Clockwork Servants

These whimsical automata clack and whir as they do your bidding, the mechanical key on their backs winding down the whole time. You can shape their forms however you wish; all you need to do is plug in the magical key, and they come to life!

These servants can be game-changers, and as such, I have built in a few balancing factors that DMs can adjust as they wish. Some notes and further considerations are included at the end of this document.

Constructing a servant first requires obtaining a magical key of the appropriate type, which is the first balancing factor: whether players find these keys and how many is entirely up to the DM. Furthermore, they occupy attunement slots, and cost GP to build and repair (the GP costs can be adjusted, as another balancing factor).

Nevertheless, these definitely have potential to break things, and aren't for every group. Some might consider making and maintaining these things to be a lot of bookkeeping. As much as I tried to balance customizability and simplicity, it probably is still a bit overwrought.

Without further ado, the clockwork servants!

Clockwork Key

Wondrous item, rarity varies (attunement: special)

Simply by plugging this key into a suitable vessel and winding it, you can animate a clockwork servant. The servant is a creature whose stats are determined by the tier of the key, as listed below.

You must provide a suitable vessel to serve as a body for the clockwork servant. The vessel must be made of raw materials worth at least a certain amount, listed below for each tier of key. You can choose the form of the vessel, but the DM determines if the form is suitable.

Activating a clockwork servant requires a ritual that can be performed during a short rest, during which you attach and wind the key and attune to the servant. You can attune to up to 3 tier I servants with a single attunement slot, and you can only attune to 1 tier III servant, no matter how many attunement slots you have.

The clockwork servant serves you until it drops to 0 HP, whereupon the vessel becomes inert and cannot be used again. The key detaches and can be reused. The servant can heal by spending hit dice during a short rest as normal, but it cannot regain hit dice unless you repair it during a long rest, for a cost listed below.

Tier I Clockwork Servant (rare) Small construct Armor Class 10 + DEX

10 + DEX Hit Points 21 (6d6) + 6 x CON

21 (6d6) + 6 x CON Speed 30 ft. STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA — — — 4 (-3) 4 (-3) 4 (-3) Condition Immunities poisoned

poisoned Damage Immunities poison

poison Senses passive Perception 7

passive Perception 7 Languages Understands 1 language of its creator, but can't speak Actions Slam. Melee Weapon Attack: +2 + STR or DEX to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 2 (1d4) + STR or DEX bludgeoning, piercing, or slashing damage.

Cost: 120 GP (20 GP per hit die)

120 GP (20 GP per hit die) Repair cost: 5 GP per hit die

5 GP per hit die Stats: The servant's physical ability scores are 14, 12, 10, distributed as you choose. The servant's proficiency bonus is 2.

The servant's physical ability scores are 14, 12, 10, distributed as you choose. The servant's proficiency bonus is 2. Control: The servant understands one-word commands such as "attack", "defend", or "fetch". You can command any number of your servants as a bonus action. The servant repeats its last order until ordered otherwise.

The servant understands one-word commands such as "attack", "defend", or "fetch". You can command any number of your servants as a bonus action. The servant repeats its last order until ordered otherwise. Special Ability: You may give the servant one special feature, such as pack tactics, keen eyesight, false appearance, or another, subject to DM approval.

Choose one of the following archetypes for your servant: