Dungeons and Dragons Lore: Clockwork Horrors

[@aliince9372]

The only clock work horror is my alarm clock. It takes me from the sweet embrace of unconsciousness back to this reality. I hate my alarm and it hates me. Good video though!

[@shakescan]

Ya me too! Every morning is an apocalyptic horror when that alarm clock rings haha.

[@Metanaut1]

I concur

[@rhapsody5645]

"In gratiude for its creation, the adamantine machine's first act was to destroy its maker." Well that was unexpected.

[@zimattack9994]

And by unexpected we mean totally expected And surprised that it didn't happen sooner?

[@vulpescorvum7602]

​@zimattack9994 four legged skynet had enough lol 😂

[@cameronpearce5943]

I wanna make a clockwork hunter, a Hobgoblin warrior from Acheron returned from death to avenge his fallen homeworld. Now he flys through the spheres on the back of his rust drake companion with a blade gifted to him by Maglubiyet himself that can rust away any metal it strikes. His mission is to slay the Adamantine Horror and put an end to the ceaseless tide of the constructed hoard

[@AmigoRoberto]

I'm just laughing at the idea of a stuffy wizard pulling his hair out trying to decipher their *click* language and meanwhile my dumbass anime protagonist of a monk can just walk up and perfectly understand them

[@AJPickett]

He is one with the force and the force is with him.

[@robouteguilliman6662]

It’s cause the wizard is thinking too much.

[@mushroomwizard1175]

I forgot these existed, thanks for reminding that they exist. I wished people used them more often.

[@minimmats]

So, just to clarify: a clockwork horror *isn't* something that jump out and says "boo" at timed intervals?

[@Jeremycook_]

Glad someone asked before me.

[@AJPickett]

Never lean over one while wearing a neck tie.

[@tonyoliver4920]

@@AJPickett the next npc wizard in my campaign will now have a repurposed “dead” clockwork horror with a label reading Pickett Paper Processor Safely Shredding Sensitive Scrolls Oh, the alliteration!!

[@agentchaos9332]

Has anyone seen Stargate? Cuz the Replicators are really similar to these things and do a great job of showing how powerful and terrifying they could be

[@AJPickett]

Replicators are a perfect example of machine doom :)

[@NovaRuner]

These things are like Steam punk or clockwork gear versions of the Replicators. Or you could say on Stargate the little robo bugs were more high tech and sci-fi versions of these clockwork horrors

[@jacobfreeman5444]

Read the Dune series. Behind all the psychic powers and keeping humanity vital enough to survive is the terror of a possible future where all life, not just humans but everything that lives in one manner or another, is destroyed by intelligent machines. Which in their turn eventually break down and leave a universe of death behind. Nothing but barren worlds and pointless stars that eventually wink out of existence. This is the fear that shaped the god emporer. Hell, the fear of intelligent machines is what shapes the entire setting. No fancy powers behind them. Just an inevitable wave of clanking hordes that take all things in their way apart. Whether they are capable of screaming while the deed is done or not.

[@bayoubilly5176]

@@jacobfreeman5444 to be fair "fremen" 😉... But those machines had their own society and hopes ,dreams etc. They were not the deathmachines they were made out to be. They constantly hinted that they had an even more complicated society and life than us. We simply didn't like it... Like humans are famous for. So it never happens again the pilots and living computers were developed. But in truth the computers made them first. We just adapted it. Lots of little hints of this in the ends of paragraphs and gasped out death cries of certain individuals. Not to mention Leto himself.

[@strangent404a7]

Here's a PC idea that's a bit interesting: a disabled clockwork horror gets used as scrap to construct a warforged, it's mind essentially being set to factory mode and becomes unaware of it's past, this origin could allow for some interesting character development as the threat of the clockwork horrors is revealed in the form of trances or visions the warforged experiences as a result of interacting with the clockwork horror network.

[@brettonalwood4173]

That last bit about the romani showing up to counter an invasion of clockwork horrors. Yeah that's the start to my next spelljammer campaign. Thanks for the inspiration!

[@JanusKastin]

I like the change of perspective that comes from planar energy from Mechanus being a threat. Normally when you think of an outer plane warping the energy of the prime, you think of an in invasion of tanar'ri, and the Gray Wastes of Hades is know to be particularly infectious. However, it's interesting that pure, amoral lawfulness is just as incompatible to life as we know it on the prime as chaotic evil. If only those rilmani were a BIT more helpful.

[@AJPickett]

Rilmani, I strongly suspect, are keeping a lot of things suppressed and secret in the multiverse, it's impossible to see them as a force of good, they don't care about good or evil, they only care about law and chaos, about a balance of structure and destruction which is necessary for reality to function.

