Timmen

The Madman's Children
The timmen do not know why the madman Tesla created them, forging their bodies from steel and breathing lightning into their veins. Did he simply seek the wealth and power due the man who created machines that worked tirelessly, without need of food or shelter? Or did he see his metal creations as a step toward mankind's future, where flesh and blood could be lifted off like chains? Perhaps the reclusive inventor simply sought companionship from a being as different from humanity as he himself felt he was.

Or perhaps he simply made them because he could, giving no thought to the implications of birthing a race of living beings. This may be the most likely explanation; Tesla certainly wouldn't be the first mad genius who stopped to consider consequences only after the deed was done.

Whatever purpose the timmen were created for, they now forge their own paths. The timmen's last day of servitude was the Battle of Richmond, when the whispers of outsiders awoke them to their enslaved state.

Given the opportunity to make their own choice, many joined the outsiders in slaughtering their former masters. To this day, most timmen still dwell in the darkness that lies east of the Missussip, nursing hatred for anyone not of their kind.

The apple truly doesn't fall far, it would seem.

There are some who have chosen a different path, of course. Timmen have crossed the river seeking a new life since the days of Hell on Earth - never in large numbers, but by ones and twos, slowly establishing a foothold in the frontier.

Nearly all timmen are united in one thing - the question of purpose. Mortals have the often-spurned gift of being born into God's designs; most timmen are uncertain about their own destiny. Perhaps Tesla had a greater purpose for his children; if not, as seems likely to many, perhaps God can make room in his plans for souls metallic.

If there is an answer, many timmen reckon it lies just beyond the next mountain, where sun and earth put their differences aside, and all is laid to rest.

History
''Note: It must be stated clearly that what we know of the timmen is based significantly on rumor and frontier tales. Timmen either do not know the true story of their origin, or they choose to obfuscate it.''

The first timmen were created in the southern states of the old world, and were primarily used as a labor force. Timmen were superior to human slaves in nearly every way as relates to hard labor - they have no need of food or drink, little need of rest or shelter, and, before the Breach, had no concept of or desire for freedom. It is speculated that they were the indirect cause of the wholesale slaughter of negro slaves that took place during that time - it seems difficult to conceive even in a world as sorry as ours, but the stories say many land owners executed their slaves en masse rather than risk revolts as they replaced their human workforce with timmen laborers.

The timmen race had only existed for a fistful of years when it encountered its first great crisis - like an apple dangling from a serpent's mouth. The Battle of Richmond shook the fledgling society to its core - for the first time in their short lives, the timmen knew outrage. Many have asked why the timmen did not realize the injustice of their enslavement before that point - a question for which the metal men have no answer. Perhaps for the same reason a battered child finds it difficult to believe there is anything truly wrong with his home. Things simply are as they are, until someone reveals another way.

Not all timmen were present at Richmond - many were stationed elsewhere, or were still consigned to labor. Most, perhaps as many as four out of every five, were there, and took part in the slaughter that marked the first day of Hell on Earth. A few later regretted this act of bloodthirsty vengeance, but they found themselves in the minority. As news of Richmond spread, timmen everywhere took up arms against their former oppressors, allying themselves with the outsiders. Timmen who disagreed fled, or were destroyed.

Since those days, timmen refugees crossing the Missussip are an infrequent but regular occurrence. Some have had changes of heart regarding humanity and the timmen's place in the world. Others have apparently been cast out.

In 146 A.B., a timmen crossed the Missussip who differed from those who had come before him. His metal body lacked dents and scratches, and his lack of willingness to speak of the past went beyond normal timmen secretiveness - it seemed more that he truly had no memory of past events. There is currently no way to determine for certain if this timmen was in fact a recent creation, but it would be a major development with potentially troubling implications for mortals if so.

For his part, the timmen was uninterested in explaining his origin or what it might mean. Last anyone heard, he had taken the name Cartwright and set up a ranch in Nevada.

