Elemental Constructs

"The golem makers of old poured life into clay. An Artificer pours something more dangerous - intention."

— Thessaly Orvane, professor of Construct Theory, College of Arcana

An Elemental Construct is not merely a machine. It is a living runic framework, shaped from elemental materials and awakened through a gift of the Artificer's own soul. Where other crafters build tools, the Artificer who pursues Elemental Constructs builds a companion - one that thinks, learns, and grows alongside them.

Elemental Constructs require significant runic mastery to design and build. They cannot be purchased or commissioned from a shop. Each construct is a unique creation, assembled from a set of blueprints chosen by the Artificer and brought to life through the Awaken Elemental Construct skill. An Artificer may only maintain one Elemental Construct at a time. A second cannot be built unless the first is destroyed or formally decommissioned.

The Blueprint System

Elemental Constructs are built using a Design Points (DP) budget determined by the Artificer's crafting level. Every aspect of the construct be it its core, body, movement, senses, limbs, and special traits, is purchased from one of six blueprint categories using this budget.

Points not spent are lost. The Artificer must finalize their blueprint before beginning construction. Changes to the blueprint after construction begins require starting over.

Blueprint Categories

Core

The Core is the heart of the construct. It is the runic engine that powers everything else. Every construct must have exactly one Core. The Core determines the construct's elemental affinity and Soul capacity.

Crystal & Precious Stone Cores

These cores draw on their inherent magical resonance. These cores draw from the construct's donated Soul pool rather than needing recharging.

Ylem Cores

These cores provide greater Soul capacity and always use the Artificer's element. Like ylem cores in runic weapons, they can be inscribed with a spell using the Rune Stone Theory ability.

Body

The Body determines the construct's physical form - the material it is built from - which determines its base Physical Armor, Magical Armor, and weight class.

Locomotion

Locomotion determines how the construct moves. Every construct must have at least one primary Locomotion blueprint. An optional secondary locomotion method may also be selected at half its DP cost (rounded up).

Sensory

Sensory blueprints define what the construct can perceive. A construct with no Sensory modules is effectively blind and deaf.

Limbs

Limbs give the construct the ability to interact with the world such as to strike, grab, wield, or perform tasks. A construct with no Limbs cannot make physical attacks or manipulate objects.

Special Traits

Special Traits are unique abilities and enhancements that define the construct's role and personality. These are the most expensive blueprints and often define what the construct truly excels at.

Awakening the Construct

A completed construct is not yet alive. To awaken it, the Artificer must donate a portion of their own Vitality, Soul, and Power, temporarily transferring a measure of their life force into the construct's Core. These stats are loaned, not lost permanently. While the construct is active, the donated stats are unavailable to the Artificer. If the construct is destroyed, the donated stats return over 1d4 days. If the Artificer willingly dismisses the construct, they return immediately.

• Minimum donation: 10 in each stat
• Maximum donation by crafting level: 30 each (Novice), 60 each (Better), 100 each (Advanced)
• The construct's starting Vitality, Soul, and Power are equal to the amounts donated.
• Vital stats cannot grow past these donated values until a profession is assigned via the Runic Profession ability
• The awakening requires the Awaken Elemental Construct skill and takes 8 hours of uninterrupted work.

Maintaining Your Construct

An Elemental Construct requires regular maintenance to remain functional. Damage taken in combat does not repair itself. The Artificer must use the Runic Tech Repair skill and a Runic Tech Repair Kit to restore lost Vitality. If a construct reaches 0 Vitality, it is disabled and cannot act until repaired. If destroyed and not repaired within 24 hours, it is lost permanently.

Experience and Growth

If the artificer has the Runic Profession ability, the artificer can select a Profession for the construct, but only one profession. The construct cannot have dual professions. This will allow the construct to increase in levels, growing their Vitality, Soul, and Power following the Level Up Gen Dice of the profession, as well as acquire XP (experience points) and nodes, following the Character Growth system. This opens up the possibilities for the construct to learn skills and abilities from their assigned profession, and even learn magic. 

Having the Construct Improvement ability allows for the artificer to improve upon their construct even without them having a profession, by allowing the artificer to give the construct their own stat points, which they sacrifice from themselves. 

If the Adaptive Learning special trait is purchased, the construct earns XP independently of its Artificer, even without having a profession. However, the amount of stat growth the construct can have this way is limited by the special trait. The GM awards the construct XP for encounters it participates in directly. For every 100 XP earned, the construct may improve one stat by +1, up to a maximum of 3 total improvements across its lifetime. This trait can be used alongside having a profession and following the character growth system for that profession.

Create Your Construct

Ready to design your Elemental Construct? Use the interactive worksheet below to plan your blueprint and calculate your DP budget.

🔧 Open the Elemental Construct Creation Worksheet