CogLords are a secretive lineage of illithid gnomes who have abandoned fleshbound limitations in favor of absolute mechanical control. Born from the union of gnomish ingenuity and illithid psionic dominance. Their signature creations, known as cogs, are semi-autonomous mechanical automatons bound to their creator’s will through psychic circuitry and arcane logic.

Where other artificers rely on tools, commands, or careful programming, a CogLord exerts direct mental authority over their constructs. Each cog acts as an extension of the CogLord’s mind, responding instantly to thought alone. In battle, a CogLord orchestrates their machines with chilling precision, overwhelming enemies through coordinated movement, calculated sacrifice, and relentless efficiency.

In battle, CogLords don’t bark orders they think them, often while humming or muttering excited observations. Their cogs zip, stomp, and whirr across the field, blocking blows, delivering tools, and bonking enemies with surprising enthusiasm. To outsiders, it may look chaotic, but to a CogLord it’s all part of a carefully improvised plan.

Level 3: Psionic Infusion Network

Beginning at 3rd level, your mind establishes a constant psionic connection with your infused creations and those who wield them.

Whenever a creature is attuned to or wielding one of your artificer infusions, you are psychically linked to that creature. This connection requires no action and persists as long as the creature remains in control of an infusion.

While linked, you gain the following benefits:

• You can communicate telepathically with the creature.

• You may cast an artificer spell you know with a range of touch or self as if you were occupying the linked creature’s space.

• When the linked creature makes an attack roll, ability check, or saving throw, you can use your reaction to subtly guide its actions, granting a bonus equal to your intelligence modifier (minimum +1).
  You can use this reaction a number of times equal to your intelligence modifier, regaining all uses when you finish a long rest.

Those who wield your infused creations are never alone with their thoughts.
When danger approaches, their grip tightens before they decide to act. When they falter, a correction arrives fully formed, clean, efficient, inevitable. The sensation is not a voice, nor a command, but the quiet certainty that there is only one correct way forward, and they have already chosen it.

Only later do some wonder why the choice felt so easy.

A creature linked in this way experiences your influence as a momentary pressure an instinct to adjust their stance, timing, or grip often believing the correction to be their own idea. They do not feel controlled, but optimized.

 

 

Level 3: Cognitive Cog Protocol

At 3rd level, you construct a single mechanical automaton known as a cog, into which you embed a fragment of your psionic cognition.

• You can have one cog at a time. If you construct a new cog, the previous one immediately becomes destroyed.

• The cog acts on your initiative and obeys your mental commands, which require no action to issue.

• The cog uses your intelligence modifier in place of its own for attack rolls and saving throw DCs.

• When you cast an artificer spell with a range of touch or that targets a single creature, you may have the spell originate from the cog’s space instead of your own.

The cog is not truly independent. Its movements often precede conscious thought, as if your mind has already decided and the body is merely catching up.

 

Cog Construct 

Small construct, unaligned

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Armor Class: 16 
Hit Points: 30 + Artificer level
Speed: 25 ft.

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Saving Throws: Dex +4, Con +3
Skills: Perception +2
Damage Immunities: Poison, Psychic
Condition Immunities: Charmed, Frightened, Poisoned
Senses: Darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 12
Languages: Understands commands from its controller and any languages they know

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Mindsteel Awareness:

• The cog can’t be surprised while conscious.

 

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Actions

Cog Slam (Melee Weapon Attack):

• Your intelligence modifier + proficiency bonus to hit, reach 5 ft. one target.

• Hit: 1d8 + your int mod bludgeoning damage.

Psionic Pulse:

• Each creature of your choice within 15 ft must succeed on an Intelligence saving throw (DC = your spell save DC) or suffer:

  • Disadvantage on next attack roll or ability check

 

 

Level 5: Override Protocols

At 5th level, your psionic network no longer merely corrects errors, it actively rewrites decision points as they occur.

When a creature you can see within 60ft of you makes an attack roll, ability check, saving throw, or begins its turn, you can use your reaction to impose one Override Protocol from the list below.

You can use this feature a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus + intelligence modifier, regaining all expended uses when you finish a long rest.

If the creature is linked to your Psionic Infusion Network,  it automatically fails any saving throw against these effects. Otherwise, the creature must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw against your artificer spell save DC. If the creature passes the save it does not use one of the charges of this ability.

