Clockwork Creatures

[KyleG]

Looking for suggestions on stating out a couple of creatures for a 5e dungeon for a 4 person party of as yet undetermined level (max 6th)

All are clockwork or certainly machine in nature.

First up i want to replicate (no pun intended) the replicators from Stargate. Tiny spider-like creatures that make more of themselves and individually a nuisance but in numbers dangerous. Im thinking like pack tactics, some sort of action perhaps to rebuild a fallen comrade? But a larger 1 minute action to replicate?
The tick tack of the movements is what inspired me to include this idea. Start with the spider as a base perhaps?

Doctor who has a few creatures that could stand in as a fighter type monster, the clockwork droids being the one that springs to mind for this dungeon with the clockwork ticking. This is probably just a golem or construct, or even a warforged.

I also want to deploy a couple of higher level autonotoms this time inspired by the Knights in Halo 4, deploying a "watcher", another creature, to act as a shield on incoming attacks.

Any help stating these up would be much appreciated.

[BerzerkerUnit]

Mordenkainen’s or Volo’s had clockwork creeps in it, literally any NPC described like a warforged, tin-man, or doll would work too.

If you really want to double down on the clockness, you could have a thing where all the ticking syncs up every few rounds so they deal thunder or psychic damage to the room. Cutting them down one by one reduces the damage, so focusing fire becomes key.

Animated objects and any beast with a paint job, Immunity to poison, disease, and crits can also do the trick.

Like any swarm of insects for the replicators, but give it Regeneration and Resistance to fire. Add in something in a nearby area like molasses in barrels that can keep the swarm from moving to materials to replicate with. Alternatively you could give the swarm the Ooze mechanic of splitting when it takes a certain kind of damage it is otherwise immune to like Fire or Lightning.

If you want some real home brewed clockwork I’ve gotta ask what specifically the above doesn’t cover.

Note: you can also get some mileage out of swapping descriptions and attack types. Like a mechanical wolf that looks like it’s mostly springs. Players expect a trip on a bite, shock when it Constricts like a constrictor snake instead.

Good luck!

[Composer99]

Reminds me of clockwork horrors from Spelljammer - look them up for some inspiration, I daresay!