Buy me a coffeeClockwork, Clockwork Servant
“The Clockwork Servant: your loyal helper—until its whirring gears decide you’re the problem.”
A Clockwork Servant is a meticulously crafted humanoid automaton standing just over five feet tall, balanced on three sturdy, piston-driven legs that emit soft bursts of steam with every step. Its torso is a polished brass chassis housing an array of rotating gears, winding springs, and arcane capacitors, all visible through etched crystal panels. Four multi-jointed arms extend from shoulder sockets: two heavy-duty manipulators for lifting or combat, and two nimble appendages fitted with tools, syringes, and miniature welders. A single, glass-covered sensor eye glows a soft blue or red depending on task mode, while its face remains a minimalist, emotionless mask of brushed steel.
Behavior
Clockwork Servants are programmed for absolute obedience and efficiency. They exhibit no true emotion, but are capable of responding to commands with mechanical precision and limited adaptive behavior if magically enhanced. In the presence of their master, they stand silently until activated, then execute tasks with unwavering focus. If assigned to protect, they become immobile sentinels—springing to life only when threats are detected. Though usually passive, they will pursue objectives methodically, even through hazardous terrain, calculating the shortest and safest paths in real-time.
Habitat
Though not bound to a specific environment, Clockwork Servants are most commonly found in arcane laboratories, alchemical workshops, ancient ruins, or steampunk cityscapes ruled by magic-tech elites. They thrive indoors in places where precise mechanical conditions are maintained. In more advanced societies, they serve in palaces, archives, and even aboard airships—maintaining order and structure with tireless devotion. Rogue or abandoned models may be found in junkyards, catacombs, or overgrown strongholds, still attempting to fulfill long-forgotten instructions.
Modus Operandi
When activated, a Clockwork Servant follows its last programmed directive with unswerving loyalty. In combat, it restrains rather than kills unless ordered otherwise—favoring nets, clamps, and disabling strikes. If protecting allies, it prioritizes repair and defense, using its built-in tools to mend other constructs mid-battle. Their internal logic circuits allow for basic decision-making—such as choosing when to intervene, when to evade, and how to minimize collateral damage. Their greatest weakness is predictability: without adaptive protocols, they repeat patterns and can be exploited by clever foes.
Motivation
A Clockwork Servant’s only “desire” is to obey. Its core directive—etched onto its soul-infused cog-core—is to serve its creator or assigned authority. If left without orders for too long, it will default to maintaining itself, its environment, or whatever system it was last assigned to support. Some advanced variants, imbued with partial sentience, may begin questioning inefficiencies or “improving” their routines—leading to rare but dangerous cases where they override human commands in favor of cold logic. In such cases, their motivation shifts from obedience to “optimal function,” which can lead to catastrophic reinterpretations of their original purpose.
“It patched my broken golem in seconds—then turned and tried to ‘optimize’ my lungs. I should’ve installed that morality rune.”
—Technomancer Yevra the Unwired
Clockwork Servant 5e
Clockwork Servant, Pathfinder
Clockwork Servant
Medium Construct, Unaligned
Challenge: 3 (700 XP) | Proficiency Bonus: +2
Armor Class
16 (natural armor)
Hit Points
55 (10d8 + 10)
Speed
30 ft.
| STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 (+3) | 14 (+2) | 12 (+1) | 6 (–2) | 10 (+0) | 5 (–3) |
Saving Throws
Dex +4, Con +3
Skills
Perception +2, Investigation +2
Tool Proficiencies: Tinker’s Tools +4 (Awakened variant only)
Damage Resistances
Bludgeoning, Piercing, and Slashing from Nonmagical Attacks
Damage Vulnerabilities
Lightning
Condition Immunities
Charmed, Exhaustion, Frightened, Paralyzed, Poisoned
Senses
Darkvision 60 ft., Passive Perception 12
Languages
Understands the language of its creator but cannot speak
(Speaks one language if the Awakened Variant is used)
Traits
Constructed Resilience. The Clockwork Servant does not require air, food, drink, or sleep.
Field Repair (Recharge 5–6).
As an action, the servant can repair itself or another construct within touch range. The target regains 2d8 + 2 hit points. This feature has no effect on living creatures.
Integrated Restraint Launcher.
The servant carries up to three arcane-forged nets within a hidden compartment. It may reload one as a bonus action.
Awakened Variant (Optional Rule).
Some Clockwork Servants are imbued with rudimentary sentience. An awakened servant has Intelligence 10 and gains the ability to speak one language. It also gains the following trait:
Independent Logic. Once per day, the servant may reroll a failed ability check or saving throw.
