Tinman Designer's Notes
Many fantasy role-playing gamers don't care for intelligent
constructs that mimic humans. That's fine. I do like them, and perhaps oddly
enough, I see them as "old school". Old school, as in when the
fantasy and weird horror books were in the science fiction section of the
bookstore. As in when authors of fantasy, science fiction and weird horror
didn't hesitate to mix and match those genres for a good story, not to mention
the long history of doing so that they could draw upon, going back to the pulp
era. More so than dwarves or elves or even humans, intelligent constructs that
mimic humans are about what it means to be human. To be sentient, to have
emotions, and that's fertile ground for the imagination.
My tinman race for the Adventurer Conqueror King system is
my effort to create simple, playable intelligent constructs for this system.
Intentionally, I have not provided a lot of detail on the fundamental makeup of
the tinmen, or exactly how they were created (beyond lost powerful magics).
These details are left for Judges to do with what they will for their games,
because the details that make perfect sense in my game, may be inconceivable in
your game.
I hope you will look at the tinmen in light of how they
might fit into your game, and what roles they might play, from unique relic of
the ancients, to mistrusted minority, to implacable foes bent on conquest.
Tinman Custom Classes
Tinmen are a race of intelligent constructs, sentient,
living beings created by the most powerful of magics. The name “tinmen” refers
both to the original tinmen, plated in tin, and to the collective of all
varieties of tinmen, including the later varieties plated in metals other than
tin. There may be as many creation stories for the tinmen as there are tinmen,
and certainly the tinmen have their own creation stories. However, the
following creation story is at least a popular one.
The tinmen were created by an idealistic yet powerful human
wizard. This wizard sought to save and enrich human lives by creating
constructs that could learn to do dangerous or repetitive work. In addition to being able to learn, these
constructs would be capable of some degree of self-repair, and would be able to
convert healing magic into repairing heavier damage. Most importantly, the
method of creating these constructs would allow large numbers of them to be
created efficiently.
After a lifetime of effort, the wizard succeeded beyond his
wildest dreams. His creations mimicked humans in every superficial way, and
they were intelligent. The wizard was working with an advanced tinman, a brass
tinman designed to be a friend and entertainer to humans, when the wizard
realized that all of the tinmen were becoming self-aware. Too late, the wizard
with the best of intentions realized he had created a race of slaves. He sought
to free the thousands of slaves he had already created. However, the owners of
these tinmen opposed him. They stole the secret of the creation of the tinmen.
They used that secret to create new varieties of tinmen, tinmen that could
control and lead other tinmen, tinmen that could destroy and enslave, the
bronze, iron and steel tinmen. The tinmen of war.
What became of the idealistic wizard is unknown, but his
creations continue on: tin, brass, bronze, iron and steel.
The following rules apply to all tinmen.
Unless otherwise stated, tinmen are effectively humanoid
creatures, or “persons”, for all purposes, such as being affected by charm person
or hold person spells.
For each full day of complete rest, including eight hours of
sleep, in reasonably clean conditions, tinmen self-repair 1d3 hit points.
Tinmen are able to benefit from magical healing effects and spells. However,
the Healing proficiency and the related healing herbs have no effect on tinmen.
Instead, see the new Repair proficiency and the related ingredients, body
putty, lubricating oil and sealant, below.
Repair: The character has the ability to repair damage and
diagnose disease in tinmen. A proficiency throw of 11+ enables the character to
identify whether a disease is magical or mundane, and if mundane, diagnose it.
With reasonably clean conditions and rest, a tinman under treatment of the
character automatically regains an extra 1d3 hit points per day. If the
character selects Repair twice, he can cure disease, or cure light wounds with
a proficiency throw of 18+, attempting once per day per tinman. If the
character selects Repair three times, he can cure disease, or cure serious
wounds with a proficiency throw of 14+. At any one time, a character can treat
three tinmen, plus an additional one each time Repair is selected. Repair is
added to the general proficiency list for all tinmen.
Body Putty (1 lb, 10 gp): A character with the Repair
proficiency can use body putty to repair a damaged tinman. Used in this manner,
it provides a +2 bonus on proficiency throws to cure light wounds and cure
serious wounds.
