Gearforged and Gemborn

Soul Gems

To understand the concept of a soul gem, one must understand the origins of its separate parts; the gem itself, and the life energy that dwells within it.

Life after life

The journey of a soul gem begins in two places. The first begins at an end, with the death of a creature.

When a creature dies, its soul is released from its body and can take on a multitude of forms. Some remain on the ethereal plane, cursed to be bound to the material world until they are released or vanquished. Others pass through the shadowfell and into the fugue plane, a featureless place where naught but the City of Judgment resides.

Souls of the dead that resist the temptations of Baatezu devils (who attempt to bargain with the deceased in exchange for new life as a devil), eventually stand before Kelemvor,
the judge of the dead, and Jergal, the lord of the end of everything.

Those who are judged as ‘worthy’ by Kelemvor
are given the opportunity to exist in a greater
state of being, spread among the stars of
the Astral Sea.

The second beginning of a soul gem
is amid the elemental chaos within
the elemental plane of earth.

Among the expanse of tunnels
which permeate the ever-shifting
rock of this domain, resides the
City of Jewels, a wondrous place
created by the Dao who inhabit it.

Its buildings are comprised of the
most precious stones and metals.

It is said that magical wards alert
the Dao to the theft of even the
smallest stone, and such a crime is
punishable by death.

Obsessive in their craft, the Dao
will cut and craft a gem until it reaches a
state of perfection. Stones start their life as
dull and smooth, often so large that specialist
equipment is needed to move them. Once cut and
polished to perfection, they end up much smaller, usually somewhere between the size of an orange and a doorknob.

These gems are then included in a celebration dedicated to their kahn-deity, which is a dodransbicentennial event (meaning it occurs once every 175 years).

The ceremony reaches its pinnacle when the perfect gems are cast into the astral sea and light up the sky over the surface of the Great Dismal Delve. The moment is fleeting, but said to be among the most beautiful phenomena to witness.

There, within the astral plane, the gems float for an age until they are found by the wandering life energy of those who have passed Kelemvor’s judgment, often the combination of a great many individuals. The gem is infused with this life, and is drawn almost inexorably back to the place where that new life originated: the material plane.

Variant Rule: Reincarnation

Having a soul-gem adventurer in the party presents your players with a unique opportunity. Should you allow it, if a gearforged PC's body is entirely destroyed, they can manifest a new body in the form a gemborn. And indeed, should a gemborn die, the use of ressurection magic and a gearforged body could have them return as a gearforged.

Remind your players that this is not a 'get out of jail free" card for death, but instead, a storytelling opportunity.

Nomadic Individuals

Gemborn awaken with an intrinsic curiosity about the world around them, and this drives them to a life of natural exploration. Without any need to eat or sleep, they are able to survive in the wilderness with relative ease. The paths they walk may cross with many other individuals, but they are not compelled to seek out companionship.

The gemborn see themselves as observers to the natural order and samaritans to the downtrodden, their journey dictated by the needs of the world at large. It is a rarity to find a gemborn that makes their home in any one place.

Imposed Divinity

Driven by a instinct to do good, it is expected behaviour from a gemborn to involve themselves in matters of dispute and conflict, compelled to intervene for the betterment of all involved. Some find this attitude bothersome, but for the disadvantaged, the presence of a gemborn is widely considered a blessing.

Some mortal races consider the gemborn to be creatures of divine manifestation, going as far as to dedicate themselves in service of a gemborn. There are even small religious sects which attempt to exemplify their altruism.

By worshiping the gemborn, these sects often make enemies of other organised religions, condemning their reverence for the gemborn as blasphemous. For this reason, the gemborn often have tenuous relationships with religious fanatics and acolytes through no fault of their own.

Gemborn Names

The gemborn are literal in their name, the type of gem that contains their life energy resembling their namesake.

It is irregular for a gemborn to replace this name, but will often solidify their identity as an individual by adopting a last name, usually given to them as an honorary family name by those grossly indebted to them.

Gemborn Names: Beryl, Bloodstone, Carnelian, Iolite, Jade, Malachite, Onyx, Rhyolite, Ruby, Topaz, Zircon.

Gemborn Traits

Gemborn choose their form at the time of their awakening, and this form stays with them throughout their entire lifespan. Their gem is located somewhere visible on their body, and their skin tone tends to match that of their gem color.

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

Age. Gemborn are fully mature at the time of their awakening and can live indefinitely as long as no harm comes to their soul gem.

Alignment. Gemborn are almost always of good alignment.

Size. Gemborn are between. 5 - 7 feet tall and weigh between 180-220 pounds. Your size is Medium.

Speed. Your base walking speed is 30 feet.

Living Construct. Even though your body is constructed from light, you are a living creature. You are immune to disease. You do not need to eat or breathe, but you can ingest food and drink if you wish.

