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 comes in two kinds; mechanical and magical. A mechanical 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 called tricks and able to adjust these tricks to its surrounding. Magic is a more expensive option, creating which gives the clockwork creature instincts similar to that of vermin and the ability to understand and 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. A clockwork creature has no survival instinct and must be ordered to defend itself.

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

Clockwork Automaton: A clockwork automaton is inherently only able to follow hands-on instructions from an operator. These instructions are made by operating levers or other control surfaces on the clockwork, usually mounted in back. Orders to the clockwork 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 instruction is a full-round action 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. You can spend extra time on this operation, each round gives 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. Applying instructions triggers an attack of opportunity.

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 by 5, but rounds only begin counting once the trigger activates.

A clockwork automaton can be made capable of running various tricks, similar to the tricks animals can be taught using Animal Handling. All clockwork automatons know the down and heel tricks, and can be made to perform additional tricks by using a more complex clockwork control apparatus. The number of tricks a clockwork automaton can execute is not related to Intelligence as it is with an animal; all differential engines have an Intelligence score of zero. Instead the control apparatus is made more complex, making the clockwork capable of additional tricks.

A clockwork automaton control apparatus costs 25 gp times the number of tricks it can run, squared. Remember that all clockwork automatons can run two tricks, down and heel, for a minimum cost of 100 gp. It weights 2 lb. A clockwork automaton control apparatus is made using Knowledge (engineering) DC 25, as if using a Craft skill.

If the clockwork is destroyed, make a Fortitude saving throw DC 10 + its number of known tricks; on a success the control apparatus survives and can be re-used.

Pilot A subtype of mechanical control apparatus, a clockwork can incorporate a piloting compartment for a creature at least three size categories smaller than the clockwork creature itself. A pilot with hands (or equivalent manipulative limbs) can pilot a clockwork of any shape; a creature lacking hands, such as most familiars, can only pilot a clockwork that mimics its basic shape. A piloted clockwork functions just as if it was an intelligent creature. The pilot spends a full-round action each turn to pilot the clockwork. When a piloted clockwork takes damage, the pilot takes half that damage the clockwork took (this does not reduce the damage to the clockwork), a Fortitude save (DC 15) negates. The pilot gains a +4 bonus on any Will saving throws originating from outside the clockwork, but Mind-affecting effects targeting the clockwork may affect the pilot. THe pilot cannot otherwise be targeted from outside and is not considered to be in any areas the clockwork is in. A pilot console cost 1,000 gp.

A Tiny clockwork creature can accept a fine pilot; A Medium clockwork can accept a diminutive pilot; a Large clockwork a Tiny pilot, a Huge clockwork a Small pilot, a Gargantuan clockwork can accept a Medium pilot, and a Colossal clockwork can accept a Large pilot..

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.

Familiar Control: A subtype of magical control, a character with the familiar class feature can take a clockwork as a familiar, summoning a spirit to act as a control mechanism. Only a Tiny clockwork can be a familiar. A Tiny animated object counts as a normal familiar (without an animal familiar's bonus to its master), while a clockwork familiar requires the Improved Familiar feat and caster level 7. The cost of familiar control is the same as that of summoning a regular familiar, normally 200 gold pieces per level of the caster. The cost given to enchant a clockwork familiar assumes magical motivation; binding the creature as a familiar circumvents this cost and the need for the Craft Constructs feat.

See Also

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