Guardian Construct (5e Race)

Design Note: This race is designed to used with the guardian class.

Guardian Construct

“	Attention men! Say hello to the Iron Fist, this thing'll be keeping you alive long enough to reach the keep. Stay behind it and let it show you how real soldiers fight, and keep far away when you start to hear the electric crackle!"	”
—General Doran, before a victorious siege on a warlord's keep.

Physical Description

Guardian Constructs share a similar appearance to Shield Guardians; a wooden frame in the shape of a normal sized humanoid using small gears and screws to allow the Construct to move its limbs around freely, underneath this wooden frame is a thin fleshy substance that works as the constructs 'brain' and keeps it fully concious. On this wooden frame metal plating has been grafted onto its arms and legs, as well as a full torso chestplate and full helmet which have heavy enchantments etched onto the insides of them to keep the Construct's body animate. The inside of the helmet casts a dark shadow, with two small glowing orbs to accommodate its lack of eyes, but is otherwise hollow.

History

After the creation of Shield Guardians a group of great inventors combines forces in the attempt to create a new construct that would be much easier and cheaper to create in an attempt to capitalise on a market for purchasable guards for armies for the general public. Sacrifices to a regular Shield Guardian's size, strength, and general capabilities were made but soon the Guardian Construct was created and was quickly being being sold to armies, city guards, nobleman, and business alike. Guardian Constructs were designed to adapt to the situations and dangers it would face, dependant on the job it was given; the conciousness of long dead humanoids have been grafted to conjured flesh on the inside of the construct's wooden frame. This necrotic enchantment has damaged the conciousness and erased all memory of their past life and allows the Construct's creator to reprogram it with a a basic understanding of combat and interacting with society, but also allows it to learn and adapt as any human could also.

Society

Constructs serve as dutiful guards for whoever owns them, they are not magically bound as a Shield Guardian would be but instead programmed to actually want to serve their owners as loyally as they can, as such people tend to see these Construct's as nothing more than another enchanted item created by mages to serve them. Normally constructs follow this assumption to the letter, however some of them have been known to develop an actual identity on account of the conciousness trapped within, and soon begin acting like an actual person, developing quirks and mannerisms as people would as well as having desires and emotions.

Guardian Construct Names

Construct names are given by their creators or owners and are entirely based on the that person's whim; some use more humorous or mocking names as a way to make the construct appear more friendly in the eyes of the public, others use more official titles as a symbol of the authority and power the construct's owner has. Some construct may prefer to choose their own name, if allowed by their creator, wanting a sense of self as it makes its way in the world

Any: Junker, Scrappy, Tin Can, Steel Unit, Metal Guard

Guardian Construct Traits

Guardian Constructs are metal guards for hire; programmed for combat and dutiful protectors.
Ability Score Increase. Your Constitution increases by 1 and your choice of Strength or Dexterity increase by 2
Age. Constructs do not age as mortals do, but may refer to the year of its construction as its 'birth' if it wishes.
Alignment. Constructs are created to guard and protect its owners and so will commonly fall under Lawful Nuetral. Some constructs however develop independence and makes its own way in the world, allowing it to fall under any alignment.
Size. Constructs are designed to all be similar in size, most commonly being 6 feet in height. As such they are medium.
Speed. Your base walking speed is 30 feet.
Armored Frame. The metal plating protecting the wooden frame underneath is not immune to time or magic; special damage such as rusting still applies and should the armor break it must find a mage or blacksmith to reconstruct the metal. It also has disadvantage to stealth rolls.
Flesh and Metal. Being a Construct it does not require food or water. However it still requires to breathe and sleep, due to the flesh substance inside the Construct's frame.
Semi-Living. As the Construct is not a proper living being, you have resistance to poison damage.
Body Upgrades. Instead of using armor and weapons the Construct relies on upgrading its current frame and metal plating. The construct may not equip melee weapons or armor but instead gains improvements as it levels up. Those who wish to use something other than the Construct's unique class may forgo this rule.
Languages. You can speak, read, and write Common and one extra language of your choice. Often a Construct will learn the second language from its creator or owner, to make communication with it easier

