~Items~

Tabi's Automata
H ail adventurers !
How many times have you
wished for a reliable hireling, utterly
Well met!

loyal and competent, who can take

care of mundane or routine tasks —
carrying scrolls, potions, or supplies,
scouting ahead for hidden enemies,
securing ropes and doorways, trig-
gering traps, and the like —leaving
you free to do the interesting, impor-
tant jobs such as exploration, treasure
looting, and fighting? Look no further
for Tabi’s Automata is here to help!
A skilled artificer with decades of
experience, she has crafted devices
to aid in your delves, wilderness
expeditions, and general exploits, all
for reasonable rates, custom-tailored
for even the most budget-conscious WRITING Anthony Pryor
COLOR ART Xanditz
adventuring bands! Come and see
EDITING Mike Myler
what Tabi can do for you! LAYOUT Frank Michienzi

Discounts and group rates available.

Items: Tabi's Automata | EN World EN5idEr

Tabi Taphammer is a gnomish artificer with a bright
and friendly personality, and a shrewd, well-honed
business sense. As she worked her way through
apprenticeship and her early career as an indepen-
dent businesswoman, she developed friendships
with several adventurers, concentrating on the
creation of tools and automata specifically to help
with the tasks of exploration, dungeon delving,
and treasure finding. Tabi’s reputation grew, and
today she oversees an extensive workshop and
rental service with a dozen employees who help
to build and maintain her cunningly-designed
devices. Some are handheld and aid in such tasks
as detecting potential enemies and fine manipula-
tion, while others are full-scale automata that can
provide light and transportation, or literally knock
down walls.
Common Features
Each of Tabi’s devices is a handcrafted labor of love
with several features to deter theft or misuse.
Terms of Service. Renters must sign an agree-
ment that lists all conditions of the automata’s
intended use, and each requires a deposit in
advance. Should the device be damaged, costs of
repair are deducted from the deposit before it is
returned. The entire deposit is forfeit should the
device be destroyed of course, and users may be
liable for additional costs.
Length of Service. Each of Tabi’s mechanisms
is rented for a specified period that ranges from
one day to one month, after which the device
will stop functioning, becoming a nonworking
assembly of gears, pistons, and pulleys.
Open Game Content | The game rule information in this
article is designated Open Game Content. All other material
in this article, including maps and illustrations (including
illustrations in the public domain), in-character and out-of-
character narrative and descriptive text, character and place
names, trade dress, “EN Publishing,” “EN World,” “EN5ider,”
EN Publishing product and article titles, and
EN World and EN Publishing logos, are designated
Product Identity.
Items: Tabi's Automata | EN World EN5idEr
Self-Destruct. Attempts to tamper with the
machines to cause them to work longer than
their specified period trigger self-destruct mech-
anisms. Overriding the rental limit requires a
DC 20 Intelligence (thieves’ tools) check and
DC 20 Dexterity (thieves’ tools) check. If either
check fails, the device is destroyed in a 20-foot
radius explosion of flames. Each creature in the
area must make a DC 18 Dexterity saving throw,
taking 22 (4d10) fire damage on a failed save, or
half as much damage on a successful one. Hand-
held devices only deal 5 (1d10) fire damage
to the creature tinkering with them, but allow
no saving throw. Success on both checks
overrides the limit and allows the devices to
keep functioning, but the checks must be
repeated every 1d4 days or the item self-
destructs.
Standard Design. Unless otherwise noted, these
devices have a speed of 30 feet and cannot take
the Dash action. Also, most of these devices are
mechanical in nature and do not employ magic.
With the exception of the relatively
fragile Mr. Handy, all automata have immunity
to fire, poison, and psychic damage, and to the
charmed, exhaustion, frightened, paralyzed,
petrified, and poisoned conditions. Non-
handheld devices also have resistance to
nonmagical bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing
damage.
The following table lists the AC, HP, deposits,
and rental rates for Tabi’s devices. Rentals are pro-
rated for longer periods. The deposit is due when
the device is first rented, although Tabi sometimes
offers favored customers lower deposit rates, or
waives them entirely for especially trusted users.
The cost of each device if destroyed is also listed,
but this is only if the device is destroyed in the
course of normal use and deposits are deducted
from the cost. If a device was tampered with and
its self-destruct function was triggered, the deposit
is forfeit, and the cost is doubled. Despite her good
nature, Tabi is not above hiring outside muscle to
enforce any financial penalties or even pursuing
theft charges with legal authorities.
Table: Tabi’s Automata
Daily Rates
Device AC HP 1–7 Day 8–14 Days 15–30 Days Deposit If Destroyed