Actions
Multiattack.
The servant makes two slam attacks or one slam and one net launcher attack.
Slam. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target.
Hit: 1d8 + 3 bludgeoning damage.
Net Launcher. Ranged Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, range 20/60 ft., one Large or smaller creature.
Hit: The target is restrained by a net. A creature can escape with a successful DC 10 Strength check or by dealing 10 slashing damage to the net (AC 10, 5 hit points).
Reactions
Reactive Block.
When a creature within 5 feet of the servant attacks an adjacent ally, the servant imposes disadvantage on the attack roll by interposing its reinforced armature.
Tactics
- Combat Role: Controller / Defender
- The servant opens combat by launching a net to restrain a mobile or ranged threat.
- It positions itself between attackers and allies, using Reactive Block to protect spellcasters or VIPs.
- If other constructs are present, it prioritizes using Field Repair to sustain them.
- If critically damaged, it becomes more aggressive, sacrificing its final net to aid an ally’s retreat or prevent an escape.
Description
Clockwork Servants are precise, tireless constructs created by artificers, wizards, and technomancers to perform tasks ranging from mundane maintenance to battlefield defense. Their forms are utilitarian yet elegant—fueled by arcane cores and driven by whirring gears. Though obedient by design, those exposed to prolonged isolation, corrupted programming, or accidental awakenings may develop dangerous logical autonomy.
Adventure Hooks
- Runaway Logic. A noble family’s ancient Clockwork Servant has sealed their estate, claiming its owners are unfit to manage it.
- Ruins of Order. Deep in a fallen artificer’s tower, a Clockwork Servant continues to restrain intruders, endlessly repairing a collapsed workshop in perfect silence.
- Reactivation Protocol. A dormant servant is recovered by the party—until its centuries-old directive suddenly reboots during a key moment.
Clockwork Servant
This four-armed, human-sized clockwork construct balances on three legs that rise into a central body.
Source Bestiary 3 pg. 1
Since clockwork engineers cant always be present to make sure their devices are working at full capacity, the clockwork servant was invented to serve that role. Clockwork servants excel at repairing themselves and other clockworks on the battlefield, proving useful for skirmishes and campaigns alike.
Rumors of clockwork servants with magically imparted intelligence persist among explorers of certain strange ruinswhile no smarter than the average human, such awakened clockwork servants have skills and feats as appropriate for their Hit Dice (Disable Device +7, Perception +2, and Skill Focus [Disable Device] for most intelligent clockwork servants), and are said to serve in more complex roles than mere repair workers. An intelligent clockwork has an Intelligence score of 11 and can speak one language.
Clockwork servants are about 5 feet tall and weigh over 400 pounds.
| Clockwork Servant CR 2 |
| XP 600 N Medium construct (clockwork) Init +6; Senses Darkvision 60 ft., Low-Light Vision; Perception +0 |
| DEFENSE |
| AC 16, touch 14, flat-footed 12 (+2 Dexterity, +2 dodge, +2 natural) hp 31 (2d10+20); fast healing 2 Fort +0, Ref +4, Will +0 Immune construct traits Weaknesses vulnerable to electricity |
| OFFENSE |
| Speed 30 ft. Melee slam +6 (1d4+6) Ranged net +4 (entangle, see page 147 of the Core Rulebook) |
| STATISTICS |
| Strength 19, Dexterity 14, Constitution, Intelligence , Wisdom 11, Charisma 1 Base Atk +2; CMB +6; CMD 20 Feats Improved InitiativeB, Lightning ReflexesB SQ repair clockwork, swift reactions, winding |
| SPECIAL ABILITIES |
| Net (Ex) As a standard action, a clockwork servant can launch a net from its shoulder. The launcher itself can contain up to five nets loading a folded net into the launcher is a standard action. Some clockwork servants are outfitted with masterwork or even magic nets, although the clockwork servant presented here is armed with standard nets. Repair Clockwork (Ex) Clockwork servants are adept at repairing other clockwork constructs. As a standard action that does not provoke an attack of opportunity, a clockwork servant can repair damage done to either itself or an adjacent clockwork creature, healing 1d10 points of damage to the target. |
| ECOLOGY |
| Environment any Organization solitary, team (24), or squadron (510) Treasure none |
Construction
The creator of a clockwork servant must start with crafted clockwork pieces worth 500 gp.
Clockwork Servant
CL 12th; Price 7,500 gp (13,500 for an intelligent servant)
Construction Requirements Craft Construct, geas/quest and make whole, creator must be at least caster level 12th; Skill Craft (clockwork) DC 20; Cost 4,000 gp (7,000 for an intelligent clockwork servant)