Tinker Gnome Equipment

Tinker gnomes jealously guard their secrets. Each community might know the secret of only a few of the following pieces of gear.

Some tinker gnome inventions are automata that can move on their own. Each automaton comes with a necklace or other piece of jewelry that can be used to control it. A creature wearing the jewelry can use a bonus action to make an automaton move up to its Speed or perform an action listed in its description. An automaton is an object that is immune to fire, poison, and psychic damage. It automatically fails all saving throws , but it is immune to all conditions except prone . An automaton's AC, hit points, and speed are listed on the table below. A creature proficient in Engineering or with tinker's tools can restore all hit points to a damaged automaton during a long rest .

Clockwork Mule (Automaton). About 6 feet long and 4 feet wide, this automaton is little more than a Large cart with tracked treads. It has a carrying capacity of 1,000 pounds and is most often used to haul equipment, freeing up adventurers to carry only their most important gear.

Life Detector. This hand-held device helps answer one of the most important questions an adventuring party can ask: "What's behind that door?" As an action, a creature can use the device to detect creatures that aren't constructs or undead within 60 feet, displaying their current locations on a crystalline matrix. The device can penetrate barriers, but 2 feet of rock, 2 inches of metal, or a thin sheet of lead blocks it. This device is an exceptoin to to other tinker gnome items, as it is powered by divination magic (and so can be disrupted by dispel magic or thwarted by nondetection ). Once the life detector has been used, it can't be used again for 4 hours.

Lock Master. This metal gauntlet has small probes and picks affixed to its fingertips. The wearer gains an expertise die on Dexterity checks made to open locks and disarm traps when using the lock master.

Map Minder (Automaton). Mapping the labyrinthine tunnels and passages of lost ruins is one of the most tedious yet vital jobs of an adventuring party. The map minder is a Small device that measures distances and directions, using parchment and an automated pen to map the surroundings it can see within 60 feet of it. Highly accurate, the map minder all but eliminates the chances of a party losing its way. It can be programmed to utilize special colors and symbols to indicate the location of doors, slopes, traps, and other features.

Rope Minder (Automaton). Rope is one of the most indispensable but cumbersome items in an adventurer's arsenal. A rope minder allows parties to venture into the unknown with a near-unlimited supply of rope and a solid base upon which to secure it. A Medium, quadrupedal cube, the rope master measures about 3 feet to a side and carries inside it a powerful winch outfitted with up to 2,000 feet of sturdy silken rope. Its sharp legs and arcano-mechanical hydraulic system allow the rope minder to scuttle up sheer surfaces and anchor itself in place. The rope minder can then dispense rope to its owners, allowing them to climb or descend.

Torchbearer (Automaton). A Tiny clockwork device typically shaped like a dog or cat, the torchbearer functions as a permanent mobile light source. The torchbearer emits a cone of nonmagical bright light from its eyes to a distance of 30 feet, and dim light for an additional 30 feet. The automaton's owner can use a bonus action to activate the light, dim it, or shut it off entirely. The light shines until it is shut off.

Trapmaster (Automaton). The trapmaster is unusual in that it is specifically designed to take advantage and remain functional. Measuring 4 feet long, 3 feet wide, and 2 feet high, it is nothing more than a heavily armored, tracked automaton. The trapmaster can be sent forward to trigger traps, allowing parties to proceed safely. While it is of little use against trapped chests, locks, or other minor hazards, the trapmaster can be a true boon against more powerful traps, as its heavy armor is treated with alchemical substances that grant it resistance to acid, cold, force, lightning, necrotic, radiant, and thunder damage, in addition to the normal immunities of a tinker gnome automaton.