Constructed

 

Constructed Traits

 

While each constructed is unique and different (despite how similar they might appear externally), characters with constructed heritage share a variety of traits in common. 

Age. Constructed do not age, many beginning life fully physically mature, self-aware, and extremely functional. While the materials that comprise a constructed’s body may degrade over time, they can also be repaired, their parts replaced or even upgraded—with proper maintenance they can be immortal.

Size. Constructed are engineered from metal, hardwood, and other dense (often expensive) materials that make them heavy, most weighing between 175 and 400 pounds and standing anywhere from 3 to 7 feet tall. Your size is Small or Medium.

Speed. Your Speed is 25 feet.

Constructed Nature. You are resistant to poison damage and gain one of the following benefits.

You don't require air.

You gain an expertise die on saving throws made to avoid being charmed or frightened .

Mechanical Metabolism. Certain types of healing are less effective or even wholly ineffective. Sources of nonmagical healing other than taking a rest have no effect. Magical healing only restores half as many hit points as normal unless you are also repaired in the same round (with an Engineering check, the mending cantrip, or similar).

In addition, you  don’t require Supply in the typical sense; instead of eating food, you rely on a specific substance to refuel. Every 24 hours without the substance you suffer a level of fatigue and strife as your inner machinations begin to decay. Select one of the following. 

Combustibles: 1 pound of coal or hemp, or 2 pounds of wood.

Darkness: 2 hours of complete darkness.

Liquid: 1 flask of lamp oil, grease, or an alchemical liquid of your choice.

Metal: 1 pound of copper or roughly 50 copper pieces. The Narrator may also allow you to consume silver, gold, or other precious metal in an amount of equivalent worth instead.

Sunlight: 3 hours of full sunlight or 6 hours of partial (shaded or cloudy) sunlight.

Mechanical Lift. You count as one size larger when determining your carrying capacity and you can carry a number of additional bulky items equal to your proficiency bonus.

Planar Energy. Your spark of life may be magical, mystical, or divine in nature, but what forms the basis of that life is planarite: raw essence of the planes captured, refined, and encapsulated in crystalline form.

Choose the type of planarite that serves as your primary life force from the following list: air, death, earth, fire, life, space, time, water. You gain resistance to a specific damage type based on this source.

Regardless of planarite type, the planar energy contained within allows you to forgo sleep. When you take a long rest , you spend 4 hours in a state of inactivity (instead of sleeping for 6 hours). While powered down in this way, you suffer no penalty to passive Perception. A long rest remains 8 hours for you as normal, and the remainder of the time must be filled only with light activity.

Pranarite Resistance

Air thunder

Death necrotic

Earth lightning

Fire fire

Life radiant

Space psychic

Time force

Water cold

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Constructed Gifts

Each constructed begins with a basic frame for its original purpose. While some constructed may originate from the same basic design, the wide variety of available options makes each individual unique. In addition to the traits found in your constructed heritage, choose one of the following frames as your heritage gift.

Cross-Functional. With the Narrator’s permission, you can choose an augment trait from a different frame instead of an augment trait for your chosen frame (for example, choosing a Utility Augment for your Service Frame).

Military Frame

Designed for war, you have been pre-configured with tactical advantages in combat situations. 

Battle Readiness. Your Speed increases to 30 feet and you are proficient with clubs, spears, and light crossbows

In addition, you have a melee weapon built into one of your arms that is immediately swapped out for a hand when sheathed. Choose one melee weapon that does not have the heavy, two-handed, or versatile property. When attached in this way, you are proficient with the weapon, it cannot be thrown, and you cannot be disarmed of it. The weapon can be replaced with another weapon with 10 minutes of work and a DC 13 Engineering or tinker’s tools check.

Military Augments. Choose two of the following customizations to enhance your military frame.

Cavalry: Your Speed increases by 5 feet, and you are proficient withgain proficiency in Animal Handling or land vehicles.

Heavy Artillery: You have a pop-up shoulder cannon that functions as the acid splash , fire bolt , or ray of frost cantrip (chosen when you select this customization and using your highest ability score as its spellcasting ability) but its effects are nonmagical.

Infantry: You have a crawl speed equal to your Speed, proficiency with shields, one martial melee weapon, and one martial ranged weapon.

Light Artillery: You replace one hand with a hand crossbow. You are proficient with the weapon and can ignore its loading property.

Navy: You have a swim speed of 20 feet and proficiency with water vehicles.

Service Frame

Your humanoid-like appearance makes you well suited to being unobtrusive and facilitating social interactions.

