Cogwork
APART, WE ARE BROKEN. BUT UNITED, WE ARE GOD.
— The Schema of the Broken God
The Cogwork are a people of conviction. More a religious group than a race, the Cogwork worship an ancient machine deity they call Mekhane, or The Broken God. They believe that flesh is inherently evil, and that the only true path to enlightenment is through physical augmentation of their bodies through mechanical augmentation.
The Broken God
The Cogwork believe that long ago, before the beginning of modern civilization, there were two powerful creator deities: Mekhane, and Yaldabaoth. Mekhane was a powerful deity of metal, reason, and logic, while Yaldabaoth was a demonic creature of flesh and chaos.
At first, the two deities worked together to create the Prime Material. The Prime Material was empty of life, but they couldn't agree on how to populate it. Finally, after centuries of heated arguments, the two primal gods devised a compromise. They would create the mortal races one by one as a joint effort. Yaldabaoth crafted bodies of flesh for the new mortal races, while Mekhane gave them their sapience and logic.
The mortal races lived in relative harmony on the Prime Material for millennia. Fledgling civilizations developed on the plane, living under the divine guidance of the gods. Beautiful cities of metal and glass rose up from the ground, and amazing art and music was devised by its inhabitants.
Over time, Yaldabaoth began to tighten its grip over the mortal races. It made itself a cruel empire of flesh and blood, and ruled with an iron fist. One day, Mekhane had had enough. It sent its own champions to the gates of Yaldabaoth's dark city, and a great war ensued that lasted for centuries and burnt cities to ash.
Mekhane and Yaldabaoth fought a great one-on-one battle in the heavens. Their worldshattering conflict rent the heavens to pieces and cleft the Elemental Planes from the Prime Material. Eventually, Mekhane gained the upper hand. It could not kill Yaldabaoth, but it sacrificed its body to create a prison for the vile demon.
Although the bulk of Mekhane's body was used to trap Yaldabaoth, parts of the great machine fell to the planes below. The Cogwork see it as their calling to gather the pieces of Mekhane that fell to the surface in hopes of reassembling the Broken God.
Fanatic Augmentation
The Cogwork believe that as a part of rebuilding their god, they must make themselves worthy vessels for Mekhane by replacing their evil flesh with arcanomechanical augmentations.
As a part of the initiation process, aspiring Cogwork trade their accursed flesh for clockwork augmentations that enhance their abilities. As they advance in the order, Cogwork sometimes have additional augmentations installed into their bodies. Due to the extent of their mechanical augmentation, Cogwork often emit audible ticking or tapping sounds, and have sometimes been referred to disparagingly as "Tickers" by the unaugmentated.
The Cogwork believe that if they sufficiently upgrade their bodies, their very bodies can be used as components of their Broken God. They prepare themselves obsessively for its divine return.
Cogwork Traits
Cogwork can originate from any race, but your cogwork character has the following racial traits.
Many Origins. Pick a race that has subraces to be your Original Race, or pick Human. You gain all of the base traits of your Original Race, but instead of a subrace you gain cogwork traits.
Ability Score Increase. Your Intelligence score increases by 1. If your Original Race already increased your Intelligence, increase a different score of your choice instead.
Alignment. Most cogwork are lawful neutral, due to their logical machine-like nature.
Fanatic Augmentation. Your body has been augmented with a number of clockwork devices and metal parts. You gain 7 augmentation points, which you spend on Cogwork augmentations when you first create your cogwork character.
Variant: Cogborn
Cogborn are a caste of cogwork that have modified themselves so heavily they barely resemble what they once were. Replace the Many Origins trait with the following traits.
Ability Score Increase. Two different abiiity scores of your choice increase by 1.
Speed. Your base walking speed is 30 feet.
Distant Origins. Pick any race to be your Original Race. You retain the basic shape of that race as well as the Age, Size, and Languages traits. The rest of the traits are lost. Additionally, you gain an extra 4 augmentation points.
Cogwork Augmentations
Skin
Tiny metal plates have been installed under your skin that protect you from damage.
When you aren't wearing armor, your AC is 13 + your Dexterity modifier. You can use your natural armor to determine your AC if the armor you wear would leave you with a lower AC. A shield's benefits apply as normal while you use your natural armor.
This augmentation costs 3 points.
Stomach
Your stomach has been replaced with a magical clockwork energy source. You no longer need to consume food to survive, but you can ingest food and drink if you wish.
This augmentation costs 1 point.
Lungs
Your lungs have been replaced with a clockwork device that recycles air infinitely. You no longer need to breathe.
This augmentation costs 4 points.
Arms
Gears in your arms grant you extra leverage for great feats of strength.
You count as one size larger for the purpose of carrying, lifting, pushing, and dragging.
This augmentation costs 2 points.
Legs
Meticulous clockwork augmentation of your legs has given you increased agility. You can select this augmentation more than once; each time you do so you must pick a different option.
Swimming. You gain a swimming speed equal to your walking speed. This option costs 2 points.
Climbing. You gain a climbing speed equal to your walking speed. This option costs 2 points.
Walking. Your base walking speed increases by 5 feet. This option costs 2 points.
Dashing. Tightly wound coils in your legs store energy. When you move on your tum in combat, you can double your speed until the end of the tum. Once you use this trait, you can't use it again until you move 0 feet on one of your turns. This option costs 4 points.
