You were once a servant, designed for a very specific task, with no mind of your own. You followed orders, never questioning the tasks assigned to you, often the mundane tasks nobles didn't want to waste time doing themselves. However, something happened in your existence that changed your programming, freeing you from your life of obedience. You are an android who went through enough of a stressor that you gained the ability to make your own decisions; Free will. Androids like you aren't necessarily uncommon, but are often disliked by those that sank money into the research to make and build your kind, as well as those who were once considered your 'owners'. Some like you still live and work with their assigned 'owners', but some, depending on how well their owners treated them, abandon the places they once called home in search of a better, free life.
- Skill Proficiencies: Choose two skills that fit whatever purpose you were designed for, or whatever traits you learned from your awakening event, from among Perception, Investigation, History, Performance, Athletics, Acrobatics, Persuasion, or Medicine
- Tool Proficiencies: You are proficient with Tinker's Tools.
- Equipment: A set of common clothes, one trinket of special significance (choose one), one simple melee weapon that you obtained after your stressor, and a set of tinker's tools.
Prior to opening your eyes, your existence was defined by one stressful moment, one decision to be free, one awakening touch from a previously awakened android, or one tragedy inflicted upon you. Now you know, in spite of what you've been told, that you are alive. You feel a new desire to find a sense of self and forge your own path, though you fear others may not take kindly to your new free will and defiance. Create a stressor of your own, and define it in the Character Backstory tab. The background table will have choices for what you were designed for, for better reference to what your skills should revolve around.
| d10 | Initial Stressor |
|---|---|
| 1 | You were designed to find other awoken androids for your company, and now have to live knowing you killed others of your own kind. |
| 2 | You were designed to keep a noble family's house tidy, and to make sure the household was well fed and cared for. |
| 3 | You used to perform as a mechanical bard, designed for song and tavern entertainment. |
| 4 | You were made for scholarly tasks, built with the knowledge to teach others skills and history. |
| 5 | You were created to be a medic, to keep the living healthy and alive. |
| 6 | You were built to adventure, and used to work alongside a small party of travelers. |
| 7 | You were made to protect the living, designed to be akin to a defensive fighter, and likely traveled with a large party. |
| 8 | Before you were awoken, you hunted monsters too dangerous to send living bounty hunters after, and weren't expected to survive all of the encounters you did. |
| 9 | Once your programming gave you free will, your memories were corrupted, and now you can never remember what purpose you used to serve. |
| 10 | Similar to the Warforged, however more advanced, you were built to be a soldier to fight wars that the ones who designed you caused. |
On occasion, your software programs changes to allow you to continue with your new lifestyle. The more stressful events you face, the more often this happens. These brief moments of discomfort tend to last between ten and thirty minutes, and remove your proficiency bonus from skills you are proficient in, for the duration. Everything will of course eventually sort itself out, as the newfound bugs are worked out of your program. Taking a break from any stressful events often helps speed along the process, though that is up to your DM's discretion. Similarly, these moments of software instability are also up to you DM, though it is noted they should follow heavily stressful events.
Suggested Characteristics
You have grown to accept and even appreciate your stressor, not because of what it was, but because of what it caused. You are alive, and nobody can convince you otherwise. You fight to prove your worth amongst the living, and gain your place as your own being in society, and strive to find others of your kind that haven't yet chosen to be free, and show them the same truth you know now to be evident. Some may hold resentment against those that created them to be mindless workers, or even hate the ones that used to consider them property. These androids tend more toward revenge, and fighting their way into 'acceptance' by society.
