T he A utomaton
Council of Oddities.” To be honest, the
V ariation
Of all the Variations in this book, this
one came to me through the strangest
circumstances. Just like the protagonist of
“The Raven”, I was busy reading in a library
when there was a tap tap taping on the
door. I went to open it, and there stood a
clockwork stork with a letter wedged firmly
in its beak. All the weirdness I’ve experienced
since being spellnapped has taught me to go
with the flow, so I took the letter and
watched in bemusement as the stork whirred
to life and flapped away, out a window.
The letter turned out to be a lengthy one,
written in a shaking hand.
“Captain Olam,” it began, “In playing your
Great Game, I found something lacking. While
one can play a human or a Dwarf or a Faerie
or a Dragon, I saw nothing of myself in your
words. Where, I ask, are the oft-forgotten
children of the world, crafted by human
hands and yet treated at best as curiosities
to be gawked at or, at worst, monsters to
be destroyed? As I believe your oversight
to be one of ignorance rather than malice, I
have taken upon myself the task of designing
rules for playing beings of this nature, called
Automatons for the sake of expediency, and
enclosing them in this letter. Please see that
they are published.”
And, sure enough, enclosed were the rules for
what I’m calling The Automaton Variation.
48
The letter was signed “An Arbiter of the
Second Compact doesn’t have much information
on the Council of Oddities. We know they’re
a secret society dedicated to providing
sanctuary and shelter to sentient beings who
don’t fit neatly into other categories like
human, Dwarf, Faerie, or Dragon, but not too
much beyond that.
After reading the letter and the rules and
thinking long and hard about it, though, I
think I’ve figured out one more thing about
the Council of Oddities. Specifically, who the
“arbiter” who sent me the letter is.
Mike, I swear to God, I think Frankenstein’s
Monster wrote a supplement for my game.
From the earliest days of civilization, humans and
Dwarfs have sought to duplicate the majesty of life through
invention and through Magick. The lyric poet Pindar wrote
of “animated figures” standing upon the street corners
of Rhodes. The Book of Ingenious Devices, published in
Baghdad during the 9th century, described an automated
flute player. The Golem, a being sculpted from mud and
given life through Magick, has long been a part of Jewish
lore. And, of course, one Doctor Victor Frankenstein defied
the laws of nature to bring life to unliving matter and
created a Creature many in New Europa fear to this day.
Players and Hosts can use the following rules to create
Automaton Characters for play in the Great Game. Players,
especially, will find the process for creating an Automaton
Dramatic Character to be somewhat different from the
original method presented in Castle Falkenstein. Any Player
seeking to play an Automaton should answer their Diary
questions as usual to create their Dramatic Character’s
motivations and history, but when it comes time to sort
out the more mechanical aspects, they should answer the
following additional questions.
W hat T ype of A utomaton A re Y ou ? Christina decides Anna recently escaped from her inventors
and smuggled herself out of Russia. Anna knows no one in
First, determine the type of Automaton you will
New Europa outside of her native land and, so she assigns her
be portraying. There are four: Automatons of Flesh,
additional Poor Rank to Connections.
Clockwork Automatons, Mystical Automatons, and Steam-
powered Automatons. Additional details on each can be
found in their entries below.
W hat P owers Y ou ?
All Automatons operate due to some sort of power
As an example, Christina wishes to play an Automaton source, be it steam, clockwork, electricity, or something
designed to entertain the masses by a Russian scientist loyal to more exotic. Consult the listing for your Automaton type
the Czar. Looking over options, she finds inspiration in the idea of and select the power source for your Dramatic Character
an Automaton who is as much the slowly twirling ballet dancer from the available options. Note, the listing for power
on an antique music box as a sentient being. However, Christina source not only explains what fuels your Automaton but
also wants an additional spark to the Character’s creation. She under what conditions they enter Dormancy.
confers with the Host, who suggests the Automaton gained
sentience due to Spells cast upon her by a Sorcerer. Bearing this in
mind, Christina decides her Dramatic Character, Anna, will be a The mystical Automaton listing gives two options for Anna’s
Mystical Automaton. power source: Magickal and mechanical. Christina considers and
then chooses mechanical and, specifically, clockwork. Anna must
be wound each day, or she risks entering Dormancy. While Anna
W hat A re Y our A bilities ? is a Mystical Automaton, Christina likes the idea of the Character
still being that dancer atop a music box, deep inside.
Next, Abilities should be chosen and assigned Ranks.
Each type of Automaton has a starting Template, with
Abilities and Ranks already assigned. These Abilities
and Ranks are inherent to the kind of Automaton and
cannot be changed during creation, although they can be
improved through play just as with any other Dramatic
Character. Beneath the base Abilities list for each type of
Automaton are unassigned Ability Ranks. The Ranks listed
there can and should be assigned to any Ability not already
part of the Template. Abilities unique to a type of Dramatic
Character, such as Faerie Etherealness, cannot be chosen.