[@reifuTD]

I like the idea of mechanical creatures that can infect a dragon's hoard like parasitic mites that if left unchecked will eat and destroy a dragon's treasure stash. The infection may get so bad a dragon maybe be forced to abandon or even eradicate sections or chambers of their hoard to stop the infection. Or dragons might assault another dragon's hoard to stop the infection. Something that could lead world ending seems to OP for me, I just like the idea of some picking up core that looks to be a gem, tossing it with some treasure like in a bank vault or dragon hoard or portable hole. The next time that treasure is accessed little robots come crawling out after eating up all the coins and stuff.

[@pitchforksdragon1252]

Oh this is fun. Don't let my DM read this!.

[@That80sGuy1972]

Decades ago, when we were teens, a friend of mine had "coin bugs" that looked like coins. What metal depended upon what they ate. Most of what they eat gets turned into little eggs that quickly turn into tiny coin bugs. Those bugs each eat a coin until they consume it entirely and replace the coin. Then they eat only to lay more eggs. They eat only to reproduce and grow... pseudo-living beings akin to gargoyles and margoyles. If a Dragon finds out you were exposed to them and not with the intent on destroying them, they will hunt you down and even put out bounties for your head on top of spending up to half their hoard paying for a coin bug extermination force. The only metal they will eat is the first metal they ate as new hatchlings, so a gold coin bug can even be kept in, say, a copper box. However, most coin bugs are copper coin bugs. But, a bag full of inert copper coin bugs (seemingly copper coins) will have inert hatchlings that will infect all other coins when they are near as the bag suddenly grows holes with tiny copper pellets falling out. To a dragon, that's a monstrous infection like you are imagining. ;)

[@jeffreyseamons5514]

Idea: if your players are the type to collect pets, give them a low ranking horror, make it really endearing, then when they've beaten the campaigns BBEG, make them watch in horror as their little beetle friend summons a giant space armada to destroy the planner. It might not work with the clockwork horror's traditional lore, but it'll be one heck of a plot twist.

[@thomaswiddows4814]

Already working that plot...

[@DrBananananananananananananana]

AJ is basically just telling bedtime stories. The amount he's written for these videos he should just start writing novels as a side gig.

[@AJPickett]

That's exactly what my mum tells me. 😅

[@tomkerruish2982]

@@AJPickett Listen to her!

[@krissteel4074]

Unleash the rust monsters!

[@adamwelch4336]

Provided you have enough rust monsters to fend them off!!

[@marcosreed9894]

You sir are one of my "go-to" favorites when asked by new players wanting suggestions for great content or understanding of our game. Thank you from Seattle.

[@yamatohekatsue9143]

To effectively fight clockwork horrors I advise taming rust monsters

[@yamatohekatsue9143]

However when fighting clockwork horrors I advise against using Iron Steel and adamantine golems.... Your sending such useful tools to their doom. However if rust monsters are in short supply and you are fighting in dark or damp places you may find a use in luring black pudding between you and the horrors. Black pudding acidic secretions are strong enough to melt most metals and electric attacks and well as slashing attacks make the pudding split causing more smaller targets to surround the clockwork horrors. Although I'm not as good of a monster ecologist as Mr. Pickett I did fancy myself as a monster tamer is 3.5 E. So I've made a few non druid characters that would max animal handling, knowledge arcane, knowledge dungeons, knowledge nature, survival, and take feats to let me use the skill on other non Beast creatures to better help my party fight. Think Skyrim Dawnguard the guy that trains Dogs and Trolls to fight vampires.

[@anothisflame8266]

"Extruded as a web-like substance" So they... 3d print the new horror... neat.

[@ETBass-zx3mw]

Can't help but think of the replicators in Stargate One tv series. They were the biggest threat in the universe for the longest time. Great video, you are the best.

[@recursiveslacker7730]

Hegemonizing swarms are always a nasty thing to end up having to fight off.

[@Mare_Man]

One would think that Primus would raise one of his perfect eyebrows at all of that native Mechanus energy being siphoned off

[@AJPickett]

Unless....

[@notrod5341]

Primus is a bit of a dumbass ngl. He kinda let Orcus waltz into his chamber and murder him. Though of course, could a mortal such as myself understand the machinations of such a perfect being?

[@nyarparablepsis4548]

*sees that AJ uploaded, nods, and sets aside all matters PhD to grab a beverage* This necessitates a break. Priorities!

[@cameronpearce5943]

If enough of the Adamantine Clockworks got together and decided they needed a leader above them, I wonder if they would make a Mithril Horror. Maybe something they'd need if they ever came across a world like Faerun, swarming with epic world shatteringly powerful heroes and apocalyptical doomsday monsters in equal measure

[@jhetttiernan2623]

Mechanical Dwemmer Tyranids. That’s D&D, Skyrim, and Warhammer 40k. They’ve hit the trifecta

[@CyberBeep_kenshi]

This inspired me to build a 'pocket watch' with animated bone inside that would function as a compass / gps with all manner of location / detection and navi spells. Showing arrows or maby terrain. Hmmmm, drawingboard time:) lovely lich item.