When you die, your body vanishes, leaving only your soul gem and equipment behind. Your soul gem counts as your body for the purposes of ressurection.

Trance. You don’t need to sleep. Instead, you meditate deeply, remaining semiconscious, for 4 hours a day. (The Common word for such meditation is “trance.”) While meditating, you can dream after a fashion; such dreams are actually mental exercises that have become reflexive through years of practice. After Resting in this way, you gain the same benefit that a human does from 8 hours of sleep.

Soulbound Weapon. As a bonus action, you can summon your soulbound weapon which appears in your hand. You choose a type of melee weapon and its appearance at the time of your awakening. You are proficient with this weapon, and as long as you are holding it, it is considered magical for the purpose of overcoming resistances. You can dismiss this weapon at any time.

Multi-faceted. You gain proficiency in one skill of your choice.

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

Gearforged

Forged amongst the gears of
Regulus, the Gearforged are
automatons made of intricate
gears and mechanisms which
form a humanoid body.

They march with pride and
purpose, ready to undertake any
mission or task imaginable.

Automatons from Mechanus

To understand the Gearforged, one must first
understand their origins. Gearforged are created in Mechanus, the plane of absolute law.

Specifically, they are forged by the artisans
of the giant gear-city Regulus. The inhabitants of Regulus are creatures of both flesh and machine called modrons which adhere to strict hierarchies and procedures. At the very top of the hierarchy is a deity-like being of incredible power, Primus.

The gearforged do not adhere to this heirarchy as such, but still follow the rules and laws of Mechanus. The soul gem contained within a gearforged's body grants them freedom of will to make decisions of their own. Their understanding of this freedom expands with each passing year of life. Many gearforged worship Primus as a deity, but those who have develop a heightened awareness acknowledge that other gods are just as (if not more) powerful than their beloved leader.

Voicing such an outlandish opinion within Mechanus is unheard of - in fact, voicing any kind of opinion is a rarity in itself. The gearforged are unique in that they have a degree of free agency which modrons do not, enabling them to develop opinions at all.

Achieving Self-Awareness

Gearforged are not created with an intrinsic sense of self, and many of them do not develop emotions or opinions, nor feel a desire to leave the structured ranks of Mechanus.

It remains a mystery why some achieve true self-awareness, but regardless of the reasons, each one finds themself in a unique position - one that does not usually fit within the grand machine of Mechanus.

At the centre of Regulus is a building known as the modron cathedral. Amongst it's incredible array of capabilities, this vastly complex structure is capable of teleportation to other planes of existence.

Gearforged who resolve to leave Regulus make the journey to the cathedral to start their lives anew, leaving the structured order of Mechanus behind in favour of freedom. The journey often marks the ending of their old life, and the memory of those times are archived and isolated deep within their memory gears.

Made For Purpose

Despite having a will of their own, gearforged require a purpose, no matter how great or small. The gearforged apply the one of three skillsets that were granted to them at their creation to the problems they encounter.

The 'guardian' gearforged are purpose built for combat and protection, and often find themselves marching under the banner of organised military outfits or mercenary guilds.

'Calculator' gearforged make for phenomenal sources of information after long sessions in the libraries, and tend to spend their time in the service of mages and scholars, often developing magical skills of their own.

Finally, the 'engineer' gearforged have advanced understanding of modron repair. Due to the nature of modrons, being made from both flesh and metal, they are able to apply their understanding to fully organic organisms with varying degrees of success.

Integration Into The Mortal Realm

Over time, gearforged have begun to find a new home amongst the inhabitants of the material plane. Their presence is usually met with apprehension, but their machine-like logic and neutral stance on most matters means that their actions are neither met with strong feelings one way or another.

Most people prefer not to address them altogether, finding their lack of understanding social norms to be unnerving.

Some artisans and tinkerers have dedicated years of study into understanding the construction of gearforged.

Rudimentary understanding of these constructs and how to repair them is commonplace amongst artisans and smiths, but the intricacies of their more complicated parts still represent decades of further study to fully understand.

Gearforged Names

Many gearforged name themselves based on their favourite item, task, process or concept - others adopt names given to them by people they meet in their travels. A gearforged will often take great pride in their name, as in their early life, it is one of the very few decisions they get to make for themselves.

Gearforged Names: Apex, Apothem, Euclid, Helix, Hyperbola, Omicron, Parabola, Pi, Rho, Sigma, Vector.

Adopted Names: Azimov, Klang, Metalbeard, Oritor, Rusty, Steelback, Sterling, Tungsten.

Gearforged Traits

Your gearforged character will have similar traits to many other gearforged, but each one will have differences depending on their purpose.

Ability Score Increase. Your Constitution score increases by 2.

