Races of Ralsenna: Stitchfolk  

Posted by Spenser Isdahl in , ,

Stitchfolk
Also known as "stitchlings," "golems," and "dolls," stitchfolk are pariahs of many communities, escaped members of a slave race. On the fringes of civilization, where the power of lords and governors wanes, the only law is that of the guild conglomerates, or GuildCons. In efforts to reduce prices through cheaper labor, the GuildCons went from using slave labor to performing what is known as the "stitching" on captives, cutting them apart and reassembling the choice pieces, creating sleepless laborers who do not hunger or thirst.

Personality: Having gone through unimaginable torture and suffered long, uninterrupted hours of hard labor, most stitchfolk have an understandable cynicism. While some of them are able to move past this pessimistic sensibility in some aspects of their lives, few stitchfolk enter into a contract or accept obligations lightly.

Physical Description: Each stitchfolk is a unique amalgamation of parts crudely stitched and fused together, usually about the same height as a human and a bit heavier. A stitchfolk is usually mostly composed of human parts, though it is not rare to find mandrilli, hill troll, goblin, orc, or other humanoid parts thrown into the mix. In addition, stitchfolks' bodies are routinely reinforced with steel rods and braces, and sometimes have entire mechanical limbs. Their bodies are filled with an alchemical substance that resembles tar or thick mud as well as a sort of 'stuffing' the same texture as steel wool.

Alignment: Most escaped stitchfolk resume, in some form, the ideology that they held before their stitching. Some remain instilled with the same lawful, orderly frame of mind they gain in GuildCon factories, while others rebel against it, become wild and chaotic.

Religion: Very few stitchfolk take to religion, as part of the GuildCon indoctrination is a rejection of organized institutions other than the guilds themselves. However, when they do take up faith, they usually gravitate toward Tek-Arkon, as they see a reflection of his artificial nature in themselves.

Language: Stitchfolk are taught only Common by the guilds, though they often pick up other languages dues to their enhanced intelligence.

Names: Stitchfolk do not have names until they escape the grasp of the GuildCons, and then they often take simple names chosen to evoke a desired emotion in others, be it peacefulness, power, or any number of other things.

Typical Names: Buttoneyes, Crazyhands, Ghostkind, Lillypad, Shader, Shrimpfingers, Waterbird.

Adventurers: The only stitchfolk encountered outside remote GuildCon factories are those who have, through some amazing feat, escaped. Thus, it is only the most skilled who are encountered in normal society. Stitchfolk can rarely find work that doesn't involve crafting items or hiring themselves out, so many of these escapees end up as adventurers.

Stitchfolk Racial Traits
  • +2 Intelligence: All stitchfolk are instilled with an acute analytical mindset designed to aid them in crafting quality goods.
  • Medium: Stitchfolk are Medium creatures, and have no bonuses or penalties due to their size.
  • Construct: Stitchfolk are constructs. As such, they have no Constitution score and they gain low-light vision, darkvision 60 feet, immunity to any effect that requires a Fortitude save (unless the effect also works on objects, or is harmless), and do not need to breathe, eat, or sleep (but see vital spark, below). However, because of their unique construction, they do not gain any of the other qualities of the construct type.
  • Normal Speed: Stitchfolk have a base speed of 30 feet.
  • Maker: Stitchfolk are built to work with material goods, and as such gain a +2 racial bonus on all Appraise and Craft checks. In addition, a stitchfolk can craft magic items as though it had a caster level equal to its character level.
  • Mechanical Mind: Though not immune to mind-affecting effects like most constructs, stitchfolk do gain a +2 racial bonus on saves against such effects.
  • Tough: Stitchfolk gain Toughness as a bonus feat.
  • Vital Spark: Despite being constructs, stitchfolk strongly resemble living creatures in some regards. For the purposes of spells and effects, they count as living humanoids. In addition, by consuming roughly 5 lbs. of organic matter or soil and sleeping for 8 hours, they can regain hit points just as a living creature would for resting a similar period of time. Finally, stitchfolk are not destroyed upon being reduced to 0 hit points, but are instead reduced to a negative hit point value just as a living creature would be (though they do not lose a hit point each round like their living counterparts do), rendered unconscious until they are either reduced to a negative hit point total equal to one-quarter their full normal hit point total (and destroyed) or are healed by some external force.
  • Stitchwork: Choose one of the following:
    • Quickstitched: The stitchfolk was crafter with loose stitches and flexible material, granting it a +2 bonus to Dexterity and a –2 penalty to Strength. In addition, the stitchfolk gains Dodge as a bonus feat.
    • Steelstrung: The stitchfolk is held together by tight stitches and reinforced with numerous steel braces and gears, granting it a +2 bonus to Strength and a –2 penalty to Dexterity. In addition, the stitchfolk's speed is never reduced by armor or encumbrance.
  • Languages: Stitchfolk begin play speaking Common. Stitchfolk with high Intelligence scores can choose any of the following: Giant, Ixtachi Trade Language, Mandrilli, Orc, or Sylvan.

This entry was posted on January 29, 2010 at Friday, January 29, 2010 and is filed under , , . You can follow any responses to this entry through the comments feed .

3 comments

Anonymous  

Pretty interesting race here, reminds me of the characters in the movie 9 although those were tiny or dimunitive creations.

January 29, 2010 at 7:03 PM

Hey could I request some sort of open content indicator on your content? I'd like to steal some stuff but don't want to take stuff willy-nilly :)

January 30, 2010 at 2:21 AM

@katallos: I had both 9 and (oddly enough) Where the Wild Things Are in mind when crafting this race.

@John: Haha, may I inquire as to the exact meaning of "steal" in this context? Honestly, this is the internet, so I half expect someone to jack all our stuff (I'd actually take that as a sign of our success).

January 30, 2010 at 7:52 PM

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