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SStteam aneam and d SStteeeella ga guiduide te to fanto fantasy stasy steameamwwoorrksks

by Christopher Allen

First Electronic Release - June 11 2004 - version 1.0

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IInnttrroodduuccttiioonn 22Steam Technology in a Fantasy Setting 2Effects of Introducing Steam Tech 6Steam Power Styles 12CCrreeaattiinngg aanndd UUssiinngg SStteeaammwwoorrkkss 1166Maintaining Steamwork Devices 21

Malfunctions Table 19Creating Steamwork Devices 21Feats 22EEnnggiinneess ooff SStteeaamm 2266MMaatteerriiaallss aanndd CCrraaffttmmaannsshhiipp 3377TToooollss ooff tthhee TTrraaddee 4400Equipment 40Weapons of War 54Personal Protection 60EEddiiffiicceess ooff MMiigghhtt 6644PPrroosstthheettiiccss 7733Prosthetic Upgrades 79Prosthetics and Magical Healing 80BBeeaassttss ooff SStteeeell - CCoonnssttrruuccttss 8822Alchemists Hound 82Automaton 83Behemoth 85Eviscerator 87Living Steel 88Iron Juggernaut 89Iron Shroud 90Manservant 91Mechanized Creature 92Scorpion Sentinel 92Siege Sentinel 94Slaughterer 94

Spider Sentinel 95Steel Sentinel 96Stalker 96Steam Wurm 97Steam Spirit 99Steamwork Creature 99Steamwork Lich 100Zealot 102BBeeaassttss ooff SStteeeell - VVeehhiicclleess 110033Vehicle Upgrades 103Copter 106Copter, Dragonfly 106Dirigible 107Dirigible, Personal 108Steam Train 108Steam Ship 110IronClad 110Steam Wagon 111Submersible 111Tunneller 112PPrreessttiiggee CCllaasssseess 111133Balloonist 113Inspired Inventor 114Mechanist 116Metalworker 117Steel Knight 119SSppeellllss 112211AAppppeennddiixx 112244Legal 126

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SStteam aneam and d SStteeeellby Christopher Allen

Layout & ProductionM Jason Parent

Art DirectionDenise Robinson

Cover DesignM Jason Parent

Interior ArtAnthony “Squidhead” Monorchio

Nathan BoydDavid Hamilton

Benjamin D Richards

Page DesignDenise Robinson

Imagine a world where the magic of fantasyand the power of science is thrown together tocreate and exciting new mixture of the

eldritch and the mechanical. Industrializing citiesspread and grow, becoming cityscapes of roofsand chimneys, vents and smokestacks, smokepluming upwards from the incessant toil of hun-dreds of smithies and alchemists and factories.Mechanics and arcane engineers assemble mightybeasts of steel, designing armoured constructs totake to the field of battle and ironclad vehicles totravel far and wide. Elves seek to defend theboundaries of their ancestral lands from the bur-geoning cultures around them, bringing theiradvanced technology, magic and skill to bearagainst their foes, fighting from graceful flyingairships and wielding blades and armour aug-mented by steamwork power. Dwarves delvedeeper than ever before in their mines with mas-sive drilling machines, their fortresses sportingmassive chimneys to gout forth the fumes of athousand machines forging weapons of war. Evilgoblin necromancers craft sinister and deadly warmachines that feed off the souls of the dead to fueltheir engines, darkening the skies above theirhordes with the smoke of burning corpses. Theclergy of a machine cult spread their word far andwide, bringing with them new technologies andcrafting steel prosthetics to replace weak flesh andblood. Turmoil and change grips a land that isundergoing the transition from feudal and ancientcultures to dynamic and powerful industrialnations.

This guide is aimed to allow a DungeonMaster to take a more conventional fantasy

setting, a campaign rich with fantasticbeasts and exotic magic, and to inte-

grate the marvels of steam technol-

ogy into it to create a world like that describedabove - one made exciting from the opportunitiesto be had from the power and possibilities ofsteamworks.

Steam & Steel presents rules and ideas for aDM wishing to incorporate steam technologyinto their campaign setting, however much or lit-tle they may desire. From small everyday steam-work devices to the massive machines employedby heavy industries, to steamwork prostheticsand deadly constructs, this guide presents aframework of rules that cover many differentforms of steam technology, and explores the pos-sibilities of meshing magic with machinery to geta unique feel for a fantasy world. As well as rules,Steam & Steel covers the impact that steam tech-nology has in a setting, on a wider scale than justthe items that adventurers can get their hands on,delving into the effects and ramifications of thechanges that advancing technology brings aboutand the advance of industrialization.

This section of Steam & Steel is devoted toexploring a number of the ideas andthemes behind the use of steam technolo-

gy in a fantasy setting. It covers the basic princi-ples by which steamwork devices operate, and themanners in which steam power can be exploited.It also investigates how to integrate steam tech-nology into a fantasy setting, covering the addi-

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IntrIntrodoductiuctioonn

SStteam Team Technechnoollogogyyin a in a

FantFantasy Seasy Settinttingg

tional aspects that it brings to a campaign and theimpact that steam power has on the societies andcultures that it is brought to.

How does steam power work?

Steam power works on a relatively simplebasis. Any piece of steam-powered technol-ogy is based around a boiler engine, which

heats up the water within its system to boilingpoint. The water then becomes steam and movesaround the system under pressure. Various meth-ods of harnessing this movement are available,depending on what the designer of the machinehad in mind when creating it.

By harnessing the steam engine to pistons andgears, translating the energy of the steam intomechanical movement, an iron-shod war con-

struct could be given motility,with mechanisms moving itsarmoured legs and giving itsstrikes bone-shatteringstrength. The same enginedesign could be put to use driv-ing a massive rock drill deep inthe bowels of a dwarven coalmine reaching far underground.With the use of simple turbinesand generators a steam enginecould even create electricity,bringing power to a wizard'sarcane lab or a personal staticgenerator incorporated in a suitof steamwork armour. In a fan-tasy setting where magic can bemelded with machinery, thepossibilities are limited only byyour capacity for imagination.Steam powered constructs, fly-ing machines, suits of armourand even more bizarre andexotic devices such as steam-powered prosthetics are all pos-sible when magic is taken intoaccount.

Steam technology does haveinnate disadvantages; limita-tions brought about by thedependency on a steam enginethat such a device has. The

boiler must be kept heated to make sure that theflow of steam through the system continuesunabated, and in any conventional fuel-burningengine this means that the fire must be kept burn-ing. If the fire were to go out, the boiler wouldsimply cool down, the steam all recondensingback into water, and as a result steam powerdemands a constant stream of fuel being fed in.The furnace of such an engine is vulnerable too,and needs to be protected lest it be put out. Ofcourse, in a fantasy setting far more exotic formsof steam engines are possible such as mysticalarcane engines powered only by eldritch cur-rents of magic, and dark necromanticengines that feed not from coal or oilbut from the souls of the living.These types of engines may not

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a Guide to Fantasy Steamworksa Guide to Fantasy Steamworks

have the same problems as more conventionalengines but they often are far more expensive andcomplex to create, and may well have their owndrawbacks.

Steam engines also need plenty of mainte-nance. Burning fuels creates grime and fumeswhich can cause pipes and working parts to seizeup or build up too much pressure. The steamflowing through the system takes its own toll onmachine parts, and leakage's and steam escapingare common problems. Mechanisms need oilingand cleaning to ensure they continue to work atoptimum efficiency. The more exotic forms ofsteamwork device need appropriately morebizarre forms of maintenance, such as attendingto arcane rituals or speaking the appropriateprayers every day. Keeping a steamwork device incondition is a messy task that usually involvesplenty of grime and oil, as well as a decent knowl-edge and understanding of just how the wholemachine works. Those with little skill in main-taining steamworks will soon find that theirdevices are quick to break or fail. Since steam-works are often prone to breakdowns, malfunc-tions and steam venting it can also be more thana little dangerous to work around them, especial-ly those employed in heavy industries where get-ting caught up in a machine can prove crippling orfatal.

How much steam power tointroduce into a setting?

When considering how much steampower and technology to introduceinto a fantasy setting, it really all

comes down to how much do you want to intro-duce? It is easily possible to tailor it so that thereis as little or as much steam technology in a cam-paign as is desired.

Steamworks could be incredibly rare, perhapsfound only in the ruins of a now dead culturefrom the distant past, with the present era beingone in which understanding and knowledge of

arcane steam engines has been lost.Alternatively, steamwork devices might be

examples of the technological advance-ment of some far-off society, only

the occasional specimen making

its way via trade or theft to the areas where thefocus of the campaign takes place. Steamworksmight be the handiwork of a guild of mechanicmages that carefully guards their hard-wonknowledge of machinery and whose creationsonly rarely come into the hands of outsiders.

On the other hand, a setting might be rich inexamples of the melding of steam science and fan-tastic concepts. Steamwork constructs might becrafted to do the heavy industrial work of facto-ries and transport, or even designed to fight thewars of nations and religions. The followers of adeity of machines might take it as their task tospread the word of steam power, progress andindustrialisation. Steam power could well be amatter of common knowledge if encountered on adaily basis by people of all levels of society.

A fantasy setting can feature any amount ofsteam technology you wish, from just a fewexamples scattered here and there in an otherwiseconventionally medieval fantasy campaign, tototal saturation of everyday life in a world of highsteam-power. However much you include, thepresence of steam power will have a definiteimpact.

Adding steamworks to a pre-existing fantasy setting

Fantasy settings commonly seem to be quitestatic in their levels of cultural and techno-logical advancement. Ancient cities and

nations change little over hundreds of years, withgreat monolithic institutions like religions, guilds,and royal lines of descent keeping a lock on soci-eties. There is little active progress in the develop-ment of new scientific disciplines or advance-ments in pre-existing ones.

There are plenty of arguments as to why this isa perfectly valid setting. Long-lived races likeelves are naturally conservative and slow toprogress, since their understanding of the mean-ing of time and urgency are quite different tothose with shorter lives who face death within amere century. Even for species like humans, rela-tively fast breeding and short-lived compared tosome more ancient races, the push to achieve anddiscover is abated by the presence of magic.Advances in medicine and biological sciences

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Steam &Steam & SteelSteel

hardly seem worth the effort when a divine spell-caster can simply cast some healing spells. Thisdominance of magic also serves to entrenchorganisations of spellcasters as conservative ele-ments in a society, quite possibly opposed to tech-nological progress.

Nonetheless, not all fantasy settings need be asstatic and locked as this, and a DM can add steam-works to a pre-existing fantasy campaign to givemore of a feel that it is alive and slowly changing.Science does not need to be totally obliterated byspellcasting and magic. Those with inspired andinquisitive minds will always seek to understandthe world around them just a little bit better,pushing back the boundaries of knowledge. Sagesand scholars can be quite active in pursuing linesof research into the sciences.

Elements of steam technology can be intro-duced into a fantasy campaign in three differentways.

Natural Development

Slowly but surely, steam technology beginsto be developed. Inventors, alchemists andscholars discover how to build simple steam

engines, using them for a number of purposes ona small scale. Here and there examples of steam-work devices appear, strange and new machines,and before long steam technology is a new revolu-tion spreading faster as knowledge of how tobuild the engines is disseminated amongst sages,guilds and governments. This is simply a naturalprogression of science, and is often accompaniedby discoveries in other fields such as gunpowderand chemistry.

Alien Culture

In this case, a pre-existing culture or society inthe setting discovers steam power, but it doesnot spread and is not taken up by other cul-

tures. The sorcerers of a tyrannical nation mightdiscover how to craft necromantic engines, build-ing sinister constructs to keep the populace in lineand to subjugate those around them. Strangemonstrous scientists from a far-off land mightbuild weird arcane steamworks to serve them andperform their manual labour. In this case, steamtechnology appears as some odd, unique form of

magic to everyone else. How it works is either asecret or simply incomprehensible to those out-side the culture that possesses steam power.

Outside Influence

Afantasy setting might well be brought outof a technological rut by some outsideinfluence. Steam spirits (see Beasts of

Steel, below), perhaps working for someunknown power or perhaps on the request of aprogress-minded deity from the setting's pan-theon, might be responsible for a sudden rash oftechnological breakthroughs and discoveries thatsweep across a land, bringing grand newmachines into common use. Of course it isunlikely that anyone realizes it is the work ofsteam spirits, and most native scholars and sagesof the setting would simply assume that it was acase of natural development and not outside influ-ence. Alternatively, some plane-spanning cultureor organisation that walks between worlds mightpay a visit. This could be in the form of a friend-ly delegation, giving as a gift the knowledge ofsteam technology, or it could be in the form of abrutal, ravaging invasion. In the aftermath thesurvivors would piece back together their old soci-eties as well as incorporating the new sciencesthat the invaders brought with them.

Creating a steamwork setting

As well as taking a pre-existing fantasy set-ting and introducing steamwork technolo-gy to it, it is quite possible to instead build

a new setting in which steamworks are already anintegral part of the feel and flavour of the world.Steamworks do not need to be omnipresent inevery part of the world, and indeed it is oftenmore interesting to restrict it to only some of thesocieties and cultures present so as to provide acontrast with the less technologically progressivenations and races. The advantage of incorporatingnations in which steam technology is already wellestablished is that it allows the campaign toexplore and experience some of the issues anddevelopments that arise from the impactthat steam power can have.

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Society

Depending on how much steam technologyyou introduce, the societies of the fantasysetting can potentially be affected to a

significant degree - this is especially true if youare adding steam technology to a pre-existing fan-tasy setting. In general, fantasy settings oftenrevolve around concepts and ideas based on realworld medieval life and steam power can clashwith some of these concepts. Importantly, a gen-eral introduction of steam power to a societymeans that no longer is it limited by the workingpower of either men or beasts - metal is farstronger than flesh, and steamwork automata areuntiring and uncomplaining servants. This is oneof the major factors that cause industrialisation(see below).

Introducing only small amounts of steam tech-nology is unlikely to have a major impact on howa society works, but in this kind of situationsteam-powered devices could well prove symbolsof status, wealth, or membership of a sect or fac-tion who have the knowledge of how to createsteamworks. The appearance of new sects andfactions is one particularly likely social change,because steam technology can alter the way peo-ple look at the world around them. New cults canarise that worship - or despise - technology, suchas a cult of mechanists (see Paths of Power,below) who fervently believe that replacing fleshand blood with metal and machinery is the nextstep towards enlightenment.

Greater amounts of steam-power in a settingcan have all sorts of other side effects as well,quite often including a myriad of smaller and lessworld-shaking changes but ones that can herald

further changes in a society or culture. Forinstance, hot, running water might sudden-

ly become commonly available, since it isa cheap side-product of steam-pow-

ered processes and steam engines

themselves are eminently suitable for the task ofpumping it around. This massively improveshygiene, allowing anyone who can afford runningwater the possibility of washing themselves inrelatively clean water regularly and easily, and aculture might begin to put more emphasis on theimportance of individual cleanliness and hygiene.Running water around a city and an increase inhygiene opens the doors for massive populationgrowth and creates a draw to cities,bringing in people and furtherpreparing the way for industriali-sation. Hospitals and other med-ical establishments suddenlybecome far more effective whenthey have safe, fresh water on tap.

The introduction of new formsof steam-powered transport canalso cause a revolution in the fieldof travel. Steam trains make haul-ing bulk cargoes of raw materialsor people around the countryside afar faster and more efficientoption. Steam-ships make travel-ling the oceans a less dangerousand more modernised affair, espe-cially with steam engines herald-ing the creation of ironclad sea-craft. A society might inhabitrugged lands that are difficult totraverse and so create airships anddirigibles. An elven society that isunwilling to tear through theforests it guards just to lay downtrain tracks might well do thesame, crafting elegant sky-craftthat are an identifying emblemwhen they travel to foreign lands.

These and all sorts of other pos-sibilities can arise. The mostimportant difference to magic in the way thatsteam technology can affect a society is that tech-nology is in the hands of everyone, while few arecapable of mastering the arcane or divine arts.Magic only really benefits small sections of thepopulation, whereas steam technology can havefar-reaching social implications because its effectsrun through all the strata of a society.

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Steam &Steam & SteelSteelThThe Effects of e Effects of

IntrIntrododucinucing Sg StteameamTTechnechnoollogogiesies

HumansHumans are a

species with thekind of ingenuityand curiosity to

create steam tech-nology, but how it

is receiveddepends very

much on the socie-ty in question. Ingeneral they arequick to embracesteamworks and

all the new possi-bilities they pro-vide, but it must

be noted thathuman culturescan also be the

ones most opposedto change and

progress. Usuallythough it is the

human race whichthrows up themost inspired,inventive and

driven scientistsand engineers.

Industrialisation

Perhaps the most significantchange that can potentiallyarise from the introduction

of steam power is industrialisa-tion, the ramifications of whichcause great social and economicdevelopment. A fantasy society orculture could potentially remainstatic even after steamworks and machines hadbeen brought into use, especially if steam technol-ogy remained a rare and uncommon thing. Ifhowever the use of steamworks grows and isexploited, it is more likely that industries wouldbegin to flourish. The mechanical means availableto industries such as steelworks and textile facto-ries far exceed the previous possibilities offeredby only manual labour, with lines of heavy steam-work machinery far outstripping previous pro-duction rates. Such businesses could quicklyexpand and bring wealth to their owners, creatingmore jobs with their growing success.

This process of industrialisation brings with ita pull on the country population to cities. In thecountryside, new methods of agricultural practiceimprove the crop and foodstuffs output there.This may partly result from improved adminis-trative methods such as 3- or 4-field crop rotationand the absorption of smallholdings into fewerbut larger farms, but it also results from the use ofsteamwork machines and pumps to improve theefficiency of agricultural work. This in turnresults in fewer jobs being available for the coun-tryside population (although the effects are miti-gated in an agricultural environment where ani-mal herds are central to farming) and so they areinstead drawn to the cities where the burgeoningindustries offer new opportunities and vocations.Of course life in the city is not always as good asthose travelling there might hope, especially in asteampunk setting.

Greater distinctions arise between social class-es as a result of industrialisation. A growingworking class of labourers and mechanics createsa lower stratum of society. The success of indus-try may create a new elite of successful business-men that begins to push out the old nobility andbarons from the corridors of power.

Alternatively, and quite likely in a fantasy set-ting, it is the ruling classes and the institutions ofreligions, spellcasters and guilds that are likely tokeep hold of power. The gap between the workingclass and the upper class can be even furtherwidened if race or species differentiates those inpower from those they rule. In a land where elvesown all the factories and uphold the law over theirdwarf and human subjects, social classes becomeextremely emphasised. This is even more truewith more exotic species in command, such as aroyal family made up of half-fiends or half-celes-tials, a cabal of night hags, or a family of dragons.The growth of distinct classes also allows for thedevelopment of a new middle class of profession-als, such as physicians, merchants and perhapseven arcane spellcasters in a society in which theyare not dominant.

Industrialisation brings with it considerableeconomic growth of the society in question. Withmassively enhanced production capabilities andoften greatly increasing populations accompany-ing its development, an industrialising nationmight well begin to expand. This could be in theform of commercial growth, establishing newtrade routes and mercantile connections, or itcould well manifest as aggressive expansion andthe creation of an empire. An industrialisednation is often a power to be reckoned with, itsnew industries fuelling a powerful militarymachine that can bring other cultures under itssphere of influence. This can take the form of acrude relationship by which the subjugatednations have to pay in tribute - gold, raw materi-als, horses or other livestock, magical items orslaves depending on what demands are made andwhat the defeated nation is good at making. Ahuman empire that has conquered nearby goblintribes might demand slaves to work in the danger-ous conditions of its coal mines, while a dwarvenempire with little skill for its own magic that hasa kobold dominion might demand magical objectsfrom the sorcerously talented reptilians everyyear. Alternatively the rule might be a moreenlightened form, an empire aiming to createa harmonious collection of peoples thatshares its knowledge and technologywith those who come under itswing.

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Industrialisation also brings with it a great dealof social problems. The great rifts between socialclasses can be a source of great unrest, tension andoppression, especially if aggravated by lowerclasses having to live in squalor and bad condi-tions on low pay for their work, tightly packed inthe slums of a smog-filled cityscape. With con-ventional fuel-burning engines a society can cre-ate a great deal of pollution, filling the cities withsmog and grimy living conditions, acrid fumeseating into the lungs of those working their livesaway in factories and steelworks. Such a societywould also demand massive amounts of fuels andraw resources to support its growth, a frightening,devouring beast capable of levelling entire forestsand rending the precious resources of the earth upthrough mines that leave ragged scars over a land-scape. This can result in at the very least bad rela-tions if not outright war with those who considerthemselves the defenders of nature. Druids mightmount sustained sabotage campaigns againstbands of lumberjacks using steamwork automatato fell trees, or even try to rally the denizens ofthe forests to destroy entire settlements. Elvennations might take offence at the ugly destructionbeing dealt out by a human or dwarven nationintent on fuelling its furnaces, and go to war toprotect their woods and verdant lands. An indus-trialising society provides plenty of opportunitiesto explore the theme of man and machine againstnature, and to see whether they can exist togeth-er. Of course, a dragon might just get irritated bythe constant buzz of machinery and smell ofsmoke on the wind and go and level a city todemonstrate to the lesser races what happenswhen they get uppity and ideas above their sta-tion.

Steam technology in a society that is justbeginning to undergo industrialisation (or is evenwell into the process) is unlikely to be ofadvanced standards. It may well be unreliable,poorly constructed and quite possibly dangerousto work around, meaning industrial accidents andeven deaths could be a not uncommon occur-

rence. This can further the gap between thelower classes and the factory owners, as

well as adding to the dangers of living insuch a society.

Industrialisation brings with it both advan-tages and disadvantages to the culture undergoingthis process, which can give it a very distinctiveand unique flavour and feel. The steampunk style(see below) emphasises the themes of industriali-sation in particular.

War

If a nation suddenly gainsthe capability to fieldclanking, smog-belching

automata on the battlefieldagainst a rival who is still con-fined to more conventionaltroops, it definitely has theupper hand. Massive iron jug-gernauts can break up infantryformations just by charginginto them and sending terrifiedtroops running in fear. More heavily armouredthan a knight and more resilient too, they cancrush opposing melee troops and shrug off anymissile fire less powerful than siege weapons.This distinction that a force with steam powerhas is lessened in a fantasy setting where magic,monsters and exotic styles of warfare mean thatmachinery on the field of conflict is less of anoverpowering advantage. Nonetheless this doesnot mean that steam power should be discountedin a land with wizards and dragons.

Obviously the raw fighting power of steam-work constructs is something to be feared, withtheir strength far surpassing a normal man andtheir metal hides turning arrows and blades alikewith ease. Tacticians need to take into account thepositioning and behaviour of such mechanisedtroops, and develop new strategies to make themost of them. However steam power also bringsopportunities for steamwork armour andweapons, usually only to the elite troops of anindustrialising nation although a highly advancedcivilisation such as an ancient elven empire mightroutinely equip its warriors with such devices.Super-heavy armoured troops are able to rout ene-mies who are far superior to the common humansoldier and capable of shattering fortifications.

Improved communications and transport dueto steamwork devices also change the way that

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wars are fought, altering the entire manner inwhich an army does battle. Untiring constructscan march through conditions that are dauntingto more conventional troops. With steam trainsor dirigibles, a force becomes able to re-deploymuch faster, responding to changing military sit-

uations with greater flexibility.A nation can transport its troopsto and from the front line farfaster with trains, whilearmoured airships bring the bat-tle to the skies to protect groundtroops from aerial monsters andflying troops. Ironclad steamersbring about a new era of sea war-fare, changing the nature of navalengagements with their heavierarmour, greater number ofweapons, and the improvedmobility and lowered dependen-cy on the weather than a steamengine brings.

Of course all this technologyusually consumes a great deal offuel, and needs lots of mainte-nance, so tactics need to bechanged to account for it. Linesof supply bringing parts and fuelto the battlefield heighten inimportance, and they need to beprotected from assault by infil-trating enemy troops or spellcast-ers, or assaults from tunnellingor aerial foes. An army that doesnot itself field steamworks butfaces an enemy with such tech-nology will itself need to adapt in

order to be victorious. Sabotaging steamworkconstructs and methods of transport can becomean important new part of strategic warfare.

Magic

In a fantasy setting, steam technology can findin magic either its closest ally or its mostvehement opponent. Steam technology can

easily be made into either the antithesis of themagical arts, a discipline firmly rooted in the sci-entific and the logical, or most people might just

see it as 'another type of magic.'Given the disciplined and scholarly manner in

which wizards tend to pursue the arcane arts, thedivision between mages and scientists might bevery minor indeed. Arcane spellcasters could bethe primary creator of steamworks, engineeringcomplex arcane engines rather than conventionalfuel-burning devices, or they might just be thecreators of the more fantastical steamworkdevices in a setting where mechanics and steamtechnology is already common. In fact, spellcast-ers might be the guardians of scientific knowl-edge, ensuring that it is preserved and passeddown through specially formed mages guilds.

On the other hand, spellcasters could be theprimary form of opposition to the introduction ofsteam technology into a culture. It could be asminor as spellcasters representing a generallyconservative element in society, with a king'scourt wizard making disparaging remarks aboutthe newfangled steamwork constructs that anoble has purchased to clear a forest. It could beexpressed in a dwarven sorcerer who is irate at theancient traditions being uprooted by new meth-ods of mining.

In a more violent manifestation of opposition,a group or guild of arcane practitioners might sup-press and destroy steam technology where theycan. It might be due to some cultural or racialhatred of such technology, but it could equally bedown to the fact that they feel steam technologythreatens their own power over the people byopening up new opportunities for the populace.This is especially likely in a magocracy where theruling class depends on their magical powers tokeep their place at the top of society.

Magic and steam technology could also beopposed due to a more fundamental reason, thatof an innate animosity between the arcane and thescientific. Those skilled in magic might not beable to get machines to work, while those devotedto the mechanical disciplines might actually beunable to weave even the most basic of spells.This could be due simply to some intangible lawof science and magic, creating a world wheretechnology and the eldritch are strictlyseparated.

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DwarvesThis mechanical-

ly-minded andpractical race areeager users and

builders of steam-works. Often by

their very nature arace with a scien-tific and engineer-

ing bent, it maywell be from

dwarves that theother races learn

their arts of steam.Equally however,their conservative

attitudes meanthat such sciencesare often ancient,

and unchanged fordecades at a time;

they also oftenhave formalised

guilds and organi-sations for the

purposeful controland release of such

technologicalknowledge.

Religion

With such a potentially importantchange as the invention of steam tech-nology, different religions and faiths

can take quite extreme views on the matter.Steamworks might end up being condemned asworks of demons because of their seemingly mag-ical abilities and workings that are incomprehen-sible to the religious investigators. Steamworkdevices might run counter to the dogma of a faith,and hence be denounced as heretical creations. Afaith might also decide that the very act of creat-ing steamwork constructs is evil because itattempts to copy the work of the divine creators,so a society might have all forms of steamworkdevice except for constructs. A particularly con-servative and static religion is especially likely totake this view, and is unlikely to see the changesin society wrought by steam power to be a goodthing. There might be a great rift caused betweenthe religions and the sciences (perhaps includingthe arcane disciplines), with believers driftingaway from their faith due to the power and possi-bilities of science and less need for belief in deitieswho are no longer in tune with the changingworld.

On the other hand, religions might embracesteam technology like any other institution,building zealot constructs and employing steam-work devices to supply their cathedrals with run-ning water and mechanised defences. They mightsimply remain neutral on the matter, caring littlefor it one way or the other. If it was the result ofa god's influence that introduced steamworks inthe first place (as per the outside interventionmethod of introducing steam-tech to a fantasysetting), then the reactions of other deities mightbe varied. Theological debates between religionsthat differ on the matter might arise, or in moreextreme cases even rifts and holy wars.

The religion of a god of invention andmachines would whole-heartedly embrace theconcept of steam. It might be from the hard work

and research of the clergy of such a religionthat steam technology originates, and such

science might be solely their province asthey are the only ones who under-

stand it. The faith might see it as

its purpose to spread the knowledge of such won-drous technology; but then again it might chooseinstead to keep such knowledge closely guarded sothat only its own initiates might benefit from it.In such a religion, the very act of creating asteamwork device could itself be an act of wor-ship.

This guide introduces two new domains, thoseof Steamworks and Invention. These domains arefor clerics whose deities concern themselves withthe mechanical and machinery, and with inven-tion and technical innovation.

Invention DDomainGranted PPower: A cleric with the Invention

domain gains Inspired as a bonus feat.1: Divine Favour2: Augury3: Machine Savant*4: Divination5: Fabricate6: Major Creation7: Genius*8: Mind Blank9: Awaken Machine*

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Sample DeityThe Gearlord

The Gearlord is a powerful deity ofmachines, inventions and metalcraft,worshipped by mechanics and black-

smiths alike. A Lawful Neutral god, the Gearlordis mostly worshipped amongst the dwarven andhuman species, as well as the more advancedkobold civilisations. Represented by a mesh ofinterlocking cogs and gears, the Gearlord repre-sents both the inspiration of the engineer as wellas the endurance of the craftsman putting his allinto forging metal, and is not particularly warlikenor expansionist - but his followers will happilyfight if pushed to it. The Gearlord has theInvention, Law, Steamwork, and Strengthdomains. His favoured weapon is the heavymace.

Steamworks DDomainGranted PPower: A cleric with the Steamworks

domain gains the ability to ignore a failedMaintenance check a number of times per dayequal to his Charisma modifier (minimum ofonce). The Craft (Steamworks) skill isalways a class skill.

1: Magic Co8g2: Repair Metal*3: Heat Metal4: Warp Metal*5: Wall of Iron6: Antilife Shell7: Analyse Dweomer8: Iron Body9: Dominate Steamwork*

*Spells marked with an asterisk are detailedin Spells, at the end of this guide.

Other Sciences

In a setting where steam tech-nology is developing or isalready a firmly entrenched

part of a culture, it is very likelythat it will not be the sole sciencethat has advanced beyondmedieval levels of progress. Otherspheres of scholarship andresearch also benefit from theflourishing power of steam, withall sorts of new disciplines spring-ing up from the side effects andside-products of the processes ofsteam engines.

Forging, smithing and con-struction, all so essential in thecrafting of steamwork devices, arebound to see advances, improve-ments and refinements asmechanics and engineers seek topush back the limits to which theycan exploit their machines.Furthermore, construction andarchitecture can be revolutionisedby the use of steam-powered

cranes and heavy lifting constructs that maketransport of raw materials and assembly of struc-

tures far easier. The use of steel manufactured inlarge amounts in factories and incorporated intobuilding designs results in even larger and moreelaborate buildings being possible, making use ofthe enhanced strength and pressure endurance.Building an edifice like a cathedral or castle, pre-

viously a task that could take years or wellover a decade without the aid of powerfulmagic, becomes a far more viable prospect.

Alchemy can see significantadvances, particularly if steam technolo-

gy is primarily based on fuel-burningengines. This creates a demand for superior

methods of rendering down crude fossil fuelslike oil to create a purer and more efficient sub-

stance, and the plethora of new chemicals avail-able as side-products of such processes can givealchemists access to new and strange mixturesand elixirs. Alchemy could even be the source ofsteam power in the first place, engines containingchemical mixers which brew heated reactions towarm water into steam.

The invention of gunpowder is another discov-ery that can accompany the development of steamtechnology. The combination of firearms andsteamworks that this can result in can provide afantasy setting with a unique and interestingflavour that is far from the medieval norm, andthe two concepts complement each other well.Gunsmiths could be rare and highly skilled arti-sans, only selling their carefully crafted firearmsat high prices, or a handgun could be a costly butnot uncommon device common amongst adven-turers and soldiers. In any case, the addition offirearms can have as much of an impact on a set-ting as steam technology and should be consid-ered carefully before doing so. As with steampower, firearms technology can vary wildly inlevels of advancement and sophistication.

The haves and have-nots

Introducing steam technology to just a limitednumber of races or societies in a setting canhelp give them greater flavour and individ-

uality. For example, there is an even greatercontrast between elves and dwarves ifthe dwarves are masters of steampower and expert gunsmiths,

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GnomesDespite their

knack for ingenu-ity and inventive-ness, and an apti-tude for complex

mechanisms,gnomes are notalways eager intheir acceptance

and use of steam-works. Many

species of gnomeretain a strong tieto nature and thefey, and they are

not quick to makeuse of machinesthat might causethe woodlands tobe despoiled andthe air and water

to be befouledwith fumes and

effluent.

while the nature-loving elves revile machines anddepend upon their gaia-given magic instead.Perhaps kobolds are the best artificers of steam-works for underground mining or trap making,unsurpassed by any. The science of steam tech-nology might be an obscure art practised only bythe few gnome craftsmen that can be found scat-tered here and there through human cities, andthey need to be approach respectfully and politelyfor an adventurer to stand a chance of purchasingone of their mechanical wares. A single humannation might have just recently begun industrial-isation and proudly boast steamwork constructwarriors to help defend its borders, where itsneighbours field knights and wizards in theirarmies. A goblin horde invading from distantlands might be made more alien through its use ofsteamwork hounds and brutal, smog-belchingsteamwork weapons. Rather than dislikingmachinery, elves could be the finest steammechanics, but their aesthetic styles and highlyadvanced understanding of technology couldmake their creations quite different to the heavysteel-and-rivets metal beasts of a younger race.

As well as making steam power distinctivealong cultural and social lines, it might only bethe field of knowledge of one guild of wizards inone city. Members of a mysterious and secretiveorder might create steamworks along lines thatthey themselves only barely understand, usingthe hidden lore of past empires in their search forpower. Most ordinary and sane people who see itas foolish to tangle with such dark machinesmight simply shun steam technology, but oneorder of royal agents still employs steamworksanyway, giving them a feared reputation amongstthe common people. A steamwork constructcould well be a rare sight, but not an unknownone.

A DM may simply wish to restrict steam tech-nology in their campaign to just one or two partic-ular locations or adventures. A mad wizard with adungeon or tower full of automata and steamworkmonsters can give a surprising and innovative

series of encounters for the players, makingthe villain, monsters and location distinc-

tive from the usual fantasy fare.

Here are presented three different styles inwhich steam technology can be present-ed in a campaign, exploring different

themes and concepts made possible through thetechnological and social changes that steam powercan provoke. Each entry also includes a briefexample of just what a fantasy setting designedwith it in mind might be like.

Steampunk

This style of campaign often focuses onsociety undergoing the process of industri-alisation, and all the problems that it can

bring with it. The science of steam power plays animportant part in this kind of setting because it isthe source of the industrialisation and all its ram-ifications.

A steampunk setting may well be grim andgritty, depicting dystopian cities full of factoriesbelching smog and fumes. Slums and squalordominate the lives of an oppressed working class,kept down by the factory bosses and institutionsof power. Class struggle comes to the fore, onlyaggravated further by the presence of magic anddifferent races. In the countryside steamworkengines fell forests with mechanical purpose, and

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Steam &Steam & SteelSteelSStteam eam PPoowweer r SStytylesles

The Victorians

The Victorian period in the real world isone of rich pickings for inspirationwith a steam technology setting. The

class struggles and divides between the rich andwealthy and the poor labourers, the steam tech-nology and developing scientific ideas, and themany stories and tales from the period, present agreat variety of concepts that can be poached. Afantasy society could be based on that of theVictorians, with their same biases, emphasis onsocial etiquette amongst the upper classes, andgrimy and unhealthy lives amongst the workingclasses.

mines are dug deep into the earth to bring up coaland oil to keep the machines of civilisation work-ing.

Alternatively, a steampunk setting could beone of exploration and wild adventure in themanner of pulp novels. Steam power and machin-ery open up new horizons to nations and people,empires extending routes of travel to previouslyfar-off and hard to reach lands and places, accom-panied by a flood of opportunities for the lucky,the brave and the skilled.

Steam technology in a steampunk setting tendsto be very industrial. Smog-belching, rivet-riddeniron constructs move heavy loads of metal andores in warehouses, and maintaining them is afrequently needed, messy and dangerous task asthey blow a gasket or pistons seize up. Steamworkcreations tend to be inefficient and liable to break-ing down, and injuries in industry are commonaffairs. Equally, steampunk can feature somewildly advanced creations that are as advanced, ifnot more so, than that of today, though once againthe notorious unreliability of steam technologycomes into play. Other sciences are often alsoundergoing the same progress and advances, andfirearms are a common feature of steampunkcampaigns.

Fantasy steampunk can be truly bizarre andexotic. Cities become the centre of a nation'sactivity and can draw people of all races into themelting pot, rousing class and race tensions.Unions of dwarven workers might down tools insolidarity with human mechanics striking in thedocks, or a riot might start where orcs and elveswork together in the same steamworks, racial sus-picions boiling over. Magic might be incorporatedheavily into steam technology, or its practitionerscould shun machinery altogether, even gatheringpeople together to try and hamper the introduc-tion of new technologies in order to keep theirhold in the common people strong in the face ofthe rising tide of progress. Explorers and adven-turers going forth into distant and unchartedlands as the reaches of empire spread forth wouldmeet even stranger and more exotic beasts thanthose encountered by Victorian explorers in thereal world.

Steampunk is about change, in society and theworld around it, and it is about the way in which

people, nations and beliefs change as well.

The EEmpire oof HHurdell: The human empire ofHurdell is a steadily growing economic power in theeast, its coastal cities dominating the waves with theirfleets of ironclad ships. Advances in the design or sky-craft mean the empire's dirigibles have been instrumen-tal in the subjugation of the nations directly around it,and its economy has flourished as its industries churnout the wargear and goods that the government andpopulace are demanding. Unable to expand furtheracross the mainland due to the presence of a mountainrange in one direction (which is inhabited by a dwar-ven civilisation, allies of the empire) and extremelyhostile elves in the other, whose nature magic is strongenough to fend off any attempts at conquest by thehumans, Hurdell has instead spread its influence acrossthe seas. Settlers and troops have already landed in thedistant land known as Saradus, where mercenaries andsoldiers push back the savage tribes of lizardfolk thatdwell there.

Yet in the midst of this burgeoning growth theempire is beginning to experience problems back home.Hostile elven raids into the reaches are taking their tollon the mines there that supply the fuel that runs theempire. Worse, civil unrest grows rife in the packedcities. Lizardfolk workers from the province of Qakul,the best of the dockyards mechanics, have downed toolsin protest at the treatment of their kin in Saradus, andother races have also begun to make sympathetic noisesin the factories and industries. The typical heavy-handedness with which the military advisors of theEmperor deal with such problems has caused unrest torise up more strongly rather than quelling it, and sev-eral of the cities along the eastern seaboard are simmer-ing with the confined anger of the working class. Onlythe stationing of extra garrisons of troops has kept theproblem down so far.

High Steam-Power

This is the progression of steam technologyto its pinnacle of achievement. Steamtechnology becomes almost flawless,

advanced to amazingly complex levels capableof crafting even living steel (see Beasts ofSteel). It becomes an integral part ofeveryday life for those who live in aculture of high steam-power, who

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can rely on intelligent machines to guard andserve them and wondrous devices to aid them.Rather than providing the style for an entire set-ting, high steam-power is best used to give anindividual society or place a unique feel. A singlerace of elves might have mastered the science,turning their long lives to exploring its everynuance and aspect. Alternatively dwarvenkindcould be the holder of the keys to such knowledge,their steadfast mountain fortresses containingexamples of amazingly advanced steam engines.

It also provides a good 'Golden Age' for use ina campaign set in a later era. Remembered as apast time when life was much better, now onlyfragmented knowledge remains. Perhaps all thatis left from a past time of high steam-power is theoccasional master-crafted object that is beyondthe understanding of mechanics and wizards ofpresent times. It may be that sites of ruins andancient fortresses are still patrolled by clevermachine-guards that keep would-be looters andarchaeologists away, mysterious engines stillthrumming with activity deep in the bowels ofsuch sites.

Steam technology from a period if high steam-power tends to be very aesthetic, reflecting theartistic tastes if the culture and race that createdit. When the techniques and methods of making adevice work are perfected, an artisan has the timeto spend on making objects appealing and pleas-ing to the eye. Perhaps even in this field, highsteam-power relics demonstrate artistry and arti-sanship beyond the capability of following ages.Steamwork items tend to be pleasing to look at,less industrial than cruder examples and perhapsbarely even distinguishable as being steam-pow-ered under their crafted façade. Steam technologyin this style is also often heavily combined withmagic, making it even more wondrous.

Examples of high steam-power may well seemalien and unnatural to others from outside of sucha culture. This is exaggerated even further if thereare only hints and ruins of a high steam-powersociety remaining. Sages and archaeologists often

covet knowledge of any sort that can begleaned from the wreckage of such a past

age, and might well pay for those thatcan get it for them. In a fantasy

world already full of dangerous

locations for adventurers to travel to, ruins of ahigh steam-power empire can prove lucrativeenvirons, but also often very dangerous. Highsteam-power technologies may well still be activeeven after centuries or even millennia, and how toturn them off is usually beyond the grasp of any-one else. Ancient constructs and traps often proveto be just as deadly after being inactive for yearsas they were when first created.

If a high steam-power culture still exists it islikely to be a dominating force dueto its advancement. It might be anenlightened society seekingknowledge and understanding ofthe world around it; or it could useits power to make itself a tyranni-cal overlord at the head of a huge,even world-spanning, empire. Inthis situation, heroes might befound as rebels against the oppres-sion of such a culture, seeking tobring it tumbling down.

High steam-power is all aboutwondrous technologies that maybe barely recognisable as steam-powered, and perhaps exploringthe ruins of past eras of enlighten-ment, or exploring the way inwhich a still-existing culture ofhigh steam-power interacts withthe world around it.

Empires oof PPast aand PPresent: Far in the east, astrange and exotic culture of elves who live lives ofdecadence, served by their machines, is reputed to exist.They are said to fear no dangers, their constructedguards capable of destroying armies and scatteringthose who oppose them. Equally, they have no ambitionor drive, for they have reached a perfect existence.Occasionally they might trade a wondrous device tooutsiders in return for something strange like a storythat they have never heard before or some new andinteresting experience, but other than that they keep tothemselves and have little to do with outsiders. Theonly thing they are said to fear is an ancient, demonicenemy.

Meanwhile in the west, wizard-archaeologists havediscovered a number of scattered ruins, remnants of anancient dwarven empire of unsurpassed advancement,

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GnollsGnolls strongly

dislike steamworktechnology. They

can't really gettheir heads round

it, seeing it insteadas some sort ofmonstrous anddemonic magic

that seeks todestroy them.

Gnolls are almosttechnophobic ofsteamworks, infact, and gnoll

society is unlikelyto ever throw up

any steam technol-ogy on its own.

possibly even superior to the elves in the east. What ledto its fall is unknown, but the ruins often hold amazingdevices and strange objects and tomes that are worth alot of money to arcane practitioners and collectors, eventhough they barely understand them. The only problemis that the dwarves' constructs and traps are still inplace and many of their engines still work, makingexploring such places a hazardous task at best and onlysuited for well-equipped parties of adventurers andmercenaries. Worse still, whatever destroyed theempire seems to have caused such suffering that in somelocations the wailing souls of the dead still linger,attacking those who approach their precious machineswith mindless fury. Meanwhile, samples of living steelmove amongst the ruins, seemingly marshalling theconstructs there as if in preparation for some forthcom-ing battle.

Epic Scale

This is steam power brought to a hugescale - the scale of huge empires push-ing the possibilities of steam technolo-

gy to the limit. Massive armies march into battle,accompanied by monumentally massive steam-works like Behemoths, constructs the size offortresses that shake the earth with every clank-ing step, battering one another around on the fieldof battle as thousands of warriors and smallerconstructs swarm around their feet. Huge arcanesteamworks perform amazing tasks, supplyingthe streets and boulevards of entire cities witheldritch light and harnessing power for a dizzyingarray of other purposes. Mighty dirigibles soarthrough the air like lords of the skies. High levelcharacters abound. This is steam technology inepic proportions.

Steam technology in such a style of campaigncan be anything from clanking, industrial steam-works that belch out clouds of smog from theirfurnaces, to expertly crafted designs built withgrace and an eye for the aesthetic, even on thekind of scale as city-shattering war machines.Whatever it is, it's big.

Machines, logistics, empires and plots, nothingin epic scale is small. Steam technology is accom-panied in this by other aspects also being of thesame epic scale. Magic is used often and the cam-paign may well be magic-saturated with the

arcane and divine being exploited for all sorts ofconceivable purposes. Instant magic gatewaysbetween cities allow for easy transportation, andmages develop huge spells that can affect entireswathes of land. The other sciences reach epicproportions too, alchemists capable of turninglead into gold and concocting amazing elixirs.High-level characters are likely to be present inlarge numbers, and the population in general willlikely be pretty huge when considering howmagic and technology can be exploited to pushback all the limits on the growth of cities andcommunities.

Neighbouring GGiants: Two massive empires meeteach other across hundreds of miles of borderland. Bothare huge in the extent of their territories and their citieshold incredible numbers of people, advanced magic andtechnology making the lives of the citizens easier, andexpensive teleportation gates making travel betweenkey locations much more viable. Both are cosmopolitansocieties, dozens of smaller nations absorbed into them,from elves to dwarves to humans to goblins. One evenboasts an alliance of dragons, the scaled beasts servingas mounts for the ruling council to go into battle atop.

When these neighbouring giants dispute, the battlesare awe-inspiring. Behemoths, the largest constructsthat it is possible to create, spearhead assaults withhundreds of thousands of warriors behind them, shat-tering fortifications and battling each other over plainsscorched by the fiery spells of battle-wizards. Highlytrained troops armed with magical and steamworkdevices attempt to assault the massive beasts, breakingin through joints and weak points to slay the crew guid-ing the huge steel construct. Immensely powerful char-acters scythe their way through lesser foes to meet inclimactic duels.

The two empires are of such power and influencethat lesser nations around them often have a hard timemaking their opinions and concerns heard. Nonethelessit seems that soon the status quo will be shaken up oncemore, for rumours from the north tell of a huge gather-ing of dark creatures and behemoth constructs createdby evil necromancers that will challenge the might ofboth of the dominant powers in the south.

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The presence of steamworks in a campaigncan open up a whole lot more options andopportunities for characters. They have

the chance to be a part of the scientific andmechanical processes that construct and inventsteam technologies, and they have the opportuni-ty to make use of the end products, the steamworkdevices themselves. Adventurers especially arelikely come across steamwork equipment duringtheir travels, both making use of it themselves,and of course having it used against them.

This section provides rules for characters toboth make, and make use of, steamwork devices,and to exploit science and machinery. Throughthe guidelines laid out here, characters can main-tain, refuel and sabotage technological items, andcan bend the power of magic and of science to cre-ate amazing steamwork arcana.

The Craft (Steamworks) Skill

Central to the operation and construction ofsteam technology is the Craft(Steamworks) skill. This new skill is used

to represent a character’s understanding andsavvy when it comes to steamworks, and showshis or her capacity to activate, maintain and buildsuch devices.

Characters with a few ranks in Craft(Steamworks) will generally be able to operatemost steamwork devices and keep them runningin good shape with only the occasional mishap.More ranks in the skill allows a character greatercompetence in handling more advanced steam-work devices, and even makes it possible to buildvarious items.

It is important that a DM judges whichclasses should have access to the Craft

(Steamworks) skill according to thedesired feel and technology level of the

individual campaign. In a setting

heavy with steam technology, the DM maydecide that this skill is available as a Craft skill toall classes. Steam technology in such a setting isso common and generally available that evenfighters and clerics will have a good chance ofpicking up enough ranks in the skill to be able touse basic steamworks without too much trouble.

In a setting where steam power is much morerestricted in both knowledge and use, then it is agood idea to limit the skill to fewer classes. Ifsteamworks are a new phenomenon then it mightonly be Inspired Inventors who have access to theskill (see Paths of Power). If it is only skilledmechanics and scientists who can figure out andbuild steamworks, then limiting the Craft(Steamworks) skill to only be available as a classskill to Experts is recommended. If use of steam-works has an arcane connotation within a setting,it should be limited to wizards and maybe sorcer-ers, while if it is only the province of a religionthat dominates the flow of scientific knowledgethen it could be limited only to the clerics of thatfaith.

