Clockwork Wombats

Wombats! The latest craze. But to the discerning Artificer an opportunity to be inspired by nature.

This is not a serious post, but is an interesting exercise none the less. It uses the revised machinery rule from Machinery to the Max. I started by making a companion suitable for an apprentice, but then my wife said she thought it should be a vehicle instead, so I did both. For the companion I work towards the value threshold in the personal automaton proficiency, it's always interesting seeing what can be shoehorned into that limit. For the wombat wagon I opened up the limits a little, enjoy!

Combat Wombat Companion

Instead of taking the tinker proficiency many a brave artificer take the personal automaton proficiency. While legend has it that gnomes favour pets such as badgers or ferrets, a little known fact is the mighty wombat is seen as the most loyal and brave companion. Their sturdy composition and hardy posterior coupled with might teeth for digging make them an admirable beast. The clockwork version has all these features and more, with a hardened gnomium shell and pneumatic pincers for teeth. With all these features crammed into the small shell there is little room left to carry extra items found along the way. Many a personal automaton also features hide from the rare Surreptitious to give it a luxurious feel (count the hide value towards the cost of hardening the design if these rules are used).

The combat wombat companion can be built by a 1st level machinist at a +1 build penalty taking 14 days with a base construction cost of 6,500 gp.

Combat Wombat Companion

Hit dice: 2 (8 HP, save F1) 
Armor class: 3
Move: 60’ (20’)Weight: 40st. Carry: 10 st.
Attacks: 1 bite (1d6)
Cost (net abilities): 6,500 (####)
Positive abilities (total): Automaton immunities *, Increased AC (+2) ##. (* ##)
Negative abilities (total): Other negative ability (half carry capacity) ####, Elemental vulnerability (Lightning) ##. (#### ##)

Wombat Wagon

Legends of giant burrowing tigers are often propagated by sightings of these machines from a distance, a very long distance. Up close these machines only resemble giant Wombats in a most rudimentary way.
The size of a small mechanical carriage or hoverbike, these are in fact a single person transport capable of borrowing through dirt or loose rock. The operator is housed within the ‘torso’ of the beast with the head and jaw mechanism containing most of the burrowing machinery.
The mouth of the beast is modelled off the mighty wombat with hydraulic jaws and steel reinforced teeth for digging. In digging mode grinders retract from three panels on the bottom and sides of the skull to assist in breaking down material on the outer shell as the mouth opens with the teeth breaking through more solid material as it closes.
In normal operation the wombat wagon does not make a usable tunnel, but it can construct one when necessary. The wagon burrows at half speed when it does so forming a roughly round tube 5’ in diameter. To remove much of the debris formed when making a tunnel it contains a compressor and micro furnace that hardens the soil and loose rock into hard baked cubes that it leaves behind in a trail that flattens out the floor of the tunnel.
While not build for combat, the wagon has proven capable when in a fight. It mighty jaws can sheer steel armor and the reinforced hull and posterior make it difficult to damage.
It can be build by a 2nd level machinist at a +2 build penalty taking 18 days with a base construction cost of 11,000 gp.

Wombat Wagon

Hit dice: 3 (12 HP, save F2)
Armor class: 5
Move: Ground 90’ (30’); Burrowing 60’ (20’)
Weight: 90 st.
Carry: 22 st. (1 passenger)
Attacks: 1 bite (2d4, -1 to targets AC)
Cost (net abilities): 11,000 (*)
Positive abilities (total): Automaton immunities *, Increased AC (+3) ###, Increased movement (ground +30’, ##), Movement Mode (Borrowing, ##), Passenger (1) #, Protected compartment ####. (** ####)
Negative abilities (total): Other negative ability (half carry capacity) ####, Requires operator (mechanist, learned) *. (* ####)