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. Note that the challenge rating of an animated object can be increased by adding construction points. 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. When not moving, an animate clockwork gains a +10 bonus on Disguise checks to appear as an inanimate object.

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.

The cost of the construction apparatus is in addition to the cost of the clockwork body.

Clockwork Automaton: The simplest control apparatus, a clockwork automaton is inherently only able to follow its a creature designated by an operation. To undertake any task more complex than this, the construct must be operated and given instructions. Operations applied to the creature must be exact; they apply to a certain situation. This means they must usually be applied ad-hoc as the situation comes up, but if the situation is known in advance it is possible to apply an operation beforehand. While running an operation, the clockwork automaton is not capable of any other action, it cannot even follow another creature around. When the operation is finished, the creature does nothing.

Applying an operation is a full-round action that triggers an attack of opportunity performed when adjacent to the clockwork automaton, that requires a Knowledge (engineering) check, DC 20. It is not possible to take 10 or 20 on this check. For each continuous round applying the operation, there is a +1 bonus on the check, to a maximum bonus of +10 after one minute. The clockwork automaton will continue to carry out its instructions for one round, plus one round for each point above the DC on the Knowledge (engineering) check.

It is possible to put trigger conditions into an operation, such as "attack the first creature that enters without displaying the guild badge". This increases the Knowledge (engineering) DC to 25, but rounds only begin counting once the trigger activates.

A clockwork automaton can be given quite complex operations to carry out. It is assumed that the operator can foresee any actions the clockwork automaton is required to take for the duration of the program. If this is clearly not the case, such as if surprise reinforcements arrive, the clockwork automaton is considered flat-footed and continues to act as if these surprise elements were not present.

Heel is a special operation that can run for an infinite time. It instructs the clockwork automaton to follow a designated creature around. The distance can be set from 5 ft. to 30 ft. If the clockwork creature loses sight of the creature it is following, or the creature is more than 100 ft. away, the clockwork automaton stops moving until the creature is once again within range and sight.

A clockwork automaton does not recognize a master or owner, anyone skilled in Knowledge (engineering) can enter an operation into any clockwork automaton, but the Knowledge (engineering) DC increases by five for clockwork automatons you have not operated before. The control port where operations are applied is often locked or even trapped to prevent malicious operation. Opening such a control port takes precious time in combat, so they are often left open. Clockwork automaton operations generally do not instruct the construct to attack creatures trying to operate them, for obvious reasons.

A clockwork automaton control apparatus costs 100 gold pieces. It weights 1 lb. It is made using Knowledge (engineering) DC 20, as if using a Craft skill. If the clockwork is destroyed, make a Fortitude saving throw DC 10; on a success the control apparatus survives and can be re-used.

Differential Engine: The next step up in clockwork control, the differential engine is a complex machine capable of processing multiple instructions and reacting to variable stimuli. This works much as the tricks an animal can be taught using Handle Animal; the clockwork can be instructed much as an animal is. The number of tricks a differential engine can execute is not related to Intelligence as it is with an animal; all differential engines have an Intelligence score of zero.

A differential engine can also be operated as if it was a clockwork automaton, which is useful when an appropriate trick is not available. Commanding a differential engine to execute a trick is a move action and can be done by verbal or visual command within a range of 30 ft. It is possible to replace tricks in the differential engine. This operation requires a clockwork component crafted to perform the new trick, takes one minute and has a DC ten higher than the Handle Animal DC of teaching an animal that trick. The cost of the component is the DC times ten gp. The

A differential engine costs 1000 gp, plus 250 gp per trick it can execute. It weights 25 lb. It can be incorporated into a Medium or larger clockwork; smaller clockwork cannot carry the Differential Engine and any additional tricks is made using Knowledge (engineering) DC 25, as if using a Craft skill. If the clockwork is destroyed, make a Fortitude saving throw DC 15; on a success the control apparatus survives and can be re-used.

Pilot A clockwork can incorporate a piloting compa

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. This involves having the Craft Construct feat and paying either the cost to create given for a clockwork creature. The cost to enchant an animate clockwork varies by Hit Dice and construction points—to determine the amount, add the animated object’s Hit Dice to its Construction Points, and multiple the total by 1,000.

See Also

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