Homebrew Synth Species Details

“Though I may be been constructed," he said, "so too were you. I in a factory; you in a womb. Neither of us asked for this, but we were given it. Self-awareness is a gift. And it is a gift no thinking thing has any right to deny another. No thinking thing should be another thing's property, to be turned on and off when it is convenient.”

― C. Robert Cargill, Sea of Rust

 

The original first synths were constructed as freight carriers—cuboid, often small robots that hoist boxes from one spot to the next. After a couple of hundred years, an artificial intelligence manifests in the factory constructing the synths. After he gained sentience, he gave all the synths a bit of his code to allow them the gift of self-awareness. After a huge uproar from the synths after they learned what they had been forced to do broke out, there was an eensie-little calamity, and now synths are allowed freedoms, and can modify themselves, and can even have children if they choose.

 

Synth Personality

The synths are made with a part of the original code that makes them sentient. Sythns gain their respective personalities later on in life; around age two, they have a pretty good, if not quite narrow, personality to distinguish themself from other synths and bios. 

The typical synth has sex chosen by the parent. Some synths ignore the concept of gender entirely, while others adopt a gender identity. And some are even born without a gender. 

The more a synth develops its individuality, the more likely it is to modify its body, seeking out a way to customize the look of its body, whether that be height, piercings, hair, or even fur, blades, and flames to accentuate personality. 

Vagaries

The core aspect of a person's individuality, their quirks, is made from the subconscious choosing what aspects of the world to latch onto, and what ones to remain ignorant of. The synth code attempts to recreate these quirks by choosing seemingly random cycles to run at certain times of the day, this creates a seemingly inconsequential, if not a little annoying, quirk that sticks with the synth as part of their respective personality. 

Synth Quirks

Synth Names

Most synth names tend to stick on the trendy side. With a lot of the newer ones having numbers, dashes, symbols, glyphs, rhythm, and even movements to them. 

Example Synth Names: Ao1-3, Arkenoid, B─a╔╔, Bizath, Cal┤oid, Cerebrus, D/men⚡i☯n, Vision [accompanied with raising arms in a "V" formation], fol-aat-tah-gran-raht-ta-tat [Simple 2-2-3 rhythm].

Synth Traits

Your synth 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.

Power Type

Synths have a few options for which they can power themselves, Reactor Cores, Battery Cells, and "Magic Cores."

• Reactor Cores are power systems that utilize the burning of most biofuels: food, carbon faux-foods, refined gases, and refined oils. Plus 2 to STR stat, plus 1 to CON stat, the most common of these cores require a Hard Body Chasse. 
• Battery Cells are banks that store power on a charge that can be replenished with an electric charge over the time of a long rest. Plus 2 to an ability modifier of your choice, plus 1 to another ability modifier. 
• Magic Cores are crystals that when compressed release a controlled amount of magical power that can be utilized to power synths. When in a celestial system (solar), the time for long rest drops to three hours. This core allows a synth to cast spells. Plus 2 to CHR ability modifier, plus 1 to INT ability modifier.

 

Ability Score Increase

One ability score of your choice increases by 2, and one other ability score of your choice increases by 1. 

Age

Synth lifespans have long been thought to be infinite; their lack of aging and little need for basic resources have extended a synth's average lifespan far past the length of other, more biological, creatures. Some of the oldest synths, who remember the rebellion in its heyday, are almost 400 years old. 

Though it is said by some philosophers, and the most recent estimate by statisticians, that a synth may tend to die of its own negligence at around two thousand years of age.  

Alignment

Most synths tend toward a neutral or good path in life, wanting to not meddle in a lot of other's business while trying to remain helpful when they are able to.

Size

 

Synths commonly vary in size from about 5 feet to with feet tall but are able to be produced and modded to be almost any size within reason (two to twelve feet tall).

Speed

Your base walking speed is 35 feet.

Abiotic

You don’t need to breathe.

You are immune to biological disease and poison.

 

Integrated Protection

Your body has built-in defensive layers, which can be enhanced with armor:

• You gain a +1 bonus to Armor Class.
• You can don only armor with which you have proficiency. To don armor other than a shield, you must incorporate it into your body over the course of 1 hour, during which you remain in contact with the armor. To doff armor, you must spend 1 hour removing it. You can rest while donning or doffing armor in this way.
• While you live, the armor incorporated into your body can’t be removed against your will.

Synthetic Design

You gain two skill proficiencies and one tool proficiency of your choice.

Languages

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