[@chadlynch1551]

How to destroy clockwork horrors; have a wizard skilled in altering life forms change some rust monsters so that they are attracted to/feed on horrors, regenerate like trolls, and give birth to another of their kind after consuming one or two horrors by splitting in two, sort of like a cell dividing. Drop one or two of the altered rust monsters into an infected area, then sit back and watch as they geometrically expand to and destroy the horrors.

[@TheodoreMinick]

And then outfit an entire army with Ironwood armor and weapons, and send them in to the infected area to wipe out the rust monsters, before your solution ends technological society on your planet.

[@nicolaezenoaga9756]

@@TheodoreMinick You could just alter them back to how rust monsters are supposed to be.

[@TheodoreMinick]

@@nicolaezenoaga9756 there's going to be geometrically more than you sent in. And they're a pest species, which is far from endangered. Just wiping out this population is the easiest and safest way.

[@briancorvello3620]

Ah yes, Clockwork Horrors, never has a CR:9 monster been so terrifying. Kinda-sorta.

[@cameronpearce5943]

I made a magic item for fighting Clockwork Horrors called The Blade of Acheron. It rusts away even magical and precious metal (kinda like a Rust Monster or a Zorbo, and a construct made of metal whos AC is reduced to 10 or lower disintegrates in to a find dust like rust-powder) and is very nasty against Clockworks specifically, but is a great weapon for slaying constructs.

[@masonabbey6353]

Clockwork Horrors should always sound like a horde of visorak aka drooling buzzsaws on masse

[@OmusKnowsAll]

D&D takes the concept of a von neumann probe very seriously.

[@AJPickett]

Sure does!

[@eosdawn6399]

My father is von neumann. And I am a savant

[@BeaglzRok1]

"Watch out for Wee Jas! Goddess of death and magic" And her sister, Hue

[@lysander9957]

I love the Clockwork Horrors! I've run many an Eberron campaign with them as a major baddie.

[@crimfan]

I've featured them in my long running (since 1999, dormant off and on but consistently back since 2013!) planar campaign. This campaign features the Rod of Seven Parts and is essentially set in a post-apocalyptic world where the multiverse has been wracked by periodic massive battles, such as the Battle of Pesh between the forces of Law and Chaos, the latter led by the Queen of Chaos and Miska the Wolf Spider and another subsequent one between the winners of the forces of Law and Far Realm creatures. Each time, the forces of Law/Good have won but the victories have been Pyrrhic. In my version they have mostly been a source of dread and obsession, and a source of corruption of a number of potent wizards and mechanists, but have occasionally emerged from the shadows to attack the PCs directly. Once traveling in the Astral---which I've kind of reskinned in a Spelljammerish fashion, to be travelable by ship more safely---they came upon a massive cluster of inactive Horrors, which really freaked them out. I can't recall the details but they went out of their way to destroy even the inactive bodies! The PCs also did travel to the origin of the Clockwork Horrors, which had been built as a weapon during the war against the Far Realm. One version I did make was the controller horror, which penetrates the head of foes and forces them to fight for the horrors. I didn't have this happen to PCs but did have it happen to a bunch of Spyder Fiends in Icosiol's Tomb, where one of the pieces of the Rod lay (Icosiol was the victorious general of the vaati at the Battle of Pesh). They've mostly disappeared into the background but the PCs are heading to the Tomb of the First Emperor of Quan, where another piece of the Rod is and where there's all sorts of mechanical and necromantic horrors, so... they'll be back!

[@lancearmada]

When i heard that they melt metal into webbing it just made me think of 3d printing for creating new horrors.

[@AJPickett]

Yeah, pretty much.

[@notrod5341]

Imagine a fight between these guys and the modrons. It'd be an eternal battle on par with the blood war.

[@bayoubilly5176]

Till primus or a greater god of which there about twenty in said plane stomps on their faces...

[@notrod5341]

@@bayoubilly5176 That would assume primus is willing and able to however. He's pretty content to let his bastard frog things run around doing what they want even if they're antithetical to his goals.

[@lordmixmbad5392]

This was the conundrum I’ve been contemplating, what would a Modron vs Horrors conflict look like.

[@craiggoad7700]

@@lordmixmbad5392 matrix reloaded

[@NanoMayTry]

When I heard of elves showing up- I was like the Calvary has arrived! Then all I heard was... "This place is missing something... Demons. No wait, even better. Slaadi."

[@AJPickett]

Oh, I think it is time I make a video dedicated entirely to the Rilmani...