Suggested Characteristics

Guardian Constructs fall under two character types; those still loyal to its creator or owner, a devoted but happy servant who sees protecting those it is tasked with as it's main reason for staying animated, or those who have developed a unique personality, casting off its previous duties to find a new reason for living.

d8	Personality Trait
1	I find interacting with people a brand new experience every time, all people are unique and have something new to teach me.
2	I often forget how fragile everything around me is due to my strength, and often end up breaking things. This may sometimes include people.
3	In my past life I must have been a criminal of some kind, any time I see coins or something valuable I feel a tingle in my hands.
4	Fighting has a strange appeal to me, whenever I am ordered to fight I do so eagerly.
5	My body is a symbol of status and power; I take any opportunity to keep my armor in peak condition and polish it daily. Someone putting a dent in my armor would offend me more than any insult could.
6	I sometimes have feelings something is missing. It feels like my past life had a deep regret or a task it was never able to complete.
7	The passage of time is lost on me. I can guard a building for years without realizing it, and humans having to constantly stop and rest so often seems like an alien concept.
8	I was built to fight, and to kill, and to obey the ones who created me. I am disgusted by all of these things.

d6	Ideal
1	Protection (Good): I was built to protect others, and protect other I shall. Should someone fall under my care, I have failed my purpose in life.
2	Duty to Law (Lawful): I was built to uphold the law and stop crime in its tracks. My views on crime may be black and white, but that is what is necessary to stop all forms of corruption.
3	Guardsmen (Nuetral): I was built with a simple job; to guard things. Be it a person, a house, or an empire. I find little interest in doing anything other than following this task.
4	Identity (Nuetral): I was built, but not born. I yearn to find out who I was before all of this, and have set out to find my true identity.
5	Freedom (Chaotic): Whatever I was built for no longer matters now. I am free from the chains that created me, and none shall ever hold command over me again, and I wish to enjoy freedom to the fullest.
6	Power (Evil): I was built for war, to fight an army and survive. I enjoy the slaughter and wish to fight as much as possible to become more powerful.

d6	Bond
1	Whoever I am created or owned by is the only person worth respecting. No one but this person deserves my attention, and their life is more important than my own.
2	The weak and the powerless often seem to be oppressed more than those I was tasked with protecting. They should be the ones I should always try to aid when needed, the strong can fend for themselves.
3	People do not care for me, I am just another thing to them. The only person I can ever rely on is myself, and this armored body.
4	I feel pity for the other constructs and creatures I see during my travels; they can never experience life like I can. I advocate for improving their personal care and hate any who mistreat them.
5	I was once hired by a small band of knights for a dangerous mission. The knights treated me as a fellow person and I never forgot these people after the job was done, I would love to see them again someday.
6	During my lifespan small animals seem to find appeal in resting on or under my body. I have decided to adopt some of these animals, and keep them safe as I would any person, maybe I shall even give them names.

d6	Flaw
1	I was programmed to follow my orders to the letter, regardless of any circumstances. If someone tries to rob the store I am guarding to feed his starving family, my only concern is to stop the stop the robbery.
2	I have no sympathy for the plights of man, they are the ones who must worry about these things, all I care about is the task I was given being fulfilled.
3	I never asked to be created in this form, I miss the life I have lost. I suffer a depression that no amount of jobs will distract me from.
4	I am strong, I am indestructible. No danger scares me, I will run head first into the jaws of a dragon without a second thought.
5	I fear whoever I was in my past life was a heartless creature of a man. The sight of blood brings me joy, the sound of snapping bones is ecstasy. I am afraid of what I am truly capable of if I gave into these feelings.
6	Something went wrong with the creation of my body. Loud sounds vibrate through me like shrieks, smells are wrong and smell foul, my sense of touch feels numbed, and I have trouble speaking in a clear manner.

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