Clockwork Mule 17 30 25 gp 20 gp 15 gp 375 gp 750 gp

Life Detector 10 5 20 gp 15 gp 10 gp 300 gp 600 gp

Lock Master 10 5 20 gp 15 gp 10 gp 300 gp 600 gp

Map Minder 13 15 50 gp 40 gp 30 gp 400 gp 800 gp

Mr. Handy 16 22 75 gp 60 gp 40 gp 1,000 gp 2,000 gp

Reconnaissance 13 15 100 gp 80 gp 60 gp 500 gp 1,000 gp

Flyer

Rope Minder 18 20 30 gp 25 gp 20 gp 400 gp 800 gp

Thor’s Hammer 20 40 40 gp 35 gp 30 gp 500 gp 1,000 gp

Torchbearer 17 18 25 gp 20 gp 15 gp 375 gp 750 gp

Trapmaster 24 50 200 gp 150 gp 100 gp 2,000 gp —

Clockwork Mule Lock Master

Tabi’s most basic and popular device, the mule is
nothing more than a small cart, about 6 feet long by
4 feet wide, with a tracked tread mechanism. It has
a carrying capacity of up to 1,000 pounds, and is
most often used to haul equipment, freeing adven-
turers to carry only their most important gear.
This metal gloved gauntlet is fixed with small
probes and picks along its fingertips, allowing
anyone wearing it to make checks as if they were
thieves’ tools. A wearer proficient with thieves’
tools gains advantage on Dexterity checks made
to open locks and disarm traps when using the
lock master.

Life Detector
This hand-held device helps to answer one of the
most important questions that adventuring parties
ask: “what’s behind that door?” Equipped with an
internal mechanism imbued with arcane ener-
gies that allow it to detect any living creatures
(including their numbers and sizes, within 60 feet).
Once detected, the device can follow where targets
move while within its radius, displaying them in
a crystalline matrix. This device is an exception to
Tabi’s other items, as it is powered by divination
magic (and so can be disrupted by dispel magic or
thwarted by nondetection). In addition, it does not
detect undead entities.
Map Minder
Mapping the labyrinthine tunnels and passages
of lost ruins and catacombs is one of the most
tedious yet vital jobs for an adventuring party.
The Map Minder is a clever device that measures
distances and directions, producing a graphic
sketch of a party’s travels utilizing a graphing pen
and parchment. Highly accurate, the Map Minder
all but eliminates the chance of a party losing its
way, and also uses specialized colors and symbols
to indicate the location of doors, slopes, traps, and
other features.