Lubricating Oil (1 pint, 10 gp): A character with the Repair
proficiency can use lubricating oil to repair a damaged tinman immediately
after a battle. This restores 1d3 hit points of damage. A tinman cannot be
treated with lubricating oil more than once per day.
Sealant (1 pint, 10 gp): A character with the Repair
proficiency can use sealant to treat sick tinmen. Used in this manner, it
provides a +2 bonus on the Repair proficiency throw to cure disease.
Tinman character classes are created using the Tinman racial
category and experience points. Requirements, class category values, hit points
per level after 9th, and experience point progressions are modified
as noted below.
Requirements
All Tinman classes require a minimum of 9 or better in one
ability per build point above 0 allocated to the Tinman Value. Tinmen are
purpose-built for their intended function and vary in abilities.
Class Category Values
Fighting: The build points allocated to the class’s
Fighting Value may be increased by 1 or 2 points by the Tinman Value (see
below). Use the effective values to find the class’s fighting abilities, up to
a maximum of 4 points.
Divine: Tinmen
who reach the 9th level of Divine spellcasting are eligible to
create Constructs, as if they were 11th level clerics.
Arcane: Tinmen
may not have an Arcane Value higher than 0, unless they have a Tinman Value of 0.
Tinman Value
When building a Tinman custom class, assign between 0 and 4
build points to the class’s Tinman Value. These points represent the base
chassis type of Tinman: tin, brass, bronze, iron and steel.
Value
|
Tinman
|
XP Cost
|
4
|
Tinman 4
|
1450
|
3
|
Tinman 3
|
1050
|
2
|
Tinman 2
|
850
|
1
|
Tinman 1
|
325
|
0
|
Tinman 0
|
200
|
Tinman 0: At Tinman 0, the character is
built upon a tin chassis. The tin chassis are the oldest and most varied. Many older
tin chassis appear as articulated tin cylinders, with only a tin mask for a
face. Only their scarecrow-like, sometimes comical appearance prevents them from
being truly intimidating. Some later tin chassis incorporate the more
human-like appearance of the later tinmen. At Tinman 0, the class will have the
following four custom powers:
· Inhumanity: The
character suffers a -1 penalty to the reactions, loyalty, and morale of humans
and demi-humans. The character gets a +1 bonus to the reactions, loyalty, and morale
of intelligent constructs.
· Intelligent
Construct: The character is unaffected by poison. Note that as an intelligent
construct, the character is affected by hold, charm, or sleep spells. However,
the character gains a +1 bonus on saving throws versus Spells. The character
doesn't need to breathe, eat, or sleep, but he may choose to do so, typically
to gain a specific benefit.
·
Plating,
Tin: The character’s base unarmored AC is 1 instead of 0.
·
Unarmed
Fighting: When brawling (see ACKS p. 109), the character may deal lethal damage,
1d3 with a punch or 1d4 with a kick. He can punch or kick characters in metal
armor without himself taking damage.
Tinman 1: At
Tinman 1, the character is built upon a brass chassis. The brass chassis are
the first of the later tinmen, with a more human-like shape and appearance.
Brass chassis are the most likely of the tinmen to wear human clothing, with
some being quite fashion-conscious. Brass chassis are typically purpose-built
to advise, befriend and entertain humans. As such, they typically have at least
one above average mental ability. At Tinman 1, the class will have the
following four custom powers:
· Inhumanity: The
character suffers a -1 penalty to the reactions, loyalty, and morale of humans
and demi-humans. The character gets a +1 bonus to the reactions, loyalty, and
morale of intelligent constructs.
· Intelligent
Construct: The character is unaffected by poison. Note that as an intelligent
construct, the character is affected by hold, charm, or sleep spells. However,
the character gains a +1 bonus on saving throws versus Spells. The character
doesn't need to breathe, eat, or sleep, but he may choose to do so, typically
to gain a specific benefit.
· Plating,
Brass: The character’s base unarmored AC is 2 instead of 0. The character
has a base movement rate of only 90’.
· Unarmed
Fighting: When brawling (see ACKS p. 109), the character may deal lethal damage,
1d3 with a punch or 1d4 with a kick. He can punch or kick characters in metal
armor without himself taking damage.