In cases where steam technology is exception-ally rare it may be necessary for a character tounearth hidden lore and ancient (and perhaps for-bidden) sciences to be able to gain any ranks inthe skill at all.

Identifying Steamwork Devices

To the eye of someone with a little knowl-edge of science, the purpose of a steam-work device is usually fairly obvious from

its form. On the other hand, the more complexsuch a device is, the less apparent its use and oper-ation becomes, and to someone unused to steamtechnology any such device can seem bewildering.If a character purchases a steamwork device, it islikely that the vendor will have told him or herhow it is operated, what it does and how it is

page 16

CrCreatineating &g & UUsinsinggSStteameamwwoorrksks

fuelled (unless the vendordoesn’t know either, orlies to the purchaser). Inthe case of a character

acquiring a new steamworkdevice that he is not aware of

how to operate, he may makea Craft (Steamworks) checkto see if he can figure it out.

The DC is set at 10 +Maintenance DC, and

if the character successfully uses the skill heworks out how to operate the device. This processtakes 10 minutes of careful examination on thepart of the character.

Example: An adventuring party deep in the bowelsof an ancient fortress has discovered a steamworkdevice in the pile of loot collected from some kobolds.The silvery box of metal, studded with glass tubes andpipes and inscribed in draconic, is actually an alcheme-chanical sniffer, but the adventurers don’t know that.The rogue sits down and examines it carefully for tenminutes. The player makes a Craft (Steamworks)check for his rogue, and rolls 12 + his skill bonus of 7 fora total of 19. The Maintenance DC for an alcheme-chanical sniffer is 7, so the DC is 17. The rogue success-fully works out how to get the sniffer to work and firesup the engine, setting to seeking out the tracks of thekobolds that escaped them earlier.

Using Steamwork Devices

Before a character can activate a steamworkdevice that he already knows how to oper-ate, he needs to fire up the engine. Firing up

the engine takes a standard action as the characterignites the fuel in the firebox, speaks the arcanesyllables needed to activate the arcane machinery,or otherwise starts the system up.

Firing up the engine gets the steam flowingfrom the boiler (or whatever method the enginein question employs to create the steam), quicklybringing the device to an operational status. Ittakes three rounds for the boiler to heat up and thesteam to start flowing, except for in the case ofalchemical mixer engines (see Engines). If a char-acter attempts to activate a steamwork itembefore the three rounds have passed then the sys-

tem simply lacks the pressure to get the steam-work machinery working properly, and it has noeffect. Steamwork devices of Small size or small-er only take 2 rounds to warm up.

Activating a steamwork device once it haswarmed up requires a Maintenance check (seebelow) to ensure that it works properly and does-n’t malfunction. Some steamwork devices havean instantaneous effect, for instance a crank-can-non being fired to spray an area with bullets; oth-ers have sustained effects, such as the benefits ofa suit of steamwork armour or a steamwork con-struct being operational. Every time a steamworkdevice such as a crank cannon is used, a newMaintenance check needs to be made, while anitem with a constant effect does not require newMaintenance checks every time it is involved inan action.

Example: A character possesses a steamwork arcanaversion of gauntlets of ogre strength. He only needs towarm up the gauntlet’s engine and then successfullyactivate them once, after which they continually granttheir +2 bonus to Strength. He does not need to make anew Maintenance check every time he uses thegauntlets to do something, e.g. hit someone or lift aheavy object.

It is general practice with steamwork devicesto have the engines already fired up and the boil-er running when a character is in a situationwhere he might need to make use of his steam-powered items. This saves characters from suchunfortunate situations as having to spend severalrounds in a battle warming up their weaponsbefore they can pitch in to aid their comrades.The price of being ever ready for events is thatwith the engines being on for longer more fuel isused up.

It is possible that a steamwork device mighthave its engine shut down, possibly through hav-ing the firebox doused or by magical means. Inthis case the engine must be fired back up andallowed to get back into operation before thedevice can be used once more.

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The ‘Machine’ Bonus Type

In the same way that many arcane spells grantenhancement or deflection bonuses, holyitems grant sacred bonuses and some power-

ful magics grant inherent bonuses, steamworkdevices often grant a machine bonus. Forinstance, a suit of heavy piston-augmented steam-work armour grants a +6 machine bonus toStrength, which stacks with enhancement bonus-es from spells and magic items, but does not stackwith the +2 machine bonus to Strength given toattacks made with a steamwork arm prosthetic.

Steamwork devices have an unfortunatetendency to jam up, blow a gasket, orotherwise go wrong. The fuels used by

many types of steam engine produce residues andsmog that muck up the mechanisms of a steam-work with oily grime and grit, and the more exot-ic forms of engine powered by magic or othereldritch energies can have arcane circuits fryingand energy conduits breaking. The high pressuresthat occur within a steam engine from the gasesswirling around its system can cause leaks of hotsteam, or more catastrophic malfunctions…

Of course, if given the correct maintenanceand tending a steamwork device can be kept intiptop shape and will run efficiently, rarely break-ing down or going wrong. If maintained badly ornegligently, things have an even greater chancethan normal of malfunctioning.

Every steamwork device, from massive lum-bering constructs to steam-powered prosthetics,has a Maintenance DC. This represents how hardit is to keep the device operational, and thoseunskilled in maintenance and who understand

their steamwork equipment only poorly areunlikely to keep it working for long. A

Maintenance check is a Craft(Steamworks) check against the

Maintenance DC of the device in

question. A natural roll of 1 on such a check isalways a failure.

There are a number of different situations inwhich a Maintenance check must be made for adevice:

Activation: When a character activates a steam-work device, having already warmed up theengine, a Maintenance check is required.

Long-tterm WWear: Steamwork devices that areon for long periods of time need careful attentionand maintenance due to the continual stresses ofactivity. For every 24 hours that a device is activefor, it needs a suitable amount of maintenance(which takes 5 minutes per size category of thedevice, from 5 minutes for Fine to 45 forColossal). If this is not done the Maintenance DCof the machine increases by 1, which accrues forevery day the machine is not maintained proper-ly. This can only be reset by giving the device afull day of inactivity and triple the amount ofmaintenance time that is needed normally.

Battle-SStress: Although steamwork constructsare immune to critical hits, it is none the less pos-sible that a particularly powerful or damagingstrike might cause the machine to suffer a mal-function. Whenever a steamwork construct orcharacter wearing steamwork armour suffers a hiton which a natural 20 was rolled, a Maintenancecheck must be made.

Prosthetic SStress:Whenever a character with steamwork pros-

thetics undergoes a situation in which their pros-thetics undergo a taxing amount of use, aMaintenance check is needed. Whenever such acharacter enters combat, a Maintenance check isneeded for a randomly selected prosthetic that isemployed during battle, such as a fighter’s steam-work arm used to wield a weapon. When a char-acter uses a prosthetic as part of an action over along period of time which may fatigue them, forinstance a character with a steamwork leg run-ning for a long period of time, a Maintenancecheck is needed for the prosthetic in question. Inthese circumstances, a character with theEndurance feat benefits from the +4 bonus to

page 18


MaintMaintaininaininggSStteameamwwoorrkk

DeDevicesvices

Maintenance checks in these situations in addi-tion to the normal situations it applies in.

Massive DDamage: Whenever a steamwork con-struct, character wearing steamwork armour orcharacter with steamwork prosthetics takes mas-sive damage, a Maintenance check is needed. Inthe case of a character with steamwork prosthet-ics, a single prosthetic is randomly selected for thecheck. Although constructs are immune to theother effects of massive damage they are still sub-ject to this Maintenance check. The DC for thischeck is increased by 10.

The Maintenance roll represents the mainte-nance, oiling and greasing and general care thathas been given to a device, and a failure indicatesthat something has gone wrong. Roll a d20 andconsult the following table to discover the effects:

Malfunction Table1 - SSlow WWarm-uup: The device takes a while to

start working properly, activating a round late.2-44 - PPressure DDip: A momentary loss of pres-

sure means the device stops working for oneround. If the item is just being activated, it justactivates a round late, as per the Slow Warm-upresult. A steamwork construct, or someone wear-ing steamwork armour of any kind, suffers a -2penalty to Dexterity for one round instead.

5-77 - SSteam VVent: A spray of steam vents out ofthe machinery in a billowing, scalding cloud.Anyone in contact with the device must make aReflex save (DC 10) or suffer d4 damage from thehot steam. The machine itself suffers from aPressure Dip.

8-99 - CClunk: Something in the machinerymakes an ominous clunk. The Maintenance DCof the device is increased by 2 until fixed.

10 - CCatch tthe BBouncing CCog: Part of themachinery simply comes springing free from theinnards of the device, usually a small and fiddlycog. The Maintenance DC of the device isincreased by 3 until fixed; and if the missing pieceis lost then the character will need to find or makea new replacement.

11-112 SSmouldering EEmbers: If the device has aconventional furnace then it goes out. This results

in the device grinding to a halt in d3 rounds; re-ignition devices in the Equipment section aredesigned to cope with this problem. Manually re-igniting a furnace is a standard action.

13-114: Blows aa GGasket: A gasket blows, ventingsteam as per the Steam Vent result. The machineitself suffers from an increase in MaintenanceDC of 3 and a -1 penalty on any attack or skillcheck made involving the device. Constructs andcharacters wearing steamwork armour suffereither a halving in their movement speed or a -5penalty to attack rolls (50% chance of eitherresult).

15: PPressure BBuild-UUp: A serious pressurebuild-up begins somewhere in the machine, usual-ly with an ominous rumbling noise. In d6 roundsit results in a breakdown and a steam vent unless asuccessful Craft (Steamworks) check is madeagainst a DC of 5 + Maintenance Level is made tofix it quickly, one attempt allowed each round.

16-118: BBreakdown: The device simply stopsworking as something inside breaks or slides looseor the boiler starts venting continually.Constructs suffer a penalty to both Strength andDexterity scores of -4.

19: MMajor BBreakdown: The device breaks downin impressive style, usually with a considerableamount of mechanical grinding and expensive-sounding crunches. Fixing the device will take anhour rather than the usual ten minutes.Constructs break down like anything else.

20: CCatastrophic BBreakdown: As major break-down, except potentially even more impressive.The device breaks down. There is a 50% chance itsprays boiling steam over a ten foot radius area inthe process, inflicting 2d6 damage to all in thearea unless they make a Reflex save (DC 15)(small-sized and smaller constructs only inflict1d6 damage on those in contact with them). Inaddition, different types of engine may have addi-tional catastrophic effects; for example oil-burn-ing engines may have their fuel reserves simplyexplode.

Note that constructs usually do not havetheir own Craft (Steamworks) skill, andthus use the skill bonus of the lastcharacter to maintain them instead.For every day a construct then

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goes without any maintenance,the skill bonus to itsMaintenance checks is reducedby one unless a Craft(Steamworks) check (DC 15) ispassed. Most constructs are usu-ally given maintenance everyfew days. On the occasions thatthey are sill found active withinruins and dungeons, they areoften of either superior qualitymanufacture, have powerfulmagic woven into them, or arebeing maintained by some otherdungeon denizen or construct.The same guidelines apply tolarge steamwork devices such aspumps and arrays that can con-tinue functioning for long peri-ods of time which needMaintenance checks independ-ently of their use by characters.

Example: An iron juggernautconstruct enters battle with a groupof adventurers, requiring aMaintenance check. The skill bonusof the necromancer who created thejuggernaut and keeps it carefullymaintained is +10, and the DM rollsa 12 for a total of 22, easily beatingthe Maintenance DC of 9. Later inthe battle the juggernaut takes mas-sive damage, and this time the DCis 19. The DM rolls a 3, and the jug-gernaut malfunctions, resulting in a roll of 9 on theMalfunction table and thus an increased chance thatthe construct will suffer even more problems later on.

Fixing Breakage andMalfunctions

If a machine breaks down, or suffers aMaintenance penalty or some other nega-tive state from one of the results on theMaintenance table, a character can attempt

to fix it. This process takes ten minutesand requires mechanic’s tools (see

Tools of the Trade, below).

After spending ten minutes attempting to fixit, the character must make a Craft (Steamworks)check against a DC of the Maintenance valuemodified by any effects from the Malfunctiontable. A success indicates that he has managed tofix it and a negative state or penalty is removed.Note that if a machine has suffered various differ-ent malfunctions and breakdowns the charactermust take ten minutes and make a separate checkfor each one to try and fix it.

A character can take 10 or take 20 when fixingbreakages.

page 20


BreakingSteamworks &

CausingMalfunctions

As well as fixing suchmachines, it is of courseequally possible that a

character might be in a positionwhere they wish to deliberatelydamage and sabotage steam-work devices. Whether a sabo-teur deep behind enemy lines,carefully incapacitating thesleeping hulks of steamworkwar constructs the night beforea battle, or a mechanic throwinga sabot into the grinding gearsof an industrial steamworkhammer as a form of covertprotest at low wages – breakingand tampering with steam-works is often easier than keep-ing them working.

Sabotage takes ten minutesand requires a Craft(Steamworks) check against aDC of 5+ the Maintenance DCof the device. A success meansthat the next time the device isused it will automatically causea roll on the Malfunction table.A character attempting to sabo-tage a device without saboteur’stools (see Tools of the Trade,below) suffers a –2 circum-stance penalty. A characterwith at least 5 ranks in DisableDevice gains a +2 synergybonus to sabotage attempts.

Sabotage can be spotted bythose with an eye for it. A spotcheck made against a DC of 10+the saboteur’s ranks in Craft(Steamworks) successfullynotices that a device has beentampered with, whether or not

the attempt at sabotage was successful. A charac-ter needs to be looking closely at the device, forinstance while maintaining it. Once noticed, sab-otage can be countered by fixing the device asnormal; however, the wilful damage caused by asabotage attempt means that the period taken tofix it is increased to one hour rather than ten min-utes.

Example: A scout infiltrates an enemy army camp,and comes to the prize of the invading force’s troops –

an iron juggernaut, that has already spread terror andconfusion on the battlefield and swung the balancefirmly in its owners favour. The scout manages toreach the juggernaut unseen in the gloom, his MoveSilently and Hide checks passed easily. He can’t riskstaying there long and takes a furtive ten minutes to tryand covertly sabotage the device, rolling a 15 on hischeck, which with his skill bonus of +4 to Craft(Steamworks) is just enough to beat the DC of 19. Hethen slinks away back into the darkness.

When the wizardly engineer who created the jug-gernaut starts it up the next morning, he rolls a 4 on hisspot check, which with his Spot bonus of +2 fails to beatthe DC of 7 (5+ the saboteur’s ranks in Craft(Steamworks)). Failing to notice that an act of sabo-tage has been committed, he activates the construct, andhe watches in horror as it staggers a few feet, hissesviolently and breaks down.

Acharacter with ranks in the Craft(Steamworks) skill can attempt to createsteamwork devices in the same way he

could create other mundane items with the appro-priate craft skills. Crafting a steamwork devicerequires access to a forge, as well as appropriatetools for forming and shaping the metal parts ofthe item, unless the process is using materialsother than metal.

In addition, due to the complexityof increasingly advanced steam-works and the scientific element

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CrCreatineatinggSStteameamwwoorrkk

DeDevicesvices

ElvesLike gnomes, elveshave an affinity for

nature that oftenmakes them balk atthe idea of industri-

alisation and theramifications oflarge machinesdevouring fossil

fuels in their fire-boxes. However,

when elves do makeuse of steamworkstheir creations areoften amazinglywell-crafted, aes-

thetic and gracefulin form rather thanlumbering junkmenof rivets and black-

ened iron. Theyalso enjoy makingextensive use of

magic in their craft-ing, and generally

make use of magicalengines that do not

burn any fuel.

Their dark kin, thedrow, very rarelymake use of such

machines. They farprefer the use of

magic over machin-ery, and rarely

bother themselveswith attempting tounderstand scientif-ic principles. They

might howeverforce captured

slaves with engi-neering knowledgeto craft steamworks

for them.

involved in their creation, there are a minimumnumber of ranks in the Craft (Steamworks) skillthat a character must have to be able to attemptcertain devices at all. This reflects a character’sincreasing levels of scientific acumen and techno-logical understanding. A dwarven engineer with 5ranks in Craft (Steamworks) simply does nothave the scientific and mechanical training to beable to design and build a steamwork sentry (seeTools of the Trade). His more experienced com-panion with 9 ranks has done the necessaryresearch and investigation to understand how toconstruct the guardian machine.

It is building the engine parts of steamworksthat is a slightly different matter to the rest. Thecategories of engine are conventional furnace,alchemical, arcane, essence, necromantic andenergy trap. A character needs the appropriatefeat (see Feats, below) to have mastered the scien-tific or eldritch principles behind what makes theengine type work, and to be able to build anengine from that category. Creation of engines isdetailed in the Engines of Steam section below,along with the special effects that different enginetypes have.

For the purpose of calculating the creation DCfor Craft checks, steamwork devices count ascomplex or superior items, meaning the DC is 20.

Creating Steamwork Arcana

Some of the steamwork devices presented inthis guide are magical items, implementingarcane or divine power into their functions

and workings. These follow the usual rules formagical item creation, requiring an appropriatefeat and spells, as well as usually also having aprerequisite of a certain number of ranks in Craft(Steamworks) on the part of the creator. Itemsthat are both steamwork and magical still requirethe usual maintenance and fuelling as appropriateto the engine type.

It is also possible for a character to makesteamwork arcana versions of existing magical

items taken from other sources. Using a cun-ning blend of technology and magic, these

items are less draining and less expensiveto make, but also suffer all the short-

falls of steamwork devices, includ-

ing the unreliability. Any item other than scrollsand potions can be made in this way.

Such items are usually obviously built withsteam technology, such as gauntlets of ogre strengthcovered in heavy metal pistons. The steamworkversions of others have a more inventive appear-ance, such as a strange-looking pump device thatcoughs out dust of appearance when activated.Crooked wands with steamwork pistons andjoints and tiny wire-wreathed and vent-studdedarcanomechanical rings are equally possible.

To create such an item, the character must ful-fil all the prerequisites needed to create a normalversion. In addition, he or she must possess ranksin Craft (Steamworks) equal to the caster levelgiven in the item description. Steamwork magicalitems crafted in this way cost only 80% of the nor-mal gold and experience, but become steamworkitems and thus must have their engines warmedup to be activated, require Maintenance checksfor various circumstances, and need to be fuelled.The Maintenance DC of a steamwork magicalitem created in this way is equal to the caster levelgiven in the item description + 5.

Other than the effects of becoming a steam-work device, the magic item operates as normal.However, any bonuses it grants, such as enhance-ment bonuses to ability scores or deflectionbonuses to armour class, are changed to bemachine bonuses instead.

The reduced cost of the item does not includethe cost of the engine. Since the cost of theengine, and fuel consumption, is dependent on thesize of the item in question, and not all magicalitems have their size detailed, it is sometimes nec-essary for the DM to use his discretion in decid-ing on an appropriate size value.

Detailed here are a number of differentfeats related to the creation, use and sabo-taging of steam technology. It is impor-

tant to note that the engine creation feats here donot all have to be made available in a fantasy set-

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FFeatseats

ting. The DM may decide that the only steam-work engines in existence in his campaign are tobe alchemical engines made by mad gnomes orcomplex and rare arcane engines built by reclu-sive wizards. Alternatively it might be a steam-punk setting where the only form of engine avail-able is the conventional furnace, except for necro-mantic engines built by sinister horrors that lurkon the edges of civilisation and the designs forsuch not being comprehensible to humankind.The DM should make engine feats available tovarious cultures and societies at his discretion andas suits his aims for giving flavour and distinc-tiveness to the campaign.

Alchemechanic [[Engine CCreation]You have mastered the alchemical sciences and

steamwork principles needed to construct anengine driven by chemical energy.

Prerequisites: Craft (Alchemy) 9 ranks, Craft(Steamworks), Craft (Steamworks) 9 ranks

Benefit: The Alchemechanic feat allows acharacter to build alchemical engines.

Arcanomech [[Engine CCreation]Your knowledge of both arcana and the sci-

ences is such that you can meld the two, creatingfantastic magic-powered steamworks.

Prerequisites: Able to cast 3rd level arcanespells, any Item Creation feat, Craft(Steamworks) 8 ranks, Knowledge (Arcana) 8ranks

Benefit: The Arcanomech feat allows a charac-ter to build arcane engines.

Arcanomech CChanneller [[General]You have learned how to tap into machinery as

a conduit for your magical energies. Nearbysteamwork devices, your power is increased.

Prerequisites: Able to cast 3rd level arcanespells, Craft (Steamworks) 8 ranks

Benefit: A character with this feat can drawenergy from nearby machines to boost their spell-casting capabilities as a standard action. Theymust select a steamwork device within 20 feet todraw energy from, which suffers as if from thepressure dip malfunction for one round. In the fol-lowing round, a single spell the character casts

benefits from a +1 bonus to DC and caster level. Ifthe arcanomech energy is not used within oneround of being acquired, it drains away.

Eldritch TTechnologist [[General]Wise in the ways of both magic and steam

technology, you can use supernatural powers tomeddle with nearby steamwork devices.

Prerequisites: Craft (Steamworks) 8 ranks,Spellcraft 8 ranks

Benefit: Once per day a character with this featcan modify a single Maintenance check madewithin 20 feet by 5, as either a bonus or a penaltyto the roll.

Essence EEngineer [[Engine CCreation]Either through your religious training or your

knowledge of the planes, you are able to harnessInner or Outer planar energies to power mysticsteamwork engines.

Prerequisites: Able to cast 3rd level spells,Craft (Steamworks) 8 ranks, Knowledge(Religion) 8 ranks or Knowledge (The Planes) 8ranks

Benefit: The Essence Engineer feat allows acharacter to build essence engines.

High AArtificer [[Engine CCreation]You have mastered the complex and mystical

sciences needed to create energy trap engines.Prerequisites: Craft (Steamworks) 12 ranks,

Knowledge (Arcana, Physics, Chemistry orReligion) 12 ranks.

Benefit: The High Artificer feat allows a char-acter to build energy trap engines.

Industrialist [[General]You hail from an industrial city where the air

is thick with smog and grime and the noise of fac-tories endlessly toiling. Many of your peoplelearn an industrial trade, and the polluted air hastoughened your lungs.

Prerequisites: This feat can only be taken at 1st

level.Benefit: A character with this feat gains

a +2 bonus to saves against gas andchoking effects, and a +2 bonus to asingle Craft skill.

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Inspired [[General]Either by natural genius or the influence of

some outside force such as the work of steam spir-its, you are inspired. Your mind is full of amazingideas and fantastic designs for machines andsteamworks, and you can see methods and solu-tions for any challenge put before you.

Prerequisites: Intelligence 13+. Depending onthe campaign, the Inspired feat may only be avail-

able through the work of outside influences,such as being bestowed on clerics with the

Invention domain or made available to acharacter due to the presence of steam

spirits (see Beasts of Steel).

Benefit: A character with the Inspired feat canbenefit from a flash of inspiration and ingenuityonce per day, allowing them to take 20 on a skillcheck once per day without having to spend alonger period of time that would be needed to takethe check normally. In addition, this is the prereq-uisite for the Inspired Inventor prestige class,which in some campaigns may be the onlymethod of gaining access to engine creation feats.

Master MMechanic [[Engine CCreation]Your mechanical skills and scientific under-

standing of steam technology allows you to buildconventional steam engines.

Prerequisites: Craft (Steamworks) 7 ranks

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Steam &Steam & SteelSteelMagMagic/Tic/Technechnoollogogy Animosityy Animosity

It may be that a campaign features a stronger animosity between magic and science than merely adislike of the other by the practitioners of each. Magic and technology can be made so entirely differ-ent that they are actually the opposite of each other, so incompatible that they actually interfere witheach other.

In this case, an arcane spellcaster has a -2 penalty to any Craft (Steamworks) checks. An arcanecaster of 10th level or above increases this to -4 and applies the same penalty to anyone else makingCraft (Steamworks) checks for a device that the caster is in contact with, for instance when he isaboard a train - his magic is so strong that it actively disrupts the mechanisms and science. An arcanespellcaster of 20th level or over increases this penalty to -6.

Meanwhile, the following feats become available:

Tech-SSavvy [[General]You're a capable user of technology and steamworks, and understand the basic scientific principles.Prerequisite: Craft (Steamworks) 6 ranksBenefit: You gain a +3 innate bonus to saving throws against arcane magic, and suffer a 10%

increase to your chances of arcane spell failure, even in no armour.

Engineer [[General]Your technological skills and understanding are quite significant.Prerequisite: Craft (Steamworks) 13 ranks, Tech-SavvyBenefit: As an innate ability, you can dispel magic as an extraordinary ability once per day, as a

caster of your character level. You suffer a 25% increase to your chances of arcane spell failure, evenin no armour.

Scientist [[General]You are a true scientist and mechanic, fully steeped in the lore of machinery.Prerequisites: Craft (Steamworks) 18 ranks, EngineerBenefit: You gain Spell Resistance equal to 10+ your character level against arcane magic, even

friendly arcane magic. You suffer a 35% increase to your chances of spell failure, even in no armour.

Benefit: The Master Mechanic feat allows acharacter to build conventional furnace engines.

Necromek [[Engine CCreation]Your mastery of the dark arts and your scien-

tific knowledge allow you to create an unholyfusion of both in the form of necromantic steam-work engines.

Prerequisites: Ability to cast

3rd level arcane spells, SpellFocus (Necromancy), Craft(Steamworks) 8 ranks

Benefit: The Necromek featallows a character to buildnecromantic engine types.

Quick FFix [[General]You can fix a breakdown or

malfunction in a steam enginein no time flat.

Prerequisite: Skill Focus –Craft (Steamworks)

Benefit: Fixing a steamwork

device takes 1/10th of its usualduration for a character withthis feat.

Saboteur [[General]Your knowledge of how to

sabotage and damage machineryand steamworks is such thateven in battle you can pick outthe weak points on a hostileconstruct.

Prerequisites: Base AttackBonus +3, Sneak Attack classability, Craft (Steamworks) 4ranks

Benefit: A character withthis feat can make both sneak attacks and criticalhits on steamwork constructs in melee combat.

Normal: Constructs are immune to sneakattacks and critical hits.

Steam SSurgeon [[General]You’re a skilled healer and experienced sur-

geon when it comes to implanting prosthetics andunderstand the need to keep a clean and hygienic

environs for operating – your patients are morelikely to wake up with a successful graft and lesslikely to pick up an unpleasant disease from thewounding.

Prerequisites: Heal 10 ranksBenefit: A character with this feat gains a +2

bonus to skill checks to implant a prosthetic, andtheir patients benefit from a +4 bonus to Fortitudesaves against catching a disease from the graft.

Super-HHeavy AArmour PProficiency [General] [[Fighter]You have been trained in the use of super-

heavy forms of steamwork armour, and are ableto pilot them competently.

Prerequisites: Craft (Steamworks) 4 ranks,Heavy Armour Proficiency.

Benefit: A character with this feat can operatesuper-heavy armour.

Normal: A character who is wearing armourwith which he is not proficient suffers its armourcheck penalty on attack rolls and on all skillchecks that involve moving, including Ride. Inthe case of super-heavy armour, the armour checkpenalty to skill checks that involve moving isdoubled.

Technophobe [[General]You come from a society that hates and

maligns technology, perhaps because of its effectson the environment and nature, or for other rea-sons. You fight with great ferocity against suchmetal abominations.

Prerequisites: This feat can only be taken at 1st

level.Benefit: A character with this feat gains a +1

bonus to attack and damage rolls against steam-work constructs and those with steamworkarmour or prosthetics.

page 25


HalflingsLacking any real

scientific knack formachinery,

halflings tend not toinvent steamworks

by themselves.They will, however,quite happily makeuse of such devices

that others havemade. Steamworkdevices often endup in the hands of

light-fingeredhalflings who have'appropriated' them.In situations whereone or two organi-sations control the

entire flow ofsteamworks, andheavily restrict

their distribution, itmay be halflings

who can acquire adevice for a charac-ter outside the nor-mal legal channels…

At the heart of every steamwork device isan engine of some sort or another, themachinery that powers the entire item.

There are all sorts of different types of enginepossible in a fantasy setting, from the convention-al fuel-burning furnaces to the more fantasticalvariants such as the magic-eating dweomerburn-ers and the sinister necromantic engines. Theonly thing they have in common is that theytransform water to steam through their processesin order to make the machine operate. The type ofengine that powers a steamwork device is oftenapparent through the item's appearance; arcaneengines are scribed with runes and mystic pat-terns and crafted from odd materials, while anecromantic device is disturbingly crafted andoften inlaid with patterns in bone. Other types ofengine not described here are also quite possible.

Constructing an Engine

To construct an engine requires the appro-priate feat, as well as a forge and tools inthe same manner as crafting other steam-

work devices. Building the engine is effectively asub-process of building an overall machine, andcan be done quite separately (and often is) to con-structing the other parts of a device. The averageindustry labourer or apprentice mechanic canbuild the metal cogs, gears and struts needed toput together most of a device. It needs the carefulskill of a talented engineer to assemble the com-plexities of the engine and connect it into themachinery, systems and controls of the item andto ensure it works as it should.

The cost of an engine depends on the size ofthe device it is supposed to be powering, and thusengines for larger devices like constructs cost

more. To find the cost of an engine, multiplythe cost supplied in the engine's entry by

for each increasing size category thedevice it powers has. The table below

lays out the price increase.

Size EEngine CCost MMultiplierFine x1Diminutive x2Tiny x3Small x4Medium x5Large x6Huge x7Gargantuan x8Colossal x9

Some engines also have added costs in formsother than gold; for example an arcane sourceengine drains experience points from the creator,as the process of building it is similar to craftingany other magical item.

The type of engine in a device does not affectits weight or size, since that is already included inthe device's entry. Certain types of engine mayaffect the Maintenance DC of a device.

Example: A dwarven engineer is making a steamsentinel to help guard his clan's mines from maraudingorcs. He has the Master Mechanic feat and decides toconstruct it with a coal burner engine, since his clan'smines produce a lot of coal. Coal burner engines aresimple and cheap, only costing 10gp per size category, sofor the Large construct it costs 60gp to build the engine.This minor cost pales in comparison to the 12,000gpneeded to craft the sentinel in the first place.

Example: A wizard wishes to craft a steamworkarm for one of his fighter companions, who had theirsbitten off by a voracious troll. He possesses thearcanomech feat, and decides to build an arcane sourceengine so that his friend won't need to bother constant-ly refuelling the prosthetic. A steamwork arm is aSmall item, and so it costs a total of 1,000gp and 40xpfor the magical engine, on top of the 2,000gp cost of thearm itself.

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EnEngginines of Ses of Stteameam

Example: An evil necromancer plans to construct adirigible, desiring the greater mobility it gives him andthe opportunity to strike at his foes from far above.Possessing the necromek feat, he decides to power thesteamwork machinery of the vehicle with vile corpse-burner engines. Since the dirigible he is making is aHuge construct, a corpseburner engine costs 350gp, onlya small additional cost to the overall price of building adirigible in the first place.

Note that except for where specified in indi-vidual engine entries, any type of steamworkdevice can be built with any type of engine.

Fuelling an Engine

Each engine entry also includes the cost tofuel a Medium-sized device for one day.Some engines have special fuel require-

ments that are noted in their details, while othersdo not require any fuel due to their nature.

To find the fuel cost for a device that is largerthan Medium size, simply double the fuel costwith each increasing size category. To find thefuel cost for a device that is smaller, halve the fuelcost with each diminishing size category.

As mentioned above, it is important to notethat the list below is not necessarily a comprehen-sive collection of every single engine type thatshould be included in a single campaign. Rather, itis intended to provide a broad spectrum of differ-ent possibilities that the DM can put to use, pick-ing and choosing which engines he feels areappropriate.

Size FFuel CCost MMultiplierFine x1/16Diminutive x1/8 Tiny x¼ Small x½Medium x1Large x2Huge x4Gargantuan x8Colossal x16

Conventional Furnace

Steam engines with a conventional furnacerely on the heat generated by the combus-tion of some sort of fuel to power them.

Device design usually features an accessible fire-box where the fuel combusts, as well as vents orsmokestacks to allow the smoke and fumes creat-ed by the process to escape.

Engines of this type are notorious for creatinglarge amounts of pollution through burning fossilfuels. They also generate a lot of heat and work-ing in an environment full of heavy steamworkmachinery powered by conventional furnaces canbe hot and tiring.

Creating a conventional furnace enginerequires the Master Mechanic feat.

Coal Burner: This type of engine dependson a feed of normal coal into its furnace tokeep the fire burning and the boiler heat-

ed. Burning coal creates large amountsof waste ash that needs to be disposedof, but it does tend to be a fairly

page 27


cheap and plentiful fossil fuel that burns well.Coal is found in seams that run through rock andneed to be mined out, a process that can be donewithout need to recourse to much technology andsophistication. It is however not without its dan-gers, both short-term (collapses and undergroundcreatures) and long-term (damage to lungs andthroat through coal-dust), and as such it is notuncommon to see slaves put to work in coalmines.

Coal is also heavy and cumbersome to trans-port, as well as needing someone to either shovelfuel direct into the firebox or to regularly top up alarge device's fuel hoppers. Using coal isn't verypractical for very small devices due to the size ofpieces of coal, and adventurers are generallyunwilling to lug sacks of the fuel around with

them on their travels.

Oil Burner: Rather than having an openfurnace into which fuel can be shovelled, oil

burners often have more complex engines to feedin the right amount of fuel into the furnace.Burning oil creates thick, oily fumes and can leavethick residues, and as a result oil burner enginesneed a lot of maintenance and cleaning to ensurethey keep working. Despite this, oil burns effi-ciently and carrying fuel for an oil burner is con-siderably less encumbering than carrying coal,especially since the viscous liquid can be stored invials and flasks.

In the case of a Catastrophic Breakdown, thefuel reservoirs of an oil burner engine explode.For every size category larger than Small of thedevice, the radius of the explosion expands by 5ft.For Small or smaller devices the explosion onlyaffects someone handling it. Anyone in the area ishit as if by alchemist's fire unless they make aReflex save (DC 15) and may be set on fire. Notethat on a successful save, someone handling thedevice only succeeds in taking half damage ratherthan avoiding it entirely. The smouldering wreck-

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Engine CCost FFuelling CCost pper DDayConventional Furnace

Coal Burner 10gp 5gpCrystalburner 30gp 15gpOil Burner 15gp 8gp

Alchemical EngineAlchemical Mixer 20gp 6gp

Arcane EngineArcane Source 250gp, 10xp NoneDweomerburner 100gp *

Energy Trap EngineDivine Source 250gp, 10xp NoneSolar Trap 250gp *

Essence EngineElemental Essence 250gp, 10xp NoneSpirit Essence 250gp, 10xp None

Necromantic Engine**Blood Drinker 50gp *Corpseburner 50gp *Dragonsblood 50gp*** *Soulburner 75gp*** *Soul Drinker 100gp, 4xp *

*Indicates non-standard form of fuel.**Can benefit from cost reductions through the use of sacrifices

***Indicates additional creation costs

age of the device remains hot and dangerous totouch for quite some time.

Devices with oil burner engines suffer a -2 cir-cumstance penalty to saving throws against firedamage (this is primarily relevant for constructs).An oil burner device that is reduced to 0 hit pointsby fire damage explodes as per a CatastrophicBreakdown.

Crystalburner: Crystalburner enginesare an exotic form of conventional furnacethat does not burn any fossil fuel, but instead

combusts specially treated crys-tals. These crystals are onlyfound in growths that occur inodd locations such as deepunderground and near activevolcanoes, but they only createa very thin smoke from theirfurnaces and thus a minimumof pollution and grime. Theyalso have exceptionally effi-cient boilers. Since only a fewcrystals, shards a foot in length,are needed to power the enginefor quite a long time, it does nothave the same kinds of prob-lems of transporting fuel as coalburners suffer from.

Crystalburners also havea strange and inexplicableside effect, in that any sentientsteamwork creation with acrystalburner engine benefitsfrom increased cognitive abili-ties - the crystals have somestrange magical quality thataffects the delicate mechanismsfor the machine consciousnessof such devices. Steamworkconstructs with crystalburnerengines possess a +2 inherentbonus to their Intelligence and

Wisdom scores.In the case of a Catastrophic Breakdown the

crystalburner's firebox explodes. As well as vent-ing hot steam it quickly burns the rest of the crys-tals in a lightning-fast reaction, pulsing out a

wave of blue-white energy like the flash of a det-onation. This energy deals no physical damagebut hits the mind and psyche of anyone nearbylike a hammer, dealing d6 temporary Wisdomdamage to all within a radius of 5ft. per increasingsize category of the device.

Alchemical Engine

This type of engine does not rely on com-bustion at all. Instead it uses chemicalreactions to create the heat needed to keep

the boiler running. Alchemical engines are usual-ly very complex and filled with delicate glasscomponents, and make strange sloshing noiseswhen moved as the substances within swirlaround. Since the chemical processes create nox-ious fumes and gases, alchemical engines areoften riddled with vents and exhausts to allow itall to escape, meaning they are usually accompa-nied by a pungent smell on the air. Those whowork around alchemical engines for too long tendto get headaches, while individuals who spendyears around them often develop coughs or respi-ratory problems, sometimes their brain also suf-fering from the chemicals.

Creating an alchemical furnace requires theAlchemechanic feat.

Alchemical Mixer: Alchemical engineshave a number of benefits. When a vent isopened the various chemical agents instantly

mix and create heat, and the reaction can beswitched off just as fast. Firing up an alchemicalengine does not result in the usual three rounds ofwarm-up time, although it can still be affected bythe Slow Warm-up result on the Malfunctiontable. Additionally, alchemical mixer engines areimmune to the Smouldering Embers result on theMalfunction table, as they lack a firebox or indeeda fire. Although several different substances areneeded in the engine, the volume they arerequired in is quite small because only a little isused up in each reaction, meaning that the prob-lem of transporting fuel is almost negligible.

In the case of a Catastrophic Breakdownan alchemical engine gouts gas andsteam as chemical reactions go wild,spraying corrosive chemicals

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GoblinsGoblins like steam-work devices, and

the noisier andmore destructivethe better. Goblin

steamworks tend touse either crude

conventional fuelburner engines, orthe more complexdevices crafted bytheir priests and

necromancers usenecromantic

engines instead. If agoblin culture getshold of a steam-work device it isonly a matter oftime before theyfigure out how to

make it themselves,and they can be

very dangerous foeswhen equipped withsteam technology as

well as their ownnatural cunning.

everywhere. For every size category larger thanSmall of the device, the radius of the explosionexpands by 5ft. For Small or smaller devices theexplosion only affects someone handling it.Anyone in the area is hit for 1d10 acid damageunless they make a Reflex save (DC 15). Note thaton a successful save, someone handling the deviceonly succeeds in taking half damage rather thanavoiding it entirely. If an alchemical mixer deviceis reduced to below 0 hit points by acid damagethen it explodes in the same manner as aCatastrophic Breakdown.

Arcane Engine

Arcane engines do not rely on a convention-al furnace to heat up the boiler, insteadutilising more eldritch means to do so.

Unlike the practical mechanics and industrialappearance of more conventional engines, arcanecreations are easy to recognise. They often sportmystic runes, crystal or glass tubes through whichshimmering lights occasionally dance, and otherpieces of arcane paraphernalia. Arcane enginesalso often generate and use electrical energy fromthe boiler to power the device in strange, pseudo-magical ways through meshes of copper wiringand specially sculpted magical foci. Peering intothe innards of an arcane steamwork device revealsthe bizarre and weird structures within.Maintaining such engines often requires mysticrituals and the adjustment of strange valves andvents.

Creating an arcane engine requires theArcanomech feat.

Arcane Source: An arcane sourceengine relies on some form of magic boundinto the machine to transmute the water

into steam. This is usually done through thecreation of a magical flame and heat, or by trans-muting the water directly into its gaseous state,but there are a myriad of other different arcanemethods by which the same end result is

achieved. In any case, an arcane source enginehas the advantage that it is usually perma-

nent and does not require constantfuelling to keep it running, although

equally the creation of such an

engine is expensive as well as demanding on thearcane creator. The personal steamwork creationsof arcane spellcasters often feature arcane sourceengines, but the large-scale assembly of arcanesteamworks is a rare occurrence.

Due to the magical nature of their engines,arcane sources do not have the same problems asmore conventional ones of the firebox going outor being doused, and are immune to such effects(ignore the Smouldering Embers result on theMalfunction table). Equally they require no fuel,but like other steamwork devices they can sufferand degrade from being functional for too long ata time and so are generally only activated whenneeded.

Maintenance of an arcane source engine is eas-ier for someone versed in arcane lore because theengine does not produce the same kinds of grimeand filth as some others. A character with at least4 ranks in Knowledge (Arcana) gains a +2 syner-gy bonus to all Maintenance checks for an arcanesource engine. However, a character without anyKnowledge (Arcana) ranks at all may find themethods of keeping the device maintained nighon incomprehensible as they won't understandthe inner workings of the engine, and hence suf-fer a -2 penalty to any Maintenance checks on adevice powered by an arcane source.

In the case of a Catastrophic Breakdown anarcane source engine cuts out and breaks down,often producing some impressive pyrotechniceffects but without any additional special results.

Dweomerburner: This type of arcaneengine is rather cannibalistic in its nature, for itneeds to devour other magic to keep its fires

burning. Like a conventional engine, a dweomer-burner features an accessible firebox, whichappears to be filled with dancing, ghostly flamesthat give off no heat and do not actually burn sub-stances placed within them, merely causing alight tingling sensation to the skin. However,they do actually burn creatures that touch them inthe Ethereal plane like normal fire. When a mag-ical item is placed in the fire, the flames burn withghostly enthusiasm as they set about devouringthe spells imbued into the object within, burningit away to power the steam engine. Eventually all

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that is left is the physical form of the magicalitem, all its enhancements stripped away.

A medium-sized dweomerburner devicederives 1 day's fuel from every 250 gp of magicitem that it burns, consumption changing as nor-mal for other sizes of engine. If an artifact isplaced in the engine the dweomerburner is fuelledas if burning a normal magical item but does notdiminish the object in any way, no matter whatthe size of the device. Tales often abound ofmighty behemoth constructs at whose mechanicalhearts lie puissant artifacts eternally burning.

Dweomerburners can also devour spells thatare cast directly at them (though this doesn'tapply to spells cast at a character handling adweomerburner device). Dweomerburner deviceshave Spell Resistance 10, or in the case of con-structs grant Spell Resistance equal to 10 + the hitdice of the construct. Any spell nullified by theSpell Resistance gives the dweomerburner anadditional ten minutes of fuel per spell leveldevoured.

In the case of a Catastrophic Malfunction, adweomerburner explodes in a flash of white light,with the effect of an area dispel as per the spellcentred on the steamwork device, at 10th casterlevel.

Energy Trap Engine

This type of engine derives its power bycollecting or tapping the energy emittedby some other source. In this way the

source of power lies entirely outside the structureof the steamwork construction itself, and possiblyquite a considerable distance away. The twoforms of energy trap engine presented here arequite different and distinct from each other.

Divine Source: This type of energy trapengine is designed to pick up the energyemitted by some nearby source of great

power. This usually takes the form of some-thing divine, whether it is an ancient and puissantartifact or the place where a deity perished, oreven a still-living demigod. Steamwork enginesdesigned to tap into the energy of the source canonly operate while within a certain radius ofwhere it is located, up to one hundred miles for

some of the strongest sources of power and usual-ly much less (normally up to twenty or thirtymiles). Outside the operational radius they sim-ply cease functioning and shut down. As a result,divine source steamworks are usually used toguard a stronghold or fortress at or nearby thesource of power, rather than being designed forgreater travelling purposes.

Since the process within the engine does notinvolve an actual fire to hear the boiler, but ratherstrange processes that channel the received ener-gy into heat, divine source engines are unaffectedby the Smouldering Embers malfunction.Steamwork constructs powered by a nearbydivine source often display an alarming grip ongroup tactics and work together well through thelink provided by the source, as a divine sourcesteamwork is aware of the exact position of anyother steamwork powered by the source that iswithin 60ft. Such constructs also gain a +1 bonusto any Maintenance checks made for otherdevices incorporating the same engine type.

A divine source engine is keyed to only a sin-gle source.

In the case of a Catastrophic Breakdown, adivine source engine merely breaks down as nor-mal with no further special effects.

Solar Trap: Solar trap engines harness thepower of the sun. They absorb solar energy toheat up their boilers, picking up the warmth

and light through arrays of collector panels andflat surfaces positioned to pick up as much of thesun's rays as possible. The framework of solarpanels on some steamwork devices can be quitedelicate.

A solar trap powers a steamwork device for 1hour for every hour of sunlight absorbed.Although clean in terms of pollutants and main-tenance, solar trap engines have the obvious dis-advantage of being unable to process more powerduring the night or when in the shade, and theyrarely have enough power reserves to function forlong out of sunlight. Equally though, their sourceof fuel is essentially free. Since they do nothave a firebox they are not affected by theSmouldering Embers malfunction.

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In the case of a Catastrophic Breakdown mal-function, solar trap engines merely break downwithout any further special effects.

Essence Engine

Like arcane engines, an essence engine doesnot use conventional fuels to power steam-work devices. Instead it harnesses other-

worldly energies, drawing them directly from theInner or Outer planes. Both arcane and divinespellcasters are able to tap into the planes in thisway, but essence engines generally remain theprovinces of religions and faiths. Due to the reli-gious nature of their creators, essence enginesthus often bear prayers, sacred texts and otherexamples of religious panoply.

All essence engines require that a deal hasbeen made with some Inner or Outer planar

being to give the creator access to thespiritual or elemental energies of

the appropriate planes. This usually

has to be done through some form of divination orsummoning spell, for instance lesser or greaterplanar binding. In the case of clerics in the serviceof a religion, they have the advantage that thedeity of their faith will supply the link to thatgod's home plane. In the case of an essence enginepowered in this way, a character who hasKnowledge (Religion) of 4 ranks or more gains a+2 synergy bonus to Maintenance checks in rela-tion to that device. For those forced to barter withplanar beings for power for an essence engine,depending on the size of the device the demandsof the being can vary wildly. Incorporating a spir-it matrix (see Equipment) so that the being cansend a minion to inhabit it is a common request.

Creating an essence engine requires theEssence Engineer feat.

Elemental Essence: This type of enginedraws energy from an Inner plane. Exactlyhow it works depends on the element and the

creator. Elemental Fire devices are usually pow-

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ered by an ever-burning furnace that heats thewater, while Water engines simply exploit thenature of water and persuade it to take the formof steam. Air engines infuse the water with theenergy of clouds in the sky to make it transmuteinto its gaseous form, while Earth engines are

usually very rare and oftenexploit the raw physical effortof a servant elemental spiritwithin the device.

Elemental essence enginesdo not need fuel and are alsoimmune to the SmoulderingEmbers result on theMalfunction table - even Fireessence is immune since thepurity of the flame cannot besimply doused with water froma material plane. They alsogain a +2 inherent bonus tosaves against effects of theirelement; for example, a con-struct powered by Fire essencegains a +2 bonus to its saveagainst a fireball spell. Whileelemental essence engines donot have problems with thegrime and filth of burning fuelthey do have to contend with

the powerful elemental forces roiling withinthem. Thus for characters who have no ranks inKnowledge (The Planes), or Knowledge(Religion) in the case of engines powered by thedeity of a religion, they suffer a -2 penalty toMaintenance checks.

In the case of a Catastrophic Breakdown, anelemental essence engine temporarily collapsesinto a small elemental rift with a flash of energy.While the engine is not destroyed (and indeed cancarry on functioning normally), a single elemen-tal of the appropriate type forces its way throughbefore the rift closes. The elemental is hostile andattempts to destroy the engine as well as anyonenearby. The size of the elemental is randomalthough an elemental cannot emerge through adevice that is smaller than it - so a Medium-sizeddevice can only be breached by a Small orMedium-sized elemental, not larger ones.

