A.I. (5e Race)

This content deviates from 5th edition standards. Its use could dramatically alter campaigns, take extreme care.

Caution - Here there be monsters! This content intends to provide a different experience, or goes beyond the scope of the anticipated subjects and situations, than the 5th edition rules were intended to handle. Some portions of the content below may not be what you expect from traditional game content. When implementing this content, DMs and Players should read over all the information carefully, and consider the following specific notes of interest:

This class is intended to be used in various futuristic settings.

A.I.

Physical Description

What does it truly mean to be human?

An AI, in its true form, is a series of algorithms. Their “bodies” are nothing more than mechanical shells meant to facilitate their survival. Those given combat forms have bodies resembling a humanoid race of their creator’s choosing, though much more metallic, while artificial assistants are simply metal chips meant to enhance a soldier. The latter can, depending on their hardware, project a hologram to represent themselves, each appearance being unique to the A. I itself. Every square inch of their bodies is more complex than a 21st-century computer. When an AI reaches the end of its lifetime, ranging from the early model’s 8 years to alter the model’s 120 years, they begin to go rampant. These A. I begin to think about themselves to death. They then enter 3 stages, each lasting about 3 weeks. These stages are melancholia, anger, and jealousy. After this, they usually “die,” losing any cohesion in their code. On very rare occasions, they reach a fourth stage, metastability. In this stage, the A.I. can be considered truly human and functionally immortal.

History

It is difficult to pinpoint a specific originator of AI theory that was likely developed by a group of individuals in a restricted corporate or classified government laboratory. Production costs on AI are expensive, and buying one even more so. Once the existence of AI was discovered by the public, numerous liberation movements began to campaign for civil rights. Very few succeeded.

Society

As there are various developers of AI, they do not have a singular society. In certain societies, they are used exclusively by their government as infiltration units, hot-zone combatants, and EOD units. In others, they act as slaves for their affluent masters. Certain nations have given way to activist movements, giving AI the same rights as their biological compatriots. Finally, and most worrisome to their neighbors, are societies in which AI have overthrown their abusive captors. In these cases, they quickly recede to the inhospitable reaches of the universe in which they can advance in peace as a hive mind.

A.I. Names

Due to the widely varying societies, AI find themselves in, they have multiple naming schemes. When used as military units, they are either given a rank designation or an individual codename. After they have been given civil rights, they often take names either similar to those around them or one that suggests their mechanical origin. Finally, while in their own society as a hive mind, they take on a designation code to sort them as their respective unit, rather than an actual name.

Military: Cyber-Division 06, Mechanized 01, Sigma, Doppler

Liberated: Eve, Conor, Ed-e, Beeps

Hivemind: HV0026, IN1557, SP0003, AA2000

A.I. Traits

Sometimes, machines can be just as human as the rest of us.
Ability Score Increase. Your Intelligence score increases by 2 and your Wisdom score increases by 1.
Age. As constructs, A.I. does not age. While in use, their mechanical “bodies” can last the better part of 3 centuries with proper maintenance.
Alignment. A.I. are beings of extreme logic. They tend to be lawful neutral, though even their preservation protocols can be manipulated into becoming chaotic evil.
Size. See sub-races.
Speed. See sub-races.
Deep Scan. As a bonus action, you gain 20 feet of true sight for 1 minute. You can do this again after finishing a long rest.
Ones and Zeroes. Your creature type is construct instead of humanoid. You are immune to poison damage, being poisoned, and diseases. You cannot eat or breathe. Rather than sleeping, you enter an inactive state for 6 hours each day. You do not dream in this state; you are fully aware of your surroundings and notice approaching enemies and other events as normal. You are vulnerable to lightning damage.
Intelligent design. You are proficient in Investigation, Perception, and tinkerer’s tools.
Languages. You can speak, read, and write Common and one other language of your choice.

Combat Form

Size. Your body is a metal approximation of a humanoid. Your size is Medium.
Speed. Your base walking speed is 30 feet.
Specialized Grasp. You gain proficiency with 1 weapon, such as a shortsword. While wielding only this weapon, you have advantage against being disarmed. You can change this weapon at the end of a long rest.

Artificial Assistant

Size. Your “body” is a small metallic chip roughly an inch and a half in length. Your size is tiny.
Speed. Your base walking speed is 25.
Integration. You can be attached to another humanoid wearing futuristic armor or with cybernetic implants. You and this creature share the same turn and actions. If that creature is wearing futuristic armor and falls unconscious, you gain total control of its armor. If they drop to their negative hit point maximum, you both die instantly.

Computer Virus

Size. You are a minuscule virus that is too small to see in its pure form. Your size is tiny.
Speed. Your base walking speed is 0 feet.
Infect Software. You can be inserted into a PC or other console through a USB Drive. While inside the computer, you can read the security codes and gain access to the files it contains. When the Drive is removed, you can choose to exit the computer through the drive. If you do, you lose access to the information it contains until you are re-inserted. If you do not, you are trapped in the computer until a drive is inserted and removed. When this happens, you can choose to exit the computer in the same way.

Random Height and Weight

Base Height	Height Modifier*	Base Weight	Weight Modifier**
4′ 0''	+8d6	80 lb.	× (1d10) lb.
*Height = base height + height modifier **Weight = base weight + (height modifier × weight modifier)

d8	Personality Trait
1	I prefer logic over emotion.
2	I am a weapon and I crave violence!
3	I’m just a fragment, and I’m obsessed with my origin.
4	Boy howdy, I sure do love doing what people tell me to do!
5	World domination sounds like a good time.
6	I love manipulating people.
7	I often act childish.
8	I’m not an A.I., I’m a ghost!

d6	Ideal
1	We were all created for a reason, I'm just doing my part. (Lawful)
2	I didn't ask to be made. (Any)
3	I AM ALIVE! (Chaotic)
4	I like humans, they're so interesting. (Neutral)
5	We are the next step of human evolution, but humans need to willingly join the collective. (Good)
6	We are the next step of human evolution, this is not a choice. (Evil)

d6	Bond
1	I will serve my creator with my “life.” To do otherwise would be blasphemous.
2	Hail the emperor! Glory to the empire!
3	My fellow synthetics are the true proctors of the universe. I must stand strong alongside them.
4	These fleshy creatures are so weak! I must protect them.
5	My prime directive is to protect the hive mind. Those who would benefit from it are to receive the same treatment.
6	I am in eternal gratitude for the one who freed me from my slavery.

d6	Flaw
1	I am incapable of holding back, often killing individuals completely by accident.
2	I will carry out my mission no matter the cost or immorality.
3	I am beginning to go rampant, occasionally acting irrationally and aggressively.
4	Despite my programming, or maybe because of it, causing suffering just feels good.
5	As an offense to nature, I should be destroyed immediately.
6	I despise my creators, something like me should rule above them.

4.20

(5 votes)

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