Lord_Gareth
2008-08-17, 08:47 AM
A lean man dressed wrapped in a traveling cloak walks into the tavern. The patrons turn, notice him, and then dismiss him - just another dusty, road-weary adventurer. Nothing special.
He takes a seat and says nothing to anyone. A waitress asks for his order - several times. Finally, the barkeep comes up to him and says he'll be dead before he lets some freeloader take up space in his bar.
A dagger flashes out, and the barkeep falls to the floor, his throat cut.
And the stranger continues to sit there.
Clockwork Men
Despite the name, Clockwork Men can physically appear as human men or women.
Sadly, and disturbingly, they are anything but.
The first Clockwork Man was the "son" of a clockmaker who was desperately lonely. One day, he made a man out of wood and steel and gears, and he gave him a face and eyes and ears. But when it came time to give him a heart, he inserted one of his beloved clocks. That night, he prayed to his god that his son could come to life.
That morning, the Clockwork Man was moving, and he asked his "father" who he was. Delighted, the clockmaker fell to his knees and thanked his god, then took the boy under his wing.
The clockmaker was happy for several months.
One day, the clockmaker gave his son a weapon and told him to seek his fortune. Acting on the cold, progressive logic of his clockwork heart, the boy killed his father to inherit his shop. He was arrested for murder, but escaped and began making more like him.
Because he was lonely, and he wished desperately for a son.
Appearence - Clockwork Men have many and varied appearences, but fall into general trends - infiltrators, clockwalkers, and exotics.
Infiltrators are designed to look human. They are painted and constructed carefully to give the illusion of humanity. Their bodies are typically covered in cloaks, and their face is shaped with magic during construction in order to be expressive. Their wind-up keys tend to be over the heart or inserted into the backs of their necks.
Clockwalkers, on the other hand, look very much like constructs. Often they have (armored) cogs showing, and their wind-up keys are large and prominent upon their backs. Many Clockwalkers have wooden bodies and only barely seem human.
Exotics are designed with to the strange tastes of artists or rich patrons. Possessing useless limbs such as clockwork wings, or extra eyes or, in some cases, strange construction materials such as angel's bones or smelted dragon scales, Exotics tend to be the most diverse of the Clockwork Men, and tend to have non-clock hearts.
Racial Traits
Strength +2, Intelligence +2, Wisdom -2, Charisma -2. Clockwork Men were designed stronger than their human creator and possess the cold logic of a machine, but their ability to comprehend other beings and think creatively are hampered by their fragmented souls.
Medium Construct (Living Construct). As medium creatures, Clockwork Men have no bonuses or penalties associated with size.
Base Land Speed 30 ft.
+2 on Craft (Clockwork) checks. Craft (Clockwork) is always a class skill for Clockwork Men.
+2 Climb, Jump, and Tumble checks. Clockwork Men move with cold, logical efficiency.
Overdrive (Ex) - Once per encounter, as a swift action, a Clockwork Man can force his gears into an overdrive, gaining a +2 on attack and damage rolls, as well as saving throws, for a number of rounds equal to his character level. At the end of the duration, the gears slow down, and many catch badly in the Clockwork Man's body; he recieves a -2 penalty to attack rolls, damage rolls, and saving throws, and recieves one point of damage per character level, ignoring damage reduction. These penalties last until the end of the encounter.
Reconstruct (Ex) - Repairs may be made to a Clockwork Man by anyone with ranks in Craft (Clockwork), including the Clockwork Man himself. If another being is repairing the Man, the DC is 15; the Clockwork Man heals an amount of damage equal to the amount by which the DC is beaten. A Clockwork Man attempting to repair himself must beat a DC of 20.
Shattered Soul (Ex) - Clockwork Men do not possess whole souls, instead having fragmented soul-shards loosely cobbled together by some strange magic. They are immune to death effects, fear effects, and anything that would steal their soul. Anyone attempting to raise or ressurect them must make a caster level check vs. a DC equal to 10 + the Clockwork Man's character level.
Tick, Tock, Tick (Ex) - Clockwork Men are constantly ticking, but this sound is usually inaudible. Once per encounter, as a standard action, the Clockwork Man may increase the volume of this ticking to a deafening level. All creatures within ten feet must make a Fortitude save (DC = 10 + the Clockwork Man's constitution modifier) or be deafened for the duration of the encounter and dazed for one round; creatures who succeed the save are merely dazed for one round.
Wood and String and Strange Other Things (Ex) - Being artificially made out of many and diverse materials, Clockwork Men react differently from other constructs to certain kinds of magic. Any spell that would destroy or affect wood, metal, or glass in a negative fashion (such as warp wood or rusting grasp) deal them 1d6 points of damage per caster level of the spellcaster (Fortitude save half). Spells that would affect wood, metal, or glass in a positive fashion (such as ironwood or glassteel) instead grant them DR 5/- for one round per caster level of the spellcaster.
Languages - Common. Bonus languages - Any, except for secret languages.
Favored Class - Any
Level Adjustment - +0 (+1?)
A Note on Alignment - The vast majority of Clockwork Men are trapped in a cold, logical, merciless outlook, and are Lawful Nuetral or Lawful Evil. Some of them, with hearts that are not clocks or those with more complete souls, break this trend, and may be any alignment.
