Alternate to Clockwork Librarian

[Aaron Gillespie]

I don't have any clockwork elements in my campaign world. Does anyone have any advice on a good replacement for the clockwork librarian?
Thanks!

[Skeld]

Aaron Gillespie wrote:

I don't have any clockwork elements in my campaign world. Does anyone have any advice on a good replacement for the clockwork librarian?

Thanks!

Make it an awakened construct instead.

Although, i think having it as a clockwork shows that Thassilon had a different level (or diretion) with magi-tech than the current world has and sort of highlights that Thassilon was different.

This also comes to play in...

Spoiler:

Shattered Star, which has some clockwork elements.

-Skeld

[the Lorax]

I went with Skeld's logic here - the ancients were wierd and had different stuff then modern people - and in the Runeforge, the lighting has been like flourescent lights - flickering to life as people come into the area, but I can understand not wanting clockwork stuff.

A golem as Skeld points out would work fine.

An undead (pick one that you like - maybe a Crypt Thing on a floating chair)

An outsider - maybe you put a celestial here who honestly WANTS to help the party out, even though its bound by rules.

Something new - maybe a golem-like creature made of magic, behaves just like the clockwork version, you just painted it with a glowing pink and blue sparkles and made it composed of magical force.<shrug>

[Haladir]

Another possibility could be that the entire library is one giant intelligent magical artifact that can create the illusion of a human librarian at will within the walls of the library. The magical library would have the ability to speak through the illusion. This essentially makes a magical hologram that can interact with the party.

That shows that the Thassilonians have access to powerful magic that's different from the magic of today. It would also be a callback to the illusion of Karzoug giving an address to the troops that's caught in a playback loop way back in Thistetop.

[Skeld]

Haladir wrote:

Another possibility could be that the entire library is one giant intelligent magical artifact that can create the illusion of a human librarian at will within the walls of the library. The magical library would have the ability to speak through the illusion. This essentially makes a magical hologram that can interact with the party.

That shows that the Thassilonians have access to powerful magic that's different from the magic of today. It would also be a callback to the illusion of Karzoug giving an address to the troops that's caught in a playback loop way back in Thistetop.

This is a pretty awesome idea, IMO.

-Skeld

[the Lorax]

Haladir wrote:

Another possibility could be that the entire library is one giant intelligent magical artifact that can create the illusion of a human librarian at will within the walls of the library...

I like that too.

Robed humanoid figure with a gold mask fades into view - an odd metallic sounding voice comes from the figure.
"This is the emergency bibliographic assistant. Please state the nature of your bibliographic emergency."

=P

[Aaron Gillespie]

Love it, Haladir!

[The Shifty Mongoose]

I might use a variant on that idea - either (since Greed Transmuters can't cast illusions) a "construct" who is actually a librarian who's been turned into living gold and copper somehow, insane due to isolated neglect to the point where they can only fetch books and attempt to cry;

or, foreshadowing something else, it looks like an illusion standing on a pedestal wrapped in intricate designs of copper/glass/an unidentifiable material.

Spoiler:

Later on, they'll get to meet Special K's holograms, standing on similar pedestals, as a backup method of communication with the outside world that he managed to get working again. Of course, that means they won't be fooled when they see it then.