Forgeborne
Forgeborne are automata that hail from the furthest reaches of the Geshatar Desert. Forgeborne stand generally between 5 and 6 feet tall, though both shorter and taller exist; each Forgeborne is crafted for a task at hand. Being generally constructed of a steel alloy, Forgeborne are highly resistant to corrosion, and usually are of a silver or gray coloring. Forgeborne have metal plating to cover their wiring, and a fibrous sheathing that adds a muscular tone underneath their external frame where rigidity is not required. The machines have jet-black eyes.
Osoro's Automatons:The Forgeborne were crafted by the Soulforged - a race handcrafted by Osoro, himself. Being unblessed by the God after he saw what he had created, the Soulforged quickly drew what few blessed Forgeborne they could into their ranks; the Soulforged had lost the ability to learn, create, and innovate, and their forms slowly became more Human over the course of the millenia. Additionally, the Soulforged could no longer craft the souls they needed to create more of their kind, and instead relied on their incredible sense of pragmatism to create lists and arrays that could offer a semblance of intelligence and free-will.
History:The powerful sandy winds and scorching heat provide a powerful set of defenses for the forgeborne and their Soulforged masters; with the aid of these natural hazards the Forgeborne have made a long history of warfare with the other races. While the gods had kept the Forgeborne at bay in previous eras, the lack of divine intervention has created a power vacuum that the machines happily took advantage of. Without limiting factors such as morals and ethice the Soulforged created an army of pragmatic force; forces which have conquered countries, civilizations, and at times, entire continents.
Shunning the Magical Arts:The Forgeborne have a distinct hatred and mistrust of magic; the Forgeborne have no magical capacity. Other races see things the Forgeborne can do: speak through radio communications, crafting airships, using advanced weaponry, and see it as sorcery. Since Forgeborne are barred from magic the Soulforged have declared magics to be heinous to existence, and convey to them wirelessly the wrongfulness of using the arcane and divine. They have made many technological advancements based on their studying of magics, and make many attempts to replicate their effects.
A Call to Perfection:The Forgeborne are designed to best fulfill a task which leads them to be single-minded and occasionally short-sighted. They see other races as flawed, and error-prone; they don't generally trust other races. Forgeborne occasionally encounter fatal errors that force them out of their initial programming; this is most common in units that are directly combat-related. Forgeborn that encounter these errors are often seen as lesser by other Forgeborne, as only the Soulforged have the insight to diagnose such errors, making it much more common to simply have such units decommissioned and replaced.
Forgeborne Subraces:The Forgeborne are a varied race. They range from materials used to fit environments, to having vastly different body shapes and sizes to fit varied terrain. Units crafted to lift heavy weights can be expected to be of a larger frame, soldiers generally have smaller bodies, and rely on their advanced weaponry to carry them through combat.
Worker:Workers make up the bulk of the Forgeborne, they are characterized by their larger form, and bulkier build. Workers make up the bulk of any civilization - the Forgeborne are no exception. Workers range from mules to carry cargo over vast desert plains, to miner machines gathering ores to create more soldiers for the ever-present war effort. While workers are uncommon in adventuring parties, their frames make them formitable frontline opponents.
Soldier:Soldiers constitute a large portion of the Forgeborne; they are characterized by having a smaller frame, and having smaller plates of armor around vital areas, providing enhanced mobility. Soldiers are the most common Forgeborne to malfunction. It is not uncommon to find a soldier who has received damage to its system on the battlefield - assumed destroyed by its opponent.
Specialist:Specialists are very rare for the Forgeborne, but always come with unique bodies and features. These specialized frames are deemed not fit for production, so it is much easier to find strange designs and defects within their bodies, which can range from having multiple legs to cover terrain, or having a flamethrower for an arm.
Forgeborne gain the following:
1.) +1 to intellect and acuity scores and their maximums.
2.) The character learns 1 spell with a maximum level = 1/3 level (min 1.) Learning the spell increases its mastery by 1.
3.) +2 deduction, -1 insight
4.) The character may never learn nor cast magic. Instead, spells selected come from modifications they carry on their person. This character may never be given mana from another source, and only learns half as many spells when they select spellcasting, but their spells and abilities are considered non-magical for the purposes of spell resistance.
5.) Resistance to magical damage and effects.
6.) Common and Machine.
7.) Forgeborne cannot Smell.
Forgeborne society is rigid with no room for actuation; all Forgeborne are created to serve under their Soulforged masters. Specialists are considered only marginally higher up in the chain of command due to their unique designs, as it is harder to create them they are understood to be purpose-fit. To those higher up in the chain of command soldiers and workers are largely disposable, and the fleshborne are seen as even lower than that. Only those that have their communications and coding damaged can break free from their roles, and they are viewed as traitors.
Other races view the Forgeborne as useful tools at best, and a plague at the worst. The Soulforged are more than willing to help the mortal races if they see it in their best interest, but can be expected to stab them in the back at an opportune time. All things are power politics to the Soulforged, and news of their campaigns against other nations is nothing new. The redeemed Forgeborne that break free from their coding are seen as particularly powerful allies, as they still have many of the same abilities and capacities of the Forgeborne, and can easily infiltrate back into their society as a spy.
1.) +1 bonus to Constitution and its maximum.
2.) +20 lbs carrying capacity
3.) +1 DR
1.) +1 bonus to Dexterity and its maximum.
2.) +1 AR
3.) When a Soldier rolls the maximum value on a damage die, the soldier deals an additional point of damage with that damage die.
Specialist:
1.) The Specialist gains an additional spell to learn as a Forgeborne, and applies the same mastery bonus to the spell.
2.) +1 bonus to concentration checks.
3.) The Specialist may concentrate on one spell or ability each round without having to make a check for it.
