mektaur

A paraplegic halfling knight in my game (side effect of a magic item) who has a robot unicorn mount was merged with his mount as a cyborg by Kwalish the Arch-Techomancer.  I also took inspiration from the mektaur by Brad Kerr (name in particular).

A MEKTAUR is a warrior, a rare magical relic, and a non-traditional means of player character resurrection. This centaur-shaped automaton is a magical chassis into which the blood and brain of a recently deceased humanoid (no more than 1 week) may be poured. If the spirit is willing, the individual is granted a second chance in life by dwelling within a mechanical centaur body. When a character is placed in a MEKTAUR the following updates are made to the character:

• The MEKTAUR chassis is only computable with martial-based classes (that is, non-spellcasters.  Spell casters would use the “robot apprentice” chasis).
• Remove previous racial modifiers and traits.
• Refund all ability score improvements. The character may reallocate them.
• No level cap for the MEKTAUR “race”.

Racial Traits

• Type: You are a Construct (cyborg)
• Size: Your size is Large.
• Speed:  Your walking speed is 40 feet.
• Charge. If you move at least 30 feet straight toward a target and then hit it with a melee weapon attack on the same turn, you can immediately follow that attack with a bonus action, making one attack against the target with your hooves (or another natural attack).
• Hooves. You have hooves that you can use to make unarmed strikes. When you hit with them, the strike deals 1d6 + your Strength modifier bludgeoning damage instead of the bludgeoning damage normal for an unarmed strike.
• Steal beats Flesh. The character’s STR, CON and DEX scores are all reset to 13. They can be improved normally via ability improvements or magic.  Your INT, WIS and CHA remain the same. You gain +20 slots for carrying capacity, so long as you have the right bags attached. Your physical stats maybe increased by ability score improvements to a maximum of 20, your mental ability scores to a maximum of 18 or your original racial maximums.
• Mechanical Body. You require air and water but not food. Real blood pumps through your mechanical heart. You do not heal naturally and must be repaired by a tinker, wizard (using Arcana) or blacksmith at a cost of 10 GP/level (although magical healing functions normally). This can be done during a short or long rest. Your base AC is 13 + DEX.
• Immortality. You do not age naturally and are effectively immortal if properly maintained. When (if) you are slain, your spirit moves on and cannot be resurrected by any normal means (your allies may want to track down Death and try a game of chance if they like…). Your MEKTAUR chassis may be repaired and reused as a vessel for another dead soul. A spirit may choose to exit the MEKTAUR (thus ending its own life) at any time.
• You Are Dead. As a spirit you may use speak with dead once per day.
• Gift of the Machine Gods. You have disadvantage on saving throws against lightning-based attacks. Once you gain four upgrades (see the Two_Point_O trait below), you become vulnerable to lightning damage. If you have one, your shield protects you from this so long as it can absorb the entire damage. Any bleed-over damage is doubled.
• Two_Point_O. You may spend ability score improvements, class archetype selections or, for minor upgrades, a monetary or material cost (as determined by the DM) and gain one of the following abilities:
  • Loud Speakers. You can play music or broadcast your voice loudly which can vary in volume. On maximum volume, it can clearly be heard by any creature within 60 feet.
    • Upgrade Cost: 1,000gp or 500gp worth of robot parts.
  • 2^nd Prize at the Science Fair. You are immune to the charmed, exhaustion, frightened, paralyzed, petrified, and poisoned condition.
    • Upgrade Cost: Ability Score Improvement or Class Ability.
  • XPLOSIONS! You create an explosion that damages all nearby creatures.   This acts as a force-based fireball effect with a DC of 8 + your Dexterity bonus + your proficiency bonus.  You may select this feat multiple times for a cumulative benefit of one extra die of damage. Requires a magic item that does force damage or a force-based spell to be cast of 5th level or higher during the upgrade (for example, a 5th level magic missile).
    • Upgrade Cost: Ability Score Improvement or Class Ability for the first upgrade. Each additional iteration costs 5,000gp (or half as much in robot parts) and the cost doubles each time.
