In the next several days, we’ll be posting the entries we received for the Seize the Tin Crown contest. These will each be only lightly proofread so that you, our voting public, have a chance to judge them based on your own criteria. After we post the last of the entries, we’ll be calling for you all to vote. The winner will seize the tin crown! Oh, the power!

This time around, we have another magic item. Take a look at what Nicholas L. Milasich has given you to add to your Zobeck campaign!

The Clockwork Heart of St. Heviticus

Aura strong transmutation (clockwork); CL 20th

Slot none; Weight: 1 lb.

This mysterious relic lives large in the hearts and minds of the people of Zobeck. Grizzled guardsmen tell stories of the glowing, pulsing gearwork heart and the powerful revelations it brings, and children hear stories of how the clockwork heart saved Zobeck from one or another evil. The people of Zobeck live with the knowledge that at their time of need, the clockwork heart will appear and leap down the throat of some unsuspecting citizen, bringing great power and inspiration to the fight.

Said to be the actual clockwork heart created by St. Heviticus to replace his own failed one, the clockwork heart of Zobeck appears as a brass and dragonskin heart covered with an extremely complex system of gears, balance wheels, and lever arms. It pulses with life and light, covered with a lambent halo of flame. The heart moves rapidly (fly 100, perfect) by extending delicate dragonfly wings of gold filigree.

The clockwork heart works by possessing a citizen with the aura of Rava’s divine inspiration. A perfectly normal citizen of Zobeck is in mid-speech when a streaking golden blur shoots into his or her mouth and down his or her throat! The heart, despite it clockwork nature, is soft and sweet when swallowed, but burns with warmth. Once within the citizen, the clockwork heart communicates its needs through strong emotions, and fills the host with a rush of terrible power. This power is the ability to command clockworks, and the inspiration to build his or her own.

When possessed, the chest of the citizen glows with brightness even visible through clothing and armor. In fact, if the chest is laid bare, the heart is visible through the chest of the host, appearing as a glowing, flaming golden heart with clockworks furiously churning. The possessed host works furiously to complete whatever task the heart has placed upon him or her. When the host uses the powers of the heart, his or her head becomes surrounded by an insubstantial crown of seven flaming clockworks that blaze and gyre about the possessed individual. The clockwork heart possesses the individual only as long as there is danger to the city, flying out of his or her mouth and disappearing as soon as the work is done. No one knows where the heart goes between possessions, but many suspect the silent sisters of the nunnery of Rava.

The clockwork heart of St. Heviticus, also known as the Heart of Zobeck, the flaming angel, the bane of the Stross, and the Cor Mechanicus, is wrapped tightly into the history of the city of Zobeck. It is said that young Halsen Hrovitz was possessed by the heart when he denounced the Stross, and that mad Black Marcenzo’s breast glowed with a hellish golden light as he assembled the first gearforged. Children of Zobeck learn that general Jaromir Streck raised clockwork monsters of his own as lambent fire danced around his helmed head while the first great army of shambling undead horrors besieged the newly free city. The people of Zobeck heartily believe that the clockwork heart will appear when the city is in danger, and worship it in small street corner shines.

A person possessed by the clockwork heart of St. Heviticus receives a +6 bonus to Charisma. They also receive all the powers and spell abilities (Gear school spells only!) of an 8th-level wizard of a clockwork school, save that they use their Charisma as the chief statistic for all gear magic and do not require a spellbook, rather casting the spells by the magical inspiration of the heart.

The possessor of the clockwork heart may also assemble clockwork constructs without paying any cost. These constructs fall to pieces when the heart leaves the host.

The clockwork heart places the host under the equivalent of a geas spell to defeat whatever danger to Zobeck it senses. A player may make a DC 20 Will save to delay this process, with the DC going up by +1 for every hour that passes without the host taking action against the danger. The heart does not speak, but instead the possessed individual knows emotionally that there is great danger and feels a driving need to defeat it.

The clockwork heart gives the possessor the effects of the clockwork body feat for as long as he or she is possessed, though the possessed person does not take the appearance of a clockwork creature. This makes him or her vulnerable to spells that effect constructs.

Finally, the clockwork body allows the person to use the spell effect absolute command at caster level 8, on any construct with 100 feet. This includes clockwork buildings such as the puffing bridge and Stross clocktower.

Destruction

If the City of Zobeck is destroyed, the clockwork heart will be broken forever.

(This post is Product Identity.)