Spirit Essence: A spirit essence enginedraws energy from an Outer Plane to power asteamwork device. The exact manner in

which the energy is used to achieve thisdepends on the construction of the steamwork,but the usual fashion is to channel the energy intotransforming the water into steam directly. Sincespirit essence engines are usually found in theservice of a religion, they are normally crafted toreflect the dogma and portfolio of a particulardeity.

Spirit essence engines do not need fuel and areimmune to the Smouldering Embers result on theMalfunction table. Characters carrying steam-work devices dedicated to a particular deity mayfind themselves targets of choice to Outsidersthat are hostile to that deity.

In the case of a Catastrophic Breakdown, abacklash of bright planar energy simply severs theplanar connection and obliterates the device'sengine entirely.

Necromantic Engine

As any student of the necromantic arts isaware, death is a powerful tool, possessingenergies that can be harnessed by those

who are wise to it. Some have applied this path ofthought to the creation of steamwork devices, cre-ating engines that derive their power from deathand decay. Necromantic engines usually reflectthe tastes of their creators, tending towards goth-ic design and horrific appearance, whether that isa skeletal, bone-like frame or vicious spikes andblades adorned with the remnants of enemies.Necromantic steamwork constructs often possessa malicious aura to them, eyes glowing withwitchfire; those with furnace engines tend to haveslender, sinister smokestacks and vents that puffout foul fumes.

Creating a necromantic engine requires theNecromek feat.

Sacrifices: In the creation of any necro-mantic engine, the creation costs can bedecreased by 10% by ritually sacrificing

sentient creatures. The blood and deathof a single sentient creature for everyincreasing size category of the

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KoboldsKobolds have a tal-ent for integratingsteamworks withtraps, tunnelling

devices, and othernasty surprises for

their enemies. Theyhave a love of fossil

fuel-burningengines and oil ingeneral, and theirtechnical capabili-ties are not to beunderestimated.Inventive and

ingenious, koboldssometimes evenlead the cutting

edge of science inthis field.

steamwork device to be powered is integrated intodark rituals that allow the necromancer to spendless of his own energy in the process. Both goldand experience costs are reduced through theuse of sacrifices.

Using sacrifices to empower a steamworkdevice in this way is an unambiguously evil act.

Soulburner: This type of dark enginehas a firebox that seems full of ethereal blackflames. These flames act in the same way as

real fire except that they inflict cold damage onanyone foolish enough to stick a limb in the fire-box; like real fire, this coldfire can also set themalight. In addition, the flames also burn on theEthereal plane and will inflict damage on anyethereal creature that passes through them. Asoulburner uses souls as its fuel but can only burnthem if they have been captured in gems, forinstance through the use of the soul harvest spell(See Spells). Once the engine has consumed asoul, the holding gem crumbles to dust in thecoldfire, and an individual whose soul is eaten bya soulburner can only be returned to life througha wish or miracle spell. Soulburners give off athin, unpleasant smoke from their firebox.

The creation of a soulburner has an additionalcost, in the form of one soul trapped in a gem foreach increasing size category of the steamworkdevice to be powered. The souls are bound perma-nently into the machine until the engine isdestroyed, when they are freed.

Coldfire burns merrily even when underwateror in airless environments, and so soulburners areimmune to the Smouldering Embers result on theMalfunction table.

In the case of a Catastrophic Breakdown, thefirebox explodes in a flare of blue-white coldfireaccompanied by the sound of screaming spirits.For every size category larger than Small of thedevice, the radius of the explosion expands by 5ft.For Small or smaller devices the explosion onlyaffects someone handling it. Anyone in the area ishit for 2d6 cold damage unless they make a Reflex

save (DC 15). Note that on a successful save,someone handling the device only succeeds

in taking half damage rather than avoid-ing it entirely. If a soulburner is

reduced to 0 hit points by magic damage of anysort then it explodes in the same manner as aCatastrophic Breakdown.

Corpseburner: This form of necromanticengine needs a large furnace, as it burnscorpses to provide heat for the boiler. Unlike a

conventional furnace, it doesn't just derive energyfrom the burning flesh, but also from the pain andfear of death that still resides in the corpses.Although the burning corpses give off a foulstench and thick smog, it does mean that for warmachines, the battlefieldbecomes a source of fuel afterthe fighting is over. It is notunusual to see the dark-spined,hulking minions of somenecromancer prowling akilling field with a trail ofthick smoke as they hunt forfresh fuel. Some particularlynasty constructs are fitted sothat they can scoop up livingopponents and place themdirectly into their furnaces,dealing 2d6 fire damage to theunfortunate each round theyremain there.

A Medium-size corpseburn-er device consumes a singlecorpse to fuel it for one day.Corpseburners have the advan-tage of their fuel being effec-tively free, but like other moreconventional furnace engines,they are vulnerable to theirfirebox going out or beingdoused. Although it does notseem viable for small steam-work devices to use corpse-burner engines, it is quite pos-sible for a necromancer to feedsmall body parts such as fingers into the furnaceof a construct such as a spider sentinel.

In the case of a Catastrophic Malfunction, acorpseburner breaks down in a billowing cloud offoul smog, but with no further special effects.

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OrcsWhile the orc tribalstructure is not verysuited to the inven-tion and dissemina-tion of steam tech-nology, and in gen-

eral they are toowarlike and uncere-bral a race to havetalent in that field,there is the occa-

sional incidence oftribal wisemen

passing down theknowledge of creat-ing a few crude sys-tems. Orcs do like

big and noisy steamengines though, and

eagerly acquirethem off other soci-

eties by barter orplunder. Powerful

allies might give anorc tribe steamwork

devices to keepthem loyal.

Dragonsblood: These vile necromanticengines exploit the highly magical nature of

dragons, using necromantic sciences toextract energy from their sorcerous blood.

Dragonsblood engines may appear similar toalchemical steamworks, featuring a nest of glasstubes and alchemical devices buried amongst themachinery that distils and filters the blood toextract the magical energy from it. Moving drag-onsblood constructs are accompanied by theghastly sight and sound of the crimson liquidswirling around the glass pipes.

Even worse, the blood actu-ally seems to enhance suchsteamworks with fiendishenergy and power drawn fromthe blood. Steamwork con-structs powered by dragons-blood engines gain an inherent+2 bonus to all ability scores,as well as the ability to castone single level 1 arcane spell3 times per day (the spell isdecided on creation of theengine). Dragonsbloodengines are also unaffected bythe Smouldering Embersresult on the Malfunctiontable.

Needless to say, dragons-blood engines are hated by alldragonkind. It is not unknownfor evil dragons to create drag-onsblood engines fuelled bytheir own blood and that ofdragons they have slain, butsuch monsters are shunnedand reviled even by other evildragons. A dragon will go out

of its way to destroy a dragonsblood steamworkand kill its creator.

Creating a dragonsblood engine has an addi-tional cost. Half a pint of dragon's blood perincreasing size category is used up in the craftingprocess. For fuel, a pint of dragon's blood willkeep a Medium-sized dragonsblood engine run-ning for 1 day. There is no standard cost associat-ed with a pint of dragon's blood, and it usually

needs to be acquired directly - which is normallya very dangerous task. Some particularly unpleas-ant necromancers may keep imprisoned and crip-pled dragons that they can siphon the blood from.

In the case of a Catastrophic Breakdown, adragonsblood engine explodes in a detonation thatrips it apart, sending pieces of glass scythingthrough the air around it like shrapnel. For everysize category larger than Small of the device, theradius of the explosion expands by 5ft. For Smallor smaller devices the explosion only affectssomeone handling it. Anyone in the area is hit for1d8 damage unless they make a Reflex save (DC15). Note that on a successful save, someone han-dling the device only succeeds in taking half dam-age rather than avoiding it entirely.

At the DM's discretion the blood of other high-ly magical creatures, for instance fey or medusae,could be used to power a necromantic construct aswell.

Blood Drinker: Blood drinker engines areonly ever used to power a device of destructionsuch as a weapon or construct, due to the way

they acquire their fuel. A blood drinker relies onthe blood of its victims. Unlike the carefullyrefined alchemical and necromantic process of adragonsblood engine, a blood drinker feeds offboth the crude blood and the pain of the injuries itinflicts.

A blood drinker device normally featuresvicious blades and hooks designed for ripping andtearing, etched blood channels in the weaponscausing drawn blood to flow back towards themachine where it is collected and siphoned intothe furnace. They possess a normal firebox aug-mented with necromantic energies, the flames adeep crimson in hue. Despite the magic boundinto the furnace, blood drinkers can still be affect-ed by the Smouldering Embers malfunction andcan be doused.

Blood drinkers create a thin, acrid smoke as aresult of the burning. A Medium-sized blooddrinker device must inflict 25 points of damage toliving beings that have blood in order toextract the fuel to keep it running for oneday.

In the case of a Catastrophic

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LizardfolkLike gnolls, lizard-

folk rarely haveanything to do withsteam technology.

They have a certainaffinity to nature, at

least to its aspectsof survival and bru-

tality, and theirdruids and priests

find the havoc thatcan be wreaked on

the environment bysteamwork device

belching fumes andwaste to be quite

horrific. Althoughindividually they donot hate technolo-gy, lizardfolk often

find themselvesopposed to the

groups that do pos-sess steamworks.

Breakdown, a blood drinker blasts out an invisiblesurge of pain and agony as it breaks down and themagical processes within go haywire. The blasthas a radius of 5 feet for every increasing size cat-egory the steamwork device is, and anyone with-in the area must make a Will save (DC 15) or suf-fer 3d6 subdual damage.

Soul Drinker: Like blood drinkers,soul drinker engines are only ever used to

power destructive steamworks. An attackby a soul drinker uses necromantic magic to

snare pieces of the life force of anyone injured,bestowing a single negative level on them (theDC to remove it after 24 hours is 10). By draininglife energy a soul drinker is able to power the darkprocesses going on within it, and from the jointsand valves in the machinery small, ethereal wispsof souls can be seen seeping out.

Anyone killed outright by a soul drinkerengine's level drain can only be returned to lifethrough a wish or miracle. Anyone slain by moreconventional injuries inflicted by such a machinesuffers no such restrictions. Since the process isentirely necromantic and a soul drinker does nothave a firebox, a soul drinker is unaffected by theSmouldering Embers malfunction. However, dueto the bulkiness of the arcane apparatus that a souldrinker engine employs, they cannot be used topower steamwork devices of smaller thanMedium-sized. 2 levels of energy drain are neededto sustain a soul drinker device of Medium sizefor one day.

In the case of a Catastrophic Breakdown, a souldrinker explodes in a pulsating gleam of sicklygrey light, energy washing out of it that saps thestrength of those caught nearby. For every sizecategory over Small, the radius of the explosion isincreased by 5ft (thus having a minimum radiusof 5ft. at Medium size due to the minimum sizerestriction of the engine). Anyone in the area suf-fers 2d6 temporary Strength damage if they fail aWill save (DC 18).

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Steamwork devices are usually crafted withrivets and welding, ironshod conglomera-tions of gears and pistons that hiss and

clank. Industrial in appearance, constructed fromheavy metal and slicked with oil and grease with-in their moving machineries, this level of techno-logical advancement and fabrication refinement isnot the only possibility. Materials other than steeland iron can be employed to build constructs andengines, and more advanced cultures often holdthe secrets to building more efficient and reliabledevices. Equally, some more primitive and crudersources of steamworks are possible, with poorlycrafted assemblies of unrefined metal plates ham-mered together and gouting great vents of filthfrom their engines.

Special Materials

As well as the usual forms of iron and steelused for the bulk of the parts of a steam-work device, plenty of other possibilities

are available, from elaborate and ornamental met-als to crude and primitive materials such as boneor coral. Note that many steamwork devicesmight have decorations in the forms of preciousmetals or odd substances inlaid or plated ontothem, but the entries here represent the use ofnon-standard materials for the construction of themain part of the machinery (except in the case ofadamantine plating).

The weight modifier indicates the modifierthat should be applied to the base weight of adevice. The cost indicates the increase in cost of asteamwork device, calculated by a percentageincrease to the base price of the object, except inthe case of adamantine and dragonscale plating.

Adamantine: This rare and incredibly hardmetal can be used to build a steamwork device tocreate an amazingly resilient structure, as well asan obvious display of the wealth of the creator.Although it is expensive to acquire so much of themetal, adamantine is sometimes used to createsteamwork war constructs, their armour very dif-ficult to penetrate. A device created fromadamantine gains a +3 non-magical enhancementbonus to its AC.

Adamantine Plating: Although still expen-sive, adamantine plating is considerably less cost-ly than creating an entire device from adaman-tine, while still reaping some of the benefits of themetal. Adamantine plating covers the armour ofthe device – usually constructs – with a layer ofthe metal that helps turn aside strikes and mis-siles. A device with adamantine plating gains a +1non-magical enhancement bonus to AC.

Bone: Sometimes used by necromancers toconstruct their steamwork devices and constructs,

as well as by societies with anadvanced capacity for scientificthought but lacking the metalresources needed to built steeldevices, bone can be used forparts, structure and framework.Smaller bones are carefullychipped and shaped withtools and larger onesbound or rivetedtogether, creatinga somewhat

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MatMateerials anrials anddCrafCraftmanshiptmanship

Metal WWeight MModifier CCost Adamantine None +150%Adamantine Plating +10% +2,000gpBone -50% +0%Copper None +50%Coral -25% -10%Crystal +25% +150%Dragonscale Plating +10% +15,000gpGold +50% +100%Mithril -50% +150%Obsidian +50% +100%

rickety whole. Hollowed bones stoppered withnatural sealant like resin provide pipes, and gen-uine teeth can be used for the teeth of cogs. Bonesteamworks are bound round with spells andmagics, and creating a device from bone requires

a spellcaster capable of casting spells of at least 3rd

level – even with this, bone is far less resilientthan iron or steel and also less reliable. Bonesteamworks suffer a –2 penalty to their naturalarmour and have their Maintenance DCincreased by 1. However, the rituals and magicthat holds the thing together grants the device a+2 innate bonus to saves against spells.

Copper: Copper appears in some areas in anatural, raw form which can be easily harvestedand shaped by primitive societies. When properlytreated metal is used, it is possible to constructcopper steamworks. Such devices are also some-times the result of the fancy or aesthetic tastes ofsomeone rich. The beaten copper gives such adevice an impressive appearance, and the treatedmetal is as tough as steel. Furthermore, the treat-ment grants the device Fire Resistance and AcidResistance 5.

Coral: Some undersea civilizations manage tobuild weird steamwork devices with exoticengines, and may construct their items from coraldue to a lack of natural metals available. Equally,those in coastal areas and near reefs may use thesame material, as do some religions of sea deitiesto show where their faith lies. Coral is lighterthan steel, and carefully selected specimens inter-woven with thick shells of deep sea creaturesmean that it is still fairly tough, although the brit-tleness of the organic substance means that it isstill far from as resilient as metal, suffering a –1natural armour penalty. The visual effect ofmulti-coloured and multi-textured corals andarmouring shells put together to create a steam-hissing construct is impressive.

Crystal: Some truly spectacular steamworkdevices are crafted from crystal. Sometimes

the pieces are hand-crafted, chipped andformed from crystal pieces, while the

more puissant or knowledgeable

crafters of crystal machines actually encourageand culture mineral growths deep in undergroundcaverns, carefully manipulated to be harvestedlater. Such devices are especially impressive whentheir components have threads of brightlycoloured mineral impurities running throughthem. The pieces of the crystal machinery aretreated with powerful arcane and alchemicalprocesses and then assembled to create the finaldevice, granting it a +2 AC bonus and a +2 innatebonus to saving throws against spells.

Dragonscale Plating: Although it is notpossible to use dragon scales to build an entiresteam engine, they are highly valued for use as anadditional layer of armour plating. Getting holdof such scales in the first place can be a difficulttask, but they give an impressive appearance toany construct or device as well as the practicalvirtues of using such materials. A steamworkdevice with dragonscale plating benefits fromresistance 10 to fire, acid, cold or electricitydepending on which type of dragon the scalescame from.

Gold: Any precious metal can be used as orna-mentation and elaboration on a steamworkdevice, but only the most ostentatious, grand andwealthy craft entire items of gold. As it is veryheavy, gold is less practical for smaller devices,and in the case of constructs it may appearimpressive but normal gold is softer than steel,meaning that specially treated metal is neededinstead. Gold steamwork devices benefit fromFire Resistance 5 and Acid Resistance 5, as well asgranting a +1 morale bonus to Will saves to anyfriendly characters within 15ft.

Mithral: Another rare and expensive metal,mithral is very light and hence excellent for craft-ing smaller devices that need to be carried around.Items built from mithral weigh half their listedweight. Constructs built from it are lighter andfaster in their movements and reactions, benefit-ing from a +2 inherent bonus to their Dexterityvalue.

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Obsidian: Rarely, steamwork constructs arebuild from crafted obsidian components, resultingin massive, heavy and resilient devices. The stonearmouring means that an obsidian device gains a+2 natural armour bonus, and obsidian constructsbenefit from an inherent +2 bonus to theirStrength value.

Quality of Construction &Technology

From the crudely riveted and muck-stainedconstructs of a goblin artificer to the beauti-ful and masterfully crafted implements con-

structed by an elven artisan, the quality andsophistication of different examples of steam-work technology is apparent as being widely vari-able. The levels of technology and workmanshiphere can be used to represent both exceptional andexceptionally bad examples of craftsmanshipwithin a single culture, or to differentiate theadvancement and skill of different cultures fromone another.

The DC modifier indicates the adjustmentmade to the Maintenance DC of any steamworkdevice that is made at that level of advancement.The cost modifier designates the adjustment tothe price of such a device in a culture with stan-dard levels of steam technology. The shoddywork of a goblin mechanic, less reliable and poor-ly constructed, would be worth less to a humanculture undergoing industrialization, while thesophisticated devices crafted by an advancedelven society would be worth more. However,within the goblin or elf’s own culture, theirdevices would be worth the standard amount.

Level DDC mmod CCost MModCrude +2 -25%Poor +1 -10%Standard +0 NoneAdvanced -1 +50%High Steam-power -2 +100%

Crude: This is the most basic level of steamtechnology, consisting of metal crudely welded orhammered together, poorly connected machineryand pipes, and leaky boilers. Fuel burns ineffi-

ciently while magical engines work from basicand unsophisticated spells and rituals. Crudesteamworks don’t even approach the practical butbrutal industrial appearance of more advanceddevices. They look like what they are – crude.

Poor: Poor technology is a bit more unreliablethan standard steamworks, usually due to shoddycraftsmanship or cutting corners in the design,and thus also a bit cheaper.

Standard: This is the standard level of steam-work technology used in this guide, with no mod-ifiers to maintenance or cost. Standard steam-work technology can be used on its own to repre-sent any and all steamworks in a campaign if aDM does not wish to bother using other levels ofadvancement. This form of steamwork technolo-gy is usually, though not always, practical andindustrial in appearance.

Advanced: Advanced steam technology is morereliable and better crafted, less likely to breakdown due to its more efficient and developedprocesses and mechanisms. Advanced steam-works also tend to be more aesthetically designedand less industrial in appearance.

High SSteam-ppower: Highly sophisticatedmachinery and far more reliable, this level oftechnology is usually the result of high steam-power cultures rather than an exceptionally goodpiece of craftsmanship on the part of an engineerfrom a culture with standard steamwork advance-ment. Since high steam-power cultures are oftenthe empires of past eras and their devices foundonly in ruins and dangerous places, the cost ofhigh steam-power items is often increased evenfurther than the base +100% modifier.

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This section details a wide selection of newgear, divided into three categories – equip-ment, weapons and armour. Each part has

a number of new items, including steamworkdevices and related items such as special fuels andupgrades, as well as mundane items that while notsteamwork themselves are of the right kind offlavour for a campaign featuring steam technolo-gy elements.

The items here are defined as being eithersteamwork items, magical items or mundane.Steamwork items have the [Steamwork] tag, andare operated in the manner laid out in previoussections of this guide. Each entry for a steamworkitem includes the creation requirements to be ableto build it, which include a minimum number ofranks in Craft (Steamworks) and possibly otherskills as well. If a character does not meet theseprerequisites then he does not have the neededknowledge to understand how to construct it andcannot craft one with his Craft skill.

In the case of magical items, which have the[Arcana] tag, the entry contains the usual prereq-uisites and caster level for such an item. Somemagical items are also steamwork items. Notethat a number of steamwork items contain magi-cal pieces or parts or operate in a magical way, butnot are not necessarily magical enough to deemthem as needing an item creation feat to build.

Equipment

Anumber of items here are alchemical innature, and have the following DC’s forthe purposes of creating them with the

Craft (Alchemy) skill.

Item DCDragon Spittle 20Fogger chemicals 25Kobold’s Fire 25Metalmist 20Re-igniter Cartridge 20Rust-Bile 25Saboteur’s Elixir 20

Aether OilThis swirling, milky liquid is sometimes used

as a fuel in oil burner engines. A magical sub-stance extracted from a type of ore called aether-stone, found only in seams amidst the high reach-es of tall mountains, aether oil burns with a wispysmoke that smells strangely pleasant. However, ithas malign effects on those of a magical nature, aswell as those travelling the Ethereal plane.Anyone within 10ft of an engine burning aetheroil who can cast spells or who has supernaturalabilities must make a Fortitude save each round(DC 16) or suffer 2d6 damage, feeling as if theirminds are on fire. Any ethereal characters within20ft of such an engine sees the smoke as pulsing,white tendrils of mist that scald to the touch, andsuffer 4d6 fire damage each round they remainwithin 20ft of the device. The exact causes for theformation of aetherstone on high mountains, andfor its unpleasant effects on ethereal travellersand magical beings, are unknown. The entry inthe equipment table represents enough aether oilto fuel a Medium-size device for one day.

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TTooools of thls of the Te Tradradee

Alchemechanical AlarmThe alchemechanical alarm is an alchemical

device designed to act as a ‘wake-up call’ to analchemechanical steamwork device if tripped. It isa small device of metal and glass that holds reser-voirs of the same chemicals used in an alchemicalmixer engine, attached to a detection device suchas pressure plates or integrated into a trap. Whenactivated, the alarm pours the reserves of chemi-cals directly into the engine of the steamworkobject (usually a construct), powering it up imme-diately as the chemicals mix and heat the boiler.The alarm itself is not a steamwork device andneeds to have its reservoirs refilled regularly.

Alchemechanical Brewery[Steamwork]A large steamwork device consisting of a tan-

gle of pipes, vents, tubes and vats, an alcheme-chanical brewery is capable of various differentpurposes. It can be used in an actual brewery tovastly improve the creation of alcoholic bever-ages, pumps and suchlike moving liquids aroundwithin the system. Alchemechanical breweriesare also often used by alchemists to create large

amounts of chemicals quickly and to conduct verycomplex experiments. When used in this way analchemechanical brewery grants a +10 machinebonus to Craft (Alchemy) skill checks.

An alchemechanical brewery can also be set upfor the delicate processes of creating potions, itscomplex innards turned to the task of filtering,distillation and mixing exotic substances. Analchemechanical brewery used in this way greatlyspeeds up the production of potions, and a charac-ter using it for such may create not one but twopotions per day. The character still has to pay thenormal gold and experience costs for the potionshe creates.

Creation: Craft (Alchemy) 15 ranks, Craft(Steamworks) 12 ranks

Alchemechanical Sniffer[Steamwork]This steamwork device is a bulky foot-long

box full of glass pipes and perforated alcheme-chanical sensors along with reservoirs ofdozens of different chemicals. Whenfired up and activated, the snifferpicks up traces of substances in the

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a Guide to Fantasy Steamworksa Guide to Fantasy SteamworksName Size Weight Cost Maintenance DDCAether Oil Small 10lb 800gp -Alchemechanical Alarm Diminutive 1lb 50gp -Alchemechanical Brewery Large 80lb 12,000gp 11Alchemechanical Sniffer Tiny 7lb 250gp 7Alchemy Engine Small 30lb 500gp 7Arcanomech Eye Tiny 8lb 3,000gp 10Arcanomech Eye, All-Seeing Tiny 5lb 12,000gp 9Arcanomech Familiar Varies Varies Special -Arcanomech Lamp Tiny 2lb 100gp 6Blood Oil Small 10lb 500gp -Calculation Engine Small 30lb 600gp 7Climbers Companion Small 20lb 400gp 6Cloud Dust Small 20lb 150gp -Dragon Spittle Tiny 1lb 50gp -Enhanced Smokestack - - +500gp -Erudite Matrix Tiny 4lb +500gp -Farsight Lens Tiny ½lb 1,000gp -Filter Mask Tiny 3lb 300gp -Fire Coal Diminutive ½lb 50gp -Flowmetal Tiny 2lb 300gp -Fogger Small 15lb 600gp 8

Chemical Reserves Tiny 3lb 100gp -

air with its chemical array and a clever charactercan use it to pick up scents and trails in the air; asa result it’s also often nicknamed the ‘blood-hound’. A character using an alchemical sniffergains a +4 circumstance bonus to Survival checksthat involve tracking.

Prerequisites: Craft (Alchemy) 10 ranks, Craft(Steamworks) 5 ranks

Alchemy Engine [Steamwork]An alchemy engine is a solid metal steamwork

device with an input board of metal keys andsmall vents, sprouting glass vials and tubes andchemical indicators. Used by alchemists and sci-entists for the purpose of distilling new com-pounds as well as identifying unknown sub-stances, an alchemy engine can provide a fairlysophisticated breakdown analysis with its little

engine and complex mesh of alchemical gear.An alchemy engine improves the bonus to

Craft (Alchemy) checks provided by analchemist’s lab by an additional +2.

Prerequisites: Craft (Alchemy)

10 ranks, Craft (Steamworks) 5 ranks

Arcanomech Eye[Arcana, Steamwork]An arcanomech eye is a steam-powered sur-

veillance system. Usually placed high on walls orceilings, arcanomech eyes can take many forms; agolden, impassive face with eyes of glowing bluecrystal and the machinery hidden within, a goth-ic dragon or gargoyle head in scarlet- or black-painted metal, or a complex array of cogs andglass lenses in a gyroscopic cradle of steel.Arcanomech eyes slowly swivel to gaze over thearea they are assigned to guard; each is pro-grammed to recognise intruders, and possesses aSpot skill modifier of +12. If an eye spots anintruder it focuses its gaze on the target and acti-vates a klaxon alarm that usually brings reinforce-ments running. An eye has 5 hit points, hardness5 and AC 14.

Despite the name, an arcanomech eye does notneed to have an arcane engine; the workings ofthe device are highly magical though, and magic-

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Steam &Steam & SteelSteelName Size Weight Cost Maintenance DDCGranite Coal Diminutive ½lb 300gp -Kobold’s Fire Tiny 1lb 35gp -Living Oil Tiny 2lb. 18,000gp -Mechanic’s Assistant Small 12lb 600gp 7Mechanic’s Lenses Tiny 1lb 80gp -Mechanic’s Tools Small 13lb 30gp -Mechanic’s Tools, Masterwork Small 10lb 180gp -Mechanical Lockpick Tiny 1lb 1,000gpMetal Mosquito Fine - 2,000gp 10Metal Mosquito, Scrying Fine - 8,000gp 10Metalmist Tiny 1lb 30gp -Meteorometer Small 18lb 2,500gp 11Necromek Blood-Taster Tiny 2lb +1,000gp -Necromek Blood-Lock Medium 75lb 10,000gp 7Necromek Skull Homunculus Tiny 10lb 3,000gp 7Necromek Surgeon Medium 80lb 10,000gp 8Poison, Pain Angel Tiny 1lb 300gp -Poison, Ironroot Tiny 1lb 3,500gp -Predator Matrix Tiny 4lb +2,000gp -Re-igniter Tiny 3lb +75gp -Re-igniter, Advanced Tiny 3lb +200gp -

Re-ignition Cartridge Diminutive - 5gp -Retch Oil Small 10lb 400gp -Rolling Eye Diminutive ½lb 50gp 7

wielding intruders often attempt to temporarilyknock them out with targeted dispel spells.

Caster LLevel: 10th Creation: Create WondrousItem, scrying, Craft (Steamworks) 8 ranks

Arcanomech Eye, All-Seeing[Arcana, Steamwork]This superior version of the normal

arcanomech eye also sees invisible creatures, pre-venting thieves and intruders from cloaking theirpresence with magical spells. It also has enhancedcomponents that need less maintenance.

Caster LLevel: 12th Creation: Create WondrousItem, see invisibility, scrying, Craft (Steamworks)15 ranks

Arcanomech FamiliarIn a society where steam technology is avail-

able, some mechanically minded wizards and sor-cerers create their own arcanomech construct as afamiliar. To create the familiar, choose an animalfrom the list of familiars and apply theSteamwork Creature template to it (see Beasts ofSteel). Arcanomech familiars are sentient andbound to their owner in exactly the same way andwith the same rules as normal familiars, but do

not grant the usual special benefit of the creature.Instead their mechanical nature grants the wizarda +2 bonus on all Craft (Steamworks) andKnowledge (Mathematics) skill checks. Theprocess of constructing an arcanomech familiarcosts 500gp and, as with normal familiars, if afamiliar is destroyed another cannot be createdfor a year and a day.

The familiar draws its power and strengthfrom its creator, and thus needs neither fuel normaintenance.

Arcanomech Lamp[Arcana, Steamwork]Another magical steamwork device, an

arcanomech lamp can appear in a variety of elab-orate and eldritch forms. Any form of engine candrive it; the internal workings of the lamp harnessthe steam power to create heatless magical light.The light can be any colour or even multi-coloured, and usually performs strange but allur-ing patterns and movements within the glasschamber of the device.

Caster LLevel: 6th Creation: CraftWondrous Device, Craft(Steamworks) 5 ranks

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a Guide to Fantasy Steamworksa Guide to Fantasy SteamworksName Size Weight Cost Maintenance DDCRust-Bile Tiny 1lb 150gp -Saboteur’s Elixir Tiny 1lb 160gp -Saboteur’s Tools Small 5lb 40gp -Sacred Lock Medium 75lb 10,000gp 7Scientist’s Assistant Small 30lb 600gp 7Singing Smokestack - - +3,500gp -Spirit Matrix Tiny 5lb +5,000gp -Steamwork Clock Tiny 5lb 400gp 6Steamwork Clock, Grand Small 15lb 1,800gp 8Steamwork Drill Small 30lb 200gp 8Steamwork Grapnel Small 9lb 300gp 8Steamwork Hammer Medium 100lb 1,000gp 8Steamwork Lock Medium 75lb 750gp 7Steamwork Music-Organ Large 300lb 3,000gp 7Steamwork Orrery Small 50lb 2,500gp 10Steamwork Press Medium 140lb 1,800gp 10Steamwork Sentry Small 40lb 800gp 8Thaumometer Tiny 10lb 14,000gp 9Volcano Crystals Tiny 1lb 2,000gp -War-Pack Matrix Tiny 4lb +1,500gp -Warrior Matrix Tiny 4lb +3,000gp -

Blood OilBlood oil is a slick liquid of crimson hue that is

an excellent fuel for oil burner engines. It’s a rareoccurrence to find blood oil; it seems that occa-sionally rocks in volcanic areas just seem tosqueeze some out, forming little pools of whatlook like gore splashed around the fiery landscape,prompting claims that it is literally the blood ofthe world seeping from its wounds. More sinister-ly, warriors sometimes report that on battlefieldsstrewn with carnage, blood oil can form where themost blood of the fallen pools. Whatever its ori-gin, blood oil burns fiercely and with no smoke inoil burner engines, giving off only a thin vapourthat helps keep the machinery slick and moving.An engine burning blood oil has the DC for itsMaintenance checks reduced by 3. The entry inthe equipment table represents enough blood oilto fuel a Medium-sized device for 1 day.

Calculation Engine [Steamwork]A calculation is a sizeable piece of machinery

studded with vents and pipes, filled with complexgears and devices. On one face, input and outputkeys allow for calculations to be put into themachine and for answers to be given, as well as aslot for program cards to be inserted. These arepieces of card with perforations that gears withinlock into and run the engine through a set calcu-lation process within the parameters keyed in. Acalculation engine allows for more advancedmathematical computations, granting a charactera +4 machine bonus to Knowledge (Mathematics)checks as well as to related fields of study.

Creation: Craft (Steamworks) 10 ranks

Climbers Companion[Steamwork]This ingenious little invention was designed

originally for those wealthy gentry with a taste inthe pastime of climbing, but has spread to be usedby mountain travellers and adventurers too.Effectively a very small construct with its ownsystem of pitons and climbing gear, it can be

attached to a rock surface and to a climber bysome rope, and will slowly climb its way

up alongside the climber. If at any timethe climber should slip and fall, the

companion will bring him up short and keep himup, the small machine having an amazinglystrong grip to the rock. It grants a +2 machinebonus to Climb checks and prevents a characterfrom falling if they fail their Climb check by 5 ormore.


Cloud DustA thin, dusty powder made from crushing spe-

cial forms of coal dug up from deep mines, clouddust can be burned as a fuel for a coal-burningengine. When combusted it pours out great cloudsof smoke that curl in the air around the engine,hazing visibility in a 10ft radius. While not thickenough to cause living creatures any problemswith breathing, the cloud of smoke does help con-ceal anyone in the cloud, granting ½ concealmentand hence a 20% miss chance against those with-in the area. The haze dissipates within 5 rounds.Cloud dust is usually used to fuel military con-structs, giving them cover from heavy missileweapons as they approach the enemy lines. Theentry in the equipment table represents enoughcloud dust to fuel a Medium-sized device for 1day.

Dragon SpittleDragon spittle is a thick, viscous chemical

extracted from the internal organs of fire breath-ing creatures through careful selection of the rightparts and deft chemical treatment. It consists ofthe kinds of non-flammable compounds that suchcreatures use to prevent their own breath weaponfrom blowing themselves to pieces, and whencarefully applied to vulnerable parts of steam-work devices it can help protect a machine fromthe ravages of fire. Such heat tends to warp anddamage delicate parts quite easily and can igniteoils and grease. A machine treated with dragonspittle gains a +2 bonus to saving throws againstfire-based attacks; 1 dose of spittle keeps aMedium-size machine protected for a week beforea new coat needs to be added. In some places,noblemen and gentry keep farms of small fire-breathing creatures, often stunted breeds of fire-spitting drakes and suchlike, for the manufactureof dragon spittle.

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Enhanced SmokestackMany types of steamwork device are driven by

furnace engines, systems which combust a fuel ofsome sort or another, and these devices can be fit-ted with an enhanced smokestack. Using slightlymore advanced and refined processes, the device’sperformance is marginally improved by betterventing and cleaning out of exhaust fumes, smokeand pressure. A device with an enhanced smoke-stack allows for a re-roll on the Malfunction tablewhenever the device malfunctions, although thesecond result stands.


Erudite MatrixComprising of a complex crystalline matrix

embedded in a chunk of delicate steamworkmachinery, this item can be installed into anysteamwork construct. Encoded into the matrix isa carefully programmed set of instructions thatgrants the steamwork a basic capability at per-forming some skill or other that needs more com-plex knowledge than the construct’s awarenesspossesses. An erudite matrix is keyed to one par-ticular skill, granting the construct 5 ranks in it.

Creation: Craft (Steamworks) 12 ranksFarsight Lens [Arcana]A small magical device, a farsight lens is a

piece of smoked glass usually mounted as a singlegoggle on a strap. It is needed for a character to beable to use a rolling eye or to pick up the picturesfrom a scrying metal mosquito. In either case thelens has to be within 100ft of the sending device tobe able to receive the images.

Caster LLevel: 9th Creation: Create WondrousItem, prying eyes, Craft (Steamworks) 5 ranks

Filter MaskA cunningly crafted mask with glass lenses

and filter pieces across the mouth, this device iscommonly used by those in either chemical man-ufacture to evade fumes or by desert dwellers toprotect their throats and eyes during sandstorms.A filter mask grants a +2 machine bonus to savingthrows against blinding effects and a +4 machinebonus to saving throws against choking or gaseffects (note that this doesn’t help against cloud-kill). A filter mask also hampers spells with verbal

components, increasing their chance of failure by10%.

Fire CoalIt is theorised by scientists that this rare form

of coal is created only when normal coal is sub-jected to intense pressure and heat deep below thesurface, suffusing it with inherent magic. It isfound occasionally in small samples within nor-mal coal seams that reach especially deep. Whenbrought to the surface by coal miners that havedrilled into a fire coal sample, it is usuallysnapped up quickly by spellcasters who canexploit its innate magic in their spells. If used asan additional material component for a spell withthe Fire descriptor, fire coal adds a +1 bonus to thecaster level of the spell. Only the effects of a sin-gle piece can be gained in this way; using morethan one piece does not further increase the powerof the spell in any way. The entry in the equip-ment table represents a single piece of the coal.

FlowmetalThis enchanted substance is created in lumpy

globules of solid metal, runes inscribed across thesurface, and is used to repair battle-damaged con-structs. When a lump is pressed against the sur-face of a construct near a damaged area and thecommand word is spoken, the metal takes on liq-uid consistency as it adheres and spreads to sealand repair the damage, leaving a blemished patchas it solidifies once again. A piece of flowmetalheals 1d8+5 hit points when used on a construct.

Caster LLevel: 3rd Creation: Create WondrousItem, repair metal

Fogger [Steamwork]A complex array of tubes, pumps and machin-

ery, a fogger is a steamwork device that mixesalchemical compounds together to create billow-ing clouds of fog in a very short space of time.Each round that a fogger is active, it increases the

concealment in a 20ft radius around it; in the 1st

round granting concealment with a 10% miss

chance, then in the 2nd round conceal-ment with a 20% miss chance, then in

the 3rd round concealment with a

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30% miss chance. After the third round it main-tains this density of fog. Unfortunately theintense action of the device means that it runs outof chemical reserves within 6 rounds, after whichthe fog dissipates. Refilling a fogger with chemi-cals takes a full round. Adventurers and their ilkcommonly use foggers to provide cover or diver-sions.


Granite CoalAnother rare and magical form of coal found in

deep seams from time to time, the crystal-like‘granite’ coal takes its name from its incrediblehardness, as resilient as stone. The stuff is infusedwith natural magic and is a real asset to anyarcane smith who crafts magical objects. Ifburned in a forge, in which the metal parts of amagical item are being formed during the processof magic item creation, the experience cost for thecreator is reduced by 5% to 20%. Burning morethan one piece of granite coal in the forge does notgrant any further bonuses. The entry in the equip-ment table represents a single piece of the coal.

Kobold’s FireThis substance is a volatile and viscous oil

that, upon contact with air, explodes into flame.It’s the creation of kobold alchemists, a by-prod-uct from the refinement processes they attempt torender crude forms of oil into more efficient fuelsfor their oil burning steam engines, and handily italso makes a useful incendiary weapon. The tar-like substance clings to skin and burns slowly,causing horrific wounds, and particularly vilecreatures love to use the stuff as an agonisinginstrument of torture. Kobold’s Fire is usuallyemployed as a grenade-like weapon with a rangeincrement of 10 feet, in much the same manner asalchemist’s fire; a direct hit from a vial inflictsd6+1 fire damage to the target, and 1 fire damageto anyone in the splash area. In the next two turnsfollowing a direct hit, the Fire deals an addition-

al d6 fire damage to the target; the flames canbe extinguished in the same manner as

described under the Alchemist’s Fireentry in the PHB.

Living Oil [Arcana]So-called ‘living’ oil is not actually alive, but

takes its name from the alarmingly organic way itseems to move about of its own accord like somekind of shimmering, viscous ooze. Living oil is infact made from the same kind of lubricant used insteamwork devices to keep all the parts movingsmoothly and with the minimum of friction, butis also filled with tiny arcanomech machines thatare almost smaller than the eye can see. Whenpoured onto a steamwork device, the living oilacts like a janitor, pushing lubricant oil to whereit is needed, cleaning parts of the machine, andgenerally making it run better. Any device withliving oil on it has its Maintenance DC reducedby 1, and in addition in the case of a roll on theMalfunction table, a re-roll may be taken ifdesired (the second roll is final though). The tech-nology for creating living oil is very highlyadvanced and usually only found in high steam-power cultures; sometimes samples can be foundin the ruins of such civilisations and it sells forvery high prices on the normal market. Living oildoesn’t seem to need any sort of maintenanceitself, and the principles behind creating the tinymachines in it are not understood by anyone otherthan their high steam-power creators. The entryon the equipment table is for one vial of living oil.

Caster LLevel: 17th Creation: Create WondrousItem, Arcanomech, High Artificer, Craft(Steamworks) 20 ranks, Knowledge (Mechanics)18 ranks

Mechanic’s Assistant [Steamwork]The ‘mechanic’s assistant’ is a popular steam-

work construct used by mechanics in both the cre-ation and maintaining of steamwork devices.Although the exact design varies (scarab andsteamwork insect designs are a favourite),mechanic’s assistants are usually small quadrupedconstructs which are effectively mobile toolboxes,a hatch on their back opening up for the mechan-ic to put his tools inside. They’re possessed of arudimentary mechanical intelligence and can alsohelp the mechanic in his work by tracking downproblems and clambering around the device to fitparts as ordered. A mechanic with a steamworkassistant benefits from a +1 aid bonus to his Craft

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(Steamworks) check. A mechanic’s assistance has10 hit points, hardness 5, AC 15 and a movementspeed of 10ft, and is unable to attack.


Mechanic’s LensesMechanics and steamwork scientists often

make use of these kinds of lenses, usually mount-ed as goggles on leather straps. The lenses allowfor more detailed examination of close work,granting a +2 circumstance bonus to Appraisechecks, as well as affording additional protectionto the eyes of the wearer with smoked or reflec-tive glass, giving a further +2 bonus to savingthrows against blinding effects.

Mechanic’s ToolsEssential to anyone intending to craft steam-

work devices, a set of mechanic’s tools includeshammers, crafting implements, tongs, and such-like. A character wishing to use the Craft(Steamworks) skill needs a set of mechanic’s toolsas well as access to a forge or furnace and appro-priate raw materials. Masterwork mechanic’stools can also be purchased, with the effect of giv-ing a +2 circumstance bonus to the Craft(Steamworks) skill.

Mechanical Lockpick[Steamwork]A small steamwork device, the engine in a

mechanical lockpick drives a complex array oftoothed bits, tiny levers and springs. Useable withany conventional lock, the lockpick aids the userwith its tiny tools in picking the lock, granting a+4 machine bonus to Pick Locks checks.

Creation: Craft (Steamworks) 10 ranks, OpenLock 12 ranks

Metal Mosquito[Arcana, Steamwork]A metal mosquito is one of the smallest steam-

work constructs it is possible to create, appearingas a small buzzing insect or beetle crafted frommetal, glass and gears. They have 3 hit points,hardness 5, an AC of 19, and a flying speed of 30ft(Perfect). Their ground speed is 5 ft per round.Due to their tiny size, if an engine that needs

fuelling powers a metal mosquito then it can onlycontain enough fuel to operate for half an hourindependently. While a metal mosquito does notpossess an attack, nefarious users can potentiallyattach a poisoned spike or capsule to one to use asan assassination instrument. Combined with thepossibilities of intruding into privacy that thesetiny steamwork devices offer, metal mosquitoesare generally illegal in most civilised areas.Mosquito constructs can follow commands quiteably and can relate back information throughwriting with tiny ink pens, although they are notcapable of much independent cognitive ability.


Metal Mosquito, Scrying [Arcana,Steamwork]

This type of metal mosquito has been fittedwith an arcanomechanical scrying devices to actas a tiny flying eye. To receive the image, a char-acter must have a prosthetic eye, farsight lens orarcanomech eye array (see Edifices of Might).


MetalmistMetalmist is an alchemical substance that,

when coated on the surface of metal, causes achemical reaction that has slight chameleoniceffects. The metalmist takes on a blotchy pattern,copying the colours of the environment in a cam-ouflage pattern. While this isn’t enough to makesome metal juggernaut construct just fade into thebackground, metalmist does make metal objectsharder to pick out at a distance and can also becoated onto normal metal armour as well. A char-acter wearing mostly metal armour coated inmetalmist, or a metal steamwork device such as aconstruct coated in metalmist, benefits from a –2penalty to any Spot checks made to see them froma distance of over 100 feet. Metalmist is sold invials containing enough to coat a medium-sizeddevice suit of armour, and lasts for 8 hours oncecoated; unfortunately rain just washes itstraight off within half an hour.

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Meteorometer[Arcana, Steamwork]This rather bizarre-looking steamwork device

sprouts various aerials, sensors and tubes filledwith air or chemical liquids, protruding from thecentral machine itself. The device combinessteam technology and magic to pick up air pres-sure, wind, and other more mystical energies thatindicate what forces are affecting the weather,and can predict forthcoming conditions with verygood accuracy. It has a 75% chance of successfullypredicting the weather conditions on any daywithin the next week. Unfortunately its delicateparts mean that it needs careful maintenance toprevent malfunctions, misreading and break-downs.

Caster LLevel: 13th Creation: Create WondrousItem, control weather, Craft (Steamworks) 14ranks

Necromek Blood-Taster[Steamwork]A blood-taster is a sinister piece of machinery

that can be added to any necromantic steamworkconstruct. The construct is fitted with additionalolfactory senses; small vials of necromantic liq-uids attached to perforated are implanted into itshead, and whenever the tang of blood is picked upby the receptors it causes a chemical reaction inthe liquids, alerting the construct. With anecromek blood-taster, a construct effectivelygains the Scent feat but only with respect to track-ing and sensing blood; thus it can pick up injuredand bleeding creatures but not the trail or trace ofuninjured characters or non-living objects.

Creation: Necromek, Craft (Alchemy) 8ranks, Craft (Steamworks) 6 ranks

Necromek Blood-Lock[Arcana, Steamwork]A very strange variant on a normal lock, a

necromek blood-lock is a steamwork device thattakes up the lock, frame and space in the walls

around a door, filling it with necromanticmachinery. Part of the lock includes what

appears to be a flat piece of glass with theoutline of a hand on it. When a charac-

ter places their hand on the glass, a

small blade snicks up out of it to slash along thepalm and blood from the wound pours down arivulet and into the machinery of the lock.Necromantic sensors within are keyed to detectthe blood of up to ten unique individuals, and ifthe blood from the palm-plate is one of theapproved types then it activates the blood drinkerengine and the machinery in the door swingsopen. If the blood is found to be from an unautho-rised individual, the blade in the palm-plate slash-es out harder to try and impale the character’shand (d6 damage unless a Reflex save of DC 20 ismade) and the blood drinker engine activates analarm instead. The creator is the only one able tokey the blood-lock to different blood. Blood-locksare usually only found safeguarding the innersanctum of a necromancer’s lair, but some gov-ernments and wealthy individuals also commis-sion them if they have something to guard whichonly a few people are privy to.

Caster LLevel: 12th Creation: Create WondrousItem, Necromek, Craft (Steamworks) 12 ranks

Necromek Skull Homunculus [Steamwork]A disturbing little necromantic construct, a

skull homunculus is literally made from a humanskull, the steamwork machinery buried in thebrain cavity and crystal lenses in the eyes actingas visual sensors. The skull homunculus movesby a set of spindly metal legs that sprout fromunderneath the skull, giving it the appearance ofsome macabre spider. Skull homunculi have speed20ft (climb 15ft), AC 16, hardness 5 and 6 hitpoints, but do not have any form of attack. Theyare however remarkably clever, havingIntelligence 16, and can also speak two languages.Small and sinister, they often act as spies andassistants for necromancers.

Creation: Necromek, Craft (Steamworks) 10ranks

Necromek Surgeon[Arcana, Steamwork]A particularly sinister-looking device, a

necromek surgeon is a pod of steamwork machin-ery about 3ft high that sprouts an array of slendermetal arms, ending in blades and drills, scissors

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and needles, with small crystal sensors gleamingamidst the nest of surgical devices and enginevents. It uses necromantic magic to perceive theworld around it, seeing a patient as ebbing andflowing with life and death energies and usingthis to be able to treat them with impressive skill.There are always horror stories of necromek sur-geons going crazy while operating on a patient, aswell as tales of necromancers using them for tor-ture and not healing, but some governmentsemploy necromancers specifically to craft deviceslike this for them. A necromek surgeon can inde-pendently attempt to heal a character, having aHeal skill bonus of +14.

