Clockwork
“A clockwork heart can't replace the real thing.”
― Dru Pagliassotti
Clockwork technology revolves around gears. Usually the machines must be wound with a key. The mechanisms and casings are typically be adorned with intricate decorations and carvings, making some very beautiful-looking machinery if done right.
This tech is most commonly used for clockwork artificial life or gadgets like clocks, grenades etc.
But it doesn't mean that there aren't uses for it in other fields as well.
You can make towering exoskeletons with that run like a clock.
Or stylish guns that will make others jealous.
There are also vehicles that work pretty well with gears alone.
But it doesn't mean that there aren't uses for it in other fields as well.
You can make towering exoskeletons with that run like a clock.
Or stylish guns that will make others jealous.
There are also vehicles that work pretty well with gears alone.
Clockwork for Battle Engineer
You need sleight of hand proficiency to take this tech tree.Materials
The materials for biotechnology are relatively basic, mainly consisting of cogs and gears. But there are also nuts and bolts, cams and cranks and metallic plates to make the exterior shell to protect your intricate clockwork.Gears can be easily damaged and need to be oiled regularly so most clockwork engineers always have a set of spare gears and a bottle of oil at hand.
Most of this isn't found in your everyday marked so it needs to be painstakingly made by the engineer himself or ordered from an artisan. However most clockwork engineers don't trust others to make gears for them as even a single millimeter of imperfection in a gear could sometimes result in the malfunction of their creation.
Sources of energy
A clockwork mechanism is often powered by a clockwork motor consisting of a mainspring, a spiral torsion spring of metal ribbon. Energy is stored in the mainspring manually by winding it up, turning a key attached to a ratchet which twists the mainspring tighter. Then the force of the mainspring turns the clockwork gears, until the stored energy is used up.Clearly, the size and tension of the spring are crucial. The harder a spring is to turn and the longer you wind it, the more energy it will store. Many engineers imbue some magic in their clockwork motor to make it last slightly longer.
| Size | Winding time per 5 uses or per day of work | |
|---|---|---|
| Tiny | 25 seconds | |
| Small | 5 minutes | |
| Medium | 30 minutes | |
| Large | 1 hour | |
| Huge | 5 hours | |
| Gargantuan | 10 hours |
Particularities
The myriad metal parts that go into the construction of a clockwork creation require absolute precision in order to function properly, so they must be built by only the steadiest of hands. Amateurish attempts at clockwork construction typically result in nonfunctional units or misfires, and many an engineering lab has been burned to the ground by novices seeking to learn the basics of clockworks and the elements that power them.As such Clockwork devices are more prone to failure and braking. You can eventually make clockwork servants that will wind your creations in your stead. Effectively getting rid of the energy problem.
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