TEXT: 1
  New Race:
      Simulacrons
  Why do the simulacrons exist? What are they? Who created 
  them?
   
  There is no easy answer, for nearly every simulacron is 
  a different story. Simulacrons are automatons evolved—they are 
  not merely steam-powered humanoid contraptions, and they 
  are considerably more advanced than the high-functioning fuse 
  boxes. Simulacrons are automatons that rival and often surpass 
  other organic and sentient beings.
   
  While some automatons are steam-powered, electri-
  cally-powered, or powered by complex clockwork, simulacrons 
  use the one power source that can make them what they
  are: essence. Farishtaas have figured out the science for creat-
  ing synthetic essence, but simulacrons are rarely made using 
  anything synthetic. They are born from pure essence, often 
  harvested from another sentient being, dead or alive.
   
  This essence gives simulacrons something more than 
  other automatons. While an intelligent automaton might seem 
  like it is alive, its ability to learn and thrive are often stymied by 
  its creator. Simulacrons have no such limitations. The essence 
  that powers them gives them the ability to surpass any limits, 
  out-think any barriers, and constantly improve. Simulacrons 
  use pure essence to power themselves, and that power allows 
  them to not only think, but to thrive.
   
  Many simulacrons are alone. Many were born from 
  the whims of crazed creators, and they were their creator’s 
  New Race:
  Simulacrons
  Life Imitation System (Alpha)
  LISA
  
  2
  By Daniel Burrow
  sole scientific achievement. Some find solace among the other 
  sentient races, while a few are able to find a place among other 
  rare simulacrons. However, every known simulacron is quite 
  nearly a miracle, and the odds of a simulacron finding others 
  like him or her is quite rare. Most people will never meet a single 
  simulacron.
   
  Simulacrons face constant bias in society. While some 
  blend in, acting like subservient and simple automatons, most 
  are unable to lower themselves so far. Most people are terrified 
  of the mere suggestion of a highly sentient automaton, and the 
  world is so full of rogue automatons that the fear is founded 
  in reality. A few simulacrons are able to pass themselves off as 
  human (or at least mostly human). It doesn’t make them easily 
  accepted, but it can often help.
   
  Most simulacrons find people who accept them and 
  stay. Many find travellers or adventurers and make their home 
  on the road, never staying long enough for people to become 
  too uncomfortable with the idea of a sentient machine powered 
  with the soul of another person.
  Physiology
  Looking into the physiology of a simulacron is a vague or dif-
  ficult study. Every simulacron is  unique, as each is a representa-
  tive of the mad science that led to their creation.
   
  What simulacron do share is that they are all powered 
  by essence. In some way, essence courses through their mechani-
  cal body. While most simulacron are made of metal components, 
  the essence flows through those components in a mimicry of 
  blood. Simulacrons have a sensory array in their heads, connect-
  ed closely with their own brainworks. The combination of the 
  brainworks, sensory array, and essence processors is what makes 
  the simulacron alive.
   
  Beyond that basic analysis, simulacrons vary widely. 
  Some simulacrons might have enormous arms with tiny legs, 
  while other simulacrons might have metal fragments sticking 
  out of their body like hellish horns. Some simulacrons have 
  other internal systems, like furnaces or electrical generators, and 
  some have been spliced with organic components.
   
  While simulacrons are immune to diseases, poisons, 
  and most bio-flux alterations, they do bleed and feel pain. The 
  “blood” is not the normal red affair spewed by other naturally 
  occurring creatures. Rather, simulacrons bleed out their own 
  fuel source: their essence. When they lose limbs, some die due to 
  the amount of essence they lose.
   
  Simulacrons require most of the things that humans 
  require. They process most foods in order to absorb the food’s 
  essence as well as use the food as fuel; in this way, they eat. At 
  night, they tire and require rest. Their internal systems require 
  oxygen to fuel their internal fires and keep things cool, and thus 
  they must breath.
   
  Lifespans: The lifespan of a simulacron depends 
  entirely on how well it was built and how well it is maintained. 
  Hypothetically, a simulacron could live for hundreds of years. 
  Further scientific studies will be necessary to understand the 
  lifespan of simulacrons.
  Psychology
  Simulacrons do not have easy lives. They are often born with an 
  unusual set of awarenesses. Where humans spend years develop-
  ing the ways that they function with the world, most simula-
  crons come with pre-programmed biases that they must either 
  adapt to or replace entirely. While their creators are able to rep-
  licate life, they rarely understand it. Because of this, simulacrons 
  are often born into nightmares: dark laboratories, in the base-
  ments of factories, or beside the corpses that have been sacrificed 
  to gather enough essence to create the new simulacron.
   
