The Clockwinder
A tall figure in gear-studded plate draws a sword that appears to be made from the hand of some massive clock. As they swing their weapon, their foes get the impression that they're swinging all the swords that could have been there at once.
A lean elf with tattoos representing the phases of the moon and stranger mathematical concepts creeps around a corner. With a flash, it is as if they were never there to begin with, but their knowledge remains unchanged.
Clockwinders are a unique type of warrior. Armed with the magical ability to manipulate their own personal timestreams, they strike foes and obtain knowledge before they should be able to.
Magic is Metaphor
Clockwinders seem at first glance to be tinkers, rather than magicians, but at the end of the day, their powers come from magic and they are the first to admit this. The first tenet that a budding clockwinder is taught is that "Magic is Metaphor and Metaphor is Magic". The clock is the greatest metaphoric representation of time, and by tapping into that metaphor they access their potent temporal powers.
Learned Scholars
The fact that magic is the source of their abilities doesn't stop clockwinders from being consummate researchers. More than most, they understand the underlying physical and mathematical principles behind understanding time and by extension space. They simply recognize that the most efficient way to manipulate those forces is through metaphor and therefor magic.
Creating a Clockwinder
Choose the clockwinder if you wish to play a character who uses weaponry augmented by temporal magic. Ask yourself the following questions. Where did your clockwinder develop their craft? Was it from an individual who taught them master to apprentice, or did they attend a school of magic and later develop their own style? What other information did your character pick up during their training, and do they have any strong beliefs because of it?
Work with your GM to determine the place of clockwinders in the world. Are they a recognized organization of which your character is simple a member, or is it a unique style of magic that you developed yourself? How are clockwinders perceived by other adventuring professions? Maybe they simply appear to be arcane warriors similar to an eldritch knight, or perhaps outsiders see them as using technology rather than the arcane arts to work their tricks.
Quick Build
When creating a Clockwinder, Strength or Dexterity should be your highest ability score, followed by Intelligence or Constitution. Choose the temporal techniques Accelerate, Duplicate Strike, and Rewind. Finally, choose the Guild Artisan background.
Class Features
As a Clockwinder, you gain the following class features
Hit Points
- Hit Dice: 1d10 per level
- Hit Points at 1st Level: 10 + your Constitution modifier
- Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d10 (or 6) + your Constitution modifier per Clockwinder level after 1st.
Proficiencies
- Armor: Light armor, Medium Armor, Shields
- Weapons: All simple and martial weapons
- Tools: Tinkers Tools
- Saving Throws: Constitution and Intelligence saving throws
- Skills: Choose 2 from Acrobatics, Arcana, Athletics, History, Insight, Investigation, Perception, and Sleight of Hand
Equipment
You start with the following equipment, in addition to the equipment granted by your background:
- (a) a martial weapon and a shield or (b) two martial weapons
- (a) scale mail or (b) leather armor, heavy crossbow, and 20 bolts
- (a) a dungeoneer's pack or (b) an explorer's pack
- A set of tinker's tools
Chronometer
Magic is a largely symbolic art, and temporal magic is no exception. At 1st level, you have captured magical potential in a specially crafted pocketwatch or similar spring-powered timepiece known as a chronometer. You use your chronometer to activate some class features and most temporal techniques. After you use your chronometer, it takes some time to rewind itself, during which time you cannot activate it. Roll 1d12. This is the number of rounds before your chronometer is fully rewound. At level 10, you craft a second chronometer. Track each chronometer's rewind time separately.
If you ever lose one of your chronometers, you can recreate a new one over the course of a long rest as long as you have access to a set of tinker's tools and raw materials costing 15 gold pieces.
Temporal Techniques
Temporal techniques are the fusion of personal combat and temporal arcana. At 1st level, you know three temporal techniques of your choice, which are detailed at the end of this class. Many temporal techniques require the activation of your chronometer. If your chronometer is not currently wound, you cannot use those techniques.
If a Temporal Technique calls for a saving throw, the DC is equal to 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Intelligence modifier.
