The Cou have the best mercantile practices in the world. The only thing better than that are their clockwork creations. Many clockwork crafters build devices and automatons suited to more mundane tasks. Each clockwork creation comes with a control rod branded with the creator's maker's mark and bound to that specific creation. Though the original control rods were actual rods, the control rod for a clockwork creation can be any metal object made so by the Coipari. Many control rods exist in the shape of amulets, weapons, bracelets, other jewelry, or even in the metal symbols on shields. The creature holding or carrying the control rod can command the clockwork creation as if it was the original creator, but the control rod must be within 100 feet of the clockwork creation for the holder to command the creation. Some clockwork creations come with certain modifications already installed. See the Clockwork Modifications section later in this page for details on these modifications. Consult with your GM before choosing clockwork creations for your character. 

Clockwork Creations

Assassin Snake

Despite its name, clockwork crafters market this device solely as a pest control option. The assassin snake can eliminate nuisance pests by crawling through a house’s walls or deep into rodent burrows in a garden. The snake has the Chemical Reservoir modification, and it is sold with one dose of basic poison or one use of alchemist’s fire (purchaser’s choice) preloaded in the reservoir.

Clockwork Gardener

This tree-like clockwork creation has a bronze trunk and patina-coated copper leaves to help it blend into decorative gardens while it quietly works. The gardener can plant seeds, trim grass with scythe-like blades stored internally, or even water plants from a spigot and holes hidden in its branches. Its branches house pipes that can hold up to 10 gallons of water, which the gardener can sprinkle beneath its branches or release in a burst from its spigot. In addition, the gardener’s trunk has the Hidden Compartment modification, which typically holds gardening tools and other supplies.

Clockwork Kestrel

This clockwork creation is a thing to behold with its glinting brass and gleaming copper. This tiny clockwork bird emits a barely perceptible whizzing and the minutest whisper of steam. Its eyes are brilliant jewels, which click quietly with each blink. The kestrel has two Recounting Crystal modifications for eyes, which can record audial as well as visual information. These specialized crystals can record up to 4 hours each instead of the 1 hour normal for a recounting crystal, and an audial recording is projected as an illusion that works like the minor illusion spell. The kestrel can’t have any other modifications except for the Familiar modification.

Clockwork Lantern

Apprentices find themselves working at all hours and frequently need a good lamp. The clockwork lantern is an improvement on the standard, hooded lantern as it floats up to 10 feet off the ground and can follow a creature that is holding or carrying its control rod. It can alter its wick on command to shed bright light in a radius from 5 to 30 feet and dim light for an additional number of feet equal to the chosen radius. It can even extinguish or ignite its flame on command. The lantern has the Chemical Reservoir modification, except this reservoir is treated to hold only lantern oil. Once lit, the lantern can burn for 6 hours on a flask (1 pint) of oil. The lantern can also lob small tongues of fire short distances to discourage hungry predators or start campfires.

Clockwork Tutor

This adaptive clockwork studies a creature holding or carrying its control rod and learns the way that creature learns. When such a creature is trying to learn a new language or tool proficiency, the tutor can’t be the instructor, but the tutor can assist in the creature’s learning process, decreasing the downtime days required to learn by 25 percent. The tutor doesn’t need to know the language or be proficient with the tool to assist the creature in this way.

Clockwork Warhorse

Warhorses are easily the most popular steed for adventurers. However, gearforged often find flesh-and-bone mounts to be finicky, unreliable, and temperamental, and they developed a mechanical steed for their own ease of use. These mechanical destriers never tire and don’t eat, but their incredible bulk means they can’t move quite as quickly as their living counterparts. A clockwork warhorse requires basic maintenance (no tools required) each week, requiring 1 hour of work and 1 gp worth of materials. Unlike other clockwork creations, a clockwork warhorse’s control mechanism is the set of reins built into its head and neck instead of a control rod. If the warhorse has more than one control rod, such as through the Additional Control Rod modification, the warhorse prioritizes the commands of the creature holding its reins.

Watch Owl

This creation is capable of watching over an area and alerting the creature holding or carrying its control rod of trespassers. It can be set to make gentle hooting noises, screech loudly, or mentally alert the rod holder when detecting trespassers. The owl must be within 100 feet of the creature holding or carrying its control rod to be commanded to keep watch, but it can mentally alert the holder from up to 1 mile away. These clockwork owls are available in silver, gold, or painted to look like a natural owl.

Clockwork Creation Costs

Creation - Cost
Assassin snake - 200 gp
Clockwork gardener - 150 gp
Clockwork kestrel - 250 gp
Clockwork lantern - 100 gp
Clockwork tutor - 1000 gp
Clockwork warhorse - 500 gp
Watch owl - 150 gp

Clockwork Modifications

Many clockwork crafters make a living off of modifying clockwork creations rather than creating them. Each of the following modifications takes 3d6 days to complete, and the clockwork creation must remain with the clockwork crafter for the duration. Some modifications can’t be applied to a creation if another, conflicting modification has already been applied to a creation. Unless specified otherwise, a clockwork creation can’t have the same modification more than once. This also applies to clockwork creations that come with modifications already built into them. For example, the clockwork gardener has the Hidden Compartment modification, which means it can’t have that modification again and it can’t have the Chemical Reservoir modification.

