“What did you do, Caroline?"
"I fixed her, chancellor." Replied the muddied elf. "I saved her."
"Saved?!" The man reached out to grab the mechanical being behind her, but hesitated. For eyes made of glass, there was so much fear behind them. She was scared to die again. "This... This is necromancy!"
"I didn't revive her... I simply gave what lingered a vessel. She's alive, Chancellor, and you cannot deny that."
—The Apprehension of Caroline Elier, 512 L.E.
The Porcelain were invented to entertain; they had no conscious core, mere playthings for the rich of Devoix. They were given the barebones of an Arcane Box - a simple device, hidden in the centre of their chest, that would allow them to learn. To hear a voice and replicate it near perfectly, to witness a dance and recreate it without fault. They could play parts no one else would, allow for even more death-defying stunts right there on the stage. This was a hundred year ago, around the time of their release unto the Devoix theatre scene. In the years since, they've been shipped to an abundance of continents, but it was in Lucidia they first found sentience, nigh forty years ago.
Beauty, Grace, and Glamour
Porcelain have bodies that appear as their namesake; they look weak and fragile, but their bodies are anything but. Originally, they were indeed made to break, to allow deaths and injuries to appear more dramatic on stage. But this became a problem when storing the arcanatronics, hence why they're often able to be fitted with alternate skins. This allows for them to wear stronger shells when walking about in the modern era, and to express themselves with different fixtures.
They'll often be painted with flowers and beautiful patterns that spread across all their pieces, while inside they're made up of purely golden metals to create their endoskeleton. And, of course, their Arcane Box - also known as a Black Box. This is what acts as both their brain and heart, allowing them to learn and process information, which is crucial to their personal growth.
The Mind of a Porcelain
It can take a long time for a Porcelain to grow their own personality. At conception, they have no thoughts of their own. They learn through the box in their chest, and that tends to be what teaches them about life and themselves. They typically go through a more methodical sense of learning; patterns are incredibly important, and they're susceptible to sudden changes confusing them more so than the average person. However, some Porcelain are directly implanted with the soul of someone passed, which allows them to learn far faster than before. This is - however - a largely uncommon and illegal practice, that has specifically been outlawed since this was found as a possibility. But, of course, that doesn't stop it happening.
Because they are created genderless, most Porcelain simply adopt the gender of whom they learn from. If a Porcelain were to learn the role of a prince for the stage as their first introduction to life, when they awaken - so to speak - they may take on that personality as their default. If one is made with a deceased's soul, then they tend to adopt their gender, if not their whole personality altogether. And some simply... Don't. The idea of gender remains foreign to them for as long as they live and they're more than happy to live without it.
Quirks
Because they are manmade, individual Porcelain often have quirks due to how they were made or how they developed, such as:
Porcelain Quirks
| d8 | Quirk |
|---|---|
| 1 | Frequently reciting lines from plays they've played in. |
| 2 | You often misread emotional cues. |
| 3 | Limbs that can rotate 360 degrees. |
| 4 | Misuse of tone and emotive language. |
| 5 | Loose body plates that may fall off occasionally. |
| 6 | Clothing is an oddity, as you view your outer shell as your protective and decorative layer. |
| 7 | You are obsessed with your appearance and constantly polish and buff yourself. |
| 8 | Where parts of you have broken, you have gold or silver fillings to make your scars more apparent and aesthetically pleasing. |
Porcelain Names
Given that they're mostly made to join the stage, Porcelain tend to be given names relating to anything typically associated with beauty. This can come in the form of names relating to flowers, gems, colours, and etcetera.
Warforged Names: Amethyst, Amaranth, Belle, Cherry, Daisy, Dahlia, Garnet, Gold, Lilac, Lily, Marigold, Pearl, Peri, Sapphire, Rosa, Ruby, Topaz, Tulip, Violet, Zephyr.
Porcelain Traits
As a Porcelain, you have the following features:
Ability Score Increase
Your Constitution score increases by 2, and one other ability score of your choice increases by 1.
Age
A typical Porcelain is between two and thirty years old. The maximum lifespan for a Porcelain remains a mystery; so far, they have shown no signs of deterioration due to age. You are immune to magical aging effects.
Alignment
Most Porcelain take comfort in order and discipline, tending toward law and neutrality. But some have absorbed the morality, or lack thereof, of the beings with which they served.
Size
Your size is Medium. To set your height and weight randomly, start with rolling a size modifier:
Size modifier = 2d6
Height = 5 feet + your size modifier in inches
Weight in pounds = 190 + (4 × your size modifier)
Speed
Your base walking speed is 30 feet.
Constructed Resilience
You were created to have remarkable fortitude, represented by the following benefits:
- You have advantage on saving throws against being poisoned, and you have resistance to poison damage.
- You don’t need to eat, drink, or breathe.
- You are immune to disease.
- You don’t need to sleep, and magic can’t put you to sleep.
Beauty Sleep
When you take a long rest, you must spend at least six hours in an inactive, motionless state, rather than sleeping. In this state, you appear inert, but it doesn’t render you unconscious, and you can see and hear as normal.
Voice in the Machine
When speaking with someone, you can choose to record their voice for as long as you speak. If you record for upwards of 1 minute, you can repeat phrases and words they've said. If you record for 10 minutes or more, you can synthesize sentences in their voice, even without hearing them say specific words. You must delete this recording in order to record a new voice. This voice exists as a secondary from your regular voice.
Made for the Stage
You gain proficiency in Acrobatics and Performance. These skills can be changed using the rules introduced with 'Tasha's Cauldron of Everything'.
Languages
You can speak, read, and write Common and one other language of your choice.