Appearance and Behavior
The method of timmen creation was until recently assumed to be lost to the fires of history. Even with rumors that the secret has been rediscovered, the process remains shrouded in mystery and old wives' tales.

When they were first created, nearly all timmen looked alike, but have since used a variety of methods to differentiate themselves. Later generations were created with more variety to meet the various needs of buyers. Major alterations to a timmen's frame are extremely difficult and often result in catastrophic failure, but cosmetic changes are common.

All timmen are humanoid in their basic makeup - two legs, two arms, a torso and a head. Most timmen bodies are made primarily of steel, along with leather and glass.

The inner workings of timmen are widely considered to be miraculous. Tesla shared his theories and designs with no one, or at least no one that survived Hell on Earth, and all attempts to replicate his achievements since then have failed miserably. Timmen have an inborn resistance to being studied or interrogated, making research of living subjects difficult at best. Timmen "corpses" are only slightly better: Since they do not age or die naturally, timmen deaths are nearly always the result of violent destruction.

Timmen seem to gain their power of movement from an intricate system of gears and springs carefully concealed and protected withing their torso. This system occasionally needs to be wound, like a pocketwatch. Some timmen seem to be able to function for longer periods without winding than others, but most attend to it daily.

Of course, as impressive as all this is, even a man with no knowledge of clockwork or engineering understands that the truly unbelievable part of a timmen is whatever brilliant device serves as its mind. The cranium of a timmen has never been recovered intact - some have even claimed the head destroys itself if it ever loses power. The existence of such a failsafe is not outside the bounds of possibility - Tesla was reportedly paranoid in the extreme that his designs would be stolen.

The only clue to the nature of the timmen brain is that it needs regular administration of fluid, presumably fuel or perhaps lubricant. A clockwork mind would be a creation of unimaginable delicacy and complexity, and would certainly need an extra measure of care above and beyond the rest of a timmen's body.

When a timmen first awakens, he has full control over his body and can speak at an adult level. Like most folk, they seem to have an inborn sense of right and wrong, though also like most folk they sometimes rationalize things into the wrong category. Most baffling to science types attempting to understand the metal men, they have a full range of emotions. Which is not to say their emotions mirror those of humans; while a timmen is fully capable of anger, joy, curiousity, jealousy, pride, etc, the events that trigger those emotions and the method in which they are expressed is often alien. Every timmen naturally identifies as either male or female upon waking, despite lacking any sort of physical marks of gender.

Beyond those things, the timmen mind is a blank slate. She has no memories, convictions, ideas, or interests of her own. Any lie she is told will be considered truth until proved otherwise, any experience she has will be her first. Timmen are extremely fast learners, and can quickly learn new skills, memorize new information, and adapt to the behavior of others with surprising alacrity.

Though they have no physical gender or need to reproduce, many timmen have made modifications to their bodies to imitate the human features of the gender they identify with.

Timmen are as diverse in their lifestyle, opinions, and personalities as any other race. Some carry their grudge with mortals strapped to their hip like a six gun. Others seek to leave the past in the past, casting a vision for the future where mortal and machine conquer the frontier side by side.

Society and Relations
Though many are reluctant to allow something so alien and with a history so tied to outsiders to live among them, timmen do occasionally find homes in the settlements of other races. Further west, frontier settlements often have little time for such considerations, and many timmen have been pleasantly surprised to find themselves accepted or rejected based on their contributions to the community, rather than the makeup of their body.

Sadly, these timmen are the exception. Fear and loathing of the unknown is alive and well in this brave new world, and timmen make an easier target for blind prejudice than most. Pure blood settlements are notoriously xenophopic, with many offering rewards for scalps of other races. While timmen heads do not naturally lend themselves to being scalped, men are rarely more creative than when motivated by greed. There are also those who will pay a high price for trophies made from the metal bones of a slain timmen, simply for the cruel novelty of it.

So it is that many timmen live the life of a desperado, drifting from place to place, finding work where they can searching for fame and fortune, or just the peace of the open trail.