Additional Control Rod

A clockwork crafter can make a duplicate of a clockwork creation’s control rod, allowing another creature to command the clockwork creation. If the clockwork creation receives conflicting commands from the creatures holding its control rods, it prioritizes the commands of the creature holding or carrying the original control rod. At the GM’s discretion, counterfeit control rods can be made that mimic the control rods of other clockwork creations. Counterfeit control rods have a 25-percent chance of failing when the creature holding or carrying it commands the creation. If the percentile dice roll is a 1, the command fails and the creation spends its next turn attacking the creature holding the counterfeit rod.

Additional Language

A clockwork crafter can install additional language gears, allowing your clockwork creation to understand another language. These gears can be difficult to create or acquire, and the crafter might not have access to language gears for exotic or rare languages, at the GM’s discretion. The addition of these gears requires the expansion of the creation’s internal mechanisms, which leaves an unsightly bulge in the creation’s head or chest. This modification grants only the ability to understand and speak the language. If the creation can’t normally speak, it still can’t speak the new language. This modification can be taken more than once with the creation learning a different language for each modification.

Armor

It’s not pretty, but a clockwork crafter can bolt plates of iron onto a clockwork creation, increasing its Armor Class by 1. Unfortunately, the metal plates are heavy and awkward. They decrease the creation’s speed by 10 feet, and the creation has disadvantage on Dexterity (Stealth) checks. A clockwork creation with this modification can’t have the Speed Boost modification.

Chemical Reservoir

This modification allows a clockwork creation to hold one use of an alchemical substance, such as a vial of alchemist’s fire or a dose of poison, in a special reservoir inside of it. The clockwork creation can empty the contents of its reservoir on a creature it hits with a melee attack, causing the target to suffer the effects of the substance, provided the substance can ordinarily affect a target hit by or in contact with it. The clockwork creation doesn’t suffer the effects of the substance when the reservoir is emptied in this way, but it can still take damage from an alchemical substance outside the reservoir. Once emptied, the reservoir must be refilled before the clockwork creation can use it again. Refilling the reservoir with an alchemical substance takes 1 minute and requires one vial or dose of the appropriate substance. A clockwork creation with this modification can’t have the Hidden Compartment modification.

Expanded Reservoir

The clockwork creation must have a Chemical Reservoir to take this modification, which increases the amount of alchemical substance the reservoir can hold. This modification expands the reservoir, but the reservoir remains one container. The doses placed in the reservoir must be of the same poison or alchemical substance. The expanded reservoir’s maximum number of doses is limited by the size of the clockwork creation: 2 doses (Tiny), 3 doses (Small), 5 doses (Medium), or 7 doses (Large). Instead of emptying the reservoir when it hits with a melee attack, the clockwork creation now releases one dose of the substance. Refilling the reservoir takes 1 minute and requires the appropriate number of doses of the alchemical substance.

Familiar

This modification can be applied to only the assassin snake, clockwork kestrel, clockwork lantern, or watch owl. A clockwork creation with this modification can serve a spellcaster as a familiar. As part of the process of adding this modification, the spellcaster and the clockwork creation must spend at least 4 hours each day participating in a ritual led by the clockwork crafter. During the ritual, the spellcaster absorbs the power of the control rod, and the control rod breaks. Thereafter, the clockwork creation forms a magic, telepathic bond with the spellcaster. While the two are bonded, the spellcaster can sense what the clockwork creation senses as long as they are within 1 mile of each other. While the clockwork creation is within 10 feet of the spellcaster, the spellcaster shares the clockwork creation’s Magic Resistance trait. If the clockwork creation is damaged but not destroyed, the spellcaster can pay half the clockwork creation’s purchase price to have it repaired, leaving this magical bond intact. Otherwise, the bond ends when the clockwork creation is destroyed.

Hidden Compartment

A clockwork crafter can install a hidden compartment in the clockwork creation. Locating the hidden compartment requires a successful DC 13 Intelligence (Investigation) check. The amount of material the compartment can hold is limited by the size of the clockwork creation: 1/5 a cubic foot (Tiny), 1 cubic foot (Small), 2 cubic feet (Medium), or 3 cubic feet (Large). A clockwork creation with this modification can’t have the Chemical Reservoir modification.

Recounting Crystal

This modification is a small crystal, usually in the head for clockwork creations that have heads, that allows the creation to record up to 1 hour of what it sees. The creation can start or end a recording as a bonus action. A creature holding the clockwork creation’s control rod can use an action to project a recording in a space within 5 feet of the creation. The projected recording is an illusion that works like the silent image spell. The recording is visual and doesn’t include any sounds that might have occurred at the time of the recording. The recounting crystal can retain only 1 hour of recordings at a time. A creature holding or carrying the control rod can erase any recordings on the recounting crystal, but it must either erase the entire 1 hour of recordings or erase recordings in increments of 1 minute.

Speed Boost

By removing some of the armor plating covering the clockwork creation, a clockwork crafter can increase the creation’s speed by 10 feet. Unfortunately, this removes some of the protection of the creation, lowering its Armor Class by 1. A clockwork creation with this modification can’t have the Armor modification.

Clockwork Modification Costs

Creation - Cost
Additional control rod - 1000 gp
Additional language - 500 gp
Armor - 150 gp
Chemical reservoir - 500 gp
Expanded reservoir - 250 gp
Familiar - 200 gp
Hidden compartment - 50 gp
Recounting crystal - 750 gp
Speed boost - 150 gp