This is part of my ongoing revision to the Realms of Chirak core campaign book which I would like to release in 2015 as a 5E setting if WotC will ever bother to finalize details of either an OGL or some sort of licensing for 3PP. I'd actually love some feedback on this racial option. It's built to fit the style and options of the animates as presented in 3rd and 4th edition iterations, and the balance of the animates depends on a racial feat to control the pace of acquiring animate add-ons. Whether it's really suitable for PCs or not is a different question.
Animates
Animates are the magically animated forms of golems brought to life
through an imbuement with elemental energies. With very few exceptions, most
animates are relics from the pre-apocalyptic age or derived from the remains of
such, and it is believed that they were
used as servants by the Old Mythrics, Inadasir, and other lost cultures both
during peace and war.
Animates most people hear tell of in legends are the great monstrosities
that guard the Black Dome of the north near the White Desert, killing and
smashing all that approaches. The lesser known forms are sometimes referred to
simply as collectors, humanoid entities of clay, metal and other odd patchwork
parts sent out into the world to gather knowledge. They are sometimes self
described as researchers and scholars, while at other times they seek out
specific objects or items, and will often trade and barter for such items if
they are held in high regard. Doppelgangers who have been utterly refused have
been known to leave, only to come back later with deadly reinforcements.
Animates are unusually difficult characters to play, but can be an
interesting challenge for someone who would like to try out a living construct.
Animates usually serve some unusual ultimate purpose, which could be a long term
campaign goal. On occasion animates achieve a sense of independence, perhaps
having been inactivated due to damage, or on rare occasion shutting down due to
some inhibition of their elemental power source. These animates may have a
sense of free will and curiosity on their own, and an urge to explore.
Playing an Animate Character
Animates build their humanoid collector models to emulate living
creatures, and so the nature of the magical artificing imbues them with
life-like qualities, although they are clearly made of artificial materials. An
animate collector appears to look like a human or elf made of stylized and
decorative pieces of metal, ceramics, cloth and a strange fiber.
Average Height: Variable, usually in precise measurements of
5, 6, or 7 feet in height
Average Weight: 300-500 lbs.
Ability Scores: +1 Int, +1 Con
Size: Medium
Speed: 30 feet
Vision: Normal, but an animate may
choose better vision (see below)
Languages: Old Mythric, Espanean (or one other) and Tradespeak
Keen Observers:
Animates are racially proficient in Perception.
Living Construct: Similar to standard constructs, living
constructs are imbued with an elemental anima, or animating force that gives
them life-like properties and separates them from golems and other unliving
animated entities. As such, animates have the following differences and similarities
from standard constructs:
Animates do not need to eat,
breathe or sleep, but they still require eight hours of immobile activity to
replenish their elemental power cores (and magical abilities or spells)
Animates are subject to any
fortitude save that would ordinarily affect an object, but they are immune to
poison and disease effects that do not target elementals as well
Elemental Attunement: Animates must choose an elemental trait that
reflects their animating force: they gain resistance against attacks with that
elemental property. Choose from: cold, fire, force, lightning, necrotic,
psychic, radiant or thunder. Additionally animates can choose from two
additional elemental types: earth, which grants the animate an unarmored AC of
16 plus Dex modifiers instead of any special resistance, or air, which grants
the animate the ability to levitate as the spell at will (costs 1 action to
activate).
Unnatural Physiology: although magical healing replenishes the
elemental lifeforce of animates, the medicine skill is utterly useless when
dealing with these creatures. Animates that have been damaged utilize the magic
of their animating force to repair injury (allowing them to spend hit dice to
heal wounds), an effect which is not unlike the mending spell. Actually using a mending
spell on an animate will restore 2D4 hit points of damage, but the animate can
only benefit from the mending spell
once per short rest (the spell has upper limits for what it can do to heal
living constructs).
Death and Living Constructs: Animates
that reach zero hit points are inactivated; animates that reach the negative of
their HP score are completely destroyed, and their elemental anima dispersed.
Animates are believed to have no souls and so cannot be resurrected or raised
(except by animate clerics, it seems). Animates who are raised by their own
kind usually suffer memory loss of up to 1D6 months of events prior to their
deaths. The animate clerics of the machine gods explain that their loci is only
“backed up” periodically, and do little else to explain to outsiders what that
means.
