[3.5] Clockwork stallion/pony to motorcycle: hooves to slams?

[Uncle Pine]

Merry Christmas Eve Playgrounders!

In a world with (slightly) crazy artificers and bored wizards without access to Teleportation Circle, I find the complete lack of cheap mechanical means of trasport on wheels odd. So I remembered that clockwork stallions and ponies (MMIV 32, 2,150 gp) were a thing and I decided to refluff them as clockwork motorcycles. The only problem I had is that while I think it's fairly logical to change a clockwork stallion's hooves attacks to slam attacks, I can't think of a way to describe a ramming motorcycle doing two slam attacks without picturing it bouncing on the enemies' heads like a two-wheeled mechanical Crash Bandicoot. Any idea?

[Necroticplague]

Easy: Two attacks mechanically aren't always two attacks physically. Things that are mechanically two attacks can be one massive attack. So if it has a moment, it can rev itself up to make a more potent ramming attack.

[Uncle Pine]

Easy: Two attacks mechanically aren't always two attacks physically. Things that are mechanically two attacks can be one massive attack. So if it has a moment, it can rev itself up to make a more potent ramming attack.

Nice. Elegant. Effective. Thank you!

Although the original question has been answered, feel free to suggest any idea on how to pimp the "clockwork motorcycles". Note that there'll also be transforming clockwork motorcycles (using the Transforming Construct template from Advanced Bestiary) with bipedal, climber, flyer, digger, roller and/or swimmer modes with a +2,000 gp price adjustment for every mode added to the motorcycles.

[Bronk]

You could fluff it as hitting the enemy with the first tire, then doing a cool back flip and hitting it with the other tire while you're upside down.

Or, your motorcycle/horse could have arms, or maybe movable slapping handlebars with morningstar style spiked balls on the end.

[Darrin]

You could add some Maug grafts. Rollers, for example. Shoving arm adds a bull rush attack... maybe rework it as a slam?

[Tohsaka Rin]

Behold! The world's greatest anti-monster motorcycle you'll ever see. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dRweD27QsHk)

I've gotten more mileage out of this clip than I'd ever thought I would.

[Uncle Pine]

You could fluff it as hitting the enemy with the first tire, then doing a cool back flip and hitting it with the other tire while you're upside down.

Behold! The world's greatest anti-monster motorcycle you'll ever see. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dRweD27QsHk)

I've gotten more mileage out of this clip than I'd ever thought I would.
Ok, these two definitely explain how a motorcycle can do two slam attacks. The video in particular was extremely enlightnening.


You could add some Maug grafts. Rollers, for example. Shoving arm adds a bull rush attack... maybe rework it as a slam?
Out of all the maug grafts, both the rollers and the stone spitter would look good on a clockwork motorcycle, although I probably wouldn't bother with the rollers because even if a +20 ft. speed increment is immensely useful +10,000 gp is a rather steep increment compared to the price range I was aiming for (especially since you can already get Improved Overrun and Trample on a clockwork steed/motorcycle for 300 gp). On the other hand, the stone spitter is quite cheap and I can already imagine the reaction of many of my players to magitech motorcycles with cannons.

[Tvtyrant]

First and then second tire running over them?

[Fizban]

You'll need to decide how riding a construct overland works. Clockwork Stallions aren't actually any faster than horses, so your "motorcycle" is more of a bicycle (I'd had the same thought myself, but I've scrapped in favor of other options, see below). Being immune to most fortitude saves, a construct is immune to forced marches and can walk for more than 8 hours. Since it's speed entry does not bar it from running that fort save immunity also allows it to run indefinitely. However, the overland movement rules clearly state that moving at double speed overland for more than 1 hour per day begins dealing damage without a fortitude save, and mounts take lethal damage, so a Clockwork Stallion hustling for more than 1 hour will begin taking damage.. There are no rules for extended running because it's not supposed to be possible, but if a construct takes damage for hustling overland it should also take damage for running overland.

Alternatively, one can look to the Equine Golem from Arms and Equipment guide, the only construct with a proper note regarding overland movement (the Clockwork Stallion annoys me in that it obviously cares more about combat when that's kinda the last reason you'd want one as far as I'm concerned). The Equine Golem can explicitly run all day, but the rider begins taking forced march penalties after 8 hours. It also has a much heftier price tag of 20,000gp and all the usual golem prerequisites and magic immunity.