Caster LLevel: 12th Creation: Create WondrousItem, Necromek, Craft (Steamworks) 10 ranks,Heal 10 ranks

Poison, Pain AngelWhere the miracles of steamwork prosthetics

can give people new limbs and new strength, sothe inventiveness of those seeking to bring peoplelow can conjure up new opportunities and meth-ods. Pain angel poison is so named because of theeffect it has on victims, inflicting intense andcrippling agony as well as hallucinations of visita-tions by heavenly beings, but it is most notablebecause it only works on those who have somesort of steamwork prosthetic implanted in them.It absorbs metals from the steamwork into theblood, collecting it in nervous centres and eventu-ally driving the victim to insanity and death.

Type: Ingested DC 17 (only affects those withsteamwork prosthetics)

Initial Damage: 1d6 WisSecondary Damage: 1d6 Wis

Poison, IronrootA ghastly poison, the invention of a notorious-

ly sadistic assassin cult devoted to a god of mur-der and pain, ironroot is a vile mixture of necro-mantic magic and technology. Neither a naturallyoccurring poison, nor one that can even be mixedfrom normal chemicals, but which requires twist-ed necromancy, ironroot poison sweeps throughthe victim’s bloodstream to coagulate in variousorgans around their body. Once there, it warpsnatural processes to instead accumulate metal

from the surrounding tissues, building tumourousgrowths of small mechanisms which spread andgrow like the roots of a plant, threading their waythrough the victims body and causing terribledamage. Eventually the victim is killed by thecancerous machinery, but the horror is even thennot over; unless destroyed, the body rises in threedays as a free-willed undead, a ghoul with themechanised template (see Beasts of Steel).

Type: Injury DC 20Initial Damage: 2d6 Con damageSecondary Damage: 2d6 Con damage

Predator MatrixA predator matrix is a crystalline structure that

has imprinted into it the qualities, instincts andcunning of a predator from the wilds, and can beinstalled into a steamwork construct. Any con-struct with this matrix benefits from a +2 inher-ent bonus to Listen, Move Silently, Spot, Searchand Wilderness Lore checks, and to itsIntelligence score if it has one, and will alwaysattempt to attack from ambush if possible.


Re-igniterEngines with conventional furnaces are vul-

nerable to their firebox being doused or the firessimply ebbing and going out, and a number of dif-ferent types of re-ignition device have beendesigned to counter this problem. A re-igniterconsists of a cartridge of highly flammable chem-ical that the device sprays over the contents of thefurnace automatically of the fire goes out, andthen ignites with a spark. This is usually enoughto re-light the firebox, but once the cartridge isexpended it cannot be replaced until the engine isshut down and the furnace turned off. Because ofthis, a more advanced six-cartridge re-igniter isalso possible, which rotates the device round tothe next cartridge after one is used.


Retch OilConcocted from particularly toxic and

greasy oil, retch oil exudes a disgust-ingly foul smell when burned, clog-

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ging the air with thick wafts of fumes that havethe effect which gives it its name, acridly bitinginto lungs. Retch oil is sometimes used for warconstructs, surrounding them with vile smog thatdrives enemy troops back before its approach.Retch oil being burned in a steamwork engineproduces a cloud of 20ft radius around the device,within which any living characters who arebreathing the open air must make a Will save(DC 22) or suffer a –2 morale penalty to all attackrolls, skills and checks. In addition, every round acharacter is within the cloud he must make aFortitude save (DC 15) or suffer 1d6 subdual dam-age. The entry on the equipment table is forenough retch oil to fuel a Medium-size constructfor 1 day.

Rolling Eye [Steamwork]A rolling eye is a common piece of steamwork

equipment in the hands of scouts, rogues andinfiltrators. A small spherical machine about 3inches wide with small glass lenses studded acrossit, it is activated by depressing a button on oneside with a thumb, and the user then rolls it alongthe ground, usually around corners to see what isthere. By slipping a farsight lens over one eye, thecharacter can see as if from the rolling eye; hope-fully having pitched it so that the glass lenses arelooking in a useful direction. If the character hasa prosthetic steamwork eye then the rolling eyeview can be patched directly through the pros-thetic instead. A rolling eye is a one-use device;due to the delicate but small parts within, if itmalfunctions it simply breaks and does not oper-ate, without any other results.


Rust-BileThis watery liquid is an alchemical compound,

a distilled elixir designed to rust and corrode ironand steel at an alarming rate. When poured ontothese metals, rust-bile immediately begins eatinginto them, leaving long streaks of coppery rustand melted patches of metal. The compound

attacks iron and steel for three rounds afterwhich it becomes inert, inflicting d6 dam-

age each round that is not reduced byhardness. It can be collected in a

glass vial and then hurled as a grenade-like mis-sile weapon in the same manner as alchemist’sfire or acid. The entry on the equipment table isfor 1 vial of rust-bile.

Saboteur’s ElixirA potent alchemical mix, ‘saboteur’s elixir’ is

used to catastrophically disable alchemechanicalsteamwork devices. By pouring saboteur’s elixirinto an alchemechanical engine, the chemicalswithin will combust explosively when themachine is next activated, automatically causing aCatastrophic Breakdown. Tampering with asteamwork device with saboteur’s elixir can bedetected in the same way as other forms of sabo-tage.

Saboteur’s ToolsThe tools of a skilled saboteur can sometimes

be more delicate and precise than those used by amechanic to create steamwork devices in the firstplace. Pincers, drills, small amounts of explosivecharge and suchlike make up a saboteurs tools,along with some hefty bludgeoning implementsfor when a piece of machinery just needs to bebashed. A character attempting to sabotage amachine without saboteur’s tools suffers a –2 cir-cumstance penalty.

Sacred Lock [Arcana, Steamwork]Like a blood-lock, a sacred lock is a machine

that incorporates the frame and lock of a door andpowers its opening mechanism. A sacred lock pro-vides either a palm-plate or an indented plateshaped to take a holy symbol of the appropriatefaith. In the case of a sacred lock the plate is infact a part of the essence engine that powers it,and by placing a hand or holy symbol on the plateit completes the circuit that allows the planarenergy to flow into the mechanism and open thedoor. In the case of a holy symbol indent, all itrequires is a holy symbol consecrated in the nameof the appropriate deity to complete the flow ofenergy. In the case of a hand plate only someonewho is a divine spellcaster of the appropriate deitycan act to close the circuit and activate themachinery.

Caster LLevel: 12th Creation: Create Wondrous

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Item, Essence Engineer, Craft (Steamworks) 12ranks

Scientist’s Assistant [Steamwork]There are plenty of different types of ‘scien-

tist’s assistant,’ each specialised for one particularvein of science or line of theory. Appearing assteamwork machines studded with pipes, vents,readout gears, glass jars and other such technicaldevices, these items are used to help a scientist inhis research by analysing substances and materi-als or processes and reactions taking place in theglass jars, and providing results and observations.A scientist’s assistant can be designed for one ofthe following Knowledge skills: Physics, biology,chemistry, geology or arcana – the wizardly disci-pline of arcana is included because to some scien-tists magic is simply a further natural science.When used during practical research (rather thansimply reading tomes) in the appropriate field ofstudy, a scientist’s assistant grants a +4 machinebonus to the relevant skill check.

Creation: Craft (Steamworks) 10 ranks,Knowledge (Physics, Biology, Chemistry,Geology or Arcana) 8 ranks

Singing SmokestackThis upgrade for a steamwork construct equips

it with an elaborately crafted smokestack perfo-rated with tuned vents, sprouting additionaltwisting sub-exhausts and dozens of minutelyadjustable valves. When the construct is active,the exhaust gases rush through the vents and playthe smokestack like a musical instrument, accom-panied by the careful channelling of air through itif the construct is on the move. Whether tuned toplay eerily beautiful harmonies or jangling discor-dant screeches, a singing smokestack is an amaz-ing feat of engineering.

Tuning a singing smokestack to either beinspiring or fear-inspiring takes half an hour ofadjusting the device. When a construct with aninspiring singing smokestack is active, all allieswithin 5ft per increasing size category of thedevice (for example, 25ft for a Medium-size con-struct) gain a +1 morale bonus to attack rolls.When a construct with a fear-inspiring singing

smokestack is active, all enemies within 5ft perincreasing size category suffer a –2 morale penal-ty to Will saves.

Creation: Craft (Steamworks) 15 ranks,Perform (Any musical instrument) 8 ranks

Spirit Matrix [Arcana]A spirit matrix can be installed into a steam-

work construct, and is a crystalline array thatreplaces any machine sentience with a guidingspiritual being instead. The spirit must have beencontacted via a spell such as lesser planar bindingand must have agreed to be bound into the matrix;it can be any type of spiritual being from thedemonic to the celestial. It is almost certain thatany spirit bound in this way will demand someconsiderable recompense for its service – and a pitfiend petitioned to take up residence in the matrixof a Behemoth is likely to make great demandsindeed! Although it has to obey the commands ofthe matrix’s creator the spirit will usually act in amanner appropriate to its alignment and nature,and the construct has its alignment changed tothat of the possessing spirit. A construct with aspirit matrix is generally more creative and cleverwhen obeying orders and solving problems, aswell as actually being able to hold a conversationif the design is fitted with speakers. It gains theIntelligence and Wisdom scores of the creaturethat is bound into it – but becomes vulnerable tospells and effects that can banish outsiders, and ifaffected the spirit in the matrix is returned to itshome plane.

Caster LLevel: 8th Creation: Craft WondrousItem, Craft (Steamworks) 10 ranks, Knowledge(The Planes) 6 ranks, must persuade a spirit totake up residence

Steamwork Clock [Steamwork]Steamwork clocks are usually found attached

to other steam engines, siphoning off a smallamount of steam, but sometimes are created towork independently. A steamwork clock is a nor-mal clockwork device, engineered to keep rela-tively accurate time (within half an hour),except that it uses a small amount ofsteamwork machinery to keep itselfwound and working.

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Creation: Craft (Clockworks) 6 ranks, Craft(Steamworks) 6 ranks

Steamwork Clock, Grand [Steamwork]Larger and more grand versions of steamwork

clocks are possible, usually as heavily ornamentedobjects owned by the rich and wealthy as statussymbols. These tend to keep more accurate timeas well, although they require more attentivemaintenance to ensure their smooth running.

Creation: Craft (Clock works) 8 ranks, Craft(Steamworks) 8 ranks

Steamwork Drill [Steamwork]A steamwork drill is a portable steam-powered

device about two or three feet long that ends in adrill bit; steamwork drills can feature either rotat-ing mechanisms that bore into rock or hammeringmechanisms that use pistons to punch the drillout repeatedly at high speed and force. Minersprimarily use steamwork drills of this size afterlarger steamwork drill devices have beenemployed or to follow seams that are too small fora larger drill to be useable. The workings of thesedrills create a racket and tend to break down reg-ularly. Use of one grants a +2 bonus to Craft(Mining) skill checks.


Steamwork GrapnelA small and compact device, this consists of a

grapnel with fold-down, spring-loaded claws, anda steamwork launcher capable of hurling it oversignificant distances (limited of course by thelength of rope). The launcher has a range incre-ment of 80ft, requiring a ranged attack roll to getthe grapnel on target. These devices are quietcommonly used as integrated weapons in steam-work armour and prosthetics.


Steamwork Hammer [Steamwork]A steamwork hammer is a large and immobilesteamwork machine, usually consisting of a

piston-powered hammer driven by a steamengine and employed in industrial

processes. The hammer can impact

down at high speed and f7orce, useful for beatingor shaping metals, and the mechanism can be eas-ily modified to fit other tools or purposes.Steamwork hammers or variants thereof are usedin most heavy industry as part of a productionline.


Steamwork Lock [Steamwork]A steamwork lock is a machine that incorpo-

rates the frame and lock of a doorway. The dooris either opened by a button on the inner side ofthe door, usually in combination with a visiongrill to allow a guard to view and question anyonewanting entry, or by a keypad. By typing in theright combination on the keypad, machinery onthe other side slides into place and activates theengine. In either case, the door is then opened andclosed by the machinery of the lock.


Steamwork Music-Organ[Steamwork]A steamwork music-organ is a large instru-

ment crafted from metal and wood, a set of keysand levers that control the output of a rack of verylarge metal tubes, carefully formed to coax outmusical noises. A steamwork engine keeps theflow of air coming through the pipes, withoutneed for someone pumping the bellows or othersuch manual labour. A skilled player of an organcan produce incredibly impressive, loud music,and such organs are popular in temples and cathe-drals among other places. A character who plays asteamwork organ an makes a successful Performcheck (DC 18) benefits from a +2 bonus toDiplomacy and Intimidate rolls against any of thelisteners for up to an hour afterwards. Steamworkmusic-organs are always masterwork and are veryexpensive due to the time and craftsmanship thatgoes into making each one.

Creation: Craft (Steamworks) 12 ranks,Perform (Any) 12 ranks

Steamwork Orrery [Steamwork]A steamwork orrery is a complex and elaborate

device, which comes in two varieties: solar andplanar. A solar orrery displays the movements of

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the sun and planetary bodies, steamwork devicesmimicking their slowly shifting relationships toone another, while a planar orrery does the samein terms of planes and demiplanes. These devicesare generally only found in the possession of sagesand spellcasters. A solar orrery grants a +4 cir-cumstance bonus to any Knowledge (Astrology)or Knowledge (Astronomy) checks if used, whilea planar orrery grants a +4 circumstance to anyKnowledge (The Planes) checks it is used for.

Maintenance DDC: 10Creation: Craft (Steamworks) 12 ranks,

Knowledge (Astrology) or Knowledge (ThePlanes) 6 ranks

Steamwork Press [Steamwork]This is a small steam-powered printing press,

capable of imprinting large numbers of copies oftypeface per day. A revolutionary advancementafter the tiresome slowness of copying manu-scripts by hand, the development of a steamworkpress like this brings with it amazing capabilitiesto disseminate written material through a popu-lace. In many places the governments are suspi-cious of quite so much freedom of speech beingavailable to everyone and may demand thatsteamwork presses be licensed.


Steamwork Sentry [Steamwork]A steamwork sentry is a steamwork-automat-

ed weapon usually mounted on a tripod and oftenused in tandem with an arcanomech eye. The sen-try has a Spot skill modifier of +7, but if anarcanomech eye sees an intruder the sentry willautomatically detect them as well. Steamworksentries can also be set up as part of a trap, usual-ly concealed in hidden compartments in walls,floors or ceilings until triggered. The sentry is asmall construct with 25 hit points, a hardness of 5,AC 16 and an attack bonus of +5. They usuallyemploy a repeater crossbow that is automaticallyreloaded by the machinery, or firearms in a set-ting featuring gunpowder technology. Rarely, asteamwork sentry is fitted with chemical rockets(see Weapons of War below). The cost of a sentryis for the steamwork structure and combat mech-anisms, and does not include the cost for the

weapon or ammunition integrated into it.Creation: Craft (Steamworks) 9 ranks

Thaumometer[Arcana, Steamwork]A thaumometer is a complex device that

merges magic with science, having the form of atangle of steamwork machinery sprouting multi-coloured and multifaceted lenses, bearing a myri-ad of small valves for adjustments, and studdedwith copper wires and crystal tubes. Smallenough to be held with one hand and operatedwith the other, a character using a thaumometercan swivel the correct lens round to position andlook through it, able to perceive the waves andconcentrations of magic in the area as per a detectmagic spell at will. A character with an activethaumometer also gains a +2 circumstance checkto any Spellcraft checks. Finally, a thaumometercan be set to diffuse resonant waves of magicaround the device, granting the bearer and anyonewithin 5ft a spell resistance value of 12.

Caster LLevel: 7th Creation: Craft WondrousItem, detect magic, dispel magic, Craft(Steamworks) 10 ranks

Volcano CrystalsThese rare forms of the crystalline substance

used to power crystalburner engines are foundonly occasionally, and even then the fact theirformations always lie very close to active volca-noes mean they are exceptionally hard to get at. Acrystalburner using volcano crystals as its fuelbenefits from a number of marvellous properties.It gains a +5 fuel bonus against fire-based andcold-based attacks, as well as becoming shroudedin a Fire Shield (Warm) that affects any attack-ers. These qualities mean that volcano crystals areusually only acquired in order to fuel war con-structs. The entry in the equipment table is forenough fuel to power a Medium-sized device for 1day.

War-pack MatrixA war-pack matrix can be incorporated

into any steamwork construct, and iskeyed to up to 5 other matrices of thesame type. A construct with the

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war-pack matrix is aware at all times where theconstructs with the other war-pack matrixes areand how much damage they have suffered. Nomember of a war-pack is flanked unless they allare.


In this section are presented a number ofentirely new types of weapons as well assteamwork upgrades to pre-existing ones.

Some of the weapons here are steamwork innature, or designed for use by steamwork con-structs or steamwork armour. Others are theresult of the progress of science in parallelingfields, such as alchemy and in particular firearms.The firearms presented here are designed toreflect a general level of development at whichthey are beginning to come into more wide-scaleuse but are not yet highly refined or advanced.These guns can be used for a period in whichflintlock, wheel-lock or breach-loading technolo-gy is utilised.

Alchemist’s Cannon[Steamwork]

An alchemist’s cannon isan ingenious weapon that

relies on a steam engineto force out a danger-

ous substance athigh pressure.

Such a can-

non usually consists of a reservoir of ammunitioncontained in a steamwork tank strapped to theoperator’s back, attached by pipes and mecha-nisms to a nozzle-gun that ejects the flames, acidor steam out over the victims. The ammunitionfuel tank has hardness 5, 5 hit points and an AC of15 + the wearer’s Dexterity bonus, and if rupturedsprays the fuel everywhere. In the case of acid thisdeals 6d6 acid damage to the unfortunate as wellas 3d6 points of acid splash damage to everyonewithin 5 ft unless they succeed at a Reflex save forhalf damage. In the case of a fire-thrower it cov-ers the operator and anyone within 5 ft in volatilechemicals; if the pilot light on the fire-thrower ison or another flame is alight nearby the chemicals

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WWeapoeapons ns of Wof Warar

Upgrade Cost Maintenance DDCChain-Tooth Blade +600gp 9Piston Fold-Up +75gp -Possessed Weapon +2 market price modifier -Silencer +1 market price modifier -Steamwork Targeter +50gp 6Steamwork Targeter, Arcanomech +1,000gp 9Steamwork Targeter, Necromek +3,000gp 9Warded Weapon +1 market price modifier 6Weapon Plug-In +75gp -

Warrior MatrixA steamwork construct with this matrix

installed possesses highly augmented tactical andcombat abilities, modelled on genuine combatstyles and concepts. It gains two free feats, whichmust be chosen from the bonus feat list of thefighter class.

Creation: Craft (Steamworks) 12 ranks,Knowledge (Tactics) 6 ranks

ignite, dealing the same amount but in fire dam-age. In the case of a steam-thrower the backpackmerely contains water and the operator is soaked.

Alchemist’s cannons are also often mountedon steamwork constructs, which can carry such aweapon and its ammunition around easily. TheMaintenance check of an alchemist’s cannon isreduced by 1 on a steamwork construct which it isconstructed as an integral part of since theweapon is less vulnerable to damage. The fueltank may or may not be exposed, depending onthe kind of construct; it normally ends up pro-truding from the automaton’s back.

An alchemist’s cannon shoots a 5 foot wide, 25foot long line of either acid, fire or scalding steam.Acid-throwers and fire-throwers both deal 3d6damage to everyone in the area, while steam-throwers only inflict 2d6 damage; in all cases aReflex save (DC 14) results in a character onlytaking half damage. Any creature that is damagedby a firethrower catches light and is on fire, aswith alchemist’s fire.

Alchemist’s cannons have their own uniqueMalfunction Table:

Alchemist’s Cannon Malfunction Table (d10):1-66 - MMinor MMalfunction: The weapon fails to

fire this round for some reason or another, withno other effects.

7 –– PPilot LLight OOut: The pilot light goes out,and needs to be re-lit. This result only affects thefirethrower variant.

8 - GGunked UUp: The cannon’s workings arethoroughly gunked up with oil, effluents andmuck. The weapon will not fire until fixed.

9 - NNozzle BBlock: The nozzle is temporarilyblocked up and the cannon sprays its ammunitionfuel out through the workings of the device ontothe operator instead of firing, who suffers damageas if they were hit by their weapon

10 - KKaboom: The pressure is just too much andthe weapon explodes, with the same effects as ifthe fuel tank had been ruptured.

A single tank of ammunition fuel provides for8 uses of an alchemist’s cannon. Ammunition fora steam-thrower costs nothing, as it simply needswater.

Creation: Alchemy 5 ranks, Craft(Steamworks) 8 ranks

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a Guide to Fantasy Steamworksa Guide to Fantasy SteamworksName Cost Dmg Crit Range Size Weight Class Maint DDCAlchemist’s Cannon 450gp 3d6 - - Medium 55lb Special 9

Fuel Tank 50gpBlade-thrower 200gp 1d10 19-20/x2 90ft Medium 9lb Martial 7Blade-thrower, Wrist300gp 1d8 19-20/x2 30ft Tiny 4lb Martial 6Blunderbuss 100gp 1d10 x3 40ft Medium 9lb Simple -Clockwork Torpedo 500gp Special- - Medium 75lb - -Rocket Device 500gp - - 40ft Medium 12lb Exotic -Rocket Rack 150gp - - 60ft Large 30lb Exotic -

Chemical Rocket 60gp Special- - Small 8lb - -Sunblaze Rocket 60gp Special- - Small 8lb - -

Crank Cannon 2,000gp 2d6 x3 50ft Large 80lb Simple 10Drill 150gp 2d6 x4 - Large 90lb Simple 8Musket 350gp 2d6 x3 80ft Medium 8lb Exotic -Pistol 200gp 2d6 x3 40ft Tiny 4lb Exotic -Pistol, Duelling 500gp 2d6 19-20/x3 50ft Small 5lb Exotic -Piston Fist 100gp 1d6 x3 - Tiny 3lb Simple 7Piston Ram 300gp 2d6 x3 - Large 50lb Simple 7Rifle 700gp 2d6 x3 110ft Medium 8lb Exotic -Torpedo of Homing 2,000gp Special - - Medium 75lb - 8Wrecking Ball 100gp 2d6 19-20/x2 Large 80lb Simple -

Blade-thrower [Steamwork]This weapon takes advantage of a steamwork

engine to hurl razor-edged projectiles at highvelocity and with a fast reloading rate. Appearingsimilar to a crossbow in general shape, a blade-thrower uses machinery to drop the blade into thefiring groove and to draw the firing wire. Whenthe trigger is pulled the blade is launched out andwith a hiss of steam and clank of metal anotherprojectile is slotted into place as the tension isrewound. With the killing power of a heavycrossbow and a faster rate of fire, blade-throwersare nonetheless heavier and more cumbersome, aswell as less reliable and needing more mainte-nance on the part of the wielder. Even so, in set-tings without firearms a blade-thrower mightbecome a popular and powerful weapon. Like arepeating crossbow, a blade-thrower has a maga-zine of 5 blades, and reloading a magazine is a par-tial action.


Blade-thrower, Wrist [Steamwork]A much smaller and more compact version of

the blade-thrower, this weapon is designed to bestrapped to a character’s wrist and used covertly.The tiny blade-thrower only has a magazine largeenough to hold 3 blades. Wrist blade-throwers aregenerally restricted by law only to governmentand royal agents, due to their potential use in thehands of assassins.


BlunderbussA crude form of firearm, a blunderbuss is a

handgun with a flared barrel that is designed to beable to fire lead shot, nails, stones, or any otherbits of metal and debris to hand. The ammunitionis blasted out of the barrel by a powder charge,and while it peppers a large area with the shot itrapidly loses accuracy and power over a shortrange. Anyone caught within the first rangeincrement takes an additional +2 damage from thesheer weight of debris hitting them. Reloading a

blunderbuss takes a full round action.

Chain-tooth Blade [Steamwork]A chain-tooth blade is a steamwork upgrade

that can be made to any weapon that inflictsslashing damage. The weapon is filled withmachinery – gears and cogs that drive a vicious,toothed chain of metal where the blade wouldusually have its cutting edges. The engine isincorporated into the hilt of the weapon in mostdesigns, safely out of harms way. The buzzingnoise of the machinery at work increases to ahigh-pitched scream or whine as the blade bitesinto tough materials, so weapons with thisupgrade are sometimes nicknamed ‘screamers’ or‘banshees.’ As well as finding use in weaponry,this upgrade can be found employed on the toolsof non-military steamwork constructs doing taskssuch as logging and tree felling. A slashingweapon upgraded with a chain-tooth blade dealsan additional d4 damage whenever it strikes, butthe wielder suffers from a –4 penalty to MoveSilently checks made when wielding an activeone.


Chemical RocketAlso known as ‘dragon tongues’ and ‘fire-

works,’ chemical rockets are explosives that arehurled great distances by chemical combustion.Usually in the simple form of a 3-foot-long tubepacked with the chemicals and capped with acone, chemical rockets are unreliable but destruc-tive and impressive weapons. A character canlaunch a chemical rocket from a rocket device butsuffers a –2 circumstance penalty to hit and rapid-ly becomes even more inaccurate over a distance;rockets benefit far more from the solid firing plat-forms that steamwork constructs and vehicles canprovide for them. A rack of rockets on a steam-work construct or vehicle can be fired without thepenalty that a character on foot suffers, and up tofive rockets can be fired in a single round (mostlaunchers only have capacity for five anyway).Anyone hit directly by a chemical rocket suffers3d6 damage and 2d6 fire damage; anyone within10ft also suffers 2d6 fire splash damage, a success-ful Reflex save (DC 15) halving the damage taken.On a natural attack roll of 1 with a chemical rock-et, the rocket has misfired and exploded on the

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launching rack, damaging the carrier as if directlyhit by the rocket instead.

Chemical rockets also make attractive patternsin the sky when fired upwards, the effects bestseen at night.

Chemical rockets are alchemical in nature andhave the following DC for the purpose of creatingthem with the Alchemy skill.

Item DCChemical Rocket 25Sunblaze Rocket 25

Chemical Rocket, SunblazeA variant form of chemical rocket, a sunblaze

rocket carries volatile and highly flammablealchemical liquids in its head that splash every-where upon impact. Designed as an incendiarydevice for attacking vulnerable targets like build-ings and dirigibles, a sunblaze rocket deals 5d6 firedamage to anything hit directly, and 3d6 firesplash damage to anyone within 5ft unless theymake a successful Reflex save (DC 15) for halfdamage. In all other ways sunblaze rockets areidentical to normal chemical rockets.

Clockwork TorpedoNot actually a steamwork device, a clockwork

torpedo is a metal cylinder powered by a woundup clockwork engine that is used against ships andseacraft. When launched into the water, theclockwork engine starts to unwind, powering arotor that sends it cutting through the water in astraight line (hopefully towards the target). Thetorpedo moves 90ft per round through water, andupon impact detonates the explosive charge in itshead, dealing 9d6 damage to any structure or vehi-cle such as a ship. Other targets, and anyone with-in 20ft of the explosion, suffers 4d6 damage,halved if they make a Reflex save (DC 15). After6 rounds of movement the clockwork engine runsout of torque and the torpedo sinks.

Crank Cannon [Steamwork]A complex melding of firearms and machin-

ery, a crank cannon has a number of barrels held

together in a rotating metal framework thatallows for a high rate of fire. It takes one round towarm up and start spinning properly, and in fol-lowing rounds may be fired, the machineryreloading each barrel before it swings round inposition to be fired again. Since the weaponreloads itself, crank cannons are simple to operate.Notoriously unreliable, these steamworkweapons are nonetheless highly dangerous, ableto pepper an area with admittedly inaccurate fire.A crank cannon can either be fired as a normalranged weapon or can be used to spray an area of10ft by 10ft within one range increment with bul-lets, hitting anyone in the area who fails a Reflexsave (DC 18).


Drill [Steamwork]Larger versions of the steamwork drill are

sometimes put to use as weapons on war con-structs (and sometimes on non-military con-structs that are pressed into a fight). A Large sizemining drill inflicts 2d6 damage and threatens acritical on a 20, inflicting x4 damage on a success-ful critical hit; seeing a sizeable drill bit chewright through someone is not a pleasant sight. Thedamage can be scaled up appropriately for drillscarried by larger constructs.


MusketA musket is a handgun that fires a powerful

slug of metal; it is however not massively accu-rate over any great range, despite the impressiveflash and crack that it emits when fired. It alsosuffers from a slow rate of fire – reloading a mus-ket takes a full round action.

PistolA smaller firearm, a pistol fires a slug of metal

out but is only accurate over short ranges and rap-idly loses its force and speed. Reloading a pistol isa full-round action.

Pistol, DuellingA larger and heavier version of the

normal pistol, a duelling pistol packs amore powerful punch though like

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its lesser counterpart it is limited by short range.These superior pistols are usually used by officers,royal or governmental officials and by gentryseeking to settle disputes of honour betweenthem. Reloading a duelling pistol is a full-roundaction.

Piston Fist [Steamwork]This weapon is a heavy metal gauntlet worn

on one hand, filled with steamwork mechanismsthat drive powerful pistons. A character hit by apiston fist must make a Reflex save (DC 14) or beknocked prone by the powerful punch of the pis-tons’ impact, as well as taking damage. A pistonfist takes a full round before it can be used againas it resets itself, although the character wieldingit can use it to make attacks as a normal gauntletin the meantime.


Piston Fold-upBased on the designs of pistons used in mobile

steamworks, this is an upgrade that can be pur-chased for a weapon that does piercing damagelike a spear or staff. The shaft of the weapon ismade of metal segments that telescope down to ¼the length for carrying purposes, and which canbe returned to full length and locked into thatmode as a free action.


Piston Ram [Steamwork]This weapon consists of a steamwork engine

that builds up pressure, releasing it when com-manded to slam out a piston ram. It is usuallyfound mounted in the gauntlets on suits of super-heavy armour and steamwork constructs. A char-acter hit by it must make a Reflex save (DC 16) orbe knocked prone by the sheer impact of the pis-tons, as well as taking damage. A piston ram takesa full round to reset itself and cannot be usedagain until it has done so, though the characterwith the piston ram can use the piston gauntlet tomake other attacks. Piston rams are largely

designed for military use in assailing fortifi-cations and buildings, and automatically

inflict a critical hit on any structurethey are used against. The damage of

a piston ram can be scaled up appropriately forlarger versions.


Possessed Weapon [Arcana]This magical enhancement can only be placed

on ranged weapons with moving mechanicalparts, such as firearms and steamwork weapons.Some small spirit, usually a little daemonic enti-ty, inhabits the actual innards of the weapon andis bound into it; carved images and faces on the

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Steam &Steam & SteelSteelFirearms Variants

You may feel that the rules for firearms pre-sented here do not make them as powerful anddestructive a weapon as they should be. Twovariants are presented here.

When hit by the sizeable and forceful ammu-nition fired from a firearm a character can suf-fer quiet badly, the impact sending them stag-gering and knocking the sense from them for amoment, if they even survive. Any character hitby a firearm must make a Fortitude save (DC14) or be staggered for one round.

When combatants who have never encoun-tered firearms before are fired upon by muskets,rifles and suchlike, the terrible racket, flash oflight and gouts of smoke can terrify, demoraliseand confuse. Characters who are fired upon byfirearms must make a Will save (DC 20) or beshaken for the rest of the combat. However,they do not need to take this test again. Youmay rule that primitive and exceptionallysuperstitious species always suffer this Willcheck when fired upon by firearms.

weapon move and shift under its control. As afree action the wielder can whisper to the weapona target, and against that target he gains an addi-tional +1 to attack and damage rolls. If the charac-ter knows the genuine name of the target charac-ter, the possessed weapon gives him a +2 bonus toattack and damage rolls, and the designated targetdoes not benefit from any cover or concealmentbonuses.

Caster LLevel: 9th Creation: Craft Magic Armsand Armour, lesser planar binding, true strike

Silencer [Arcana, Steamwork]A weapon with this magical enhancement

sports additional pieces of arcane machinerythroughout it, small tubes and valves and crys-talline pistons. Only ever found on noisyweapons such as firearms, the machinery acti-vates whenever the weapon is fired, momentarilygenerating a very small globe of silence as per thespell that envelops the weapon with a faint shim-mer. This negates any noise created by theweapon, and is generally used only by those wish-ing to make silent kills such as assassins andscouts. Unfortunately it does not suppress themuzzle flash of firearms.

Caster LLevel: 5th Creation: Craft Magic Armsand Armour, silence, Craft (Steamworks) 6 ranks

RifleA more refined and advanced firearm than the

musket, a rifle is more accurate at longer rangesand generally the preserve of only specific mili-tary units. Sharpshooters benefit far more from arifle than they will from using a musket, able toaim with far more confidence. Reloading a rifle isa full round action.

Steamwork Targeter [Steamwork]A steamwork targeter is an upgrade that can be

added to any ranged weapon. It consists of a num-ber of small measurement devices and machinesthat sense the wind speed and direction and auto-matically compensate the weapon to take this intoaccount by adjusting machinery all around theweapon. This reduces the attack penalty imposedby strong winds or worse weather hazards by 2.


Steamwork Targeter,Arcanomech

[Arcana, Steamwork]An arcanomech targeter incorporates magical

enhancements to the machinery of a normal tar-geter; the arcanomech technology adjusts theweapon not just to take account of wind speed anddirection but also altering it to actually track a tar-get more efficiently. The slight movement of amusket barrel or crossbow stock as tiny machineswhirr and shift it slightly to follow the path of anenemy can be unnerving, as if the weapon has itsown sentience. As well as the normal benefits ofa steamwork targeter, an arcanomech targeter alsogives a +1 circumstance bonus to hit rolls.

Caster LLevel: 5th Creation: Craft Magic Armsand Armour, true strike or divine favour, Craft(Steamworks) 6 ranks

Steamwork Targeter, Necromek [Arcana, Steamwork]A necromek targeter usually incorporates a

small magical scope to a weapon as well as theusual steamwork targeting machinery. The necro-mantic magic imbued into the device causes thetargeter to automatically track living targets, giv-ing a +1 circumstance bonus to hit rolls againstsuch creatures. In addition, the scope picks up thelife-signs of anyone viewed through it, showingthem up as a warm red figure and effectivelynegating the penalties of attacking them in dark-ness.

Caster LLevel: 5th Creation: CraftMagic Arms and Armour, deathwatch,Craft (Steamworks) 6 ranks

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a Guide to Fantasy Steamworksa Guide to Fantasy SteamworksBreach-Loaders

Although the rules here present firearmsas the same whether they use flintlock,wheel-lock or breach-loading mecha-

nisms, breach-loaders are generally faster andmore advanced. If you wish to represent breach-loaders as being superior to other forms offirearm, then as a variant rule, breach-loadersonly take a standard action to reload, not a fullround.

Torpedo of Homing[Arcana, Steamwork]A more advanced form of torpedo, a torpedo of

homing makes use of a complex steamwork engineattached to arcane sensors and devices that help itadjust its course to track a target. It is identical toa clockwork torpedo, except that every round itcan make a turn of up to 30 degrees to track a tar-get (usually a ship).

Caster LLevel: 5th Creation: Craft Magic Armsand Armour, true strike, Craft (Steamworks) 12ranks

Warded Weapon[Arcana, Steamwork]This magical enhancement to a weapon builds

in a steamwork device into the handle or hilt ofthe weapon, with enchanted sensors detecting thetouch of anyone picking up the weapon. It iskeyed to its owner, and anyone else who picks upthe weapon and holds it for more than 5 secondsactivates the device. A warded weapon can be cre-ated to deal physical damage through poweredspikes or spines that slash out of the hilt to evis-

cerate a would-be thief’s hand, or to deal one of

This section presents the impressiveresults that incorporating steam tech-nology into the crafting of armour can

give. Steamwork armour can come in all sortsof shapes and sizes, from highly refined and

polished suits of gleaming armour withimpassive visors of dark crystal, to

clanking and lumbering construc-

tions sporting rivets and smoke spewing fromvents.

Steamwork armour is available in two forms.The first is augmented armour, a suit of normalheavy armour that has undergone one of threelevels of steamwork modification – light, mediumand heavy. The second is super-heavy armour,which is presented as an entirely new category of

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Steam &Steam & SteelSteelthe five types of elemental damage in a surge

of energy channelled out by the device. Physicaldamage deals 2d6, while elemental damage deals3d6 of the relevant type.

Caster LLevel: 5th Creation: Craft Magic Armsand Armour, glyph of warding, Craft(Steamworks) 6 ranks

Weapon Plug-inA weapon plug-in is a weapon upgrade that

links it to a suit of armour with an arcane array(see Personal Protection) by a pipe or bundle ofwires.

Creation: Craft (Steamworks) 4 ranks,Knowledge (Arcana) 5 ranks

Wrecking BallWrecking balls are often employed as weapons

on larger steamwork constructs designed for bat-tle, large and heavy weights often studded withspines on the end of a thick, strong metal chain.They are effectively just very large flails, backedup by the machine strength of the construct andthe speed of its gears and pistons. The damagecan be scaled up appropriately for larger versionsof the weapon.

PPeersorsonnalalPPrroottectiectioonn

armour. Below these are detailed the variousupgrades and enhancements that can be made tosteamwork armour.

Augmented Armour [Steamwork]Augmented armour is a suit of heavy armour

that has been enhanced with the addition of anengine and smokestack built in to the back. It alsointegrates pistons to enhance the strength of thewearer, making them stronger opponents in battle

but also enabling them to actual-ly carry the added weight of themachinery. Only heavy armourcan be augmented, since it hasthe structure and support suit-able. There are three levels ofpiston augmentation possible.

Light AAugmentation: This isthe least amount of alterationthat can be integrated, slightlyboosting the wearer’s strengthwith machine-enhanced move-ments. The steamworks are gen-erally fairly small and not par-ticularly conspicuous from adistance, and a suit requiresonly an engine of two sizessmaller to power it (e.g. a Tinyengine for Medium-sizearmour). The wearer of thearmour benefits from a +2machine bonus to Strength.

Maintenance DDC: 7Weight: Creation: Craft

(Steamworks) 8 ranks Cost:+2,000gp

Medium AAugmentation: This steamwork armourfeatures heavier augmentation with more promi-nent pistons, machinery and engine unit. It alsoincreasingly limits smooth movement, thoughhas a significantly greater pay-off in the form ofthe mechanical boost to strength it bestows. Asuit of medium augmentation armour needs onlyan engine of one size smaller to power it (e.g. aSmall engine for Medium-size armour). Thewearer benefits from a +4 machine bonus to

Strength, but the armour check penalty inflictedis increased by 1 and the wearer suffers a –1 penal-ty to Initiative.

Maintenance DDC: 8Weight: Creation: Craft (Steamworks) 10

ranks Cost: +4,500gp

Heavy AAugmentation: This is the heaviest levelof steamwork augmentation, and armour that hasundergone this enhancement looks intimidatingand impressive with its bulk and strength. A suitof this armour requires an engine of the normalsize to power it. It grants a +6 machine bonus toStrength, but also suffers a –2 penalty toInitiative, an increase in armour check penaltiesby -1, and a reduction in the maximum possibleDexterity bonus to AC by 1 (minimum of +0).However, due to the additional strength of thesupporting pistons, a character wearing heavyaugmented armour does not have his Movementreduced by his armour.


ranks Cost: +8,500gp

Super-Heavy Armour [Steamwork]Super-heavy forms of steamwork armour are

perhaps the ultimate in forms of personal protec-tion. Super-heavy armour is usually a fully-enclosed and free standing suit of heavily platedand reinforced pistons and machinery, similar inits construction to a construct except that thewearer acts as a pilot, and it responds to his move-ments with a clank and a hiss from its vents andpipes. Super-heavy armour designs are sometimesleft unadorned, an imposing, looming industrialbulk of noise and metal, but often they are builtelaborately and ornately, especially since they areoften only available to elite troops and warriors.The Steel Knight prestige class allows a skilledcharacter to become an expert pilot of one of thesepowerful devices.

Super-heavy armour is largely the province ofgovernment military and suchlike; on campaigna unit outfitted with super-heavy armour isusually accompanied by a sizeableentourage of engineers, mechanics andmaintenance crew to keep the suits

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SahuaginSavage and brutal,

sahuagin do notseem likely to cre-ate steam technolo-

gy, primarilybecause they live

underwater.However, it is not

impossible forsahuagin to create

steamwork systemsusing arcane and

necromanticengines, crafting

their devices fromcoral and shell andmagic. Once theyencounter steam-

work technology itoften doesn't takevery long beforethey attempt toemploy it them-

selves in some formor another.

running and to start them up. The armour is usu-ally stowed and transported by wagon in betweenbattles.

Super-heavy steamwork armour requires theSuper-Heavy Armour Proficiency feat to be ableto operate correctly and within significant penal-ties. Wearing a suit of super-heavy armour givesthe pilot a +8 machine bonus to Strength from themachine-augmented systems, and the massivelythick and reinforced armour gives both a +10armour bonus to AC and damage reduction of 5/-. The armour has a maximum Dexterity bonus of+1, an armour check penalty of –8, and an arcanespell failure chance of 60% The wearer’s size isincreased by one size due to the sheer bulk of thearmour, with all the associated benefits and penal-ties. The armour does not reduce the wearer’sMovement speed since it’s own mechanisms takethe excess weight. Super-heavy armour needs anengine of the correct size to power a device of thewearer’s increased size (so for a Medium-sizecharacter in a suit of this armour, the size of thesuit itself is Large and needs an appropriatelysized engine).


ranks Cost: 40,000 gp

Additional Augmentations

Once piston augmentation and an enginehave been fitted, a number of otherupgrades are also possible. These addi-

tional devices siphon energy and steam off fromthe main engine system that powers the armour,and so do not need their own independ-ent energy sources.

Arcane Array [Arcana]An arcane array is a simple magical

read-out added to a suit of steamworkarmour, usually relayed up onto theinside of the helm or armour collar. It

details fuel levels remaining, a gener-al readout of which mechanisms

are running and which are bro-ken (adding a +1 circum-

stance bonus to any

attempts to fix malfunctions) and if the characteris wielding a weapon with a weapon plug-in italso relays weapon information up onto the array.With a ranged weapon plugged in, it brings addi-tional targeting information up on the array andgrants a +1 circumstance bonus to damage rolls.With a melee weapon plugged in, the array calcu-lates incoming attacks and gives readouts to helpthe user parry and dodge, granting a +1 Dodgebonus to AC against melee attackers.

Caster LLevel: 6th Creation: Craft WondrousItem, true strike, Craft (Steamworks) 8 ranks

Blood SpinesBlood spines are long, sharp, talon-like blades

and spines that protrude from a suit of steamworkarmour. They have the same effect as armourspikes but inflict d8 damage rather than d6, andblood channels mean that a blood drinker enginewill benefit from the damage dealt in this man-ner.

Heat Buffer [Steamwork]Some form of heat buffer is more or less essen-

tial in all steamwork armour to keep the operatorcool and protect him from the heat generated bythe engine on his back. However, more advancedforms utilising cooling pipes and heat sinks arealso possible with the greater capacity of steam-work armour; this kind of heat buffering grantsthe wearer Fire Resistance 5.


Integrated ShieldMany warriors carry a shield with them to bat-

tle to ward off the strikes of the enemy, and some

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Name CostArcane Array +1,500gpBlood Spines +100gpHeat Buffer +350gpIntegrated Shield +50gpPowered Spikes +70gpSealed Environment +300gpSealed Environment, Enhanced +700gpSmoked Lenses +50gpSpeakers +60gpStatic Generator +300gpWeapons Gauntlet +75gp, + cost of weapon

steamwork suits of armour integrate the shieldfully into the mechanised arm armour, ensuringthat the wearer will not be disarmed of his protec-tion. An integrated shield is not subject to disarmattempts.

Powered Spikes [Steamwork]A suit of steamwork armour can be fitted with

steam-powered armour spikes. These spikes arenot visible until activated, when they slash out ofthe armour with impaling force, dealing doubledamage on the first round of a grapple.


Sealed Environment [Steamwork]It is possible to make a suit of steamwork

armour into a closed environment, keeping theoccupant safe from gases and fumes for a periodof time, even the cloudkill spell. Armour with thisupgrade has a ventilation system and air reservesinstalled, and once activated can keep the occu-pant sealed off for up to half an hour before thereserves expire and need to be refilled.


Sealed Environment, Enhanced [Steamwork]Not only is steamwork armour with a sealed

environment a useful piece of equipment for awarrior, it also has uses for aquatic ventures.Heavily armoured diving suits see a great deal ofuse for making repairs to ships and oil rigs, under-water exploration, and those who make a livingfrom diving for shellfish, coral or other sub-stances. The heavy armour is useful in an envi-ronment where a land-dweller simply cannotmatch the dexterity of a native of the seas. Anenhanced sealed environment provides 6 hours ofair reserves for a character to subsist on.

Creation: Craft (Steamworks) 10 ranksSmoked LensesA simple modification to a suit of armour

installs smoked glass lenses into the helm to pro-tect the operator’s eyes. Such lenses grant a +6 cir-cumstance bonus to any saves against effects thatblind through bright light, but inflicts a –2 penal-ty to Spot checks since the glass makes it hard topick out details at distances.

Speakers [Steamworks]Popular with units of city troops outfitted with

steamwork armour for broadcasting their voicesover the noise of crowds, as well as with militaryunits who want to scare the living daylights out oftheir opponents, speakers are a common upgrade.A speaker unit is usually mounted into the helmor onto the shoulder, a grill that blasts out thevoice of the wearer at augmented volume.Speakers may work through exploiting sonicphysics, or through magical or complex scientificprocesses of amplification.


Static Generator [Steamworks]A static generator is a small device incorporat-

ed into a suit of steamwork armour that siphonsoff power from the main engine to slowly buildup a static charge. This can be released in twoways, either to inflict an automatic hit of d6 elec-trical damage on anyone grappling the characteror by adding +d6 electrical damage to an attackmade with a metal melee weapon from a weaponsgauntlet (see below). After use a static generatortakes 5 rounds to build up enough charge to beused again.


Weapons GauntletA weapons gauntlet is a device that incorpo-

rates a weapon of some sort into the back of asteamwork gauntlet, usually evident through abulge in the armour there. Crossbows andfirearms are popular additions, giving the wieldera surprise ranged attack, though he needs toreload the weapon by unhinging a plate on thegauntlet and doing so manually. Piston rams arealso used by super-heavy armoured troops forassaulting fortifications and buildings, but mostcommon is a punch dagger or fighting claw(counts as a dagger). Such a weapon can slide outof the gauntlet or be retracted back in as a freeaction.

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Steam technology does more than just bringnew devices and implements for scientiststo further their craft with and adventurers

to use in rooting out more gold and challenges – itchanges the very landscape and cities of the landsit touches. This section describes the use of large-scale steamwork devices, along with the impactthese kinds of devices have on the cities and landsthat they are a part of. Steamwork devices areused in industries, factories and mines, and canform massive structures that rise above the build-ings around them, constructions of science andmagic melded together. Edifices of might are notjust the dominating keeps of barons or the tower-ing temples of the faithful. Grand steel factoriesand arrays of security devices are as much thesymbols of power and the might of technologicaladvancementas the fortifica-tions of a war-lord.

