Poppet
Poppets are small, basic constructs that typically help their owners with simple tasks. Occasionally, poppets gain sapience, independence, and a spark of life. Elevated beyond mere helpers or playthings, these poppets are free to chart their own destinies.
Most commonly made of cloth, wicker, and wood, poppets are among the simplest of constructs. They serve as helpers to fetch tools, clean dishes, tidy rooms, or perform other light tasks. Their size and appearance vary, but nearly all poppets appear humanoid in shape and between 1 to 3 feet tall. They're usually roughly made with button eyes sewn onto blank faces, strings of yarn in place of hair, and a simple dress or tunic made from coarse, cheap cloth. Wealthy families sometimes purchase poppets as toys, with their squishy bodies and stitched smiles, to keep their children company. Most poppets can't speak and lack the intellect to understand speech beyond preprogrammed orders.
Very, very rarely, a common poppet spontaneously manifests a spark of life—a tiny bit of life essence— and becomes a thinking, independent creature. These events are exceedingly rare; fewer than one in a thousand gain this spark. A poppet might manifest this life essence through a magical fluke in its construction, a brush with ephemeral spirits, or even the fervent wish of a loving child. Whatever their origin, the poppets described here as an ancestry have their own life and free will. They might consider their creators or former owners to be friends, but they acknowledge no one as their master and often leave comfortable homes or workshops to seek their place in the world.
Sapient living poppets usually refer to themselves as “awakened” to indicate the moment they gained clear and true self-awareness. Poppets might talk about this event as the time they “popped up,” “woke up,” or “sparked alive.” Most poppets celebrate two special anniversaries each year: the day of their initial creation (which, for most poppets, they must learn secondhand or by studying their creator's records) and the day they awoke to true consciousness.
You Might...
Others Probably...
Living poppets are both humanoids and constructs, which gives them some of the benefits and drawbacks of each category. Their bodies are usually made of wood and wicker, but they can be made of cloth, leather, tin, stuffing, or delicate clockwork. Either way, poppets burn or melt quickly and must take care to avoid fire. They virtually never look alike, as each is created from unique and unusual circumstances.
Poppets are fully alert and self-aware when they awaken to sentience; although they might not know much at first, they instantly gain intelligence and consciousness. They must breathe and sleep, and they must consume food and water each day; through a sort of magical digestion they can restore rips, tears, or scuffs in their physical form. Poppets don't age the same way fleshy creatures do, but they slowly wear down in physical form as well as in mental acuity. A poppet that tends to their body and mind (and takes care to avoid fire) can live up to 30 years.
Free-willed poppets are so rare that almost no such poppet has met another. Poppets normally live with larger creatures, though not always their creators, and tend to get along well in societies sized for larger creatures. Most live in cities because that's where toy makers, clockwork crafters, and other specialists have their shops, but poppets created by lonely hermits or reclusive inventors might prefer a life in the wilderness.
Poppets often stay on the lookout for other creatures who, like them, have stumbled into self-awareness. They might have regular conversations with animated objects, golems, houseplants, statues, or toys, in which they're deeply polite out of a desire to leave a good impression for the time when the object “wakes up.”
Poppets aren't typically religious unless a particular faith defined their creation, such as being made from scraps of Iomedaean altar cloth or woven from reeds around a sacred Gozren pool. These poppets tend to be vocally religious, even zealous, in their faith. Poppets who find religion later in their lives often revere Tinel , Zheenkeef , Morwyn, Aymara, Anwyn, or Naryne.
Poppets like helping others and experiencing new things; both of these motivations lead naturally into the life of an adventurer. They aren't generally driven by a lust for treasure, but they like adorning themselves with pretty accoutrement and using their finds to better the lives of others. The acolyte, entertainer, and laborer backgrounds are good choices for many poppets, as are cook, scavenger, and servant. Poppets who watched their creator work might have the artist, hermit, or tinker background to reflect what they've seen. Because poppets like to help others, they gravitate toward becoming bards or champions. Some might think that poppets' small size and general clumsiness make them poor fighters or rangers, but certain poppets embrace these classes out of a drive to display their bravery and prove the naysayers wrong.
Poppets generally choose their own names, usually descriptive nicknames based on their materials, patterns, size, or demeanor. They tend to pick up and shed nicknames throughout their lives, and they happily adopt nicknames given to them by people they like. A poppet fashioned to look like a particular person, such as a doll sewn to resemble a deceased child, might proudly take the name of that person.
Sample Names Burlap, Buttoneyes, Checker, Clockwhirr, Fivestitch, Nettle, Scramble, Stuffing, Taffeta, Tattercap
Most commonly made of cloth, wicker, and wood, poppets are among the simplest of constructs. They serve as helpers to fetch tools, clean dishes, tidy rooms, or perform other light tasks. Their size and appearance vary, but nearly all poppets appear humanoid in shape and between 1 to 3 feet tall. They're usually roughly made with button eyes sewn onto blank faces, strings of yarn in place of hair, and a simple dress or tunic made from coarse, cheap cloth. Wealthy families sometimes purchase poppets as toys, with their squishy bodies and stitched smiles, to keep their children company. Most poppets can't speak and lack the intellect to understand speech beyond preprogrammed orders.
Very, very rarely, a common poppet spontaneously manifests a spark of life—a tiny bit of life essence— and becomes a thinking, independent creature. These events are exceedingly rare; fewer than one in a thousand gain this spark. A poppet might manifest this life essence through a magical fluke in its construction, a brush with ephemeral spirits, or even the fervent wish of a loving child. Whatever their origin, the poppets described here as an ancestry have their own life and free will. They might consider their creators or former owners to be friends, but they acknowledge no one as their master and often leave comfortable homes or workshops to seek their place in the world.