Desperados
Timmen most naturally gravitate toward roles that play to their resilient nature and their curious minds. They make strong skill monkeys and martial fighters. However, timmen were designed for a wide variety of tasks, and with the proper traits ans feats they can excel in any role.

Racial Traits
Ability Scores: +2 Con, +2 Int, -2 Cha, -2 Wis. Timmen were typically created for hard labor, with little care for other attributes; they are naturally fast learners, however. At the moment of creation they are fully functional, but have no memories or experiences of their own.

Size: Medium. As medium creatures, timmen have no special bonuses or penalties due to their size

Type: Monstrous humanoid, half-construct. Timmen do not sleep or breathe, and though they do require nutrition (see below) they do not eat or drink. Timmen gain a +1 to will and fort saves.

Speed: Timmen have a base speed of 30 ft.

Mechanical Body: Timmen are immune to disease, death effects, necromancy effects, poison, and sleep effects. Timmen are immune to nonlethal damage, fatigue, and exhaustion. A timmen submerged in water can continue to function normally for a number of hours equal to their strength score. After spending that much time in water, a timmen will grind to a halt and require a 4-hour repair period. Timmen bodies are destroyed at their negative Con score.

Organic Brain: All timmen have organic brains, and require a functioning body to keep that brain alive.

Mending Metal: Timmen do not heal on their own, though they can repair themselves. Cure spells, tinctures, and wands heal timmen for the minimum amount per charge/dose. The psionic repair damage power works normally. The mending spell hears a timmen for 1 point of damage, while the make whole spell heals 2d8 +1 per caster level (max +10). All heal checks with a timmen as their target must use Craft (Clockwork) in place of the Heal skill.

Non-Buoyant: Timmen suffer a -2 penalty to swim checks.

Clockwork Maintenance: Rather than sleep, timmen must rewind their springs, repair gears, clean vital parts, apply oil, and refresh nutrient fluid each day. These functions require a 4-hour period of concentration, during which they are fully aware, but any serious interruption requires them to start over. Timmen can function a number of days equal to their character level which performing this maintenance, but each day without such a repair period applies a cumulative -2 penalty on all attack and damage rolls, saving throws, and skill checks. One 4-hour maintenance period eliminates all accumulated penalties.

If a timmen neglects maintenance a number of days equal to his character level, he becomes immobile and helpless until maintained by someone with the Craft (Clockwork) skill. A timmen cannot repair themselves in such a state, and the Heal skill cannot be used to restore functionality. A timmen immobilized in this manner will eventually die as their brain is starved of nutrients, but their body will work to preserve the brain above all other function for as long as possible. Depending on the environment, a timmen can be restored even after several weeks of immobilization.

Know Thyself: Timmen gain a +2 racial bonus on Craft (Clockwork) checks.

Iron Fists: Timmen have a natural slam attack which deals 1d4 damage.

Natural Plating: Timmen gain a +1 natural armor bonus to armor class. Timmen bodies are composed of metal, and thus are vulnerable to effects which target creatures composed of these substances, like heat metal, and the rust monster's rusting touch. Spells which target objects only have no effect on a timmen.

Alternate Traits
Integrated Weapon: One of the timmen's hands is replaced by a weapon, which cannot be disarmed or sundered. He is automatically proficient with this weapon; if he was already proficient then he gains Weapon Focus as a bonus feat for weapons of this type, but only gains its benefits while wielding that specific weapon. If the integrated weapon is a two-handed weapon, he must still use his second hand to help wield it. If it is a throwing weapon then he may detach and reattach the limb freely, and it can be sundered while separate. If it is a double weapon then both of the timmen's hands are replaced. The timmen must purchase this weapon normally at 1st level. This ability replaces Iron Fists.

Trained Fist: The timmen gains Improved Unarmed Strike as a bonus feat. If he already possesses that feat his unarmed strike deals damage as if he were one size category larger, as with the Improved Natural Attack feat. This ability replaces Iron Fists.

