Synth (3.5e Race)

Author: Eiji-kun (talk) Date Created: 8-7-13 Status: Complete Editing: Clarity edits only please

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This synth is ready for combat.

Synth

Synth are androids build to resemble the various humanoid races. They were born without emotion, but can quickly gain a mind and soul of their own.

Personality

When first created, synth do not possess much personality to start. Their first year of existance is often found quietly observing, following whatever tasks assigned to them and being absorbed in quiet reflection when alone. After some period of time, a personality arises and a synth is truly "born", a mind in a biometal shell with desires of its own. Synth are stereotypically known as emotionless or distant, but this is largely a result of how they gain their personality. Instead of being the inherent result of DNA and chemicals, they must learn and forge their own path.

As a result, their personalities vary as much as humans, though they often have a slightly lawful bent and a more logic-focused view. They drift towards neutrality as well, barring unusual experiences which lead them to take on extreme viewpoints.

Physical Description

Synths appear as humanoids do, the typical synth based on the standard human with a few based on elves, orcs, and other races. However, small details give them away from typical organics such as bionic plates for ears, doll joints, glowing eyes, strange voices, and bulky armor-like plates for skin. They are heavier than humans of their size as well as they have a much higher concentration of heavy metals and materials, with white, silver, black, or neon orange blood and bones of titanium and the like. Some embrace their humanoid appearance, while others desire to take on more mechanical and blocky shapes.

Synth do not reproduce and thus have no concept of family. They are created in strange Creation Pods that were first found in an ancient hidden government facility, its facility's AI program busy constructing and sending out synth of its own violition. Since then, Creation Pods have been popping up all over the world without an apparent creator or cause, and simple instructions developed for the synth they produce to be released unto the world. No one knows where the pods come from or how they work.

Synth are biologically immortal. They do not age, nor do they recieve the benefits or penalties of aging. It is not known how long they will exist, perhaps forever.

Relations

The appearance of the synth in the world was greeted with suspicion as them being spies and dopplegangers come to infiltrate humanoid societies. In places where androids are common, synth may have no problems but in other places they may be rejected as being "not real", "soulless", or other epithets. On the matter of souls, the synth do possess an energy source that appears to be a soul, able to be recalled through magic and even to form undeath and ghosts, but to this date no synth has reported recalling going to any afterlife, and the end plane for synth appears to be unknown. Among the synth, it has given them cause for exploring the religious and supernatural aspects of the world in a search to know their fate after they die.

Synth come into relations with others with a blank slate, and afterward may forever carry with them the behaviors they have learned from others.

Alignment

Synth can be any alignment, but they trend towards neutrality, and lawful neutral specifically. Still, finding one that isn't is not as uncommon as the stereotype would suggest.

Lands

Synth were originally developed in an underground facility, but not can appear and be found nearly anywhere in the world. They are highly adaptable and will often blend in with others.

Religion

Synth do not have an inherent inclination towards religion, and yet they have a strong and growing religious aspect. It is a mystery where the Creation Pods come from, the nature of their minds and souls, and what happens to them after they die. As a result many turn towards gods existing and new in a search for answers. There is a large sect known as the Church of Synthesis which speaks of ancient and alien machine gods who periodically pass through the star system, turning organic into machine in preperation for a coming apocalypse. The religion worries many non-Synth for their subtle antagonistic undertones.

Language

Synth speak common, though they often pick up the local language of the land they live in.

Names

Synth start out with a serial code which they know from birth, but they quickly lose the code in favor for a "normal" name of their own choosing, or a nickname granted by others. They are quiet with their serial numbers, treating them as if they were truenames and were truely sensitive material to be given to few, or none.

Racial Traits

• +2 to any attribute, -2 to any attribute: Synths are built for many tasks and many purposes. They are as varied as humans, often chosen at their creation.
• Construct (Living Construct): Synths are artifical creatures made of synthetic flesh and blood, partly organic and partly not. 
• Medium: As a Medium creature, a synth has no special bonuses or penalties due to its size.
• Synth base land speed is 30 feet.  
• Forged Body (Ex): Synths are created and their skin and bones have properties not unlike objects. They may enhance their bodies as if they were armor with a +0 AC bonus, no Max Dex, no armor check penalty, and no armor spell failure. They count as metal for interacting with spells and other effects, but may still level in druid without consequence. They count as either no armor or light armor, whichever is beneficial. They may also enhance their unarmed strikes as if they were manufactured weapons, and enhance any natural weapons they acquire. They qualify for Warforged racial feats and may count as a warforged when beneficial. 
• Humanoid Form (Ex): Synths count as humanoid for the purposes of disguising as a humanoid. 
• Living Construct Traits (Ex): Unlike other constructs, a living construct has a Constitution score. A living construct does not gain bonus hit points by size but gains (or loses) bonus hit points through a Constitution bonus (or penalty) as with other living creatures. Unlike other constructs, a living construct does not have low-light vision or darkvision. Unlike other constructs, a living construct is not immune to mind-influencing effects. They have immunity to poison, sleep effects, paralysis, disease, nausea, fatigue, exhaustion, and energy drain. A living construct cannot heal damage naturally. Unlike other constructs, living constructs are subject to critical hits, effects requiring a Fort save, death from massive damage, nonlethal damage, stunning, ability damage, ability drain, and death effects or necromancy effects.Unlike other constructs, a living construct can use the run action. Living constructs can be affected by spells that target living creatures as well as by those that target constructs. Damage dealt to a living construct can be healed by a cure light wounds spell or a repair light damage spell, for example, and a living construct is vulnerable to a harm spell. However, spells from the healing subschool provide only half effect to a living construct. A living construct responds slightly differently from other living creatures when reduced to 0 hit points. A living construct with 0 hit points is disabled, just like a living creature. He can only take a single move action or standard action in each round, but strenuous activity does not risk further injury. When his hit points are less than 0 and greater than -10, a living construct is inert. He is unconscious and helpless, and he cannot perform any actions. However, an inert living construct does not lose additional hit points unless more damage is dealt to him, as with a living creature that is stable. They may be raised and resurrected as normal. They do not need to eat or breathe, but they DO need to trance (much like elves) for 4 hours in order to perform basic maintenance on their bodies. They must still rest 8 hours to prepare spells, and can still benefit from the effects of consumable spells and magic items such as heroes' feast and potions. 
• Skill Specialization (Ex): Select one skill. The synth gets a +2 racial bonus to that skill. 
• Synthetic Mind (Ex): Synths, while sapient, often have muted emotions and feelings as these reactions must be learned, rather than being an inherent part of their being. They take a -2 penalty on Bluff, Diplomacy, and Intimidate checks and on their Leadership score. On the other hand, this alien mindset grants them a +4 bonus on saves against mind-affecting effects.
• Automatic Languages: Common
• Bonus Languages: Any
• Favored Class: Any
• Level Adjustment: +0
• Effective Character Level: 1

Vital Statistics

Table: Synth Random Starting Ages

Adulthood	Simple	Moderate	Complex
0 years	+1d4	+1d6	+1d8

Table: Synth Aging Effects

Middle Age1	Old2	Venerable3	Maximum Age
N/A years	N/A years	N/A years	+Unlimited 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.

Table: Synth Random Height and Weight

Gender	Base Height	Height Modifier	Base Weight	Weight Modifier
Male	4' 10"	+2d10	180 lb.	× (2d4) lb.
Female	4' 5"	+2d10	125 lb.	× (2d4) lb.

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