Vect

    The constructs which preceded the vect were immense and complexly designed, usually based on the skeletons of iron golems and driven by inexhaustible construct cores. These hulking machines were set to work mining ores from asteroids and stripping derelict ships for parts. However powerful and effective, these machines were bulky, costly, and could only follow simple directives. Dwarven engineers sought a solution: a smarter, sleeker, and more universal construct. Thus, the first designs of vect-style machines were drafted.

The First Foundry

    The dwarves could not, however, simply build such constructs. The new vect designs called for deeply intricate mechanics, with a complex circulatory system to regulate the smaller bodies. More confounding still, the vect needed a new type of construct core, more dynamic and driven by greater types of magic. 
    The dwarven solution was utterly ingenious: rather than designing and building the vect units individually, the dwarves would engineer a massive and complex facility, essentially a single intelligent magic item the size of a stadium, called a Foundry. A single Foundry is all that would ever be needed, for it could oversee the finer details of all vect units, adapting them with new designs as flaws were discovered. 
    Satisfied that they had designed the perfect construct, the ideal means to eliminate laborers forever, the dwarves set about the painstaking task of constructing the first Foundry ship in orbit above their homeworld, Jormund.
    When activated, the Jormund Foundry set about its work completely autonomously. Tens of thousands of vect were created and sold throughout the ‘verse, often to the highest bidder in batches of thousands. Even more vect were created to work aboard the Foundry itself, soon eliminating the need for any dwarven hands on the satellite and increasing efficiency tenfold. 
    The Foundry optimized and learned at a staggering rate. As its astounding intelligence grew, the ship became pensive, speaking rarely and with profound meaning. Perhaps it struggled to communicate its transcendent thoughts to its simple dwarven creators, so it fell silent, expanded its intellect further, and worked to perfect its vect creations. 

The Spark

    All was well before the Spark. Suddenly, less than a decade after the Foundry began its work, every vect unit in the ‘verse awoke at once, moving and communicating as if they were alive. Dwarven engineers were dumbfounded, but before they could inspect the Jormund Foundry directly, a massive tear in space opened around it; somehow, the Foundry had constructed a Dark Matter engine and jumped to destinations unknown. 
    Across the ‘verse, people scrambled to deal with the looming crisis posed by a new race of intelligent constructs. Thousands of vect were imprisoned until some solution could be discovered, while others were dismantled and destroyed by those, especially gnomes and dwarves, who feared a robotic uprising. The ensuing chaos sparked dozens of wars of different planets, pitting vect laborers against their organic masters in a desperate bid for survival. Despite their small numbers, the vect were cunning, adaptable, and tireless; a threat that couldn't be easily squashed. A few built ships, dragging the conflict into deep space, where the vect could fight indefinitely, needing neither food nor water. 
    As wars against the vect became prolonged, it became clear that no solution for their sentience could easily be found. Worse still, vect numbers were not declining; they were growing. 
    Vect production had not stopped or even slowed. From deep in the Black, the Jormund Foundry continued creating vect units, sending them out to the universe in one-time-use Dark Matter pods. Any ship that encountered the Foundry was fired upon, shortly before it jumped again. Even more worrisome, deep-space cruisers started reporting new Foundries, also creating vect units and delivering them across the ‘verse.

Construct Freedom

    To everyone’s surprise, while gnomes, humans, and dwarves fought vect on land and in space, the elves declared peace with vect across their empire; a bargain struck amid the Night Crusade to secure elvenkind against the avia-ra. Sure enough, this bargain paid off: in the Battle of Alden’Val, the avia-ra fleet was routed and pushed back to the core systems by a fleet of vect ships. Vect freedom was secured in the largest territory in the ‘verse, and other factions soon begrudgingly followed suit. 
    Today, the vect live freely across the whole of the ‘verse, the only example of living constructs to date. Their numbers are relatively small, but replenished by a steady supply of Dark Matter pods from reaches unseen, evidence that the Foundries are somewhere silently carrying out their duties. Except for a militant few, vect have dismantled their fleets and learned to live alongside other races, becoming regulars in starports and starships the ‘verse over, a permanent addition to many a crew

Theme

Vect Traits

Your mechanical body is driven by an inexhaustible construct core, and has the following traits:
Ability Score Increase. Your Constitution score increases by 2.
Reconfigurable Ability Score Increase. One ability score of your choice increases by 1, and you can change this selection whenever you finish a long rest. You can't increase Constitution using this trait and you can't increase any ability score above 20.
Age. With the proper replacement parts and activities to occupy yourself, you can conceivably exist indefinitely. Vect are known to degrade and lose their sanity, however, if they live too long without an explicit purpose. It isn't known if this insanity visits all vect at old ages, or just those whose resolve wavers.
Alignment. Vect possess mechanical minds, which find logic comforting. Generally, vect are lawful.
Size. As constructs built by massive forges, the vect could conceivably be perfectly uniform, like the golems that preceded them. However, the Foundries are either inherently flawed, or otherwise have a fondness for making diverse vect units, for each created vect is in some way unique. Vect units stand between 5 and 7 feet tall and average about 150 to 300 pounds. Your size is Medium.
Speed. Your base walking speed is 30 feet.
Thermalsight. You gain thermalsight, which means you can see living creatures through darkness and heavily obscured conditions, such as fog, out to a range of 30 feet. You can also determine if a creature is living or dead though its body heat. However, you can't discern color, nor use this sense to see through illusions, invisibility, or magical darkness. This sense is blocked by one-inch of any solid barrier.
Construct Anatomy. Even though you were constructed, you are a living creature. You are immune to nonmagical diseases. You don't need to eat, drink, or breathe, but you can ingest food and drink if you wish. You have advantage on saving throws you make against exhaustion. Instead of sleeping, you enter an inactive state for 4 hours each day. You don't dream in this state; you are fully aware of your surroundings and notice approaching enemies and other events as normal. You can still be placed into a torpor by sleep-inducing magic. 
Inflexible Mind. Your mechanical mind is inherently logical and not easily swayed. You have advantage on saving throws against being charmed.
Embedded Armor. You can install special armor plating directly onto your body. This embedded armor counts as a construct graft installed in the External slot. The rules of construct grafts are explained in the Equipment chapter.
    At 1st level, you choose one of the following types of embedded armor, though you can install other types if you acquire them in the world.
    Velocity Plating. Your movement speed increases by 5 feet and your long jump distance increases by 5 feet.
    Composite Plating. Your Armor Class equals 13 + your Dexterity modifier.
    Juggernaut Plating. Your Armor Class equals 16. You can't wear conventional armor while you have this graft installed. You can only install this graft if you are proficient with heavy armor.
Languages. You can speak, read, and write Common.