The Clockwinder
| Level | Proficiency Bonus |
Temporal Techniques Known |
Features |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | +2 | 3 | Chronometer, Temporal Techniques |
| 2nd | +2 | 3 | Perfect Timing |
| 3rd | +2 | 4 | Innovation |
| 4th | +2 | 4 | Ability Score Improvement |
| 5th | +3 | 5 | Winding Strike |
| 6th | +3 | 5 | Innovation Feature |
| 7th | +3 | 6 | Temporal Recovery |
| 8th | +3 | 6 | Ability Score Improvement |
| 9th | +4 | 7 | Rapid Action |
| 10th | +4 | 7 | Chronometer Improvement |
| 11th | +4 | 7 | Winding Strike Improvement |
| 12th | +4 | 8 | Ability Score Improvement |
| 13th | +5 | 8 | Innovation Feature |
| 14th | +5 | 8 | Timeless Self |
| 15th | +5 | 9 | Temporal Recovery Improvement |
| 16th | +5 | 9 | Ability Score Improvement |
| 17th | +6 | 9 | Instant Rewind |
| 18th | +6 | 10 | Innovation Feature |
| 19th | +6 | 10 | Ability Score Improvement |
| 20th | +6 | 10 | Accelerated Chronometer |
Perfect Timing
At 2nd level, your long experience working with timepieces has given you an exceptional sense of timing. You always measure the passage of time perfectly, even if you are unconscious. Additionally, if you are asleep, you can use your action to wake up.
Innovation
At 3rd level, you begin developing new methods and uses for chronometers. Choose Brassbound Warrior or Timespace Scount, which are detailed at the end of the class. Your choice grants you features when you take it and again at levels 6, 13, and 18.
Ability Score Improvement
When you reach 4th level, and again at 8th, 12th, 16th, and 19th level, you can increase one ability score of your choice by 2, or you can increase two ability scores of your choice by 1. As normal, you can’t increase an ability score above 20 using this feature. Alternatively, you can choose a feat (see Chapter 6 for a list of feats).
Winding Strike
At 5th level, you learn to convert some of the momentum of your weapon attacks into stored energy. Whenever you take the attack action on your turn, you may use your bonus action to reduce the number of turns remaining until your chronometer is rewound by one. Beginning at 11th level, whenever you use this feature you may choose to reduce the number of turns remaining on one chronometer by 2, or reduce the number of turns remaining on both of your chronometers by 1.
Temporal Recovery
At 7th level, you learn to convert large expenditures of chrono energy into health for yourself. Whenever you activate your chronometer and roll a 12 as the result, you may choose to regain health equal to 12 + your Constitution modifier + your clockwinder levels. Once you have done so, you cannot do so again until you have completed a short rest.
At 15th level, this ability improves. You can now choose to use this ability any time you activate your chronometer. If you do so, you regain health equal to the result of your chronometer roll + your Constitution modifier + your clockwinder levels.
Rapid Action
At 9th level, you learn to take advantage of warped time to take actions faster than would normally be possible. As an action, you can activate your chonometer to instantly take any action that would normally take up to a minute per clockwinder level you possess, such as searching a room, picking a lock, or crafting a simple item. If you take any damage during this process, you exit the accelerated time stream you are in, though you might still be able to finish the action at normal speed.
Timeless Self
At 14th level, constant exposure to shifting time has altered your physical being. You no longer age, and you can perfectly recall any event which you have witnessed within the normal lifetime of your race.
Instant Rewind
At 17th level, you can instantly rewind your both of your chronometers as a bonus action. Once you have used this feature, you cannot do so again until you have completed a short rest.
Accelerated Chronometer
At 20th level, your chronometers rewind much faster. After rolling 1d12 to determine the rewind time of one of your chronometers, reduce the result by half (rounded down).
Innovations
This paragraph explains the different archetypes available to the class, what those archetypes specialize in, and what choosing that archetype means for a character.
Brassbound Warrior
Brassbound warriors are clockwork juggernauts, heavy brass armor and weapon lending power to their arms and protecting them from powerful harm..
Bonus Proficiencies
When you first select this Innovation at 3rd level, you gain proficiency in smith's tools and heavy armor.
Clockwork Weapon
At 3rd level when you select this Innovation, you can modify weapons with clockwork enhancements. Applying a clockwork enhancement to a weapon can be done during a short or a long rest and requires tinker's tools. You can only have one weapon enhancement applied at a time, and clockwork enhancements only work if the weapon is wielded by you. If you create a new clockwork enhancement, the old one stops functioning.