Sapient living poppets usually refer to themselves as “awakened” to indicate the moment they gained clear and true self-awareness. Poppets might talk about this event as the time they “popped up,” “woke up,” or “sparked alive.” Most poppets celebrate two special anniversaries each year: the day of their initial creation (which, for most poppets, they must learn secondhand or by studying their creator's records) and the day they awoke to true consciousness.
You Might...
- Like surprising others with your unexpected cleverness and eloquence.
- Seek out other self-aware beings that most people might overlook.
- Rely on your harmless appearance to trick others.
Others Probably...
- Mistake you for a toy.
- Doubt your ability to handle tasks that require any dexterity or complex thought.
- Wonder whether your mundane form conceals other magical marvels.
Physical Description
Living poppets are both humanoids and constructs, which gives them some of the benefits and drawbacks of each category. Their bodies are usually made of wood and wicker, but they can be made of cloth, leather, tin, stuffing, or delicate clockwork. Either way, poppets burn or melt quickly and must take care to avoid fire. They virtually never look alike, as each is created from unique and unusual circumstances.
Poppets are fully alert and self-aware when they awaken to sentience; although they might not know much at first, they instantly gain intelligence and consciousness. They must breathe and sleep, and they must consume food and water each day; through a sort of magical digestion they can restore rips, tears, or scuffs in their physical form. Poppets don't age the same way fleshy creatures do, but they slowly wear down in physical form as well as in mental acuity. A poppet that tends to their body and mind (and takes care to avoid fire) can live up to 30 years.
Society
Free-willed poppets are so rare that almost no such poppet has met another. Poppets normally live with larger creatures, though not always their creators, and tend to get along well in societies sized for larger creatures. Most live in cities because that's where toy makers, clockwork crafters, and other specialists have their shops, but poppets created by lonely hermits or reclusive inventors might prefer a life in the wilderness.
Poppets often stay on the lookout for other creatures who, like them, have stumbled into self-awareness. They might have regular conversations with animated objects, golems, houseplants, statues, or toys, in which they're deeply polite out of a desire to leave a good impression for the time when the object “wakes up.”
Beliefs
Poppets aren't typically religious unless a particular faith defined their creation, such as being made from scraps of Iomedaean altar cloth or woven from reeds around a sacred Gozren pool. These poppets tend to be vocally religious, even zealous, in their faith. Poppets who find religion later in their lives often revere Tinel , Zheenkeef , Morwyn, Aymara, Anwyn, or Naryne.
Adventurers
Poppets like helping others and experiencing new things; both of these motivations lead naturally into the life of an adventurer. They aren't generally driven by a lust for treasure, but they like adorning themselves with pretty accoutrement and using their finds to better the lives of others. The acolyte, entertainer, and laborer backgrounds are good choices for many poppets, as are cook, scavenger, and servant. Poppets who watched their creator work might have the artist, hermit, or tinker background to reflect what they've seen. Because poppets like to help others, they gravitate toward becoming bards or champions. Some might think that poppets' small size and general clumsiness make them poor fighters or rangers, but certain poppets embrace these classes out of a drive to display their bravery and prove the naysayers wrong.
Names
Poppets generally choose their own names, usually descriptive nicknames based on their materials, patterns, size, or demeanor. They tend to pick up and shed nicknames throughout their lives, and they happily adopt nicknames given to them by people they like. A poppet fashioned to look like a particular person, such as a doll sewn to resemble a deceased child, might proudly take the name of that person.
Sample Names Burlap, Buttoneyes, Checker, Clockwhirr, Fivestitch, Nettle, Scramble, Stuffing, Taffeta, Tattercap
Heritages
Ghost Poppet
Source Grand Bazaar pg. 62
You awakened when a bit of another person's life force and a fragment of their soul—possibly, but not always, at the moment of their death—found its way into your constructed body. You don't remember anything more than vague flashes of your “before life,” but that life essence still protects you. You gain resistance to negative damage equal to half your level (minimum 1).
Stuffed Poppet
Source Grand Bazaar pg. 62
You have little inside you other than cotton, sawdust, or dried leaves. You take no damage from falling, regardless of the distance you fall.
Toy Poppet
Source Grand Bazaar pg. 63
You have the form of a child's tiny toy or doll, but you don't let your small size impede your joy of life. Instead of Small, your size is Tiny. Like other Tiny creatures, you don't automatically receive lesser cover from being in a larger creature's space, but circumstances might allow you to Take Cover. You can purchase weapons, armor, and other items for your size with the same statistics as normal gear, except that melee weapons have a reach of 0 for you (or a reach 5 feet shorter than normal if they have the reach trait). You can enter another creature's space, which is important because you must usually enter a creature's space to attack it with melee Strikes! Remember to adjust the Bulk of items and your Bulk limit for Tiny size.
Windup Poppet
Source Grand Bazaar pg. 63
You're made primarily of soft metals, such as tin or silver, and your life force dwells within an exceptional array of clockworks deep in your body. Provided you wind metal tabs on your body a few times each day, you don't need food or water to survive. You must still breathe to ventilate your internal mechanisms and sleep to give your mechanisms rest, just like other poppets.
Wishborn Poppet
Source Grand Bazaar pg. 63
You were wished to life, either by a powerful spellcaster or by the earnest desire of an innocent person who loved you very much. You're living proof that a hopeful spirit can overcome any obstacle. If you roll a success on a saving throw against an emotion or fear effect, you get a critical success instead.
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