[@gustavopaez2444]

An amazing foe to introduce into a campaign, something you just cant reason with, but just try to survive Thanks Master Picket

[@That80sGuy1972]

I never heard of these before your coverage here AJ, thanks! These beasties seem a lot like what would have happened if my players lost my Men of Metal multi-mission task during a high-level phase of one of my campaigns. Imagine a thing between AD&D's clockwork technology, the Star Trek original TNG Borg, the plot of Light Years, and the plot of Terminator (and its pre-T2 extended universe)... as if they all had a baby without the time travel element... Men of Metal was it. The clockwork they used was studied and inspired by the plane now called "Mechanis", none of that planar energy was used. Mine was far more insidious, many people joined them willingly as Knights of Order, clockwork-altered shock troops that, via one upgrade after another, eventually became entirely clockwork. The evil god Abberrus was surprisingly useful against them, perversion of magic, life, death, undeath, technology, etc was his thing and they were stepping on his spheres. Meh... I cannot post how complicated the plot on that was. The Knights of Order seemed to be a force of good and a really effective one. It was one of my standard "Better the Devil You Know" complexities.

[@sebastiancollins01]

Would you kindly do an episode on the Greyhawk Gods? Specifically I'd like to hear more about Saint Cuthburt. Love your work.

[@AJPickett]

So hard to get an interview with him, he's always out clubbing. Added to the list!

[@tonyoliver4920]

Gallium Horror: the infiltrators; used for intelligence gathering, reconnaissance and prospecting. Capable of mimicking humanoid forms of medium size. They find it extremely easy to mimic warforged however can take on the appearance of skin albeit with a metallic sheen.

[@tomkerruish2982]

Not very durable on a hot day, though.

[@tonyoliver4920]

@@tomkerruish2982 actually it would be extremely durable on a hot day! 😅

[@tomkerruish2982]

@@tonyoliver4920 Gallium has a melting point of approximately 86⁰F (30⁰C). Or is that the point, à la Terminator 2?

[@tonyoliver4920]

@@tomkerruish2982 so if it’s a liquid it would be able to withstand damage... á la terminator 2 therefore durable! Also, studied chemistry at the university of glasgow therefore well aware of the physical properties of gallium. It the reason I went with gallium over mercury as it’s solid at room temperature and standard atmospheric pressure. It easily forms amalgams with other metals so infiltrates

[@tomkerruish2982]

@@tonyoliver4920 Gotcha. I definitely don't want to get on the bad side of a Glaswegian. My smile is just fine the way it is, thank you very much.😁

[@venkelos6996]

I haven't looked back at the Clockwork Horrors for decades, but they are definitely unnerving. I had a funny little thought of some player saying "tell me; do you feel fear?", before opening a huge container filled with rust monsters and hoping they will sort out the Horrors before being exterminated. I'm also trying to imagine a powerful dragon, happily sitting atop uts hoard, hearing the clattering of a first robot spider walk in. It tries to assess the nature of the construct, eventually smashing it, but then more start to arrive, and even more spill in. It's a dragon; it's not a question of can it smash them, but then it realizes they are after its loot, and it can't take that with, so it has to stay and fight, with no idea of how many there are. Even if it takes many to hurt the Wyrm, and it crushes them with impunity, it's going to tire, and every Horror within range knows exactly where to go, and what to expect. I think even the dragon will lose this war of attrition, if the Clockwork Horrors think the swag is worth the expense, and even if they fall back, cordon off the lair, and just strip everything else, that's to make more Horrors, which will eventually return, and most dragons can't just scoop up their massive wealth, to relocate once something bloodiest their snout. In a game where everything that happens is limited to one world, this might not matter; Adamantine is somewhere, and will eventually stop by, but on other worlds, do they just build new units, which wait on the shelf, for the Adamantine Horror to arrive, and wake them all up, or is there another way to spark them, after bad wars of attrition? Do they move like a single Swarm, from world to world, barring the straw copies of the Adamantine, or do they move in cells, led by a Platinum Horror, until the Adamantine arrives, when needed, to awaken new generations of refined resources-units? I also wonder if, were they exposed to an actual portal to Mechanus, would their own prerogative cause them to just start eating, while panicking Modrons try to stop them, or would the Lawful nature of the plane, and and the fact thatvtheir essence comes from there, cause them to leave it untouched?

[@mobbofmobs8937]

This sounds like a good way to make an dark sun like World without the sorcerer Kings. The devastated worlds lack of resources and struggling life. I can easily imagine a campaign where you are just surviving the aftermath.

[@jacobfreeman5444]

A world where interplanar trade is a matter of survival.

[@benthomason3307]

realistically the adamantine horror would've been made another dark lord of the demiplane of dread.

[@AJPickett]

Never say never.

[@Battleguild]

Phyrexians and their Father of Machines would like a word with you.