If you want to make something that's actually faster than horses, you'll need to see how fast a horse can go first. With some Handle Animal skill you can Push an animal to hustle more than 1 hour per day, which might also be teachable as a trick at the DM's option. A Light Horse walks at 6mph, can hustle at 12mph for up to three hours per day and recover the damage in a single night's rest, or up to 5 hours if you have magical healing (any more and it's max hit points won't be enough to survive). Adding Horseshoes of Speed for +30' makes that 9mph and 18mph. Using the spell Traveler's Mount (1st, hour/level) will give the mount +20 speed and allows it to hustle with no penalties, giving a Light Horse a net speed of 16mph. A Clockwork Stallion is unable to benefit from either of those effects, and so only has an advantage if allowed to run continuously, in which case it wins out with 20mph in speed.

Light Warhorse and gear is 176gp, or Heavy Warhorse and gear for 376gp. Horseshoes of Speed are 3,000gp, while a custom item of Traveler's Mount could range from 2,000-4,000gp, or a Drow House Insignia of the same would give 10 hours/day and cost only 620gp. If food is considered a problem, an Everlasting Feedbag is 800gp. Heavy Warhorse+Insignia+Feedbag is 1,896, or 1,596 for the faster Light Warhorse. A Clockwork Stallion is 2,150gp. In price, the Clockwork Stallion wins if custom Drow House Insignia are banned, but the price is within a few hundred gold either way.

So what's the lesson in all this? The cost and speed of the riding construct printed is still a wash compared to the cost of using minor magic to boost the speed of a normal horse, and nothing compared to what happens if you can apply Taveler's Mount to a domesticated Glidewing or Hippogriff (the spell says "speed", which the DM could take broadly). If you want a motorized form of transport to exist, it either needs to carry a lot of weight, or go at least 20mph for ~3,000gp. I've plucked a Steam Bike from a 3rd party book that goes 30mph for 6,000gp with the added benefit of being an object and thus much less vulnerable to individual AoEs. Half again as fast and twice as tough.

[twas_Brillig]

A few justifications for construct mounts beyond "they're awesome":

Constructs might have advantages in harsher environments, in more realistic settings -- a regular horse is going to suffer in a desert or the arctic, but something that isn't alive won't care so much (or use up limited water). Horses also may not be happy in unnatural environments, or in battle.
If you're big on horses as real animals versus the more common "horses as fuzzy automata", driving a horse nearly to death every day is probably animal cruelty.
If you're a rich jerk, you can put gems on a horse, but you can't make a horse out of gems. Not to mention, horses made by a master craftsman have potential as works of art. Imagine if Faberge did horses, not eggs. Or just imagine slapping cushions and cupholders on your horse.
Carrying capacity: constructs may be able to carry more, for longer. (You can potentially smuggle things inside them, too!)
If maintenance on a construct is easier than a normal animal, a regular, non-murder-hobo person can keep one mechanical horse for the equivalent of many regular horse lifespans.

[Bronk]

Being immune to most fortitude saves, a construct is immune to forced marches and can walk for more than 8 hours. Since it's speed entry does not bar it from running that fort save immunity also allows it to run indefinitely. However, the overland movement rules clearly state that moving at double speed overland for more than 1 hour per day begins dealing damage without a fortitude save, and mounts take lethal damage, so a Clockwork Stallion hustling for more than 1 hour will begin taking damage.. There are no rules for extended running because it's not supposed to be possible, but if a construct takes damage for hustling overland it should also take damage for running overland.

It makes more sense to me to treat a construct mount as a nonliving vehicle (which it is) than a living mount. The overland rules for hustle damage a creature because it gets tired... but a construct never tires. Also, mounts are called out as not being able to run for extended periods because they get tired, and attempting to do run and rest averages out to a hustle anyway. But, because constructs never tire, there's no reason they can't use the run action forever. If they can do that, they're no longer hustling overland, and wouldn't trigger the lethal damage rules.

Edit: Also, the damaging rules only applies to mounts, so would be invalid for something like a construct hitched to a wagon...