Construct Slots: Animates modularize themselves, adding or
removing features best suited to the job at hand. Animates at level 1 have two
“slots” they can install features in to. At later levels animates can take a
feat which lets them add additional slots. Once an animate has filled a slot
with one or more of the installed features, they can later free those slots up
by installing other features. This requires an extended rest to properly
perform (or 8 hours). Installing the new equipment isn’t just a matter of
bolting it on, the anima of the construct has to attune to the device as well.
This attunement in unique to the animate and does not count against normal attunement
to magic items.
Animate Racial Feat: Advanced Construct Slots
This feat can be taken by animates only, and expands them to allow for
two additional construct slots. The animate may then choose the additional
traits to install when the feat is chosen, though the DM may require an
expenditure of time or coin to “activate” the chosen traits, typically 100 GP
per slot and 8 hours of install time. Animates may take this feat multiple
times, but each time the feat is taken the animate’s form grows proportionately
larger and more “accessorized.” Animates with 8 or more slots are considered
large creatures.
Animate Racial Traits:
The following traits may be used to fill the construct slots. At level 1
animates start with one or two traits (enough to fill both slots; most traits
take one slot). Many animate traits emulate spells. The animate uses
constitution as the spell ability for determining attacks, damage bonuses and
save DCs unless specified otherwise.
Night Vision (one slot)
An animate with this ability can see at night as if it were daylight,
although sudden bright lights can be momentarily blinding. Complete darkness is
equivalent to dim light. Only darkness spells will remove the animate’s ability
to see.
Rules: This effect is a bonus action to activate, and remains on until
deactivated. If the animate is surprised by sudden bright light equivalent to
sunlight within 10 feet of his location, he has disadvantage against ranged
attacks and perception checks until the beginning of his next turn.
Elemental Spray (one slot)
Small holes in the ends of the animate’s fingers release a stream of
burning liquid in an arc spray.
Rules: The animate gains a ranged attack that functions like burning hands, with two specific
exceptions: the animate may choose a different elemental type for the damage
that matches its own elemental attunement, and it gains 3 “charges” to use the
effect, each equivalent to a level 1 spell slot. These special charges require
a long rest to recover. If the animate is elementally of earth type the effect
is fire. If the elemental type is air it will be thunder or lightning
(animate’s choice).
Elemental Reservoir (one slot)
Prerequisite: elemental spray must be installed.
The majority of the animate’s arm and additional storage on the back of
the construct are used to provide extra fuel and punch to the animate’s
elemental spray.
Rules: the elemental reservoir enhances the elemental spray, granting
the animate an additional 3 slots to use for powering the elemental spray.
Burning hands may be empowered with higher level spell slots; with the
elemental cannon installed the animate can now “spend” the charges to attain a
higher level of effect by adding them to get the desired level (i.e. with 6
charges the animate could use the spell as equivalent to a level 1 slot six
times, or burn them all as a level 6 spell slot, or fire twice at level 3
each). As with the regular elemental spray all of the charges are restored
after an extended rest.
Change Self (one slot)
With a thought, the animate’s exterior appearance changes like plastic
to emulate another humanoid form.
Rules: This ability emulates the wizard spell disguise self and works
in the same manner. The animate gains 3 charges equivalent to 1st
level spell slots which can be used to power the effect. The charges replenish
after a long rest.
Hardened Skin (one slot)
This animate can tense up, as armored plates lock together in to a
solid, impenetrable mass of hardened ceramic, metal and wood.
Rules: the animate may activate this effect as a bonus action and gains
a natural AC of 18 (equivalent to plate armor, does not stack with other armor
or dexterity). The effect lasts for ten minutes. Once used hardened skin cannot
be restored until a short rest is taken.
Machine Logic (one slot)
Some animates are particularly mechanical in their way of thinking, and
perceive reality through calculated, analytical eyes.
Prerequisite: Wisdom or Intelligence of 13 or better.
Rules: The animate gains advantage against all illusory and
mind-affecting attacks as well as attacks.
Advanced Fire Spray (one slot)
Prerequisite: animate with elemental (fire) spray
installed.
Benefit: Animates that use the elemental spray may choose this option.
The animate can spray a lingering elemental fluid from its fingertips in
addition to the normal elemental spray attacl. The spray does an additional 1D6
ongoing damage of the chosen elemental type to all targets hit by the spray
each round. The targets must save vs. Constitution (DC equal to 10 plus
animate’s CON) to extinguish the elemental “burning” at the end of their turn.
