Automatons (Apath)

Unofficial rules compendium

This is a work in progress.

Clockwork is a special kind of constructs, driven by purely mechanical forces. A clockwork creature has a very limited intelligence, able to act only in a limited set of circumstances. This makes them somewhat similar to animals trained with the Handle Animal skill. This is different from the clockwork described in Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Bestiary 3, which gain "intelligence" from magic.

Creating Clockwork

A clockwork creation consists of two parts, a body and a control apparatus. The body is a mechanical machine powered by springs. The control apparatus is by far the most complex part and can be a clockwork, a differential engine, or magical.

Clockwork Body

They bodies of clockwork creatures basically comes in two variations; clockwork creatures and animated objects. Both are made in similar ways, with clockwork creatures being more specialized designs. A clockwork body is built using the Craft (clockwork) skill, using the normal crafting rules. Note that the raw materials used by a clockwork craftsman are themselves crafted objects; cogs, springs, even the frame and outer casings are made to order by metalworkers. The clockwork craftsman assembles a body out of these parts. If the builder is desperate to save money, he can use craft (metalworking) to make his own part and thus reduce production costs by investing more time and in another Craft skill.

Clockwork Creature: Using one of several custom designs, clockwork creatures are specialized machines designed for a specific task. Refer to the bestiary index for each creature to see the cost of creating it's body, given as a cost in "crafted clockwork pieces". Making the design of a new clockwork creature is a major achievement and is rarely done; tinkerers who want custom-designed clockwork servants usually work with animate clockwork (see below).

Animate Clockwork: An object animated by animated clockwork has a cost equal to the challenge rating, squared, times 50 gold pieces. Called an animate clockwork, such a creature uses all the rules for animated objects and also gains the advantages and disadvantages of the clockwork subtype. Unlike an object animated by the spells, an animate clockwork is purpose-built, and generally looks like a miniature creature of some kind, often a humanoid or vermin.

Control Apparatus

The control apparatus can be made in different degrees of complexity. The easiest is a simple clockwork automaton that must be programmed in detail. More complex is a mechanical differential engine, capable of being programmed, but also of running several ready-made routines and able to adjust these programs to its surrounding. The most expensive solution is to use magic to power the engine and provide motivation, creating which gives the clockwork creature instincts similar to that of vermin as well as making it obey its master.

Note that neither of these methods gives the clockwork creature an actual intelligence score. Clockwork remain mindless creatures incapable of independent thought or action; they only react as their master instructed them to.

Clockwork Automaton:

Differential Engine:

Magical Motivation: This is the "standard" solution when creating constructs and creates the most versatile servant, capable of following even quite complex orders, but it is also horrendously expensive. Use the standard cost and abilities for animated objects and clockwork creatures.

See Also

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