 

Override Protocols

 

Precision Correction

Your mind intrudes at the exact point where error would have formed, excising it with perfect restraint. The correction leaves no pain, only the faint awareness that something else briefly held the reins.

• Add or subtract your Intelligence modifier to the triggering roll.

• If this causes the roll to succeed or fail, the affected creature takes psychic damage equal to twice your Intelligence modifier or gains temporary hit points equal to the same amount.

 

Motor Interference

You disrupt the creature’s sense of timing and muscle memory.

• The creature’s speed is reduced to 0 until the end of its current turn 

• The creature cannot take reactions until the start of its next turn

 

Neural Feedback

You implant a fleeting certainty that overrides instinct. The body obeys a decision the mind did not make..

• Force the creature to immediately move up to its movement speed in a direction you choose.

• This feature cannot provoke opportunity attacks.

 

Impulse Override

You overlay a false “certainty” in the target’s mind, causing it to act confidently in the wrong direction.

• Force the creature to use the attack action and use one of its attacks against a creature or object of your choosing.

 

False Certainty 

You implant hesitation in the mind, a gap between thought and action. Nothing is broken, yet everything slows.

• The creature gains the charmed condition as you implant false memories into their mind. This feature lasts for 1 minute or until the creature is attacked.

• The creature can make a charisma saving through against your spell save DC at the start of each of its turns.

 

 

Level 9: Mindsteel Construct

Cog Enhancement

Your cog is no longer just a tool, it is a fragment of your mind. It moves with thought, acts with intention, and extends your influence across the battlefield, a cold echo of your will.

• Speed increases by 10 ft.

• AC increases by 1.

• Hit points increase by Artificer level × 2.

   

Psionic Relay

Your Psionic Infusion Network now extends through the cog.

You may target creatures within 10 ft of the cog with your Override Protocols, as if they were within range of you.

You may also use the cog a spellcasting focus and originate spells from the cogs position instead of your own.

Overclocked Mode

Your cog can surge beyond its normal capacity, its joints thrumming with psionic energy. When overclocked, it becomes a relentless extension of your will. 

As a bonus action you can enter the cog into overclocked mode, you can use this feature once per long rest. The overclock lasts 1 minute.

 

• +2 to attack rolls and damage rolls

• Advantage on saving throws

• The damage type of the cogs attacks becomes psychic damage

On subsequent turns, you can command the cog to make an attack against a target in its range as a bonus actions.

 

 

Level 15: Neural Convergence

Your mind and your cog are fully integrated, allowing you to project your consciousness and extend your psionic influence across the battlefield.

Shared Override: When you use Override Protocols, you can target creatures within 60 feet of the cog. If you and the cog are in range, you may target two creatures simultaneously with different protocols.

Mind Projection: As an action, you can project your consciousness into a cog or another object linked to your Psionic Infusion Network. While projected:

• You see and hear through the object’s senses.
• You can use Override Protocols through it.
• You may move the object and have it take actions as normal.
• While projecting, your body is paralyzed but aware, and you have resistance to psychic damage.

Psychic Echo: Any creature that fails a saving throw against an Override Protocol while in range of a cog takes psychic damage equal to your Intelligence modifier. Allied creatures instead gain temporary hit points equal to your Intelligence modifier.

Total Convergence

You can temporarily abandon the distinction between mind and machine.

As a bonus action, you merge your consciousness and physical form with your cog, entering a state of total convergence for 1 minute. Once you use this feature, you can’t do so again until you finish a long rest.

While in total convergence, you gain the following benefits:

• Your body and the cog occupy the same space, fusing into a single hybrid form of flesh, metal, and psionic force.
• Your movement speed is now your cogs movement speed plus 5ft * your intelligence modifier.
• Your AC is now your cogs AC plus your intelligence modifier.
• Your hit points are now equal to your hit points plus your cogs hit points.
• You retain your own mental ability scores, proficiencies, and class features.
• You can take actions as normal, and you may use the cog’s Cog Slam, Psionic Pulse, and Overclocked Mode as if they were your own abilities.
• When you use an Override Protocol, you do not expend a use of that feature once per turn.
• You have resistance to bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage from nonmagical attacks.

While converged, your voice, movements, and expressions are distorted by mechanical timing and psionic resonance. Your thoughts no longer precede your actions—they occur simultaneously.

When total convergence ends, you and the cog separate, each appearing in an unoccupied space within 5 feet of the other. You gain one level of exhaustion, and the cog immediately becomes incapacitated until the end of your next turn.