Items: Tabi's Automata | EN World EN5IDER

MR. HANDY
SMALL CONSTRUCT, UNALIGNED
Armor Class 16 (natural armor)
Hit Points 22 (5d6 + 5)
Speed 30 ft.
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
12 (+1) 12 (+1) 12 (+1) 5 (–3) 12 (+1) 3 (–4)
Skills Animal Handling +3, Athletics +3, Medicine +3,
Perception +3, Sleight of Hand +3, Stealth +3, Survival +3
Damage Immunities poison, psychic
Condition Immunities charmed, exhaustion, frightened,
paralyzed, petrified, poisoned
Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 13
Languages Common
Challenge 1/4 (50 XP)
Anti-Tamper Device. Mr. Handy is all but impossible
to repurpose or force to work beyond its agreed
rental period, and checks made to force it to do so
have disadvantage. On a failed check, Mr. Handy is
destroyed in a 20-foot radius explosion. Each creature
in the area must make a DC 18 Dexterity saving throw,
taking 22 (4d10) fire damage on a failed save, or half as
much on a successful one.
Carryall. Mr. Handy can carry up to 250 lbs. without
affecting its speed.
Illumination. Mr. Handy can emit bright light over a
10-foot radius and dim light for an additional 10 feet.
When verbally commanded by its user, Mr. Handy turns
the light on or off.
Mechanical Drive. Mr. Handy ignores difficult terrain but
cannot take the Dash action.
Meteorologist. Mr. Handy can use an action to make a
DC 15 Wisdom (Survival) check, correctly predicting
the weather over the next 24 hours on a success.
ACTIONS
Slam. Melee Weapon Attack: +3 to hit, reach 5 ft., one
target. Hit: 3 (1d4+1) bludgeoning damage.
Items: Tabi's Automata | EN World EN5idEr
Mr. Handy is a popular automaton and often fully
personified by users who value the companionship
it offers despite the fact that it is simply one more
of Tabi’s automata. Normally, Mr. Handy is utilized
to do such jobs as set up camp, gather firewood
and start fires, prepare basic meals, bear supplies
on the trail, provide light, and even engage in basic
conversation (although its responses are limited to
simple yes or no answers, or very minimal observa-
tions regarding the weather or recent experiences).
The automaton’s behavior is designed to emphasize
its own self-preservation and survival, but it can be
ordered to defend its users — to its own destruction
if necessary. As Mr. Handy is much more fragile
than Tabi’s other devices, users take pains to see
that it is not lost or damaged.
Reconnaissance Flyer
Small, intricate, and fragile, the reconnaissance
flyer is an expensive but often invaluable device,
especially for those who are exploring wilderness
regions or potentially dangerous underground
areas. It has a fly speed of 40 feet and a +8 bonus on
Dexterity (Stealth) checks.
The flyer’s user can provide basic instructions
such as “fly down this corridor,” or “fly straight for
100 yards, then turn right,” but cannot control it
once it has departed. It can fly unassisted for 10
minutes before returning to its user, at which point
it provides a visual record of what it observed,
displayed on a crystalline surface. It is equipped
with internal illumination that displays anything
it recorded in dim light as if it was brightly lit,
and total darkness as if it was dimly lit. The flyer
cannot see in magical darkness.
When attacked the flyer’s defense mechanisms
cause it to take evasive action, flying up to its
maximum possible altitude (100 feet), then flying in
a random pattern to return to its user. Following the
flyer when it is using evasive movement requires
a DC 20 Wisdom (Survival) or (Perception) check,
made with disadvantage in darkness unless the
tracker has low-light or better vision.
Rope Minder
Rope is one of the most indispensable but also
cumbersome items in an adventurer’s arsenal,
and this device allows parties to venture into the
unknown with a near-unlimited amount and a
solid base upon which to secure it for climbing.
A quadrupedal metal cube, the rope master
measures about 3 feet to a side, and carries inside
it a powerful winch with up to 2,000 feet of sturdy
silken rope. Its sharp legs allow the rope minder
to scuttle up nearly sheer surfaces, and to use its
arcano-mechanical hydraulic system to anchor
itself in all but the hardest of surfaces. The rope
minder can then either dispense rope from above
to allow adventurers to climb up, or dispense rope
as its user descends.
Thor’s Hammer
Sturdy and thickly armored, this heavy device is
essentially a mobile jackhammer mounted on four
wheels. While far too clumsy to use as a weapon,
Thor’s Hammer is nonetheless invaluable for
opening stubborn doors, clearing rockfalls, or even
excavating for mining or archaeological purposes.
Its heavy iron blade pounds noisily on stationary
obstacles, inflicting 2d10 nonmagical bludgeoning
damage each turn.
Torchbearer
A small wheeled automaton measuring about 18
inches on a side, the torchbearer functions as a
permanent moving light source that emits bright
light to a 20-foot radius, and dim light an additional
20 feet. This light is nonmagical. A user can use a
bonus action to activate the light, dim it, or shut it
off. The light shines until it is shut off.
Items: Tabi's Automata | EN World EN5IDER
Trapmaster
The trapmaster is one of Tabi’s more unusual
devices in that it is designed to take damage and
remain functional. It is nothing more than a heavily
armored, tracked automaton, measuring 4 feet long
by 3 feet wide and 2 feet high. The trapmaster
can be sent into trapped areas to trigger devices,
take initial damage, and allow parties to proceed
normally. While it is of little use against trapped
chests, locks, or other smaller hazards, the trap-
master can be a true boon when facing powerful
area effects as its heavy armor is treated with various
alchemical substances, granting immunity to acid,
cold, lightning, necrotic, and thunder damage, and
resistance to force and radiant damage. This is in
addition to the normal immunities that all of Tabi’s
devices possess. Its sheer mass makes the trap-
master clumsy, giving it a speed of 20 feet.
Tabi expects this device to take significant
damage and charges a large deposit for its use. On
the other hand, the trapmaster’s complete destruc-
tion is a distinct possibility, and no extra penalty
is imposed for its loss—only the full forfeiture of
the user’s deposit. Sometimes the wealth gained in
dangerous places makes the investment of gold
surely more than worth the risk. e