I just got Green Ronin's Advanced Bestiary and read up on the Clockwork template, which used a Clockwork Choker as an example bodyguard critter. It got me thinking about a WotC web article called "Solution by Substitution," which suggests changing spell names and appearances (but not mechanics) to fit a theme.
The two ideas got me thinking of turnig the druid into a "clockwork" mage. Make the animal companion of choice two levels harder to get because of the template and do the same for the Summon Animal ability and you're half way there. (Of course it would be easier to do this if the PC starts out at 4th level, or don't use the clockwork templates until fourth level).
For Wild Shape, describe the transformation as a clockwork exoskelton and use the template. A rough way to balance it out would be that the animal companion become the exoskeleton. i.e., you new shape is CR+2, but you temporarly lose your clockwork animal compainion to do so.
This is still a rough idea, but it has lots of potenital.
The two ideas got me thinking of turnig the druid into a "clockwork" mage. Make the animal companion of choice two levels harder to get because of the template and do the same for the Summon Animal ability and you're half way there. (Of course it would be easier to do this if the PC starts out at 4th level, or don't use the clockwork templates until fourth level).
For Wild Shape, describe the transformation as a clockwork exoskelton and use the template. A rough way to balance it out would be that the animal companion become the exoskeleton. i.e., you new shape is CR+2, but you temporarly lose your clockwork animal compainion to do so.
This is still a rough idea, but it has lots of potenital.
