E.2 Automaton

An automaton appears to be a humanoid construct, like a golem. Its body is made from some combination of stone, wood, and metal. However, its artificial body is inhabited by a true soul, making it an indwelt (see ??).

Size: Medium.

Attributes: +1 Constitution or Intelligence, -1 Dexterity.

Special Abilities:

• Artificial Life: Automatons are not alive. They ignore abilities which only affect living creatures, including poisons and most healing abilities. In addition, they do not need to eat, drink, or sleep.
• Automaton Archetype: Automatons only gain two class archetypes instead of three. Instead, they treat the Automaton archetype as one of their archetypes, and they gain ranks in it just like they gain ranks in class archetypes.
• Manual Repair: A Craft skill relevant to the automaton’s body can be used to achieve the same effects that the Medicine skill would have on a living creature.
• Mechanical Body: Automatons are considered both objects and creatures, and are affected by abilities which affect either. They are always considered to be attended by themselves, so they are never affected by abilities that only affect unattended objects, even while unconscious.
• Mechanical Intuition: Automatons gain a +2 bonus to the Devices skill and one Craft skill of their choice.

E.2.1 Automaton Archetype

Rank 1 – Modular Carapace

You can adjust the density and layering of your hardened exterior to augment your defenses. Changing your configuration in this way requires 10 minutes of work, and spare armor parts that you generally keep with you. You can choose to treat your carapace as being light, medium, or heavy armor. To gain the full benefits of your carapace, you must have proficiency with armor of the appropriate usage class. The benefits from this ability are considered to come from body armor, and do not stack with actual body armor.

• Light armor: You gain a +3 bonus to your Armor defense, and a damage resistance bonus equal to three times your rank in this archetype. You can wear body armor on top of this carapace. Although the benefits of that armor do not stack with the carapace, you can use the higher Armor defense value and damage resistance bonus from either armor.
• Medium armor: You gain a +4 bonus to your Armor defense, a +1 bonus to vital rolls, and a damage resistance bonus equal to four times your rank in this archetype. However, your Dexterity bonus to your Armor defense is halved, and you cannot wear body armor.
• Heavy armor: You gain a +5 bonus to your Armor defense, a +2 bonus to vital rolls, and a damage resistance bonus equal to five times your rank in this archetype. However, your Dexterity bonus to your Armor defense is halved, you take a -10 foot penalty to your speed with all movement modes, and you cannot wear body armor.

If you lose your original armor parts, you can create or buy new parts that are suited to your body. These parts are considered a Rank 1 (40 gp) item.

Rank 2 – Modular Weaponry

You can customize your arms to augment your combat prowess. Changing your configuration in this way requires 10 minutes of work, and spare arm and weapon parts that you generally keep with you.

• Blade: You convert one of your arms into a blade natural weapon. It has a +1 accuracy bonus, deals 1d8 damage, and has the Keen and Sweeping (1) weapon tags (see Weapon Tags). However, that arm no longer has a free hand.
• Bulk: You convert one of your arms into a bulky, overburdened slam natural weapon. It deals 1d10 damage and has the Impact and Resonating weapon tags. However, that arm no longer has a free hand.
• Fortified: You add additional protective plating to your arms. You gain a +1 bonus to your Armor defense. This does not require a free hand, but it is still considered to come from a shield, and it does not stack with the benefit from using a shield.
• Slim: You trim away the excess protection from your arms to make their movements more precise. You gain a +1 accuracy bonus with any attack that uses your hands, including strikes and abilities like grapple. This does not apply to spells that simply have somatic components, though it does apply to touch spells like freezing grasp. However, you take a -1 penalty to your Armor defense.

If you lose your original arm and weapon parts, you can create or buy new parts that are suited to your body. These parts are considered a Rank 1 (40 gp) item.

Rank 3 – Imbued Carapace ✨

When you gain this ability, choose one magic body armor property for each of your three modular carapace types (see Table 9.12: Magic Armor). The property must be rank 3 or lower. Whenever you use a carapace type, you can gain the benefit of its magic armor property, though you must still attune to the property. Each carapace can have a unique property, or you can choose the same property for multiple carapace types. If you are using a light carapace, you can gain the benefit of its magic armor property in addition to any magic armor you wear on top of the carapace.

Whenever you gain a rank in this archetype, you can choose a new property for each of your carapace types. Each property’s rank must be no higher than your rank in this archetype. Magic armor of rank 3 or higher does not multiply the damage resistance provided by your carapace, as magic armor normally does (see Magic Armor Damage Resistance).

Rank 4 – Embedded Armory ✨

Whenever you use your modular weaponry ability to change your configuration, you can also embed one magic weapon, implement, glove, gauntlet, or bracer into one of your arms. You can attune to that item without having it physically present on your arm. If you attune to a weapon embedded this way, you apply its magical properties to any nonmagical weapons you use with that arm, including natural weapons and weapons made from special materials. You cannot embed a legacy item in this way.

Rank 5 – Modular Carapace+

The damage resistance from your modular carapace armor increases. Light carapace increases to four times your rank in this archetype, medium carapace increases to five times your rank, and heavy carapace increases to seven times your rank.

Rank 5 – Reassembly

You can recover from vital wounds more easily by simply replacing broken parts. You can remove a vital wound with ten minutes of work. This increases your fatigue level by three, and it requires replacement parts that you generally keep with you. The parts are considered a consumable Rank 3 (200 gp) item.

This can even save you from death, though that is more difficult and requires more advanced parts. A creature can spend eight hours replacing broken parts of your corpse to resurrect you (see Resurrection). This requires a difficulty value 15 Craft check appropriate to the composition of your body. The parts required to perform this feat are considered a consumable Rank 5 (5,000 gp) item.

Rank 6 – Artificial Mind

You become immune to Compulsion and Emotion attacks.

Rank 7 – Hypercognition

You can take an additional minor action each round, as long as that minor action is purely mental. As normal, you cannot use the same ability twice in the same round.

Alternately, you can take an additional purely mental standard action instead of a minor action. When you do, you increase your fatigue level by one and you briefly cannot take any additional actions with this ability.

E.2.2 Base Class Effects

If you choose automaton as your base class, you gain the following benefits.

Attributes

You gain a +1 bonus to your Constitution and Intelligence.

Hit Points

You have 8 hit points + twice your Constitution, plus 2 hit points per level beyond 1. This increases as your level increases, as indicated below.

• Level 7: 20 hit points + three times your Constitution, plus 3 hit points per level beyond 7.
• Level 13: 40 hit points + six times your Constitution, plus 6 hit points per level beyond 13.
• Level 19: 80 hit points + twelve times your Constitution, plus 12 hit points per level beyond 19.

Defenses

You gain a +2 bonus to your Fortitude defense.

Resources

You learn three trained skills from among your class skills (see Skills). You also gain an additional attunement point.

Weapon Proficiencies

You are proficient with all non-exotic weapons.

Armor Proficiencies

You are proficient with light, medium, and heavy armor.

Skills

You have the following class skills:

• Strength: Climb, Jump.
• Dexterity: Balance.
• Constitution: Endurance.
• Intelligence: Craft (any), Deduction, Devices, Disguise, Knowledge (engineering, items).
• Perception: Awareness.