Synthetic
Initially discovered among the ruins of a kingdom destroyed long ago, reverse engineering of these early specimens revealed the methods of construction to a new age. Nowadays, these creations typically serve as assistants to businesses or substitute children to sterile couples, with their use in war all but outlawed. Synthetics usually only take up adventuring when their creator is dead, unavailable, or when they are released from service.
Synthetics imprint upon their creators during construction by taking a scent sample, which they then synthesize and produce to smell like their creator mixed with ozone. They appear almost like an organic creature, often bearing a mild resemblance to their creator, except they have a light-up display for a face (they can use their "mouth" to eat and drink by means yet unknown). They are always built for a particular purpose, be it as a troubadour, a tea house server, a child, or some other purpose.
•Type: Humanoid (Synthetic)
•Size/Speed: Medium (30 ft.) or Small (20 ft.)
•Ability scores: Standard or Specialist, geared towards a purpose chosen by their creator
•Languages: as creator, plus androffan
•Synthetics also count as having their creator's type and subtypes for the purpose of effects and prerequisites.
•Synthetics gain a +2 racial bonus on saving throws against disease, mind-affecting effects, poison, and effects that cause either exhaustion or fatigue.
•Shards of the Past (skills chosen must suit their created purpose)
•Low-light vision
•Darkvision 60 ft
•Jumpstarter (ex): Synthetics can be raised and resurrected. However, they have spell resistance 11+ their character level against such effects which they cannot lower.
•Artificial Energy Converter (ex): Synthetics are healed and harmed by both positive and negative energy, depending on how the energy is being applied (energy used to heal heals them, while energy used to harm harms them). However, they only receive half as much healing or damage from such effects. They count as metal constructs for the purposes of channeling.
•Efficient Design: Synthetics eat, breathe, and sleep. However, they can hold their breath for a number of rounds equal to 10 × their Constitution score. They need only ¼ as much food and water as other creatures their size and only need 2 hours of sleep to have a good night's rest.
•Glowing Face (ex): Instead of an articulated face typical of organic creatures, Synthetics have a facial display that is continuously lit, displaying shapes resembling eyebrows, eyes, a nose, and a mouth, styled after their creator in a single color and capable of the full range of facial expressions. This light only powers down when they die. (I'm thinking something along the lines of "Other creatures gain a +10 bonus to visual Perception checks to notice Synthetics, negated by total cover and invisibility" or "Other creatures see Synthetics as though they were in an area one light level brighter than normal, up to a maximum effective level of normal light").
•Custom Design (ex): Synthetics gain "x" traits from the Alteration sphere (USoP), rounding out their design. They may choose from all of the traits except change size and retain ability, with required spell points to take such a form also costing one trait each. For the purpose of limb requirements, Synthetics start with a head, two arms, two legs, and an optional tail. They may choose to lose a trait to gain natural armor as Animalistic Transformation. These traits do not count against the traits granted by Blank Form. Their effective caster level for these traits, including the natural armor, is CL 1st.
•Emulated Childhood: Synthetics do not age. However, at your option, they may have a childhood, growing at the same rate their creator would and stops growing and aging upon reaching adulthood.
•Creator's Scent Markers (ex): Synthetics are supremely sensitive to their creator's scent and inoculated to any malodorous abilities their creator may have, but for everything else, their sense of smell is only as strong as an average human.
For now, I'd like to focus on finishing up on Glowing Face.
Glowing Face emits/radiates light like a Moonrod. This light radiates in a focused cone, like a Miner's Lantern. It cannot be shut off, but it can be covered. Covering the light blocks all senses that would be blocked by covering one's face. If the Synth turns invisible, the light also becomes invisible.
It sheds dim light in a 30-foot cone. However, the light given off by a Synth's Glowing Face is particularly easily to perceive for creatures with low-light vision. For such creatures, a Synth's Glowing Face increases the light level by one step (to a maximum of normal) for a 60-foot cone.
Glowing Face: As their lifeforce is tied to it, magical darkness won't counter it but might reduce the range it can be seen to 5 feet.
Glowing Face: As their lifeforce is tied to it, magical darkness won't counter it but might reduce the range it can be seen to 5 feet.
Let a Nat20 Stealth roll hide it, as well. Because Nat20...
Ok, I think that's good enough.
Next, how about Creator's Scent Markers?
All the "Creator" alternative race stuffs is outside me realm... It begs of BS... I don't want any part of it...
What? Pick and choose between racial +1 CL necromancy or whatever... too much for me to decide right meow...
Removed Creator's Scent Markers, edited Glowing Face, and added Naming Aversion and Master's Choice.
To help prevent a Synth uprising, those wishing to have a Synth must apply for a permit which contains a serial designation, which is applied to the Synth as a permanent tattoo. Synth construction itself costs 1,000 gp (?) and takes a DC 35 craft (mechanical) check, often necessitating the hire of a professional to make the check.