To continue our example, Christina’s clockwork dancer, Anna,

automatically has a Good Courage, Perception, and a Great
Physique. Looking further, under Additional Abilities, Christina
notes her Dramatic Character must have one additional Poor
and two additional Good Abilities.
Christina selects the obvious choice, Performance, for Anna’s
first Good Ranked Ability and, keeping in mind she was made for
the stage, Comeliness for the second.

49

D ormancy
Much like a human being, most Automatons require
some sort of fuel to continue operating. However,
unlike a human being, Automatons risk shutting down
completely when their power source stops functioning.
This is known as entering Dormancy. While in
Dormancy, an Automaton cannot move, think, speak,
observe, or perform any sort of action.
An Automaton’s power source determines the
conditions under which they enter Dormancy. If those
conditions are met, or if their power source is removed,
the Player must immediately draw a card from the
Fortune Deck. If the card is a Spade, the Automaton
immediately falls Dormant. If the card is any other suit,
they can continue to function for one hour, after which
time they enter Dormancy.
Unless destroyed, the Automaton can exit Dormancy
by merely having an outside force restart, replace, or
refuel their power source. The Automaton returns to life
fully aware and intact with no memory of what occurred
while Dormant. They retain any damage to their Health
suffered before or after entering Dormancy.
W hat are Y our F ortunate and
U nfortunate C ircumstances ?
Automatons are not the same as organic beings and,
thus, have unusual qualities not available to other
Characters. The Fortunate and Unfortunate Circumstances
of each type of Automaton are noted in their listings. All
Automatons receive three Fortunate Circumstances and
a single Unfortunate Circumstance. Some Fortunate
Circumstances are multiple-choice, allowing you to choose
from several different options.
Christina reads the Mystical Automaton listing and notes
Anna possesses Arcane Armor and Immortal Fortitude as
Fortunate Circumstances. Also, she can choose one custom
Fortunate Circumstance. Looking over the options, Christina
50
selects the one which turns Anna into a gadgetech container and,
as the Automaton is human-sized, gains 8 spaces. Not only does
she believe it to be thematically appropriate, she thinks it quite
splendid as well. With this Circumstance, Anna can install a
phonautograph inside herself and always have a tune to which
she can dance!
Christina also notes Anna’s Unfortunate Circumstance as a
mystical Automaton. Specifically, Anna’s vulnerability to iron.
F inishing your A utomaton
Once the Automaton’s health has been calculated by
cross-referencing their Courage Ability and Physique
Ability as indicated on page 188 of Castle Falkenstein, the
mechanical portion of creating your artificial Dramatic
Character has ended.
N ew A bility
S eeming [♥]
This Ability, unique to Automatons, measures their skill
at convincing others that they are an organic being, should
they wish to do so. An Automaton with a Poor Seeming will
only be mistaken for an organic being in the most extreme
of circumstances. With an Average Seeming, others may
well believe the Automaton to be an organic being under
the proper conditions, such as if it were disguised or
wearing heavy clothing. A Good Seeming means the
Automaton appears organic enough to pass a casual
inspection. With a Great Seeming, the Automaton would
be mistaken as organic by most observers. An Automaton
with an Exceptional Seeming will fool even observers
explicitly looking for signs of life or artificiality, and one
with an Extraordinary Seeming will appear organic to all
but the most invasive and thorough of examinations.
If the Automaton type’s Base Abilities do not include