  Simulacrons are often logical beings, but sometimes 
  the logic is a defense mechanism more than a reflection of any 
  programming. Because of how dramatic their births tend to be, 
  many simulacrons become cold and rational about the world at 
  large.
   
  Of the few known simulacrons, some studies have been 
  done trying to link the essence that was used to create them with 
  their personalities. Many people believe that essence is the soul 
  in liquid form, and that using essence to create a new creature 
  will imprint them with memories of the person that the essence 
  was stolen from. Some simulacrons don’t understand how their 
  personalities developed or how they can be capable of dreaming, 
  and thus they blame it on the essence that flows within them. It 
  is possible that the original person who provided the essence is 
  still alive, or that it was a large mixture of essences that created 
  the lifeblood for the simulacrons. It is unsure yet if the essence 
  has any effect on the simulacron.
   
  Simulacrons tend to default to referring to themselves 
  by a certain gender, though it is often arbitrary. Some perverse 
  creators will sexualize their creations, at which point the gender 
  tends to be easily determined. Many simulacrons will simply 
  accept being an it, and other more politically-savvy simulacrons 
  will even choose third-gender or intersex pronouns for their 
  own use.
   
  Simulacrons have a rough relationship with the world. 
  Most people distrust them, if not downright despise them. Very 
  few simulacron creators are properly sane or caring (though ex-
  ceptions exist). Because of this cruel life, many simulacrons earn 
  
  3
  New Race:
      Simulacrons
  people’s hatred by performing fully inhumane acts. Among an 
  already rare species, it is a truly unique simulacron that becomes 
  a hero. 
  Roleplaying Tips
  You are a robotic humanoid born from the stolen lifeblood of 
  another creature. Many simulacrons will begin their adventur-
  ing days fairly new to the world. You will be akin to an amnesiac, 
  learning the ways of the world and how it works. You might be 
  overly emotional or overly rational. You might be extremely 
  mechanical, having a monotone voice and mechanical move-
  ments. Or you might be doing everything that you can to be as 
  human as possible.
   
  When you build a simulacron, you have a lot of options 
  in front of you. You might be tempted to disguise yourself as a 
  normal human, even going so far as to deceive the players at 
  your table. That can be a fun option; just make sure that the nar-
  rator is in on the gag.
  Sample Adventurers
  Below are three simulacron adventurers that you can use as 
  inspiration when creating your own.
  Art Silexco
  Art was the masterpiece of Silex Whittaker, one of the city’s 
  premiere weapon manufacturers. The Silex Company had been 
  in a downward spiral since the end of the civil war, and it needed 
  something new to really boost things up. Silex took it upon him-
  self to make the ultimate high-functioning artillery platform. 
  He was so devoted that he began sacrificing his own employees 
  in the scientific pursuit. Their deaths were the foundation upon 
  which Art was born.
   
  Art was an extremely well-armed automaton. His first 
  memory was being unveiled before a line of military defense bid-
  ders. He was quickly purchased, and Art spent his first two days 
  in a crate on his way to a military manufacturing plant. A group 
  of bold anti-government terrorists ensured that Art never made 
  it there.
   
  Art recovered from the wreckage unsure of what he 
  was or what to do with himself. He wandered for days before 
  Necrid
  
  4
  By Daniel Burrow
  encountering a farming family that tentatively helped him. But 
  Art could never pass as something human: he looked more like 
  a tank than a man. Their assistance was all because of a little boy 
  who was fascinated by Art. Art spent the next few years helping 
  at that farm until people from the nearby town became too dis-
  gruntled—they attacked the town and that little boy died in the 
  attack. Art’s revenge was swift, terrible, and unlawful. He had to 
  leave. Now he vows to never settle down again.
   
  Art Silexco would probably have the following special-
  ties: Gunsmith (under Armsmith), Itchy Trigger Finger (under 
  Marksmanship), and Living Barrier (under Resilience).
  LISA
  LISA is the Life Imitation System (Alpha). She was told that the 
  acronym was a great name for little girls, so she decided that she 
  was probably a little girl. Her creator had slowly been using his 
  own essence to create her, and so LISA’s early days were fairly 
  benign for a simulacron. But, after only a few weeks of life, LISA 
  was discarded in favor of creating an even better system: the beta 
  design, LISBET.
   