[Fizban]

If you're big on horses as real animals versus the more common "horses as fuzzy automata", driving a horse nearly to death every day is probably animal cruelty.
Traveler's Mount is the enabler (or problem if you don't want horses going that fast), in which case the horse is as comfortable as it would be walking. But if it's really so bad then fine, we'll slaughter and skeletonize it, boom problem solved :smalltongue:

[Uncle Pine]

You'll need to decide how riding a construct overland works. Clockwork Stallions aren't actually any faster than horses, so your "motorcycle" is more of a bicycle (I'd had the same thought myself, but I've scrapped in favor of other options, see below). Being immune to most fortitude saves, a construct is immune to forced marches and can walk for more than 8 hours. Since it's speed entry does not bar it from running that fort save immunity also allows it to run indefinitely. However, the overland movement rules clearly state that moving at double speed overland for more than 1 hour per day begins dealing damage without a fortitude save, and mounts take lethal damage, so a Clockwork Stallion hustling for more than 1 hour will begin taking damage.. There are no rules for extended running because it's not supposed to be possible, but if a construct takes damage for hustling overland it should also take damage for running overland.

Alternatively, one can look to the Equine Golem from Arms and Equipment guide, the only construct with a proper note regarding overland movement (the Clockwork Stallion annoys me in that it obviously cares more about combat when that's kinda the last reason you'd want one as far as I'm concerned). The Equine Golem can explicitly run all day, but the rider begins taking forced march penalties after 8 hours. It also has a much heftier price tag of 20,000gp and all the usual golem prerequisites and magic immunity.

If you want to make something that's actually faster than horses, you'll need to see how fast a horse can go first. With some Handle Animal skill you can Push an animal to hustle more than 1 hour per day, which might also be teachable as a trick at the DM's option. A Light Horse walks at 6mph, can hustle at 12mph for up to three hours per day and recover the damage in a single night's rest, or up to 5 hours if you have magical healing (any more and it's max hit points won't be enough to survive). Adding Horseshoes of Speed for +30' makes that 9mph and 18mph. Using the spell Traveler's Mount (1st, hour/level) will give the mount +20 speed and allows it to hustle with no penalties, giving a Light Horse a net speed of 16mph. A Clockwork Stallion is unable to benefit from either of those effects, and so only has an advantage if allowed to run continuously, in which case it wins out with 20mph in speed.

Light Warhorse and gear is 176gp, or Heavy Warhorse and gear for 376gp. Horseshoes of Speed are 3,000gp, while a custom item of Traveler's Mount could range from 2,000-4,000gp, or a Drow House Insignia of the same would give 10 hours/day and cost only 620gp. If food is considered a problem, an Everlasting Feedbag is 800gp. Heavy Warhorse+Insignia+Feedbag is 1,896, or 1,596 for the faster Light Warhorse. A Clockwork Stallion is 2,150gp. In price, the Clockwork Stallion wins if custom Drow House Insignia are banned, but the price is within a few hundred gold either way.