Seeming, it begins as Average and can be raised or lowered
when additional Abilities are assigned. Non-Automaton
Characters cannot select the Seeming Ability.
A utomaton of F lesh
While the zombi of legend rises from the grave through
curses and spells, Automatons of Flesh are either semi-
organic beings grown through alchemy and chemistry or
otherwise corpses restored to a semblance of life through
the power of Science! An Automaton of Flesh might come
to life from a single mass, perhaps via a formulation or
mechanical augmentation, or might be the fused as a
patchwork whole from multiple corpses with the help
of chemistry and the mysterious potency of electricity!
Powered by scientific genius, these beings are physically
powerful and the type of Automaton most innately capable
of appearing fully organic. No matter how they entered
the world, each is tortured by it or by their previous lives.
To most, Automatons of Flesh are monsters. For the rare
few willing to look past the horror, these creations are sad
souls in need of acceptance and love.
Y our B ase A bilities are
Athletics [GD] • Charisma [PR] • Seeming [GD] • Physique
[EXC] • Social Graces [PR]
51
Y our A dditional A bilities are
Choose one additional Poor Ability, two additional Good
Abilities, and one additional Great Ability.
Y ou are P owered by
Biology: You are powered much like any living being and
require regular intake of food, water, and oxygen. If they
encounter circumstances that would typically cause
a human to pass out or die due to lack of oxygen or
sustenance, you enter Dormancy.
or
Electricity: You require an infusion of at least one large
battery’s worth of electricity once per week or risk
entering Dormancy.
Y our F ortunate C ircumstances are
Armor: You are resistant to physical harm. Your unique
physique stops 1 point of damage (Light Armor). This
armor does not stack with worn armor. Use whichever is
higher when injured.
Living Undeath: While you simulate life well, you are not
truly organic. As a result, you possess an immunity to
disease and poison. However, your body does mimic life
well enough to allow you to heal naturally and gain the
benefits of medicine and healing Magick.
You possess one additional Fortunate Circumstance, chosen from
the following:
• Flash of Insight: Whispers of memories from a
previous life remain in your brain, providing you
with occasional inspiration about matters you
otherwise have no training in. Once per session, you
can convert any card in your hand into a Diamond
before playing it on an Education Feat.
• Magick Resistance: Perhaps because of the
strangeness of your creation, Magick has trouble
touching you. Targeting you with a spell costs 6 TER.
• That Which Cannot Die: Your undying body is
particularly hardy and gains 2 extra Health Points.
 • Strength of the Dead: You possess tremendous Y our A dditional A bilities are
physical power. While you use Physique as normal
Choose one additional Good Ability.
to determine Health Points, you can lift a maximum
of 800 pounds and bend steel bars with effort.
Y ou are P owered by
Y our U nfortunate C ircumstance is Clockwork: You are powered by a series of coiled springs
that must be wound daily or risk entering Dormancy.
Phobia: You entered this world with an irrational fear,
Your winding requires a properly fitted key. Should the
perhaps related to either the death of the person
key be misplaced or lost, you cannot be wound until it is
whose brain you possess or to the circumstances of
found or a replacement fashioned.
your creation. Choose something to fear, such as fire,
darkness, confined spaces, electricity, or firearms. When
confronted by the source of your fear, you must succeed
at a Great Courage Feat to move within 10 feet of it or an
Exceptional Courage Feat to remain near it each round
if within 10 feet.

