random bear
This race suggestion is based on the fantasy of the “construct people” or the otherworldly, for examples; the Automatons, Androids and Poppets of Pathfinder 2e, the Wyrwood of Pathfinder 1e and Warforged of DnD. But also the stranger things such as the Conrasu of Pathfinder 2e.
Within Age of wonders itself we have such examples as the enttwined, the various humanoid elementals of games past, the strange stonework found in the shrine of smiting and the lightbringer. And of course the golems both past and present.
The execution of it ingame I’d like to see is a race that, while having slightly less personality by comparison to others, allows for some interesting oddities based on the affinities rather then existing suggestions as above.
Still humanoid, their main striking features would be ornamental bodies that are clearly not organic or at least leave the viewer wondering where their lungs are… if they even have them. Think some of the Wizard King torso’s as a point of reference, especially the starry ones.
While ideally not too much work on the art team it should also allow for some wild designs. Golemantic people who from the neck down appear as a hulking suit of armour but the head is a blazing star of chaotic flames. Root folk who look like a more refined version of the entwined. Holy statues come to life, gigantic with some looking as if they were hewn from a mountainside and others looking like the stuff of greek legend animated by divine purpose.
What differs them from the actual golems we have ingame? They are clearly more alive. Moving about as a person would. Not the steady driven movements of the golden golem but the quick, sharp turns of a person.
So the following is for the artistic direction of the affinity based designs;
Astral - Energetic Constructs of delicate copper and floating orbs, with heads similar to the astralogian weapons from FFXIV. Liquid beings trapped in glass, crackling with lightning.
Nature - Root beings similar to the monsters by the same name found in Remnant 1 & 2. Enttwined but more defined with more choices.
Shadow - Twisting star laced metals in the shape of twisting coils, with shoulder pads trailing cloth infused with runes. Holes in the center of their bodies with curved forms.
Order - Stone and marble constructs, bigger then life come to life. They convey their weight by being unnaturally bigger then their counterparts or at least grander with finer details to their bodies.
Chaos - Hulking masses of slag metal, cracking suits of armour glowing with otherworldly fire. The Headless horsemen.
Materium - The classic clockwork golems we’ve seen before but more refined then the offerings of Athla. Suited and armoured humanoids with a clear artificiality to their faces.
These are meant to be vibes however, not slavishly dedicated too. If someone wants to make a leader that was one part stone construct, with a head resembling an astroglobe and a cloak made of strange runic patterns, that would be combining my examples of Order, Astral and Shadow as above.
vocal umbra
