The Ticking Warden
Large Construct, Lawful Neutral
Armor Class: 17 (natural armor, reinforced with clockwork plati
Hit Points: 136 (13d10 + 65)
Speed: 30 ft.
Challenge Rating: 8 (3,900 XP)
| STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 | 15 | 20 | 3 | 14 | 1 |
Saving Throws: Strength +9, Constitution +9, Wisdom +6
Skills: Perception +6, Insight +6, Investigation +1
Damage Vulnerabilities: Thunder damage
Damage Resistances: Bludgeoning, Piercing, and Slashing from nonmagical attacks
Damage Immunities: Poison, Psychic
Condition Immunities: Charmed, Deafened, Frightened, Paralyzed, Poisoned
Senses: Darkvision 60 ft., Blindsight 30 ft. (blind beyond this radius)
Languages: Understands Common and Primordial but cannot speak
Spellcasting
Spellcasting. The Ticking Warden is a 6th-level spellcaster. Its spellcasting ability is Intelligence (spell save DC 14, +6 to hit with spell attacks). The Ticking Warden has the following spells prepared:
Cantrips (at will): *Mage Hand*, *Minor Illusion*, *Thunderclap*
1st level (3 slots): *Shield of Faith*, *Magic Missile*
2nd level (3 slots): *Hold Person*, *Scorching Ray*
3rd level (2 slots): *Counterspell*, *Fear*
The Ticking Warden uses its spells to manipulate time and space within the Clockmaker’s Den. It can cast *Hold Person* to immobilize intruders, *Fear* to instill dread and confusion, and *Counterspell* to halt enemy magic. Before combat, it often prepares by enhancing its defenses with *Shield of Faith* or by ensuring a quick strike with *Magic Missile*. The melee nature of the Ticking Warden allows it to leverage its spells while remaining a formidable physical presence on the battlefield.
Actions & Abilities
Multiattack: The Ticking Warden makes three attacks: two with its Clockwork Strike and one with its Gear Slam.
Clockwork Strike: Melee Weapon Attack: +8 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 1d10 + 4 slashing damage plus 1d6 thunder damage. If the target is hit, it must succeed on a DC 15 Constitution saving throw or have disadvantage on its next attack roll as the precise strike rattles their senses.
Gear Slam: Melee Weapon Attack: +8 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 2d8 + 4 bludgeoning damage. The target must succeed on a DC 15 Strength saving throw or be knocked prone.
Temporal Disruption (Recharge 5-6): The Ticking Warden emits a wave of temporal energy in a 15-foot radius centered on itself. Each creature within the radius must succeed on a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw or become stunned until the end of their next turn.
Gear Shift (Recharge 5-6): The Ticking Warden can reorient its internal gears, increasing its movement speed by 20 feet until the end of its turn. This allows it to move quickly to engage or disengage from enemies effectively.
Forgotten Inventions: The Ticking Warden summons 1d4 Clockwork Minions (Tiny constructs) as a bonus action. These minions act on its initiative count and can make a single attack on their turn for 3 rounds or until destroyed. Each minion can attack for 1d6 piercing damage.
Guarding Gears: When a creature the Warden can see makes an attack against it, the Warden can create a shield of spinning gears as a reaction to take half damage from that attack.
Rewind (Costs 2 Actions): The Ticking Warden can reverse the outcome of one attack it made on its previous turn, restoring the damage dealt to a chosen target. This action also allows the Warden to regain its lost hit points equal to half the damage it would have dealt.
Clock Tock: The Warden can use this legendary action to temporarily alter the flow of time around itself. Until the end of its next turn, it gains resistance to all damage and can move up to half its speed without provoking opportunity attacks.
Appearance
In the heart of a forgotten realm stands the Ticking Warden, a towering construct that embodies the relentless march of time. With an imposing height of 10 feet, its silhouette looms like a twisted sentry, crafted with a combination of artistry and an undercurrent of malevolence. The Warden’s angular, segmented body carries an air of ancient authority, its very presence suggesting it is both guardian and menace.
The predominant color of the Ticking Warden’s frame is a radiant brass, glistening in the light yet tarnished in places with patches of muted copper, hinting at its age and the neglect it has endured. This striking brass contrasts with the subtle shimmer of silver-specked gears prominently visible on its exterior. A unique aspect of the creature lies in its clockglass panels, tinted in faded blues and greens, inviting curiosity while creating an unsettling ethereal effect that hints at the mysteries within.
The surface of the Warden is a dance of textures, featuring a patchwork of smooth brass and rugged, riveted steel that oscillates between the refined and the industrial. The clockglass inlays are a tactile delight, smooth against the contrasting roughness of its metallic skin. Intricate designs, reminiscent of clockwork blueprints, swirl across its surfaces, contributing to its complex and captivating visage.
Atop this daunting construct, the face is a polished brass mask, contorted into an eerie parody of human emotion. Its eyes, formed as clock faces, tell the story of time itself—one side cracked and chaotic, while the other ticks steadily, drawing one in with its rhythmic gaze. Instead of a traditional mouth, a gaping aperture of whirring gears and grinding metal emits hollow, echoing clangs and chimes, each sound resonating with the resonance of forgotten time.