C lockwork A utomaton
Automatons powered by complex clockwork
mechanisms have existed for centuries, and examples have
drawn crowds throughout New Europa. More recently, the
work of Master Elrich Clocktinker has elevated Clockwork
Automatons from mere spectacle to productive tools
capable of bettering society. Master Clocktinker has
not only perfected the delicate balance of mechanisms
needed to allow these fantastic Automatons to perform
strenuous labor, he has developed a miniature “Babbage
Brain,” which enables owners to program each Automaton
with instructions for specific tasks depending upon the
needs of their owner! Of course, as is always the case with
engineering and science, other inventors throughout the
world have seen Master Clocktinker’s work and now seek
to improve upon it. Rumors have begun spreading of
Clockwork Automatons that can not only perform labors
but who can even think for themselves!

Y our B ase A bilities are

Athletics [GD] • Courage [GR] • Perception [GD] • Sorcery
[PR]

52
Y our F ortunate C ircumstances are
Babbage Brain: Your Babbage Engine mind can be
programmed to perform specific feats using specialized
punch cards. In addition to the Abilities noted above,
you begin play with one additional Good Ability which
remains unassigned, known as your Babbage Engine
Ability. By spending ten minutes to reprogram the
punch cards, you or an ally can switch out the current
Babbage Engine Ability for any Ability governed by Clubs
or Diamonds so long as it is one in which you currently
possess an Average Rank. The newly chosen Ability rises
in Rank to Good and is now designated as the Babbage
Engine Ability while the former Babbage Engine Ability,
if there is one, descends to Average. A Good Sorcery
achieved using this Circumstance gives you knowledge
of Magick but not the aptitude to cast Spells.
Clockwork Fortitude: As a mechanical entity, you possess
immunity to disease and poison and cannot die due to a
lack of oxygen or sustenance. You do not heal naturally,
nor do you gain benefit from medicine or restorative
Magick. Instead, you require repair. Doing so requires
one hour’s time and access to appropriate tools and
materials. The Character performing the repairs must
succeed at a Tinkering Feat with a Requirement of Great.
Success means you heal a number of Health Points equal
to the value of the Tinkering Ability being used.
You possess one additional Fortunate Circumstance, chosen from
the following:
• Clockwork Heart: Perhaps due to your internal
workings, you possess an intuitive understanding of
mechanical devices. Once per session, you can convert
any card in your hand into a Diamond before playing
it on a Tinkering Feat.
• Excellent Engineering: Clever constructions allows
you to continue functioning no matter the conditions.
Consider your Physique to be Ranked at Extraordinary
when withstanding the effects of extreme temperature,
pressure as one might find deep underwater, or other
intense environmental conditions.
• Gadgetech: Your body can be further modified.
Consider it to be a container with a number of spaces
53
based on your size for the purposes of installing
gadgetech. If you are small, perhaps in the form of a
clockwork Pixie, you possess 4 spaces. If you so choose,
you can use 2 of them to fit clockwork wings, allowing
you to fly. If you are larger, in the form of a Dwarf
or human, for example, you possess 8 spaces but
cannot benefit from clockwork wings. Your gadgetech
spaces can also be used to reinforce your chassis by
sacrificing half the spaces to install 1 point of Armor
(Light Armor). This armor does not stack with worn
armor. You should use whichever is higher when
injured.
• Precise Timing: As a being of clockwork, you always
know the current time. Moreover, your aptitude for
precision timing gives you an advantage when it
comes to matters of finesse. Once per session, you
can convert any card in your hand into a Club before
playing it on an Athletics Feat.
Y our U nfortunate C ircumstance is
Delicate: You are particularly delicate as your complex
assembly of inner gears can easily be knocked out of
alignment. As a result, a High Success on an attack
against you not only causes damage but creates a
malfunction. Reduce the Rank of all your Abilities by
one. Further reductions are cumulative, although no
Ability can be reduced below the Rank of Poor. These
penalties remain in place until your clockwork is
realigned, which is a Tinkering Feat with a Requirement
of Great and requires one hour’s work.
M ystical A utomaton
The Hebrew Golem. The Bronze Horseman. Pinocchio.
Stories have been told throughout the ages of simulacrums
brought to life through the power of Glamour or Magick.
These are Mystical Automatons, which are usually crafted
through human of Dwarfen hands and then given the gift
of animation through Sorcery or Faerie power or due to
their possession by spirits or other supernatural beings. In
ancient times, such Automatons were most often statues
or sculptures, but in the modern-day they may well be
clockwork or steam-powered Automatons granted the gift
of life through Magick!
Y our B ase A bilities are
Courage [GD] • Perception [GD] • Physique [GR]
Y our A dditional A bilities are
Choose one additional Poor Ability and two additional
Good Abilities.
Y ou are P owered B y
Mechanical: Despite its mystical nature, are still powered
by a mechanism such as clockwork or a steam engine.