Core
Your augmentations have given you increased resiliency.
Your hit point maximum increases by an amount equal to your level. Whenever you gain a level thereafter, your hit point maximum increases by an additional hit point.
This augmentation costs 5 points.
Heart
Your heart has replaced with a rugged clockwork device that ticks instead of beats. You can select this augmentation more than once to upgrade your clockwork heart; each time you do so you must pick a different option.
Endurance. Your clockwork heart has redundant gears, granting you additional endurance. When you are reduced to 0 hit points but not killed outright, you can drop to 1 hit point instead. You can't use this feature again until you finish a long rest. This option costs 4 points.
Adrenaline. Your clockwork heart is tightly wound, allowing it to retain energy over time. You can release this energy to take take one additional action on top of your regular action and a possible bonus action. You can't use this feature again until you finish a long rest. This option costs 7 points.
Muscle Replacement
Your muscles have been replaced with clockwork parts, increasing your abilities. You can only select this augmentation once.
Strength. Your muscles have been replaced with powerful gears, granting you additional strength. Your Strength score increases by 1. This option costs 4 points. You cannot select this option if your Original Race increased your Strength score.
Dexterity. Your muscles have been replaced with a system of small interlocking gears that grant you unparalleled range of motion. Your Dexterity score increases by 1. This option costs 4 points. You cannot select this option if your Original Race increased your Dexterity score.
Muscle Memory
Your muscle augmentations were specifically designed to make certain tasks easier. You can select this augmentation more than once, up to a maximum of three times.
Skill. You gain gain proficiency in one skill of your choice. This option costs 3 points the first time it is chosen. Whenever you select this option thereafter, it costs 2 points.
Tool, Instrument, or Gaming Set. You gain proficiency in one tool, instrument, or gaming set of your choice. This option costs 1 point.
Eyes
One or both of your eyes are replaced with a clockwork eye. You can select this augmentation more than once to upgrade your clockwork eye; each time you do so you must pick a different option.
Darkvision. Your clockwork eyes are hypersensitive and can see well even in the dark. You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can't discern color in darkness, only shades of gray. This option costs 3 points.
Blindsight. Both of your eyes are replaced with arcanomechanical devices that can sense your surroundings magically. You can no longer see normally; instead, you have blindsight out to 30 feet and can perfectly sense anything within that radius. You are blind beyond 30 feet. This option costs 4 points. You can spend an additional 4 points to retain your normal vision as well as gaining blindsight.
Spotting. Your clockwork eyes are highly perceptive and can notice minute weaknesses in an enemy's defenses. As an action, you can focus on a target within 30 feet, trying to find weaknesses such as a crack in their armor or a lingering bruise. On your next turn, you gain advantage on your first attack roll against the target. This option costs 3 points.
Hands
Your hands have been upgraded or replaced, making them natural weapons. You can only select this augmentation once.
Fists. Your fists have been reinforced with metal. If you hit with them you can deal bludgeoning damage equal to 1d4 + your Strength modifier. This option costs 1 point.
Claws. Metal claws are implanted in your hands. They are natural weapons, which you can use to make unarmed strikes. If you hit with them, you deal slashing damage equal to 1d4 + your Strength modifier, instead of the bludgeoning damage normal for an unarmed strike. This option costs 2 points.
Blade. One of your hands has been replaced with a blade. This blade counts as a finesse weapon, and deals 1d8 slashing damage, but you now have one less hand. This option costs 1 point.
Feats
Advanced Augmentation
Prerequisite: Cogwork
You have installed additional clockwork augmentations in your body in an effort to bring yourself closer to Mekhane. You can select this feat multiple times, but your Intelligence only increases the first time you take this feat.
- Increase your Intelligence score by 1, to a maximum of 20.
- You gain 5 augmentation points.
Cogwork Ascendant
Prerequisite: Cogwork, 4 Advanced Augmentation feats
Your comprehensive augmentations have made you more clockwork than humanoid, bringing you as close to Mekhane as a mortal could be. Your Intelligence score increases by 2, and your type changes to construct.
You are immune to poison and psychic damage, as well as the charmed, frightened, paralyzed, petrified, and poisoned conditions.
Instead of sleeping, you enter an inactive state for 4 hours each day. You do not dream in this state; you are fully aware of your surroundings and notice approaching enemies and other events as normal.
If you spend 5 minutes repairing your clockwork augmentations with tinker's tools during a rest, the hit dice you spend during that rest heal you for twice as much.
In addition, you gain 5 augmentation points.
Variant: Installation
With this variant, additional Cogwork Augmentations must be physically installed using a set of tinker's tools. Any augmentation points received after character creation remain in a pool until they are spent by installing augmentations.
Each augmentation requires 5 gp worth of parts per point spent. The installation procedure takes 30 minutes per point spent.
This procedure can be performed by anyone who is proficient with tinker's tools; all cogwork are proficient with tinker's tools for this purpose.
Internal Cogwork Augmentations (heart, stomach, etc.) must be installed by someone other than the one receiving them.
Thank you for reading!
The Cogwork were heavily inspired by the Cogwork Orthodox Church from the SCP Wiki!
This race was also heavily inspired by the lovely Make-A-Warforged by /u/Zephilinox.
The image used on the first page was pulled from a deleted Tumblr post and I haven't been able to source it. If you know the original artist, please let me know so I can credit them.
Cogwork v1.0