A Note on Architecture

Aculture undergoing industrialisationbrought about by steam technology oftendisplays this state of affairs in its architec-

ture. The fabricated metal parts churned out bysteamwork factories become greatly used bybuilders and architects, causing metal to featureprominently in buildings and facades, often in theform of girders and struts. In cities where pollu-tion and fumes are at their worst, metal tends torust, corrode and stain, adding to the grime anddecay. Glass might also find greater use in archi-tecture, with factories able to create it in muchlarger amounts than was possible before. Mightytowers and structures of reinforced stone and ironrise above the skyline of houses and factories,

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EdEdififices of Miices of Mightght

Name Size Cost Maintenance DDCArcanomech Eye Array Huge 5,000gp 10Arcanomech Lamp Array Huge 5,000gp 9Arcanomech Suppresser Large +40,000gp 11Arcanist’s Tower Colossal 150,000gp 10Divine Amplifier Large 75,000gp 8Dockyard Crane Large 2,000gp 8Factory Huge 15,000gp 9Homing Beacon Large 60,000gp 10Library Huge 20,000gp 9Lift/Elevator Large 1,500gp 8Mine Borer Large 750gp 10Necromek Crypt Factory Huge 25,000gp 12Observatory Huge 75,000gp 8Oil Rig Colossal 350,000gp -Printing Press Huge 4,500gp 10Solar Array Huge 10,000gp 8Spellcraft Engine Large 20,000gp 9Steamwork Bridge Colossal 80,000gp 8Steamwork Gate Huge 5,000gp 8Steamwork Pump System Huge 2,000gp 9Steamwork Sentry Array Huge 5,000gp 10Steamwork Siege Weapon Varies +800gp 9Weather Tower Colossal 100,000gp 12

amongst them weird and exotic devices, rotatingmasts and crystalline receptors that sprout fromarcane laboratories. Buildings incorporate steam-work equipment into them, locks and arcanomecheyes keeping warehouses, factories, offices andeven private property secure. Steamwork pumpsystems, elevators and gates also find commonuse. Usually a single engine is used to operate anumber of different devices within one building,linked to them all by pipes or driveshafts withleather belts that thread through walls and underfloors.

Arcanomech Eye Array [Steamwork]Although by itself a useful security device, the

arcanomech eye can also be used in numbers as alinked array to set up an excellent security net-work. An arcanomech eye array links together allthe eyes in an area – usually within a single build-ing or compound – with pipes and wires, connect-ing them up to a central engine hub that process-es the information received from each device.Whenever an arcanomech eye that is part of anarray detects an intruder, it alerts the entire secu-rity system, bringing it into a higher level of alert-ness. All arcanomech eyes on the array then gaina +2 bonus to their Spot checks. If no further dis-turbances occur within an hour then the systempowers itself down again to conserve energy andthe bonus is lost.

In addition, the engine hub itself displays aswitchboard of all the eye locations in an array;arcane lights flicking on next to the location of aneye indicates to security staff that the eye hasrecorded a disturbance or intruder there.

More enterprising governments that are wor-ried about their capability to control their subjectssometimes attempt to extend their eye arrays overentire towns and cities, eyes strategically placedon street corners or particular buildings remind-ing the populace of their dominators as much asany looming castle does.

The entry in the table above reflects the centralengine hub of an array, and the cost does notinclude that of the arcanomech eyes linked up toit.


Arcanomech Lamp Array [Steamwork]An arcanomech lamp array is a series of lamps

connected together by a central engine and moni-tor, usually used to light the rooms of a castle ormansion, or to shed light on the streets of a citydistrict. Normally it is cheaper to simply use asteamwork pump system to pump natural gas tostreetlights, but those who either do not haveaccess to resources or who simply prefer the mag-ical hue of the lamps use arcanomech lamp arrays.Elven cultures in particular prefer the use ofarcanomech lamps because of the pollution givenoff by more crude forms of fuel-burning lightingand due to the aesthetic superiority of the arcanelights.

The entry in the table above is for the centralengine hub of a lamp array, and does not includethe cost of the lamps linked up to it.


Arcanomech Suppresser[Arcana, Steamwork]An arcanomech suppresser can be mounted as

an additional device on an arcanist’s tower, a largesteamwork device consisting of a complex arrayof metal and glass. The suppresser emits powerfulwaves of arcane energy designed to scramblespellcasting attempts within a radius of 1 mile,tangling the weaving of power and magic in con-fusing ways. Any character attempting to castarcane magic within 1 mile of an arcanomech sup-presser must make a Concentration check (DC 16+ spell level) or the spell fails and is lost.Characters within an arcanist’s tower that incor-porates an arcanomech suppresser are unaffectedby it. In addition, a specially modified thaumome-ter can counter the magic-tangling effect of a sup-presser and allow a character carrying an activeone to be able to cast spells as normal.

This kind of device is usually used in a situa-tion where magic is a licensed practice or where avery powerful group of mages are jealous of theirmight and wish to keep spellcasters who are notof their brotherhood suppressed. Gaining anappropriate license or joining the magesorganisation includes the character beinggiven one of the specially modifiedthaumometers needed to cast spells

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unhampered. They also make useful defences fora settlement, with enemy spellcasters being ham-pered while friendly ones use thaumometers tocast without relent.

An arcanomech suppresser also bestows SpellResistance 20 on the tower it is incorporated into.

Caster LLevel: 13th Creation: Craft WondrousItem, dispel magic, spell turning, Craft(Steamworks) 12 ranks

Arcanist’s Tower [Steamwork]Rising high above the surrounding roofs, an

arcanist’s tower is a tall and imposing structure ofmetal and glass, smaller turrets sprouting off it atodd angles to thrust out arcane apparatus into thesky. These towers can appear as beautiful andgraceful structures, carefully crafted and con-structed in fantastic colours and design, or theycan be massively looming fortresses of iron andsteel with funnels and chimneys pouring outthick smoke. Towers of this type are normally theproperty of powerful wizards or sorcerers but mayalso be built by governments and kings who wishto provide facilities for their spellcasters to enactenhanced divinations.

Within, the tower has many of the features ofa normal fortified tower, with rooms and quartersand many floors. Usually large amounts are givenover to arcane steamwork machinery and devices,and in the upper floors the density of these struc-tures increases and becomes more complex. In thetop chamber of the tower, a circle of engravedmarble set on a raised platform is surrounded bygreat thrumming engines that, when active,amplify divinations to a great extent. An arcanespellcaster who casts any divination spell in thetop chamber while the machinery is active has hiscaster level increased by 2, and it also inflicts a -5machine penalty to Will saves for anyone target-ed by such a spell, for instance the subject of ascrying spell. To set up the machinery for usetakes two hours and it only functions for one cast-ing before it needs to be reset again. From outside

it is visible that a tower is building up energy fora casting because the machines and masts at

the top of the tower begin to move androtate with purposeful motion.

In addition, anyone within the tower who isthe target of outside spells or magical effects ben-efits from Spell Resistance 30, as does the toweritself.

A network of arcanist’s towers across a citycan make a powerful instrument of domination.With suppressers keeping unlicensed spellcastingdown and spellcraft engines allowing for trouble-makers to be instantlypinpointed, and with thepowerful divinationcapabilities of a towermeaning the governingforces can look anywhereat any time, a towermakes a powerful bastionfor policing troops torally forth from.

The Maintenance DCgiven in the table aboveis only for the machineryin the divination cham-ber. It is not possible tobreak a whole tower withone unlucky roll, exceptpossibly with siegeweapons.

Creation: Craft(Steamworks) 15 ranks,Knowledge (Arcana) 15ranks

Divine Amplifier[Arcana, Steamwork]

A divine amplifier is attuned to a particulardomain of the faith it was built by, consisting of acomplex machine that focuses its energy on animportant object of faith, often a reliquary orpowerful artifact. The object in question is alwayssomehow related to the chosen domain of theamplifier. The machinery picks up the divineenergy of the object and through a mixture ofmechanics, science and mysticism, amplifies it,broadcasting surges of power that bolster faithfulspellcasters nearby. Any divine spellcaster within1 mile of a divine amplifier benefits from a +1 cast-er level bonus whenever they cast domain spellsfrom the amplifier’s chosen domain. This stacks

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Ogres &Ogre Magi

Barbaric and not verybright, ogres are unlikelycandidates for scientistsand engineers, althoughthey are often chosen by

evil wizards and arcanome-chanics to be powerfully

augmented guards and ser-vants. Ogre magi on the

other hand are much morelikely to see the possible

advantages of science, andwill eagerly go after steam-work items to learn more

of this new technology. Anogre magi with an under-standing of steamworks is

a dangerous foe indeed,even if their common kin

can barely use such deviceswithout breaking them.

with any caster level bonus they may alreadyhave from a domain. These amplifiers are usuallysituated in the towers of cathedrals or the bowelsof mighty temples, and their use depends on thegod in question. Some bolster domains of evil orwar to help oppress and control, while others bol-ster healing or protection domains to aid anddefend their worshippers.

Caster LLevel: 9th Creation: Craft WondrousItem, divine favour, caster must have the appropri-ate domain, Craft (Steamworks) 12 ranks

Dockyard Crane [Steamwork]Steamwork devices can be put to good use in

dockyards, where engine-powered cranes makethe task of moving cargo from ship to shore agreat deal easier. With a structure usually formedof metal struts to support the ropes, gears andchains, this type of crane is capable of hauling upto 1 ton of weight into the air. The engine is con-tained in the base of the structure, hidden bymetal cladding, and the mechanisms there canrotate the upper portion of the crane to face theneeded direction.


Factory [Steamwork]The advent of steam technology tends to be

accompanied by the springing up of industriesand factories; their production methods revolu-tionised by steamwork devices. The steamworkhammer described above in the Equipment sec-tion represents a smaller automated machine usedin such factories, and can be turned to all sorts ofpurposes; hammering, shaping and cutting metalitems. More complex machinery is also needed insome capacities, from metal rolling mills to larg-er-scale hammers, huge forges and furnaces andmechanised systems of cauldrons containingmolten metal. Inside such a factory is thus a hotand busy place to be, mechanics and workers scur-rying around and the growl of heavy machineryall around. Once the machinery in a factory hasbeen modified to suit a particular production pur-pose, be that metal swords or armour, alchemicalliquids or construct parts, the crafting time need-ed to create such an object is quartered, as well asbeing automated. Production lines can pour off a

constant flow of weapons, armour and equipmentto gear up armies and governments.

The statistics given here represent any largeand heavy engine used in a factory. A processmay well require more than one such device.


Homing Beacon [Steamwork]A homing beacon is designed to work in con-

cert with a set of homing compasses (see Beasts ofSteel), providing them with a reference point fromwhich to extrapolate position and direction. Ahoming beacon is a large machine that uses eitherarcane and mystical circuitry or obscure sciencesand magnetic stone to which appropriatelyattuned homing compasses will always point.Homing beacons are usually housed in fortifiedbuildings, towers or observatories, generally theproperty of governments and used to provideadvanced navigational capabilities for their fleetsof ships and dirigibles.


Library [Steamworks]Steamwork technology can even be imple-

mented within libraries and archives to greateffect. The body of texts and archived objects arestored in a space of large volume, usually a bigwarehouse or in the case of valuable contents in afortified underground excavation. A system ofgears and pulleys is rigged throughout the storagespace, and attached to a large computationalsteamwork machine. When a character wishingto remove a text or object from the archive inputshis request into the machine, it sets the systeminto action, pulleys whirling and cogs turning tosend a small container off into the storage area,retrieving the requested item from the shelves(sometimes by a small construct that sits in thecontainer) and bringing it back again. Fast andorganised, this system also means that securitymeasures can be put into place on particularlyimportant or dangerous items like magical orprophetic tomes, requiring specific authorisationto retrieve. It also allows librarians to gener-ally monitor what items in the catalogueare being accessed, when, and bywhom.

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Characters utilising the steamwork retrievalsystem to find an item do not need to make aMaintenance check, only the librarians who startit up and keep it running.


Lifts & Elevators [Steamwork]These are widely used in all sorts of applica-

tions – though due to the unreliability of machin-ery there is always a ladder or stairs too. From themetal cage used to lower workers down a mineshaft, to simple two-floor lifts for moving goodsaround the levels of a warehouse, they make mov-ing people and objects up and down distances amuch easier task. In either case, some people areunwilling to use elevators, finding the idea thatthey depend on a clanking, hissing piece of metalto keep them from crashing to the ground just toonerve-wracking a concept.

These lifts generally come in two kinds; thoseused in mines and suchlike depending on a systemof gears, ropes and pulleys that the steam enginedrives, and more heavily mechanised elevatorsusually found in buildings. Mineshaft lifts tend tobe slower but are simpler to make, especially con-sidering the vertical distance that it may need totravel. Both kinds are normally built to hold 4-8people though may be larger or smaller as designneeds warrant.

The entry in the table above is for a mecha-nised lift; a mineshaft lift costs 500gp and has aMaintenance DC of 9.


Mine Borer [Steamwork]Mines have always been dangerous work for

miners and so the added problems of workingaround heavy machinery are more than counter-balanced by the incredible increase in productionthat steamwork devices provide. Hand-heldsteamwork drills like the entry in the Equipmentsection chew through rock at a far faster rate thanthe slow chip of a pickaxe, while even larger ver-sions can rip through worthless stone to seek out

the seams of wealth that the miners are reallyhunting. Even down in the depths of dwar-

ven mines the ringing of pickaxes onstone is quickly replaced by the

snarling of machinery once they discover justhow much effort is saved by setting machines todo the task for them.

A mine borer is a large drilling machine, usual-ly mounted on tracks or wheels and capable ofself-locomotion. Modifications on the basicdesign of these devices results in the creation ofvehicles capable of tunnelling through the earthand stone with a pilot at the helm (see Beasts ofSteel).


Necromek Crypt Factory [Steamwork]Crypt factories are the sinister result of exper-

imentation into melding the might of the undeadwith the strength of machinery, and are usuallyforbidding and ominous in appearance, sproutingtwisted vents and spikes. A character capable ofcasting spells that create any form of undead canmake use of a crypt factory while doing so, andthe automated necromantic processes of the facto-ry mean that any undead created in this way auto-matically gains the mechanised template. Inregions where necromancers hold both consider-able power and the knowledge of blending steamscience with magic, these factories are commonsights, adding ‘enhanced’ minions to the rottingranks of the wizards armies.

Creation: Craft (Steamworks) 15 ranks,Knowledge (Arcana) 14 ranks

Observatory [Steamwork]This structure is usually in the form of a

roughly hemispherical building of metal andstone, capable of rotating to follow the movementof the heavens and with retracting plates thatopen out to allow the telescopic devices within topeer up to the skies. Steamwork engines powerthe machinery that moves the observatory andthe telescopes. A character conducting astrologi-cal study gains a +2 circumstance bonus toKnowledge (Astrology) checks if they make useof an observatory.


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OilrigThe oilrig is, to most fantasy settings, an

entirely innovative structure. Cranes, gate-open-ing mechanisms and constructs can all be builtwith magic and simple technology even if it isoften not as efficient or powerful as steamworkscience, but an oilrig is simply not a structureneeded unless there is a demand for oil.

Oil can come from many sources, whether it ispools hidden beneath the ocean floor or greatwelling pits formed in a volcanic valley where amighty wyrmlord died. Oilrigs are large metalstructures designed to get at that oil. The struc-ture is based around one or several great siphonsthat plunge down to the source of the fuel they aretrying to extract, which in the case of sea oilrigscan be a considerable distance indeed, and usingdrills and pumps they bring oil up to the surface.A tower spouting flame is a sign of an oilrig in thedistance, a controlled burning of natural gas tokeep it from exploding and wrecking the struc-ture.

Building an oilrig is an expensive and difficultventure, and it is usually governments that havethe power and wealth, as well as the need, to cre-ate them. Building one at sea is especially difficultdue to unpredictable weather and unpredictablereactions of sea denizens. More than one expedi-tion of engineers has been wiped out by a tribe ofsea elves or sahuagin that took offence at metalshafts slamming down through their territory,and even more dangerous beasts such as krakenalso take a dim view of oil rigs.

This is to say nothing of the threat posed byother nations and power groups. An oil rig is agreat source of power and wealth because itensures a relatively constant flow of fuel. Sinceeven inland oilrigs tend to be in outlandish or iso-lated places due to the strange nature of condi-tions creating the fuel in locations other than thesea bed, most are crewed with a military or mer-cenary presence, including spellcasters if possible.The pay is good for any crew of an oilrig since theconditions are usually dangerous as well as havingthe prospect of being isolated at sea for months –and the wages of any spellcaster who can controlthe weather or waves, or communicate with seacreatures, is even higher.

As well as governments, particularly science-focused faiths, especially in situations where it isscientist-priests who are responsible for the cre-ation of steamwork devices, may maintain an oil-rig. In these cases the towering metal structuresare as much cathedrals as industrial buildings,fonts of the fuel which drives their divinelyinspired machines.

Most oilrigs include at least one steamworkcrane for loading and unloading containers of oiland supplies. If aerial vehicles have been devel-oped or the culture has any developed links withaerial creatures, a landing platform for visitorsfrom the air will also be supplied. Most sea-bornoilrigs are also outfitted with several steamworksuits of armour, fitted with enhanced sealed envi-ronments to allow mechanics to venture under-water.

Cost: 350,000 gp

Printing Press [Steamworks]While a single steamwork press is a huge step

onwards from the slow and laborious process ofhand-copying books, a burgeoning printing com-pany can put the monetary gains it reaps to gooduse in expanding and improving its capacities. Alarge-scale printing press can reduce the timemade to create a single print run of a book or tracteven further, or possibly print more than onething at a time. Developing societies tend toquickly acquire a hunger for literature of anykind, so those in the printing business can becomevery rich very quickly.


Solar Array [Steamwork]A solar array consists of a mass of solar panels

and light absorbers, usually mounted all over theside of a tower or building. The panels aremounted on small steamwork pistons andadjusters, and during the day, with theoccasional hiss of steam and whirr ofgears, they move to follow the sun

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in order to best pick up its rays. Used in conjunc-tion with a solar trap engine, they absorb far moreefficiently and generate more energy than thenormal set-up of panels. A device powered by asolar array gains 1 ½ hours of fuel from everyhour of sunlight absorbed. The array needs aMaintenance check to start it up or keep it run-ning but its own energy consumption is negligibleand it doesn’t need a separate engine to drive it.


Spellcraft Engine [Arcana, Steamwork]A spellcraft engine is mounted as an addition-

al device on an arcanist’s tower, a nest of pipesand bubbling glass containers interlaced with cop-per wire and jagged chunks of crystal. Such anengine is finely attuned to the status of magicwithin 1 mile, able to sense the disturbance of anarcane spell like the ripples of water across a pondwhen a stone is dropped in. Whenever a charactercasts an arcane spell within the detection radius ofthe spellcraft engine, it emits a warning soundand with a steamwork compass indicates thedirection of the incident from the tower. A seriesof different glass beakers are lined up next to thecompass, each one indicating one of the schools ofmagic, and when an incident is detected thebeaker that corresponds to the school of magic ofthe spell casts fills with swirling steam. Spellcraftengines are often tailored to respond only to spe-cific schools of magic, since in some places certainof the schools are illegal, usually those ofEnchantment and Necromancy.

A character that is aware of the presence of aspellcraft engine nearby can try and avoid detec-tion by making a Concentration check (DC25+spell level) while spellcasting. A successmeans he masks the spell from the engine bydamping down its magical signal.

While a single spellcraft engine can only indi-cate the direction of the location in which thespellcasting occurred, two or three spellcraftengines in different locations can be used to trian-gulate the exact co-ordinates of the location. If

combined with teleportation spells this canmake a rapid response to unsanctioned

spellcasting a viable possibility.

Caster LLevel: 9th Creation:

Create Wondrous Item, detect magic, Craft(Steamworks) 12 ranks

Steamwork Bridge [Steamwork]With the power of steam technology, a new

and revolutionary type of bridge can be construct-ed. Rather than suffering the limitations of morestatic stone, metal or wooden structures, a bridgecan be built to span busy stretches of river, notjust because of the improved construction tech-niques of an industrialising society but because itcan be engineered to move for passing river traf-fic. The exact manner in which the bridge oper-ates varies; a central section might lift directly upon steel ropes, cogs and pulleys, or the bridgemight be split in the middle as the two sides arepulled up to form a triangular shape when theyare at their apex. Either way, larger water craft arethus able to pass under the bridge, where beforethe static structure of a bridge would have limitedonly smaller craft to be able to pass further up ordown.


Steamwork Gate [Steamwork]Many large structures such as castles, temples

and suchlike feature large and heavy gates.Although these can be opened and closed by handthis tends to be slow because of their sheer sizeand weight, and of course also demands a fair bitof effort on the part of the gatekeeper. Steamworkengines rigged up to open the gates are both aboon to the tired gatekeeper and a significant sta-tus symbol on the part of the owner, displayinghis wealth and might. Like steamwork locks,steamwork gates incorporate a full locking mech-anism easily up to the standards of fortified posi-tions. The nature of the gates is obviously dis-played on the hinges and frame of the structure,which are covered in the metal cladding that con-ceals the mechanisms beneath. The main body ofthe engine and controls are situated on the insideof the walls and well out of harms way. When theoperator opens the gates, the huge weight of thegates swings open slowly enough to allow anyoneto get out of the way, accompanied by the hiss ofsteam and the grinding noise of cogs. They areparticularly popular amongst those wishing to

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a Guide to Fantasy Steamworksa Guide to Fantasy Steamworksimpress and intimidate their guests.


Steamwork Pump System [Steamwork]A steamwork pump is a large and noisy piece

of engineering attached to a network of pipes andvalves. These pumps can serve a variety of differ-ent purposes. Most obvious is to pump wateraround, which despite its simplicity in concept isa very useful capability. Industries demand largeamounts of water in their processes and a steam-work pump can provide a factory with all thewater it needs by running pipes down to a river orseafront. Pumps are also used on steam-poweredships to pump water out, as well as beingemployed in marshy and coastal areas for drain-ing land free of water. Were a pump system to beextended throughout a city, with regular pumpstations keeping the pressure up, it could providethe amazing amenity of fresh running water tothe ordinary citizens, pushing back the limits ofcity growth by leaps and bounds with such a mar-vel. Harness the great amount of heat generatedby the factories and plants of a dozen industriesworking day and night in a city and even hotwater becomes available. Pump systems can alsobe employed as rudimentary sewage systems, tak-ing the waste from alchemical and arcane labora-tories and industrial factories – and usually justdumping it in a river or the sea. It is advisable tobe wary of venturing into the water near the efflu-ent pipes of an alchemechanic’s or wizard’s work-place.

As well as urban uses, steamwork pumps havetheir applications in agriculture. Here, water iseven more useful, and such a pump in place on awell or by a river can have a farmer’s irrigationsystem running with fresh water; equally, whenrains and floods threaten to erode crops away, apump can be used to mitigate the damage.

The statistics given here are for a Huge pumpbut smaller, more portable ones could also beemployed, as could much bigger ones designed tosupply entire areas of a city with running water.They usually appear as a number of large metaltanks linked together by a nest of piping and pres-sure valves; pressure readouts are standard, and

these metal beasts need to be maintained regular-ly.


Steamwork Sentry Array [Steamwork]A steamwork sentry array is another method

of linking up smaller devices to a central engine tocreate a larger network, and can be combined withan arcanomech eye array to give a readout of whatsentries and eyes are active and in what locations.Like with an arcanomech eye array, all sentriesbenefit from a +2 bonus to Spot checks for an hourafter any individual sentry is set off. The switch-board for a steamwork sentry array also displaysthe ammunition remaining in each sentry.

As with an eye array, the entry in the tablereflects the central engine hub of the array. Thecost does not include that of the sentries linked upto it.


Steamwork Siege Weapon [Steamwork]Large and powerful siege weapons such as bal-

lista can be mounted in a steamwork cradle, amechanical array that aids the crew by making itturn far faster and by semi-automating theprocess of reloading it. These steamwork weaponhardpoints are often placed on heavily defendedfortifications that have need of the additional fire-power. A siege weapon mounted in one of thesecradles can turn without impediment through afull 360 degrees, and can turn as far as the opera-tor wishes in a single round. In addition, the load-ing period is halved in duration. Any sizeableweapon can be mounted in one of these.

Weather Tower [Steamwork]A massive structure that reaches high into the

air, a weather tower sprouts whirling gyroscopicmachines and delicate crystal vanes, weather bal-loons and lightning conductors. Huge globes ofmetal that crackle with energy rotate around thetop of the tower on a metal framework, arcaneenergy playing and dancing over the surface ofthe machinery. Within, arcane machinerygrowls and thrums in laboratories wherethe various sensors, detectors and

devices provide readouts on the weather condi-tions, predicting potential changes on a muchlarger scale than a meteorometer. An activeweather tower can predict weather up to a weak inadvance with a 90% chance of accuracy; for everyadditional week ahead a forecast is made thechance of accuracy reduces by 20%. Most impres-sive however is the function of the machinery atthe top of the tower, effectively a huge amplifica-tion device for weather-altering magics. A spell-caster who casts control weather while in the upperchamber of an active weather tower has the radiusof the spell increased by 1 mile and the durationdoubled.

Additionally, the lightning conductors on aweather tower automatically reduce all electricitydamage dealt to the structures to zero.

Weather towers find many uses. Often placedwithin cities to aid in keeping the weatherclement and withstanding the worst weather,especially that brought about by hostile will, theyare also used by some less pleasant individuals tokeep a constant pall of fog or bad weather over thesurrounding area. They are also often attached toseabourne oilrigs to help protect the structurefrom the hazardous weather of the oceans.

Creation: Craft (Steamworks) 16 ranks,Knowledge (Arcana) 15 ranks, Knowledge(Meteorology) 15 ranks

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DragonsThe mighty race of drag-ons has little to do with

steam technology in gener-al. Immensely powerful,

they often see little use init for themselves, and viewthe expansion of industri-alising nations into their

territory as evidence that itis time to put the lesser

species back in their place.On the other hand, cannydragons often make use of

steamwork devices fortheir minions and servants,and it may well be possible

to convince them of thepotential of steam technol-ogy if shown how it can beused for their own comfort

and power.

This section deals with steam poweredmechanical prosthetics, replacements forlimbs and lost body parts crafted through

clever artifice and scientific principles. Normallywhen a character suffers a grievous injury thatshatters their body, or they lose a limb throughaccident or battle, they have two options. Thefirst is to seek out a cleric for healing, and hopethat there is one powerful enough to cast regener-ate. However, such a cleric isn’t always on hand,and in some settings with greater restrictions onhealing a character has to take the second option,which is to live with the injuries they suffered.

Steamwork prosthetics – sometimes calledrivet surgery, bionics or machine medicine – isanother option, by which a character has theirdamaged or missing body part replaced by a newmechanical form. While most people are attachedenough to their own body that the idea of havingto have a steamwork replacement will never besuperior to just having their old limb back, theenhanced strength and toughness afforded by asteamwork prosthetic can be superior to the oldflesh and blood. Prosthetics often end up as asymbol of being a grizzled veteran, one who hasseen many battles, and people generally find thosewho bear prosthetic parts quite intimidating.

Of course, if it were as simple as prostheticsbeing superior to the original body parts then theymight be more popular, perhaps even charactersvoluntarily undergoing surgery to have a perfect-ly fine arm replaced with a metal claw-limb.However, like with all steamwork devices, pros-thetics may need fuelling depending on theengine type used, and need maintenance to keepthem running. No warrior would want his sword-arm to simply seize up (or worse) in the middle ofa fight. Those who end up with prosthetics usual-ly spend a lot of time and effort on the parts ofthem that are now mechanical and endeavour tobecome skilled in steamwork sciences. For somethat are especially heavily modified, the penaltyfor failure in this field is death.

Getting a Prosthetic

If a character loses a limb or suffers cripplingbody damage they may wish to seek out a sur-gery that can fit a prosthetic. Assuming they

can afford the cost, and find someone capable ofgiving the treatment, they then undergo anoperation where the surgeon attempts to fixthe prosthetic to them. This is usuallythe easy part.

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PPrrosthostheeticsticsMMeellddining Man with Maching Man with Machinee

To successfully graft a steamwork prostheticto a patient, a surgeon must make a Heal check(DC 12). Failure means the operation itself is sim-ply a failure. This is not a problem because moreoperations can be attempted, but it does delay thewhole process.

Most surgeons use some sort of anaestheticwhere possible. Specialised versions of the sleepspell, strange and exotic concoctions of drugs, andother even odder possibilities are employed. Insome cases a character might be the involuntarysubject of an operation, perhaps a captive about tobe mechanised as an experiment; gruesomely,such experimenters often use variants of the holdperson spell, leaving the captive fully conscious forthe operation but simply unable to struggle. Somesurgeons who simply don’t have access to anyanaesthetics at all do the same, figuring thateither the patient can be in pain and struggling orin pain and still. The possibility of having to go toa surgeon in a setting without any advanced formof anaesthetic is enough to put off most from theidea of ever undergoing such madness as to havea limb voluntarily removed for a superior pros-thetic replacement.

Once a prosthetic is grafted it will operate asintended, but the character must makeMaintenance checks and refuel it as appropriate.In addition for the first d3 days after grafting acharacter suffers a –2 check to attack rolls andskill checks made using the prosthetic, as they arenot acclimatised to it and tend to misjudge and actclumsily. Unfortunately what many fantasy set-tings share with the real medieval period is poorsanitation and living conditions, and a newlyapplied prosthetic is a prime source of infection, ifsome form hasn’t already been contracted in thedirty operating theatre of a prosthetic surgery.The character must make a Fortitude check (DC10) after 24 hours or contract a random diseaseimmediately. The check is modified by the factorson the following table:

Condition ModSurgeon has 6 or more ranks in Heal +2Surgeon has 15 or more ranks in Heal +2Character is involved in combat with monsterswithin 24 hours -2Monsters have a disease-causing attack -4Character has cure disease cast on them +8Character spends time in squalid conditions(slums, poor area, etc). -2Character has been within 5ft of another diseasedcharacter within 24 hours -2Technology level is crude or poor -2Prosthetic technology level is advanced +2Technology level is high steam-power +4

There is always a danger of infections or bloodpoisoning for characters with prosthetics and theytend to be slightly more vulnerable to diseases. Acharacter with any prosthetics suffers a –1 penaltyto saving throws against disease.

Prosthetics

Described here is a list of different pros-thetic parts that can be surgically graftedto a character. Some are more advanced

than others and as such a culture might not haveaccess to all of them, more likely just the cruderforms with more advanced prosthetics being cre-ated only by individual master craftsmen andfound as relics of ancient civilisations.

The category assigned in the Size entry is for acharacter of Medium size. Characters of larger orsmaller size have to be fitted with prostheticsscaled accordingly, which may mean they need alarger or smaller engine to power them.

Bronze Hand [Steamwork]This form of prosthetic is designed in the fash-

ion of a metal hand, pistons and gears replicatingthe manner in which real fingers move. Themachinery within is easily accessible via a plateon the palm of the hand that swings open to allowrefuelling of the tiny engine within. A bronzehand replicates a real hand with no bonuses orpenalties; the machinery is well-crafted and deli-cate enough that its mimicry of real hand move-ments and reactions is excellent but the machin-

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ery lacks in the crude strength that some prosthet-ics have.


Iron Chest [Steamwork]This prosthetic replaces a large section of the

character’s chest with metal plates and pieces,forming an artificial lung for those whose ownbreathing organs are severely damaged. A charac-ter with an iron chest gains a +1 bonus to theirnatural armour from all the machinery. If the ironchest ever ceases functioning, back-up machinerykicks in to keep some semblance of air reachingthe character’s system, but he suffers a –4 penaltyto all attacks, saves and checks and becomingfatigued very easily if they undergo any strenuousactivity. If the back-up machinery fails as well,the character will begin to suffocate, eventuallydying unless the machine is activated again.


Iron Claw [Steamwork]Unlike a bronze hand, an iron claw is not a

carefully crafted mimicry of a real hand. Insteadit is a heavy and powerful mechanised claw.While some who lose their hand but still need to

fight simply have the stumpfitted with a weapon such as asword or hook, an iron claw isa superior weapon since itreturns to the character someuse of their hand as well as aweapon. An iron claw can beused as a simple weapon, deal-ing d6 damage with a threatrange of 19-20/x2, and attacksmade with it benefit from a +2Strength bonus. If used tocrush an object in the claw,the Strength bonus increasesto +4 (this benefit is notgained in combat, only againstinanimate objects). Any skillchecks made involving aniron claw suffer a –1 penalty.

Creation: Craft(Steamworks) 9 ranks

Iron JawThis prosthetic replaces the character’s jaw

with one crafted from iron, designed for thosesuffering grievous wounds to the jaw in battle orindustrial accident. The usual design is a heftymetal jaw riveted to the remnants of the charac-ter’s lower face, often crafted to have intimidatingsteel teeth jutting up from it. Despite the name,versions of this prosthetic can also be crafted forcreatures with more exotic mouthparts such asbeaks. An iron jaw of any form does not need anengine to power it. A character with an iron jawmay designate one of his unarmed attacks perround to be made with a bite that deals normaldamage and not subdual damage. A characterwith an iron jaw that already has a natural biteattack gains a +1 damage bonus on that attack.

Iron Jaw, Steamwork [Steamwork]This steamwork prosthetic is a powerful iron

jaw fitted with piston augmentation and a verysmall engine to power it. A character with asteamwork jaw gains the same benefits asfrom a normal iron jaw, except that whenthe engine is fired up the jaw can beused to make bite attacks with an

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a Guide to Fantasy Steamworksa Guide to Fantasy SteamworksName Size Cost Maintenance DDCBronze Hand Tiny 1,000gp 8Iron Chest Small 3,000gp 7Iron Claw Tiny 750gp 7Iron Jaw Tiny 200gp -Iron Jaw, Steamwork Tiny 700gp 6Iron Throat Tiny 400gp 7Iron Throat, Superior Tiny 1,000gp 6Iron Vital Tiny 800gp 6Omnimaw Small 12,000gp 6Piston-Strength Small 2,500gp 8Rust Blood Diminutive 100gp -Steamwork Arm Small 2,000gp 7Steamwork Heart Tiny 5,000gp 5Steamwork Leg Small 1,000gp 7Steamwork Wing Medium 4,000gp 8Steel Blood Tiny 50,000gp -Steal Ear Diminutive 2,000gp 7Steel Eye Diminutive 3,000gp 7Steel Nose Diminutive 6,000gp 8Treads Medium 12,000gp 7Treads, Spider-walk Medium 17,000gp 8

additional +4 machine bonus to Strength.Creation: Craft (Steamworks) 6 ranks

Iron Throat [Steamwork]This prosthetic looks like a collar of metal

around the characters throat, studded with piecesof machinery and vents. It is designed for a char-acter whose throat has been damaged, usuallyafter having been savaged by some creature, andwhose breathing and speaking capabilitiesimpaired. Just by having a steamwork throatimplanted a character with a ruined throat canbreath without problems, even when the throat isinactive. When the steamwork prosthetic is acti-vated they can speak without problems, althoughthe quality of their voice depends on the qualityof the iron throat. The crude mechanisms are notparticularly accurate in mimicking the charactersvoice, and when he speaks he can sound more likethe metal voice of a construct or the grindingnoise of gears, a sinister, deep and mechanisedvoice. A character with an iron throat suffers a 5%chance of spell failure for spells with a verbalcomponent due to this impediment.


Iron Throat, Superior [Steamwork]Crafted with much finer mechanisms than a

normal iron throat, a superior iron throat recre-ates the speakers original voice quite accurately,with only a metallic reverberation or occasionalhiss of steam. A character with a superior ironthroat does not suffer the 5% spell failure chance.


Iron Vital [Steamwork]This prosthetic replaces a vital organ like a

liver or kidney, using a mix of steamwork scienceand alchemy to keep the character alive and func-tioning. Usually accessible via a metal hatch forfuelling and maintenance, if an iron vital fails thecharacter suffers a –2 penalty to attacks, saves andskill checks as their body begins to go wrong, andthey have 1 day to fix it or get a replacement. If

they do not do so then they take d6Constitution damage every day until they

either die or get a fixed or replaced vital.Creation: Craft (Alchemy) 9

ranks, Craft (Steamworks) 9 ranks

Omnimaw [Arcana, Steamwork]An omnimaw is a magical prosthetic, a careful-

ly enchanted set of complex metal pumps andrune-encrusted chambers that replace the sub-ject’s original stomach and digestive tract. A char-acter with an omnimaw can derive sustenancefrom eating anything, from meat to grass to sand-stone, the arcane industry of the prosthetic draw-ing nutrition forth from any consumed sub-stances. It also automatically neutralises anyingested poisons that pass through it.

Caster LLevel: 11th Creation: Create WondrousItem, neutralise poison, Craft (Steamworks) 15ranks

Piston-Strength [Steamwork]Rather than being a prosthetic replacement for

an entire body part, piston-strength is one of thefew steamwork augmentations that a charactermight consider having grafted on voluntarily. Itinvolves incorporating pistons and machineryinto the arms, shoulders or both of a character,and unfortunately the bulk of the machineryinvolved means that it cannot be discreetly buriedbeneath the skin. Instead much of it protrudesfrom the flesh and muscle, steel pistons and jointserupting from the surface, and is often quiteunsightly. Those who need the extra musclepower, usually heavy labourers who also want abit of intimidating strength and mercenaries, aresometimes willing to undergo this treatment toget an extra edge in battle. Some powerful beingsalso have their minions enhanced with piston-strength. A character with this augmentation ben-efits from a +2 machine bonus to Strength and a+1 bonus to their natural armour.

Creation: Craft (Steamworks) 10 ranks, Heal 8ranks

Rust BloodA crude form of manufactured blood, a primi-

tive mimicry of steel blood, this substance appearslike liquid, coppery rust, lumps coagulating andflowing apart. It consists of small, simplemachines suspended in a medium that can beinjected into patients to give their immune sys-

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tem a small boost. A character who has an injec-tion of rust blood gains a +4 machine bonus to anysaving throws against diseases during a period of48 hours as the machines patrol their body andattack invading infectionsand suchlike. After the 48hours has passed the naturalprocesses of the systemflush the rust blood outharmlessly.


Steamwork Arm[Steamwork]

A relatively commonform of prosthetic, a steam-work arm is designed toreplace a limb lost throughindustrial accident, battle orinfection. A steamwork armeither replaces from theshoulder or the elbow, bothversions being identical ineffects. The prosthetic is asarticulate and dextrous asthe original limb, as well aspossessing of superiorstrength, but if it runs out offuel or malfunctions thenthe character cannot use itat all. Any attack rolls andskill checks made with thesteamwork arm, forinstance an unarmed attackor a weapon it is gripping,gain a +2 bonus to Strength.


Steamwork Heart[Steamwork]

One of the most drasticprosthetic alterations a character can get, a steam-work heart is a fist-sized steamwork pump madeup of gears, moulded metal and pipes that linkinto the blood stream. Often the main pumpchamber of the heart is shaped to look like a real

one, an aesthetic design made to help cushion thepsychological impact of having to rely on a steam-work device to stay alive. A metal hatch on thechest of the character allows access for refuelling

and maintenance,although those who canpossibly afford it try tobuy a steamwork heartwith an engine type thatdoesn’t need refuelling. Asteamwork heart is gener-ally only implanted underurgent need, when a char-acter’s heart is rapidly fail-ing due to injury or dis-ease, and the operation isexceptionally risky (+8 tothe DC of a prostheticimplant operation whenimplanting a steamworkheart). A character with asteamwork heart isimmune to any attacksthat work by causing aheart attack, whether mag-ical or not, for instance thephantasmal killer spell. Ofcourse, if a steamworkheart malfunctions andbreaks the character is inserious trouble.


Steamwork Leg[Steamwork]Like a steamwork arm,

this type of prosthetic isrelatively common, main-ly amongst industrialworkers and soldiers. Itreturns mobility to a char-acter whose leg is lost or

mangled, although if it runs out of fuel or locksup then the character can only hobble at halftheir normal movement speed. Anunarmed attack delivered with a kickof a steamwork leg benefits from a

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Diseases

As well as being subject to the com-mon diseases that affect everyone,characters with prosthetics also

become potential targets for more specificinfections.

Blood-metal FeverHearsay and rumour cloud the origins

of this horrific disease. Some say that it isthe result of an experimentation in creat-ing mechanised creatures that went horri-bly wrong and escaped the confines of alaboratory, while others claim it is adivine punishment from the gods to makethose who embrace technology repenttheir sins. What is known is that it onlyinfects people with steamwork prosthetics,the disease affecting both the flesh of thecharacter and the metal of their replace-ment limbs. The exact point where onestarts and the other ends begins to blur,metal rusting with blood-coloured stainsand flowing through the blood of the vic-tim as their flesh starts to absorb the bion-ic device. Before long the overload ofmetal flowing into the system of the char-acter usually proves fatal. Even those whosurvive may be left with irreparably dam-aged prosthetics that have been re-craftedby their own flesh into horrifically organicpatterns.

Infection: ContactDC: 17Incubation: 1 dayDamage: 1d4 Con

+2 Strength bonus, and a character with this pros-thetic gains a +2 machine bonus to Balancechecks.


Steamwork Wing [Steamwork]This type of prosthetic is only found amongst

races of an aerial nature that have wings and aknack for the sciences. It cannot be implantedonto a character that did not originally havewings since their muscle and bone structure areentirely wrong for its use. Constructed frommetal struts, gears and pistons along with leath-ery canvas or feathers or some other material asappropriate to the species, steamwork wingsreturn the capability of flight to a character thathas had its wings damaged or destroyed, althoughit does not give any additional bonuses. If a pairof steamwork wings malfunction while the char-acter is in the air they can still use the wings toglide clumsily down to the ground, except in thecase of a Catastrophic Malfunction.


Steel BloodSteel blood is a silvery substance that looks like

liquid metal. In fact it consists of hundreds of tinymachines just smaller than the eye can make out.Much like living oil and living steel, steel blood isan example of very highly advanced technologyusually only created by high steam-power cul-tures, and can sometimes be found in small vialsin the ruins of past empires. It does not follow thenormal rules for steamwork prosthetics, and themachines seem self-maintaining and self-fuelling,possibly siphoning energy out blood.

If injected into the blood stream of a character,steel blood bolsters their immune system, the tinymachines spreading through the body to protectand enhance. A character with steel blood gains a+4 bonus to all saving throws against poison anddisease. After having steel blood in their systemfor a week a character benefits from a +2 bonus totheir Strength, Dexterity and Constitution abili-

ty scores as the blood works to improve theirphysique, reactions and resilience. By con-

centrating mentally a character canflush steel blood out of their system,

the liquid metal pouring out of their nose where itcan be recollected. A character loses the bonusesto saves the moment steel blood leaves their sys-tem, but the ability score bonuses persist for aweek before they fade.

The entry given in the table above is for onevial of steel blood.


Steel Ear [Steamwork]This prosthetic device replaces lost or damaged

ears as well as the organs just within that sensesound. Used to cure deafness caused by damage toan ear, this prosthetic is unusual in that it is some-times voluntarily implanted by thieves androgues who want to improve their sense of hear-ing – especially by those who already have an earlobe mangled or lost through a fight or punish-ment. A character with a steel ear benefits from a+2 machine bonus to Listen checks due to thecomplex machinery within the device.


Steel Eye [Steamwork]A complex and delicate device, a steel eye is a

prosthetic replacement for a real eye. Either theentire socket of the eye is filled with a block ofmachinery that mounts a lens through which thecharacter can see, or a more refined device shapedlike an eye is fitted back in, surgically reattachedso that the muscles around the eye can move it asif it were a genuine one. Both devices grant sightback to a character that has lost an eye. A charac-ter with a steamwork eye can use the device tomagnify their vision in and out as well as granti-ng greater clarity and focus, and they gain a +2machine bonus to Search and Spot checks. Acharacter using a rolling eye device can patch thevision of the rolling eye straight into a steel eye.


Steel Nose [Steamwork]A less common prosthetic, a steel nose replaces

a lost or damaged nose as well as filling the nasalcavity with alchemechanical machinery. Cruderversions are little more than unseemly blocks ofmetal but with superior technology a morerefined and aesthetically crafted steel nose is pos-

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sible. A steel nose is full of complex alchemicaldevices that grant the character a highly refinedsense of smell, giving them the Scent abilitywhen the nose is active.


Treads [steamwork]A drastic modification, this prosthetic replaces

the entire lower body of a character, rooting theirabdomen into a metal machine and enginemounted on treads driven by dozens of smallwheels. Somewhat like a mechanised wheelchairexcept that the character is actually grafted intothe machinery, characters on treads move at abase speed of 20ft, the tracks granting them fairlygood mobility over uneven terrain even consider-ing their limited state. A character with treadsgains a +3 bonus to their natural armour. Back-uplife support systems built into the throne grantthe character a +2 bonus to Fortitude saves.


Treads, Spider-Walk [Steamwork]Like the treads prosthetic, this device replaces

the lower half of a character with a steamworkthrone mounted atop eight long, metal legs drivenby pistons and gears. The character can move at abase speed of 30ft rather than 20ft, and obstaclessuch as stairs no longer hamper their movementfor the slender legs are remarkably agile and dex-trous. Like treads, a spider-walk system grants a+3 bonus to natural armour and a +2 bonus toFortitude saves.


Prosthetic UpgradesName CostAlchemist’s Breath +500gpArcane Vision +2,000gpArm Spikes +20gpAugmented Strength +4,000gpBlood-Feeder Engine +250gpCrystal Iris +1,000gpInjection System +500gpName CostIntegrated Weapon +150gpPoison Sensor +500gp

This section details a number of upgrades pos-sible to prosthetics.

Alchemist’s Breath [Steamwork]An upgrade that can be made to an iron chest

or throat, alchemist’s breath uses alchemical sub-stances and filters to allow the character to breathin environments such as toxic gases or evenunderwater. Note that this doesn’t protect againstthe cloudkill spell like a sealed environment does.A character with alchemist’s breath can activate itas a standard action, and can breath in such envi-ronments for up to half an hour, after which thealchemical reserves run out and need to be toppedup.


Arcane Vision [Arcana, Steamwork]A magical upgrade that can be made to a steel

eye, arcane vision fills the prosthetic with arcanemachinery and mystic circuitry. It allows thecharacter to see as of by detect magic and see invis-ibility, each once per day.

Caster LLevel: 6th

Creation: Craft Wondrous Item, detect magic,see invisibility, Craft (Steamworks) 9 ranks

Arm Spikes [Steamwork]This upgrade incorporates a row of vicious

bladed spikes concealed in a steamwork arm.When activated the spikes flick out and can beused in combat so that the damage caused byunarmed attacks is normal damage, not subdual.


Augmented Strength [Steamwork]By heavily augmenting the engine and pistons

on a steamwork prosthetic, this upgrade increasesany machine Strength bonus granted in any formby the device by an additional +2.


Blood-feeder Engine [Steamwork]This upgrade can be used with any

steamwork prosthetic that has a blooddrinker engine. What the upgradedoes is to siphon off blood straight

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out of the character’s blood stream to feed theengine. While an efficient way to power thedevice, a blood-feeder weakens the character fromblood loss, inflicting a –1 penalty to attack rolls,skill checks and saves. A character can negatethese penalties for one hour by voluntarily suffer-ing 2d6 subdual damage.


Crystal Iris [Steamwork]This upgrade can be made to a steel eye.

Careful augmentation of the prosthetic’s lightsensitivity by amplification lenses of crystal andtiny pieces of glass grant a character with a crys-tal iris low-light vision.


Injection System [Steamwork]An upgrade that can be attached to any steam-

work device, an injection system incorporates asmall medical device. It consists of a glass cham-ber and some machinery designed to inject thecontents of the chamber into the character’s bloodstream directly; this can be done as a free action.Special troops or guard creatures fitted with com-bat drugs usually use it, but some alchemist magesare now developing ‘blood potions’ that can beinjected directly into the blood with the normaleffect of the potion, rather than having to drink it.A character can make a ‘blood potion’ by alteringthe usual methods of brewing potions; the cost isincreased by 25%, and blood potions can only beinjected, having no effect if drunk normally.

Creation: Craft (Steamworks) 8 ranks, Heal 8ranks

Integrated Weapon [Steamwork]This upgrade integrates a concealed weapon

into a prosthetic. It is a free action to retract orreveal an integrated melee weapon, while rangedweapons can be fired from the prosthetic withoutneeding to reveal them. The size of the weapon islimited by the size of the prosthetic, althoughstripped-down crossbow or firearm devices can

be fitted into a Small steamwork arm butrequire an additional full round action to

reload. Melee weapons can either beattached to the prosthetic, or can

simply be stored there and wielded as separateweapons when activated. Integrated weapons areoften used as assassination devices, in particularthe use of hand crossbows or shuriken that arefired from a steamwork arm and dosed with poi-son. They are also handy aids when a characterwould otherwise be facing enemies whileunarmed.

The cost of the integrated weapon upgradedoes not include the cost of any weapons them-selves.