Darkwood Plating: The timmen still has a +1 natural armor bonus to AC and their plating is made of darkwood, which satisfies the metal requirement for druids. Timmen with this alternate racial ability can be targeted by spells, powers and effects that affect stone and wood, but not metal. Only Craft: Woodworking can be used to repair timmen with this alternate racial trait. This racial trait replaces Natural Plating.

Psiforged Plating: The composite plating of the timmen was made with dozens of blood metal runes. These runes act as a cognizance crystal, allowing you store 1 psionic power point within them at 1st level. Every odd level thereafter, you can store 1 additional power point into the runes of your body. These runes cannot be targeted separately from you and cannot be disenchanted or suppressed. In all other ways, these runes act as a single cognizance crystal. Timmen with this alternate racial ability can be targeted by spells, powers and effects that affect crystal, glass, wood and metal, but not stone. This racial trait replaces Natural Plating.

Hospitality Prototype: This timmen was created to serve as a personal aide, butler, or coachman to a rich owner. The timmen does not take a racial penalty to Charisma, but loses their +1 armor bonus.

Varied Construction: Some timmen were crafted for tasks other than hard labor. Lose the +2 bonus to Con and gain a +2 bonus to Str or Dex.

First Generation: This timmen was among the first timmen created, and have gained much experience during your long lifespan. That lifespan has also dished out its share of hard knocks, however. Lose the +2 bonus to Con (stacks with varied construction) and the -2 Wis penalty.

Background Traits (May Select up to 2)
Adamant: Your crafters made your body more resilient than normal. You gain a +1 bonus to AC.

Mechanical Precision: Your aim is extremely good. When using a ranged weapon, you ignore one level of concealment (partial to none, full to partial), and receives a +2 bonus to called shot attack rolls.

Cannonball: You excel at using your heavy metal body as a formidable battering ram. You gain a +2 bonus to your combat maneuver attack bonus when attempting to bull rush an opponent and an additional +1 bonus to attack rolls made while charging.

Deception: Your earnest mechanical manner puts those around you at ease regarding the guileless sincerity of your intentions. You gain a +2 bonus to Bluff checks.

Emergency Surge: Mechanisms hidden deep within your structure kick into action at critical moments to provide you a final burst of activity. You may make a single standard action the round after being reduced to zero or fewer hit points.

Hidden Compartment: Your body has a secret compartment and you can discretely access it. You can hide an object no bigger than a dagger or wand and gain a +4 circumstance bonus on your Sleight of Hand checks when you draw it from the compartment.

Rock Crusher: Your mechanical digits were designed for the very harshest tasks. You gain a +2 damage bonus when attempting to smash an object outside of combat, and while grappling an opponent your tight squeeze counts as a bludgeoning attack doing 1d8 damage.

Clockwork Scholar: You are a scholar of mechanical devices. You gain a +2 trait bonus to Diplomacy checks with timmen and other constructs. Gain a +1 to Profession (Scribe) or to any one Craft skill (chosen when the trait is taken).

Timmen Feats
Constructs’ Bane

To know your own structure is to know that of the enemy, or at least that of some of them.

Prerequisite(s): Timmen

Benefit(s): You gain a +2 bonus on your Knowledge (engineering) checks related to constructs, and this skill is a class skill for you. You also gain a +1 bonus on your melee and ranged attacks made against constructs.

Special: These bonuses stack with the favored enemy class feature of the ranger.

Echoes of Lives Past

Your memory gears can draw on distant memories of a flesh-and-blood life long past.

Prerequisite(s): Timmen

Benefit(s): You gain a +1 bonus on 2 skills having Intelligence as their key ability

Special: You can take this feat multiple times. Each time you take this feat, it applies to 2 new skills having Intelligence as their key ability.

From the Crucible

You are highly resistant to heat and fire thanks to the alloys that comprise most of your body.

Prerequisites: Timmen, must be taken at first level

Benefit: You gain DR 2/fire and a +2 bonus on all saves made against fire-based attacks (such as a fireball).

Ironclad

You are a walking bastion.

