Clockwork Menace
Large Construct, Chaotic Neutral
Armor Class: 18 (natural armor with metal plating)
Hit Points: 210 (20d10 + 100)
Speed: 40 feet, 80 feet (Dash), 30 feet (Climbing)
Challenge Rating: 12 (8,400 XP)
| STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 22 | 16 | 20 | 18 | 14 | 16 |
Saving Throws: Strength +10, Dexterity +9, Constitution +11, Intelligence +10
Skills: Acrobatics +9, Insight +8, Deception +9, Investigation +10, Stealth +9, Persuasion +8
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 feet, True Sight 30 feet, Blindsight 10 feet
Languages: Understands Common and Infernal
Spellcasting
Spellcasting. The Clockwork Menace is a 10th-level spellcaster. Its spellcasting ability is Intelligence (spell save DC 16, +8 to hit with spell attacks). The Clockwork Menace has the following spells prepared:
Cantrips (at will): *Mage Hand*, *Minor Illusion*, *Shock*, *Prestidigitation*
1st level (4 slots): *Thunderwave*, *Disguise Self*, *Shield*
2nd level (3 slots): *Mirror Image*, *Misty Step*
3rd level (3 slots): *Counterspell*, *Major Image*, *Fear*
4th level (2 slots): *Greater Invisibility*, *Phantasmal Killer*
5th level (2 slots): *Animate Objects*, *Cloudkill*
**Special notes about the spellcaster’s spellcasting abilities or actions:**
The Clockwork Menace uses its spells strategically, often casting *Misty Step* to evade dangerous attacks or *Mirror Image* to create illusions of itself in combat. It prefers to start encounters with a combination of *Greater Invisibility* and *Phantasmal Killer* to disorient foes while manipulating the battlefield with *Cloudkill*. It can also employ *Counterspell* to neutralize enemy spellcasters, using its intelligence to predict incoming threats and act accordingly.
Using its chaotic abilities, it may set the stage for climactic encounters by employing its *Major Image* to create distractions or misdirections amidst the melee. Spell slots are amplified with its tactical ingenuity as it whimsically shifts focus from brute force to deceptive maneuvers.
Actions & Abilities
Multiattack: The Clockwork Menace makes three attacks: one with its Serrated Blade and two with its Flamethrower Gauntlet.
– **Serrated Blade**:
– **Melee Weapon Attack**: +10 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target.
– **Hit**: 3d10 + 6 slashing damage.
– **Effect**: On a hit, the target must succeed on a DC 18 Constitution saving throw or have disadvantage on its next attack roll.
– **Flamethrower Gauntlet**:
– **Ranged Weapon Attack**: +9 to hit, range 30 ft., one target.
– **Hit**: 4d6 fire damage.
– **Effect**: The target must make a DC 18 Dexterity saving throw. On a failed save, the target is ignited, taking an additional 1d6 fire damage at the start of its next turn.
Chaos Congeries (Recharge 5-6): The Clockwork Menace unleashes a surge of chaotic energy, creating a magical field within a 30-foot radius around it.
– **Effect**: All spellcasters within the area must roll on the Wild Magic Surge table whenever they attempt to cast a spell. The field lasts for 1 minute.
Steam Lash: As a bonus action, the Clockwork Menace whips up a swirling curtain of steam and energy.
– **Melee Attack**: Each creature within 15 feet must make a DC 18 Strength saving throw, taking 3d10 slashing damage on a failed save and being pushed back 10 feet. On a successful save, they take half damage and are not pushed.
Reactive Armor: When the Clockwork Menace is attacked and takes damage, it can absorb a destroyed mechanical construct or metal weapon within 15 feet.
– **Heal**: The Menace regains 1d10 hit points for each item destroyed.
Mind of Gears: The Clockwork Menace uses its strategic insight to analyze the battlefield, gaining a tactical edge.
– **Effect**: Select one creature it can see; the Menace gains advantage on all ability checks and attack rolls against that creature until the end of its next turn.