- Spinning blades or crushing gears surround the weapon's sweet spot. Attacks with the weapon deal an additional 1 damage. If the weapon has the two-handed or heavy property, it instead deals an additional 2 damage. While your chronometer is rewinding, the weapon deals an extra 3 damage instead.
- Stabilizing gyros improve the weapon's accuracy. You have a +1 bonus to attack rolls with this weapon. While your chronometer is rewinding, the weapon also deals a critical hit on a roll of 19 or 20.
- You create a clockwork duplicate of a light weapon. When fighting with the clockwork duplicate and the original weapon you may still apply your ability bonus to the damage dealt by the off-hand attack. You can use your Winding Strike feature as part of the same bonus action used for two-weapon fighting.
- A bow or crossbow is modified with ratcheting gears. All your ranges with that weapon are increased by 50% and you ignore the loading property if it has it. While your chronometer is rewinding, you also gain a +1 to attack and damage rolls with that weapon.
Clockwork Armor
At level 6, you learn to modify your armor with clockwork enhancements as well. Applying a clockwork enhancement to your armor can be done during a short or along rest and requires tinker's tools. You can only have one armor augment applied at a time, and armor augments only work if the armor is worn by you. If you create a new armor augment, the old one stops functioning.
- Articulated plates automatically move into place to block incoming attacks. The armor class of this armor improves by 1. Whenever your chronometer is rewinding, this armor class improves by an additional one.
- Ratcheting gears lock your gauntlets on command. You cannot be disarmed against your will and have advantage on Strength (Athletics) checks made to grapple. Whenever your chronometer is rewinding, you may also make a grapple attempt as a bonus action after taking the attack action on your turn.
- Spring-loaded plates can launch out to protect allies. These plates counts as if you are wielding a shield, but you may still manipulate objects with that hand. Whenever your chronometer is rewinding and a creature you can see attacks a target other than you that is within 5 feet of you, you can use your reaction to impose disadvantage on the attack roll. This augment does not allow you to wield a shield and a weapon with the same hand.
Tensed Spring
Also starting at 6th level, you can attack twice, instead of once, when you take the Attack action on your turn, as long as you are wearing armor with a clockwork augment or wielding a weapon with a clockwork enhancement.
Chronoguard
Starting at 13th level, whenever you activate your chronometer, you also gain temporary hit points equal to your Intelligence bonus (minimum 1).
Pendulum Striker
Starting at 18th level, the first time you strike a creature with your clockwork weapon on your turn, you deal an additional 1d12 force damage. If you roll a 12 for this damage, you also reduce the number of rounds remaining for both of your chronometers to rewind by 1.
Timespace Scout
Some clockwinders choose to more deeply explore the connection of space to time, and unlock abilities that allow them to observe and infiltrate.
Bonus Proficiencies
When you first select this innovation at 3rd level, you gain proficiency in thief's tools.
Displacement Winder
Also at 3rd level, you begin displacing yourself each time you alter your timeline. Whenever you activate your chronometer, you also may teleport to a space you can see within 10 feet.
Multi-phasic Strike
At 6th level, your weapons attack multiple layers of reality. When you hit with a weapon attack on your turn, you deal an additional 1d6 force damage. Even if you miss with a weapon attack, you deal 1 force damage. This damage increases to 2d6 and 2 at level 13.
Bend Light
Also at 6th level, while your chronometer is rewinding, you ignore disadvantage when making ranged weapon attacks at long range, and you can see as far as the horizon as if it was within 10 feet of you, so long as there are no obstructions.
Arrow Time
Starting at 13th level, your mastery of timespace allows you to see the flight of an arrow with ease. When you are targeted by a ranged attack, you can use your reaction to impose disadvantage on the attack roll. If the ranged attack misses you, you can activate your chronometer to redirect the attack against a target within 60 feet of you. Make a ranged weapon attack. On a hit, the target is struck as if the original attacker had successfully attacked them.
Displacement Rush
Starting at 18th level, when you use your displacement winder feature, you can teleport up to 30 feet. After teleporting, you can make a single weapon attack for free against a target in range.
Temporal Techniques
The techniques described here are listed in alphabetical order.
Accelerate
On your turn you can activate your chronometer (no action required) to gain a bonus to your move speed equal to your current move speed until the end of your turn. Until your chronometer is rewound, you gain a 5 foot bonus to your move speed on subsequent turns.
