#mistsoul
(Art by @AwkwardosThe3rd on Twitter)
Another construct-related archetype, but this one isn’t actually focused on the construct creature type at all, and isn’t even from Construct Handbook!
Indeed, this archetype takes the concepts of construct artifice in a different direction, focused on replacement and enhancement rather than creating a new being.
If you’re a fan of cybernetics, particularly of characters that have one or more super-strong artificial limbs that let them do amazing things, you’ll love this archetype, for these brawlers have at least one artificial limb that they have modified and iterated on to be a truly incredible feat of engineering and/or magical innovation, which they use in battle to devastating effect.
Such characters might have lost a limb due to violence, or they might have been born without a fully functioning limb, but they have learned to turn what would normally be an ability aid into a strength.
Of course, we can’t bring up disabilities like this without addressing the elephant in the room. Plenty of people with limb problems and other disabilities participate in these hobbies too, after all.
Even in a world of magic, disabilities are going to exist one way or another, especially since not everyone has access to or can afford permanent magical solutions to their disabilities. Magically or technologically-animated limbs are a classic trope, but while it is tempting to give these out as flavor and then act as though the character is not disabled at all, it is important to remember that even with the most advanced prosthesis today, there are still plenty of challenges for those with missing arms and legs, to say nothing of the problems of disabilities covered by this archetype. Using a prosthetic limb extensively can probably strain the connection point, causing bruising and the like, and the character probably doesn’t sleep with it attached unless it is designed for comfort, to name a few.
In any case, this archetype really does revolve around the prosthesis that the archetype is known for. Whether it is truly magically animated or simply cleverly engineered, and whatever material it is made from, this prosthesis is built for fighting, benefitting fully from their brawler training, though the limb can also be enhanced separately, being rebuilt from special materials or enchanted accordingly, though it can only benefit from either an amulet of mighty fists or it’s own personal enchantment, not both at once.
Of course, these warriors don’t just stop at enchanting their prosthesis. Indeed, they also slowly engineer new innovations into it over time, including such things as multiple joints to turn the weapon into a tripping whip, building a grappling hook launcher into it, extensions to increase reach, additional armor to blow blows, a locking grip on the hand to improve climbing and grappling, edged blades for extra lethality, or spikes for much the same.
Additionally, these brawlers often learn useful techniques for the crafting of weaponry, including their prosthesis, including enchanting them despite not being spellcasters, all of which reflects their never-ending customization and upgrading cycle with their limb.
You miss out on the classic brawler ability: martial flexibility, but this archetype promises to make it up by giving you a limb you can enchant (which is much cheaper than the amulet of mighty fists), as well as various upgrades to the limb that you can take. With that in mind, I’d recommend you carefully select your feats alongside your upgrades, such as specializing in one or more combat maneuvers such as trip or grapple. Beyond that, pick your other feats according to your desires.
Like I said before, this archetype touches upon territory that can be handled poorly, so I advice both players and GMs to be aware of that when bringing it into your game. Remember that the rules for the long time it takes to put on a prosthetic are there for a reason, and that characters are not going to be wearing their prosthesis constantly while at rest. Disabilities are a constant part of a disabled person’s life, so depicting their prosthesis as magically getting rid of their difficulties entirely rather than helping them live a semi-normal life under their own power can be seen as problematic, so keep all that in mind.
Light and graceful, the mistsoul undine battledancer Revara found the idea of getting a prosthetic to be daunting, believing she would be weighed down by a crude implement bound to the remains of her thigh. However, when a master wizard, a fan of her performances, offered to craft her a new leg made of mithral, she dared to take the first steps, and now she can’t imagine life without it, even adding a few improvements of her own.
The Bloody Knuckle Tavern hosts an illegal fight pit in it’s basement, the main rule that draws in the crowd being that there are no limits on who can enter, as long as they fight with their fists. Of course, nothing says they have to be made from flesh and blood, an oversight that the current champion: a dwarven lady with a mighty iron right, takes full advantage of.
With an arm and a leg withered by the breath of an umbral dragon, King Dynas had little choice but to accept amputation. However, only a fool assumes the scarred king is an invalid, for he used his resources to perfect replacement limbs just as strong as the originals. His dedication and investment further paved the way to similar innovation, and there is no better place in the land to find the prothesis or mobility device that suits an injured adventurer’s needs.