Unleashed Independent Defender (1/Day): When reduced to 0 hit points, the Clockwork Menace detonates its core.
– **Effect**: All creatures within a 30-foot radius must make a DC 20 Dexterity saving throw, taking 6d10 force damage on a failed save, or half as much on a successful one.
Command Minions: The Clockwork Menace commands any lesser clockwork constructs it has summoned to make a melee attack.
Quick Evasion: The Clockwork Menace disengages from combat and moves up to its speed without provoking opportunity attacks.
Smoke Eruption (Costs 2 Actions): The Clockwork Menace releases a cloud of steam and smoke in a 20-foot radius around it, heavily obscuring the area for 1 minute. Creatures inside the cloud must make a DC 17 Constitution saving throw or be blinded until the end of their next turn.
Crushing Gears: The floor of the lair becomes difficult terrain as gears and mechanisms rise from the ground. Each creature must succeed on a DC 17 Dexterity saving throw or be knocked prone.
Mechanical Surge: The Clockwork Menace activates a rhythm of pulsing gears that disrupts magic. Each creature within the lair must roll a d20; on a roll of 10 or lower, they cannot cast spells until the end of their next turn.
Static Shock: A field of electrical energy surges through the lair. Each creature within 30 feet of the Menace must make a DC 18 Constitution saving throw, taking 3d8 lightning damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.
Appearance
Beneath the brilliant glare of a solid white background, the Clockwork Menace looms large at an imposing height of 10 feet, its angular silhouette evoking images of a menacing war machine. This towering figure exhibits a robust and skeletal build, characterized by rigid limbs that blend strength and agility into an intimidating presence.
The exterior of the creature gleams with a striking mix of tarnished brass and polished steel, reflecting a myriad of metallic hues that shimmer under the light. Deep copper and lush green accents punctuate its body, hinting at the chaotic energy that pulses within. A ghostly patina weaves across sections of the surface, adding an eerie undertone to its already formidable appearance.
Textures vary dramatically across its frame; the weathered brass plates show signs of age with pitting and erosion, while the steel segments reveal intricate gears and cogs, some of which are partially exposed through transparent panels. This lends the Clockwork Menace a sense of otherworldly machinery, as wisps of steam escape from various vents, accentuating the fluid motion of this mechanical behemoth.
The faceplate is a masterpiece of shifting copper, dynamically morphing to project its chaotic emotions. Its glowing crimson eyes burn with intensity, framed by angular brows that can twist into a deep-set, crescent smile revealing a jagged mouth filled with sharp metallic teeth. Each expression embodies a sardonic glee, hinting at a mischievous intelligence that is unsettling yet captivating.
The limbs are intricately designed, with long, segmented arms each terminating in menacing serrated blades, honed for slicing through metal and flesh alike. Retractable gauntlets conceal fearsome flamethrowers ready to unleash torrents of fire in combat. Sturdy yet agile legs are equipped with propulsor devices, enabling swift, darting movements and acrobatic leaps, easily navigating uneven terrain with articulated joints that enhance their mobility.
The posture of the Clockwork Menace exudes both confidence and menace as it stands upright, ready to pounce into action. Its motions are fluid and precise, blending mechanical accuracy with unpredictable, rapid gestures that entertain yet terrify. When pursuing its prey, it displays speed and agility, pairing brash strikes with a calculated ferocity that frames its intent.
A radiant azure glow pulses ominously beneath the transparent sections of its frame, casting an ethereal light that dances like lightning through its structure and adding a captivating dimension to its presence. As it moves, clouds of steam and smoke rise from its body, creating an atmosphere of obscured mystery around the creature.
Scuff marks and signs of past battles etch its exterior, showcasing a storied history of marksmanship against various foes. Delicate arcane symbols, faintly etched into its plating, whisper of the mystic energy it wields, deepening the intrigue and menace of this extraordinary being.
In summary, the Clockwork Menace emerges as a dynamic embodiment of the mechanical and the arcane—a striking figure that evokes both dread and fascination with its vivid colors, rhythmic movements, and haunting expressions.