The effect will dissipate after one minute if not extinguished via save.
Advanced Machine Logic (one slot)
The animate has honed its machine logic to a razor’s edge.
Prerequisite: Animate with machine logic installed;
Wisdom and Intelligence of 15 or better
Rules: The animate gains total immunity to charm effects and resistance
against psychic damage. In addition, when rolling advantage on saves against
mind-influencing and illusory effects the animate may ignore any 1’s or 2’s and
reroll.
Photographic Recall (one slot)
Prerequisites: Intelligence 15 or better.
Rules: Animates can be constructed and magically programmed to record
what they see and hear with stunning precision. As time goes by, this ability
is nurtured and becomes truly vivid. Animates with this ability gain a sense of
amazing recall about events they have witnessed.
The animate gains three “recall charges” to use with this trait. Each
time the animate expends a charge as a bonus action it may choose one of the
following features. The charges, once spent, may be recovered with a long rest.
Skill Advantage: recall useful information regarding a skill
or attribute check, gaining advantage for that roll
Attack Advantage: gain advantage on your next attack
Lore Recall: recover one useful bit of data from memory about
current or historical lore or information relevant to the adventure (subject to
DM interpretation)
Proficiency: gain proficiency on your next action based
on recollection of useful information
Lost Memories: an animate can try to remember ancient experiences
from its own life or the lives of other animates it can access. Make a
intelligence (history) check to determine how old the memory is. The result may
at the DM’s discretion grant proficiency on one relevant skill or attribute
check that relates to the recovered memory.
Roll Length of Time
1-5 1 week
6-10 1 month
11-13 1 year
14-16 10 years
17-20 100 years
21-25 1,000 years
26-34 2,000 years
35+ +1,000 years
Note that an animate might be fairly young, but its internal memory
might contain archived data going back thousands of years. Any animate with an
intelligence of less than 15 does not contain an archived data bank and can not
be upgraded with one until its intelligence is improved to 15 or better.
Once the recall is complete, the animate may photographically
reconstruct an image recalled in a physical media (such as potter or painter);
the animate gains a bonus (based on the above chart) to the relevant skill
(usually perform) for such attempts. It will be almost lifelike, depending on
the quality of painting materials. An animate with the Mimicry trait (see
below) may precisely duplicate voices from any period of time (like a
recording, but not as voice mimicry). Minutiae down to the signature on a clay
pot or the runes on a banded ring may be recalled with this ability.
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Mimicry (one slot)
Prerequisites: Charisma 14+
Animates with this trait installed are able to study and precisely
imitate the motions and voice of those they encounter. Some perfect it to an
art.
The animate can study one target for a period of time that it can see and
attempt to mimic that target with a Charisma (deception) skill check. The base
DC for this task is 15, modified as follows:
DC 15 if the target is studied for 1-10
minutes
DC 13 if the target is studied for more than 10
minutes
DC 20 if the target is studied for 1 minute
or less
DC 25 if the target is attempting to disguise
its own movement or behavior (or make a contested roll vs. the target’s
deception skill)
Roll with advantage if studied for one hour
or more
Roll with disadvantage if the subject is
being mimicked through second-hand (but accurate) information
The animate, if successful, will precisely imitate the mannerisms and
voice of a target (or both, with two separate checks). The mimicry will be so
precise that the animate could be instantly assumed to be its mimicked target.
Note that the animate that does this is actually doing a form of pantomime, and
is not creating movements that are able to duplicate combat or skill-based
actions of the target. Nonetheless, the result is uncanny compared to
conventional thespians, a mechanically precise duplication of life.
Photographic recall used with this feat may allow for additional
applications of this trait.
Resistant Skin (two slots)
The animate enhances his hardened skin for a total carapace which
resists specific damage types.
Prerequisite: Animate with hardened skin installed, Level
8+
Rules: This animate has added a layer of additional protection on his
exterior carapace. In addition to his normal bonuses when activating hardened
skin, he adds resistance as well. The resistance will be against either 2
elemental damage types of choice, or against piercing, slashing and crushing
damage. The effect lasts for as long as regular hardened skin does. The choice
of resistance types may be changed after a long rest.
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