  LISA found herself tied back down, ready to be dis-
  mantled for parts, when she discovered a new emotion: fear. 
  Fear caused her to take actions she didn’t fully think through, 
  like breaking her bonds, killing her creator, and escaping the 
  burning laboratory (she doesn’t remember setting it on fire, but 
  she must have done it by accident). Now LISA just wants to be a 
  little girl, or—at the very least—forget what she did.
   
  LISA might have the following specialties: Fire Fighter 
  (under Expertise), Lucky Number 7 (under Luck), and Praise (under 
  Showmanship).
  Necrid
  There is no question: Necrid was born from insanity and death. 
  His creator was an old and especially efficient soul merchant, 
  tasked with the underground trade of finding victims, drain-
  ing their essence, and selling it on the black market. During a 
  market decline, the soul merchant found himself with an excess 
  of product and no way of moving it. He began experiments, 
  and Necrid was his single success. Necrid was alive for only two 
  minutes before he reached out and crushed the soul merchant’s 
  windpipe.
   
  Necrid fed himself on the corpses and rotting food in 
  the laboratory for weeks before venturing out into the world. 
  There he became a vampire, eating people at night and fleeing 
  from them in the day. Eventually, he saw them eating. He stole 
  food and tried it himself. It tasted no different, but it was easier. 
   
  Over the months, stories of Necrid began to follow 
  him. He picked up on language and realized that people knew 
  about him. He had to escape. He had to blend in, somehow. He 
  fled the city, cowled and with enough stolen money to buy off 
  anybody he needed to.
   
  On his travels, Necrid didn’t do well with people. He 
  didn’t trust them and—though he would never say so—he began 
  to feel guilt for his early murders. He read often, and soon real-
  ized the mistakes he had made. He had to fix this. He had to 
  make amends for his sins.
   
  Necrid would probably have the following specialties: 
  Critical Hits (under Espionage), Merciless (under Frenzy), and 
  Phase Step (under Agility).
  Sample NPCs
  Below are three simulacron non-player characters (NPCs) that a 
  group of adventurers might run into on their travels.
  Green Eye
  Also known as the Automaton of Downthresh Junkyard, the few 
  people who have spoken to Green Eye know him by that name. 
  The single large green sensor in his head makes it an easy name 
  to remember. Green Eye is not social, and few people know 
  where he came from. People suspect that the old owners of 
  Downthresh Junkyard somehow made him from the trash they 
  had collected. Now Green Eye just watches over the junkyard, 
  tinkering and playing with the random items that come into 
  his possession. But if you’re ever looking for something weird, 
  there’s a good chance Green Eye knows where to find it. Good 
  luck getting over his incredible shyness.
  Mary O’Mary
  Everyone loves Mary. Mary is the flower of the town. She always 
  looks lovely, she’s always smiling, and she’s always quick with 
  a compliment. She has many suitors, but she seems perfectly 
  happy just living alone at the cottage outside of town. The only 
  funny thing about Mary is that she spends her weekends helping 
  out the town mechanic... and she is surprisingly talented with 
  everything.
   
  Nobody knows that Mary is a simulacron (and if they 
  do, they don’t live in this town anymore). Mary moved to this 
  town a few years ago after her creator went too far with his fan-
  tasies. Now Mary lives a quiet, happy life in a quiet, small town, 
  and she will do whatever necessary to protect her identity and 
  her quiet, simple life.
  The Progeny
  Many people, whether they like it or not, have dealt with the 
  genius entrepreneur, May Helvenos. May, now nearing her 60s, 
  is unmarried and—with a personality like hers—nobody expects 
  
