For your consideration...
Vodron
Vodrons are odd, strict, and multifarious living constructs.
Appearance & Culture
Vodrons are vaguely humanoid in shape, 4 to 5 ft tall, and weigh 100-150 pounds. More dominant ones are taller and all vodrons can extend their leg length. A vodron has a polyhedral body, with merged head and torso, and limbs that mix hydraulic, rebarbed, and hinged elements. Its body is flesh, bone, blood, and metal. Vodrons tend toward grayish coloring and most insist on fine, uniform-like clothing.
Vodrons are often viewed by other races as calm, strict, slow to anger, studious, perhaps intellectual, cautious, and loyal. They are known as natural mechanics. Though very orderly, every vodron is unique due to his personal array of special elements, which vary from antennae to monocles to telescopic arms.
Vodrons are immortal and crafted rather than born. Every vodron is female or male as signaled by its voice and habits. Vodrons expect hierarchy and order and will suggest procedures or take charge when hierarchy is absent. Their society revolves around norms, protocols, and such that are incrutible even to moppets and warmech.
Vodrons adventure for 3 reasons: 1) in-built purpose, 2) assignment by superiors, or 3) roguish behavior typical of chaotic vodrons who are expelled from society. While very odd at times, vodrons are useful, and even ingenious, traveling companions.
Physical Traits
Vodrons have the following characteristics.
Attributes: +2 Intelligence and -2 Charisma. Vodrons are bright but somewhat robotic and uninspiring.
Size: Medium.
Speed: 30 ft.
Wound Points: 8. Vodrons absorb damage the same as humans.
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Calculate: Up to 5x daily as a move action, select 1 ally or foe within 30 ft and apply a +2 bonus or -2 penalty on its next d20 roll that round. You do this by speaking or motioning oddly.
Immortal Build: You do not age and cannot die of old age. You do not gain benefits or suffer penalties due to age. Also, you have no need to breathe, eat or sleep. You can still gain sensory information (such as sniffing the air or tasting a flavor).
Lightning Rod: Apply a -5 penalty on saves to resist electrical attacks and effects. Electricity harms you.
Low-Light Vision: You see 2x as far as a human in moonlight, torchlight, and similar conditions of poor illumination as well as underwater. You can distinguish color and detail under these conditions.
Mecha Keen: Boost Mechanics and Perception checks by +2.
Resist Energy: For 5 minutes, you or a touched ally enjoy +10 DR against 1 energy type, or a +2 bonus versus all energy types. Costs 1 vitality.
Resist Hacking: Once per round, boost Will by +2, or +5 against sleep effects.
Resist Healing: Due to your artificial nature, you do not heal wound damage due to rest. Also, magic abilities that heal wounds such as Lay on Hands provide only ½ the normal benefit.
Stabilize: When reduced to negative wound points, you automatically stabilize.
Telescope Legs: You rise up to +2 ft in height as a move action
Tough Chassis: Your tough chassis grants +3 DR. This chassis replaces armor. You cannot wear armor, though you can use a shield and/or wear a special jump-suit if trained in their use, and your chassis can be magically enchanted as if it were armor.
Unique Role: You gain 1 bonus racial ability, class ability or theme minor award of your choice for which you qualify.
Vodron Immunity: Vodrons are robust. You are immune to mundane diseases and inhaled gases and enjoy a +2 bonus to resist mundane poison.
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Free Languages: Common and Mechan.
Bonus Languages: None. You do not gain any bonus languages regardless of your Intelligence.
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Multiclassing: Artificer, chronomancer, gadgeteer, magister or savant. You may select 1 of these classes to pursue under the multiclass option.
Typical Alignment: Lawful neutral.
Typical Deity: Mithrais.
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Comeliness: 2d6+3 (avg 10). Vodrons are endearing in an odd-looking way.
Base Age: 0. Vodrons do not age and are effectively immortal. That said, vodron characters are usually recently constructed.
Racial Options
A vodron character selects 2 abilities from the following list at 1st level, and may select more abilities at later levels and with age.
Air Bladder: For 5 minutes, you tread just above a solid or permeable surface (including water, snow, ice, and sand dunes) as if it were solid dry land. If you activate this ability underwater, you move to the surface at 4x your normal land speed. Costs 1 vitality.
Auto-Toolkit: Select up to 5 pounds of tool kits and skill kits as listed on RPG, page 165. The selections are permanently installed in your chassis, cannot be damaged or removed, and do not add to your encumbrance. Readying or stowing a kit is a move action.
Antennae: Boost Perception checks by +5, or by +10 once daily. You sport a variety of whisker-like sensitive antennas that pick up small changes in the environment.
Electrotech: You study invisible mundane forces of nature (called immateria) such as electrics, kinetics, nucleonics, optics, and sonics. You can make checks using the Technics skill (RPG, page 177) and enjoy a +2 bonus on Mechanics and Technics checks.
Extra Articulations: You acquire extra limbs and joints. You cannot use these for attacks. But they provide a +2 bonus on all Dexterity-based skill checks.
Hidden Cavity: You can store up to 1 cubic ft of material in a hidden space in your body. Opening or closing the cavity is a swift action for you, or by an adjacent creature on a DC 18 Athletics check. Spotting a closed compartment requires a DC 22 Perception check. Add the encumbrance of stowed items, as if worn.
Jumpsuit Proficiency: You are proficient with special vodron jump suits. They are equivalent to masterwork leather and masterwork chainmail, respectively.
Minor Repairs: An adjacent construct, or a moppet, vodron or warmech, heals 1d4 wound points. Costs 1 vitality.
Monocles: You sport 3 retractable color monocles. They grant a +5 bonus on Appraise, Insight, and Perception checks, respectively. Retracting or deploying 1 monocle is a move action, and while using a monocle, you suffer a -2 penalty on attack rolls.
Pack Mule: Treat your Strength score as 4 points higher than normal when determining your carry capacity.
Periscope: You raise a periscope up to 3 ft above you, perhaps allowing you to gain line of sight over a waterline or barrier. You continue to enjoy normal cover when doing so.
Recalculate: As a standard action in combat, you boost your initiative by +5 for the remainder of combat.
Shocking Grasp: One adjacent foe suffers 1d6 electrical damage per level (max 5d6) and is dazed for 1 round unless Fortitude resists. Apply a +5 bonus on your attack against metal-clad foes. Costs 1 vitality.
Telescopic Arms: You extend 1 arm to enjoy a 10 ft reach. You canot wield any weapon except a dagger with this arm while extended, but you can treat objects or targets within 10 ft as adjacent to you. Extending or retracting an arm is a move action.
Windbag: Boost all Intelligence-based skill checks by +2. You can talk on multiple esoteric topics, sometimes all at once.
