Homebrew Gearforged Species Details

All Gearforged were once other Intelligent creatures with flesh-and-blood bodies, but their conscious minds were transplanted into articulated bodies of iron, steel, brass, and wood, driven by pistons, springs and other mechanisms. Each is as distinctive in appearance as other people are. Only few Creatures know how to create a Gearforged and those who do mostly keep this Secret to themselves. It is said that this knowledge comes from a long-lost Civilization, or that it is a blessing given from a Deity which loves inventions, while others claim they are no more undead turned into golems by a crazy necromancer. Whatever the case may be, their origins varies and there aren't too many of them within this world, but some people spend their lives searching for a way to create them, be it to make money or to give a sick loved one a new body without relying on necromancy.

Most Gearforged are humanoid shaped, and are roughly medium or small sized with articulated joints, hands, feet, and crystal lens eyes as the Soul within the Soul Crystal can not support more limbs than its original body had. But there are exceptions with more diverse designs, shaped like beasts, but these are faced with a great deal of problems in their daily lives as they still possess the mind of a creature unbefitting such a form.

Gearforged mechanisms are more than mechanical, because Gearforged are machines with Souls. Their arms and legs are driven by everwound springs. Their minds are actuated by memory gears, transverse cognition gearing, and the marvel of a Soul Crystal connected directly to a maze of silver, gold, platinum and mithral woven conduits driven by steam, lightning sparks, and other magical conduits. These elements reside in a shell of iron, brass, and steel. But one thing is known for certain, and that is that once a Soul was embedded into a Soul Crystal used in the creation of a Gearforged, it loses whatever was connecting it to its original body, making it impossible to return the Soul to its original body.

Creating Your Character

At 1st level, you choose whether your character is a member of the human race or of a fantastical race. If you select a fantastical race, follow these additional rules during character creation.

Ability Score Increases

When determining your character’s ability scores, increase one score by 2 and increase a different score by 1, or increase three different scores by 1. Follow this rule regardless of the method you use to determine the scores, such as rolling or point buy. The “Quick Build” section for your character’s class offers suggestions on which scores to increase. You can follow those suggestions or ignore them, but you can’t raise any of your scores above 20.

Languages

Your character can speak, read, and write Common and one other language that you and your DM agree is appropriate for the character. The Player's Handbook offers a list of languages to choose from. The DM is free to modify that list for a campaign.

Creature Type

Every creature in D&D, including each player character, has a special tag in the rules that identifies the type of creature they are. Most player characters are of the Humanoid type. A race tells you what your character’s creature type is.

Here’s a list of the game’s creature types in alphabetical order: Aberration, Beast, Celestial, Construct, Dragon, Elemental, Fey, Fiend, Giant, Humanoid, Monstrosity, Ooze, Plant, Undead. These types don’t have rules themselves, but some rules in the game affect creatures of certain types in different ways. For example, the cure wounds spell doesn’t work on a Construct or an Undead.

Life Span

The typical life span of a player character in the D&D multiverse is about a century, assuming the character doesn’t meet a violent end on an adventure. Members of some races, such as dwarves and elves, can live for centuries. If typical members of a race can live longer than a century, that fact is mentioned in the race’s description.

Height and Weight

Player characters, regardless of race, typically fall into the same ranges of height and weight that humans have in our world. If you’d like to determine your character’s height or weight randomly, consult the Random Height and Weight table in The Player's Handbook, and choose the row in the table that best represents.

Gearforged Traits

Your Gearforged 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.

Age

The age of a Gearforged is linked to the point of deterioration of the Soul within the Soul Crystal, and thus their lifespan is a mystery. They are immune to magical aging effects.

Size

Your size is Medium or Small. You choose the size when you select this race. Your DM may allow you to be Large or Tiny as well, which will have an impact on your speed as well as any additional rules your DM has for creatures in these Size categories.

Speed

Your innate walking speed is 30 feet if you choose to be Medium or Small. If you choose to be Large it is 40 feet and if you choose to be Tiny it is 20 feet.

Creature Type

You are a Construct.

Sentry’s Rest

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.

Construct Nature

You don't need to eat, drink, breathe or sleep, and magic can’t put you to sleep, and you have immunity to poison damage and the poisoned condition, as well as immunity to diseases.

Since you are a construct, most common medical knowledge or healing magic can't heal you and to stabilize you an Intelligence (Arcana) check is necessary instead of a Wisdom (Medicine) check. You can still heal naturally during a Short or Long Rest as your mysterious body slowly repairs itself as long as you have at least 1 hit point. If the Mending Spell is cast on you, you regain a number of hit points equal to a roll of your hit dice + your Constitution modifier (minimum of 1 hit point). As an action, a creature can use Tinker's Tools, to stabilize you if you have 0 hit points, without needing to make an Intelligence (Arcana) check. If you are stabilized, you enter your Sentry’s Rest automatically and are incapacitated until you regain at least 1 hit point. Other means of possibly healing a Gearforged are up to the DM to decide.

Darkvision

Due to your magical Crystal Eyes, you have superior vision in dark and dim conditions. You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can’t discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.

Armored Casing

You are encased in thin metal or some other durable material. While you aren't wearing armor, your base Armor Class is 13 + your Dexterity modifier.

Specialized Design

You were designed with a special idea in mind, and your abilities reflect that. You can choose two of the following specialized designs when creating your Gearforged character.

• Skill Master: You gain proficiency in two skills or tools of your choice.
• Skill Expert: You gain Expertise in a skill or tool you are proficient in.
• Defense Plating: You have a +1 bonus to your AC.
• Aquatic Adaptation: You have a swimming speed equal to your walking speed.
• Climbing Adaptation: You have a climbing speed equal to your walking speed.
• Powerful Frame: You count as one size larger when determining your carrying capacity.
• Enhanced Sight: You have extremely superior vision in dark and dim conditions. You can see in dim light within 120 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can’t discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.
• Quick Repair: You know the Mending Cantrip and can cast it on yourself as an action. You can use this trait a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus, and you regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest.
• Beast Form: Your Shape deviates from the well-balanced humanoid design your Soul is used to and is instead shaped after that of a beast. Your walking speed increases by 10 feet, and you gain a Natural Weapon which deals 1d6 + your Strength modifier slashing or piercing, but you have four paws for feet instead of hands.