So what's the lesson in all this? The cost and speed of the riding construct printed is still a wash compared to the cost of using minor magic to boost the speed of a normal horse, and nothing compared to what happens if you can apply Taveler's Mount to a domesticated Glidewing or Hippogriff (the spell says "speed", which the DM could take broadly). If you want a motorized form of transport to exist, it either needs to carry a lot of weight, or go at least 20mph for ~3,000gp. I've plucked a Steam Bike from a 3rd party book that goes 30mph for 6,000gp with the added benefit of being an object and thus much less vulnerable to individual AoEs. Half again as fast and twice as tough.
Ok, calculating in imperial units usually gives me an headache but let's give it a try.
Both heavy horses (HH) and clockwork stallions (CS) have a land speed of 50 ft. Light horses (LH) have a land speed of 60 ft. Clockwork ponies (CP) have a land speed of 40 ft. Thus, CS and CP are actually as fast as or slower than a living horse in combat (tactical movement). However, they're easier to maneuver even by an unskilled rider, slightly stronger, don't require maintenance and can be upgraded with fancy things.
Assuming that construct can't run in a straight line until they meet an obstacle - even though they should, since Running in the Movement section of PHB refers to page 144 and the fact that "attempts to run and rest in cycles effectively work out to a hustle" is based on the assumption that characters need to make a Constitution check to keep running that isn't true for construct - the above gives us an overland walk speed of 32 miles/day (CP), 40 miles/day (CS, HH) and 48 miles/day (LH). Horses are still on top.
However, forced march rules relies on Constitution checks and construct are immune to them. As such, assuming the rider doesn't want to deal any damage to his mount, CP and CS can walk 24 hours a day instead of only 8 hours.
This gives us an overland walk speed of 40 miles/day (HH), 48 miles/day (LH), 128 miles/day (CP) and 160 miles/day (CS). Clockwork mounts start to shine.
Assuming that a construct can run to its core's content, the numbers change again: 40 miles/day (HH), 48 miles/day (LH), 512 miles/day (CP) and 640 miles/day (CS). Not that bad.
Let's add hustling to the mix. If we really want to split the hair in half, since hustling for more than one hour between sleep cycles deals lethal damage to a mount and constructs obviously lack sleep cycles, this only helps living horses. As you mentioned, LH can hustle for 3 hours/day if they get to rest or 5 hours/day with some magical aid. The same actually goes for HH. Assuming magical aid, this gives +30 miles/day (LH) and +25 miles/day (HH).
Adjusted numbers: 65 miles/day (HH), 78 miles/day (LH), 128 miles/day (CP) and 160 miles/day (CS). Horses are still biting the dust.
What about Troll Blooded LH and HH (assuming you keep sunlight away from them with a parasol)? A Troll Blooded LH can hustle for 6 hours/day, while a HH one can hustle for 7 hours/day (because a Troll Blooded heavy warhorse has 33 hp instead of 30). Any more and they'll collapse to the ground because the damage they take in an hours is higher than their total hp.
Adjusted numbers: 65 miles/day (HH), 75 miles/day (TBHH), 78 miles/day (LH), 84 miles/day (TBLH), 128 miles/day (CP) and 160 miles/day (CS). I'll mention here that a couple of DMs I know would raise a few eyebrows at the idea of raising a Troll Blooded horse to make it hustle a bit longer.
Now, I'll be damned to not notice first that horseshoes of speed must be affixed to an animal's hooves as opposed to any mount's hooves. It still doesn't stack with Traveler's Mount as they're both enhancement bonuses, but at least the spell is still useful for prolonged hustling. I'm not sure how Traveler's Mount should interact with the fact that horses are still living creatures and thus their "day of travel" is actually 8 hours. I don't think it changes anything, so now HH and LH can hustle all-day with +30 ft. speed (assuming CL 8 for Traveler's Mount or CL 4 with an Extend rod).
Adjusted numbers: 128 miles/day (CP, HH), 144 miles/day (LH) and 160 miles/day (CS). CS still wins in the long run, although a fully equipped LH has three times its speed (it's just that it can't run as long as the CS). Note that this assumes that construct can't simply run forever, see above.

Final words: if construct aren't allowed to run 24/24 CS are downgraded from outright amazing to reasonable option. If we compare them to cleverly equipped LH, at least. The main differences are that LH are way faster in combat, while CS are more efficient in the long run. Note that while LH are three times faster than CS, they also go down three times as fast (22 hp against 63 hp).



A few justifications for construct mounts beyond "they're awesome":

Constructs might have advantages in harsher environments, in more realistic settings -- a regular horse is going to suffer in a desert or the arctic, but something that isn't alive won't care so much (or use up limited water). Horses also may not be happy in unnatural environments, or in battle.
If you're big on horses as real animals versus the more common "horses as fuzzy automata", driving a horse nearly to death every day is probably animal cruelty.
If you're a rich jerk, you can put gems on a horse, but you can't make a horse out of gems. Not to mention, horses made by a master craftsman have potential as works of art. Imagine if Faberge did horses, not eggs. Or just imagine slapping cushions and cupholders on your horse.
Carrying capacity: constructs may be able to carry more, for longer. (You can potentially smuggle things inside them, too!)
If maintenance on a construct is easier than a normal animal, a regular, non-murder-hobo person can keep one mechanical horse for the equivalent of many regular horse lifespans.

These are all nice suggestions to keep in mind. Thank you!


Traveler's Mount is the enabler (or problem if you don't want horses going that fast), in which case the horse is as comfortable as it would be walking. But if it's really so bad then fine, we'll slaughter and skeletonize it, boom problem solved :smalltongue:
Although if you skeletonize them, they can't benefit from horseshoes of speed and Traveler's Mount anymore.