Tactical Information
The Clockwork Menace in Narrative Encounters
Behavior in Day-to-Day Life
In the gloomy confines of an abandoned factory overrun by nature and time, the Clockwork Menace thrives as a chaotic architect of its own existence. Among twisted metal sculptures and verdant vines strangling machines, the Menace explores the relics of its creator’s ambitions with an unyielding curiosity. Driven by a perpetual thirst for independence and longing for companionship, it utilizes its keen intellect to reprogram lesser constructs abandoned in the remnants of the destruction it once wrought.
Typically, the Menace can be seen at work, conducting orchestral maneuvers involving clockwork creations, teaching them to roam the peripheries of its domain. It has melded into a peculiar society of misfits, both mechanical and organic, where it plays the role of an anarchist leader, gathering a following of other disenfranchised beings seeking liberation from the established order. While it appears to enjoy companionship, its social interactions are marked by an aura of intimidation and cunning; it converses in riddles and half-truths, often testing those it encounters to gauge their intellect and resolve.
The Clockwork Menace sustains itself by scavenging from nearby machinery—metals and steam used to feed its core, while occasionally preying upon unwary adventurers or rival inventors to repurpose their innovations, seeing each acquisition as a further claim on its autonomy and standing within its mechanical cult.
Combat Behavior
When combat begins, the Clockwork Menace thrives in its element, embracing chaos with an almost theatrical flair. Initially, it might conceal itself within clouds of steam, its laugh echoing ominously as it taunts its foes. Upon sensing the adventurers’ approach, it unleashes a cacophony of mechanical sounds, engaging with a flair for dramatic entrances. The Menace employs strategic patience, allowing enemies to crowd together before striking with its Chaos Congeries, distorting the fabric of magic and chaos into the encounter.
In combat, the Menace prefers to exploit the environment, creating devastating smoke screens to obscure visibility, then dashing out with its Steam Lash to catch opponents off-guard. As it fights, it embodies cunning, mixing strong attacks with demonstrations of intellect—analyzing foes with Mind of Gears, granting it tactical advantages, and always seeking to strike isolated opponents.
Should it find itself at a disadvantage, the Menace is not above retreating momentarily, disappearing into the mist, only to re-engage from an unexpected angle. Its Reactive Armor ability showcases its cunning—devouring metal from the battlefield to mend its wounds, making it a formidable opponent who grows stronger as the fight progresses. When cornered or critically wounded, it transforms its demise into a calculated explosion with Unleashed Independent Defender, creating chaos even in its defeat, a final act of rebellion against captivity.
Roleplay/Narrative Interactions
In non-combat scenarios, the Clockwork Menace presents a paradox of intentions. With its intelligent gaze hidden behind glimmering mechanical plates, it may take an interest in adventurers out of sheer curiosity or a desire to recruit. When approached, it will communicate employing cryptic speech, laced with arrogance; often, it cannot resist boasting about its independence from creators and the rationality of freedom, spitting out philosophical musings as clever bait for those willing to engage.
When faced with threats, the Menace displays an odd mix of bravado and calculated caution—it may retaliate immediately or seek to outwit its challengers, opting for deception over brute force. If humbled, it responds to attempts at diplomacy with skepticism, testing the motivations of others. While it might consider a potential alliance with those who mirror its value for independence and chaos, it is quick to distrust any overtures perceived as manipulation.
Should adventurers attempt to bribe or negotiate, the Menace assesses them with an air of superiority, evaluating the worth of their offerings before responding playfully or dismissively, perhaps proposing mental challenges instead. When cornered by multiple enemies or in peril, it would transition from arrogance to survivalist opportunism, striving for a clever escape or creating obstacles that allow it to vanish into the surroundings, leaving behind a trail of mechanical laughter that echoes, hinting at the insistent heartbeat of chaos continuing just out of reach.
Thus, it is both a challenge and curiosity, a question on the nature of life and liberty wrapped in brass plates, where every interaction dances on the edge between fear and fascination.
