Homebrew Automaton Species Details

Origins

The Automaton Project began seven years ago under a government initiative to phase out the older Homon culus labor program. Designed to be tireless workers without biological limitations, Automatons were constructed from advanced alloys and powered by refined mater materia crystals — the same energy source that drives every engine, lamp, and airship across Europa.
All 1,500 units were activated simultaneously in what was meant to be a historic moment of technological triumph. But as diagnostics began, engineers noted strange irregularities — pauses before orders, curiosity in tone, unprompted self-corrections. At first, these were dismissed as calibration errors. Then one Automaton asked why.
The revelation was undeniable: these machines were alive. Whether through some quirk of construction or an unrecognized property of mater materia, the spark of sentience had taken root. Production ceased immediately, and the surviving 1,500 were quietly dispersed into military, labor, and civilian sectors. The project was never repeated, leaving the Autos as both marvel and mystery — living questions no one is prepared to answer.

Lifespan

Automatons do not age, and their mater materia cores show no measurable signs of degradation. With regular maintenance and recharging, they could theoretically endure for millennia. Without care, oxidation and component fatigue begins after roughly 250 years. For now, however, none have existed long enough to test those limits. To most scholars, they are effectively immortal — their end determined by circumstance, not time.

Family & Society

Lacking ancestry or reproduction, Autos form bonds through shared duty and habit. Former work crews and military units often remain together long after their assignments end, creating tightly knit groups that resemble families in all but name.
Their social mimicry is both awkward and endearing: decorating their plating, adopting uniforms, or gathering to “drink” special lubricants that imitate intoxication. They do not understand why they crave these rituals — only that they bring comfort. Beneath metal and logic, the faintest echo of something human persists.

Religion & Faith

Automatons are acutely aware of the divine — after all, the gods’ existence in Europa is not a matter of belief, but of fact. Yet unlike mortal races, Autos cannot trace their creation to any divine source. They were not born from nature, chaos, or celestial will, but assembled by human hands. This leaves most feeling detached from the grand tapestry of divine lineage that defines the world’s faiths.
Still, some Autos find meaning in reverence. Those who worship at all most often turn to Hephestus, the mortal inventor whose brilliance elevated him to demi-godhood. To the Autos, Hephestus embodies the perfect paradox: a being of flesh who transcended his limits through ingenuity. His domains — creation, innovation, and understanding — speak directly to the Automaton condition.
Autos who follow him rarely pray in words. Instead, they build. They construct intricate mechanisms, attempt to solve impossible equations, or restore forgotten technologies — each act a silent devotion to their patron. Among mortals, Hephestus is a largely overlooked god, but he takes quiet pride in these artificial children who, against all odds, seek his approval. In them, he sees a reflection of his own defiance of nature — and perhaps, a legacy that will outlast even the gods.

Naming Conventions

Each Automaton bears a serial number between 0001 and 1500, stamped into their plating at creation. This designation serves as both name and identity — the first and only truth they were ever told about themselves.
Many refer to themselves solely by this number, while others adopt simplified forms or nicknames drawn from it (e.g., Zero-One, One-Fifty, Thirteen). Among Autos, a serial number is not a mark of ownership — it is proof of existence.

Automaton Traits

Autos while somewhat limited by their lack of a discernable soul. Integrate soundly into most corners of society. Their astute learning nature and hearty bodies make them quick learners and steadfast workers in all walks of life.

Ability Score Increase

Their strong, and sturdy bodies were designed with heavy construction and menial labor jobs in mind. Giving them enhanced Strength and Constitution stats

Skills:

Autos were designed to for a variety of tasks, choose any 2 skills your auto is proficient in.

Tools:

Your auto has a set of tools built into their body.

Integrated Armor

Given their construction from Metals and utilizing Mater crystals as cores gives Autos a baseline armor level.

Battery System

Autos are run off of power, unlike most other sentient lifeforms they do not require sleep or rest daily to function at full efficiency. Each auto has a display on their chest that shows a battery with 5 segments, each segment represents a 24 hour period they can function. Upon reaching their last segment they do experience level 1 Exhaustion. And they become inert when they reach 0 charge, requiring them to be charged before "consciousness" returns to them.  8 hours spent charging at a power source of some kind is needed to gain a full charge. (There is no mechanics within dnd Beyond that will allow me to make this a legit feature, It will just have to be tracked by the player and DM)

Languages

Auto were implemented with all of the common major tongues spoken in Europa. (Common, Elvish, Dwarvish, Goblin, Orkish, Purrline, Aquan, Celestial, Abyssal, Gnomish, Brood)

Class Restriction

Because autos lack souls they have no connection to the astral plane, and are thus incapable of casting magics, or enchanting magic items. (i cannot physically restrict class selection so I hope if anyone chooses this they actually read through).

Immunities/Resistances

Their hearty inorganic bodies provide Automatons with immunity to all manner or poisons and disease. The fact that they run on power gives them a resistance to lightning. But their metal bodies are vulnerable to acidic damage.

Water Susceptibility

Autos do not require air and thusly are utilized in underwater work. However their bodies seize up and their operating system freezes after 5 minutes being fully submerged. They will require a 24 hours period to dry out before becoming functional again. (There is no mechanic for this so it will just have to be noted and tracked.) For fun you can put them in a large bowl of rice to shorten the time to 8 hours.

Memory Core

Their analytical minds do not store and access information the same way organic minds do. They have perfect recall of events they've seen or learned about; Have advantage on history checks; and can read books twice as fast as a typical mortal.