[backwaterj]

Having ridden/possibly crashed (it was that other guy over there! *Forcewave*) a motorcycle, I can safely say that first hit = front tire, second hit = motorcycle jackknifing on top of you, with a possible grapple check to avoid being pinned under said motorcycle (treat this as a Large construct with Str 20? This is just an eyeball.)

[Fizban]

However, forced march rules relies on Constitution checks and construct are immune to them. As such, assuming the rider doesn't want to deal any damage to his mount, CP and CS can walk 24 hours a day instead of only 8 hours.
This gives us an overland walk speed of 40 miles/day (HH), 48 miles/day (LH), 128 miles/day (CP) and 160 miles/day (CS). Clockwork mounts start to shine.
Assuming that a construct can run to its core's content, the numbers change again: 40 miles/day (HH), 48 miles/day (LH), 512 miles/day (CP) and 640 miles/day (CS). Not that bad.
Math's not checking out: 24*4 is 96 on the pony, 24*5 is 120 on the stallion, up to 384 and 480 running. More importantly, the Clockwork horses require the rider to be giving commands in order to function. With infinite run the clockworks will always pull ahead thanks to that x4 multiplier, but the real reason you've put them so high is ignoring the rider's sleep and giving an extra x3 when moving from 8 hours to 24 hours.

If we really want to split the hair in half, since hustling for more than one hour between sleep cycles deals lethal damage to a mount and constructs obviously lack sleep cycles,
That's a good catch actually, I gloss over that bit since it's not really relevant most of the time but it pretty clearly exempts constructs from the hustling limitations since they literally cannot have a sleep cycle and thus can never be in between said cycles. Now I can take that nitpick off my list :smallbiggrin:

they also go down three times as fast (22 hp against 63 hp).
Yup, hence my preference for a vehicle version that's even harder to accidentally kill.

Although if you skeletonize them, they can't benefit from horseshoes of speed and Traveler's Mount anymore.
And then they get to use all the same running and forced march multipliers as the construct while being significantly cheaper, but that's not the joke eh? Anyway, the point I'd meant to bury under that horse math was that motorcycles go fast, and while you can magic up a horse to move pretty quick in dnd terms and a clockwork horse can match it, 20mph does not scream motorcycle to me. It's not like you'll go breaking any game assumptions with overland travel, just your own world building to consider, so feel free to go nuts if you want.

Presumably something faster than a clockwork horse would be more expensive, but more spell benchmarks are easy: Wind at Back at 4th will double it to 40mph, while Shadow Walk and Wind Walk at 6th go 50-60mph. Based on other items I'd put 40mph at +10,000gp and 60mph at +20,000gp (overland not combat speed), and you can increase the toughness as a standard level appropriate side-benefit. That should keep it on par with standard non-teleport items if you're worried.

Oh, I suppose I should address the hoves to slams: I find the whole thing silly, but if I were allowing a motorcycle to make attacks I'd change it to a single slam.

[Uncle Pine]

Math's not checking out: 24*4 is 96 on the pony, 24*5 is 120 on the stallion, up to 384 and 480 running. More importantly, the Clockwork horses require the rider to be giving commands in order to function. With infinite run the clockworks will always pull ahead thanks to that x4 multiplier, but the real reason you've put them so high is ignoring the rider's sleep and giving an extra x3 when moving from 8 hours to 24 hours.
You're right. I found the error:
Clockwork Pony - 40 ft. base speed - 32 miles/8 hours (walking) - 96 miles/day (walking) - 384 miles/day (running; = 4 times walking speed).
Clockwork Stallion - 50 ft. base speed - 40 miles/8 hours (walking) - 120 miles/day (walking) - 480 miles/day (running; = 4 times walking speed).
Multiplying *4 instead of *3 sounds like a nat 1 on Math to me.
With the corrected number, a LH with magical support is both faster and able to cover more distance in a day than a CS (if the CS can't run).
I ignored the rider sleep rest because commanding a clockwork mount only requires a free action by the rider and doesn't require any check or skill use and thus should count as "light activity". Since you are free to engage in light activity while resting (=/= sleep), a rider could easily rest while driving. However, checking again I notice that since running is a full-round action it would require a move action from the rider and I'm not sure whether that's still considered light activity or not. Fortunately for +500 gp Improved Battle Readiness turns it into a swift action, solving the issue.



Yup, hence my preference for a vehicle version that's even harder to accidentally kill.
I checked the equine golem and the thing only has 33 hp. I don't think it's worth 20,000 gp.