Poison Sensor [Steamwork]This upgrade can be added to iron vitals and

steamwork hearts. The device contains alchemi-cal sensors that pick up on increasing levels oftoxins and poisons in the bloodstream, alertingthe character and attempting to counteract them.A poison sensor grants a +2 bonus to savingthrows against poison.


Steamwork Prosthetics in aWorld with Magical Healing

The prosthetic devices here can, to anextent, be rendered irrelevant in a fantasyworld where the capability to cast healing

spells is easily available and divine spellcasters arecommon. If every time a commoner gets a scratchthere’s a cleric on hand to heal him, then obvious-ly few people will ever need or want a steamworkprosthetic.

Presented here are a number of brief ideasabout how a setting can be modified to make theuse of prosthetic devices more common. Some ofthese suggestions might result in a more grittystyle of game-play when a party of adventurerscannot simply rely on a healer to get them back upto full strength after every battle, while othershave less of an impact on the way that the gameis played.

The PPC’s AAre SSpecial: Although in the corerules there are no real rules for damage to specificlocations that might result in the need for a pros-

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thetic, it can be assumed that in most pitched bat-tles the mass of casualties will include some whohave lost an arm, leg, or other replaceable bodypart. Equally, the industrial labourers in a heavymachinery factory might occasionally fall foul ofaccidents where they have a limb crippled or man-gled in the workings of some device. Player char-acters can continue to fight and battle in the sameways they always have done, with healing easilyon hand from divine healers and the replenishingof hit points not hampered by more critical formsof damage. In the world around them there will beNPC’s who have need of steamwork prostheticsfrom the injuries they suffer, but player charac-ters only suffer hit point damage from attacks asnormal (except in exceptional circumstances).

The CCost oof HHealing: If costs for healing spellsare rigorously imposed, many of the commonpopulace may not be able to afford curative orregenerative spells. Unable to get divine healingthey have to turn to physicians and doctors fortheir wounds, and to steam surgeons for the morecrippling injuries.

High-llevel HHealing: All healing spells could beincreased in level. This might be limited to somereligions, or all of them, with divine forms ofhealing simply being rare and hard to cast. Mostpeople have to turn to more conventional forms ofhealing.

No HHealing: With this option, there is no heal-ing available, or it is incredibly rare. Entire reli-gions and faiths simply do not have access to anyhealing spells. Perhaps a druidic hermit livingdeep in a forest might know the secrets for a fewcurative spells, but for the bulk of the charactersin such a setting, reality is harsh and unforgivingand injuries easily crippling. Steamwork augmen-tations would be far more common in a situationwhere there is no form of regenerative spell at all.

Limited HHealing: It may be that there are somesorts of damage that healing spells simply cannotdeal with. It might be as mundane as flesh burnedby fire being beyond such divine healing, or itmight be that the tainted attacks of demonic crea-tures inflict injuries that cannot be restored by thepower of faith – demon hunters might bear manyscars and prosthetics from their battles.

Hit LLocations: A system using hit locations forcritical hits could be implemented, with a chancethat critical hits can cause more permanent andcrippling forms of damage, even severing limbs.

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This section lays out rules for the beasts ofsteel that steam technology makes possi-ble, from the small dangerous spider sen-

tinels to the colossal behemoths, from armouredtrains to steamwork dirigibles cruising high in theskies. Driven by the coursing heat of steam intheir boilers, and armed with the crushingstrength of metal and machinery, these constructsand vehicles can revolutionise travel, warfare, andthe general lifestyle of those around them.

Constructs

Steamwork constructs tend to be rather noisybeasts, their joints and pistons hissing withthe built-up pressure of the steam flowing

through their mechanical body and armour plat-ing clamouring with every movement. They alsotend to not be too bright, being driven by machineintelligence that stems from carefully crafted sen-tience systems, sometimes made from crystallinestructures and other times made from amazinglycomplex arrays of tiny gears. As such, moststeamwork constructs have no Intelligence score,although in some cases constructs do possess amore advanced degree of sentience programming.

In general, constructs do not possess skills orfeats. However, the specialist programming andconstructing of some types of steamwork con-struct imbues them with the innate capability toperform certain tasks and feats, and they can alsobe upgraded with matrixes that endow them withsuch abilities.

As with other steamwork devices, the steam-work constructs here require maintenance, an

engine and fuelling. These constructs are signi-fied with the Steamwork subtype.

Alchemist’s HoundMedium-Size Construct [Steamwork]Hit DDice: 2d10+20 (31 hp)Initiative: +1 (+1 Dex)Speed: 30ft.AC: 15 (+1 Dex, +4 natural), touch 11, flat-footed

14Attacks: Slam +3; or alchemist’s cannonDamage: 1d6+2; or by cannon typeSpace/Reach: 5ft./ 5ft.Special AAttacks: Alchemist’s cannonSpecial QQualities: Construct, Hardness 5,

Maintenance, Scent, VolatileSaves: Fort +0 Ref +1 Will +2Abilities: Str 14 Dex 12 Con - Int - Wis 14 Cha 1Feats: Scent*Climate/Terrain: AnyOrganisation: Solitary or pack (2-5)Challenge RRating: 3Treasure: NoneAlignment: NeutralAdvancement: 3-4 HD (Medium); 5-6 HD

(Large)

The ‘alchemist’s hound’ is a veritable walkingalchemy kit, a steamwork construct packed withas many bubbling glass flasks of chemicals asgears and pistons. It gets its name from itsquadrupedal, hunched appearance and from thefact that creators with artistic pretensions oftencraft alchemist’s hounds to look like great wolvesor guard dogs made of metal, wood and glass.

Normally powered by an alchemechanicalengine, hounds are employed as guard constructs.The myriad of alchemical devices mimics anadvanced sense of smell as well as powering theconstruct’s main weapon, an alchemical cannon,the barrel of which juts out of the hound’s gapingmaw.

Alchemist’s hounds can understand and obeyorders in one language. They cannot speak,

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Beasts of SBeasts of StteeeellCoConstructsnstructs

though they can make mechanical growls andsnarls.

Combat: Hounds are hardly the brightest ofcreatures. Their combat programming meansthey usually attempt to hose down as manyattackers as possible with their alchemical cannonuntil the intruders either flee or die. If a hound isbadly damaged it may try and retreat to its ownerfor repairs, depending on its instructions.

Alchemist’s Cannon (Ex): All hounds have analchemist’s cannon of some variety built intothem. The fuel reserves for the weapon are alsostored inside the hound’s body and cannot be tar-geted separately unless the hound is rolled over toreveal its underbelly, a difficult task with anystill-functional construct. Since alchemist’s can-nons do not need an attack roll to hit the area theyattack, hounds can easily do a great deal of dam-age to closely packed opponents.

Construct: An alchemist’s hound is a constructand has the relevant traits and immunities com-mon to that type.

Hardness: The metal and machinery parts of analchemist’s hound grant it hardness 5.

Maintenance: An alchemist’s hound has aMaintenance DC of 10.

Scent: The incredibly complex alchemicaldevices within a hound allow it to pick up thebarest traces of a scent on the air with alarmingease. An alchemist’s hound automatically gainsthe Scent feat.

Volatile: With their bubbling concoction ofalchemical innards and the ammunition fuel foran alchemist’s cannon, hounds are potentiallywalking explosives. Whenever a hound is struckin melee combat, there is a 5% chance it detonatesas if for the Kaboom! Result on an acid thrower.When destroyed, the chemical buffers and mech-anisms keeping the alchemy in check stop work-ing, and the hound explodes as per the Kaboom!result in d3 rounds. The only warning that this isabout to happen are thin, wispy plumes of acridsmoke rising from the wreckage with increasingvigour.

Constructing aan AAlchemist’s HHound:Creation: Alchemy 9 ranks, Craft

(Steamworks) 9 ranks Cost: 5,000gp

Automaton, SteamworkSmall AutomatonSmall Construct [Steamwork]Hit Dice: 1d10+10 (16 hp)Initiative: +1 (+1 Dex)Speed: 20ft.AC: 17 (+1 Dex, +5 natural, +1 size), touch 12, flat-

footed 16Attacks: Slam +0Damage: Slam d4Space/Reach: 5ft./5ft.Special Attacks: NoneSpecial Qualities: Construct, Hardness 5,

MaintenanceSaves: Fort +0 Ref +1 Will +0Abilities: Str 10 Dex 12 Con – Int – Wis 10 Cha 1

Medium-Sized AutomatonMedium-Sized Construct [Steamwork]Hit Dice: 2d10+20 (31 hp)Initiative: +0Speed: 30ft.AC: 17 (+7 natural), touch 10, flat-footed 17Attacks: Slam +3Damage: Slam 1d6+3Space/Reach: 5ft./5ft.Special Attacks: NoneSpecial Qualities: Construct, Hardness 5,


Climate/Terrain: AnyOrganisation: Labourer (1 plus owner) or work

gang (2-6 + foreman)Challenge Rating: Small ½; Medium 1; Large 3;

Huge 6; Gargantuan 9; Colossal 12Treasure: NoneAlignment: Neutral

Steamwork automatons – or automata – areconstructs created to provide mechanised labour,and they come in a number of shapes and sizes.Small and especially larger automata mightmove by four or more legs, or tracks, butautomatons are generally bipedal androughly humanoid in shape, broadmetal shoulders hinting at the

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massive strength within and engine vents, grillsand smokestacks revealing the source of motivepower.

Small automatons are normally employed fortasks in spaces that are cramped and confined fortheir operators to get to. Medium-, large- andhuge-sized automata generally perform heavylabour jobs where their superior strength is bestemployed, moving goods around farms, docks and

factories, and hauling raw materials aroundconstruction sites. The really massive

automatons are used to haul huge stoneblocks for the building of castles and

fortresses, digging huge trenches

for canals and moats, and other such heavy-dutytasks.

Automatons can understand a single languageand respond to commands from authorised opera-tors, and can handle moderately complex tasks.They might be able to make a mechanical noise tosignify they have received and understand anorder, depending on their construction.

Combat: These automatons are not designedspecifically for combat. While they can be outfit-ted with weaponry they lack the heavy armourand tactical programming of combat steamworks.Normal automatons outfitted for construction

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Steam &Steam & SteelSteelLarge Automaton

Large Construct [Steamwork]Hit Dice: 4d10+30 (52 hp)Initiative: +0Speed: 30ft.AC: 19 (+11 natural, -1 size), touch 9, flat-footed 19Attacks: Slam +7Damage: Slam 1d8+7Space/Reach: 10ft./10ft.Special Attacks: NoneSpecial Qualities: Construct, Hardness 5,


Huge AutomatonHuge Construct [Steamwork]Hit Dice: 8d10+40 (84 hp)Initiative: -1 (-1 Dex)Speed: 40ft.AC: 22 (-1 Dex, +15 natural, -2 size), touch 7, flat-

footed 22Attacks: Slam +11/+6Damage: Slam 2d6+10Space/Reach: 15ft./10 ft.Special Attacks: NoneSpecial Qualities: Construct, Hardness 5,


Gargantuan AutomatonGargantuan Construct [Steamwork]Hit Dice: 16d10+60 (148 hp)Initiative: -1 (-1 Dex)Speed: 40ft.AC: 22 (-1 Dex, +17 natural, -4 size), touch 5, flat-

footed 22Attacks: Slam +18/+13/+8Damage: Slam 2d8+15Space/Reach: 20ft./15ft.Special Attacks: TrampleSpecial Qualities: Construct, Hardness 10,


Colossal AutomatonColossal Construct [Steamwork]Hit Dice: 32d10+80 (252 hp)Initiative: -2 (-2 Dex)Speed: 50ft.AC: 22 (-2 Dex, + 22 natural, -8 size), touch 0, flat-

footed 22Attacks: Slam +28/+23/+18/+13Damage: Slam 4d6+18Space/Reach: 30ft./15ft.Special Attacks: TrampleSpecial Qualities: Construct, Hardness 10,


and labour will use their brute strength if pressedinto combat.

Trample (Ex): Gargantuan and Colossalautomatons can make trample attacks to simplywalk over smaller opponents, dealing 2d8+15 and4d6+18 damage respectively. The Reflex save forhalf damage is DC 28 (Gargantuan) or DC 38(Colossal).

Construct: All automatons are constructs andhave the relevant traits and immunities commonto that type.

Hardness: Since automatons are mostly madeup of metal plates, pipes and gears, they benefitfrom a hardness value.

Maintenance: Automatons have the followingMaintenance DC’s: Small & Medium 7; Largeand Huge 8; Gargantuan 10; Colossal 12.

Constructing aa SSteamwork AAutomaton:Creation: Craft (Steamworks) 9 ranks Cost:

Small 1,000gp, Medium 2,500gp, Large 4,500gp,Huge 9,000gp, Gargantuan 18,000gp, Colossal32,000gp

BehemothColossal Construct [Steamwork]Hit Dice: 100d10+80 (630hp)Initiative: +0Speed: 80ft.AC: 52 (+50 natural, -8 size), touch 2, flat-footed 52Attacks: 2 Slams +112/+107/+102/+97Damage: 4d6+45Space/Reach: 70ft./ 40ft.Special Attacks: Trail of DevastationSpecial Qualities: Challenge Rating, Construct,

Crew, Earth-shaker, Hardness 15,Maintenance, Monolithic, Spell Resistance25

Saves: Fort +33 Ref +33 Will +33Abilities: Str 100 Dex 10 Con – Int – Wis 10 Cha 1Climate/Terrain: AnyOrganisation: Solitary or Apocalypse (2-3)Challenge Rating: Special*Treasure: None

Quite possibly the largest beast to walk theearth, even if it is a beast of steel and gears andnot of flesh and blood, a behemoth towers over

even titans and dragons, the pinnacle of steam-work construction. Generally bipedal, standingtall on massive, tower-like armoured legs, behe-moths can have any conceivable appearance.From the gold and crimson plated titanic knightof a human empire, smokestacks alone taller thana house and laden with feudal banners, to theslender and graceful form of an elven masterpiece,arcanomech engines driving its elegant move-ment, to the huge, hunched form of a necro-mancer’s finest hour, spines and hooks covering itwith the corpses of slain enemies and balefulengines coughing out choking black smoke; whatbehemoths have in common is their massive sizeand their capability to level armies and razefortresses. A battle between two behemoths is animpressive sight indeed.

Behemoths are effectively massive automatonsbuilt for battle, and are not particularly clever.They need the guidance of a tactical expertamongst their crew for them to be optimallyeffective.

Combat: Since most conventional troops, evenpowerful heroes, are simply no threat, behemothstend to just wade through enemy armies to seekout and destroy genuine dangers – massive beastslike dragons, siege engines, and other behemoths.They usually spearhead a larger force, smashingfortifications down to allow ground troops toassault.

Trail of Destruction: Behemoths move over bat-tlefields with little care for fighting the tiny crea-tures swarming around their feet, simply crush-ing them instead. Behemoths are not obstructedin any way from moving over areas occupied byHuge or smaller creatures; anyone they moveover in this way must make a Reflex save (DC 16)to avoid the massive, pulverising feet and evade itsafely, or else take 4d6+45 damage.

Challenge Rating: Behemoths simply cannot befought in conventional terms by parties of adven-turers due to their Monolithic ability (see below),and so no Challenge Rating is provided.

Construct: Behemoths are constructs andhave the relevant traits and immunities.

Crew: Behemoths need constantfuelling, maintenance and obser-vance from a team of expert

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mechanics of the appropriate type – for instancearcanomech behemoths usually boast a number ofwizards amongst their crew. As well as mechan-ics they need a commander and command staff tohelp guide the behemoth around the battlefield oreven take direct control in some circumstances(more difficult if a behemoth has a spirit matrixwith a wilful being bound to it). There is usuallya garrison of guards in case enemies attempt tostorm the construct. If no magical alternatives areavailable a behemoth needs semaphore crew touse flags for communication with generals andtroops outside the behemoth. Crews usually num-ber up to a dozen mechanics, half a dozen com-mand crew and two dozen guards, all capable ofmoving around the construct by the myriad oftunnels, ladders and internal spaces. Some behe-

moths have their legs modified to becomehuge troop-carrying compartments, effec-

tively turning a behemoth into a mobilefortress that can spill elite shock

troops into the battle around it at a

moment’s notice. Many behemoths are also fittedwith additional weapons to the fists, claws, ramsor wrecking balls they use for pummelling eachother and buildings, and crew are needed to manthese devices which usually include siege ballistaeand chemical rocket racks.

Earth-shaker: As a behemoth moves, the groundshakes from its immense machine bulk. Anyonewithin 100 ft. of a moving behemoth suffers a –2circumstance penalty on all skill checks unlessthey make a Concentration check (DC 18).

Hardness: The immensely heavy armour plat-ing, reinforcements and fortification that covers abehemoth’s hide grants it hardness 15.

Maintenance: Behemoths have a MaintenanceDC of 12. In addition to other causes ofMaintenance checks, every round a behemoth isactive, one randomly selected mechanic mustmake a Maintenance check; behemoths areimmense beasts filled with potential to go wrong.A Maintenance check must also be made whenev-er a behemoth is hit by another behemoth’s slam

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attack. Since they are so massive, a failedMaintenance check does not result in a roll on theMalfunction table, but instead the machine suf-fers a –1 penalty to attack rolls, accruing these asMalfunction checks are failed.

Monolithic: Behemoths are simply too massiveto be even vaguely threatened by anything small-er than their knee-joint mechanisms. A mightyhero with a sword that can slice through steel likebutter cannot even reach higher than the metalimpact sole on a behemoth’s foot, and a weapon astiny as a sword just does negligible damage. Awizard’s fireball melts a small patch of armourplating but doesn’t noticeably affect the steelbeast.

Only Huge and larger-sized creatures candamage a behemoth; anything of smaller size sim-ply does a pathetically irrelevant amount of dam-age, even if it’s a high-level hero with a vorpalaxe. The only way for smaller creatures to dam-age or destroy a behemoth is to storm it, getonboard and wreck vital mechanisms from theinside.

This is an adventure in itself. A behemoth issuch a concentration of resources and power thatthey are without exception immensely heavilyguarded. Elite troops guard the lower levels of abehemoth, ready to fight back enemy troopers andcut grapnel ropes, and more reside up on theshoulders and armoured carapace to fend off fly-ing assaults and man weapons. Military spellcast-ers are often stationed on behemoths, usually inarmoured platforms at the knee joints, to lendtheir firepower to the battle. Entire regiments ofsoldiers might be waiting for adventurers if theybreached the heavily armoured foot entrances.The command crew is also likely to be tough, pos-sibly including high-level and experienced charac-ters positioned to defend the construct’s brain-machinery. Add to this arcanomech eye arraysand steamwork sentries, as well as traps liberallyscattered throughout the bulk of the behemoth inthe form of steam and pressure blasts, crushingtraps and spring-loaded spikes, and fightingthrough the cramped confines of a construct is adifficult prospect. On the other hand, a partywhich gains access to a behemoth stealthily or byunconventional means (such as teleportation,though that’s a trick that would only work a

handful of times before the enemy wised up andstarted using magical defences to fend off teleportspells) might be able to get the drop on the crew.

Constructing aa BBehemoth: The cost of buildinga behemoth is huge, and no price is given herebecause it is not as simple as tallying up anamount of gold and handing it over. Real expertsand masters of the craft must be drafted in tobuild a construct so huge and with so muchweight that needs to be supported and moved bysteam power. Getting the parts is not easy, even ifthe builders know what they want, especiallysince there may be rare or exotic componentsneeded (especially in those behemoths poweredby non-conventional methods like arcane sourcesor necromancy). This is the kind of process thatcan take a kingdom years to accomplish. Ofcourse, sometimes behemoths are recovered moreor less intact from ancient ruins, the relics ofancient civilisations of vast power, though eventhen working out how to power and drive them isa dangerous task with dormant defence systemson board.

EvisceratorMedium-Size Construct [Steamwork]Hit Dice: 4d10+20 (42 hp)Initiative: +7 (+3 Dex, +4 Improved Initiative)Speed: 30ft.AC: 23 (+3 Dex, +10 natural), touch 13, flat-footed

20Attacks: 2 armblades +7Damage: Armblade d8+4Space/Reach: 5ft./5ft.Special Attacks: Razor-edged bladesSpecial Qualities: Bodyguard, Combat

Calculations, Construct, Evasion, Hardness5, Maintenance

Saves: Fort +1 Ref +4 Will +3Abilities: Str 18 Dex 16 Con – Int 14 Wis 14 Cha1Skills: Tumble +8*Feats: Deflect Arrows, Improved Initiative*Climate/Terrain: AnyOrganisation: Solitary or bodyguard (2-4)Challenge Rating: 4Treasure: NoneAlignment: NeutralAdvancement: 5-8 HD (Medium),

9-12 HD (Large)

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Also known as ‘steamwork blade-masters’,eviscerators are the mechanical masters of melee.Humanoid constructs with impassive faceplatesand elegant smokestacks, their most striking fea-tures are the jagged blades that jut downwardsfrom the wrists in place of hands. Built to takeadvantage of the capability of machinery to makelightning-fast calculations, eviscerators see howto parry every strike and evade every missilewithin a fraction of a second. These elite fightingmachines are usually created to act as fearsomeand intimidating bodyguards for powerful wiz-ards and merchants.

Eviscerators cannot speak but they can under-stand up to three different languages, and caninterpret and carry out commands intelligentlyand diligently.

Combat: Eviscerators are clever and athleticcombatants, using terrain to their advantage andclosing as fast as possible to bring their superiormelee skills to bear.

Razor-edge blades: The armblades of an eviscer-ator threaten a critical on a 19-20.

Bodyguard: At the beginning of any round, aneviscerator in base contact with another charactercan designate that as its target for this ability.Instead of using its Deflect Arrows feat and com-bat calculations ability for itself, it instead makesthem for attacks made against the character it isguarding. An eviscerator that is acting as a body-guard in this way cannot use Deflect Arrows orcombat calculations to protect itself.

Combat Calculations: Any melee attack madeagainst an eviscerator is evaded or parried if itmakes a successful Reflex save (DC 10 + characterlevel of attacker)

Construct: Eviscerators are constructs and havethe relevant traits and immunities.

Evasion: An eviscerator has the evasion ability

of a 1st level rogue.Hardness: Eviscerators gain hardness 5 from

the fact that they are primarily made up of metal.Maintenance: An eviscerator’s Maintenance

DC is 10.Racial Bonuses: Eviscerators gain theDeflect Arrows and Improved Initiative

feats, as well as a +5 bonus to Tumblechecks.

Constructing aan EEviscerator:Creation: Craft (Steamworks) 12 ranks,

Knowledge (Mathematics) 7 ranks Cost: 8,000gp

Living SteelMedium-Size ConstructHit Dice: 6d10+20 (53 hp)Initiative: +8 (+4 Dex, +4 Improved Initiative)Speed: 30ft.AC: 20 (+4 Dex, +6 natural), touch 14, flat-footed

16Attacks: Slam ++7Damage: Slam 1d6+6 & tendrilsSpace/Reach: 5ft./5ft.Special Attacks: TendrilsSpecial Qualities: Construct, Fast Healing 3,

Immunities, Liquid Form, MachineCommand, Spell-like Abilities, SpellResistance 15

Saves: Fort + 2 Ref +6 Will +4Abilities: Str 18 Dex 18 Con – Int 18 Wis 14 Cha

14Skills: Craft (Steamworks) +13*Climate/Terrain: AnyOrganisation: SolitaryChallenge Rating: 8Treasure: StandardAlignment: Usually NeutralAdvancement: 7-12 HD (Medium) 13-18 HD

(Large)

The mysterious constructs called ‘living steel’’seem to be the survivors of some past civilisationof awesome power and scientific progress. Livingsteel usually appears as a slim, roughly humanoidfigure of rippling, shimmering metal that movesas if it were liquid; the face featureless. No oneknows whether this is their true form or whetherthey mimic the forms of the races they encounterto put them at ease – or unnerve them. In fact liv-ing steel is made up of hundreds of absolutely tinymachines, a collective being formed from minutecomponents that flow round one another likewater.

The exact agenda of living steel never seemscertain. They are definitely highly intelligent, andmany sages believe they are still tirelessly work-ing on orders given by their now long-dead mas-

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ters, wandering the world to gather knowledge orguard certain places. Certain powerful artefactshidden in the ruins of ancient fortresses areknown to power detachments of divine sourceengine steamworks that guard them still, individ-ual examples of living steel are sometimes founddirecting and overseeing these groups of ancientbut still operational – and still dangerous – con-structs. These examples lend credence to thebelief that living steel is some sort of overseerconstruct that has split itself into dozens of small-er versions to keep the machines of the brokenempire running.

Perhaps inevitably considering their intelli-gence, rogue samples of living steel seem to havearisen, following their own plans and directives.Some seem to be ‘malfunctioning’ and are themachine equivalent of insane, but others are chill-ingly focused and aware and do not mind killingbeings made of flesh to accomplish their aims.

Living steel seems capable of understandingany language, but they never seem to communi-cate to living beings.

Combat: Examples of living steel that are stillpart of the overseer machine prefer to avoid com-bat if possible to keep themselves undamaged,instead sending subservient constructs to battlefor them. Rogue living steel on the other hand candisplay a great relish for battle. When in combat,living steel tends to use its machine commandand spell-like abilities to fight from out of meleerange. It makes intelligent use of its fast healing,retreating for a few rounds to regain strength as itsees fit before launching another attack.

Tendrils: When living steel hits with its slamattack, it extends tendrils of tiny machines whip-ping into the opponent, attempting to scrambletheir innards. A character struck by living steelmust make a Fortitude save (DC 15) or suffer anadditional 4d6 damage.

Construct: Living steel is a construct and hasthe relevant traits and abilities.

Immunities: Living Steel is immune to slashingattacks, fire damage and cold damage.

Liquid Form: A sample of living steel canreform itself into just about any shape imaginableas a free action. Humanoid shape is only the base-line, and by reshaping itself, a sample of living

steel can slip under a doorway or drain awaydown a drainpipe. By spreading itself incrediblythinly over a wide area a sample can make itselfeffectively invisible, only successful Spot checks(DC 15) noticing the faint sheen of the tinymachines that make up living steel.

Machine Command: Living steel can commandany steamwork device that was created by itscivilisation from a range of 50ft. Even machinesthat have been salvaged from ruins and heavilymodified by later owners will revert to the ordersof living steel. Even though they are no longerpart of the overseer mechanism, rogue living steelsamples also possess this capability.

Racial Bonuses: Living steel gains a +9 racialbonus to Craft (Steamworks).

Spell-like Abilities: 7/day – Magic Missile, RepairMetal; 1/day – dimension door, lightning bolt, rusting

grasp. These abilities are cast as if by a 6th levelsorcerer (DC 12 + spell level).

Iron JuggernautHuge Construct [Steamwork]Hit Dice: 12d10+40 (106 hp)Initiative: -1 (-1 Dex)Speed: 40ft.AC: 25 (-1 Dex, +18 natural, -2 size), touch 7, flat-

footed 25Attacks: 2 slams +18/+13; or melee weapon

+18/+13; or ranged weapon +8/+3Damage: Slam 2d6+9; or by weaponSpace/Reach: 15ft./10ft.Special Attacks: Roar, Terrifying ChargeSpecial Qualities: Construct, Hardness 5,

MaintenanceSaves: Fort +4 Ref +3 Will +5Abilities: Str 28 Dex 8 Con – Int – Wis 12 Cha 1Climate/Terrain: AnyOrganisation: Solitary or Detachment (2-6)Challenge Rating: 8Treasure: NoneAlignment: NeutralAdvancement: 13-24 HD (Huge), 25-36 HD

(Gargantuan)

Iron juggernauts are large and dan-gerous constructs designed specifi-cally for battle. Its structure is

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roughly humanoid in shape, with two ironclad,blocky legs holding up the bulky armoured bodythat houses the engine and most of the machin-ery. Large exhaust vents and smokestacks let thepowerful engine work at optimum efficiency. Thehead is usually crafted to look like the helm of anarmoured knight, mythical beast, or just left as acrude sensory grill with small eye lenses, slungforwards from the main torso by a thick neck ofarmoured pistons. Slung under the head are lampunits that can illuminate the area ahead of theconstruct with stingingly bright light, giving thefeeling of anyone standing in the way that there’san oncoming train, what with the oily smell andgrowling engine. While a juggernaut can pummelan opponent into oblivion with its arms andstamp on them with its feet, each arm usuallybears a piece of weaponry tailor made for destruc-tion. A juggernaut can attack with both weaponsin a round or make slam attacks; commonweapons are alchemist’s cannons, chemical rocketracks, wrecking balls or huge cleaving axes, and iffirearms are available then mechanised arrays ofthose. Worryingly, iron juggernauts are usuallybuilt to be as psychotically aggressive against hos-tiles as possible, their controlling mechanismsbeing refined to result in something that mostpeople would consider a wild animal raging withbloodlust, trapped in a metal shell.

Combat: Iron juggernauts utilise brutestrength or firepower to obliterate their oppo-nents; however, unlike non-military automatathey can employ tactics if in a group. Usually ajuggernaut just fights until either it or its oppo-nent are destroyed. Juggernauts prefer to use theirranged weapons for short-ranged mayhem beforecharging into battle.

Roar: Those who see a juggernaut in battle whodo not understand technology often think theconstruct is some sort of incarnate of rage, for theengine of the metal beast snarls and roars deafen-ingly, giving voice to the machine’s destructivenature and mechanical rage. Anyone in melee

combat with a juggernaut suffers a –1 moralepenalty to attack rolls.

Terrifying Charge: A juggernaut pil-ing at full speed forwards, ground

shaking and metal engine roaring,

is not something most people want to be in frontof; most engineers who make juggernauts areaware of this and fashion the warrior constructsto be as intimidating as possible. Anyone that ischarged by an iron juggernaut must make a Willsave (DC 19) or be shaken for the rest of the com-bat.

Construct: An iron juggernaut is a constructand has the relevant traits and immunities.

Hardness: Since an iron juggernaut is mostlycomposed of metal plates, gears and pipes, it ben-efits from hardness 5.

Maintenance: An iron juggernaut has aMaintenance DC of 10.

Constructing aan IIron JJuggernaut:Creation: Craft (Steamworks) 11 ranks Cost:

20,000gp

Iron ShroudLarge UndeadHit Dice: 7d12 (49 hp)Initiative: -1 (-1 Dex)Speed: 30ft.AC: 23 (-1 Dex, +15 natural, -1 size), touch 8, flat-

footed 23Attacks: 2 slams +9Damage: Slam 1d8+6Space/Reach: 10ft./10ft.Special Attacks: Fist of Entropy, Soul Scream,

SpellsSpecial Qualities: Aura of Rust, Hardness 5,

Servitors, UndeadSaves: Fort + 4 Ref +1 Will +10Abilities: Str 22 Dex 8 Con – Int 16 Wis 16 Cha

18Skills: Concentration +10, Craft (Steamworks)

+13, Knowledge (Arcana) +13, Listen +13,Spellcraft +13, Spot +13

Feats: Great Fortitude, Iron Will, Necromek,Spell Focus (Necromancy), Toughness

Climate/Terrain: Any subterraneanOrganisation: Solitary (1 iron shroud + servitors)

or mausoleum (2-12 + servitors)Challenge Rating: 7Treasure: StandardAlignment: Usually Neutral EvilAdvancement: 8-14 HD (Large), 15-21 HD(Huge)

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An iron shroud is a disturbing variant of theundead mummy. The remains of a noblemanfrom some lost civilisation who was embalmednot in wrappings and preservatives but in iron,rivets and machinery, an iron shroud is common-ly found in ancient ruins or mausoleums. Theyappear as some sort of large, ceremonial statuecast from metal – now rusted and pitted withdecay – crafted with a death mask and holdingsymbols of prosperity and power. However, farfrom being a statue an iron shroud can move withalarming speed and has enough strength to smasha man’s skull with ease, not to mention its othernefarious powers. Some iron shrouds have naughtbut shattered mentalities, guarding the tombs andmausoleums that are their final resting-places,while others plan and plot to build armies ofundead to re-establish the ancient kingdom theycame from.

Combat: An iron shroud lets its minions servi-tors move forwards and do the brunt of the fight-ing while it supports from behind with spells,moving into melee if it looks like it is needed totip the balance. An iron shroud will attempt toflee if outmatched, but will plot deviously to tryand get revenge.

Fist of Entropy: A punch from an iron shroud islike being hit with a piston ram, painful enough;but worse still, the necromantic energies concen-trated in the shroud act with powerful forces ofentropy, causing advanced decay almost immedi-ately. Wounds inflicted by an iron shroud canonly be healed by magic.

Soul Scream: Once per day an iron shroud canemit a ferocious scream of entropic energy thatbites to the very soul of those who hear it. Thesoul scream affects everyone within 30ft of theshroud, inflicting a –3 penalty to attack rolls, skillchecks and saves for one hour unless they make aWill save (DC 14).

Spells: An iron shroud has the spellcasting abil-

ities of either a 5th level necromancer or a 5th

level cleric (with domains chosen from Death,Knowledge, and Magic).

Aura of Rust: Iron shrouds possess an entropicaura that causes machinery to rust, corrode anddegrade. The Maintenance DC of any steamwork

device within 50ft of an iron shroud is increasedby 2.

Hardness: Clad in a shroud of metal over theirinternal machinery, iron shrouds benefit fromhardness 5.

Servitors: An iron shroud is usually accompa-nied by 14 HD of undead servitors that are boundto its service – servants who were embalmed andburied alive with their master when he died.

Undead: An iron shroud is undead and has allthe traits and immunities of that type.

ManservantMedium-Size Construct [Steamwork]Hit Dice: 2d10+20 (31 hp)Initiative: +0Speed: 30ft.AC: 15 (+5 natural armour), touch 10, flat-footed

15Attacks: Slam +3Damage: Slam 1d4+3Space/Reach: 5ft./5ft.Special Attacks: NoneSpecial Qualities: Construct, Hardness 5,

Maintenance, Programmed SkillsSaves: Fort +0 Ref + Will +2Abilities: Str 14 Dex 10 Con – Int 16 Wis 14 Cha

1Skills: *Climate/Terrain: AnyOrganisation: Servant (1 + master) or Secretariat

(2-12 + master)Challenge Rating: ½Treasure: NoneAlignment: NeutralAdvancement: 3-4 HD (Medium), 5-6 HD

(Large)

A manservant is a steamwork construct craft-ed to look as close to the humanoid race that madeit as possible, its steel or bronze chassis usuallyformed to make it look like the attire of a clerk oraccountant. Designed to be a mechanical secretaryfor the wealthy businessman or merchant, amanservant is something of a display ofwealth and sophistication as well as acomputational device.

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A manservant can speak and understandCommon, as well as possibly others if pro-grammed to do so. When it does speak, it isalways in a servile manner.

Combat: A manservant is not designed forcombat. On the other hand, it doesn’t do well tounderestimate one, because its punch is like aniron bar and its metal chassis can take hits as wellas any armour. Some paranoid merchants fit theirmanservants with warrior matrixes and in-builtweapons to create inconspicuous bodyguards.

Construct: A manservant is a construct and hasthe relevant traits and immunities.

Hardness: Due to its metal structure a manser-vant has hardness 5.

Maintenance: A manservant has a MaintenanceDC of 8

Programmed Skills: Upon creation a manservantis programmed with up to any three differentskills, and has 6 ranks in those skills. If SpeakLanguage is chosen as a skill it gains the ability tospeak 3 more languages.

Constructing aa MManservant:Creation: Craft (Steamworks) 10 ranks,

Diplomacy 5 ranks Cost: 3,500gp

Mechanised CreatureA mechanised creature is an experiment in

melding machine and flesh beyond the use of ahandful of minor prosthetics. About half of amechanised creature now consists of machineryand prosthetic parts, creating a nightmarishappearance. Created to act as guards and servants,mechanised creatures tend to be monstroushumanoids and animals since no one else is likelyto submit themselves to the treatment; theprocess of mechanisation is horrific and painful,and many subjects break and go insane. A mecha-nised animal that escapes a laboratory and runswild through a city is dangerous indeed. Eventhose that undergo the process and remain mostly

sane tend to be somewhat mentally unstable.

‘Mechanised creature’ is a templatethat can be added to any creature. Its

type remains the same, and it uses

all the creature’s statistics and special abilitiesexcept as noted here.

AC: The creature gains a +4 bonus to its natu-ral armour.

Attacks: The creature retains all its attacks andgains a slam attack if it didn’t already have one,which deals damage according to size.

Special Qualities: A mechanised creatureretains all the special qualities of the base creatureand gains the additional qualities described below.

Fortification: A mechanised creature has a 50%chance of ignoring the additional damage inflict-ed by a critical hit.

Hardness: Due to the mechanical parts of itsbody a mechanised creature gains hardness 5.

Maintenance and Fuelling: The mechanical partsof a mechanised creature may need fuelling ifpowered by certain engine types. It gains aMaintenance DC of 6, as if it were a steamworkconstruct.

Ability Scores: A mechanised creature gains a+4 bonus to Strength.

Challenge Rating: As base creature +1.

Scorpion SentinelLarge Construct [Steamwork]Hit Dice: 14d10+30 (113 hp)Initiative: +1 (+1 Dex)Speed: 40ft, climb 30ft.AC: 28 (+1 Dex, +18 natural, -1 size), touch 10,

flat-footed 27Attacks: 2 pincers +19/+14, stinger +14Damage: Pincer 1d8+10, stinger 2d6+5 + poisonSpace/Reach: 10ft./ 10ft.Special Attacks: Barbed bolts, improved grab,

lightning mandibles, poison reservoirSpecial Qualities: Construct, hardness 5, mainte-

nance, Spell Resistance 18Saves: Fort +4 Ref +5 Will +7Abilities: Str 30 Dex 12 Con – Int – Wis 14 Cha 1Climate/Terrain: AnyOrganisation: Solitary or PairChallenge Rating: 13Treasure: NoneAlignment: NeutralAdvancement: 15-28 HD (Large), 29-42 HD

(Huge)

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A scorpion sentinel, sometimes erroneouslycalled a war golem (for it is not a golem at all) isan incredibly dangerous design of steamworkconstruct; heavily armoured, fast, and packedwith weaponry. It appears as a large scorpion con-structed from rippling plates of steel, bronze, orsome other metal, with two powerful pincers anda viciously barbed stinger than bristles with hooksand blades. An array of smoked glass eyes peerout from its armour-plated head, below whichmechanical mandibles constantly whirr and movein frenzied manner. Scorpion sentinels can befound either as guardians of ruins and tombs builtwith long-lost technologies along with othertypes of sentinel, or as the guardian creations ofmechanically minded spellcasters.

A scorpion sentinel can understand one lan-guage, usually Common, though it cannot itselfspeak.

Combat: Scorpion sentinels are built for battle,their compact structure capable of suffering agreat deal of damage without a noticeable lessen-ing in efficiency. They attempt to close rapidly,using their barbed bolt and lightning mandibleabilities before attempting to rip apart anyonethey can get their pincers on in melee.

Barbed Bolts: A scorpion sentinel can unleashthe barbs in its tail in a spray of metal bolts,inflicting 2d6 damage on everyone in a cone ofrange 25ft. unless they make a Reflex save (DC16) to avoid it. It takes 5 rounds for the sentinel toreload the barbs.

Improved Grab: A scorpion sentinel that hitswith a pincer attack may use this ability. Anycharacter grappled is hit with the stinger automat-ically each round that they remain grappled.

Lightning Mandibles: The delicate and arcanemachinery of the sentinel’s mandibles is in fact an

advanced form of static charge generator. It takes3 rounds for a sentinel to build up enough chargeto attack, the crackling of electricity becomingmore and more evident in the construct’s maw.Once charged up, it can unleash the energy as a

lightning bolt cast by a 5th level sorcerer (DC 13), oralternatively discharge it throughout its metalshell, inflicting 2d6 electrical damage to anyone inbase contact unless they make a Reflex save (DC15). Anyone grappled by the scorpion is automati-cally hit.

Poison Reservoir: A scorpion sentinel’s stingerholds a reservoir of poison that is injected to anycreature hit by the stinger attack, enough for 3doses. Once used up it needs to be either manual-ly refilled, or the sentinel can top up the level ofpoison by feeding on noxious substances like mer-cury or other raw chemicals to manufacture acrude poison of some sort.

Construct: A scorpion sentinel is a constructand has all the traits and immunities of that type.

Hardness: Due to being mostly made of metal,a scorpion sentinel has hardness 5.

Maintenance: A scorpion sentinel has aMaintenance DC of 9.

Constructing aa SScorpion SSentinel:Creation: Craft (Steamworks) 15 ranks Cost:

35,000gp

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Siege SentinelLarge Construct [Steamwork]Hit Dice: 10d10+30 (85 hp)Initiative: +0Speed: 30ft.AC: 20 (+11 natural, -1 size), touch 9, flat-footed

20Attacks: Slam + 11/+6; or ballista +7Damage: Slam 1d8+ 7; or ballista 4d6Space/Reach: 10ft./10ft.Special Attacks: Siege weaponSpecial Qualities: Construct, Hardness 5,

MaintenanceSaves: Fort Ref WillAbilities: Str 20 Dex 10 Con – Int – Wis 14 Cha 1Climate/Terrain: AnyOrganisation: Solitary or garrison (2-4)Challenge Rating: 5Treasure: NoneAlignment: NeutralAdvancement: 11-20 HD (Large), 21-30 HD

(Huge)

A siege sentinel is effectively a walking siegeweapon. Two or four mechanised legs support theweapon, usually a ballista though other siegedevices are also possible. The pistons and rein-forcements allow the siege sentinel to be able tofire even weapons with sizeable recoil. Siege sen-tinels are usually to be found guarding a fortifica-tion or aiding in the siege of one.

A siege sentinel understands a single language,usually the Common tongue or the language of itscreator.

Combat: Siege sentinels usually fire their siegeweapons from a great distance, but can turn themagainst closer attackers as well. If an attackerreaches melee the sentinel will try and batterthem to death by ramming them with its bulk.

Siege Weapon: A siege sentinel is a fully auto-mated walking siege engine, and reloads its siegeweapon through mechanisms that take a partial

action to do so.Construct: A siege sentinel is a constructand has all the traits and immunities of

that type.Hardness: Due to its metal con-

struction a siege sentinel has hardness 5.Maintenance: A siege sentinel has a

Maintenance DC of 8.

Constructing aa SSiege SSentinel:Creation: Craft (Siege Weapons) 7 ranks,

Craft (Steamworks) 10 ranks Cost: 12,000gp

SlaughtererLarge Construct [Construct]Hit Dice: 9d10+30 (81 hp)Initiative: +4 (+4 Dex)Speed: 40ft.AC: 28 (+4 Dex, +15 natural, -1 size), touch 13,

flat-footed 24Attacks: 4 claws +Damage: Claw d8+Space/Reach: 10ft./10ft.Special Attacks: Poison, slicing blades, spell

resistance 15, tear to pieces, terror gazeSpecial Qualities: Aura of fear, construct, hard-

ness 5, maintenanceSaves: Fort Ref WillAbilities: Str 24 Dex 18 Con – Int 14 Wis 14 Cha

14Climate/Terrain: AnyOrganisation: Solitary or Pack (2-4)Challenge Rating: 9Treasure: NoneAlignment: NeutralAdvancement: 10-18 HD(Large), 19-27HD(Huge)

A slaughterer is a terror weapon, a fearsomeconstruct that tears its foes apart in horrific man-ners. Sinuous and serpentine, a slaughterer’s bodyis supported by four slender metal legs, while fourmore limbs sprouting from its shoulders end inslicing bladed claws. The head is featurelessexcept for two eyes that burn with blue balefire,while the vents that cough out exhaust fumesonly add to the evil aura of the construct. In orderto enhance their already sinister appearance, cre-ators often bedeck slaughterers with spines andtrophies, and paint them red or black.

A slaughterer understands up to three lan-guages, usually Common, Abyssal and Infernal.It cannot speak, though it can hiss and rattle omi-nously.

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Combat: A slaughterer prefers to attack fromambush though it will quite eagerly wade intocombat anyway. It pitches straight into thefiercest melee, hacking apart enemies until eitherit or they are dead, unless it has been ordered toretreat if outmatched.

Poison: The magically treated claws of theslaughterer exude a foul poison that causesintense agony in those it afflicts. The primary andsecondary damage for slaughterer poison is d3strength (DC 12).

Slicing Blades: The butchering claws of aslaughterer threaten a critical on a roll of 19-20.

Tear to Pieces: Few survive a slaughtererassault. If a slaughterer reduces a character tobelow 0 hit points with an attack it may make anattack of opportunity on the fallen characterimmediately.

Terror Gaze: The slaughterer possesses a gazeattack with a range of 30ft. If the target fails aWill save (DC 16) they become panicked.

Aura of Fear: A slaughterer emits a magicalaura that strikes fear into anyone nearby, eventhose on the same side as the construct. When aslaughterer’s engine is active, anyone within 30ft.suffers a –2 penalty to all Will saves.

Construct: A slaughterer is a construct and hasthe traits and immunities of that type.

Hardness: Due to its metal construction aslaughterer has hardness 5.

Maintenance: A slaughterer has a MaintenanceDC of 9.

Constructing aa SSlaughterer:Creation: Craft Magic Arms and Armour, fear,

Craft (Steamworks) 13 ranks Cost: 15,000gp,600xp

Spider SentinelSmall Construct [Steamwork]Hit Dice: 1d10+10 (16hp)Initiative: +2 (+2 Dex)Speed: 30ft, climb 20ft.AC: 17 (+2 Dex, +4 natural, +1 size), touch 13,

flat-footed 15Attacks: 2 Forelegs +0Damage: Foreleg d4 + poisonSpace/Reach: 5ft./5ft.Special Attacks: PoisonSpecial Qualities: Construct, Hardness 5,

MaintenanceSaves: Fort +0 Ref +2 Will +1Abilities: Str 10 Dex 14 Con – Int – Wis 12 Cha 1Climate/Terrain: AnyOrganisation: Solitary or Pack (2-12)Challenge Rating: 1Treasure: NoneAlignment: NeutralAdvancement: 2 HD (Small), 3 HD (Medium-

Size)

A spider sentinel is a small steamwork con-struct that appears like a metal spider, withspindly legs and a mechanical central body shield-ed with armour plating. Useful due to their smallsize, spider sentinels are found acting as guardconstructs for those who can afford them. Thosecreated by ancient civilisations still prowl theruins of their masters lands, often with other sen-tinel constructs.

A spider sentinel can understand a single lan-guage, usually that of its creator.

Combat: The two forelegs of a spider sentinelare elongated and sharpened, more like bladesthan limbs. A spider sentinel will simply moveinto melee and attempt to stab the opponent todeath with these forelegs. They usually rove inpacks, scuttling forwards in numbers over floor,wall and ceiling to overwhelm enemies.

Poison: The forelegs each contain a small reser-voir of poison, enough for 1 dose in each. Oncethe poison has been used it needs to berefilled manually. Some ancient ruinsthat sentinels still guard seem tohave working machines that refill

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the spiders’ poison for them.Construct: A spider sentinel is a construct and

has the relevant traits and immunities of thattype.

Hardness: Due to its metal structure a spidersentinel has hardness 5.

Maintenance: A spider sentinel has aMaintenance DC of 6.

Constructing aa SSpider SSentinel:Creation: Craft (Steamworks) 8 ranks Cost:

2,000gp

Steel SentinelLarge Construct [Steamwork]Hit Dice: 7d10+30 (69 hp)Initiative: +1 (+1 Dex)Speed: 30ft.AC: 22 (+1 Dex, +12 natural, -1 size), touch 10,

flat-footed 21Attacks: 2 slams +12; or weapon +12Damage: Slam d8+7; or by weaponSpace/Reach: 10ft./ 10ft.Special Attacks: NoneSpecial Qualities: Construct, Hardness 5,

Maintenance, See Invisible, WarriorConstruct

Saves: Fort +2 Ref +3 Will +3Abilities: Str 24 Dex 12 Con – Int – Wis 12 Cha 1Feats: Cleave, Power Attack*Climate/Terrain: AnyOrganisation: Solitary or squad (2-8)Challenge Rating: 5Treasure: NoneAlignment: NeutralAdvancement: 8-14 HD (Large) 15-21HD (Huge)

A steel sentinel is a basic form of warrior-con-struct, a hulking, armour-plated humanoid oftencrafted to resemble a knight or similar type of sol-dier. Broad-shouldered and with strong arms,steel sentinels can pummel opponents with theirfists but are usually equipped with large weapons

to attack with instead, in which case they arealso given a large steel shield.

