby does not count against the clockwork’s wind-down duration. The clockwork can exit standby as a swift action. If it does so to initiate combat, it gains a +4 racial bonus on its Initiative check.
Tough Alloys (Ex): The clockwork gains Toughness as a bonus feat.
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