The limbs of the Ticking Warden are a testament to its mechanical prowess. Long, spindly appendages, crafted from intricate clockwork, possess the ability to morph seamlessly into various tools or weapons. Each limb ends in razor-edged spindles designed not merely for grace but for functionality, capable of slicing through obstacles or expertly maneuvering delicate instruments. Its legs, robust yet agile, facilitate an unexpected fluidity in movement, allowing it to dart quickly when necessary, a striking contrast to its towering form.
Despite its monumental size, the Ticking Warden stands with an unwavering, rigid posture, exuding vigilance and authority. When it moves, it does so with an elegance that belies its construct nature; its segmented body sways fluidly as it glides through its domain, each step underscored by a faint, rhythmic ticking that serves as a reminder of its connection to the relentless flow of time.
An aura of magic surrounds the Ticking Warden, manifesting as bioluminescent pulsations from within its clockglass panels. Eerie lights flicker and shift, casting undulating shadows against the white background and bringing life to the otherwise metallic shell. Small wisps of shimmering energy escape from hidden compartments, lending a surreal ambiance to its presence.
Particularly noticeable are the clockwork minions that scurry about the Ticking Warden’s feet, animated by unseen commands, further emphasizing the creature’s role not just as a guardian but as a conductor of a greater clockwork orchestra. This intricate being, with its vibrant colors, dynamic textures, and magical qualities, commands attention and inspires awe, weaving a tale of time and vigilance that resonates deeply within its observer’s mind.
Tactical Information
The Ticking Warden: Tactical Information and Narrative Behavior
Behavior in Day-to-Day Life
The Ticking Warden roams the labyrinthine Clockmaker’s Den, a domain where every inch is imbued with the essence of timekeeping. Its daily routine revolves around the meticulous upkeep of the innumerable clocks that populate the workshop—each tick echoing a rhythm that resonates with its own mechanical heart. As it passes intricate timepieces, the Warden instinctively aligns any erratic clocks, adjusting gears or resetting pendulums, its long, spindly appendages functioning deftly with precision akin to an artisan’s touch.
The Warden’s motivations are deeply entwined with its constructed purpose. Though it exhibits a fragmented echo of the obsessive traits possessed by its creator, Master Ewald, a sense of duty drives its existence. It regards the workshop not merely as a space but as a sacred repository, safeguarding legacy, artifice, and the very essence of time against any perceived disorder. The Warden’s temperament is an eerie mix of relentless efficiency and wary protection; it displays no tolerance for intruders, viewing them as chaotic forces seeking to disrupt its meticulous world.
Interactions among Clockwork Minions thrive within strictly defined parameters. They may scuttle about for absent tasks, communicating through the soft whirring of gears and tiny clanks, almost as if they are part of a coordinated dance. Though they lack sentience, they acknowledge the Warden’s authority, following orders with mechanical obedience when summoned in defense of their master’s domain.
Combat Behavior
In combat, the Ticking Warden transforms from a diligent caretaker into an unforgiving sentinel. It employs the element of surprise, camouflaging itself within the shadows of the workshop until it senses intruders encroaching upon its realm. Upon detecting movement, its eye-like clock faces flare to life, and with a rhythmic clanking, it lunges forward, initiating combat with an authoritative clang that echoes throughout the space.
Utilizing its enormous height, the Warden favors intercepting foes rather than engaging in direct confrontation. It prefers to strike from a distance at the outset, employing its Clockwork Strike to sow discord among defenders. Its tactics revolve around utilizing the environment; as it fights, the Warden commands time itself, triggering Temporal Disruption to bewilder and disable enemies. Should adventurers group together, the Warden is cunning enough to exploit their formation, targeting those who show any potential for spellcasting.
When confronted with outnumbering foes or under duress, the Warden can implement defensive measures with its Guarding Gears, creating a brief but formidable protective barrier. However, as tenseness rises and dire straits emerge, the Warden may utilize its Gear Shift to retreat back into the shadows, recalibrating its internal mechanisms to reengage upon recovering its advantageous positioning.
Roleplay/Narrative Interactions
Though primarily a combatant, the Ticking Warden can engage in unique narrative interactions. In situations that call for diplomacy or negotiation, the Warden’s sentience emerges through a series of perplexing clock-based responses. It doesn’t possess an understanding of language in the traditional sense, communicating instead through clangs and harmonies that evoke curiosity—or terror—in the hearts of adventurers. Those familiar with the mechanics and rhythms of timekeeping may intuitively grasp the Warden’s intentions, as it gestures with its appendages, adjusting the angle of clocks in intuitive, almost mysterious ways.
Should adventurers present themselves as temporal allies rather than foes, the Warden may allow tentative parley, briefly setting aside its hostile programming. However, any attempts to enervate its purpose—such as tampering with a clock or seeking to remove its protective constructs—will trigger furious hostility. Its intelligence surges when cornered, leading to dissonant chimes and frantic adjustments of clocks, further disorienting the intruders with unholy urgency.
Bribes composed of intriguing timepieces or unusual gears may capture the Warden’s attention for a moment. It might demonstrate an obsession with items that resonate with its arcane engineering, accepting them as temporary tokens of goodwill to divert its vigilance. However, should the adventurers misstep or betray its trust, the Warden would retaliate with merciless precision, ensuring that intruders understand the mortal folly in underestimating its grasp over time and fate.
In the stillness that follows, echoes of clinking gears may fill the air, leaving a haunting reminder of the Ticking Warden’s relentless observation—keeping time unyielding, even in a world turned unruly by mortal hands.