Age. The maximum age of a gearforged has yet to be determined. A gearforged can theoretically live forever, assuming proper maintenance of their gears and technical systems.

Alignment. Gearforged who have not yet broken their programming are always lawful neutral, however, those who have broken free of their subroutines are free to write new programming for themselves at will. For this reason, most gearforged are neutral. Gearforged that have decided to live amongst a community may have chosen to program themselves to adhere to the basic rules and tenets of a prevalent institution, and this might impact their alignment.

Size. Gearforged are slightly taller and broader than an average human. Your size is medium.

Speed. Your base walking speed is 25 feet.

Living Construct. Even though you were constructed, you are a living creature. You are immune to disease. You do not need to eat or breathe, but you can ingest food and drink if you wish. Instead of sleeping, you must perform maintenance on yourself for 4 hours each day. You have disadvantage on perception checks whilst performing this maintenance.

Pre-loaded Memory Gears. Your installed memory gears at construction included additional information. You gain proficiency with a skill or language of your choice.

Augmentations. Your construction includes minor conveniences. Choose two augments. (These can be found at the end of the end of the race description.)

Languages. You can speak, read and write Common and Binary. Binary is a language shared between automatons and other beings of Mechanus. Gearforged would argue that binary is the purest form of language. When spoken, it manifests as a sequence of buzzes and clicks. The written form adheres to no common script and consists of a sequence of either zeros and ones, or any applicable substitute.

Artificial Resurrection

Should a gearforged's body become destroyed beyond repair, recovery of it's soul gem grants hope for a gearforged to continue their life.

If the soul gem is placed into a new gearforged body and a resurrection spell is used upon it, the gearforged may resume living in the new body.

If the gearforged's memory gears were not recovered, it loses it's memory and will only have vague recollections of its experiences.

The source of the resurrecting magic can come from any source; however, only a gearforged engineer or master modron artisan is able to complete the delicate physical procedure required for this kind of resurrection. A new gearforged body is valued at 10,000gp.

Subraces. Gearforged are usually built for a purpose, usually either to protect, calculate or repair. These subraces represent the different kinds of gearforged

Gearforged Guardian

A guardian’s purpose is exactly that. They guard. Usually free agents of law, these gearforged are made with the purpose of handling most situations outside of expected variables. They are equipped to handle any combat situation imaginable (within the constraints of several imagination guidelines.)

The wardens of the gate-town, Automata, were amongst the first gearforged to be made. They were born out of the requirement to handle the unpredictability of 'visitor' races.

Ability Score Increase. Your Strength score increases by 1

Hydraulic Strength. Your unnatural strength is born of gears and steel, and not limited by the constraints of flesh. You have advantage on strength checks.

Powerful Build. You count as one size larger when determining your carrying capacity and the weight you can push, drag, or lift

Gearforged Calculator

Calculators are nothing short of intellectual excellence. Their complex machinery allows them to make snap decisions in extreme pressure situations. Their memory gears are vast and seemingly endless.

Their duties in Regulus include completing the most complex calculations that fry the synthetic brains of their lesser modron kin.

Ability Score Increase. Your Intelligence score increases by 1

Accelerated Memory Gears. You have advantage on Intelligence (History) checks to recall information. Additionally, gaining proficiency in a new skill, tool or language takes half as long as normal.

Shielded Processor. You gain a +1 bonus to Intelligence, Wisdom and Charisma saving throws.

Gearforged Engineer

The engineers of mechanus are entrusted with the task of repairing the most important modrons as well as other gearforged. Where most modrons spend their time on simple maintenance of the gears of regulus, engineer are able to handle much more complicated procedures. have They have an advanced understanding of both machinery and flesh, viewing both as one in the same.

Ability Score Increase. Your Wisdom score increases by 1

Medical Engineer. You gain proficiency in tinker's tools, medicine.

Versatile. You can choose one additional minor gearforged augment.

Greater than the sum of their parts.

All gearforged are comprised of many unique parts, but they each have some parts in common

Infinisprings. Infinisprings provide energy over long periods, effectively acting as the power sources for most of the gearforged’s limbs and fingers.

A broken infinispring results in the loss of function in that digit or limb.

This is an incredibly rare occurrence as infinisprings are made to last indefinitely, but should one become damaged beyond repair, only a modron artisan or gearforged engineer proficient with smith's tools can create a new infinispring from raw metals.

Soul Gems. The mind of a gearforged creature is as sharp as that of any flesh-and-blood soul, but it is far less fragile. Soul Gems are practically indestructible by conventional means. The total destruction of this gem is effectively the true death of a gearforged.

Very little information is actually stored within a soul gem. Instead, only what is core to a gearforged's identity and personality is held within its soul gem, and is what makes each one truely unique.

