Homebrew Arcane Puppet Species Details

 

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—Red, The Red Mage

Arcane Puppets were originally built to be subservient to their various creators. While the first arcane puppets were mindless automatons, vast resources were used to improve these wooden constructs. An unexpected breakthrough produced sapient beings, giving rise to what some have only grudgingly accepted as a new species. Arcane Puppets are made from wood and metal, but they can feel pain and emotion. Built as helpers, they must now find a purpose beyond being a simple servant. An arcane puppet can be a steadfast ally, a cold-hearted killer, or a visionary in search of meaning.

 

Arcane Puppet Personality

Arcane Puppets were built to solely serve and aid. For most of their existence, arcane puppets had a clearly defined function and were encouraged to focus purely on that role. While only known by few, arcane puppets struggle both to find a place Faerûn and to relate to the creatures who created them.

The typical arcane puppet shows little emotion. Many arcane puppets embrace a concrete purpose — such as protecting allies, completing a contract, or exploring a land — and embrace this task as they once did when they were subservient. However, there are arcane puppets who delight in exploring their feelings, their freedom, and their relationships with others. Most arcane puppets have no interest in religion, but some embrace faith and mysticism, seeking higher purpose and deeper meaning.

The typical arcane puppet has a sexless body shape. Some arcane puppets ignore the concept of gender entirely, while others adopt a gender identity.

The more an arcane puppet develops its individuality, the more likely it is to modify its body, seeking out an artificer to customize the look of its face, limbs, and sturdiness.

 

Arcane Puppet History

D6	STORY
1	Your creator gave you autonomy and urged you to follow your dreams.
2	Your creator died, leaving you to fend for yourself.
3	An untold magic caused you to forget your original purpose. You don’t remember who made you or where you came from.
4	You didn’t like how you were being treated by your creator, so you ran away from home.
5	You were built to complete a special mission.
6	You felt trapped in the role for which you were built and abandoned your creator, determined to find a greater purpose.

 

Arcane Puppet Names

Many arcane puppets adopt nicknames, often given to them by their creators or comrades. As independent individuals, some have chosen new names as a way to express their path in life. A few take on human names, often the name of a fallen friend or mentor.

Arcane Puppet Names: Anchor, Banner, Bastion, Blade, Blue, Bow, Cart, Church, Crunch, Crystal, Dagger, Dent, Five, Glaive, Hammer, Iron, Lucky, Mace, Oak, Onyx, Pants, Pierce, Red, Rod, Rusty, Scout, Seven, Shield, Slash, Smith, Spike, Temple, Vault, Wall

Arcane Puppet Traits

Your arcane puppet character has the following traits. A few of the traits give you a choice; consider how your choice reflects the purpose for which your character was built.

Ability Score Increase

Your Dexterity score increases by 2, and one other ability score of your choice increases by 1.

Age

A typical arcane puppet is between two and thirty years old. The maximum arcane puppet lifespan remains a mystery; so far, arcane puppets have shown no signs of deterioration due to age. You are immune to magical aging effects.

Creature Type

You are a Construct.

Alignment

Most arcane puppets take comfort in order and discipline, tending toward law and neutrality. But some have absorbed the morality, or lack thereof, of the beings with which they served.

Size

You are Small.

Speed

Your walking speed is 25 feet.

Constructed Nature

You were created to have remarkable fortitude, represented by the following benefits:

• You have advantage on saving throws against being paralyzed and poisoned, and you have resistance to poison damage.
• You don’t need to eat, drink, or breathe.
• You are immune to disease.
• You don’t need to sleep, and magic can’t put you to sleep.

Restful State

When you take a long rest, you must spend at least six hours in an inactive, motionless state, rather than sleeping. In this state, you appear inert, but it doesn’t render you unconscious, and you can see and hear as normal.

Intricate Build

You are encased in magically crafted wood or some other durable material. While you aren’t wearing armor, your base Armor Class is 13 + your Dexterity modifier.

Specialized Design

You gain one skill proficiency and one tool proficiency of your choice.

False Appearance

While you remain motionless, you are indistinguishable from a normal wooden puppet.

Invisible Strings

As an action, you can choose to attach yourself to a willing creature within 60 feet via a set of invisible strings for 1 minute. While bonded to the creature, if it does not use all of its movement on its turn, you can spend your reaction to move a number of feet equal to the movement it has not used.

You can use this trait a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus, regaining all expended uses when you finish a long rest.

Healing Incompatibility

If the mending spell is cast on you, you or the creature that cast the spell can spend a Hit Die, roll it, and you regain a number of hit points equal to the roll plus your Constitution modifier (minimum of 1 hit point).

In addition, you cannot benefit from several spells that preserve life but that normally don’t affect Constructs: cure wounds, healing word, mass cure wounds, mass healing word, and spare the dying.

Languages

You can speak, read, and write Common and one other language of your choice.