Homebrew Anarmor Species Details

Living Metal

Anarmors are full sets of armor that can move and speak on their own, their various pieces of plating seemingly unburdened by gravity. While they have no physical presence inside them, they function just like a person in a full suit of armor. They were created mostly by wizards, with the intent of creating servants, guards, or just trying to create life. Not to be mistaken for animated armors, Anarmors have emotions, they are sentient. Not actually a suit of armor, Anarmors are beings of pure magic, not tied to the armor, and so capable of transferring their consciousness to others, changing their form.

Though they may not have any sensory organs whatsoever, magic ensures that they can perceive what is around them. They can see, hear, smell, touch, and taste just as well as a human can. They can speak as well, their armor acts as their skin, and any damage inflicted upon their plating weakens the fragile magic. As the spell weakens, Anarmors often find that whole limbs will disconnect from their bodies. Should they sustain enough damage, the spell holding their parts together will dissipate, leaving them to fall apart completely.

As they are made to live, and not to be constantly awakened, the magic is designed in a way that it will absorb healing potions and healing spells. Anarmors are tied to their armor: even if they can transfer their magic soul, the armor is their body, but not the air inside of it. Only striking the armor will cause physical harm to an Anarmor.

To hide the fact that they are living suits of armor as opposed to a warrior wearing a suit of armor, Anarmors will use cloaks, scarves, or bandages to cover the gaps between their plating. Some are fortunate enough to have been created with arcane lights that are fixed in the space inside their helmets. These projections are meant to resemble eyes and shift and move according to what expression the Anarmor is making. Though they serve no function other than making it look like they have eyes, these lights are often enough to keep the average Joe from getting too suspicious.

Dormancy

 The stronger the spell, the longer the Anarmor's soul lasts. A typical Anarmor can well live for 700 years before losing its magic. The maximum lifespan of an Anarmor is unknown, as it is supposed that a powerful enough spell could potentially keep one alive forever, but none have been known to keep their magic for more than 1,500 years.

Unlike other creatures blessed with long life, Anarmors don't actively pursue goals outside of what they were created to do; if a particular Anarmor was created to protect a castle, it will stay in the castle, silently waiting for an intruder. That said, they can leave their posts or occupations if they wish, but most are not given a good enough reason to, remaining dormant until someone finds them. Unless they are doing their job constantly, they will become as still as a statue, waking only when a certain stimulus triggers a response.

When they do awake from their dormant state, Anarmors often find that they are in a world far different than the one they know. To them, time passed by in a glimpse, leaving them lost in a strange and mysterious future. A time gap as small as fifty years can be enough to confuse an Anarmor, but if they are intelligent enough, they will catch on to present-time customs fairly quickly. Still, some refuse to change their ways, speaking in forgotten tongues or using overly wordy and poetic speech.

Reawakening and Rebirth

Anarmors usually fall dormant at the post given to them by their creator, waiting for something to bring them back into consciousness. If their creator happens to die, their purpose will no longer be explicitly defined. When they regain consciousness, most Anarmors stick to their prior orders, carrying out their tasks without complaint. But some, rather than do a task that is now impossible, pointless or both, defy their creator's magical programming and seek out a new purpose. Others forget their purpose altogether, wandering around aimlessly until they find a meaning in their life. Many times, an adventurer will stumble upon a long-forgotten Anarmor and convince it to join them on their travels. Others are reactivated only to find that the thing they were meant to protect has been destroyed somehow, and seek vengeance. In this way, Anarmors can be anything from loyal companions and protectors to destructive avengers and mercenaries.

Ghosts in Armor

Generally, people see Anarmors as threats. The thought of a walking, talking suit of armor terrifies them, though not to the same capacity as a tiefling. They are often likened to ghosts in armor, and many villages have their own tales of menacing suits of armor that move of their own volition. Because of this, Anarmors that waltz into unsuspecting towns are usually avoided completely, the only words spoken of them being whispers. Some people are ambitious or crazy enough to try and capture them by force, often to no avail. 

