Thursday, August 22, 2013

Fianyarr Golems

Not every golem can blend in.
(The Witcher)
There have always been people who would try to create artificial life in order to have a more active hand in how their progeny are formed and to gain mastery over the characteristics that their progeny will have.  It is no different in Fianyarr than in our world although in Fianyarr such attempts can become quite successful.  Of course, the creators don't always know the ramifications of their actions. 

Player Created Golems

While such creations are generally outside of the range of your average player character, one could always create a variant of the Circle of the Crone Homunculus and Gargoyle rituals.  Naturally such rituals would be difficult to accomplish but there are rules for how they work and how they can be designed so they are a good option for those whose players really wish to dabble.

Prometheans

The Storyteller could always include Prometheans, if they so choose, those the wasteland-like effects that follow them around need a little consideration.  Is it that they are sustained by the life energy of the world around them and so decay where they walk?  Do the Gods themselves or the Masters of the Paths shun and curse them?  Were they simply built wrong?  And most importantly of all, is their fate the only fate available for truly sentient golems or are they simply an anomaly?  Remember, too, if the goal is to run a group of Promethean PCs through Fianyarr that the definition of humanity is a little bit different when humans are only one of ten different races.  Which race do they attempt to become?  How does that affect their choices?  And does it even matter in the scheme of things?

Alchemical Child


The Alchemical Child is a replica of one of the mortal races that is created through alchemical processes and, despite looking like one of the races, lacks some essential quality which defines a certain personhood. This most likely involves an eccentric and stilted personality, lack of conscience and inability to feel anything beyond the scraps of emotion. Most often an Alchemical Child becomes more 'real' if people of the appropriate races are rendered down as part of the process. Their attributes, skills and merits are similar to most people but they lack any of the racial or class benefits and blessings. They can sometimes be formed in inhuman shapes or with specified mutations such as additional arms, eyes or even claws, though such additions are more often atrophied and useless. Some very rare Alchemical Children have access to psychic merits and magical rituals but most do not. On the plus side, they suffer no wound penalties and are immune to poison and disease.

Stone Construct


The Stone Construct is hand-carved from stone by powerful willworkers and repeatedly annointed with special compounds in order to bring it to life. The final step is to insert a small enchantment scroll into its mouth. It most likely appears as a gargoyle or a statue in order to blend with the surrounding materials as they spend their free time standing utterly still. Instead of Stamina they have Durability and their Durability can range anywhere from 1 to 6. Their Size can range incredibly high though most are made between Size 3 and Size 8. They have limited intelligence that is more based around finding their way around obstacles or accomplishing very simple tasks set by their master. They have no mental or social skills and their physical skills can never venture above 2. Merits are subject to the Storyteller's discretion but it's recommended that they have few, if any. What makes them scary is their implacable nature and the difficulty one has in damaging them, not their stylish fighting techniques.

Flesh Golem


The Flesh Golem is a nightmarish figure of twisted meat and bone, inspiring tales of Frankenstein's monster stitched together from other people to chimeras built from creatures. These entities are always entirely insane and generally quite difficult to control without a magical leash or other special collar. They are most often released to roam labyrinths around important artefacts or to protect the grounds when those who live within such fortifications have other methods of entry and exit - such as flying. Their attributes, skills and merits can vary wildly and some even manage to retain a few of the magical abilities, race and class blessings of some of the component creatures cobbled together. Even a relatively benign Flesh Golem will have at least one major derangement, most have at least a few minor ones as well.

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