Clockwork Automaton

There was once an ambitious master arcanist who wanted to create true life. This engineer gave their all to birth such a creation, until finally, using clockwork prosthetics, the scientist fully sentient automatons. They had a consciousness, thoughts, and emotions. They would ask questions and wonder if they were too living beings. No such answer was found, and the scientist died--or so the denizens of Cyril speculate.
In truth no one knows where the clockwork automatons come from, and many in Cyril view them with deep mistrust. They first appeared in the great city of Sharn, but soon were found in other cities and other nations of Cyril. In Alba (also called Sharn) it is more commonly theorized they were an early prototype of the Warforged, as the Warforged were first constructed in Alba. Few within Cyril doubt the Imperial government of Alba reverse engineered clockwork automatons to create the first warforged. This has led many in other nations to believe the clockwork automatons serve a sinister purpose, such as intelligence gathering. They are excellent workers, obedient and diligent. Some have taken to using them for labor, a situation that has only deepened the common folks' mistrust and disdain for these machines.
The automatons do not know who made them either, but all hold a firm belief that one day the apprentice will return to continue their original master's work in secret. Few automatons exist claiming to have a soul, but it's likely more will come out when the apprentice comes out of hiding.

Physical Decription

Made of gears, metal, and cogs held together by magic, Clockwork Automatons are beings unlike any other. They are constructed out of combinations of thick ceramic and metal filaments built around a metallic skeletal frame, with a mysterious fibrous material acting as a muscular system. A network of tubes runs through the Automaton's body, filled with a blood-like fluid designed to lubricate and nourish their gears.
Automatons are completely sexless and genderless. Though their bodies may have been designed with masculine or feminine features, these are considered by the Automatons to be little more than aesthetics. Automatons are able to be repaired and modified by those with the right training, which makes for an endless array of possible changes to their appearances in the hands of capable engineers.

Personality

Clockwork Automatons have unique personalities and experience anger, pain, fear, and hatred, just like their humans. But Automatons naturally seem reserved, stoic, and pensive, hiding an array of emotions behind their minorly inexpressive metallic faces. Their faces were not designed to display facial expressions, merely to replicate talking, so at times they appear to be distant to the conversation. Despite their lack of physical facial expressions, they're not completely without them, as their eyes tend to brighten when experiencing strong or specific emotions. Some Automatons have their faces modified to be more expressive for their companion's comfort, but these expressions are learned rather than natural and often appear stilted and awkward. Some Automatons can be incredibly naïve and lack a sense of introspection. However, many others are the opposite and question their existence, they wonder if, as constructs, they have souls, and ask what becomes of them in the afterlife. More intelligent automatons create complex philosophies about what they perceive and learn. Though they can show loyalty to religions and organizations, typically they become loyal to a small group of comrades.
Clockwork Automatons dislike being called "it" and usually accept the gendered pronoun that they most closely resemble. Some Automatons adopt names from the culture they were created in, though most of their names were assigned at construction and are straightforward and related to their job, abilities or rank. Many Automatons simply accept the nicknames given to them by their comrades while others seek more meaningful names that best describe them.

Automaton Traits

You share a number of traits with other Automatons:
Ability Score Increase. Your Constitution score increases by 2.
No Feat: At first level you do not get a feat.
Age. Automatons are created as adults; they have no childhood or adolescence. It is theorized that Automatons may show signs of physical deterioration after about 150-200 years, but have no further aging effects after that point and no maximum age.
Alignment. Automatons tend toward lawful alignments, as they were constructed to be built for one purpose, usually to help their creator or other sentient beings.
Size. Automatons who are gendered as "male" tend to have broader and heavier builds while "female" gendered automatons are thinner, looking more like the race they were modeled after, with more elegant facial features. Your size is Medium.
Speed. Your base walking speed is 30 feet.
Living Construct. Even though you were constructed, you are a living creature. You are immune to disease. You do not need to eat or breathe, but you can ingest food and drink if you wish. Instead of sleeping, you enter an inactive state for 4 hours each day. You do not dream in this state; you are fully aware of your surroundings and notice approaching enemies and other events as normal.
Composite Plating. When you aren't wearing armor, your AC is 11 + your Dexterity modifier. You can use your natural armor to determine your AC if the armor you wear would leave you with a lower AC. A shield's benefits apply as normal while you use your natural armor.
Languages. You can speak, read, and write Common.
Overclocking. Whenever you take lightning damage, the power surges through your mechanical parts and magical circuitry. You gain the benefits of the haste spell until the end of your next turn - that is, your speed is doubled, you get a +2 bonus to AC, you have advantage on Dexterity saving throws, and you get an additional action, which you can use to take the Attack (one weapon attack only), Dash, Disengage, Hide, or Use an Object action. However, at the end of your turn, as the energy dissipates, the damage becomes apparent. Make a Constitution saving throw. The DC of this save is equal to 15 or half the lightning damage dealt to you earlier, whichever is higher. On a failed save, you are completely immobilized until the end of your next turn; on a success, you are still negatively affected and can't take any actions or bonus actions, though you can still move your speed as normal.

Subraces.

Only three configurations for Automatons were known to have been created or altered, each quite unique in their own respect, built for different jobs.

Robust Frame

Clockwork automatons with robust frames were built to protect and serve others. They fight off foes and can physically carry the helpless out of harm's way.
Ability Score Increase. Your Strength score increases by 1.
Evacuation Subroutine. Your frame is built for carrying people and items to safety. Your speed cannot be reduced due to being overencumbered or when lifting, carrying, or dragging another creature. Hulking Build. You gain proficiency in your choice of either Athletics, Intimidation, or Survival.

Finesse Frame

Automatons with this frame type are agile, small, and quick on their feet. These types were primarily built for entertaining crowds with their daredevil stunts, though their speed can easily be put to other uses.
Ability Score Increase. Your Dexterity score increases by 1.
Bounce Back. Your are designed to take a tumble. It only takes you 5 feet to stand up from being knocked prone, instead of half your movement.
Nimble and Lightweight. You gain proficiency in your choice of either Acrobatics, Sleight of Hand, or Stealth.

Mystical Frame

Using the magic inside them to their full potential, these Automatons were built to assist those that were more magically inclined, with a greater capacity for learning as well as the ability to store and use magic themselves.
Ability Score Increase. Your Intelligence score increases by 1.
Keen Intellect. You gain proficiency in a single skill chosen from the following: Arcana, History, Investigation, Nature, or Religion.
Magical Processing. Your exposure to magical power has manifested itself in the ability to replicate parts of it with your own abilities. You learn a wizard cantrip of your choice.
Intelligence is your spellcasting ability for this spell.