That said, an Anarmor will usually try to avoid being discovered unless a quirk in their personality says otherwise. They'll use cloaks, scarves, and bandages to cover the gaps in their armor and blend in. They'll stay away from crowded places, speaking only when spoken to and never causing too much of a scene. Some spend their time in taverns, never ordering any food or drink, hoping that the bartenders will be too drunk to notice they aren't real customers. On the rare occasion that an Anarmor is welcomed or even worshipped by the people of a village, some merely serve the community as a guard or sentry, while others take a more commanding role, like a war chief or even a deity.

Animated Armor Names

An Anarmor's name is usually bestowed by its creator. Sometimes, however, they forget their names. When this happens, a name can be given to them by a new owner or partner, or they can come up with a name themselves. When an Anarmor comes up with a name for itself, it's usually something simple, something they see around them or remember from their past. Really, any name will do, whether it's based on their function, their appearance, or their surroundings. Some are based on the creator's native tongue, whatever that may be.

Anarmor Traits

Anarmor's Traits

Ability Score Increase

Your Constitution score increases by 1.

Size

Armors vary in size and shape, an Anarmor's height and weight are based on the suit of armor it currently inhabits. Your size is Medium or Small, depending on the armor you inhabit.

Antimagic Susceptibility

As you are full-fledged living magic, you really don't like anti-magic magic. You are incapacitated while in the area of an antimagic field. If targeted by dispel magic, you must succeed on a Constitution saving throw against the caster's spell save DC or fall unconscious for 1 minute.

Magic Sight

You can perceive your surroundings without relying on sight within a specific radius. You have a blindsight range of 60 feet but are blind beyond this radius.

Construct

Your creature type is Construct. Some healing spells still work on you (look in the Healing Magic trait), as your magic has been designed to do so, but you are immune to spells like Crown of Madness or Dominate Person due to them specifically targeting humanoids.

You have resistance to poison damage and immunity to disease, and you have advantage on saving throws against being paralyzed or poisoned. You don't need to eat, drink, or breathe.

Instead of sleeping, you enter an inactive, motionless state for at least 6 hours each day. In this state, you appear inert, but you remain conscious.

 

False Appearance

While you remain motionless, you are indistinguishable from a normal suit of armor.

Healing Magic

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

In addition, your creator designed you to 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.

Inhabit Armor

The armor your soul inhabits determines certain traits about you. 

• You can don only armor with which you have proficiency. To don armor or clothing other than a shield, you must transfer your consciousness into the suit of armor or clothing over the course of 1 hour, during which you must remain within 5 feet of the armor or clothing, or the transfer fails. You can rest while donning armor this way.
• Once complete, any equipment you were wearing or carrying falls to the ground as you inhabit the new set of armor or clothing. This change may alter your subrace accordingly, based on the class of armor donned this way: Clothing (none), Light, Medium, Heavy
• While you live, you cannot be removed from the inhabited armor against your will and may only doff armor or clothing by using Soul Transfer to don a different set of armor or clothing.

Based on what you inhabit, you gain different benefits:

Heavy

You inhabit a heavy suit of armor.

Ability Score Increase

Your Constitution score increases by 1.

Heavy Hitter

Your fists are as heavy as your steps. You are proficient with your unarmed strikes, which deal 1d6 bludgeoning damage on a hit.

Medium

You inhabit a suit of medium armor.

Ability Score Increase

Your Strength score increases by 1.

Flexible

You can take the Dodge action as a bonus action a number of times equal to your Dexterity modifier(minimum 1). You regain all expanded uses of this trait when you complete a long rest.

Light

You inhabit a suit of light armor.

Ability Score Increase

Your Dexterity score increases by 1.

Light Body

You have advantage on Dexterity saving throws.

Clothing

Weightless

Your base movement speed increases to 35.

 

You can only inhabit Medium or Small armors.

 

Languages

You can speak, read and write Common, as well as in the language of your creator. Given that Anarmors are often created by wizards, the exotic languages of magic such as Draconic or Primordial are commonly known.