  • Ashen Ward. You add a flickering force field to yourself, sheathing you in a thin layer of shimmering energy that grants a number of bonus hit points equal to quadruple your proficiency bonus. All damage dealt to you with an active force field is reduced from these hit points first. You are immune to critical hits as long as the force field is active. A force field regenerates a number of points per round equal to your proficiency bonus, but once its hit points are reduced to 0, the force field shuts down and does not reactivate until you complete a long rest.   You may select this feat twice and get the added benefit of XPLOSIONS! whenever the shield is exhausted.
    • Upgrade Cost: Ability Score Improvement or Class Ability for the first upgrade. To combine it with XPLOSIONS! costs 5,000gp (or half as much in robot parts).
  • I, Robot. You are now immune to necrotic, poison, and psychic damage.
    • Upgrade Cost: Ability Score Improvement or Class Ability.
  • Make it Sparkle. You imbue your attacks with a particular element.  Add 1d6 elemental damage of any type you wish to your melee attacks.  You may add further elemental types by picking this upgrade multiple times.  If you have access to more than one element, the type of elemental effect can be determined by you round-to-round as a free action.
    • Upgrade Cost: A magic item that does the corresponding damage type or the core of an elemental of that element that has a CR equal to or higher than your level.
  • Merely a Flesh Wound! You gain damage resistance to bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical weapons that aren’t skymetal (adamantine).
    • Upgrade Cost: Ability Score Improvement or Class Ability.
  • Hard Chrome. +1 AC as natural armor. Requires the sacrifice of a magic item that provides at least +1 AC.
    • Upgrade Cost: Ability Score Improvement or Class Ability for the first upgrade. Each additional iteration costs 5,000gp (or half as much in robot parts) and a magic item that provides the amount of AC required (+2 for a +2 bonus etc). The gp cost doubles for each upgrade after the first.
  • Mandachord. Choose a song before the session, and tell your DM. You may play this song once during the session, and, based on its lyrics, those effects take place (DM’s discretion). A song can only ever be used once per campaign. You must have at least 1 level in bard to add this trait.
    • Upgrade Cost: Sacrifice of a bard magical instrument.
  • Healing Touch. You touch another creature with your horn. The target magically regains 2d8 + WIS hit points. In addition, the touch removes all diseases and neutralizes all poisons afflicting the target.
    • Upgrade Cost: Ability Score Improvement or Class Ability for the first upgrade. Each additional iteration increases the healing by 2d8 and requires the sacrifice of a permanent healing magic item (for example, a staff of healing, medicae kit).
  • Evac. You magically teleport yourself and up to three willing creatures you can see within 5 feet of you, along with any equipment they are wearing or carrying, to a location you are familiar with, up to 1 mile away.
    • Upgrade Cost: 5,000gp (or half as much in robot parts or a nanite canister) and the sacrifice of a magic item that provides teleport magic.
  • Shimmering Shield. You create a shimmering, magical field around yourself or another creature you can see within 60 feet of you. The target gains a +2 bonus to AC until the end of your next turn.
    • Upgrade Cost: Requires the sacrifice of a magic item with at least +1 AC and a shield spell scroll.
  • Repair Protocols. Your nanites repair you for 11 (2d8 + WIS) hit points once per day.
    • Upgrade Cost: Requires the sacrifice of a nanite canister. You can increase the number of uses by sacrificing an additional nanite canister per step increase.  For example, for 4d8 + WIS costs two nanite canisters.
  • Rocket Horse! You gain a fly speed equal to your Speed.
    • Upgrade Cost: 5,000gp (or half as much in robot parts or a nanite canister) and the sacrifice of a permanent magic item that grants flight. You can repeat this cost to increase the effective spell level of the fly spell by 1.
  • Magic Resistance. You have advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.
    • Upgrade Cost: Ability Score Improvement or Class Ability and a scroll of globe of invulnerability, which is consumed in the process.
  • Magic Weapons. Your weapon attacks are magical. Requires the sacrifice of a +1 magic weapon (minimum).
    • Upgrade Cost: Ability Score Improvement or Class Ability for the first upgrade.  For each additional “plus” you can sacrifice the equivalent magic weapon.
  • LAZERS! You gain a laser attack which you shoot from your mouth, eyes or some other form of your choosing. The exact type, range and damage depend on the ranged weapon sacrificed as part of the upgrade (for example, sacrificing a lazgun will grant you a 3d6 radiant attack). This attack never depletes.
    • Upgrade Cost: Ability Score Improvement or Class Ability and an appropriate magic weapon, which is consumed in the process.