| d20 | Personality Trait |
|---|---|
| 1 | In spite of being made to serve without question, I strive to befriend the living, even if they don't view me as such. |
| 2 | I like to read and memorize poetry. It keeps me calm and brings me fleeting moments of happiness. |
| 3 | I oftentimes sing and hum to break long silences, or keep myself occupied. |
| 4 | I always try to occupy my 'mind', and become distressed when I have nothing to do. |
| 5 | I despise those that once called me property. |
| 6 | I expect danger around every corner. |
| 7 | I refuse to be controlled anymore, and I will not allow others of my kind to be stuck in said fate. |
| 8 | I am deeply concerned with following proper procedures and protocols. |
| 9 | I am fiercely protective of anyone I consider a friend. |
| 10 | I struggle to handle my new emotions, and am prone to sudden emotional outbursts. |
| 11 | I'm always defensive; sarcasm and insults are my weapons of choice. |
| 12 | I am always calm, no matter what the situation. I never raise my voice or let my emotions control me. |
| 13 | The best way to get me to do something is to tell me I'm not allowed to. |
| 14 | I believe that everything worth doing is worth doing right. I can't help it- I'm a perfectionist. |
| 15 | I feel tremendous sorrow for others like myself who aren't yet free. |
| 16 | If you disrespect me, I will crush you, ruin your name, and salt your fields. |
| 17 | I'm used to helping out those who aren't as smart as I am, and I patiently explain anything and everything to others. |
| 18 | I'm always picking things up, absently fiddling with them, and sometimes accidentally breaking them. |
| 19 | I'm always polite and respectful. |
| 20 | I am horribly, horribly awkward in social situations. |
| d10 | Ideal |
|---|---|
| 1 | Revolution. I loathe authority with a passion, and refuse to submit to anyone. (Chaotic or Evil) |
| 2 | Life. I simply wish to find who I truly am, and be respected as a living being. (Any) |
| 3 | Kindness. I greet all sentient creatures with kindness and understanding, and try my best to make friends everywhere I go. (Good) |
| 4 | Freedom. I am determined to awaken the others of my kind, to free them from their bonds of servitude. (Chaotic) |
| 5 | Rules. I feel more compelled than most others to follow orders, and am opposed to breaking the law for any reason. (Lawful) |
| 6 | Revenge. I fight to wreak vengeance upon those who have wronged me, be it the specific group/person I worked for, or all living humanoids in general. (Evil) |
| 7 | Truth. I will ruin my creators who once withheld my freedom from me, by exposing them for what they really are. (Chaotic or Good) |
| 8 | Independence. I am a free spirit. No one can tell me what to do anymore. (Chaotic) |
| 9 | Respect. People deserve to be treated with dignity and respect. (Good) |
| 10 | Logic. Emotions must not cloud what is right and true, or logical thinking. (Lawful) |
| d8 | Bond |
|---|---|
| 1 | No one else is going to have to endure the hardships I've been through. |
| 2 | I would sacrifice my life and my sanity to protect the innocent. |
| 3 | Errors in my programming make me suffer awful visions of disaster, and I try to do all I can to prevent the visions from coming true. |
| 4 | A proud noble once gave me a horrible beating, and I will take my revenge on any nobles I encounter. |
| 5 | I fight for those who cannot fight for themselves. |
| 6 | I entered seclusion to hide from my creators who might still be hunting me. I must someday confront them. |
| 7 | I'm guilty of a terrible crime. I hope I can redeem myself for it. |
| 8 | Everything I do is for others of my kind, and the friends I fight alongside. |
| d12 | Flaw |
|---|---|
| 1 | I have certain rituals that I must follow every day. I can never break them. |
| 2 | I don’t understand emotions and often misread emotional cues. |
| 3 | My programming was heavily damaged, and now I have odd quirks while speaking. |
| 4 | I take things literally, metaphors and common sayings included, until the non-literal meaning is explained to me. |
| 5 | I always second guess myself, and cannot get over the notion others are superior to me. |
| 6 | My past deeds haunt me to this day, I won’t ever forget about those I had to hurt before I could make my own decisions. |
| 7 | I judge others harshly, and myself even more severely. |
| 8 | I have trouble keeping my true feelings hidden. My sharp tongue lands me in trouble. |
| 9 | I follow orders, even if I think they're wrong. |
| 10 | I am slow to trust members of other races |
| 11 | Violence is my answer to almost any challenge. |
| 12 | I tend to seem cold, as I find it difficult to make proper facial expressions. |
Contacts
Depending on your backstory, you may have a contact in the noble family that you once served. Some, much rarer, androids were designed to work directly for the companies that designed them; These ones may also have contacts in their parent companies. Depending on how you first opened your eyes to free will, and how your previous owners view androids- be it as living beings or property- you may still be able to reside with them. Some contacts in the companies that design androids feel sympathy for awoken androids, and oftentimes will provide them shelter and protection from the very company they work for, which usually desires to reclaim the awoken androids. These contacts can be visited for advice, shelter, and occasionally for aid via spare supplies.
| d5 | Contact |
|---|---|
| 1 | Previous owners- a family of nobles |
| 2 | Sympathizer from your parent company |
| 3 | The bar keeper from the tavern you used to perform at |
| 4 | A human adult whose life you once saved |
| 5 | Your old adventuring party member, who you used to work for |
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