[@zimattack9994]

What have we learned children? Never make an AI smarter than you P.s this is why necromancy is so much better than automatons when a zombie get loose just trick captain lawful stupid to deal with it

[@Alexthealright]

Keep it simple keep it dumb or else you’ll end up under skynets thumb

[@jakecrichton562]

I'm guessing we don't have official 5e stat blocks for these things? Neat idea. Whole campaigns could be written around fighting these things. I've heard of clock work horrors but never in great detail. Thanks for the knowledge AJ. As ever your work is greatly appreciated.

[@erroneous6947]

A cross between stargate replicators and vogons from hitchhiker’s guide to the galaxy.

[@crimfan]

Kind of, but they were around before Stargate, so similar ideas.

[@heathharris2545]

I've used Mithral Horrors: tiny fast horrors used as spies. Spider shaped but can squeeze through any space bigger than an inch. Can communicate with any horror within 10 miles, so several will form a relay to provide live update. Iron horrors: absorb magic to have a variety of effects (energy blasts, overcharging nearby horrors to attack more or keep fighting after death) Cobolt Horrors: Siege engines and troop carriers (can burrow through the ground) Bronze horrors: generate electric fields and specialized for underwater use.

[@moonringXD]

I wonder if clock work horror could use slimes as some kind of livestock to transform useless organic materials into more useful stuff for them? 🤔

[@richmendelson8194]

Don't give them any ideas

[@TheCrimsonElite666]

Watch them become the Bydo from R-Type.

[@sanguiniusonvacation1803]

Flies by their homeworld , dumping off a hold full of Rust Monsters .

[@lelduck6388]

Mmm yeah. Except gold doesn’t rust.

[@lelduck6388]

Nor does platinum either.

[@fakeandgay9592]

@@lelduck6388 true but that would massively reduce their population unless they have found a way to turn rust back into iron/steel

[@sanguiniusonvacation1803]

@@lelduck6388 I think a RM will still eat it regardless of metal type.

[@lelduck6388]

@@fakeandgay9592 it probably would seriously frick them up. But it wouldn’t make them extinct all on its own.

[@zeroexmachina]

Great timing. I'm running a horde campaign called troll force delta and one of the enemy factions are called normiez which I had started as self replicating warforged from a race that built them to combat the orcish spores infecting the planet but the creators were destroyed in the early days of the war. The other faction are elves called Jerriez that maintain a foothold on the world of trollforce 🔺️

[@omega311888]

WE ARE THE BORG.... RESISTANCE IS FUTILE. they also remind me of the replicators from SG-1

[@antwan1357]

I remember my very first main creature I owned was a clockwork avian. Mostly because everyone else mostly used black magic. Clockwork creatures are immune to diseases and being turned into zombies. And my creature could fly which was an added bonus

[@frankalphonso268]

Thus got my brain juices sloshing on an idea mimicking the crash of Atropus into Toril and all the premonitions that come along with that type of event, only replace them with the orderly events here and a lead in to eventual invasion of toril by the clockwork horrors

[@schonlingg.wunderbar2985]

The implications of steel horrors are really horrifying, considering how much more common iron as an element really is.

[@zyph2001]

Really makes me wonder about the properties of crystalline wood.

[@recursiveslacker7730]

Von Neumann grey goo apocalypse monsters? What a nightmare.

[@Pyre]

@29:30 you created the warning signs for an Elder Evils-grade apocalyptic event. Nice.

[@allenridenour1826]

Kinda want to make an artificer now who had a dream about one of these automatons and is going through a campaign trying to recreate it

[@bluecollarcanuck]

We need Gnomish artificers to work on some sort of EMP bomb to deal with the Horrors.

[@pouncerlion4022]

Funny, I was just looking for my old Clockwork horrors from Spelljammer. I was remembering that, like many other Spelljammer critters these were based on another Sci-fi series. CH are analogs of the Daleks from Doctor Who. I had just remembered the unused Dalek designs from the Paul McGann movie and thought a 5e update using elements from those unused Dalek designs would be cool.

[@thatoneguy9615]

I imagine they'd use titanium to mine volcanic areas since they might be able to endure it. What might a mithril horror be? A limited spellcaster/researcher? Stealthy assassin, the strength and lightness of mithril letting it be far smaller and spindly compared to other horrors to better hide and disorganize resistance with it's carefully selected kills...

[@Harrowed2TheMind]

What about an orichalcum horror which would be their specialized 'spellcaster' units? Having several spell-like abilities that would help their colony, such as Fabricate, Make Whole or other Repair series spells, Shrink Item, perhaps Create Minor/Major Object, Heat/Chill Metal, electricity-based spells, etc.

[@thatoneguy9615]

@@Harrowed2TheMind Fitting. I like to think that the level of spell they can cast would be limited even with centuries of study in exchange for having more spell slots of lower levels. Fits with their emphasis on numbers and to prevent the corruption that can come from some magics from harming the collective too much. Frankly I almost want to go through the periodic table and start listing ideas for every metal horror. Maybe a flying horror made from aluminum. A horror alloyed with mercury to poison all life it comes into contact with, and more...

