Clockwork Spy

Clockwork Spy

Creature -1

Perception +8; low-light vision

Skills Acrobatics +5

Str –1, Dex +3, Con +0, Int –5, Wis +2, Cha +0

Record Audio The clockwork spy records all sounds within 25 feet onto a small gemstone worth 1 gp embedded in its body. The clockwork spy can record up to 1 hour of sound on a single gemstone. Once it begins recording, it can’t cease recording early, nor can it record onto a gemstone that already contains a recording. Some clockwork spies contain multiple gemstones to allow for a series of recordings. Since clockwork spies are not intelligent, they must be given simple commands regarding when to start recording sounds. A clockwork spy can differentiate between different kinds of creatures but not between specific individuals.

The spy can start or stop playback of recorded sound by spending a single action. Removing a gemstone from or installing a gemstone into a clockwork spy requires a successful DC 14 Thievery check to Disable a Device; on a failure, the gemstone is undamaged, but any recorded sounds are erased and the gemstone still can’t be used to make another recording.

Wind-Up 24 hours, DC 14, standby

AC 17; Fort +2, Ref +7, Will +4

HP 8; Immunities death effects, disease, doomed, drained, fatigued, healing, mental, necromancy, nonlethal attacks, paralyzed, poison, sickened, unconscious; Weaknesses electricity 2, orichalcum 2

Self-Destruct A clockwork spy must use this reaction unless specifically programmed otherwise by its creator; Trigger The clockwork spy is reduced to 0 Hit Points; Effect The spy thrashes around and emits a tinny scream followed by a steady ticking sound. At the beginning of what would have been its next turn, the clockwork spy explodes, dealing 1d10 piercing damage in a 5-foot radius (DC 16 basic Reflex save). Its gemstone is destroyed, along with any information contained inside it.

An adjacent creature can cancel the self-destruct sequence by succeeding at a DC 16 Thievery check to Disable a Device.

Speed 25 feet, fly 25 feet

Melee spherical body +7 (finesse), Damage 1d6–1 bludgeoning

Clockwork Spy

Engineers, technologists, and mechanically gifted wizards employ clockwork spies—tiny, spiderlike constructs capable of recording and playing back audio—to surreptitiously surveil their enemies or steal secrets from competitors. Their spindly bodies and delicate components make them unsuitable for combat; in fact, most builders construct clockwork spies with a self-destruct mechanism to ensure the spies’ meddling can’t be traced back to them.