Homebrew Pointy Hat: The Augmented Species Details
Those who choose to become augmented are anything but a monolith. Most augmented become so after losing a limb or the capability to hear, see, walk, even speak. Faced with the challenges that naturally come from their situation, they reach out to master crafters: artificers specializing in the making and installing of wondrous magical prosthetics to a living, humanoid body.
These artificers take incredible pride in their work, and each add a unique, personal touch to their craft. As a result, no two augmentations look or work the same. They are personally made for the person augmented with them.
Most of the time, a lost arm is replaced with an artificial limb, meant to work exactly like an arm would, but artificers are inventive by nature, and so many augmented are given secondary characteristics to their augmentations, not just allowing them to replace their lost limb or sense but also giving them new capabilities that their original limb did not have.
Some augmented outfit their augmentations with combat capabilities, incorporating finely-tuned weapons into them. Some are given incredibly powerful legs or fast seats that allow them to move through the battlefield even faster than before, and some add tools to their augmentations, opening up a myriad of possibilities from integrated musical instruments to perfectly concealed thieves’ tools.
There are also some who decide to become augmented not after the loss of a sense or limb, but because of the incredible capabilities that their augmentations would grant them. There are assassin clans that augment their members, making them even deadlier at their sinister craft. There are racers who choose to undergo augmentation to participate in the fastest ever races involving living people. There are even whispers of truly heinous master craftsmen, artificers who force their unethical augmentations on unwilling subjects. Regardless of why and how someone becomes augmented, they all share in common one thing: their augmentations are all as different and unique as the people attached to them.
Pointy Hat: The Augmented Traits
As an Augmented you have the following features:Augmentation
Your body has been outfitted with a magical artificial augmentation that you can use in a variety of ways depending on the specific augmentation. Choose one of the following augmentations when choosing this race:
Utility Augmentation:
This magical augmentation grants you utility capabilities that far surpass the ones granted to you by the original body part you have replaced.
You gain one expertise in one skill and one tool (doubling your proficiency bonus on any ability checks made with them). The tool chosen is inlaid into your augmentation and cannot be dropped unless you are somehow parted with your augmentation.
Examples of this augmentation include:
- An artificial eye that grants you expertise with navigator tools and the Perception skill.
- A set of magically-enhanced mechanical hands that grant you expertise with thieves’ tools and the Sleight of Hand skill.
- A clockwork voice box that grants you expertise with one musical instrument and the Performance skill.
Combat Augmentation:
This magical augmentation grants you combat capabilities that allow you to use your augmentation as a weapon.
Your AC increases by 1, and a weapon with which you are proficient with is fitted into your augmentation. Attacks made with this weapon count as magical for the purposes of overcoming resistances, and the weapon cannot be dropped. You can change this weapon by spending 1 hour fitting it to your augmentation and 30 gold in new parts.
Examples of this augmentation include:
- A mechanical arm outfitted with a blade that comes out between the knuckles of your hand augmentation
- A crossbow inlaid into your forearm
- Your artificial hand is attached to your arm by a chain, allowing you to use it as a flail.
Movement Augmentation:
This magical augmentation enhances your movement, allowing you to move faster, even through hard to navigate terrain.
Your walking speed increases by 10 feet. Additionally, moving through difficult terrain does not cost you extra movement.
Examples of this augmentation include:
- A set of mechanical hydraulic-powered legs.
- A seat that hovers 5 inches above the ground.
- A set of artificial calves with magically-powered jets of energy.
Creature Type
You are a Humanoid
Size
Your size is Medium or Small
Speed
Your walking speed is 30 feet.
Starting Point
You can choose to keep certain elements of another race when picking augmented as the race of your character: You may choose between any two skill proficiencies, a climbing or flying speed equal to your movement speed, or any two tool proficiencies.
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