Homebrew Android Species Details
Androids are synthetic humanoids constructed to serve alongside humanity in an age of uncertainty. Unlike organic life they do not age, do not hunger, and do not tire in the conventional sense but they are not immortal. They run on an internal battery, a finite power source that governs how long they can operate before requiring recharge. Without it they simply stop.
Built with human proportions and human-like cognition, androids were designed to be useful — laborers, scouts, guards, companions. What was never accounted for was what came after the programming. Androids feel. Not as a glitch or an anomaly but as something that simply developed over time grief when a companion is lost, warmth toward those they protect, rage when pushed beyond tolerance. Whether this was always latent in their design or something they grew into is a question without a clean answer.
They are faster than humans but not dramatically so. More consistent in endurance than raw power. Their minds resist emotional manipulation better than organic ones not because they feel less, but because they have learned to carry it differently.
An android does not forget. Does not need to sleep. Does not stop unless something makes them stop.
What they carry beneath the chassis however that is still being determined.
Android Traits
Androids share the following traits as a result of their synthetic construction.BATTERY DEPENDENT
Description:
Your body runs on a finite internal battery representing approximately 2 days of operational time.
Your battery has 2 Long Rest charges and 4 Short Rest charges. Every Long Rest consumes 1 Long Rest charge (8 hours). Every Short Rest consumes 1 Short Rest charge (4 hours). Every 2 Short Rests spent removes 1 Long Rest charge instead.
When all charges are depleted you have 12 hours before total shutdown. During this window you cannot benefit from any rests. You must find an external power source to fully restore all charges before the 12 hours expire or you fall unconscious and cannot be woken by any means until recharged.
As a bonus action you may trigger Emergency Discharge, burning your entire remaining battery at once. For 1 minute you gain 100 temporary hit points, resistance to all damage, and +5 to all damage rolls. When the minute ends you immediately fall unconscious regardless of HP and cannot be woken until fully recharged.
CONSTRUCTED RESILIENCE
Your synthetic body grants you the following benefits:
- You are immune to disease and the poisoned condition.
- You do not need to eat, drink, or breathe.
- You do not need to sleep. Instead you enter an inactive state for 4 hours during a long rest. While inactive you remain aware of your surroundings.
UNARMORED FRAME
Your chassis was built with a reinforced synthetic exterior providing baseline protection without the need for armor. While you are not wearing armor your Armor Class equals 11 + your Dexterity modifier. You may still use a shield.
OVERCLOCK
As a bonus action you may push your internal systems beyond their operational limits. For 1 minute you gain the following benefits:
- Your movement speed increases by 20 feet.
- You can make one additional attack whenever you take the Attack action.
- You have advantage on Dexterity saving throws.
When Overclock ends you must succeed on a DC 12 Constitution saving throw or gain one level of exhaustion as your systems recalibrate.
Using Overclock costs 1 Short Rest charge from your battery. If you have no Short Rest charges remaining you cannot activate Overclock.
MEMORY CORE
Your memory systems record and retain all sensory data with perfect fidelity. You cannot forget what you have experienced unless your memory banks are deliberately wiped.
You gain the following benefits:
- You have advantage on Intelligence (History) and Intelligence (Investigation) checks.
- You can perfectly recall any sight, sound, or event you have personally witnessed with no roll required.
- You have advantage on checks made to detect forgeries, inconsistencies, or altered information.