And then they get to use all the same running and forced march multipliers as the construct while being significantly cheaper, but that's not the joke eh?
The joke is that a skeleton light horse has only 19 hp and isn't as easily maneuvered as a clockwork mount. But it is indeed extremely cheaper. :smallbiggrin:


Anyway, the point I'd meant to bury under that horse math was that motorcycles go fast, and while you can magic up a horse to move pretty quick in dnd terms and a clockwork horse can match it, 20mph does not scream motorcycle to me. It's not like you'll go breaking any game assumptions with overland travel, just your own world building to consider, so feel free to go nuts if you want.
Then I shall dub it clockworkcycle! Or mecanowheelhorse. I wasn't really going to call it clockwork motorcycle anyway, as that would probably break immersion in a couple of players.

[Socratov]

Please do me a favour and make the obnoxious endboss (you have one, right? Right?) have a mechanical pony made of diamonds. And if you feed it the right stuff it craps out weapons. Please. Do this. For me. And document on these forums... Please I beg you...

[Uncle Pine]

Please do me a favour and make the obnoxious endboss (you have one, right? Right?) have a mechanical pony made of diamonds. And if you feed it the right stuff it craps out weapons. Please. Do this. For me. And document on these forums... Please I beg you...
Lutefisk, perhaps?

[Socratov]

Lutefisk, perhaps?

I don't know if it would be wildly inappropriate or wildly appropriate.

[Fizban]

Since you are free to engage in light activity while resting (=/= sleep), a rider could easily rest while driving. However, checking again I notice that since running is a full-round action it would require a move action from the rider and I'm not sure whether that's still considered light activity or not. Fortunately for +500 gp Improved Battle Readiness turns it into a swift action, solving the issue.
Not sure what you mean or where you're pulling it from about light activity and resting, aside from natural healing that pretty much never matters in 3.5: either you're asleep/doing nothing (if sleepless), or you're not. Unless you have a sleepless rider you've still only got 16 hours in a day before cutting into sleep. What sort of actions count against "light activity" are of course never stated (obviously tons of resting activities still require standard actions, like cooking), but considering the effects of many swift actions I would not say the category as a whole is low-effort. Even if you can compress it to a swift action in combat, I wouldn't say that riding a Clockwork horse is ever any less strenuous than riding a normal horse (which doesn't even require constant input).

I checked the equine golem and the thing only has 33 hp. I don't think it's worth 20,000 gp.
I mentioned that for my clockwork/steam powered conveyance purposes, I'm using stats from a 3rd party book, nothing about an Equine Golem. The Steambike is 6,000gp, goes 30mph, and has 50hp and 6? hardness, which combined with the rules for damaging objects (1/2 fire/lightning, 1/4 cold) makes it far more resistant to errant fireballs than any creature would be, and as a non-threatening piece of equipment there's very little reason for people to attack it directly and deny themselves the loot. Adding an extra overland multiplier for the Equine Golem might make it worth the price, if say after one round of running it doubled it's speed again then that combined with general magic immunity might make it worthwhile as long as you don't run into Su AoEs.

The joke is that a skeleton light horse has only 19 hp and isn't as easily maneuvered as a clockwork mount. But it is indeed extremely cheaper. :smallbiggrin:
Nope, you can order the skeleton horse to move in a direction or travel to a landmark and then fall asleep in the saddle. Can't do that with the Clockwork Stallion since you have to be awake and taking actions.

Then I shall dub it clockworkcycle! Or mecanowheelhorse. I wasn't really going to call it clockwork motorcycle anyway, as that would probably break immersion in a couple of players.
Eh, I imagine once they get the visual description they'll go there anyway. Not that it's hard to just go "uh, it's a primitive 1st generation steam engine on a cumbersome frame with three wheels to avoid falling over, it doesn't go that fast." You may have guessed I've been researching the topic myself: I determined that actually a coal powered steambike doesn't really seem that crazy (assuming small fantasy boilers), the only problem was the tiny "fuel tank" given in the description and I don't think medieval trade included much coal. "Clockwork" mechanisms are of course just a handwave since no one ever requires you to sit there and wind a spring forever to get it going because magic. Now that I think about it that would be a perfectly good justification for having a "clockwork" construct need to rest though: when running at full output you drain the stored energy faster than magic winds the springs.