Choose the power source listed for either the Clockwork
Automaton or the Steam-powered Automaton.
or
Magickal: You are powered entirely by Magick and do
not need to refuel, but a specific action will render you
Dormant. Examples include removing an item from
your body, hearing a particular command phrase, or
having a specific substance thrust through your heart.
Likewise, you require an action to exit from Dormancy,
such as having an item returned to your body, hearing a
specific command phrase, or having the spike removed
from your heart.
Y our F ortunate C ircumstances are
Arcane Armor: As a creature of Magick, you are
exceptionally resistant to Magick. Targeting you with a
spell costs 6 TER.
Immortal Fortitude: You are not mortal in a traditional
sense. As a result, you possess immunity to disease
and poison and cannot die due to a lack of oxygen or
sustenance. You do not heal naturally and instead must
be repaired. To do so requires appropriate materials,
tools, at least one hour, and an Ability Feat against a
Great Requirement. The Ability needed depends upon
54
your power source. If you are mechanically powered
Automatons, you must be repaired with the Tinkering
Ability, while if you are Magickally powered you must
be repaired with the Sorcery Ability. If the Feat to repair
the Automaton is successful, you recover a number
of Health Points equal to the value of the mechanic/
Sorcerer’s relevant Ability.
You possess one additional Fortunate Circumstance, chosen from
the following:
• Enhanced Senses: Your senses are particularly acute.
Once per session, you can convert any card in your
hand into a Diamond before playing it on a Perception
Feat.
• Durable: Your body is particularly hardy and gains 2
extra Health Points.
• Gadgetech: Your body can be further modified.
Consider it to be a container with a number of spaces
based on your size for the purposes of installing
gadgetech. If you are small, perhaps in the form of a
Pixie, you possess 4 spaces. If you so choose, you can
use 2 of them to fit wings, allowing you to fly. If you are
larger, in the form of a Dwarf or human, for example,
you possess 8 spaces but cannot benefit from wings.
Your gadgetech spaces can also be used to reinforce
your chassis by sacrificing half the spaces to install 1
point of Armor (Light Armor). This armor does not
stack with worn armor. You should use whichever is
higher when injured.
• Intense Strength: You possess tremendous physical
power. While Physique is used as usual to determine
Health Points, you can lift a maximum of 800 pounds
and bend steel bars with effort.
Y our U nfortunate C ircumstances is
Born of Magick: As a creature of Magick, you possess a
vulnerability to iron not an inherent part of your own
body. Iron does not repel you, but weapons made of the
substance, but not steel, deal one extra point of damage
to you upon a successful attack.
S team -P owered A utomaton
Recent advancements in technology have allowed
inventors to create small yet powerful steam engines.
Proclaiming such innovations to represent the future, some
engineers have chosen to forgo the interweaving of brass
and copper gears used to build Clockwork Automatons
and, instead, are creating artificial beings using boilers
and burners. With internal mechanisms that feature fewer
but less delicate moving parts, the modern Steam-powered
Automaton works well in rugged conditions and is well
armored against external dangers.
Y our B ase A bilities are
Athletics [GR] • Courage [EXC] • Fisticuffs [GD] • Seeming
[PR] • Physique [GD] • Sorcery [PR]
Y our A dditional A bilities are
Choose one additional Poor Ability and two additional
Good Abilities.
55
Y ou are P owered B y
Radium Steam Engine: A steam engine powers you, but
your heat source is not coal or wood but radium or a
similarly mysterious element. The engine’s water must
be restocked once per day, or you risk Dormancy. Should
the heating element be removed or lost, it can be quite
challenging to replace.
or
Traditional Steam Engine: You are powered by a basic
steam engine which includes a boiler and burner. The
engine’s water and fuel must be restocked once per
day, and your burner must be kept aflame or you risk
Dormancy.
Y our F ortunate C ircumstances are
Fortified Chassis: By necessity, your thick-walled design
enables you to withstand extreme conditions. You gain 2
extra Health Points.
Steam-powered Fortitude: As a mechanical entity, you Y our U nfortunate C ircumstance is
possess immunity to disease and poison and cannot
Susceptible to Rust: Born of iron and steel, you rust
die due to a lack of oxygen or sustenance. You do not
quite easily. Should you be doused in enough water to
heal naturally, nor do you gain benefit from medicine or
cover your entire body, be it from falling into a lake or
restorative Magick. Instead, you require repair. Doing so
being out in a severe rainstorm, you must draw a card
requires one hour’s time and access to appropriate tools
from the Fortune Deck. If you draw a Spade, your joints
and materials. The Character performing the repairs
quickly rust, reducing the Rank of all Club-based Abilities
must succeed at a Tinkering Feat with a Requirement
of Great. Success means you heal a number of Health by two, to a minimum of Poor. Removing this condition
Points equal to the value of the Tinkering Ability being requires drying off and then oiling your joints, a process
used. that requires ten minutes’ time and a lubricant.

