Ancestry: Automaton
While most peoples are born, the Automaton were created. The Automaton is a synthetic creature made of inorganic materials that was made to serve some task. Some were made to be assistants to master artificers, some were made to work in deep mines, and some were made to fight wars on behalf of others, just to name a few purposes. These perfect servants carry nothing but pre-programmed orders and sometimes a weapon or two. They are expressionless and heartless, and do exactly as they are told without question- at least, most of the time. Occasionally, an Automaton gains sentience by means unknown, and begins its journey to a proper life.
Automatons are generally made in humanoid shapes reminiscent of their creator from inorganic material, such as steel, stone, wood, and/or ceramic. They might have joints made from lighter, more flexible material, such as wood, or they might be able to flex their limbs by machined joints. Regardless of their design, the Automatons all share one thing in common: the arcane core that powers them; a large gemstone covered in carved sigils, located somewhere on or within their body.
Automaton Traits
Ability Score Increase. One ability score of your choice increases by 2, and another by 1, to a maximum of 20.
Age. The lifespan of an Automaton remains a mystery. A typical Automaton is around 1-10 years old.
Alignment. A remnant of your old programming, or perhaps your old creator, law is paramount to you. Whether that ideology is used for good or evil is up to you.
Creature Type. You are a Humanoid. You are also considered a Construct for any prerequisite or effect that requires you to be a Construct.
Size. A typical Automaton is between 4-6 feet tall. Your size is Medium or Small. You choose your size when you choose this ancestry.
Speed. Your base walking speed is 30ft.
Constructed Resilience. You were created to have remarkable fortitude, represented by the following benefits:
- You have advantage on saving throws against being Poisoned, and you have resistance to Poison damage.
- You don’t need to eat, drink, or breathe.
Sentry's Rest. You don't need to sleep, and magic can't put you to sleep. To gain the benefits of a long rest, you must spend at least six hours in an inactive, motionless state, rather than sleeping. In this state, you appear inert, but it doesn’t render you unconscious, and you can see and hear as normal.
Languages. You can speak, read, and write Common and two other languages of your choice.
Heritage: Attacker
The Attacker model of Automaton was built to fight, whether to participate in wars, protect important individuals, or to fight for other's entertainment. These Automatons might develop a love for the hunt, or perhaps a hatred for war.
Attacker Automatons are bulkier than other Automatons, and are typically built with strong materials, such as steel. Their arcane cores are typically buried deep behind the thickest armor plating in their chests.
Iron Fists. When you make an unarmed strike, you can deal 1d4 + your Strength modifier Bludgeoning damage instead of the damage normal for your unarmed strikes.
Integrated Protection. You don or doff metal armor over the course of a minute. While you wear metal armor, it can't be removed from you against your will.
Heritage: Fabricator
The Fabricator model of Automaton is the rarest of Automatons, built to assist creatives like artists, crafters, and scribes. They tend to be softer and more neutral than other Automatons, taking a liking to the arts and seeking knowledge.
Fabricator Automatons appear slimmer than other automatons, and are made of more traditionally beautiful and ornate materials, such as painted ceramic or carved silver.
Artisan. You gain one skill proficiency of your choice, one tool or instrument proficiency of your choice, and can speak, read, and write one language of your choice.
Integrated Tool. Choose one tool or instrument you’re proficient with. This item is integrated into your body, you can't be disarmed of it against your will, and you double your proficiency bonus for any ability checks you make with it. You must have your hands free to use this integrated tool.
Heritage: Poppet
Poppets are small, basic automatons that typically help their owners with simple tasks. Occasionally, poppets gain sapience, independence, and a spark of life. Elevated beyond mere helpers or playthings, these poppets are free to chart their own destinies. It is not known what exactly gives a poppet life, but they are theorized to come about from free spirits latching onto them, or simply gaining a soul from their owner's love.
Poppets appear like toy dolls or marionettes in a variety of colors and designs. They are made of stuffed fabric or wood.
Absorbant Kindling. Because of the warm, flammable material that makes up your body, you are vulnerable to Fire damage and resistant to Cold damage. However, if you become soaked in water, you are instead resistant to Fire damage and vulnerable to Cold damage until your body dries.
While soaked, your weight doubles, and your base walking speed becomes 20 ft.
Poppet Skill. You are proficient in one skill of your choice.
Heritage: Worker
The Worker model of Automaton was built to assist in non-combat work, such as for shipping, investigations, and mining. Worker Automatons vary wildly in personality, with some despising their work while others love it, outright denying or embracing their given purpose.
Worker Automaton bodies are built to endure physical hardships or perform hard labor for long periods of time. They are typically made from strong but cheap materials, such as stone, wood, or weaker metals.
Powerful Build. You count as one size larger when determining your carrying capacity and the weight you can push, drag, or lift.
Restless Nature. You don't suffer the effects of Exhaustion due to lack of rest.
Half-Bot Prestige
The Automaton can also be played as a Prestige ancestry, taken after character creation at any point when you would receive a Feat in place of taking a regular Feat. A character must meet the following prerequisites to do so:
- You must have a Constitution score of 16 or higher.
- You must have 30 or more hit points.
- You must have a Common Ancestry.
- You cannot already be an Automaton.
- You can't already have a Prestige Ancestry.
Your DM might allow you to ignore one or more of these prerequisites, and may allow you to take this Prestige ancestry at 1st level.
Regardless of when you gain this ancestry, its features modify or add onto your base ancestry's. If a feature is present on both the prestige ancestry and the base ancestry, you take the version of the feature in the prestige ancestry. If you gain more than one prestige ancestry, you use the newest version of any feature it has that you previously gained.
When you play this ancestry as a Prestige ancestry, you gain the benefits of its Creature Type, Constructed Resilience, and Sentry's Rest.