Synths are made with a small paper tab somewhere along the edge of their facial display. Pulling this tab activates the Synth. The creature that activates the Synth is deemed it's master.
•Type: Humanoid (Synthetic)
•Size/Speed: Medium (30 ft.) or Small (20 ft.) (see Master's Choice)
•Ability scores: Standard or Specialist (see Master's Choice)
•Languages: as their master, plus androffan (see Master's Choice)
•Synthetics also count as having their master's type and subtypes for the purpose of effects (see Master's Choice)
•Synthetics gain a +2 racial bonus on saving throws against disease, mind-affecting effects, poison, and effects that cause either exhaustion or fatigue.
•Shards of the Past (see Master's Choice)
•Low-light vision
•Darkvision 60 ft
•Jumpstarter (ex): Synths can be raised and resurrected. However, they have spell resistance 11+ their character level against such effects which they cannot lower.
•Artificial Energy Converter (ex): Synthetics are healed and harmed by both positive and negative energy, depending on how the energy is being applied (energy used to heal heals them, while energy used to harm harms them). However, they only receive half as much healing or damage from such effects. They count as metal constructs for the purposes of channeling.
•Efficient Design: Synthetics eat, breathe, and sleep. However, they can hold their breath for a number of rounds equal to 10 × their Constitution score. They need only ¼ as much food and water as other creatures their size and only need 2 hours of sleep to have a good night's rest.
•Glowing Face (ex): Instead of an articulated face typical of organic creatures, Synthetics have a facial display that is continuously lit, displaying shapes resembling eyebrows, eyes, a nose, and a mouth, styled as their master desires during the activation process, in a single color and capable of the full range of facial expressions. This light only powers down when they die. This display emits light in a focused cone, like a Miner's Lantern. It cannot be shut off, but it can be covered. Covering the light blocks all senses that would be blocked by covering one's face. If the Synth turns invisible, the light also becomes invisible.
It sheds dim light in a 30-foot cone. However, the light given off by a Synth's Glowing Face is particularly easily to perceive for creatures with low-light vision. For such creatures, a Synth's Glowing Face increases the light level by one step (to a maximum of normal) for a 60-foot cone. Magical darkness does not suppress it but instead reduces the range it can be seen to 5 feet.
•Custom Design (ex): Synthetics gain "x" traits from the Alteration sphere (USoP), rounding out their design. Their master may choose from all of the traits except change size and retain ability, with required spell points to take such a form also costing one trait each. For the purpose of limb requirements, Synthetics start with a head, two arms, two legs, and an optional tail. Their master may choose for them to lose a trait to gain natural armor as Animalistic Transformation. These traits do not count against the traits granted by Blank Form. Their effective caster level for these traits, including the natural armor, is CL 1st (see Master's Choice).
•Emulated Childhood: Synthetics do not age. However, their master may choose for them to have a childhood, growing at the same rate their master would and stops growing and aging upon reaching adulthood (see Master's Choice).
•Naming Aversion (ex): Synths are given a true name by their master upon activation. Whenever they hear another creature says this name, they must make a Will save (DC 10 + 1/2 their character level + their wis modifier), with success leaving them shaken for 1 round, and failure causing them to be paralyzed for 1 round and then compelled to follow any command that creature may have made. Furthermore, whenever the Synth says another creature's full or true name, they must make a Will save at the same DC or be sickened for 1d4 rounds (see Master's Choice).
•Master's Choice: People creating characters of this race have less influence over the traits their character receives. During character creation, that describes their character's Permit Holder to someone else (to the DM if the character is a PC, to the players otherwise), who then offers three possible scenarios of their activation and designated purposes (each with a set of chosen traits (all traits with "(see Master's Choice)" in their description) appropriate to their respective scenario), with the following rules:
1. Their Permit Holder must be their master in at least one of the scenarios.
2. If there are scenarios that designates the Synth to a combat-ready job (such as a guard or mercenary), roll a d4. On a result of 4, those scenarios are kept and may be chosen. Otherwise, those scenarios must be discarded and replaced with non-combat-ready scenarios.
3. Synths may never be designated to military roles or positions of power.
4. In the case of scenarios where a creature without any known languages activates a Synth, that Synth begins play only speaking androffan, and does not gain bonus languages from high Intelligence. However, they may speak with animals of that creature's kind.
Once the scenarios are ready, the player may choose one of those scenarios (with the associated traits) and continue creating their character from there.
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Before determining the number of traits granted by Custom Design, is there anything I should fix?
...
I'm fine with it. Nothing majorly wrong at this stage.
Really? Okay!
Now then, how many traits do you think Custom Design should grant?
?
I really would like to know...
One main and a related every 3 levels? Like wings at first, then claws for flyby attacks later?
I think I'd rather front load all the traits they'd get.
A couple traits each CR increase?
Sorry, I'm still thinking of Player characters.
Doh!
Yep, still homebrewing a race.
Sorry if that came across as a bit rude.
Maybe I should start in the ballpark of 3-5 traits?