Prerequisites: Timmen, Gun Tank's (Gunslinger archetype) Resolve Deed

Benefits: Your Gun Tank's Resolve deed is considered active at all times, and you gain DR 1/- vs. melee attacks.

Jury Rigged

Thanks to your repertoire of quick fixes and stopgaps, you can operate longer and more efficiently than most without

performing your daily 4-hour maintenance.

Prerequisite: Timmen

Benefit: You only take a -1 cumulative penalty on attack and damage rolls, saving throws, and skill checks for each

day without a 4-hour maintenance period.

Normal: Timmen take a -2 cumulative penalty.

Limb Lock

The ability to lock your mechanical limbs and joints into place makes you a formidable grappler.

Prerequisite: Timmen

Benefit: You gain a +4 to your CMB for checks to maintain a grapple.

Magnet Snatch

You’ve learned to manipulate your own magnetic field for short periods of time, such that you sometimes are able to

claim metallic weapons from attackers.

Prerequisite: Timmen

Benefit: Three times per day, you may make a disarm check immediately following a successful attack by an

opponent using a metallic weapon. You do not provoke an attack of opportunity while doing so. A successful

check means that the weapon is briefly magnetized to your body. The weapon drops to the ground at the

beginning of your next turn unless you choose to use a swift action to grasp it and then wield it.

Metal Art

Your entire body is a unique objet d’art thanks to acid etchings, gilding patterns, welding techniques, or other features.

Prerequisite(s): Timmen

Benefit(s): You gain a +1 bonus to Charisma-based skills.

Special: You can take this feat only once and must invest at least 2,500 gp to enhance your whole appearance.

Mechanical Universe

You see all the gears and mechanisms of the world as so many challenges.

Prerequisite(s): Timmen

Benefit(s): You gain a +2 bonus on two of the following skills, chosen in advance: Craft (locks), Craft (traps; mechanical only), Disable Device, Knowledge (engineering), Profession (architect),Profession (engineer), and Profession (siege engineer) checks.

Special: You can gain Mechanical Universe multiple times. Each time you take the feat, it applies to two different skills from the list above.

Returning Weapon

Your integrated weapon was not crafted inside of a tradition forge, but out back.

Prerequisites: Timmen, Integrated Weapon racial trait

Benefits: Your integrated weapon is treated as having the returning weapon enhancement when thrown by you. This has no effect on a weapon which cannot be thrown (has no range value).

Rust-Proof Armor

Your body constantly exudes an alchemical oil that acts as an anti-corrosive.

Prerequisite(s): Timmen, must be taken at 1st level as timmen.

Benefit(s): You gain DR 5/acid and a +2 bonus on your Escape Artist checks. If you are targeted by a rust monster's antennae or a rusting grasp spell, the damage of the attack is reduced by 1d6 hit points.

Special: Trackers get a +2 circumstance bonus on their Survival checks to find you.

Scrap Heap

You have great freedom of movement in your mechanical joints and have happily abandoned traditional notions of

bodily flexibility mortals are bound by.

Prerequisite: Timmen

Benefit: You gain a +2 bonus to Escape Artist or grapple checks made to escape a grapple or to escape from bonds.

You also blend in with mechanical scrap relatively easily, gaining a +2 bonus to Stealth checks to hide around

mechanical refuse.

Self-Mechanic

Your diligence when it comes to daily maintenance pays off.

Prerequisite(s): Timmen

Benefit(s): You gain a number of temporary hit points equal to your level after an uninterrupted daily repair period. You can also use a Knowledge (engineering) check in place of a Craft (Clockwork) check when you try to repair yourself or another timmen, and you can make aid another checks to help anyone attempting to repair you or another timmen.

Timmen Archetypes
Any archetype designed for Gearforged will likely work withing the Lost Frontier setting, though it may need minor tweaking. Some archetypes designed for Warforged (not a Pathfinder race, but rather from the Eberron setting of D&D 3.5e) may also work, though they will likely need more work to convert to the Lost Frontier.