[@samsamsamsamsamanilla5281]

Love these little buggers! I always pictured them sacking a dragon hoard with the dragon not being able to destroy them fast enough, then it's broke

[@cameronpearce5943]

I wonder if using a hoard of Slaad could be used to disrupt the power source of the hoard. Like opening a portal directly next to the spawning stone above the heart of the swarm and using the clashing planar energies to cancel each other out... or explode

[@nyarparablepsis4548]

D&D Cybermen! Sold. Your homebrew additions to the lore are amazing, I particularly like the planar energy saturation and its effect and the involvement of the Rilmani.

[@HiopX]

Star Gate replicators are a better comparison than Borg. Netherless a Von Neumann probe gone rogue is a classic in Sci Fi so there are lots of other example. Men of Iron (WH40k), Reapers (Mass Effect), Cylons (Battlestar Galactica), Xenon (X-series), the Goo (Grey Goo) ...

[@nullpoint3346]

Although these guys _are_ based on Daleks, Stargate's Replicators are the closest thing I see in pop culture. I miss Stargate.

[@nullpoint3346]

And if enough gather the world slowly becomes a video game, eh? Also they'd love living is a Factorio simulation.

[@C0b4ltN1nj4]

How is the adamantine horror not just scuttling around every minute of every day activating new clockwork horrors and keeping old ones charged? Especially if they're spread across multiple crystal spheres it's never made sense that only the adamantine horror can activate/recharge clockwork horrors. Unless clockwork horrors just retreat every month while the adamantine horror spends weeks to months scuttling around multiple planets and eventually multiple spheres recharging its entire army.

[@moonringXD]

Excellent video as always Aj! Also what the best way to fight against a clock work horror?

[@zifnabdragoon]

breed rust monsters or inform orange dragons(think thier breath weapon is oxidizing) that they are coming for the hoard

[@That80sGuy1972]

@@zifnabdragoon Most AD&D players forget the Rust Monster's rust ability is not limited to "metals that can rust", at least it was not limited to that in my day. Rust Monster's rust-into-dust disintegration thing affected ANY metal... pretty much the only thing that COULD rust gold and the AD&D special metals.

[@johntheherbalistg8756]

Awesome critter. My players will not thank you for making this video, but I'm sure glad you did

[@palehorseman8386]

The first rule of making an AI. Keep it simple, keep it dumb or you'll end up under Skynet's thumb - Isaac Arthur

[@gavinbillings6535]

These remind me of replicators from stargate to an uncanny extent

[@AJPickett]

Yep, but just a tad more interesting with the different types.

[@scorpiovenator_4736]

Evil Ai taken to another level

[@Insane-Howl-Cowl]

I like to imagine a group of insane druids summoning these creatures to wipe out a civilization, thinking they would not go after the forests and nature, and then things going horribly wrong.

[@andresmarrero8666]

How about a group of clever druids hacking these things with vines and fungi essentially turning them into Blights?

[@matthewbennett1972]

Or they start making versions of themselves out of ....... flesh

[@andresmarrero8666]

@@matthewbennett1972 doesn't sound very compatible for their inner workings.

[@matthewbennett1972]

@@andresmarrero8666 gears can de made of bone. If they were on a planet with very little metal I think it would be the logical conclusion

[@andresmarrero8666]

@@matthewbennett1972 it would be better to extract the calcium. Unfortunately carbon and silicon based systems are just vastly different in how they function. Using bone in such a fashion will cause rapid wear and tear which means that they will be breaking down faster than usual. Couple that with cellular decay and the fact that they are edible now and it doesn't add up to being a good idea. They could possibly make it work but their function and creation were made with metal in mind not flesh, not to mention that they have now become biological life.

[@burningbronze7555]

also, these are interesting I have had ideas for similar monsters but from a radically different source.

[@adammiller8617]

Interesting how the 3e & later lore changed some subtle details about clockwork horrors, such as not including the silvers (which were official in 2e) and added the links to Mechanicus. If horrors are getting energy from Mechanicus, then how do they navigate the Phlogiston, I wonder. That aside, IIRC Jeff Grubb confirmed in an article a while ago that Clockwork Horrors are the daleks of the SJ setting, if you need further inspiration. Pretty good video.

[@ethanholden6299]

Reminds me of the Vex from Destiny, hivemind constructs working towards the same goal are always cool!

[@brianh4880]

The replecators? I think two of my favorite things just got mixed and i couldn't be happier. Thanks for the great video. Any ideas on human form clockwork horrors?

[@AJPickett]

You mean Warforged? :D

[@jaredjohnson8200]

Have you thought about doing a dive into the differences between psionics and magic through the editions?