He takes a seat and says nothing to anyone. A waitress asks for his order - several times. Finally, the barkeep comes up to him and says he'll be dead before he lets some freeloader take up space in his bar.
A dagger flashes out, and the barkeep falls to the floor, his throat cut.
And the stranger continues to sit there.
Clockwork Men
Despite the name, Clockwork Men can physically appear as human men or women.
Sadly, and disturbingly, they are anything but.
The first Clockwork Man was the "son" of a clockmaker who was desperately lonely. One day, he made a man out of wood and steel and gears, and he gave him a face and eyes and ears. But when it came time to give him a heart, he inserted one of his beloved clocks. That night, he prayed to his god that his son could come to life.
That morning, the Clockwork Man was moving, and he asked his "father" who he was. Delighted, the clockmaker fell to his knees and thanked his god, then took the boy under his wing.
The clockmaker was happy for several months.
One day, the clockmaker gave his son a weapon and told him to seek his fortune. Acting on the cold, progressive logic of his clockwork heart, the boy killed his father to inherit his shop. He was arrested for murder, but escaped and began making more like him.
Because he was lonely, and he wished desperately for a son.
Appearence - Clockwork Men have many and varied appearences, but fall into general trends - infiltrators, clockwalkers, and exotics.
Infiltrators are designed to look human. They are painted and constructed carefully to give the illusion of humanity. Their bodies are typically covered in cloaks, and their face is shaped with magic during construction in order to be expressive. Their wind-up keys tend to be over the heart or inserted into the backs of their necks.
Clockwalkers, on the other hand, look very much like constructs. Often they have (armored) cogs showing, and their wind-up keys are large and prominent upon their backs. Many Clockwalkers have wooden bodies and only barely seem human.
Exotics are designed with to the strange tastes of artists or rich patrons. Possessing useless limbs such as clockwork wings, or extra eyes or, in some cases, strange construction materials such as angel's bones or smelted dragon scales, Exotics tend to be the most diverse of the Clockwork Men, and tend to have non-clock hearts.
Racial Traits
Strength +2, Intelligence +2, Wisdom -2, Charisma -2. Clockwork Men were designed stronger than their human creator and possess the cold logic of a machine, but their ability to comprehend other beings and think creatively are hampered by their fragmented souls.
Medium Construct (Living Construct). As medium creatures, Clockwork Men have no bonuses or penalties associated with size.
Base Land Speed 30 ft.
+2 on Craft (Clockwork) checks. Craft (Clockwork) is always a class skill for Clockwork Men.
+2 Climb, Jump, and Tumble checks. Clockwork Men move with cold, logical efficiency.
Overdrive (Ex) - Once per encounter, as a swift action, a Clockwork Man can force his gears into an overdrive, gaining a +2 on attack and damage rolls, as well as saving throws, for a number of rounds equal to his character level. At the end of the duration, the gears slow down, and many catch badly in the Clockwork Man's body; he recieves a -2 penalty to attack rolls, damage rolls, and saving throws, and recieves one point of damage per character level, ignoring damage reduction. These penalties last until the end of the encounter.
Reconstruct (Ex) - Repairs may be made to a Clockwork Man by anyone with ranks in Craft (Clockwork), including the Clockwork Man himself. If another being is repairing the Man, the DC is 15; the Clockwork Man heals an amount of damage equal to the amount by which the DC is beaten. A Clockwork Man attempting to repair himself must beat a DC of 20.
Shattered Soul (Ex) - Clockwork Men do not possess whole souls, instead having fragmented soul-shards loosely cobbled together by some strange magic. They are immune to death effects, fear effects, and anything that would steal their soul. Anyone attempting to raise or ressurect them must make a caster level check vs. a DC equal to 10 + the Clockwork Man's character level.
Tick, Tock, Tick (Ex) - Clockwork Men are constantly ticking, but this sound is usually inaudible. Once per encounter, as a standard action, the Clockwork Man may increase the volume of this ticking to a deafening level. All creatures within ten feet must make a Fortitude save (DC = 10 + the Clockwork Man's constitution modifier) or be deafened for the duration of the encounter and dazed for one round; creatures who succeed the save are merely dazed for one round.
Wood and String and Strange Other Things (Ex) - Being artificially made out of many and diverse materials, Clockwork Men react differently from other constructs to certain kinds of magic. Any spell that would destroy or affect wood, metal, or glass in a negative fashion (such as warp wood or rusting grasp) deal them 1d6 points of damage per caster level of the spellcaster (Fortitude save half). Spells that would affect wood, metal, or glass in a positive fashion (such as ironwood or glassteel) instead grant them DR 5/- for one round per caster level of the spellcaster.
Languages - Common. Bonus languages - Any, except for secret languages.
Favored Class - Any
Level Adjustment - +0 (+1?)
A Note on Alignment - The vast majority of Clockwork Men are trapped in a cold, logical, merciless outlook, and are Lawful Nuetral or Lawful Evil. Some of them, with hearts that are not clocks or those with more complete souls, break this trend, and may be any alignment.