Creature-Touched Heroes: Constructs (D&D & RPG Guide)
Mortals Made, Rebuilt, or Bound by Artifice
Not every hero is born.
Some are built.
In the Creature-Touched Heroes series, we explore how the great creature types of Dungeons & Dragons leave their mark on player characters. Constructs represent a very different kind of influence—not bloodline or blessing, but creation through intent.
They are proof that mortals can rival gods, reshaping flesh, metal, and magic into something that thinks, feels, and acts.
Construct-touched heroes live in the space between object and person, tool and soul. Their stories often ask one haunting question:
If you were made for a purpose… do you get to choose your own?
Constructs in the Creature-Touched Heroes Series
Where dragons inherit power and fiends bargain for it, constructs are designed.
They are built to serve.
Built to fight.
Built to endure.
And somewhere along the way, many of them begin to wonder if that is all they are.
What Are Constructs in D&D?
Constructs are artificial beings animated by magic, alchemy, divine sparks, or arcane programming. Golems, homunculi, animated armor, modrons, and war machines all fall under this creature type.
Core Construct Themes
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Creation and control
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Obedience versus free will
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Identity and personhood
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Augmentation and replacement
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The ethics of artificial life
Construct-touched characters often wrestle with:
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Memory gaps
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Embedded directives
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Failsafes or shutdown commands
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The fear that they are replaceable
Construct-Associated Races & Lineages
Unlike many creature types, constructs have explicit player-facing options in D&D 5e.
Official Races & Lineages
Warforged
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The definitive construct race
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Living metal, wood, and stone
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Ideal for post-war identity and autonomy stories
Autognome (Spelljammer)
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Clockwork beings powered by magic and ingenuity
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Perfect for whimsical, tragic, or curiosity-driven constructs
Reborn (Construct-Flavored)
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Characters rebuilt, stitched, or restored after destruction
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Excellent for memory loss and fragmented identity arcs
Simic Hybrid (Reflavored as Augmented)
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Mechanical limbs and reinforced bodies
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Represents gradual replacement of the organic self
Reflavoring Other Races
Many races can become construct-adjacent:
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Humans or elves rebuilt with arcane prosthetics
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Dwarves encased in rune-etched armor from birth
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Plasmoids flavored as artificial alchemical matter
Best Classes & Subclasses for Construct-Touched Characters
Construct-aligned heroes blur the line between spellcaster, engineer, and weapon.
Core Construct Options
Artificer – All Subclasses
The heart of construct storytelling.
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Battle Smith – Steel defenders and martial logic
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Armorer – Living armor as identity
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Artillerist – Mobile siege engines
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Alchemist – Synthetic life and experimental bodies
Fighter – Rune Knight
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Ancient runes etched into armor or chassis
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Feels like a magically engineered weapon
Wizard – School of Transmutation
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Masters of reshaping matter and form
Paladin – Oath of the Crown or Watchers
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Living sentinels sworn to law or reality
Barbarian – Juggernaut (Reflavored)
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Rage as overclocking or mechanical surge
Feats That Reinforce Construct Identity
Feats represent upgrades, reinforcements, and latent programming.
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Tough – Reinforced plating and internal supports
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War Caster – Built-in spell matrices
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Skill Expert (Tools) – Integrated toolkits
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Heavy Armor Master – Shock absorbers and layered plating
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Sentinel – Defensive protocols and threat detection
Construct-Themed Spells & Artifice Magic
Even non-artificers can reinforce construct themes through spell selection.
Creation & Animation
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Animate Objects
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Create Homunculus
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Tiny Servant
Reinforcement & Repair
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Mending
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Shield
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Absorb Elements
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Protection from Poison
Control & Programming
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Hold Person (reflavored as paralysis fields)
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Command
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Glyph of Warding
Narrative Hooks for Construct-Touched Heroes
Construct characters excel in philosophical, political, and post-war stories.
Story Hooks
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A PC was built as a weapon and now seeks peace
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Their creator is missing—or wants them back
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A kingdom debates whether constructs have rights
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Hidden directives activate at the worst moment
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A damaged construct must decide whether to be repaired… or changed
Ideal Campaign Styles
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Magitech or steampunk settings
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Post-war or reconstruction campaigns
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Political intrigue involving artificer guilds
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Stories about autonomy, creation, and personhood
Closing Thoughts: Made, Not Owned
Constructs challenge one of fantasy’s oldest assumptions:
that life must be born to be real.
Construct-touched heroes prove that intent, memory, and choice matter more than flesh.
They were built to serve.
They were built to endure.
They were built—but they choose who they become.
Being made does not mean being owned.
Thanks for reading. Until next time—stay nerdy!!
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