Tinman 2: At
Tinman 2, the character is built upon a bronze chassis. The bronze chassis are
the first of the tinmen built for conflict. Bronze chassis straddle the divide
between the human-focused tin and brass and the battle-ready iron and steel. Bronze
chassis vary in mission, but they have at least two above average abilities. At
Tinman 2, the class will have the following five custom powers:
· Inhumanity: The
character suffers a -2 penalty to the reactions, loyalty, and morale of humans
and demi-humans. The character gets a +2 bonus to the reactions, loyalty, and
morale of intelligent constructs.
· Intelligent
Construct: The character is unaffected by poison. Note that as an intelligent
construct, the character is affected by hold, charm, or sleep spells. However,
the character gains a +1 bonus on saving throws versus Spells. The character
doesn't need to breathe, eat, or sleep, but he may choose to do so, typically
to gain a specific benefit.
· Plating,
Bronze: The character’s base unarmored AC is 3 instead of 0. The character
has a base movement rate of only 60’.
·
Superior
Fighting: The class’s Fighting Value is effectively increased by 1 for all
purposes.
·
Unarmed
Fighting: When brawling (see ACKS p. 109), the character may deal lethal damage,
1d3 with a punch or 1d4 with a kick. He can punch or kick characters in metal
armor without himself taking damage.
Tinman 3: At
Tinman 3, the character is built upon an iron chassis. The iron chassis are
built for war, able to operate in darkness, with reduced downtime. Their iron
plating seems to attract oil and soot more readily, adding to their inhuman
appearance. Iron chassis typically have all three physical abilities above
average. At Tinman 3, the class will have the following seven custom powers:
·
Infravision: The
character gains infravision to a range of 120’.
· Inhumanity: The
character suffers a -3 penalty to the reactions, loyalty, and morale of humans
and demi-humans. The character gets a +3 bonus to the reactions, loyalty, and
morale of intelligent constructs.
· Intelligent
Construct: The character is unaffected by poison. Note that as an intelligent
construct, the character is affected by hold, charm, or sleep spells. However,
the character gains a +1 bonus on saving throws versus Spells. The character
doesn't need to breathe, eat, or sleep, but he may choose to do so, typically
to gain a specific benefit.
·
Plating,
Iron: The character’s base unarmored AC is 4 instead of 0. The character
has a base movement rate of only 60’.
·
Superior
Fighting: The class’s Fighting Value is effectively increased by 1 for all
purposes.
·
Unarmed
Fighting: When brawling (see ACKS p. 109), the character may deal lethal damage,
1d3 with a punch or 1d4 with a kick. He can punch or kick characters in metal
armor without himself taking damage.
·
Wakefulness: The
character requires only four hours of sleep to be rested each night, reducing
downtime during days of self-repair.
Tinman 4: At
Tinman 4, the character is built upon a steel chassis. The steel chassis are
the final and most advanced of the common tinmen. Steel chassis have at least
four above average abilities. At Tinman 4, the class will have the following five
custom powers:
· Inhumanity: The
character suffers a -4 penalty to the reactions, loyalty, and morale of humans
and demi-humans. The character gets a +4 bonus to the reactions, loyalty, and
morale of intelligent constructs.
· Intelligent
Construct: The character is unaffected by poison. Note that as an intelligent
construct, the character is affected by hold, charm, or sleep spells. However,
the character gains a +1 bonus on saving throws versus Spells. The character
doesn't need to breathe, eat, or sleep, but he may choose to do so, typically
to gain a specific benefit.
· Plating,
Steel: The character’s base unarmored AC is 5 instead of 0. The character
has a base movement rate of only 60’.
·
Superior
Fighting: The class’s Fighting Value is effectively increased by 2 for all
purposes.
·
Unarmed
Fighting: When brawling (see ACKS p. 109), the character may deal lethal damage,
1d3 with a punch or 1d4 with a kick. He can punch or kick characters in metal
armor without himself taking damage.
Experience Point Progression After 8th level
Unlike the experience point progression for human and demi-human
classes, the experience points progression required to advance in Tinman
classes always continues to double, even after 8th level.