Homebrew Animated Doll Species Details

“But am I real? When I'm hurt, I don't leak red stuff like you,” the Doll said holding her own arm.

“You risked your life, however brief it may be, so save mine. That's what living is all about.” the creator replied with a soft smile.

—Unknown

Unlike a Warforged, which is a construct created expressly for combat or other tasks, an animated doll was never meant to have life. Through some series events, be it an experiment by a wayward wizard or tomfoolery from a powerful fey, a doll was given life. No matter the dolls original size, the magic of the enchantment transforms them into a small or medium creature with the intellect of a standard human.

Art Mimics Life

An Animated Doll always starts as just that, a doll. Whether to be given a home with a child for make believe or to sit on a shelf and be admired. All dolls start as an expression of life, mimicking some other being. Some may be crafted from wood, an oak or a cedar. Others may be drafted from porcelain or marble. It's even said that sometimes the animated doll will exhibit traits of it's creator because they poured so much into the creation of the doll.

Animated Doll Personality

Because Animated Dolls are new to the world and awaken with the intellect of an adult they struggle both to find a place in the world and to relate to the creatures who created them. Though a Doll who stays with it's master may be given lessons on how to best emulate those around them. As a result of this, Dolls usually also have some nativity or still hold onto a child-like wonder of the world. 

Unlike a warforged who shows little emotion, Dolls relish in it and often try their best to imitate and understand it. Dolls delight in exploring their feelings, their freedom, and their relationships with others. Most Dolls want to know more about the world and all it's facets from history, to religion to everything ever written in a book.

Most dolls are made to represent some form of life, so the face they're based on can be anything; human, elf, dwarf, ect. But that doesn't mean the doll is comfortable with itself. Just like other sentient creatures, as it develops it's individuality it make realize the life within the shell is different from what it depicts. They could seek an artisan or artificer to help them modify their body in a way that more closely aligns with their self image.

Quirks

Like Warforged, Animated Dolls often display an odd personality trait or two, given how new they are to the world. Use the Warforged Quirks table contains for example quirks.

Warforged Quirks

Animated Doll Names

When most Animated Dolls awake they take names of objects in close proximity, something that they identify with or the material of which they are created from.

Animated Doll Names: Oak, Porcelain, Dolly, Steel, Mythril, Chisel, Stone.

Animated Doll Traits

Your animated doll character has the following traits. A few of the traits give you a choice; consider how your choice reflects the purpose for which your character was built.

Ability Score Increase

The animated doll wasn’t made for combat like it’s Warforged cousins. Depending on the creator they can be made for a multitude of reasons. Choose any ability to gain a +2 Bonus and any other ability to receive a +1.

Age

Animated Dolls can be anywhere from a few days old after their activation to whenever they are decommissioned or rendered inoperable. When activated they are bestowed with the intellectual level of a human adult, but some of their personality or characteristics may still be naive and child-like.

Alignment

Most warforged take comfort in order and discipline, tending toward law and neutrality. But some have absorbed the morality, or lack thereof, of the beings with which they served.

Size

Animated Dolls are medium in size, but when they return to doll form are considered small or tiny creatures.

Doll Form
The magic which binds life into some animated dolls is inconsistent and wanes, the reasoning for which is not always understood. As a result, they sometimes revert back to their original doll form during which time they are not aware of the world around them.

Speed

Your base walking speed is 30 feet.

Creative Soul

Due to the nature of their design, Animated Dolls are a proclivity towards creation themselves. They have proficiency in one type of tool of their choice and have advantage when trying to repair anything through non-magical means.

Mimicry

Dolls are meant to mimic life and as such the Animated Doll is able to proficiently mimic any emotion it has seen and understands. Animated dolls are proficient in their choice of Persuasion, Deception or Intimidation. If they are already proficient in one of these skills, they can choose to have expertise with it.

Languages

You can speak, read, and write Common and one other language of your choice.