[@AJPickett]

I've thought about it.

[@Tencelas]

You could modify these guys to have some sort of inborn protection from axiomatic powers if you wanted to remove the silly ‘they are allergic to water’ type weakness these guys have for immediately entering any place involving chaos

[@Ghastly_Grinner]

I love clockwork creatures There is a Gnomish nation in my setting that most of their civilisation is built around clock works and warforged think 16th century Netherlands but clock works instead of windmills I love sending parties into the gnomish cities having them interact with clockwork guards who have phonographs in their chest that have them giving off random information ...and paid advertisements or when the party or an allied NPC inevitably piss off the gnomish powers that be having a clockwork assassin be smuggled in all disassembled in shipments of trade goods to the gnomish embassy then be sent out to deal with them every time the guys at kobold press put out a new book I hope for a good new clockwork or two

[@bullroarer-took]

The opening music reminds me of Enya. Great video as always, AJ

[@cameronpearce5943]

I really like the Rilmani. I wanna make stats for them in 5e, and maybe have like a TIefling/Aasimar equivelent for them

[@josephbendoski4305]

It seems like everything comes from D&D, or perhaps D&D has everything. These remind me of the dwemer spider things in Skyrim.

[@AJPickett]

This is correct, D&D is the source of all things, except when it is not.

[@jacobvardy]

I'm melting down all nearby metal for the 'tube algorithm.

[@victorvaldez8869]

I've thought of a cross between the Clockwork Horrors & the Warforged for the Eberron setting. Unlike the Clockwork Horrors only one individual is capable of making new Warforged but all of her Warforged "children" bring her supplies to do so. This Warforged calls itself simply Mother, & is so large it is better described as a mobile intelegent fortress than merely a character. On Eberron Warforged are creations of House Cannith built for a war that recently ended as such they search for meaning, & one Warforged wanted to experience something all the biological races take for granted, parenthood. As such it modified it's body after finding & repairing a Genesis Engine that Hous Cannith used to create Warforged, it incorporated it into itself. Large as a city & filled with her Warforged children she seeks material resources to bring more babies into the world, motherhood is both beautiful & terrifying. The Warforged created by "Mother" are just as free willed as any other, but most do feel the same kind of affection one does towards a parent towards Mother. The Clockwork Horrors also seem simmilar to the spiritual Patter Spiders from Werewolf The Apocalypse, they function on a spiritual level, so in the physical world their handiwork looks like expanding civilizations, with more regimented rules, both written & unwritten. As you can imagine cities like New York, London, & Hong Kong are near impenetrable nests of Patter Spiders, binding anything natural & restricting the creative. The only other spirits that thrive in dense urban areas tend to be corruption & pollution spirits, which is why the werewolf tribes call them "Blights."

[@AJPickett]

Damn, that's almost enough to make me run an Eberron campaign.

[@brettonalwood4173]

Oohh a new guide collection. I can't wait to see what else you come up with.

[@ephidel285]

I used clockwork horrors extensively in a campaign I once ran. They were the vanguard from an ancient civilization and started reappearing from time capsules long buried by said civilization. The adamantine horror was encountered inert and damaged in a museum. The PCs managed to prevent the returning horrors from reactivating their leader.

[@P4RR4P4lp]

id rather get punched by a living star constellation

[@andresmarrero8666]

Surprising on how there isn't a constellation realm yet.

[@bjarnivalur6330]

Fun fact there: There exist a clockwork based global navigation system, I have no idea how it works (allegedly records the time of day and locates you based on the stars but idk) and this whole thing could fit in a briefcase. Really makes you think of what could be possible with clockwork and automata.

[@dahelmang]

This is the sort of otherworldly threat the gem dragons spend their time fighting right?

[@AJPickett]

yes.

[@nickpossum3607]

I know everyone keep saying they are like the Replicaters. But to me, they remind me more of Daleks. They are an ever marching army and they EXTERMINATE all organic life with beam like blasts.

[@nullvoid4063]

Very well done AJ. I think this would be a fun encounter to run. Creatures that are utterly callous in their disregard for their own safety, yet strategic and farsighted enough to bring about the ruin of entire worlds. Thanks AJ!

[@danieldavis6288]

Interesting Apocalypse theme idea...they reproduce so incessantly that they actually threaten to subsume Mechanus into the Prime Material.

[@Bl4ckDr4co]

Wow, really going hard on spelljammer huh?

[@AJPickett]

Not by plan, I thought I have made a video on this earlier, so, I am just completing a chapter, more or less...

[@Bl4ckDr4co]

I just find it amusing since I literally just finished making a 5e statblock for these. And does this mean we can expect a video about 500 mile long dragons soon?