Memory Gears. Separate from the soul gems are a gearforged’s memory gears. These are delicate constructions: scroll-like ribbons pierced with thousands of pin-sized holes, and others wound about with tiny enchantments of great complexity. The memory of a gearforged for all the days after its creation lives in the memory gears.

Memory gears can be taken from a dead gearforged and read by others. This is a lengthy process and viewed with some alarm by most gearforged, since it is akin to peering into the most private details of a creature’s life.

Installing an existing, used memory gear in a new gearforged requires at least one week for the recipient to remember and understand the results. The process is dangerous and delicate, and requires an expert artisan or gearforged engineer to install.

Gearforged Augments

Each gearforged is built with customised parts depending on their purpose, these parts are unique to your construction.

Digit Igniter

You have a small device in a fingertip which allows you to produce a tiny flame. This emits a light in a 5ft radius around you, and dim light for a further 5ft.

You can use this flame to set a flammable item or liquid that is not being held or worn by a creature on fire.

Illuminated Vision

You can make your eyes shine brightly, allowing you and your allies to see in dark places.

This augment creates a cone of bright light wherever you are looking for up to 30ft, and dim light for a further 30ft.

Integrated Tinker's Tools

You have tinker's tools integrated into your wrists. If you are searched, it is a DC18 investigation check to find these tools. It is impossible to remove them without breaking them as they are part of your body.

You can use these tinker's tools to perform medicine checks on yourself or other constructs to repair, safely dismantle, or perform other specilist tasks.

Liquid Filtration Tanks

You have a two visible storage tanks on your body. You can fill a liquid tank with 1 gallon of any liquid, corrosive or not. If you fill a tank with water, the tank is able to filter the water from foreign contaminants over the course of 1 hour and becomes safe to drink. A full tank weighs 10 lbs each. These tanks do not detach from your body, but you can decant them into other containers.

Phonograph Cylinder

You have an in-built recording mechanism which records the last 30 seconds of sound you have heard. The cylinder records everything and you are not able to isolate one sound from another.

You can choose any section of sound your hear and archive it to your memory gears. At any time, you can choose to replicate any archived sound you have heard.

Pneumatic Legs

You are able to charge your legs with compressed air for controlled bursts of kinetic energy.

You do not suffer the penalties imposed when making any jump without a running start and you are able to use your kicks as improvised weapons.

Specialist Data Bank

Your memory gears include a repository of data about a specific subject, this data was relevant to your purpose in Mechanus. Work with your DM and choose a specialist subject. (Examples of a specialist subject could be a creature type, a specific race, a time in history, or another plane of existence) You gain advantage on ability checks to recall information regarding your specialist subject.

Racial Feats

Astral Weapon

Prerequisite: Gemborn

Through practice, meditation or epiphany, you are able to channel your gem's mystical link to the astral sea through your gembound weapon.

• The weapon you summon using your Soulbound Weapon trait gains a bonus to attack and damage rolls equal to half your proficiency modifer (rounded down) while you are holding it.
• Whenever you summon your weapon, you can choose a new melee weapon type for it.

Overclocked Processor

Prerequisites: Gearforged, Spellcasting

You tap into reserve power banks, allowing your processing units to work harder, calculating the most efficient and potent spellcasting methods.

• Increase your Intelligence, Wisdom or Charisma score by 1, to a maximum of 20
• Once per day, you can overclock your processor. When you cast a spell, you can choose to impose disadvantage on any saving throws or grant yourself advantage on any attack rolls caused by that spell. You must choose to do so before any roll is made.

Reconstitute Body

Prerequisite: Gemborn

You have spent a great deal of time contemplating the concept of your own body, and come to understand how to manipulate its form.

• Increase your Constitution, Intelligence, Wisdom or Charisma score by 1, to a maximum of 20
• You can cast alter self on yourself at-will without expending a spell slot or requiring material components. The effect only ends when you use this feature again and it does not require concentration. When changing your appearance, You cannot change the tone of your skin , but you can change where your soul gem is located on your body, and any other physical features. Any attempt to discern your true form fails, as the form you choose counts as your new true form until you change it again.

Restorative Nanites

Prerequisite: Gearforged

Your body begins production of nanites; robotic micro-organisms designed to assist with your reconstruction and maintanence. These nanites only work for you, are not visible without a microscope, and cannot be removed from your person.

• Increase your Constitution score by 1, to a maximum of 20
• Whenever you roll hit any hit die to recover hit points, you are considered to have rolled the maximum result.

Credits

Artwork Credits (where possible)

Gem Practice by Liberlibelula
Space Art by Shellz Art
Sorceress by Angevere
Crystal by Victoria Polozhenceva
Crystal Cave by Kevywk Gear City by Daniel Dociu Gearforged Templar by Bryan Syme