Homebrew Forgeborn* Species Details

In the deepest dwarven cities — far below the surface — exist the Forgeborn. Few folk can claim to have seen a forgeborn, and fewer still can tell them apart. The Forgeborn wander the Underdark, where it is far too inhospitable to house life. Their bodies are forged from the strongest metals and give them great physical power. They tend to have problems with relating to humans and are (mostly) extremely logical. They believe in strength of body, for what body would be stronger than metal. The way to tell one's age is what metals it is made of, and how many modifications have been added. (ex. iron=young, adamatium+magic enchantments=Exceedingly old)

Driven Improvers

Every day brings a new challenge to a forgeborn. While food, water, and shelter are unneeded by the forgeborn, they constantly seek materials to improve themselves with. A single material source can bring new power to an entire enclave, while an individual’s invention can ensure better improvements.

Forgeborn thus place a premium on materiel discovery and forging skill. They have a compulsion to keep accurate count and measurement, comparing efficiency with others in the enclave. Forgeborn love to win, but they see defeat as a prod to improve their skills.

This dedication to improvement has a dark side. Forgeborn regularly stray into darkness, trying above all else to improve themselves. If a forgeborn finds a traveler that may have good materials, they might resort to banditry. Few forgeborn are completely neutral, and fewer still are good.

Magic Obsession

Forgeborn always try to improve themselves and as such, enchanting tends to be an obsesson of theirs. Enchanting improves tools and metals to their highest abilities, so the forgeborn, who are made of metal and can be called tools, become unhealthily obsessed. Other ways they will try to incorporate magic is by using "spare parts" from magical creatures. This can lead to forgeborn looking more like eldritch abominations than machines.

This trait manifests most strongly when Forgeborn interact with other folk. A forgeborn will absolutely try to incorporate any magic they come across. Forgeborn rarely keep such actions to enemies, and any wizard, artificer, or veteran adventurer that associates with one will likely find some of their magic items "missing".

Legendary Smiths

Among forgeborn, any who can't forge are "reprocessed". A forgeborn must be able to forge, else they cannot improve. Forgeborn who cannot forge is thought of as a defect, though a damaged or in disrepair individual is repaired, as a result of the forgeborn concept of recource conservation.

A permanently damaged forgeborn is still expected to pull his or her weight in the enclave. Typically, such a forgeborn dies attempting to keep up, or the forgeborn slips away to find fortune elsewhere.

In some ways, the forgeborn drive to improve themselves feeds into the grim inevitability of their falling to evil. A forgeborn would much rather improve at any cost than admit that they've reached the limit. Few folk have ever meet a truly elderly forgeborn and lived to tell the tale, and even those forgeborn who have left their people grapple with the urge to do anything to improve.

Because of their at all cost additude, forgeborn enclaves tend to be led by one of evil alignment, but any forgeborn recognized as a smith by other forgeborn will be able to make weapons of unparalleled quality.

Forgeborn Names

Every forgeborn has four names: a batch name, a serial code, an enclave name, and a model name. A batch name is another race's birth name with some numbers replacing letters. Serial codes are a mix of capital letters and numbers six numerals long. Enclave names are just the name of the enclave it was forged by. A model name is a noun that describes what its job is (most adventuring forgeborn have the model names relating to destruction or material gathering).

Forgeborn present their batch name, enclave name, and model name when identifying themselves, in that order.

Batch Names: M4RK, CR1G, D4V3, V1NC3N7, K30TH1, 0R10N, R4GN4R

Serial Codes: 1Y2KS8, R65KRA, 6ATF74, KBAO6J, STTMMZ, TJ4B56, 1SR8DF, XLY7BZ, Z5T6E8, IW4BBH

Enclave Names: ForgeFire, LockheedMartin, Darpa, M4RK CR1G & D4V3 Industries

Forgeborn* Traits

Forgeborn tend to be of similar make or model, but can have modifications.

Increasing Defense

As you gain more adventuring experience, you forge your body using different metals.

Legendary Smiths

All Forgeborn have proficiency in Smithing

Mechanical sight

You can see in the dark

Ability Score Increase

Your Strength score increases by 2, and your Constitution score increases by 1.

Age

Forgeborn are effectively immortal. They are born adults but tend to undergo catastrophic failure and die at 1000.

Size

Forgeborn are between 8 and 10 feet tall and weigh between 400 and 500 pounds. Your size is Medium, but can be large at higher levels.

Speed

Your base walking speed is 25 feet. You sink to the bottom of any body of water due to your weight. You can punch your fingers and feet into walls to climb them.

Mechanical Endurance

You have proficiency in the Athletics skill.

Body repair

You take a minute to buff out any dents and patch any holes. You gain 2d6+2 hitpoints back.

Powerful Build

You count as one size larger when determining your carrying capacity and the weight you can push, drag, or lift.

Metal body

You have resistance to extreme temperature. You don't need to breathe or sleep. Your metal body is very hard to slash effectively, but as it is metal, it conducts electricity extremely well.

Languages

You can speak, read, and write Common and Undercommon.