Deceivers (3.5e Race)

Author: EhSteve (talk) Date Created: 4/8/08 Status: Tinkering needed Editing: Clarity edits only please

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Deceivers

Deceivers are generally metallic skeletal constructs which are created to carry out simplistic and usually monotonous tasks. However like many constructions, defects can occur and the development of 'personality', 'emotions' and other quasi or semi-human elements are imprinted onto them unintentionally upon assembly.

Personality

The personality of a deceiver is heavily dependent on those it has encountered. A righteous influence will in turn imprint onto the deceivers system a sense of justice, of right and wrong. Bad company however will lead to chaotic behavior and they may even in the end turn upon those who induced this mannerism upon them. A deceiver who has been imprinted may from that time on - after a basic set of principles has been established - be able to choose whether to accept or reject further influence and may act upon the already constructed system of actions. Years of such contact may lead to complex and confusing 'personalities' although many tend to stick with the initial set of tenets and base further input upon that.

If a deceiver should have had no contact whatsoever with regular society, then they will continue their mindless servitude.

Physical Description

In their true form it is actually impossible to tell a deceivers gender, although they are uniformly the same gender as their creator. They range only within a few inches of one another, usually 5'5" to 5'9". The color of their 'bones' is dependent on their composition, some are constructed of steel, others iron and even adamantine or crystal are amongst the less common varieties. However, deceivers do not usually wear their true form - they can project magical disguises from the surfaces of their 'bones'. They can only take the form of something that they have seen with their own 'eyes' since they essentially have no true 'imagination' or 'creativity' to provide anything more than what they can perceive visually. These projections are simply illusions and have no physical manifestation upon the deceiver.

Their skeletal structure is somewhat simplistic when compared to human. Their spines are segmented as such, but there is no need for complex wrist bones and so most joints are simple ball and socket pivot points. They only have a few 'ribs' which jut from their sides and curve around to form a crude chest cavity. Deceivers have no facial features whatsoever and instead have a plain, flat shield or curved dome in the same general outline as that of a human skull such as a definite chin, jaw, cranium and crown. Their hands tend to long and sharp, but some may have filed them down into smooth, almost human-like tips and these can act like weapons if the deceiver ever needs to defend itself.

When they are first constructed, they tend to be hunched over as well as extremely awkward in movement. Nonetheless, time spent practicing and studying regular movements can allow them to mimic that of their subject. Deceivers typically weigh between 250 and 350 pounds due to their composition.

Relations

Deceivers are willing participants and curious by nature, willing to test all variables of situations and experiences in order to determine their value in accordance with their 'personality'. They will group close to that of interesting or irregular beings whom stand out from the rest. They will mimic regular activities of those persons which can be a put off for some characters but this is merely a series of procedures which aid the 'development' and 'growth' of the deceiver.

Alignment

Deceivers are very erratic and unpredictable in nature, tending to be chaotic unless their first impression is that of law and justice which must be strong in order to set a sound foundation of ethics and morals. Very rarely do they take any neutral stance as this is somewhat disinteresting and unconstructive.

Deceivers may be either good or evil depending on their surroundings. They are somewhat easily manipulated into views seeing as they initially have no natural knowledge of good and evil and very few at any point are able to distinguish between the two.

Lands

Since there is no massed population of deceivers (which have any sense of free will that is) there is no land owned, nor that is identified with deceivers. Although large camps of deceivers do exist, who are all in oblivious servitude to their master. However these are always kept far, far away from all civilization in order to prevent any defects or development of 'free will'.

Religion

Deceivers have no true deity or god with the possible exception of their creator, whom they 'worship' with lack of a better word. However, rumor has spread of a construction of a colossal deceiver god whom is to free all enslaved bodies and give them true 'awakening'.

Language

Deceivers normally communicate with very strange and primitive body language which involves both gestures and the creaking of joints in order to convey meaning. However, they pick up quickly on languages and can mimic almost any form of communication that they come across. With the lack of a voice box, they cannot actually 'speak' in the true sense of the word and instead rely on magical means to push out words. Because of this, they are unable to communicate inside areas that negate magical effects such as an antimagic field and dispel magic will temporarily disable their ability to speak.

Names

Deceivers will either take their standard names granted to them by the creator (a series of random numbers, letter or both) or otherwise that of the first word they encounter.