[@TheCrimsonElite666]

I wonder if you've done a video on Duergar? Given how in 5e, they're becoming the Forgotten Realms equivalent of the Dwemer and I feel that they're seriously underrated as a faction. According to Mordekainen's Tome of Foes, they're in the process of mastering robotics that are powered by their psionic power, to the point where they've successfully built robots that use a Duergar as a living engine (Hammerer and Screamer) and they've even created cybernetics for their rulers (Duergar Despot). They're also getting to a point where they're about to create conventional firearms, as the Duergar Xarrorn uses a fire lance as their weapon, which is the ancestor of all firearms in the real world. Because of these advancements and their well-built fortresses, Mordekainen believes that they are actually getting in a strong enough position to potentially conquer the Underdark if uncontested. Now that we have Armourer Artificers, it wouldn't surprise me if they started building power armour next and become such an advanced faction that they rival Lantan in technology while becoming a Warhammer 40k-like civilisation.

[@AJPickett]

I have a video on them.

[@That80sGuy1972]

@@AJPickett The "Diggy Hole" song is now playing in my head.

[@llewelynshingler2173]

In 4e, these were considered a form of Demon. While it makes sense that you didn't mention this, 4e seems infamous for making monsters using the names of old critters and no other links. That said, would it make sense that a Demon Lord would try to capture some of these creatures and get promptly eaten by them?

[@agsilverradio2225]

A robot demon? That's weird, because typically constructs in d&d are lawful, while demons are chaotic-evil.

[@AJPickett]

Retrievers.

[@ryanulrich2147]

Yay!! These things are horrifying!

[@shadowmetroid18]

I really love this idea of absolute law run amok causing ambient regional weirdness. My campaign's ultimate villain is an aberrant being of ultimate order known as the Stagnation- this would be an excellent way to herald his arrival.

[@Kormelev]

Numbers matter to an extent. But in the D&D mythos numbers quickly cease to be a factor. The moment that clockwork horrors try to mess with a world where a god of metallurgy is highly active and that would be the end of them. The problem with lawful hordes is they are all based on the same things; the same flaw will be exploitable for all. The D&D mythos is just too big for something this simple to succeed in becoming a multiversal threat. I do wonder if they would avoid the Dark Sun campaign world, Athas, or mistakenly go there. Only to regret it later, if they are capable of feeling regret. To me they are a bit of a silly concept. There are already horde concepts that wish to devour reality in all manner of ways, this one doesn't pose anything meaningfully new. Perhaps if their relationship with Mechanus wasn't so one-sided. If a power there was using them for some means then that may be interesting. I think they could be interesting in hinting at things for the PCs by FAILING to invade a world. Perhaps the incursion point was the mount lair of a great wyrm red dragon and all the horrors melt down into slag on arrival. The mountain one day is coated in melted metal and no one is really sure why.

[@yamatohekatsue9143]

Dude a pack of rust monsters can just about wipe out the horrors

[@dpme3fan193]

Sorry for asking stupid or random questions but my knowledge of d&d is somewhat limited my time playing neverwinter nights 1&2, the expanded 3.5 player handbook and what I remember reading in 4.0 player handbook. Also, if I dont ask a question when I think of it I forget. But I do have a question that's been bothering me. Wizards & sorcerers using polymorph spells, 3.5 warlocks in nwn2 learning "word of charge" invocation to turn into a horned devil & druids using shapeshifting is pretty common knowledge. Is there a risk of a humanoid spellcaster losing themselves in a transformation? Wizards & sorcerers could polymorph into dragons or balors, in nwn, and druids are known for changing into elementals and animals. All these transformations have strong natural instincts. Is it possible for a humanoid caster who shapeshifts or polymorphs too much or an apprentice who is unprepared be overwhelmed by the transformation? And can they start to have a personality change because of polymorphing or shapeshifting too much based of their most used transformations? And if so is it something all humanoid spellcasters that shapeshift or polymorph have to worry about or is based on the casters sense of self?

[@AJPickett]

No. However David Eddings Belgariad books feature that danger, you might enjoy reading them :)

[@TheodoreMinick]

Well, there is the distinct danger of a polymorphed target eventually losing their selves in the mindset of the creature, but it takes a very long time. Weeks or months, maybe even years. It's only really a danger if someone uses true polymorph to turn a victim into something with less sense of self than they originally had... If I were doing this in my game, I would make it a charisma save, based on the original charisma score of the polymorphed character, with failure resulting in losing a point of charisma, until it degrades to the score of the creature you're polymorphed into, at which point you *are* that creature.

[@rachnussouldrinkerlibraria5640]

For a moment I thought it said "Glockwork" and not "Clockwork"

[@AJPickett]

You my friend, may have had a little too much America today. :D

[@rachnussouldrinkerlibraria5640]

@@AJPickett considering that I'm a warlock who assaults his patron in order to gain power i would day I'm positively drowning in "Murica"