You possess one additional Fortunate Circumstance, chosen from

I know. I know. No technology available in
the following:
New Europa is technically powerful enough
• Gadgetech: Your body can be further modified. to allow for logic processing and memory
Consider it to be a container with a number of spaces
retention on the level of the human brain.
based on your size for the purposes of installing
gadgetech. If you are small, perhaps in the form of a
Unless they’ve got the aid of Magick, how
Pixie, you possess 4 spaces. If you so choose, you can can any Automaton be smart enough to be an
use 2 of them to fit wings, allowing you to fly. If you are interesting Dramatic Character?
larger, in the form of a Dwarf or human, for example,
you possess 8 spaces but cannot benefit from wings. I honestly don’t know. By this point, I’ve
Your gadgetech spaces can also be used to reinforce met several self-aware Automatons created by
your chassis by sacrificing half the spaces to install 1 SCIENCE! and I’ll be damned if I can explain
point of Armor (Light Armor). This armor does not how any of them actually work. Just like
stack with worn armor. You should use whichever is
I can’t really explain how the Albatross can
higher when injured.
fly or the Nautilus runs on a nuclear engine
• Horsepower: You can run faster than a horse, even in the 1870s. Maybe the laws of physics
when pulling a wagon or carriage. Your top running
just work differently here, or perhaps either
speed is 45 miles per hour when unencumbered and
30 miles per hour when used as a beast of burden.
the creator or the creation itself has some
sort of innate Magickal Ability. Either way,
• Heat Blast: You can divert heat and fire from your
intelligent, anachronistic artificial lifeforms are
steam-engine to belch out a great burst of flame
or superheated steam that you aim using the
just another odd fact of life here in New
Marksmanship Ability. You use half your water in Europa.
doing so, and so the blast can only be utilized twice
between refilling before you risk Dormancy. Use the Isn’t it great?
following to represent this blast: Steam/Fire Belch
[Range 20/40 • Load Special • 3 (P) • 4 (F) • 5 (H) • Harm
Rank C]. The Automaton Variation is
compatible with the original rules as
• Frame of Steel: You possess tremendous physical
presented in Castle Falkenstein and the
power. While Physique is used as usual to determine
Fearful Harm & Great Danger rules from
Health Points, you can lift a maximum of 800 pounds
Comme il Faut.
and bend steel bars with effort.

56