The World of Constructs and Magic Items!
"Those WONDROUS toys"
MAGIC ITEMS
Use all the rules for Item creation found in the Player's Handbook and Dungeon Master's Guide. Items found in other books are not available for creation ("Lost Magics").
There is one quirk to Magic Items: The Magic fades.
Any enchanted item will last only one day per point of xp expended in its creation. So a minor magic item created using only 180xp will last only 6 months (180 days)...and a powerful magic item costing 1,600xp will last over 4 years.
The only way to create a "lasting" magic item is to cast the spell Permanency on it as part of the creation process for Arcane Items and by Divine intervention for all Divine Magic Items (are rare ocurrence indeed!). All other created items will fade to normal over time. During the last week of an item's enchantment it will become unreliable. During this final week, all bonuses and special effects or abilities will only function 50% of the time. The dweomer will also "flicker" when Detect Magic is used on a "fading" item.
For PCs, the Item's creator must be the one to cast the Permenancy spell and that caster must expend XP equal again to that used to create the item in the first place. From that point on, the created magic item will be forever enchanted...for decades or even centuries! (ARTIFACTS are, by definition, always Permanent in nature).
The only magic items not subject to "fading" are Constructs, Potions, and Scrolls.
AUTOMATONS
Hammerer (left) and Pulverizer
A Clockwork Automaton is a very simple non-intelligent golem-type creature that is infused with "shadow magic", the Wizards own power, to give it "life".
To actually power an automaton, a Wizard must "infuse" the shell with a spell of the appropriate level (3rd Level Spell and 4th Level Spell, respectively). As long as the Automaton exists, the Wizard has "used" that memorized spell slot. This also means a high level wizard can have several if not MANY Automatons at his or her disposal!
It is also failry expensive to create an automaton: It requires 3 days and 2,500gp worth of armour and weapons to create a Simple Automaton, and 5 days and 4,500gp to create an Improved Automaton, re-usable unless completely destroyed (see below) as well as 500gp worth of "other" spell components (required every time an armour is "infused" with spell energy). See Monster Manual II (p.27) for specific Automaton Abilities. Large Versions cost twice as much and take twice as long to build.
Craft Construct and a 3rd level spell allows a Wizard to create a
Pulverizer (+7 melee, 1d6+5, AC21, 16HP, Move40', sonic shriek, unreliable),
while a 4th level spell creates a
Hammerer (+10 melee, 2d8+10, AC21, 27HP, Move20', unreliable).
An automaton reduced to 0 HP or below loses its "power" and must be re-energized (the Wizard must spend time to "memorize" the new casting) and 500gp in miscellaneous components must be gathered. Hit points of damage may be repaired by casting a 0-Level Mending Spell (each casting repairs 5 points of damage). An Automaton reduced to -10 HP is completely destroyed and must be recreated from scratch. An Automaton that has "lost" its energy by being reduced to 0 HP must be completely repaired before the shell can be re-energized.
Clockwork Horrors
Automatons may be advanced in power when created by infusing the shell with additional spells. A PULVERIZER may be increased in Hit Dice by +1Die for each additional 3rd Level Spell (or higher) used in it's creating. The same goes for the HAMMERER but the Spell must be of 4th Level or higher. (So a Large PULVERIZER could be created with 9 Hit Dice, 46 Hit Points, and increased corresponding combat abilities by infusing it with 7 spells of level 3 or higher. A Large HAMMERER could be created as a 15 HD construct (82 Hit Points!) by infusing it with a total of 11 spells of level 4 or greater...(obviously, only the most powerful Wizards can create the most powerful Automatons).
Automatons are fairly difficult to disguise as regular human adventurers. The Pulverizer is roughly lobster shaped while the Hammerer is basically an ill-proportioned humanoid. Both are medium creatures and can be easily disguised as "junk" when covered under a blanket alongside other large metallic items in the back of a cart.
If discovered they may be attacked and destroyed by locals who consider them monsters...
...and the owner had best high-tail it outta town!
HOMUNCULI
Typical Homunculus
I use all of the Homunculus creation rules from Monster Manual (I) page.154
GOLEMS!
Iron Golem (left) and Flesh Golem
I use all of the Golems (including Shiled Guardians and the like) and the rules for constructing them available in Monster Manual (I).
The Bronze Serpent, Glass Golem, Runic Guardian, Dread Guard, and Brass Golem (MMII) are all available as PC created constructs.
Chain Golems and Clockwork Horrors are both created using "lost" formulas that are either hidden in the mysteries of time, or are secretely guarded by the few who now guard their secret....
LESSER DREAD GUARD
A LESSER DREAD GUARD is a minor construct. Essentially it is a permanent construct very similar in most ways to the Standard Dread Guard but with no real intelligence. Like the AUTOMATONS, the Dread Guard suffers from "Unreliable", but unlike AUTOMATONS, the Dread Guard is not powered by Shadow Magic but is permanently enchanted. A Wizard can have up to 2 Lesser Dread Guards at any time.
A Lesser Dread Guard uses the unadjusted stats found in MMII but has an INT of 0 and suffers from UNRELIABLE.
Creating a Lesser Dread Guard requires the Craft Construct Feat, Caster Level 5, 100 XP (permanently drained from the creator), and the following Arcane spells must be cast: Unseen Servant (1st), Bull's Strength (2nd), and Suggestion (3rd).
It costs 2,500gp (which includes a masterwork suit of Banded Mail and a masterwork Small Shield, and a medium martial weapon of the creator's choice) and takes 3 days to create a Lesser Dread Guard.
An Advanced Lesser Dread Guard may be created at an additional cost of +2,500gp, +2.5 days, and +100xp per Hit Die (to a total maximum of 10 HD).