Homunculi
The following information is scarcely known. Do not meta-game to know this information unless directly informed in character.
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A homunculus (or homunculi for plural) is a chaotic creation of Alchemy, made from the body of a descendent (either alive or dead), and/or strong alchemy ingredients. The creature is 'reborn' with a shape resembling that of the body used, but never alike. If a body isn't used, the creation will be extremely chaotic, a fiendish creature.
Contents
Creation/Origin
Homunculi are normally the result of extensive practice of alchemy, using powerful symbols to try and create new things, aiming to create homunculi, or trying to achieve the great myths of Alchemy, such as Takwin (alchemy life), Panacea (cure all potion), Elixir of life (immortality in a bottle), or the philosopher's stone (perfect symbol). Great lengths have to be reached to even try and create a myth, a reach which always fails, but there could be consequences for trying. A bad mix of strong ingredients may change life of some of the ingredients (such as plants or creature parts) and create a fiendish being which is alike to a disgusting monster. Yet to reach great levels in alchemy, the alchemist might go through a darker route, the use of descendant's bodies. It is through this way that the greater homunculi are created, and through this way that some alchemists even give their life to gain greater powers, without knowing the consequences.
Behavior
The weaker types of homunculi, the fiends, behave animalistic, without much intelligence. Simple fear, aggressiveness and survival instinct exist in the creature. All the other greater kinds of homunculi see their personality change drastically to fit with the symbol it most associates with. A water homunculus could be calm or cold, a fire homunculus could be emotional or strong willed, an air homunculus could be of quick wit, and an earth homunculus could be determined and protective. A very important aspect about their behavior is that they do not follow nor believe in morals, which results many of them to become enemies of the descendents, due to their inability to think that murder, theft, slavery, and harm are bad things to do. They do everything to reach the goals they create for themselves.
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Types
- Fiend -
Fiends are created from potions which use strong ingredients which may be of poor quality or are missed incorrectly. Their form is usually small and impish in appearance, with odd mutations and tumors forming on their bodies due to the poor use of the ingredients used in its creation. Due to the many imperfections of their body, they never live too long, and are faced with death within a few months time.
Their thoughts are mostly animalistic, never achieving higher thought of higher sentience.
Deviants are a cut above fiends, and are made from rather good alchemical reagents. These homunculus are uncommon due to the quality of the ingredients made. Most alchemists looking to create homunculi will usually aim to create homunculi of either higher or lower quality, making deviants relatively rare. To create a Deviant an alchemist needs to use a corpse of a descendent, which turns them much more humanoid in their appearance. As a deviant may be as tall as an orc, to as short as a dwarf based on how it manifests at creation.
- Deviant -
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Their skin will have an odd and sometimes unnatural color, based upon the prevailing alchemical reagents used in its creation. A deviant created with alchemical reagents pertaining mainly to fire, for instance, would have red skin, and have a resistance to being burnt or harmed by fire, yet would have an unnatural fear of water.
Deviants, though better-made than Fiends, are still creatures of chaos, yet more controlled. They are capable of higher thought, yet will genuinely only care about itself, aiming to destroy and hinder all that would come in its way of achieving whatever twisted goal it is bent on. Yet, gladly deviants are short-lived, and will rarely live more than 3-6 months, as it's unnaturally created body will eventually begin forming imperfections, and said imperfections will inevitably lead to its demise. There are ways for the Deviant to stay alive for longer, but they are rarely known.
- Aberrant
Abberants are homunculi made at the crisp of perfection. So unfathomably close to their more powerful doppleganger cousins. Abberants, unlike their deviant or fiendish cousins, are hard to differentiate from their descendant counterparts, looking close to the dwarf, elf, human, or orc they were created from. Likewise, they bear a strong intellect, near to that of a doppleganger, yet just barely missing the true potential that its mind could reach.
Abberants bear the same resistance and weaknesses to elements as Deviants, yet their image is rarely defined by the prevailing element of their creation, rather, by the way they're created, and from what race they're created from if they're created from such. The amount of disfigurements are almost none, but their skin color still changes slightly. To create an aberrant, a descendent must be tried to be changed while still living, or a deviant most suffer changes. For an aberrant to be created, the mortal descendent must lose its life permanently (A permakill).
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- Dopplegangers -
Dopplegangers are homunculi created with the purest, and most rare alchemical ingredients. They appear identical to whatever race they were created from, whether it be Dwarf, Orc, Human, or Elf. Likewise, Dopplegangers have the highest intellect of all the varieties of Homunculi, yet, like all other varieties of homunculi, are chaotic. As such, a Doppleganger will lead a life only caring about itself and without morals.
Dopplegangers likewise will bear the same kind of elemental resistance as a Deviant or Abberant, and would be resistant to whatever prevailing element it was made of. Being the most perfect, they are also the most long-lived of all the homunculi, having a lifespan only a tad shorter than whatever race it manifests as, due to the imperfections of its unnatural body. A Doppleganger manifested as an elf would live to around 700 years.
The creation of Dopplegangers is very hard to accomplish, and normally requires a willing person to volunteer, or the person would have to be tricked into it. Their bodies, unlike those of the other types of homunculi, are made differently. While the lesser kinds have blood and tissue like normal living beings, the dopplegangers' body takes properties of their symbol. An earth doppleganger would be made of a dirt like substance, a water doppleganger would be of a substance alike water or ice, air would be very light and gas would escape if cut, and fire could release ash and smoke if cut.
Abilities
Homunculi have resistance to whatever element they fit with, and have abilities that fit with that same symbol.
- A water homunculus would be able to breath underwater or hold their breath longer, and have more natural movements.
- A fire homunculus would be harder to burn and would have more strength.
- An air homunculus would be able to fall greater distances and have a greater speed.
- An earth homunculus would have tougher skin and be heavier and harder to move.
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Use of Magic
Homunculi are creatures without a soul and without mana. They are not capable of doing any magic. Some homunculi even consider magic as something that should not be mixed with their kind or what they are made of.
Weaknesses
The abilities that the homunculi get from their symbol also come with disabilities, as they are strong with their symbol, but weak against another symbol.
- A water homunculus would be susceptible to hard hits and feel extremely trapped with confined spaces.
- A fire homunculus would fear water and cold, and easily drown.
- An air homunculus would fear fire and heat, and with enough heat and fire, combust.
- An earth homunculus would fear heights and be very slow.
Being creatures without souls, they have various other weaknesses.
- Holy magic
- Gold weapons (Not as extreme as ghosts and spectres, gold needs physical touch with the skin to harm them)
Redlines
- No altruistic Homunculi unless it's a trick. Homunculi can not be very nice people, they always have ulterior motives if they do something deemed good.
- Holy magic is a great weakness.
- No homunculus can do magic.
- Homunculi can not have children.
- Homunculi can not fade to black in sexual ways. They have no desires nor do they have the functions.
Mechanics
- Fiends play as the Necrolyte Nexus race and can't wear armor.
- Deviants and Aberrants play as the Necrolyte Nexus race.
- Dopplegangers play as the Construct Nexus race, if of the Water or Earth symbols. Dopplegangers of the Air and Fire symbols play as the Spectre Nexus race.