Names: X417B, C139W, M665Q, Tree, Sky, Rock, Hello

Racial Traits

• +2 Constitution, -2 Charisma: Constructs are very hardy due their structure and composition. However they tend to be awkward in social circumstances with very little natural ability to discourse.
• Humanoid (Living Construct)
• Medium: As medium-sized creatures, deceivers have no special bonuses or penalties due to their size.
• Deciever base land speed is 30 feet: Deceivers can move at this speed even when wearing medium or heavy armor or when carrying a medium or heavy load (unlike other creatures, whose speed is reduced in such situations).
• Darkvision (Ex): Deceivers can see in the dark up to 60 feet. Darkvision is black and white only, but it is otherwise like normal sight, and deceivers can function just fine with no light at all.
• Backup Files (Ex): If a deceiver dies from either having their health reduced to -10 or below or from Mage's Disjunction they may be 'revived' via being rebuilt or reconstructed. Their 'personality' lingers intact inside the deceivers remains and is still vulnerable to Trap the Soul.
• Constructed (Ex): Being constructs, deceivers do not need to sleep, breath or eat. They may however mimic such actions in order to disguise themselves.
• Disguise (Sp): A deceiver can project an illusion as a free action over its body in order to imitate a previously encountered medium-sized creature. The deceiver gains a +10 racial bonus to disguise checks against being recognized as a deceiver whilst this disguise is being used (The deceiver must make separate checks to act in character though). If dispel magic is cast of the deceiver, then its disguise is compromised for 1d4 rounds. In place of a caster level check, the deceiver may use their character level. If the deceiver enters an antimagic field then his disguise is compromised indefinitely until the deceiver exits the affected area.
• Irregular (Ex): A deceiver who is not projecting their disguise is counted as an irregular enemy for the cases of trained animals (see the Handle Animal Skill). This means that animals that are not trained to attack all creatures is not in fact trained to attack a deceiver.
• Magic Shield (Ex): All deceivers racially project a field of magic around themselves to counter anti-magic effects that might normally destroy their bodies or hinder their physical movement inside anti-magic fields. However, this shield sustains itself by feeding upon the deceiver so they may survive without consequence inside an antimagic field and has a resistance to death via mage's disjunction. The deceiver can sustain this shield equal to either his Constitution or Intelligence modifier (whichever is higher) plus 1d4 rounds inside an antimagic field before his base land speed is halved. This penalty will be in effect until they exits the affected area. If Mage's Disjunction is cast upon the deceiver, they must make the saving throw or die. The deceiver also gains a bonus to will saves against mage's disjunction equal to its Constitution or Intelligence modifier (whichever is higher).
• Natural Weapons: Claws (1d4). A deceiver has only one set of claws as his primary natural weapon (which is also the primary arm for employing manufactured weapons). A deceiver’s claws is its primary weapon even when employing manufactured and natural weapon fighting.
• Object not Subject (Ex): The spells Mending and Repair can heal a deceiver but not other healing type spells or similarly grouped damaging spells (i.e. Cure and Inflict spells). Mending heals an amount of hit points equal to the caster level of the caster.
• Reconstruction (Su): When a deceiver 'dies', the 'soul' or 'personality' is still trapped inside the remains of the deceiver. A deceiver may reconstruct its body from these remains but slowly nonetheless. For every hit point until 0, a deceiver must spend both one hour and 1 gp × Total Hit Die per hit point to fully reconstruct its body. A deceiver cannot reform itself inside the limits of an Antimagic Field so it must have others construct it whilst in the affected area in which cases the costs and time taken are the same.
• Sink Like a Stone (Ex): A deceiver automatically fails all Swim checks because of both its weight and lithe construction. However since it does not need to breathe, it can walk along the bottom of rivers and even oceans without consequence.
• Speech (Sp: As they use magical means to form words to communicate, their ability to 'speak' is lost for 1d4 round if dispel is cast upon them. Their speech will be canceled inside an Antimagic Field indefinitely until they exit the affected area.
• Spell-Like Ability: Deceivers can use the following abilities equal to their Constitution modifier/day: Mending — heals hit points of the deceiver equal to Total Hit Die.
• Automatic Languages: A single language of choice (other than secret languages, such as Druidic).
• Bonus Languages: Any (other than secret languages, such as Druidic).
• Favored Class: Any. When determining whether a multiclass deceiver takes an experience point penalty, their highest-level class does not count.
• Level Adjustment: +1
• Effective Character Level: 2

Vital Statistics

Table: Deceiver Random Starting Ages

Adulthood	Simple	Moderate	Complex
0 years	+1d6×1d4 years	+1d8×1d10 years	+1d12×1d20 years

Table: Deceiver Aging Effects

Middle Age1	Old2	Venerable3	Maximum Age
250 years	500 years	1000 years	2000 years*
At middle age, −1 to Str, Dex, and Con; +1 to Int, Wis, and Cha. At old age, −2 to Str, Dex, and Con; +1 to Int, Wis, and Cha. At venerable age, −3 to Str, Dex, and Con; +1 to Int, Wis, and Cha.

*At 2000 years a deceiver simply stops functioning all together. The magic that holds together their bodies dissipates and they collapse into a pile of debris. This material cannot be possessed by another deceiver and however can be used to forge weapons if enough of the material is recovered, this is known as Deceiver Debris.

Table: Deceiver Random Height and Weight

Gender	Base Height	Height Modifier	Base Weight	Weight Modifier
Male	5'5"	+1d4	250 lb.	× (1d4)×25 lb.
Female	5'5"	+1d4	250 lb.	× (1d4)×25 lb.

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