All excellent ideas...definately going to use them.
This is what I came up with for Golems/Animate Objects
Autonomous Mechanical Constructs
“I am not going to speak here of that incandescent era long ago when a truly great and critical achievement of mechanics was discovered: that day when an ancient man hooked a stick under one large stone and over another to invent the lever. Nor will I mention the wheel, which, however it came about,
multiplied mechanical possibilities exponentially; a day when civilization was irreversibly altered. We simply do not know the genesis of these prehistoric simple machines, so we can only spin hypotheses instead of histories. Instead I will speak of automatons; constructs of thousands of interlinked simple
machines. Furthermore, I will concentrate on the milestones of modern mechanics, since an exhaustive treatment of these contraptions is a lifelong study.”- Doctor James M. Williams, Lecturer of Applied Mechanics, Brickton College
Automatons were first developed centuries ago beginning in the Golden Age, floundering during the Orc Invasion, and flourishing again in early years during the rise of the Republic of Ullera in this century. The
clockwork mechanisms developed during the Golden Age are still used today but powered by the gyros, steam boilers, and alchemical furnaces of modern industry. Ulleran automatons also achieve a miniaturization impossible to Golden Age engineers. Could an ancient compress a clock tower mechanism
into a container small enough to carry, and be able to see the time whenever he wished? Could one imagine a clock for the pocket? But the creativity of modern craftsmen has gone far beyond simply telling the time and has created machines that can cogitate, manipulate, and negotiate through the actions of daily regime. In effect they have created Artificial Life.
ECOLOGY
In some ways, a construct mimics living organisms. Mechanical Constructs are built for a specific purpose. They do not possess flexible minds and have a fixed routine of preset analog clockwork responses to stimuli depending on the skill and ingenuity of their clock smith (equivalent of an insect intelligence: INT 1). More complex and powerful constructs require a Babbage Codex that can store thousands of routines on its mechanical dials. A machine equipped with a Babbage Codex has the equivalent of an animal intelligence
(INT 1D6). The most advanced machines use preserved synaptic pathways harvested from animals hooked to a voltammeter (INT 2D6) controlling a bank of wire spools and pulleys. The controversial use of cadaver brains (INT 3D6) has been officially band within the territory of Ullera, but some fanatical research groups install them into their nefarious construct designs. The final type of automaton is one that is directly controlled by a living operator. This type of construct is a mechanical puppet with a piloting compartment or connected to an armored or hidden control umbilical. A piloted construct can go anywhere at the pilot’s direction. The umbilical length of a remotely controlled construct determines the range of its perambulations. All Automatons must have power. Fine, Tiny, and Small Automatons have clockwork spring coils that must be rewound by some method and hibernates between activations. Dwarf Forged Automatons need steam to move its pistons and cams. Gnomish Automatons are powered by gyro flywheel engine but are far lighter and smaller than Dwarf models. Finally all automatons must be maintained; metal rusts, gears break, and tubes split. A mechanic must oil the machine and replace worn out components during the service life of the automaton or it will eventually fall apart.
HABITAT & SOCIETY
Mechanical constructs are most common in cities and industrial zones. Only in major cities is the ambition, assembly lines, engineering skill, and factory resources needed to mass produce automatons. Clockwork constructs are often toys for children and tools. Clockworks can repeat a repetitive task flawlessly for hours on end. Some are even weaponized for kamikaze runs against large targets. Clockwork Automatons will follow a set routine till its completion but are in no way intelligent or adaptive. Like a clock, they only run in one direction and at one speed. In cities, Clockwork Automatons are often used domestically as labor savers. With the push of a button some will start cleaning dishes, scrub floors, or iron clothing. The expense to fabricate and maintain even clockwork automatons limit them to the very wealth or large scale factories. Larger more powerful constructs with sophisticated control systems are often used as guardians. They do not sleep, can not be bribed, and never become bored. The are also used by the military as shock troops. The first assault on entrenched troops always has high casualties. The use of machines in the initial charge is both good for morale and the fearless nature of mechanical automatons allows they to face their certain destruction impassively. Coal and Oil Driven Automatons emit toxic fumes limiting them to working outside and well ventilated areas. In closed spaces, these smoking, steaming, contraptions are environmental hazards and their operation can scald living creatures or cause humanoid workers to choke
or faint. Alchemical automatons are powered by heat and gas released between two reactants. A catalytic converter keeps an noxious exhaust fumes from seriously poisoning any adjacent workers. Alchemical engines are preferred for use underground but the fuel is extremely expensive and some companies prefer to illegally risk the health of their workers for greater profits. Gyro automatons are also safe underground since they have no need of fuel, but can only be purchased from gnome inventors. Pilot controlled constructs need a trained operator to function. Piloted automatons have the safety factor of always operating under direct supervision but have the security risk of being hijacked.
CAMPAIGN ROLE
Automatons can be used as obstacles, guardians, and ambushers. The adventure group must either sneak past, incapacitate, or destroy the construct to get to their objective. Alternatively, a construct can be a
useful NPC. It may hold useful information that the party needs to extract. It could be a dimwitted valet that the party will trick into letting them into the mansion. Or it could be a valuable prototype gone berserk that the party needs to subdue without permanently damaging it. Small clockworks could function as decoys, trigger traps, porters, scouts, thieves, or assassins for villains or gadgeteers. A bottled brain may be all that is left of a cherished loved one or celebrated intellectual, and its automaton body gives it a
semblance of its former life.
