Homebrew Poppet Species Details

"Come off it, you're having me on"

"I swear I'm not – just barely escaped with me life. Don't go to that island if you know what's good fer you. Doesn't matter what riches it promises – and it promises a lot, believe you me. One foot on the Rattling Isle, though, and you'll figure out exactly what it's like for the fey to have had their hand in warforging."

-- Conversation overheard in Seardon pub

The poppets are an odd bunch, whose origins are largely a mystery. These toy-like humanoids were originally found only on the Rattling Isle – a small island off the coast of southern Buriath. They appear purpose-built, taking the forms of common children's toys such as tolls, teddy bears, jack-in-the boxes and the like, but are entirely sentient and rich in culture. When pressed for their history, their answers differ as much any biological humanoid race – some claim to be fey spirits trapped in toys, others to be a variant of warforged, and still others claim they are in fact as organic as the next person, thank you very much. When they're not gaslighting pirates and treasure-seekers who alight on their isle, they're traveling the world on their minute airships and zeppelins in search of adventure. Poppets can be chaotic pranksters or loyal guardians, but don't be fooled by their festive exterior – they have just as much depth and capacity for darkness as any humanoid.

Living Toys

Poppets tend to be made of wood and stone, although some have incorporated metal parts to better defend themselves. Their exact form varies substantially even within specific factions – while many are bipedal humanoids resembling dolls, puppets or toy soldiers, others have adopted more bestial forms and some even reject the humanoid shape altogether, opting for more complex shapes. The resemblance to children's toys isn't lost on those who encounter poppets, but they'll take extreme offense to being treated with that levity, with some poppet factions even going so far as to make the comparison punishable by death.

Like warforged, poppets are living humanoids that feel pain and possess souls. While they can modify their physical forms (many are expert tinkerers for this reason), most tend to settle into a specific form early on in life – for many poppet factions, it's akin to a coming of age. Oddly enough, poppet factions seem tolerant of any form of physical expression and are mostly aligned out of similar worldviews. Their range of gender expression tends to vary to an even greater degree than humanoids with obvious sexual characteristics, with many opting for no gender identification at all.

Fey-forged

Many have drawn comparisons between poppets and fey due to their penchant for chaos and revelry. This has led some to speculate that they may be of fey origin, although it is unclear if they were constructed and imbued with sentience by fey or if they are products of the the interaction between the Material Plane and the Feywild. Researchers have noted that the planar barriers are unusually weak on the Rattling Isle. Others point to the possibility of their being the result of spiritual possession, pointing to the fact that many ships have disappeared around the Rattling Isle due to violent weather patterns. However, there is little evidence for this. The poppets themselves seem disinterested in their origins and are more content to forge out a place for their kind in the world. 

Emotional expression among poppets is common but rarely aligns with those of humanoids with more animate facial features. Particularly well-traveled poppets often modify their faces to display emotions to a much greater degree of precision, often out of necessity to avoid insult or fearful responses. Others tend to act out what they feel in other ways – dance, song, jokes, minor pranks, all of which have significant emotional weight even if it may appear light-hearted. Learning to understand what a poppet feels is often a matter of breaking out of preconceived notions of what is amusing or fun.

Poppets tend to have a collectivist mindset, with many being fiercely aligned with their particular faction, of which there are many. They rarely tolerate any sort of sustained leadership and prefer making decisions as groups. War is rare among poppet factions, but they're more often than not united by the common cause of removing interlopers from their isle, as many pirates, bandits, and adventurers visit the Rattling Isle in search of treasure. The poppets of the isle have no idea where this rumor started, although they do not deny it.

Convergent Construction

Poppets may resemble toys played with by humanoid children. The Poppet Construction table contains some examples of the different forms they may take.

Poppet Constructions

Poppet Names

Poppets exercise a great degree of freedom in naming themselves, although it is usually tied to their specific faction. Poppets name themselves and very much enjoy honorifics, often incorporating these into their names. Many exercise a degree of humor in their naming conventions. 
Poppet Names: Mr. Fiddle, Ms. Ter Ee, Prof. Spambot, Woodee, Sir Ironbutt, Sergeant Softee

Poppet Traits

Your poppet character has the following traits.

Ability Score Increase

Your Constitution score increases by 1, and two other ability scores of your choice increase by 1.

Age

Poppets do not keep track of their age, and can replace portions of their body that have worn out. They do not appear to have life spans. You are immune to magical aging effects.

Alignment

Poppets tend towards the chaotic, although some factions have taken to rigid discipline to ensure their survival. Evil poppets tend to prefer manipulating from behind the scenes, often playing the puppeteer.

Size

Your size is Small. You tend to be between 2 and 4 feet in height and weigh about 30 pounds.

Speed

Your base walking speed is 25 feet.

Constructed Resilience

You have remarkable fortitude, represented by the following benefits:

• You have advantage on saving throws against being poisoned, and you have resistance to poison damage.
• You don’t need to eat, drink, or breathe.
• You are immune to disease.

Despite their constructed nature, poppets must sleep for at least 6 hours per day to remain healthy. 

Magical Resistance

Your proximity to the Feywild has given you remarkable resistence to magical effects. You have advantage on saving throws against spells and magical effects.

Vulnerability to Fire

Your body is built out of wood and other natural materials, giving you vulnerability to fire damage. This trait can be removed if the poppet replaces body parts entirely out of metal, but the poppet will gain disadvantage on Stealth checks (as if wearing heavy armor) if they do so.

Quick Repair

You can repair and replace body parts quickly and expertly to heal yourself. You gain proficiency in tinkerer's tools. Once per day, you can make a tinkerer's tools check (DC 10) to heal yourself as a bonus action, rolling hit dice equal to half your current level, rounded down.

Darkvision

You have superior vision in dark and dim conditions. You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can’t discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.

Languages

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