Social Grace. You have precise control of your facial, bodily, and vocal expressions and can detect minute changes of expression in others. You are proficient in know two languages, are proficient with one artisan’s tool, gaming kit, instrument, or vehicle, and you gain an expertise die on either Deception checks or Insight checks.

Service Augments. Choose two of the following customizations to enhance your service frame.

Anticipatory Nimbleness: You can move through the space of any creature that is of a size larger than yours.

Knowledge Archive: When you become proficient in your first lore skill (Arcana, Culture, Engineering, History, Nature, Religion; as bonus knowledge), you gain two of its skill specialties.

Mathematically Mnemonics Inclined: You gain proficiency in Engineering, its mathematics skill specialty, and you learn the calculate cantrip and can cast it without the need for components.

Needle Gun: Your frame is equipped with a concealed, integrated blowgun that has the hand-mounted property. You are proficient with the weapon and can fire a needle as a bonus action.

Self-defense Specialist: You have an assassin's gauntlet/boot dagger built into your wrist, toe, or heel and are proficient with the weapon gain proficiency with one rare melee weapon or one rare ranged weapon.

Utility Frame

Your function-based form provides unique ways to interact with the world around you, and your finely-tuned motor skills grant you an expertise die when using one tool set (chosen when you become proficient with it)with which you are proficient with navigator’s tools, thieves’ tools, and tinker’s tools.

Crane Arm. Instead of two arms, you only have a single arm designed for a specialized use, including one extension. For holding, grasping, and using objects, you can use a bonus action to swap your extension out for an articulated hand. While not wielding a shield, you can use your arm to wield a weapon with properties that would normally require two hands (loading, two-handed) or if wielding a versatile weapon to be treated as wielding it two handed. Choose one of the following.

Arc Welder Extension: This extension functions as the shocking grasp cantrip (using your highest ability score as its spellcasting ability) but its effects are nonmagical.

Flamethrower Extension: This extension functions as the produce flame cantrip (using your highest ability score as its spellcasting ability) but its effects are nonmagical.

Multi-Tool Extension: You are proficient with and can deploy built-in navigator’s tools, thieves’ tools, andor tinker’s tools with this extension.

Utility Augments. Choose two of the following customizations to enhance your utility frame.

Gear Shift: Your Speed increases by 5 feet.

Gyroscopic Balance. You gain an expertise die on saving throws made against being knocked prone .

Immutable Form: You gain advantage on saving throws made against effects that would alter your form.

Insectile Limbs: You have a climb speed of 20 feet, and you gain an expertise die on checks made to climb.

Treads: You ignore difficult terrains caused by ice, snow, sand, or mud, and you gain an expertise die on checks made to balance.

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Constructed Paragon

As ageless beings the constructed understand what it is to go without change for years at a time, but they are far from stagnant. When you reach 10th level, you make significant modifications to enhance your constructed self. You gain one paragon gift from the following list. 

Advancement Upgrade

You gain one new lore skill specialty (as bonus knowledge), one additional magical item attunement slot (to a maximum of 4) and 1 additional frame augmentation.

Chassis Upgrade

You gain an expertise die on concentration checks and your Armor Class increases by 1.

Engine Upgrade

You have a fly speed of 30 feet. To use this speed, you can’t be encumbered. Whenever you spend 3 full consecutive rounds airborne without landing, you gain a level of fatigue. Any fatigue gained in this way is removed upon finishing a short or long rest.

Warframe Upgrade

You gain an expertise die on attack and damage rolls for unarmed strikes and any built-in weapons that are part of your frame.

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Constructed Culture

To say the constructed have a single homogeneous culture would be far from true, yet to say they are altogether free from a common cultural influence would be just as false—their forms are the result of and a response to a cultural need. Whether that need be defense, conquest, or convenience, the animation of inanimate objects does not occur in a vacuum nor is it a spontaneous outcome of natural events. Someone designs and creates a construct to serve a purpose, often a mindless and menial existence that saves effort, spares hardship, or even preserves life.

When those lifeless drones become living beings themselves, sentient and self-aware persons who can choose their own purpose, they tend to disrupt the prior order of things. While it’s true that some constructed continue to find their intended work meaningful and fulfilling, many others are excited about the prospect of discovering a greater destiny.

There are constructed that have been sentient for centuries (perhaps even millennia) though usually they are newly self-aware—whether life is new or old to them may affect how an individual constructed perceives and interacts with the culture in which it resides.

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Suggested Cultures

While you can choose any culture for your constructed character, the forsaken , imperial , and steamforged cultures are linked closely with this heritage.