Break
As an action, activate your chronometer and designate a creature you can see within 30 feet. You cause their personal time to splinter. They must make a Constitution saving throw. On a failed save, they take force damage equal to 1d6 plus an additional 1d6 for every three clockwinder levels you possess. On a successful save, they take half damage.
When your chronometer finishes rewinding, the target takes damage again as if they had failed their save.
Decelerate
At the beginning of another creature's turn you can activate your chronometer. That creature must make a Dexterity saving throw or have its move speed reduced by half until the end of its turn. Regardless of whether it makes its save, the creature's move speed is reduced by 5 feet until the chronometer is rewound.
Distort
By obscuring a creature from the timeline, you make it difficult to target that creature with attacks or effects. You can activate your chronometer at any time with no action required to give a creature you can see a bonus to its armor class against a single attack or to a single saving throw equal to your intelligence bonus.
Duplicate Strike
When you take the Attack action on your turn, you can activate your chronometer. When the chronometer finishes rewinding, you immediately take another attack action which originates in either your current location or the location where you used this technique. While your chronometer rewinds itself, you deal an additional 1 damage with weapon attacks. This increases to 2 damage at level 11.
Extend
When an effect you are aware of with a duration of at least 1 minute ends, you can activate your chronometer to extend its duration further. The effect now lasts until your chronometer rewinds. You cannot extend effects which ended because a creature stopped concentrating on them.
Interrupt
When a creature you can see makes an attack roll, you can activate your chronometer as a Reaction to make a single weapon attack against that creature before its attack. Until your chronometer finishes rewinding, that creature has disadvantage on attack rolls against creatures other than you if it is within 5 feet of you.
Phase
Requires level 6 As a Reaction when you take damage, you can activate your chronometer to shift partially into another timestream. You take half as much damage from the triggering effect, and until your chronometer finishes rewinding you reduce all damage you take of that type by 1. If the triggering source did more than one type of damage, you reduce the damage taken by all of its types in this way.
Predict
When you roll initiative, you may activate your chronometer. Add the result of its roll to your initiative score, and until it rewinds you can increase or decrease the result of any d20 roll by 1 as a Reaction each turn. At level 11, you can modify a roll up or down by 2 instead.
Reach
Requires Brassbound Warrior
You may activate your chronometer on your turn to cause your weapon's gears to extend its reach. Your weapon's reach is increased by 5 feet until the end of your turn. You must be wielding a melee weapon modified by a clockwork enhancement to use this technique.
Rewind
As an action, you can reduce the number of rounds until your chronometer is rewound by 2. If you have the Winding Strike class feature, this technique applies its effects as well.
Shatter
Requires level 6
As an action, you activate your chronometer to cause time to shatter in an area. Until your chronometer finishes rewinding, a 20 foot cube centered on a point within 30 feet of you counts as difficult terrain, and creatures which enter the area for the first time take 1d4 force damage plus 1d4 per five clockwinder levels you posses. When your chronometer finishes rewinding, creatures which entered the area at any point take the maximum possible damage of this effect, even if they are not in the area any longer.
Skip
At the end of your turn, you may activate your chronometer. Until the start of your next turn, you are removed from the battlefield. You ignore all effects and take no damage. When this effect ends, you reappear in the same space, or the nearest open space if that space is occupied.
Splinter
Requires level 9
As an action, you activate your chronometer to split a target within 30 feet into two separate copies until the end of their next turn. Each copy takes its own turn simultaneously, with the following restrictions:
- Copies can only make a single weapon attack when taking the Attack action and may not use Multiattack.
- Copies share health, spell slots, and other resources or limited uses of features. If an effect would deal damage to both copies, each must suffer its effects separately, but the damage is dealt to the shared health pool both times.
- At the end of the second copy's turn, both copies collapse into one of the copies, chosen by the creature.
Stop
Requires level 13
At the start of your turn, you may activate your chronometer. Until the start of your next turn, no creatures may use reactions or legendary actions. At the end of this turn, immediately take another turn. Using this technique always takes the maximum time to recharge, regardless of what you roll for your chronometer.
Undo
After missing with an attack roll or failing a saving throw, you can activate your chronometer to reroll the dice using the same bonus. You must use the new result, even if it is also a miss or failure.
Warp
Requires Timespace Scout
As a bonus action, you activate your chronometer to teleport to a space you can see up to 60 feet away.