A steel sentinel can understand onelanguage but cannot speak, although it

is capable of making metallic roars

and mechanically growling.

Combat: Not truly intelligent, a steel sentinel’scombat programming is nonetheless excellent andtheir group tactics are good. This combines withtheir fearlessness to make them excellent shocktroops and guards.

Construct: A steel sentinel is a construct andhas the traits and immunities of that type.

Hardness: Due to its metal structure a steel sen-tinel has hardness 5.

Maintenance: A steel sentinel’s MaintenanceDC is 8.

See Invisible: A steel sentinel can see invisiblecreatures and objects as a constant ability.

Warrior Construct: Steel sentinels gain theCleave and Power Attack feats for free.

Constructing aa SSteam SSentinel:Creation: Craft (Steamworks) 10 ranks Cost:

12,000gp

StalkerMedium-Sized Construct [Steamwork]Hit Dice: 4d10+20 (42 hp)Initiative: +9 (+5 Dex, +4 Improved Initiative)Speed: 40ft.AC: 21 (+5 Dex, +6 natural), touch 15, flat-footed

16Attacks: 2 claws + 6; or weapon +6Damage: Claw d4+3; or by weaponSpace/Reach: 5ft./5ft.Special Attacks: PoisonSpecial Qualities: Assassin construct, construct,

hardness 5, maintenance, sneak attack+2d6, spell-like abilities

Saves: Fort +1 Ref +6 Will +3Abilities: Str 16 Dex 20 Con – Int 14 Wis 18 Cha

14Skills: Hide +12, Listen +11, Move Silently +12,

Spot +11*Feats: Improved Initiative, Dodge*Climate/Terrain: AnyOrganisation: SolitaryChallenge Rating: 5Treasure: NoneAlignment: NeutralAdvancement: 5-8HD(Medium), 9-12 HD(Large)

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People usually associate steamwork constructswith the loud clanking, hissing and growling oftheir engines and mechanical limbs, which is whysteamwork stalkers take them by total surprise.Engineered with stealth in mind, these magicalconstructs make barely a sound as they move, andare employed as deadly assassins with thestrength of steel. Usually clad in cloaks and robesto disguise themselves, steamwork stalkers aretall and slender humanoid constructs, their faces amyriad of lenses and sensors and their delicatearms ending in cruel claws, though they often usea variety of other weapons as well. Their speed ofmovement is terrifying to behold, and usually thelast thing a victim sees.

Combat: Steamwork stalkers usually attackfrom ambush; if they are not doing so it meanstheir mission has been compromised and theirpresence revealed already. When hunting a targetthey use their spell-like abilities and skills to getclose before delivering the killing blow.

Poison: Stalkers usually use poison on theirweapons or claws, and obviously have no fear ofthe danger of poisoning themselves.

Assassin Construct: Due to their programming,stalkers gain the Dodge and Improved Initiativefeats for free, as well as 7 ranks in Hide, Listen,Move Silently and Spot.

Construct: Stalkers are constructs and have thetraits and immunities of that type.

Hardness: Due to their metal structure, stalkershave hardness 5.

Maintenance: A steamwork stalker has aMaintenance DC of 11.

Sneak Attack: A stalker has the sneak attack

ability of a 3rd level rogue.Spell-Like Abilities: 3/day – invisibility; 2/day –

dimension door, glitterdust. These are cast as if by a

7th level sorcerer (DC 12 + spell level)

Constructing aa SStalker:Creation: Craft Magic Arms and Armour,

dimension door, glitterdust, invisibility, Craft(Steamworks) 15 ranks Cost: 12,000gp, 480xp

Steam WurmHuge Construct [Steamwork]Hit Dice: 13d10+40 (112hp)Initiative: -1 (-1 Dex)Speed: 40ft.AC: 27 (-1 Dex, +20 natural, -2 size), touch 7,

flat-footed 27Attacks: 2 claws +18/13, bite +13Damage: Claw 2d4+11, bite 2d8+6Space/Reach: 15ft./10ft.Special Attacks: Improved grab, steam blastSpecial Qualities: Arcane senses, construct,

devour metal, fire resistance 20, hardness 5,jewel eyes, maintenance

Saves: Fort +4 Ref +3 Will +4Abilities: Str 32 Dex 9 Con – Int – Wis 10 Cha 17Climate/Terrain: AnyOrganisation: SolitaryChallenge Rating: 13Treasure: NoneAlignment: NeutralAdvancement: 13-24 HD (Huge), 25-36 HD

(Gargantuan)

Also known as ‘dragon engines,’ these hugeconstructs are crafted to appear like massive metaldragons, fangs made from glittering crystal andgreat wings of sheet steel. In fact the wings aremerely for show, since they lack the strength toget the huge machine off of the ground. Hissingand venting steam with every movement, a steamwurm is a fearsome sight, usually used to guardimportant treasures or items since their intimi-dating appearance and reputation tends to keepthieves away.

A steam wurm has five polished gems – a ruby,emerald, sapphire, diamond and topaz – set acrossits head in place of any eyes, each one imbuedwith powerful magic that the construct can callupon to aid it in defending its charge. Not onlythat, but the wurm can devour metals to healitself, the powerful processes going on within itsmechanical gut using the material to repair dam-age.

A steam wurm can understand com-mands in one language.

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Combat: Steam wurms attack any unautho-rised creatures attempting to get to whatever theyare guarding, usually opening up with their breathweapon before thundering into melee. They fightwithout particular sophistication but their sheerbrutal strength makes them an enemy to fear.

Improved Grab: A steam wurm that hits with abite attack can use this ability. A creature grap-pled is automatically hit by the bite attack in eachsubsequent round it remains grappled.

Steam Blast: A steam wurm has a breathweapon, a cone of superheated steam 60ft. long.The steam deals 5d6 damage to everyone in itunless they make a Reflex save for half damage(DC 16). A steam wurm can use this ability every4 rounds.

Arcane Senses: A steam wurm has blindsight ina radius of 60ft.

Construct: A steam wurm is aconstruct and has the traits andimmunities of that type.

Devour Metal: By consuming50lbs of metal of any kind, aprocess that takes 1 round for thesteam wurm to do, it regains1d8+5 hit points. After a combat,steam wurms are known fordevouring all the metal equip-ment of their former adversaries.

Hardness: Due to its metalstructure a steam wurm has hard-ness 5.

Jewel Eyes: Each of the fivegems set across a steam wurm’shead grants it a special ability.They also act like normal eyes forthe construct.

Diamond: Once per day, thesteam wurm may use the powerof the diamond to use prismaticspray as a spell-like ability, cast as

if by a 13th level sorcerer (DC 20).Ruby: Once per day the steam

wurm may use the power of theruby to use fire shield (either

the warm or cold version)as a spell-like ability,

cast as if by a 13th

level sorcerer.Emerald: The emerald bestows the ability

to constantly see invisible upon the steam wurm.Sapphire: The sapphire bestows the ghost touch

weapon enhancement on the physical attacks ofthe steam wurm.

Topaz: Once per day, the steam wurm may usethe power of the topaz to use haste as a spell-like

ability, cast as if by a 13th level sorcerer.Maintenance: A steam wurm has a Maintenance

DC of 10.

Constructing aa SSteam WWurm:Creation: Craft Magic Arms and Armour,

detect magic, fire shield, haste, prismatic spray, repairmetal, see invisible, Craft (Steamworks) 16 ranksCost: 25,000gp, 1,000xp

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Steam SpiritMedium-Size ConstructHit Dice: 5d10+20 (48 hp)Initiative: +0Speed: 30ft, fly 50ft. (Good)AC: 18 (+8 natural), touch 10, flat-footed 18Attacks: 2 slams +7Damage: Slam d6+4Space/Reach: 5ft./5ft.Special Attacks: Spell-like AbilitiesSpecial Qualities: Construct, Inspire

Steamworks, Hardness 5Saves: Fort +1 Ref +1 Will +4Abilities: Str 18 Dex 10 Con – Int 18 Wis 16 Cha

15Climate/Terrain: AnyOrganisation: Solitary or party (2-4)Challenge Rating: 5Treasure: StandardAlignment: Always Lawful NeutralAdvancement: 6-10 HD (Medium), 11-15 HD

(Large)

Steam spirits are strange beings from theOuter Planes, creatures of law that represent theinventiveness and inspiration that advances tech-nology to the stage of steam. It is theorised that adeity of technology creates them since they aredefinitely some form of steamwork construct,though their engines never need fuelling and theynever break down. When they visit the materialplane the purpose of their journey is never entire-ly clear until they disappear; soon afterwardssome inventor or mechanic has a breakthroughrealisation about science or machinery.

Steam spirits have a variety of appearances,usually an only vaguely humanoid-shaped figureof metal struts and pistons with a firebox enginethat burns with magical light. Their goggle-likeeyes peer around them with constant curiosityand they have a tendency to go and poke and fid-dle with things they do not recognise to see whatit does. All steam spirits have marvellous wingcontraptions; arrays of metal struts and frames,wires, and tough canvas material.

Combat: In general steam spirits try and avoidcombat, though groups have been known to attack

if faced with particularly technologically regres-sive individuals who try and stop the advance oftechnology and destroy steamwork devices. Theymake the most of their aerial manoeuvrability andspell-like abilities. They flee if they are likely tobe destroyed.

Spell-Like Abilities: At will – heat metal, magicmissile, telekinesis; 3/day – hold person; 1/day – ani-

mate objects, planeshift. These are cast as if by a 5th

level sorcerer (DC 12 + spell level).Construct: Steam spirits are constructs and

have the traits and immunities of that type.Inspire Steamworks: The presence of a steam

spirit has an effect reaching out to a radius of 1mile. All Craft (Steamworks) checks in the areagain a +4 competence bonus, and the MaintenanceDC for steamwork devices is reduced by 1 for theduration of the steam spirit being within 1 mile.In addition, any character within the area thatgains a new feat due may choose the Inspired feat.

Hardness: Due to its metal structure a steamspirit has hardness 5.

Steamwork CreatureAs well as the various other steamwork con-

structs described in this guide, engineers alsooften model their creations on creatures they haveseen or heard about, either because its form andpowers suit their needs or because they simplyadmire or respect the creature in question. Usingthis template it is quick and easy to create all sortsof steamworks, from huge and fierce iron wolfconstructs that breath super-heated steam (winterwolves as the base creature), to hulking andstrong but crude automatons (ogre as the basecreature), and a myriad of other possibilities. Thisis also the template used to create steamworkfamiliars.

‘Steamwork Creature’ is a template that can beapplied to any base creature apart from constructs– with fantastical and bizarre sciences just aboutany type of being can be replicated in metal andsteam. The creature’s type changes toConstruct, and it gains the [Steamwork]subtype.

Hit Dice: Changes to d10’s. Thecreature loses any modifiers to hit

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points from its Constitution score.Speed: Remains the same as the base creature.Armour Class: The creature gains a +8 bonus

to natural armour.Attacks: The creature retains the attacks of the

base creature, gaining a slam attack if it doesn’talready have one.

Special Attacks: The creature retains the spe-cial attacks of the base creature.

Elemental Attacks: Any form of elemental dam-age, for instance in the form of a fire breathattack, should be changed to deal fire damage. Inthe case of alchemical steamwork creatures itshould be changed to deal fire or acid damage, andin the case of necromantic engines it should bechanged to either fire or cold damage.

Poison: If the creature dealt poison damage thenit now relies on a poison reservoir which 1 dose ofpoison per size category of the creature, afterwhich it must be refilled.

Special Qualities: The creature retains all thespecial qualities of the base creature and gains thefollowing.

Construct: As a construct, the steamwork crea-ture gains the traits and immunities of theConstruct creature type.

Hardness: A steamwork creature gains hard-ness 5, but loses any damage reduction it mayhave had.

Maintenance: A steamwork creature has aMaintenance DC of 9 if it has 6 or less Hit Dice,a DC of 10 if it has 7-14 Hit Dice, and a DC of 11if it has more than 14 Hit Dice.

Ability Scores: A steamwork creature gains a+8 bonus to Strength and a –2 penalty toDexterity. Its Charisma score drops to 1 and it hasno Constitution or Intelligence score.

Skills: A construct does not have skills,although it does benefit from any bonuses to skillsthat the base creature possesses.

Feats: A construct does not have feats althoughit does benefit from any bonus feats the base crea-ture possesses.

Challenge Rating: 9 or fewer Hit Dice, CR ofbase creature +2; 10 or more Hit Dice, CR of

base creature +1.Alignment: A steamwork creature’salignment is changed to Neutral.

Creating aa SSteamwork CCreature:Creation: Craft (Steamworks) 10 ranks Cost:

1,000gp x base CR, + 1,000gp per hit die of the basecreature

Steamwork LichMany people fear death and wish they could

extend their lives beyond their natural life span;for powerful necromancers this is not in therealms of wishful thinking but a very real option,infusing themselves with negative energy in theunspeakably evil ritual of becoming a lich, anundead being. In lands where steam power is wellknown and science a discipline in which spellcast-ers often dabble, some necromancers see theadvantage in harnessing the strength and powerof steam engines to make themselves truly tran-scend mortal beings and even other undead.

A steamwork lich is a clattering, hissing con-struct about a foot taller than the norm for itsrace, an imposing figure of metal that is usuallyclad in the finery of the trappings it wore in life.The machinery is crafted to make the lich looklike as skeletal as possible, the head a grinningiron skull with its eye-sockets filled by gleamingsapphire lenses. Most of its torso is full with themachinery that drives it, vents and smokestacksrising out of the lich’s back like stunted wings,and it is in the skull itself that the necromanticphylactery is secured from harm.

Creating a Steamwork Lich: “Steamwork Lich”is a template that can be added to any humanoidcreature, provided it has the Necromek feat andcan create the required phylactery (see ThePhylactery below). The creature’s type changes toUndead. It uses all the character’s statistics andspecial abilities except as noted here.

Hit Dice: The character’s hit dice changes tod12

Armour Class: The character gains a +10 natu-ral armour bonus. This replaces any naturalarmour bonus the character may have had before-hand.

Attacks: The character retains all of its attacksand characters without natural weapons gain atouch attack that deals 1d8+5 points of negativeenergy. Creatures with natural weapons can use

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their natural attacks or use the touch attack, asthey prefer.

Spells: The steamwork lich can cast any spellsthat it could while it was alive.

Special Qualities: The character retains all ofits special qualities and gains the following:

Hardness: A steamwork lich has hardness 5.Steamwork Lich: Immune to mind-influencing

effects and to poison, sleep, paralysis, stunning,disease, and any effect that requires a Fortitudesave unless the effect also works on objects or isharmless. They are not subject to critical hits,nonlethal damage, ability damage, ability drain,energy drain or the effects of massive damage.The steamwork lich requires a steam engine andappropriate fuelling although the necromanticenergy flowing through it sustains the structureand means it does not require Maintenancechecks.

Turn Resistance: The lich gains +4 turn resist-ance.

Undead: A steamwork lich is undead and hasthe traits and immunities of that creature type.

Abilities: A steamwork lich gains a +8 bonus toStrength, and a +2 bonus to Intelligence, Wisdomand Charisma. As an undead creature it has noConstitution score

Skills: A steamwork lich gain a +8 racial bonusto Craft (Steamworks), Listen, Search, SenseMotive and Spot checks. Otherwise same as thecharacter.

Feats: Same as the characterChallenge Rating: Same as the character +2.

Lich Characters: The process of becoming asteamwork lich is a long and difficult one and canonly be undertaken by a character’s own free will.The lich retains all class abilities it had in life.

The Phylactery: Like normal liches, a steam-work lich needs a phylactery. This follows thesame rules as the normal liches phylactery (p.217,Monster Manual). The phylactery of a steamworklich is often stored in the metal skull of its body,since often people fighting a steamwork lich donot realise the true nature of the machinethey are fighting and do not bother tosearch deeply into its mechanisms forthe phylactery.

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a Guide to Fantasy Steamworksa Guide to Fantasy SteamworksHoly Devices

Zealots, templars, and other steamwork devices creat-ed specifically by a particular religion or faith tendto have a particular appearance depending on the

domains with which they are associated. Below are somesuggestions for how a construct or machine with an affini-ty to a particular domain might appear:

Air: Often slender and graceful, these machines tend tobe brightly polished and plated with silver and copper, aswell as being decorated with silk banners, elaborate engrav-ings and tinkling wind chimes.

Animal: These machines are often covered with totemsand animal charms, from wolf pelts and tails to the hides ofbeers or bulls, and the skulls of such powerful beasts aswell. They are often also decorated with crude sigils andrunes.

Chaos: Put together with little care for solidity or relia-bility, these are often constructed from many differentmaterials put together to form one machine. Their appear-ance is cluttered and random.

Death: Usually made from blackened metal, these aregenerally decorated with skulls, totems of bones and darkrunes promising death and destruction. They are also oftendriven by necromantic engines.

Destruction: Powerfully built and studded with bladesand spikes, these devices are generally highly destructive innature and built to cause damage.

Earth: Often crafted to appear rocky and textured likestone, in hues of gray and brown, these machines are alsooften decorated with gems and precious stones. They tendto be of solid, hefty construction, built to last.

Evil: Generally menacing in appearance, thesemachines often sprout long spikes and blades and are cov-ered in sinister inscriptions and prayers.

Fire: These machines are often brightly burnished, andplated with bronze and copper. They often bear red, orangeand yellow-hued decorations and emblems upon them.

Good: Often brightly polished and crafted in attractivehues, these machines tend to bear carefully written inscrip-tions and prayers on them.

Healing: These machines tend to bear emblems of sol-ace and comfort on them, crafted to appear impressive andconfidence-inspiring defenders and aids.

Knowledge: Such machines are often very well-crafted,using expert techniques and suchlike, and are sometimesdecorated with parchment prayers and paper litanies.

Law: Angular, precise and defined, these machines arestructured and constructed to emphasise order, organisa-tion, and reliability.

Luck: These machines are often heavily inscribed anddecorated with little charms and prayers for luck and goodfortune, especially where it relates to the reliable function-ing of the device.

Magic: These machines tend to appear highly ornateand arcane, riddled with magical parts and devices andoften powered by arcane engines. Runes, eldritch sigils andarcane rituals are often inscribed over them.

ZealotLarge Construct [Steamwork]Hit Dice: 8d10+30 (74hp)Initiative: +0Speed: 30ft.AC: 20 (+11 natural, -1 size), touch 9, flat-footed

20Attacks: 2 slams +12/+7; or weapon +12/+7Damage: Slam 1d8+7; or by weaponSpace/Reach: 10ft./10ft.Special Attacks: Domain abilitiesSpecial Qualities: Construct, hardness 5, mainte-

nance, spell resistance 14Saves: Fort +2 Ref +2 Will +4Abilities: Str 24 Dex 10 Con – Int – Wis 14 Cha 1Climate/Terrain: AnyOrganisation: Solitary, squad (2-12) or crusade

(6-36)Challenge Rating: 6 (7 for templars)Treasure: NoneAlignment: NeutralAdvancement: 9-16 HD(Large), 17-24 HD(Huge)

A zealot is a large warrior construct created asa steamwork servant for a religion. The exactappearance depends on the nature of the faith, butzealots generally share a humanoid shape, headslung forwards from the broad metal shouldersand powerful arms usually bearing an integratedshield and a large weapon. What differentiates azealot from normal constructs is that it has beenenhanced by divine magic to be a channel for theenergy of faith.

A zealot can understand one language, usuallythe Common tongue, as well as an additional lan-guage used by its religion such as Aquan, Abyssalor Celestial.

Combat: Zealots are essentially melee fightersalthough they might be equipped with alchemist’scannons or suchlike. They attempt to close tomelee rapidly, making use of their domain abili-ties to enhance themselves or allies and to weak-en the enemy. Zealots fight to the death or until

called off by a cleric.Domain Abilities: When a zealot is con-structed it is keyed to the energy of one

of its deity’s domains. A zealot maycast each of the spells of levels 1 to

3 from that domain once per day. More powerfulzealots called templars are sometimes created,which can cast spells from levels 1 to 6 each onceper day. While zealots generally are outfittedwith conventional engines a religion often goes tothe expense of fitting templars with essence

engines. The spells are cast as if by an 8th levelcleric (DC 12 + spell level).

Construct: Zealots are constructs and have thetraits and immunities of that creature type.

Hardness: Due to their metal structure, zealotshave hardness 5.

Maintenance: A zealot has a Maintenance DCof 9, while a templar has a Maintenance DC of 11.

Constructing aa ZZealot:Creation: Craft Magic Arms and Armour,

divine favour, Craft (Steamworks) 9 ranks (14ranks for a templar), creator must have the samedomain as the zealot he creates is attuned to Cost:14,000gp (16,000gp for a templar)

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Steam &Steam & SteelSteelHoly Devices

Plant: Machines of this domain tend to appear roughlynormal except for natural, green hues, except that theysprout winding plant tendrils and leaves from their innardswhich wrap around the structure and cloak it in vegetation.

Protection: Heavily emphasising defence rather thanoffence, these devices are often built with heavy armourplating, rousing inscriptions of famous protectors and rein-forced structures.

Strength: Strong machinery and sturdy build tend tomark out these machines, which emphasises power andmechanical force.

Sun: Brightly burnished and polished, often plated withgold, copper or bronze, these machines generally bear sunsymbols and insignia, and are built to be impressive andawe-inspiring.

Travel: Generally these machines are crafted to bedurable and reliable, generally decorated with fortuneemblems and totems for aiding far travel.

Trickery: Cunningly crafted to be swift and quiet, thesemachines are generally crafted in subdued hues and pat-terns, engraved with prayers and rituals of stealth andtrickery.

War: Built for war, these machines sport blades, spikesand other such weapons, and are solidly built to withstandbattle damage and assault.

Water: Crafted with smooth, flowing forms, thesemachines are often made from blued steel or plated withsilver, and decorated with shells and coral. Inscribed withflowing prayers and runes, they are sometimes armouredwith scales of armour like the fish of the sea.

Steam power is applicable to more ideas thanjust the construction of construct-servantsdesigned to fight, labour or calculate. The

more common use of this technology is to buildvehicles for the transportation and protection ofthe creators and their kind, though thesemachines are as much beasts of steel as the con-struct-servant designs.

The entries in this section are considered asconstructs although in general they are not builtto be able to independently fight and have noform of guiding consciousness, however basic andmechanical. The general purpose of these vehiclesis travel, though some can be designed for warfareas well. As steamwork devices, they requirefuelling and maintenance as normal.

The first part of this section consists of a mas-ter list of upgrades available for steamwork vehi-cles, followed by the individual entries for specif-ic vehicle types accompanied by lists of theupgrades available to those particular devices.

Vehicle Upgrades

+1 Extra ACA vehicle with this upgrade has its AC

increased by one. A vehicle can have this upgrademultiple times, with the limit to which its AC canbe increased being indicated in its entry.

+1 Extra Hit DieA vehicle with this upgrade has its number of

hit dice increased by 1. A vehicle can have thisupgrade multiple times, with the limit to whichits total Hit Dice can be increased being indicatedin its entry.

Advanced Sensor ArrayThis upgrade installs the vehicle with an

advanced array of arcane sensors and distant per-ception devices. It is highly advanced and usually

only found in exotic aircraft such as dragonflycopters, aiding the pilots to scan ground and airwhile moving at high speed. A pilot in a vehiclewith an advanced sensor array benefits from hav-ing darkvision up to 150 feet and gaining a +4machine bonus to Spot checks.

Arcane WardingA vehicle with this upgrade benefits from lim-

ited protection against hostile spells, gaining SpellResistance 10. A vehicle with arcane warding usu-ally appears to have been heavily encrusted withspell runes, sigils and suchlike, and may havewritten prayers or powerful runic scripts stuck toit in various places. IT may also be constructedfrom slightly unusual materials in places, featur-ing crystal conductors or blued steel surfaces.

Arcane Warding, HeavyA vehicle with this upgrade benefits from

more potent magical protections, gaining SpellResistance 15.

Arcane Warding, UnyieldingThe most powerful form of arcane warding,

this upgrade gives a vehicle Spell Resistance 20.

Arcanomech LightsThis upgrade is designed for use on sub-

mersibles that intend to travel deep beneath thesurface of the ocean, delving down into murkytrenches and far waters. The vehicle has arcanelights able to penetrate the gloom out to 60 feetaround the submersible.

Drop CordsMilitary dirigibles that are to be used to carry

troops often have this upgrade. By using har-nesses and drop cords that can be dangleddown beneath the bulk of the vehicle,troops can disembark from a maxi-mum height of 120 feet in one

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Beasts of SBeasts of StteeeellVVeehicleshicles

round. This allows for rapid deployment of war-riors from the air, right into battle or strategiclocations such as defensive positions during asiege.

Elemental MachineryThis upgrade adds a powerful arcane machine

to a sea-going vehicle, whether a ship or sub-mersible. When activated, the whirring cogs andemitters build up a powerful elemental charge,and after 3 rounds it summons up a Large waterelemental within 60 feet. The elemental is underthe control of the machinery, and remains for 20rounds before lapsing back into normal wateragain. Elemental machinery can be used once perday.

FireproofVehicles such as dirigibles that are carried aloft

by flammable gases can be vulnerable to flamesand fire-based attacks. This upgrade representseither the treating of component materials withnon-flammable chemicals, or the use on non-flammable gases instead. A dirigible with the fire-proof upgrade loses its Fire Vulnerability.

Heavy ArmouringThis upgrade gives a vehicle hardness 10.

Heavy FortificationA steam train with this upgrade has its cover

bonus for defenders doubled to a +8 AC bonusand +4 Reflex bonus, providing excellent protec-tion for them.

Homing CompassA homing compass is a piece of delicate navi-

gational equipment attuned to a specific homingbeacon (See Edifices of Might). The compassalways indicates the direction of the homing bea-con relative to the vehicle.

Hull-BreakerThis upgrade gives a submersible a weaponwith which to attack sea craft. Usually a set

of blades along its top used to make attackruns against a ship’s hull, a hull-breaker

is normally used by military sub-

mersibles. The weapon deals 4d6 damage on asuccessful hit, with an attack bonus as a constructof the submersible’s hit dice.

Improved Air SuppliesThis upgrade doubles the air supplies of a sub-

mersible.

Improved ManoeuvrabilityThrough improved design and machinery, a

flying vehicle with this upgrade has its flight cat-egory improved by one factor.

Light ArmouringThis upgrade gives a vehicle hardness 5.

Luxury InteriorAlthough of little practical value, this upgrade

allows for travel in style, usually found in royal orluxury dirigibles and steam trains.

Plating, CrystalThis magical enhancement allows the pilot of

a craft with crystal plating to cast mirror image once

per day as a 6th level caster, targeting the craftitself with the spell.

Plating, EmeraldThis magical enhancement allows the pilot of

a craft with emerald plating to cast invisibility once

per day as a 6th level caster, targeting the craftitself with the spell.

Plating, RubyThis magical enhancement allows the pilot of

a craft with ruby plating to cast fireball once per

day as a 6th level caster, emitting the fireball fromthe front of the craft.

Prismatic CladdingThis magical cladding covers the craft with iri-

descent armour, granting it Fire Resistance andElectricity Resistance 15.

Quake EngineA powerful type of magical device used in tun-

neller vehicles, a quake engine consists of dynamosand circuits attuned to the elemental energy of the

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stone and earth. Once per day it can be used toemit a blast of elemental energy with the effects

of an earthquake spell cast as a caster of 15th level.These engines are generally only fitted to vehiclesto be used during underground sieges or to breachthe walls of a castle or fortification.

Rock-MeltA tunneller with this upgrade uses arcane

machinery rather than a drill to tunnel throughrock, pushing through it as if it was liquid in themanner of a xorn. This doubles the tunnellingspeed of the vehicle.

Sealed EnvironmentA vehicle with this upgrade has internal air

systems and supplies and can be completelysealed off for up to eight hours, providing immu-nity for those within from airborne attacks suchas gases and some diseases.

Shocking HullUsing steamwork machinery and energy

siphoned off from the main engine, this upgradeinstalls dynamos that store up electrical energy.This energy can be released up to 3 times per dayinto the hull surface, inflicting a blast of 2d6 elec-tricity damage to anything in contact with thehull. It is generally used by sea-going craft toward off oceanic creatures, one blast usually beingenough to scare them off.

SonarThis upgrade installs into a submersible or ship

a simple form of sonar powered by the steamworkengines, giving the pilot blindsight up to 150ft inthe waters around the craft.

Steamwork Siege WeaponSome vehicles are large enough to mount large

and powerful siege weapons such as ballista in asteamwork cradle, a mechanical array that aidsthe crew by making it turn far faster and by semi-automating the process of reloading it. A siegeweapon mounted in one of these cradles can turnwithout impediment through a full 360 degrees,and can turn as far as the operator wishes in a sin-gle round. In addition, the loading period is

halved in duration. Any sizeable weapon can bemounted in one of these.

The cost of adding a steamwork siege weaponhardpoint does not include the cost of the siegeweapon itself.

Storm EngineInstalled in vehicles that cruise high in the

skies, storm engines sift magical and elementalenergies from the winds and clouds to charge upthaumic dynamoes with energy, into which spell-casters can then tap. A spellcaster aboard a craftwith a storm engine benefits from a machine bonusof +1 to caster level for any spells of the Air orElectricity subtypes and any Air domain spellsthat they cast.

Subterranean SonarThis upgrade installs a simple form of sonar

into a tunneller, giving the pilot blindsight up to60ft through the rock around the craft.

Transport CapacityThis upgrade grants a tunneller additional

transportation capacity, allowing it to carry up tofive others as well as the pilot. This is generallyused in tunnellers that are to be used for travellingpurposes as for those designed to carry shocktroops during surprise assaults.

War BannersThis upgrade drapes huge war banners and

inspirational symbols from a dirigible, turning itinto an emblem of might and a reservoir ofresolve for warriors far below. Any friendly char-acters that can see a dirigible with war bannersgain a +1 morale bonus to Will saves.

WeathersightThis upgrade installs a piece of meteoromantic

machinery into the vehicle that monitors localweather conditions and estimates future changes.It can predict the weather up to a week in advancewith 80% accuracy, benefiting from being situat-ed so high in the atmosphere in a dirigible. Ifa sudden weather change is impending inthe next 3 hours it emits a warningklaxon, and it does the same if

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weather conditions are about to change due tomagical spells or effects.

Copter [Steamwork]A copter is a flying steamwork vehicle that

propels itself by the action of rotary blades.Usually relatively small when compared to themass of some of the larger aerial dirigibles, acopter is created from a light framework of metaland wood that holds together a complex array ofgears and machinery that turns the rotors, drivenby a steamwork engine. With the engine doingthe work of getting the copter up in the air, thepilot merely has to fly the thing without crashing.

Copters are fragile and not particularly welldesigned for purposes of warfare, and are usuallyemployed instead for scouting or exploration.They do have the advantage of being very fastand agile in the skies, and this is put to good usewhen trying to escape from airborne crews. Acopter’s frame does not have the strength neces-sary to mount particularly heavy weaponrythough it is common for the pilot to carry a loadedcrossbow or firearm by his side. Since he needs atleast one hand for the controls, usually in theform of an array of sticks and dials, a shortbow orlongbow is not really a viable choice.

A copter has the following base statistics:

CopterMedium-Size ConstructHit Dice: 6d10+20 (53hp)Speed: Fly 70ft (Average)AC: 14 (+4 natural)Special Qualities: Maintenance DC 8Creation: Craft (Steamworks) 14 ranks Cost: 6,000gp

It can be upgraded with the following:

+1 EExtra HHit DDie - To a maximum of 10d10. +250gp+1 EExtra AAC - To a maximum of +6 natural

armour. +150gpArcane WWarding +1,000gp

Improved MManoeuvrability - Increasing theflight category to Good. +1,000gp

Light AArmouring +1,000gp

Sample Copter - Skyrunner ScoutThis simple flyer designed from a light wood

and steel framework contains a mesh of gearspowered by a steamwork engine that rotate theblades above the craft to give it lift. Designedpurely as a non-combat scout for the Skyrunnermercenaries, the outer cladding has been carefullyrefined and shaped to give it the best possible aer-ial manoeuvrability to enable it to evade hostilecraft.

Copter wwith IImproved MManoeuvrability -7,000gp

Copter, Dragonfly [Steamwork]The dragonfly design of flying craft is differ-

ent to a normal copter in that rotary blades do notdrive it. Instead, two long and delicate wings pro-trude from either side of the chassis of the device,which beat at an incredible speed to get it off theground and to send it winging through the air.Dragonfly copters are usually crafted to appearbeautiful and aesthetically pleasing with crystaland glass parts and their amazing aerial manoeu-vrability is impressive to watch, as they weavedazzling paths across the sky. Dragonfly copterstend to heavily incorporate magic, and lovers ofboth art and the arcane such as elves are very fondof crafting and flying these aircraft.

A dragonfly copter has the following base sta-tistics:

Copter, DDragonflyMedium-size ConstructHit Dice: 6d10+20 (53hp)Speed: Fly 80ft (Good)AC: 14 (+4 natural)Special Qualities: Maintenance DC 9Creation: Craft (Steamworks) 15 ranks,

Knowledge (Arcana) 10 ranks Cost: 8,000gp

It can be upgraded with the following:+1 EExtra HHit DDie - To a maximum of 9d10. +250gp+1 EExtra AAC - To a maximum of +6 natural

armour. +150gpAdvanced SSensor AArray +2,500gpArcane WWarding +1,000gpArcane WWarding, HHeavy +2,000gp

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Improved MManoeuvrability - Increasing the flightcategory to Perfect. +1,000gp

Light AArmouring +1,000gpPlating, CCrystal +5,000gpPlating, EEmerald +5,000gpPlating, RRuby +5,000gp

Sample Dragonfly CopterElven CloudhawkThis elegant, slender craft is of elven design,

driven by the rapid beat of humming emeraldwings to patrol the skies over elven territories.Although it has little actual armour, a host ofmagical enhancements make a cloudhawk a for-midable aerial opponent.

Copter wwith ++1 eextra hhit ddie, ++1 eextra AAC,Improved MManoeuvrability, AArcane WWarding,Crystal PPlating aand EEmerald WWings - 220,400gp

Dirigible [Steamwork]One of the more exotic uses for a steam engine

is to power a dirigible, an aircraft held aloft highin the skies by captured gas. Many people thinkthat a single large balloon holds aloft an airship,but this is not the case. Literally hundreds ofsmall cells, each filled with either heated air orgases that are lighter than air, are packed togetherto keep the craft up. This means that even if one,or even several, cells are damaged there will stillbe plenty of lift. For further protection, largerdirigibles may have light armour plating over theentire structure. Among the cells run various lad-ders and walkways to allow people to check themfor problems and pressure levels. The view fromthe very top is often quite impressive.

Below the cells hangs the carriage of the dirigi-ble, which can vary from an enclosed and heavilyarmoured gun-ship to little more than a large bas-ket. The steamwork machinery gives the wholething the motive power to cruise through theskies by large turbines or other stranger forms oflocomotion.

Needless to say a dirigible is an impressivesight to see moving across the sky. Although it isnot very suitable for moving goods and raw mate-rials in the same way that a train can, it is onlybad weather that limits where a dirigible travels(although a sense of self-preservation may also

have influences if, for instance, an area is knownto be the home to an irritable dragon or flock ofharpies). Dirigibles are used primarily for explo-ration, for transporting the rich and wealthy instyle (what more of a status symbol could a kingdisplay than his own personal ride to the heav-ens?) and for military purposes. War dirigiblesare impressive sights, especially when bedeckedwith the panoply of a faction, with rolling ban-ners and emblems fluttering in the breeze aroundit. They also tend to be the focus for truly awe-inspiring battles, as aerial creatures arc aroundthem and wizards hurl spells to and from them.As much as it is a symbol of power, a dirigiblecrashing to the ground all aflame is an equallypowerful symbol for the other side…

A dirigible has the following base statistics:

DirigibleHuge ConstructHit Dice: 18d10+40 (139 hp)Speed: Fly 50ft (Poor)AC: 23 (+15 natural, -2 size)Special Qualities: Fire Vulnerability, Hardness 5,

Maintenance DC 9Creation: Craft (Steamworks) 9 ranks Cost: 22,000 gp

Fire Vulnerability: A dirigible that rises aloft onthe buoyancy of flammable gases is extremelyvulnerable to fire and fire-based attacks. All fireattacks deal double damage to a dirigible.

It can be upgraded with the following:+1 EExtra HHit DDie - To a maximum of 32d10. At 22

hit dice the size increases to Gargantuan,while at 30 hit dice the size increases toColossal. +500gp

+1 EExtra AAC - To a maximum of +24 natural.+250gp

Arcane WWarding +2,000gpArcane WWarding, HHeavy +5,000gpArcane WWarding, UUnyielding +10,000gpDrop CCords +1,000gpFireproof +2,000gpHeavy AArmouring +4,000gpHoming CCompass +1,000gpLuxury IInterior +5,000gpPrismatic CCladding +10,000gp

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Steamwork SSiege WWeapon +100gpStorm EEngine +2,000gpWar BBanners +1,500gpWeathersight +7,500gp

Sample DirigibleHurdellian War EagleDesigned purely for military purposes by a

human empire, the War Eagle is a resplendentsight high in the skies, a gleaming, armour-platedguncraft from which the imperial banners drapedown and flutter in the winds. Capable of drop-ping a squad of elite shock troops into the thick ofbattle, the War Eagle is an expensive but power-ful war machine.

Dirigible wwith ++6 eextra hhit ddice, ++5 eextra AAC, 44steamwork ssiege wweapons, hheavy aarmouring,improved aarcane wwarding, ffireproof, wwar bbannersand ddrop ccords - 440,150gp

Dirigible, Personal [Steamwork]A personal dirigible is usually little more than

a set of straps and harnesses that keep the pilotattached to a small inflated balloon and steam-work engine that carries him high into the skyand takes him where he wants to go. The balloonis easy to construct from animal hide and theengine means that the pilot is not completely atthe mercy of the weather, though wise pilots carrya meteorometer on them anyway. He does need tomake sure he carries enough fuel with him to gethimself safely back home again though.

Personal dirigibles are generally built as scout-ing devices. Seacraft use them to scout for piratesto avoid, while pirates use them to locate potentialprey. Oilrigs and ports also make use of them forpolicing the waves around them. A balloon scoutrarely takes part in an actual conflict due to thefragility of his mode of transport, although whenarmed with rifles or crossbows they can makequite effective snipers, picking out enemies fromthe midst of a combat. They are extremely vul-nerable to assault by aerial melee attackers.

A personal dirigible has the following basestatistics:

Dirigible, PersonalMedium-size ConstructHit Dice: 4d10+20 (42hp)Speed: Fly 60ft (Average)AC: 13 (+3 natural)Special Qualities: Maintenance DC 6Creation: Craft (Steamworks) 10 ranks Cost: 3,000gp


+1 EExtra HHit DDie - To a maximum of 6d10.+250gp+1 EExtra AAC - To a maximum of +5 natural

armour. +150gpArcane WWarding +750gpImproved MManoeuvrability - Increases the flight

category to Good. +750gp

Sample Personal DirigiblePirate ScoutThis simple construction, a rickety framework

of metal and wood that is borne aloft by a patch-work leather balloon to which the scout is har-nessed, is used by pirates to hunt out potential tar-gets, pinpointing vulnerable craft for the pirateship. Constructed to make sure that a lucky hit onthe balloon will not bring the scout down, it’s fair-ly cheap to maintain and fuel. When a merchantship’s crew sees one of these on the horizon, theyknow the hunt is on.

Personal DDirigible wwith ++2 eextra hhit ddice -3,500gp

Steam Train [Steamwork]In a land where steam technology is common,

steam trains wind their way across the landscapebetween settlements. Steam trains are a signifi-cant step forwards because they offer a means forpeople, raw materials and goods to be moved fromplace to place with a speed that far outdoes thecrawl of a caravan. They bring to the bulk of thepopulace the opportunities for travel that haveonly been practical for those in possession ofmagic transportation beforehand. The advantageof a steam train is that it doesn’t need complexpiloting mechanisms, since with the guidance ofrails its entire power can be devoted to haulinggreat weights; the downside of course being that it

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is limited to travelling only where the train linesgo.

While many trains are simply used for thehaulage of goods or people through non-haz-ardous environs, heavily armoured trains are alsopossible in dangerous regions where train linesare subject to attacks by enemy forces, banditsand particularly dangerous fauna.

Steam trains have the base statistics givenbelow:

Steam Train Engine WagonHuge ConstructHit Dice: 16d10+40 (128hp)Speed: 60ft (confined only to tracks)AC: 22 (+14 natural, -2 size)Special Qualities: Bull Rush, Carriages, Hardness

5, Maintenance DC 8Creation: Craft (Steamworks) 7 ranks Cost: 5,000gp +1,000gp per carriage.

Bull Rush: A train can only follow the path ofits track, and if something is on the rails then thetrain will collide with it. Anything of Large sizeor smaller takes 5d6+10 damage if hit by a trainand is knocked to one side. Anything larger mightderail the train. It still takes 5d6+10 damage fromthe impact, but an opposed check must be made asif the train bullrushed the creature. The train hasa base bonus to this roll of +10, +2 for every car-riage. If the train succeeds it knocks the creatureout of the way, but if it fails the impact actuallyknocks the train off its tracks and derails it.

Example: An ancient green dragon has decided toshow its displeasure at the swathe of its woodlands thathave been cut down to lay out a new train line and setup a new station for an outlying settlement. Havinglevelled the station and killed the staff, it lies down towait on the tracks for the next incoming train. At 3o’clock the train steams round a corner, not seeing thewaiting dragon till the last moment due to the treesblocking vision, and as the engine screeches against thesuddenly applied brakes it slams into the beast. Theimpact inflict s24 damage to the dragon, and the three-carriage train gets a roll of 9 for its bull rush, for aresult of 25 (9+10 Strength bonus +6 carriage bonus).The dragon gets a roll of 13, for a result of (13+10Strength bonus +4 size bonus), and stands firm, derail-ing the train.

Carriages: A train consists of the engine wagonwith a number of additional carriages behind; asingle engine can pull up to 12 carriages. Carriagesmay be open or closed to the air. If a steam trainis attacked the occupants can gain cover while fir-ing back; many armoured trains have this specifi-cally in mind and have firing ports and arrowslits.Defenders in a steam train gain a normal coverbonus. An armoured train also often has addition-al weapons and a garrison of guards on board,which may include one or more spellcasters.


+1 EExtra HHit DDie - To a maximum of 28d10.+250gp

+1 EExtra AAC - To a maximum of +25 naturalarmour. +100gp

Arcane WWarding +1,000gpArcane WWarding, HHeavy +3,000gpArcane WWarding, UUnyielding +7,000gpLuxury IInterior +5,000gpHeavy AArmouring +2,000gpHeavy FFortification +1,000gpSteamwork SSiege WWeapon +100gp

Sample Steam TrainShadow Wood route freight trainThe train tracks that run past the outskirts of

Shadow Wood to get to the deep mines wherecoal and ore is extracted are known to be a danger-ous place, the dark inhabitants often raiding forth.Trains passing that way are built to be able towithstand such an assault and crewed with gar-risons of paid mercenaries. Heavy armouringmeans that their assailants overcome few of thefreight trains.

Steam ttrain wwith ++6 eextra hhit ddice, ++6 nnaturalarmour, 22 ssteamwork ssiege wweapons, hheavyarmouring, hheavy ffortification aand 112 ccarriages -22,300gp

TracksOne of the main logistics in creating a train

network is laying down rails. Since the trackneeds to be as flat as possible, railwaylines need to make use of viaducts andtunnels to go over valleys and

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through mountains. If the technology to buildthese structures does not exist, a railway line willbe limited in where it can go. In addition, otherfactors can limit a line; elves and treants mightnot appreciate a noisy and polluting steam trainrunning close to their forest, or a dragon mighttake offence at the presumption of a human settle-ment in building a line close to its lair.

Cost: 500gp per mile of track.

Steam Ship [Steamwork]Steam engines herald a major revolution in the

nature by which land-dwelling creatures travelthe ocean waves and build their navies. No longeris a ship hamstrung by the weather; no longerdoes it rely on the direction or strength of thewind. With a steam engine, a ship has a reliablesource of motive power whatever the weatherconditions might be. Those who ply their trade onthe seas can travel great distances faster as well asbeing less at the mercy of bad conditions, and theseasons in which they can sail are lengthened.Those who build ships too suddenly have manymore options opening up.

Equipping a ship with a steam engine merelycosts the expense of the engine type and fuel. Thefuel-less engines such as arcane source designs arehighly prized by admirals who want the extrareliability and the additional weight in weaponsand troops that can replace the fuel that wouldhave to be carried with the ship. Ingenious necro-mancers build huge arks that use nets to haul infish and other sea animals, and then feed the deadcreatures straight into the corpseburner engines ofthe ship.

A steam ship’s engines have a MaintenanceDC of 9.

Cost: Base price of ship + engines.

Steam Ship, Ironclad [Steamwork]Without need for sails and with a powerful

engine, shipyards can begin to create craft that arefar more heavily armed and armoured than

before. Ironclads, mighty battleships withhulls of reinforced armour, become the

new dominating force in naval warfare,able to withstand fusillades of hostile

fire and spells, and even capable of

repelling denizens of the deep with impunity.An ironclad is a very large seacraft, varying in

design depending on the builders, but usuallyabout as big as a galleon and sometimes larger. Anironclad carries a much larger payload of weapon-ry and is much harder to destroy than a galleon,and is not as subject to inclement weather and seaconditions.

An ironclad has the following base statistics:

IroncladColossal ConstructHit Dice: 25d10+80 (218hp)Speed: 60ftAC: 25 (+22 natural, -8 size)Special Qualities: Maintenance DC 9, hardness 10Creation: Craft (Ship-building) 12 ranks, Craft

(Steamworks) 15 ranks Cost: 40,000gp



armour. +150gpArcane WWarding +1,000gpArcane WWarding, HHeavy +3,000gpArcane WWarding, UUnyielding +7,000gpElemental MMachinery +5,000gpHoming CCompass +1,000gpLuxury IInterior +5,000gpShocking HHull +5,000gpSteamwork SSiege WWeapon +100gp

Sample Ironclad - “Fearless”The “Fearless” is a huge warship, the pride of a

nation’s navy. Built to withstand both magicaland mundane attacks, it can absorb an immenseamount of firepower, although it lacks steamtechnology to augment it’s own offensive capabil-ities.

Ironclad wwith ++3 eextra AAC, ++3 eextra hhit ddice,and uunyielding aarcane wwarding - 448,200gp

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Steam Wagon [Steamwork]While steam trains are confined to tracks,

there is a great variety of possible designs forsteam-powered land vehicles that are more freeroaming, from civilian horseless carriages toheavily armoured war wagons. These designs ofvehicle can be created for all sorts of different pur-poses, although they suffer their own limitations,btoh in the complexity of the mechanisms fordirecting the wagon, and that they remain rela-tively confined to only suitable terrain.

A steam wagon has the following base statis-tics:

Steam WagonLarge ConstructHit Dice: 10d10+30 (85hp)Speed: 50ftAC: 16 (+7 natural, -1 size)Special Qualities: Maintenance DC 10Creation: Craft (Steamworks) 12 ranks Cost: 4,000gp

It can be upgraded with the following:+1 EExtra HHit DDie - To a maximum of 15d10.+250gp+1 EExtra AAC - To a maximum of +15 natural

armour. +100gpArcane WWarding +1,000gpArcane WWarding, HHeavy +3,000gpHeavy AArmouring +3,000gpLight AArmouring +1,000gpLuxury IInterior +1,000gpSteamwork SSiege WWeapon +100gp

Sample Steam Wagon Dr. Almacroft’s Amazing Horseless CarriageInvented by an innovative gentlemen with an

eye for commercial possibilities, the horseless car-riage has the appearance of a normal horse-drawncarriage, with the steam engine underneath thedriver’s seat and the controls on a panel in frontof him. The passengers interior of the carriage islavishly upholstered - the horseless carriage isdesigned as a mode of travel for the aristocraticand wealthy, not for the poor and unwashedmasses, after all.