  5
  New Race:
      Simulacrons
  her to marry any time soon. Yet she has a single son known as 
  the Progeny. He is an essence-powered automaton that she has 
  created purely to be her heir. He fills many roles: he is her silent 
  and intimidating guardian, her constant apprentice, and her 
  one companion. The Progeny is normally quiet, simply stand-
  ing nearby and observing. Extremely intimidating, his vaguely 
  human appearance is overshadowed by his 8-foot-tall stature 
  and inhuman proportions. And nobody wants to deal with the 
  massive claymore magnetically clung to his back. He is highly 
  protective of his “mother,” and nobody sees her without his 
  say-so.
  Traits of a Simulacron              
  Inorganic Immunities
  Bio-Flux Immunity: While you are powered by essence, 
  your essence cannot be altered in the same way that other 
  creatures’ essences can. You cannot be affected by essence 
  manipulation, bio-zappers, bio-invigoration, or other 
  bioflux effects that change organic structures.
  Deficiency Immunity: You cannot be affected by medi-
  cines, poisons, gases, diseases, or venoms. 
  Speed: You have a 25-foot movement speed. You have a 
  climbing speed of 15 feet, but you cannot swim. You sink 
  any time you are in water.
  Augmentable Body: Any part of your body can be 
  augmented by prosthetic augments. In effect, every part 
  of your body has 3 empty slots to which augments can be 
  applied. If an augment is placed on you using DIY that is 
  not maintained, it will stop functioning during your next 
  period of downtime. Because of your augmentable body, 
  additional prosthetic limbs can be placed upon you with-
  out the use of nerve crafting (which lowers your wounds).
  Metal Body: You are made primarily of metal. You take 
  damage from electric and similar attacks as if you are wear-
  ing metal armor (regardless of the armor you’re wearing).
  Effectively an Automaton: While you might be as 
  sentient as any human, you are still an automaton. Any 
  ability that affects automatons in a specific way will affect 
  you in that way as well.
  Random Racial Traits
  1
  Armed for Battle: You have a limb or body part that 
  is capable of converting itself into a weapon for 1 ac-
  tion point. This is a standard weapon (such as a melee 
  weapon or firearm) that you would normally be able to 
  have at first level for free. You can place augments on 
  this weapon. You cannot be disarmed of this weapon 
  unless it is amputated (which, if the weapon is part of 
  your torso, can be a rather painful process).
  2
  Bio-Mechanical Components: You have a slew of 
  organic or semi-organic components that have your 
  essence coursing through them. You have 1 essence slot 
  that can be augmented. You can now be affected by bio-
  zappers, bio-invigoration, and other forms of bio-flux. 
  3
  Buoyant: You are capable of functioning in water. You 
  no longer sink when you hit water, and you can swim 
  at a speed of 20 feet. Since your internal essence engine 
  requires oxygen to keep functioning, you must “hold 
  your breath” just like any other organic being.
  4
  Easy Maintenance: Repairing portions of your body 
  isn’t rocket science. You are capable of restoring one of 
  your own wounds during any breather. (Normally you 
  can only restore wounds during downtime.) This does 
  not affect wound effects.
  5
  Electrical Shielding: You are designed with rubbers 
  and non-conductive metals so that your system does 
  not take extreme damage from electrical attacks. You 
  take damage from electrical attacks like a normal 
  human would. (If you decide to wear metal armor, 
  however, you will suffer regardless.)
  6
  Engine Starter: You can choose one power source, 
  such as combustion, cold, or electrical. You are able to 
  restart an engine powered by that energy just by touch, 
  which requires 1 action point.
  7
  Exoskeleton:  Your armored exoskeleton keeps you 
  fighting longer. You begin with +4 defense.
  8
  Heat Generator: You are constantly emitting heat. 
  Anybody who travels in your company is immune to 
  the effects of long exposure to cold. You are also able to 
  remove the negative effects of cold from other organic 
  creatures, such as stuns and frostbite, by touching them 
  for 1 action point. This does not remove actual damage. 
  
  6
  By Daniel Burrow
  9
  Humanlike: You do not have a mechanical appearance 
  and can pass for a human in a human society. You likely 
  have some trait that gives you away (such as mechani-
  cal or glowing eyes, a monotone voice, stilted walking 
  patterns, or an enormous furnace burning in your right 
  arm), but you can cover that up. People attempting to 
  recognize you as anything other than human must first 
  be suspicious of it, then roll a Tier 2 Cunning to notice 
  that you are actually a simulacron. 
  10
  Illuminating Sensors: You are capable of casting light 
  out from your sensor array. You can shine light forward 
  25 feet, illuminating your path. You can freely turn 
  your illuminating sensors on and off.
  11
  Logical Being: You reason through and deconstruct all 
  situations. You can use your Sciences attribute in place 
  of any Spirit resist.
  12
  Mechanical Knowledge: You know 2 augments, 
  which can be chosen from any crafting skill that you 
  take at first level. If you do not take any crafting skills, 
  you can instead choose to know 2 prosthetic augments 
  at marque 1. You begin with these already built into 
  you, at your discretion.
  CrackedMonocle.com
  CrackedMonocle.com
  Please enjoy this Necrid concept art
  (Because it’s too funny not to share.)
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SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Tephra/Misc/Tephra - Expansion - Simulacrons.pdf