Wondrous Guardian Automatons are seven-foot tall steel humanoid skeletons plated in steel or bronze and animated by means of clockwork, steam, and magic. The original wondrous automatons were constructed by a mad wizard whose name has been lost to history. The wondrous constructs are often found guarding libraries of magical tomes and scrolls, or treasure vaults.

Guardian automatons range in appearance, from nothing more than a drab but intimidating gray steel clockwork automaton, to resplendent gleaming brass and copper. Its inner workings are usually covered by metal plates, which depending on how ornate the automaton is can be plain steel plates or ornately-engraved and decorated brass.

Though the original wondrous guardian automatons were created by knowledgeable wizards and artificers, the vast majority of the ones existing now have been created by an Automaton Primus (as described below). Groups discovered in the wild are often either book-collecting parties, or more rarely groups that have left a library-fortress to found a new one.

Wondrous guardian automatons can wield almost any weapons, but prefer crossbows and axes.