Steam WWagon wwith Luxury Interior - 5,000gp

Submersible [Steamwork]There are few who are willing to put their lives

in the hands of a shell of metal and a tank of oxy-gen to keep them alive in the depths of the ocean,but there are always some – the scientists, theadventurers and the plain curious – who will.Steamwork submersibles are risky ventures, farriskier than a sealed environment suit of steam-work armour simply because more things can gowrong. A submersible can take many forms, fromaesthetically crafted like some mechanical,armour-plated fish to a simple spherical or oblongshape.

Driven by a steamwork engine and suppliedwith an enclosed environment that can supply upto eight medium-sized characters with air for upto two days, a submersible is built to withstanddeep-sea pressures and curious sea denizens. Ofcourse, not all submersibles are designed for div-ing far below the waves, and some are createdwith the express purpose of lurking just below thesurface to ambush and attack other sea craft,whether it is in the role of a military strike or sim-ple banditry. These craft are often equipped withdevices designed to hole and sink a ship and thecrew is made up of tough shock troops.

A submersible has the following base statistics:

SubmersibleHuge ConstructHit Dice: 15d10+40 (128hp)Speed: Swim 60ftAC: 25(+17 natural, -2 size)Special Qualities: Hardness 10, Maintenance

DC 9Creation: Craft (Steamworks) 12 ranks Cost: 20,000 gp



armour, +200gpArcane WWarding +2,000gpArcane WWarding, HHeavy +5,000gpArcanomech LLights +1,000gpElemental MMachinery +5,000gpHull-BBreaker +2,000gp

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Improved AAir SSupplies +5,000gpShocking HHull +3,000gpSonar +5,000gp

Sample Submersible - Iron SharkBuilt in the form of some vicious deep-sea

predator, the iron shark model of submersible iscrafted from dozens of overlapping steel plates,holding within a safely sealed crew compartment.The heavily armoured submersible is designed formilitary purposes and the attacking of waterbornevessels, using a vicious array of jaggedly sharpblades along its top that can do severe damage tothe hull of any craft it moves under. The ironshark is not designed for deep-sea forays.

Submersible wwith ++5 hhit ddice, ++5 nnaturalarmour, sshocking hhull aand hhull-bbreaker - 228,000gp

Tunneller [Steamwork]A tunneller, or mole drill, is very similar to a

large industrial mining drill, except that it isdesigned for travel rather than tearing ore fromrock and has a pilot. The pilot sits behind thedrilling mechanisms in a protected framework.As the drill tears up the rock ahead of it, it push-es the rubble around behind it, and tracks on thedrills base and sides pull it along. Mole drills areoften used to get saboteurs into place to attack for-tifications, or to dig tunnels to breach subter-ranean locations.

The base statistics for a tunneller are givenbelow:

TunnellerLarge ConstructHit Dice: 8d10+30 (74 hp)Speed: Tunnel 30ftAC: 19 (+10 natural, -1 size)Special Qualities: Hardness 5, Maintenance DC 9Creation: Craft (Steamworks) 9 ranks Cost: 4,000 gp



armour. +125gpArcane WWarding +1,000gpArcane WWarding, HHeavy +2,500gpHeavy AArmouring +2,500gpQuake EEngine +25,000gpRock-MMelt +2,500gpSubterranean SSonar +2,000gpTransport CCapacity +1,000gp

Sample Tunneller - Kobold RockripperThis crude tunneller is crafted by kobold arti-

sans and mechanics, a massive drill behind whichthe framework of the vehicle itself clings on, thesteamwork engine coughing out unpleasantsmoke. The tunneller is used for both digging outnew living spaces and mine tunnels for a koboldunderground settlement, but is also turned to mil-itary uses when needed, an excellent tool for cre-ating traps, ambushes and new tunnels when theenemy least expects it.

Tunneller wwith ++4 eextra hhit ddice aand ++2 eextraAC - 55,250gp

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Described in this section are a small num-ber of prestige classes designed to go handin hand with the concepts presented in

this guide, and to add flavour and opportunitiesfor the player characters in a campaign which fea-tures steam technology. Two of the classes, theBalloonist and Steel Knight, focus on the use of aparticular piece of steamwork equipment. TheMechanist focuses on steamwork prosthetics aswell as the philosophical idea of the superiority ofmetal over flesh. Meanwhile the InspiredInventor and Metalworker work to spread theknowledge of steamworks and technology far andwide.

Balloonist

The balloonist is a sky warrior, a marksmanwho takes to the air with the buzzing ofsteamwork engines driving his personal

dirigible. Agilely manoeuvring his craft throughthe air, the balloonist seeks to fight from a dis-tance, making the most of his skill with rangedweapons and the flight of the dirigible. Eagle-eyedand with keen senses, he hunts like an eagle fromabove, acutely aware of the winds and skiesaround him. He needs to be, for a balloonist’sweakness is the very thing that gives him hisadvantages - his dirigible, vulnerable to hostileassault.

The balloonist can fill all sorts of militaryroles, most often as a scout for a military force.Pirates might have a balloonist to locate theirprey, and mercenaries pay well for an outrunnerwho can fly and report back with information.Balloonists also work more directly in combat byaiding from above, sniping and picking outimportant targets from above the chaos of melee.Balloonists also work as guards for mountainpasses and dangerous roads, moving back andforth above them to check for any disturbances orsigns of danger.

Balloonists are capable warriors, though theyprefer to keep their distance from foes, especiallythose of the airborne variety. They are most oftenfound on the edges of society, in amongst merce-naries, pirate bands and frontier towns, and otherhostile climes where their scouting skills areinvaluable. While fighters and rogues are themost common class to take the balloonist prestigeclass, rangers concerned with scouting wild areasand who want to be up in the sky with the crea-tures of the air also take this class.

Hit DDie: d8

Prerequisites:Craft (Steamworks): 7 ranksFeats: Point Blank Shot, Precise Shot, profi-

ciency with at least one martial or exotic rangedweapon.

Special: The character must be the pilot of apersonal dirigible, and must have at least 6months experience as such.

Class SSkills: Balance, Climb, Concentration,Craft (Any), Craft (Steamworks), Jump, Listen,Profession (Any), Spot, Survival and Use Rope.

Skill PPoints pper LLevel: 6+Int modifier

Class AAbilities:Weapons and Armour Proficiencies: A balloonist

gains no new weapons or armour proficiencies.Combat Manoeuvre: Due to the stability of the

harness and support, a personal dirigible providesthe balloonist with a good firing platform toattack from, even while the device soars throughthe air. A balloonist flying with his dirigible canmove as far as the base movement of the vehiclein a round where he takes a full attack actionwith a ranged weapon.

Weather Sense: A balloonist gets toknow the feel of air currents on hisface, and what signifies a change

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PPrrestiestige Clge Classesasses

in the weather. A balloonist can predict theweather up to four hours ahead with a 90% chanceof accuracy.

Defensive Manoeuvre: At 2nd level the balloon-ist may add his Wisdom bonus to both his ACand his dirigible’s AC while in flight.

Aerial Manoeuvre: At 3rd level the balloonist’sflight manoeuvrability while flying a personaldirigible is improved by one factor (e.g. Averageto Good).

Crack Shot: At 4th level the balloonist becomesa crack shot at firing from a fast-moving personaldirigible, and can ignore cover bonuses to AC ofground targets when firing.

Evade: At 5th level the balloonist becomes anexpert at dodging ranged attacks and destructiveblasts aimed at his aircraft, and gains the evasionability of the rogue class. The ability applies toboth him and his dirigible, and only works whenthe balloonist is aerial in a personal dirigible.

Inspired Inventor

The inspired inventor has a mind full ofideas and concepts, fantastical designs formachines and innovative ways of apply-

ing old theories. It’s often so full that he has toscrawl down his ideas in sketchbooks and tomesto try and record them all, in shorthand and pic-tures that most others find hard to decipher butwhich he intuitively understands. For theinspired inventor the world is simply full of pos-sibilities that have yet to be explored, and he’seager to do just that. In a world without steam-works, the inspired inventor may be the genius

who creates them in the first place. In a worldwhere steamworks are already established,

the inspired inventor leads the cuttingedge of science, pushing the bound-

aries and coming up with new ideas

daily that challenge assumptions and cause break-throughs in technology.

The inspired inventor may have gained hisknack for ideas from a supernatural cause such asthe efforts of a steam spirit, or he may simply bea natural genius who sees the world in a differentway to others. An inspired inventor is often tal-ented in more than just mechanics or science, ableto turn his hand to arts, literature or other fieldsas well, always overflowing with ideas. He maywell publish numerous texts illustrating his for-ward-thinking theories and designs of machines,although just how this will be taken by society atlarge is no set outcome. Those who see technolo-gy is evil might persecute inspired inventors, orthey might be embraced by wealthy patrons whosee the character’s potential.

Inspired inventors are often experts or wiz-ards, those with the natural knack and talent forinvention and ideas, but through the workings ofthe mysterious steam spirits just about anyonecan end up with their mind brimming with inno-vative designs for vehicles and engines, and theymay well not be particularly sure why one daythey just feel the urge to start scribbling down theconcepts filling their head. Even adventurers canend up as inspired inventors, though it is usuallyadventurers who end up most benefiting from thecreations of inventors.

Hit DDie: d4

Prerequisites: To qualify to become an inspiredinventor, a character must meet the followingprerequisites.

Craft (Any): 8 ranksFeats: InspiredKnowledge (Any): 8 ranks

Class SSkills: An inspired inventor’s class skillsare Concentration, Craft (Any), Craft

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Steam &Steam & SteelSteel Ballonist Level Progression

Level BAB Fort Ref Will Special1 +1 +2 +0 +0 Combat Manoeuvre, Weather Sense2 +2 +3 +0 +0 Defensive Manoeuvre3 +3 +3 +1 +1 Aerial Manoeuvre4 +4 +4 +1 +1 Crack Shot5 +5 +4 +1 +1 Evade

(Steamworks), Decipher Script, Disable Device,Knowledge (Any), Open Lock, Profession (Any),and Spellcraft.

Skill PPoints pper LLevel: 6+ Int modifier

Class AAbilities: The following are class abili-ties of the Inspired Inventor.

Weapons and Armour Proficiencies: An inspiredinventor gains no new weapons or armour profi-ciencies, although this does not stop him fromconstructing weapons or armour.

Spells per Day: When a new inspired inventorlevel is gained that grants the character a newspellcaster level, the character gains new spellsper day as if he had also gained a level in a spell-casting class she belonged to before adding theprestige class. He does not, however, gain anyother benefit a character of that class would havegained (improved chance of turning undead, extrametamagic feats, etc.) except for an increasedeffective level of spellcasting. If a character hadmore than one spellcasting class before becomingan inspired inventor, he must decide to whichclass he adds the new level for purposes of deter-mining spells per day.

Bonus Feat: At 1st, 4th and 7th level, an inspiredinventor gains a bonus feat that he meets the pre-requisites for from the following list:Alchemechanic, Arcanomech, Essence Engineer,Exotic Weapon Proficiency, High Artificer,Master Mechanic, Necromek, Quick Fix, SkillFocus (Any), Steam Surgeon.

Inspiration: Once per day per inspired inventorclass level, the character may benefit from a flashof inspiration and ingenuity, gaining a +4 bonus

to any skill check. This can also be used when tak-ing 10 or taking 20 with a skill.

Personal Shorthand: At 2nd level the inspiredinventor develops a personal style of shorthandwriting. Any text written in the shorthand (usu-ally designs, theories and development notes)cannot be understood by anyone else except by aDecipher Script check (DC 30). Personal short-hand keeps the ideas and sciences that the inven-tor wants secret kept that way – when writingsomething for others to understand he of courseuses normal text.

Amazing Visions: The brilliant and ingeniousdesigns and theories of the inventor attract the

attention of a patron at 3rd level. The patron willcontact the character and provide funds for him todevelop and create new devices, but on the condi-tion that all such designs are developed for thepatron and it is he who controls the release of theinformation.

Dismantle: At 6th level, the inspired inventor isso well-versed in the construction of devices, andso familiar with the concepts and theories used inputting together structures, that he can applythese principles to dismantling them as well.Constructs do not benefit to immunity from crit-ical hits inflicted by an inspired inventor, and hegains a +2 bonus to any sabotage checks.

Finest Creation: At 10th level an inspired inven-tor can construct his finest creation, a one-of-a-kind device or construct. A piece of equip-ment created with this ability is automat-ically masterwork, and has its master-work benefit increased by 1 as well

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a Guide to Fantasy Steamworksa Guide to Fantasy Steamworks Inspired Inventor Level Progression

Level BAB Fort Ref Will Special Spellcasting1 +0 +0 +0 +2 Bonus Feat, Inspiration2 +1 +0 +0 +3 Personal Shorthand +1 Spellcaster Level3 +1 +1 +1 +3 Amazing Visions +1 Spellcaster Level4 +2 +1 +1 +4 Bonus Feat5 +2 +1 +1 +4 +1 Spellcaster Level6 +3 +2 +2 +5 Dismantle +1 Spellcaster Level7 +3 +2 +2 +5 Bonus Feat8 +4 +2 +2 +6 +1 Spellcaster Level9 +4 +3 +3 +6 +1 Spellcaster Level10 +5 +3 +3 +7 Finest Creation +1 Spellcaster Level

as any Maintenance DC reduced by 1. A constructgains a +1 competence bonus to attack rolls andchecks and a +1 bonus to AC. With the agreementof the DM, an inspired inventor could insteadinvent an entirely new piece of machinery that isnot detailed in this guide. An inventor can onlyhave a single finest creation at any one time, butcan create a new device if the first once isdestroyed or damaged beyond repair.

Mechanist

For most people a steamwork prosthetic issomething they wish they never need; feware eager to lose parts of their body to have

them replaced by a mimicry in metal and gears,even if the prosthetic is superior to the old fleshand blood. Some are less adverse to prosthetics,seeing their practicality in certain lines of work,but even so they are not quick to have part of theirbody carved off and a steel prosthetic substituted.Yet a mechanist is not eager and quick to embracethe process of replacing flesh with metal, butindeed pursues it as a goal of enlightenment.

The mechanist sees flesh and muscle, skin andbone, as more of an impediment than somethingto be too attached too, merely one stage in severaltowards a final enlightenment. To him, machinesare superior to organic matter, and demonstrablyso, since metal never tires and possesses astrength beyond that of a mortal man. A mecha-

nist may see his path as one of harnessing thepower of machinery for his own personal

ends, or he may see it as a way by whichhe can achieve a higher state, reaching

for divinity and true understanding

of existence through the purity of the mechanical.Mechanists may exist as an extreme sect of a

deity with a portfolio including steamworks,machinery, and the mechanical, dedicated to avision of a future where even men are brought upto new heights of existence by the progress ofmachinery. They may be a philosophical sect thathas sprung from the ranks of mechanics, or fromgroups of people who have had a prosthetic partand come to the conclusion that it is superior tothe flesh that it replaced. Lone mechanists alsooccur, individuals who for their own personal rea-sons have chosen to follow the path of meldingman with machine.

Hit DDie: d12

Requirements: To qualify to become a mecha-nist, a character must fulfil the following criteria.

Craft (Steamworks): 4 ranksFeats: Great FortitudeFortitude Save: +3Special: The character must have at least 2 pros-

thetics. At least one must have been voluntarilyimplanted even if there was no actual need for theprosthetic.

Class SSkills: The mechanist’s class skills areClimb, Concentration, Craft (Any), Craft(Steamworks), Disable Device, Intimidate, Jump,Listen, Profession (Any) and Spot.

Skill PPoints aat EEach LLevel: 4+ Int modifier.

Class AAbilities: The following are class abili-ties of the mechanist prestige class.

Weapon and Armour Proficiency: A mechanist

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Steam &Steam & SteelSteel Mechanist Level Progression

Level BAB Fort Ref Will Special1 +0 +2 +0 +0 Machine Affinity, Prosthetic2 +1 +3 +0 +0 +1 Armour Plating3 +2 +3 +1 +1 Prosthetic, Face of Steel4 +3 +4 +1 +1 Light Fortification5 +3 +4 +1 +1 +2 Armour Plating6 +4 +5 +2 +2 Prosthetic7 +5 +5 +2 +2 Mechanical System8 +6 +6 +2 +2 +3 Armour Plating9 +6 +6 +3 +3 Medium Fortification10 +7 +7 +3 +3 Mechanical Enlightenment

gains proficiency in all simple weapons.Machine Affinity: Due to his affinity for

machinery, a mechanist gains a +2 bonus to Craft(Steamworks) and Disable Device checks.

Prosthetic: The mechanist undergoes a slow butsteady process of altering his body with machines.At levels 1, 3 and 6 a mechanist can have a newprosthetic implanted into him, with no chance ofcontracting a disease or infection.

Armour Plating: As well as prosthetics, mecha-nists implant smaller devices and machines intothem, as well as attaching more practical armourplating. This results in a mechanist gaining a nat-ural armour bonus at level 2, which increases atlevels 5 and 8.

Face of Steel: From level 3 onwards, the mecha-nist’s appearance has been changed so much thathe gains a bonus to Intimidate checks equal to hismechanist level.

Light Fortification: At level 4, a mechanist hasbeen so changed by his augmentations that hebegins to pick up some of the traits of a real con-struct. Any critical hit made against a mechanisthas a 25% chance of hitting a metal part or pros-thetic and allowing the character to ignore theadditional damage caused by the critical.

Mechanical System: At level 7 a mechanist gainsdamage reduction 3 to subdual damage only, aswell as gaining an additional +2 bonus to hisFortitude save.

Medium Fortification: At level 9 the chance of amechanist being able to ignore the additionaldamage from a critical hit is increased to 50%

Mechanical Enlightenment: At level 10 a mecha-nist is so augmented and modified that over halfof his body is now mechanical. His machine sens-

es grant him a +2 insight bonus to Intelligence, aswell as granting damage reduction 3/ - andincreasing his natural armour bonus from armourplating to +4.

Metalworker

The metalworker is a divine spellcaster withpower over metal and machines, a priestwho preaches of the mechanical and the

manufactured. A master of forging and crafting,the metalworker sees the souls of men as beingakin to the metal he shapes with his hammer inthe furnace, and he seeks to bring the words andwisdom of his deity to those around him.

A metalworker walks amongst the factoriesand industries, spreading the word to those wholabour at forge and furnace. Teaching both hisfaith and his skills at crafting to his flock andbringing his divine gifts to aid those injured in thesparking, hammering halls of industry, the metal-worker can play an important part in the commu-nity of labourers and manual workers. He is oftenthe first voice to demand better work and pay forthe manual labourers and mechanics when theyare repressed by the upper classes, and the first toadvocate new technologies and methods.

Metalworkers often form an important part ofthe religious structure that worships a deity ofmetal, forges, machines and hard work. Theymay represent the members of the priesthoodwho go out to spread the word amongst theworkers while other clerics administrate thehigher levels of the organisation, or met-alworkers may be amongst the mostpowerful and influential individu-

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a Guide to Fantasy Steamworksa Guide to Fantasy Steamworks MetalWorker Level Progression

Level BAB Fort Ref Will Special Spellcasting1 +0 +2 +0 +2 Aura of Metal, Master Craftsman2 +1 +3 +0 +3 Heat Metal, Smite Construct +1 Level3 +2 +3 +1 +3 Command Construct +1 Level4 +3 +4 +1 +4 Mastery of Slicing Steel +1 +1 Level5 +3 +4 +1 +4 Aura of Metal6 +4 +5 +2 +5 Mastery of Shielding Steel +1 +1 Level7 +5 +5 +2 +5 Aura of Metal +1 Level8 +6 +6 +2 +6 Mastery of Slicing Steel +2 +1 Level9 +6 +6 +3 +6 Warp Metal10 +7 +7 +3 +7 Mastery of Shielding Steel +2 +1 Level

als within a faith. They can be found searchingfar and wide to discover new machines and spreadthe knowledge of such devices as far as possible,or might be heavily involved in conflicts withthose who would seek to destroy and crush tech-nology and science.

Hit DDie: d8

Prerequisites: To qualify to become a metal-worker, a character must meet the following pre-requisites.

Craft: 6 ranks in a Craft skill that involvesmetal

Knowledge (Religion): 5 ranksSpells: Must be able to cast divine spells of at

least 3rd level.Special: Must have crafted at least one metal

item.

Class SSkills: The metalworkers class skills areConcentration, Craft (Any), Craft(Steamworks), Heal, Knowledge (Religion),Profession (Any) and Spellcraft.

Skill PPoints aat EEach LLevel: 4+ Int modifier

Class AAbilities: The following are class abili-

ties of the metalworker.Weapon and Armour Proficiency: A metalworker

is proficient with all simple weapons, light, medi-um and heavy armour, and shields.

Spells per Day: When a new metalworker levelis gained that grants the character a new spellcast-er level, the character gains new spells per day asif she had also gained a level in a spellcasting classhe belonged to before adding the prestige class.He does not, however, gain any other benefit acharacter of that class would have gained(improved chance of turning undead, extra meta-magic feats, etc.) except for an increased effectivelevel of spellcasting. If a character had more thanone spellcasting class before becoming a metal-worker, he must decide to which class he adds thenew level for purposes of determining spells perday.

Aura of Metal: Anyone within 30ft of a metal-worker gains a +1 bonus to any Maintenance

checks. At 5th level the aura also bestows the +1bonus to hit of mastery of slicing steel to any allies

within the area. At 7th level it also bestows the +1bonus to AC of mastery of shielding steel to anyallies within the area. The bonuses to hit and ACdo not increase with the mastery of slicing steel and

mastery of shielding steel abilities at 8th and 10th

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level.Master Craftsman: A metalworker gains a

bonus to any Craft check to create a metal objectequal to his metalworker class level.

Heat Metal: A metalworker can cast heat metalas a spell-like ability once per day for every levelin the metalworker prestige class he has.

Smite Construct: Once per day a metalworkercan make a smite attack against a construct,adding his charisma bonus (if any) to the attackroll and his metalworker class level to the damageroll.

Command Construct: A 3rd level metalworkergains the ability to rebuke and command con-structs as an evil cleric rebukes and commandsundead. The character uses his metalworker levelonly for this ability, not any cleric levels he mayalready possess.

Mastery of Slicing Steel: The metalworker’smastery over metals hones the edge of hisweapons and makes them light and graceful in hishands, granting a +1 bonus to hit with metal

weapons at 4th level. This increases at 8th level toa +2 bonus.

Mastery of Shielding Steel: At 6th level the met-alworker’s mastery over metals reinforces anymetal armour he wears, reinforcing it and makingminute adjustments. It bestows a +1 bonus to the

AC of any metal armour he wears, and at 10th

level this bonus increases to +2 AC.

Warp Metal: At 9th level the metalworker cancast warp metal as a spell-like ability 1/day.

Steel Knight

Super-heavy armour is bulky, slow andrequires extensive training for anyone hop-ing to operate it, but in return it grants

strength far beyond that of the muscle and boneof a normal man and protects the pilot withincredibly thick armour from outside assault. Thevery best of those who pilot this devastating formof armour become familiar with their armour andlearn its strengths and weaknesses, in time wear-ing it almost like a second skin. These veterans ofsuper-heavy armour, toughened and experiencedwarriors of great skill and competence, are knownas steel knights, those who ride across the lands insuits of steel and steam.

Intimately familiar with his suit of armour, asteel knight learns to recognise the warning signsof an impending malfunction and how to avoid it;he learns how to move with the suit more natural-ly, rather than fighting to push the augmentedlump of steel around the battlefield. A steelknight can push his suit to its very maximum,getting the vital edge he needs out of it. A warriorwho uses super-heavy armour but leaves it to ateam of mechanics to keep it maintained and run-ning will never achieve the skills of a steel knight,even if he is an excellent fighter; a steel knightcan delve into the workings of his armour and getit working again from the most devastating ofdamage.

A steel knight may well be a member of aknightly order or military organisation whodeploy super-heavy armour on the battlefield andtrain their members in its use, representing thevery best and most experienced kind of pilot thatthese groups can put on the battlefield.Whether a noble or religious knight, or agrizzled veteran mercenary, a steelknight knows how to get the verybest out of the suit he pilots. A

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a Guide to Fantasy Steamworksa Guide to Fantasy Steamworks Steel Knight Level Progression

Level BAB Fort Ref Will Special1 +1 +2 +0 +0 Armour Familiarity, Thunderous Charge2 +2 +3 +0 +0 Armoured Grace3 +3 +3 +1 +1 Avoid Malfunction4 +4 +4 +1 +1 Crushing Charge5 +5 +4 +1 +1 Extra Edge

steel knight might also be a roving individual whohas somehow got his hands on a suit of super-heavy armour, perhaps from ancient ruins or theingenuity of an inspired inventor, who followstheir own personal agenda through the means oftheir almost unstoppable steamwork gear.

Hit DDie: d10

Prerequisites: To qualify to become a steelknight, a character must meet the following pre-requisites.

Base Attack Bonus: +5Craft (Steamworks): 4 ranksFeats: Power Attack, Cleave, Skill Focus –

Craft (Steamworks), Super-Heavy ArmourProficiency

Special: Must possess a suit of super-heavyarmour.

Class SSkills: The steel knight’s class skills areClimb, Craft (Any), Craft (Steamworks),Intimidate, Jump, and Profession (Any).

Skill PPoints pper LLevel: 2+Int modifier

Class AAbilities: The following are class abili-ties of the steel knight.

Weapon and Armour Proficiency: A steel knightgains no weapon or armour proficiencies.

Armour Familiarity: A steel knight is familiarwith the idiosyncrasies and individual qualities ofhis armour, often performing small modificationsto it to fine-tune the performance slightly. Hegains a bonus to all Craft (Steamworks) checkswith his super-heavy armour equal to his SteelKnight class level.

Thunderous Charge: A steel knight learns howto perform an intimidating charge, bearing downon a foe in a fearsome thunder of steel. Anyonecharged by the steel knight while he wears super-heavy armour must make a Will save (DC 10 +Steel Knight level + Str modifier) or be shaken (asthe morale effect) for the rest of the combat. Asteel knight equipped with speakers on his armourcan add +1 to the DC of the save.

Armoured Grace: At 2nd level a steel knight isno longer subject to the –2 penalty to Initiativechecks the super-heavy armour imposes.

Avoid Malfunction: At 3rd level a steel knightcan re-roll a roll on the Malfunction table 1/dayfor his armour, but the second result stands.

Crushing Charge: At 4th level the steel knightlearns how to use the weight of his armour in acharge, adding a +4 bonus to his Strength scorewhen he charges in super-heavy armour.

Extra Edge: At 5th level a steel knight learnshow to get an extra edge from his armour, reduc-ing the skill check penalties of the armour by 4and increasing the maximum Dexterity modifierby 1.

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This section details a number of new spellsdesigned around the steamwork systempresented in this guide.

Awaken MachineTransmutationLevel: Invention 9, Sor/Wiz 9Components: V, S, XPRange: TouchTarget: Machine touchedDuration: InstantaneousSaving TThrow: Will negatesSpell RResistance: Yes

This spell awakens the target machine to truesentience. To succeed, the caster must make aWill save (DC 10 + target’s HD or in the case ofnon-constructs or non-vehicles 10 + MaintenanceDC). The awakened machine is friendly towardsthe caster, though the caster has no special empa-thy or connection with it. The machine gains 3d6Intelligence, +2d6 Charisma and +2 HD if it hashit dice. It can speak 1 language + 1 language perIntelligence ability score bonus it possesses.Machines are usually awoken in this manner toserve as superior war constructs that are morecapable of fighting with tactics and strategy, aswell as vehicles that are brought to sentience forvarious purposes.

XP Cost: 750xp

Dominate SteamworkTransmutationLevel: Steamwork 9Components: V, S, MRange: Close (25ft. +5ft./2 levels)Target: 1 steamwork device, vehicle or con-

structDuration: InstantaneousSaving TThrow: Will negatesSpell RResistance: Yes

This spell brings a steamwork device under thecontrol of the caster. A steamwork affected bythis spell will only respond to the command andactivation of the caster, no-one else, and he cancommand and activate it with his voice only. Aconstruct or vehicle dominated in this way willnot attack the caster and will obey his commands,even if it is to attack the original owner. A con-struct with a spirit matrix is still dominated, andthe spirit within loses control of its steamworkbody unless the caster allows it any control. Theeffects of this spell are permanent.

Material Component: A chunk of crystalwrapped in copper wire, costing 50gp.

GeniusTransmutationLevel: Invention 7Components: V, SRange: PersonalTarget: SelfDuration: 1 hour/levelSaving TThrow: NoneSpell RResistance: Yes (Harmless)

This spell fills the character’s brain with surg-ing, inspirational flows of genius, propelling theintellect to new heights and bringing amazingclarity of perception. The character gains a +10enhancement bonus to Craft (Steamworks),Knowledge (Mathematics), Sense Motive, Spotand Search checks as well as a +6 enhancementbonus to Initiative and Intelligence. He gains a+10 enhancement bonus to any other skill checksthat involve solving a puzzle, riddle or other com-plex problem. The character can automaticallysolve such a problem if he wishes, but the spellends immediately.

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SpeSpellslls

Machine SavantDivinationLevel: Invention 3, Sor/Wiz 3Components: V, SRange: PersonalTarget: SelfDuration: 10 minutes/levelSaving TThrow: NoneSpell RResistance: Yes (Harmless)

When a character casts this spell, they becomeable to see into the very heart of a machine, theirmagical vision stripping away the outer layers ofgears and metal to be able to observe the innardsat work. They see any machine as if it were ablueprint, able to percieve how the parts integrate,how they interact - and where they are weakest.

This spell gives a character the ability to makecritical hits against any machines, even if they arenormally immune to critical hits. The caster alsogains a +5 circumstance bonus to any Craft(Steamworks) checks made in the period.

Magic CogTransmutationLevel: Clr 1, Steamwork 1Components: V, S, MRange: TouchTarget: 1 steamwork deviceDuration: 1 hour/levelSaving TThrow: NoneSpell RResistance: Yes (Harmless)

This minor incantation helps keep a machinerunning properly, discouraging malfunctions andkeeping parts moving slightly more efficiently.The Maintenance DC of a machine that this spellis cast on is lowered by 1 of the duration.

Material Component: A small metal cog.

MeldTransmutationLevel: Clr 4Components: V, S, FRange: PersonalTarget: SelfDuration: 10 minutes/levelSaving TThrow: NoneSpell RResistance: Yes (Harmless)

This spell allows the caster to make metalplates adhere and meld with their skin, literallybonding armour to them, and is a common spellamongst the priesthood of mechanist sects. Themetal plates are the material focus of the spell,and grant a +5 armour bonus and damage reduc-tion 5/magic. Due to the nature of the metal actu-ally merging with the caster’s skin, no armourcheck penalties or suchlike are inflicted by thetemporary armour. After the duration of the spellhas expired, the armour plates simply drop off.

Material Focus: Four plates of metal, crafted bythe caster.

Repair MetalTransmutationLevel: Clr 2, Sor/Wiz 2Components: V, SRange: TouchTarget: One construct or metal objectDuration: InstantaneousSaving TThrow: NoneSpell RResistance: Yes (Harmless)

This spell repairs the damage done to a metalobject or construct, sealing up rents and bendingsteel back into place, and healing 1d8+5 points ofdamage.

RustTransmutationLevel: Druid 2, Sor/Wiz 3Components: S, MRange: Close (25 ft. + 5ft/level)Target: 1 steamwork deviceDuration: 1 hour/levelSaving TThrow: Will negatesSpell RResistance: Yes

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This spell is designed to sabotage steamworkdevices, rusting metal parts and weakening jointsfor its duration. The Maintenance DC of anydevice that has rust cast upon it is increased by1d6+1 for the spell’s duration, and constructs andvehicles suffer 2d8 damage.

Material Component: A small vial containingsome rust.

Rust VampireNecromancyLevel: Sor/Wiz 3Components: V, S, MRange: TouchTarget: 1 steamwork deviceDuration: InstantaneousSaving TThrow: Will negatesSpell RResistance: Yes

With this spell, the caster makes a touch attackagainst a machine, infusing its structure withentropic energy. If the subject fails a Will save, itsuffers d6 damage/caster level (maximum 20d6)as the spell corrodes metal and twists plates, andsuffers an immediate roll on the malfunctiontable. The caster is healed for an equal amount asthe damage inflicted as the spell siphons off ener-gy from the machine.

Material Component: A rusted nail.

Soul HarvestNecromancy [Evil]Level: Clr 4, Sor/Wiz 4Components: V, SRange: SelfArea: 30ft. radiusDuration: Instantaneous

This necromantic spell sends a pulse of darkpower racing away from the caster that snares anysouls lingering nearby. The soul of any corpse inthe area that was killed within the last hour is cap-tured in an soul gem that the caster is carrying; ifthe caster does not have enough gems then addi-tional souls escape. In addition any such soulaffected can use the Will save it had when alive totry and escape the spell. This spell is used toacquire souls to power soulburner engines.

A gem must be of at least 100 gp in value to beuseable in this spell.

Timeless EngineTransmutationLevel: Clr 7, Sor/Wiz 7Components: V, S, XPRange: TouchTarget: 1 steamwork deviceDuration: PermanentSaving TThrow: NoneSpell RResistance: Yes (Harmless)

This spell uses powerful magic to slow downthe normal processes of degrading in a steamworkdevice, meaning that maintenance is needed farless often. The affected device does not suffer anypenalties for long-term wear, nor does it needMaintenance checks every day if it is constantlyrunning, instead needing a check every year. Inaddition, the device does not need to make a checkfor every day it goes without maintenance to seeif the skill bonus to its Maintenance checks isreduced by one, instead needing such a check forevery year it goes without maintenance.

XP Component: 100xp

Warp MetalTransmutationLevel: Drd 3, Sor/Wiz 4Components: V, SCasting TTime: 1 actionRange: Close (25ft. +5ft./2 levels)Target: 1 lb. of metal/level, all within a 20ft.

radiusDuration: InstantaneousSaving TThrow: Will negates (object)Spell RResistance: Yes (object)

As warp wood, but this spell affects metalinstead.

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In this appendix are presented the summariesof two of the possible campaigns presented inthe first part of this guide. These summaries

are designed to show from a rules point of viewhow to integrate these concepts into a campaignworld.

The Empire of HurdellPC RRaces: The primary available PC races in

this setting are humans, who make up the pri-mary population of Hurdell, dwarves, with whomthey have an alliance, and lizardfolk, who in thissetting have a talent for mechanical things andmake up a significant portion of the underclassforming in the empire. Lizardfolk especially rep-resent the oppressed lower clases most vociferous-ly and are known for leading strikes and industri-al action.

Classes wwith CCraft ((Steamworks) sskill: Thereis no particular link between steam technologyand either arcane or divine practitioners of magicin Hurdell. The science that they use is by andlarge just technological, and it is primarily thedomain of specialist mechanics with the Expertclass. However, wizards do make up a proportionof the more learned part of society, and as such,they have access to the Craft (Steamworks) skillas a class skill. Fighters also have access to it,because the armed forces of the empire makeextensive use of steamwork equipment and vehi-cles, and as such, most of those who are trainedfor battle become familiar with such devices.Finally, rogues are often familiar with at least thebasics of steam technology as it aids them in deal-ing with steamwork traps and in sabotagingmachinery. Lizardfolk from the province of

Qakul get Craft (Steamworks) as a craft skill asa racial bonus.

Engines: As mentioned, Hurdell basesthe foundations of its steam technolo-

gy on conventional methods, and as

such steam engines that are powered by conven-tional oil or coal burners are the most commonsight. Wizards do occasionally craft more com-plex designs that blend magic with machine butthese are expensive and rare. As such, the onlytwo engine creation feats available are theArcanomech and Master Mechanic feats.

Materials && CCraftsmanship: In terms of mate-rials, the empire of Hurdell makes use primarilyof rion and steel, with more exotic metals beingrare. The exception to this is the Imperial Guard,the constructs of which are made from speciallytreated gold. These constructs, however, aredesigned more for show than for battle. TheHurdellian level of craftsmanship is average, buthas only just advanced from poor in recent years.As such, many devices and constructs of poorquality are still in circulation.

Equipment: Any piece of steamwork equip-ment that is of Maintenance DC 8 or less, and isnot arcana, is probably not that hard to obtain inHurdell, and may even be a regular sight. Arcanaand devices of a higher DC are less common, withany piece of arcana needing to be crafted specifi-cally to order by a wizard. Only light or mediumaugmented steamwork armour is available at themoment, though the progress of science maymake the cosntruction of heavier forms possiblebefore too long.

Edifices oof MMight: The more mundane struc-tures are common throughout the empire, butthose that bledn magic with science are either rareor unheard of. There are plans to build a magnifi-cent weather tower in the empire's largest port,but this is a task of which the Imperial mechanicmages have yet to master the science for.

Prosthetics: Only the simplest of prostheticsare available, and even then it is difficult to find asurgeon with more than 5 ranks in Heal to applythe device. In general, no prosthetic that requiresmore than 8 ranks in Craft (Steamworks) is avail-able.

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AppeAppennddixix

Constructs && VVehicles: If there is one area inwhich Hurdell excels, it is here. Their prowess inbuilding heavily armoured ironclads and intimi-dating airships is unmatched, and has reached thepoint where private companies with crews ofworkers recruited from the Imperial dockyardsare being set up, to provide services to wealthygentlemen and aristocrats who want their ownluxury dirigible or suchlike. Manservant andautomaton constructs are common, especially inthe industrial areas of the cities, while the variousforms of sentinel construct are being constructedon a limited scale to further bolster the flesh andblood troops of the Empire.

Prestige CClasses: Inspired Inventors exist inthis setting, rising above the norm of the mechan-ics and artisans around them. Metalworkers wan-der the factories and slums of the lower classes,being so successful in rabble-rousing that theImperial authorities are considering suppressingthe lizardfolks church of the Gearlord.

Empires of Past and PresentPC RRaces: All the standard races are available,

with the exception of the dwarves. The only traceof that race that still exists is the ruins of theirpast empire.

Classes wwith CCraft ((Steamworks) sskill: Noclass has access to the Craft (Steamworks) skill,only as a cross-class skill, with the exception ofthe Inspired Inventor prestige class. Steamworksare just not well-enough understood in this area ofthe world. And the decadent elves in the east arenot willing to train anyone in such scientific arts.

Engines: No form of engine creation feat isavailable, except to Inspired Inventors.

Materials && CCraftsmanship: Any item takenfrom the ruins of the dwarven empire, or pur-chased from the eastern elves, is of eitheradvanced or high steam power in terms of thequality of its manufacture. The exception to thisis that sometimes Inspired Inventors are success-ful in constructing their own steamwork devicesbased on studying the ancient steam engines ofthe dwarves, but in this case the work is usuallycrude or at its best of poor quality.

Equipment: Potentially any piece of steam-work equipment is available, though incredibly

rare and fabulously expensive. The best way foradventurers to gain items of their own is to inves-tigate the dangerous ruins of the dwarven cities.

Edifices oof MMight: The ruins of many of thesestructures can be found in the ruins of thedwarflands, but most are damaged beyond repairand recognition. The ones that are still active aregenerally not fully understood anyway.

Prosthetics: As with equipment, prostheticsare possible though very, very rare, even in termsof the objects found in ruins. The eastern elvesoccasionally barter one away though.

Constructs && VVehicles: The eastern elves arerumoured to have entire armies of constructs, andmany still prowl the dwarven ruins. Of these lat-ter examples, the most common types areautomatons and sentinels of various forms, appar-ently still powered by some mysterious source ofenergy. Samples of living steel are also known tolair amongst the ancient ruins, and anywhere thatone is found is a dangerous place indeed. Thereare no intact examples of steamwork vehiclesfrom the ruins, though the blueprints for such adevice would fetch an exorbitant price indeed.

Prestige CClasses: Only the Inspired Inventor isavailable, and even these are rare. Nonetheless,their capability to actually construct steamworkdevices means that they are highly erspected andtheir services in great demand.

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Christopher Allen would like to offerthanks to Oliver Geddes, Maldur, Horacio,Arwink, Kaiyosama, Crothian, Sniktch, myold Planescape group (you'll recognise some

Arcanatum stuff) and my Acrozatarim group(you'll know it when it hits you)

LEGAL INFORMATIONOPEN GAME LICENSE Version 1.0a The following text is the property of Wizards of the Coast, Inc. and is

Copyright 2000 Wizards of the Coast, Inc ("Wizards"). All Rights Reserved. 1. Definitions: (a)"Contributors" means the copyright and/or trademark

owners who have contributed Open Game Content; (b)"DerivativeMaterial" means copyrighted material including derivative works and trans-lations (including into other computer languages), potation, modification,correction, addition, extension, upgrade, improvement, compilation, abridg-ment or other form in which an existing work may be recast, transformed oradapted; (c) "Distribute" means to reproduce, license, rent, lease, sell, broad-cast, publicly display, transmit or otherwise distribute; (d)"Open GameContent" means the game mechanic and includes the methods, procedures,processes and routines to the extent such content does not embody theProduct Identity and is an enhancement over the prior art and any addition-al content clearly identified as Open Game Content by the Contributor, andmeans any work covered by this License, including translations and deriva-tive works under copyright law, but specifically excludes Product Identity.(e) "Product Identity" means product and product line names, logos andidentifying marks including trade dress; artifacts; creatures characters; sto-ries, storylines, plots, thematic elements, dialogue, incidents, language, art-work, symbols, designs, depictions, likenesses, formats, poses, concepts,themes and graphic, photographic and other visual or audio representations;names and descriptions of characters, spells, enchantments, personalities,teams, personas, likenesses and special abilities; places, locations, environ-ments, creatures, equipment, magical or supernatural abilities or effects,logos, symbols, or graphic designs; and any other trademark or registeredtrademark clearly identified as Product identity by the owner of the ProductIdentity, and which specifically excludes the Open Game Content; (f)"Trademark" means the logos, names, mark, sign, motto, designs that areused by a Contributor to identify itself or its products or the associated prod-ucts contributed to the Open Game License by the Contributor (g) "Use","Used" or "Using" means to use, Distribute, copy, edit, format, modify,translate and otherwise create Derivative Material of Open Game Content.(h) "You" or "Your" means the licensee in terms of this agreement.

2. The License: This License applies to any Open Game Content thatcontains a notice indicating that the Open Game Content may only be Usedunder and in terms of this License. You must affix such a notice to any OpenGame Content that you Use. No terms may be added to or subtracted fromthis License except as described by the License itself. No other terms or con-ditions may be applied to any Open Game Content distributed using thisLicense.

3.Offer and Acceptance: By Using the Open Game Content You indi-cate Your acceptance of the terms of this License.

4. Grant and Consideration: In consideration for agreeing to use thisLicense, the Contributors grant You a perpetual, worldwide, royalty-free,non-exclusive license with the exact terms of this License to Use, the OpenGame Content.

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7. Use of Product Identity: You agree not to Use any Product Identity,including as an indication as to compatibility, except as expressly licensed inanother, independent Agreement with the owner of each element of thatProduct Identity. You agree not to indicate compatibility or co-adaptabilitywith any Trademark or Registered Trademark in conjunction with a workcontaining Open Game Content except as expressly licensed in another,independent Agreement with the owner of such Trademark or RegisteredTrademark. The use of any Product Identity in Open Game Content doesnot constitute a challenge to the ownership of that Product Identity. The

owner of any Product Identity used in Open Game Content shall retainall rights, title and interest in and to that Product Identity.

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distributing are Open Game Content. 9. Updating the License: Wizards or its designated

Agents may publish updated versions of this License.

You may use any authorized version of this License to copy, modify and dis-tribute any Open Game Content originally distributed under any version ofthis License.

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12. Inability to Comply: If it is impossible for You to comply with anyof the terms of this License with respect to some or all of the Open GameContent due to statute, judicial order, or governmental regulation then Youmay not Use any Open Game Material so affected.

13. Termination: This License will terminate automatically if You failto comply with all terms herein and fail to cure such breach within 30 daysof becoming aware of the breach. All sublicenses shall survive the termina-tion of this License.

14. Reformation: If any provision of this License is held to be unenforce-able, such provision shall be reformed only to the extent necessary to makeit enforceable.

15. COPYRIGHT NOTICE Open Game License v 1.0a Copyright 2000, Wizards of the Coast, Inc. System Reference Document Copyright 2000, Wizards of the Coast,

Inc.; Authors Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook, Skip Williams, Bruce R.Cordell, based on original material by E. Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson.

Modern System Reference Document, copyright 2002, Wizards of theCoast, Inc.; Authors Bill Slavicek, Jeff Grub, Rich Redman, Charles Ryan,based on material by Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook, Skip WIlliams, RichardBaker, Peter Adkison, Bruce R. Cordell, John Tynes, Andy Collins, and JDWiker.

Steam & Steel Copyright 2004 E.N.PublishingEND OF LICENSE

This edition of Steam & Steel is published under version 1.0a of theOpen Game License, version 5.0 of the d20 System Trademark Licenseand version 4.0 of the d20 System Trademark Guide, by permissionfrom Wizards of the Coast.

Designation of Product Identity: the following items are hereby des-ignated as product identity in accordiance with section 1 (e) of the opengame license, version 1.0a: all proper names of persons and deities, allAmbient Inc., Natural 20 Press and E.N.Publishing trademarks, logosand identifying marks and trade dress, including all product and productline names including but not limited to the E.N.Publishing Logo, Steam& Steel; any and all stories, storylines, plots, characters, thematic ele-ments, fiction and dialogue; all artwork, symbols, designs, depictions,illustrations, maps and cartography, likenesses, poses, logos, graphicdesigns except such elements that already appear in the d20 systemreference document and are already Open Game Content by virtue ofappearing there. The above product identity is not Open Game Content.

Designation of Open Game Content: All text not covered by theabove declaration of Product Identity above is released as Open GameContent except for the sample campaign settings provided on pages 13,14 and 15 and in the Appendix.

All contents of this publication, regardless of designation, are copy-righted year 2004, E.N.Publishing, all rights reserved. Reproduction oruse without the written permission of the publisher is expressly forbid-den except for the purpose of review or in accordance with the OpenGame License.

The mention of or reference to any company or product in thisproduct is not a challenge to the trademark or copyright concerned.

“d20 system” and the “d20 system logo” are trademarks owned byWizards of the Coast and are used according to the terms of the d20System License version 5.0. A copy of this license can be found atwww.wizards.com/d20

“Dungeons & Dragons” and “Wizards of the Coast” are registeredtrademarks of Wizards of the Coast, and are used with permission.

Copyright 2004, E.N.Publishing

page 126


Don’t forget to check out the rest of theE.N.Publishing product catalog. Fromancient necromancers, and wild magic to90’s b-movie adventures and superheroes,the award-winning d20 product line atE.N.Publishing brings you the best in elec-tronic products.

Drop by E.N.World (www.enworld.org)for more information on E.N.Publishingreleases and product lines, as well as sup-port for existing products. You can evenget a chance to add your name to our grow-ing collection of e-books.

The message boards at E.N.World arealways a friendly place to learn more aboutthe d20 system in general, your favouriteRPGs, and E.N.Publishing releases.

That’s right. The author of Steamand Steel, Christopher Allen, has anotherbook on the way. Keep your eyes out forThe Biothaumaturgical Handbook, to bepublished by Enkwell Press in 2004.

page 127

But Wait! There’s More!

There’s More!

But Wait! There is STILL More!

Really like the steamwork reality of Steam and

Steel? E.N.Publishing is proud to announce that

Ronin Arts will be releasing supplemental prod-

ucts that are fully compatable with Steam & Steel

this year. Look out for ClockWork Prosthetics

and other steamworks products through Ronin

Arts in 2004.

E.N.PublishingYour community e-publisher

www.enworld.org/enpublishing

steam & steel d20

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