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POPPET

ANCESTRY

RARE

CONSTRUCT

HUMANOID

Hit Points 6

Size Small; Speed 25 feet

Ability Boosts Constitution, Charisma, Free; Ability Flaw Dexterity

Languages Common

Additional Languages equal to your Intelligence modifier (if positive). Choose from Draconic, Dwarven, Elven, Gnomish, Goblin, Sylvan, and any other languages to which you have access (such as the languages prevalent in your region).

Senses Darkvision

Constructed The materials of your body resist ailments that assail the flesh. You gain a +1 circumstance bonus to saving throws against death effects, disease, and poison as well as to saving throws against effects that would give you the drained, paralyzed, or sickened conditions. Your spark of life means that you’re a living creature, and you can be healed by positive energy and harmed by negative energy as normal.

Flammable You have weakness to fire damage equal to one-third your level (minimum 1).

Poppets are small, basic constructs that typically help their owners with simple tasks. Occasionally, poppets gain sapience, independence, and a spark of life. Elevated beyond mere helpers or playthings, these poppets are free to chart their own destinies.

Most commonly made of cloth, wicker, and wood, poppets are among the simplest of constructs. They serve as helpers to fetch tools, clean dishes, tidy rooms, or perform other light tasks. Their size and appearance vary, but nearly all poppets appear humanoid in shape and between 1 to 3 feet tall. They’re usually roughly made with button eyes sewn onto blank faces, strings of yarn in place of hair, and a simple dress or tunic made from coarse, cheap cloth. Wealthy families sometimes purchase poppets as toys, with their squishy bodies and stitched smiles, to keep their children company. Most poppets can’t speak and lack the intellect to understand speech beyond preprogrammed orders. Poppets can become familiars, as presented on page 123 of the Lost Omens Pathfinder Society Guide.

Very, very rarely, a common poppet spontaneously manifests a spark of life—a tiny bit of life essence— and becomes a thinking, independent creature. These events are exceedingly rare; fewer than one in a thousand gain this spark. A poppet might manifest this life essence through a magical fluke in its construction, a brush with ephemeral spirits, or even the fervent wish of a loving child. Whatever their origin, the poppets described here as an ancestry have their own life and free will. They might consider their creators or former owners to be friends, but they acknowledge no one as their master and often leave comfortable homes or workshops to seek their place in the world.

Sapient living poppets usually refer to themselves as “awakened” to indicate the moment they gained clear and true self‑awareness. Poppets might talk about this event as the time they “popped up,” “woke up,” or “sparked alive.” Most poppets celebrate two special anniversaries each year: the day of their initial creation (which, for most poppets, they must learn secondhand or by studying their creator’s records) and the day they awoke to true consciousness.

You Might...

  • Like surprising others with your unexpected cleverness and eloquence.
  • Seek out other self‑aware beings that most people might overlook.
  • Rely on your harmless appearance to trick others.

Others Probably...

  • Mistake you for a toy.
  • Doubt your ability to handle tasks that require any dexterity or complex thought.
  • Wonder whether your mundane form conceals other magical marvels.

Physical Description

Living poppets are both humanoids and constructs, which gives them some of the benefits and drawbacks of each category. Their bodies are usually made of wood and wicker, but they can be made of cloth, leather, tin, stuffing, or delicate clockwork. Either way, poppets burn or melt quickly and must take care to avoid fire. They virtually never look alike, as each is created from unique and unusual circumstances.

Poppets are fully alert and self‑aware when they awaken to sentience; although they might not know much at first, they instantly gain intelligence and consciousness. They must breathe and sleep, and they must consume food and water each day; through a sort of magical digestion they can restore rips, tears, or scuffs in their physical form. Poppets don’t age the same way fleshy creatures do, but they slowly wear down in physical form as well as in mental acuity. A poppet that tends to their body and mind (and takes care to avoid fire) can live up to 30 years.

Society

Free‑willed poppets are so rare that almost no such poppet has met another. Poppets normally live with larger creatures, though not always their creators, and tend to get along well in societies sized for larger creatures. Most live in cities because that’s where toy makers, clockwork crafters, and other specialists have their shops, but poppets created by lonely hermits or reclusive inventors might prefer a life in the wilderness.

Poppets often stay on the lookout for other creatures who, like them, have stumbled into self‑awareness. They might have regular conversations with animated objects, golems, houseplants, statues, or toys, in which they’re deeply polite out of a desire to leave a good impression for the time when the object “wakes up.”

Alignment and Religion

Ordinary poppets are built as helpers and companions, and awakened poppets tend to retain this drive to aid others. They’re therefore generally good, and more poppets are lawful than chaotic. Some spend their time trying to uncover secrets of their creation, find others like them, or keep out of trouble; these poppets are generally neutral in alignment. Poppets aren’t typically religious unless a particular faith defined their creation, such as being made from scraps of Iomedaean altar cloth or woven from reeds around a sacred Gozren pool. These poppets tend to be vocally religious, even zealous, in their faith. Poppets who find religion later in their lives often revere Brigh, Casandalee, or Nethys.

Names

Poppets generally choose their own names, usually descriptive nicknames based on their materials, patterns, size, or demeanor. They tend to pick up and shed nicknames throughout their lives, and they happily adopt nicknames given to them by people they like. A poppet fashioned to look like a particular person, such as a doll sewn to resemble a deceased child, might proudly take the name of that person.

Sample Names

Burlap, Buttoneyes, Checker, Clockwhirr, Fivestitch, Nettle, Scramble, Stuffing, Taffeta, Tattercap

POPPETS OF THE INNER SEA

Awkward and endearing, poppets are well‑regarded in all but the most insular and superstitious communities of Golarion. They’re known to be able, helpful, and loyal little creatures who support a master’s work or make an aristocrat’s life easier, which is particularly true in large trade cities such as Absalom, Almas, the city of Katapesh, and Katheer. The key difference between ordinary poppets and living poppets, in most people’s experiences, is responsive speech. Ordinary poppets usually can’t talk; if they can, they reproduce only a few preprogrammed phrases by rote. They normally communicate with strangers via notes pinned to their bodies, like walking note boards. Awakened poppets not only talk but carry on lengthy, expressive conversations, which likely strikes even the most jaded urbanite as a marvelous wonder.

In regions where an entrenched nobility enjoys flaunting their wealth, poppets are even built specifically as toys. Taldor and Cheliax teem with aristocrats who pamper their children, grooming them for a life of leisure and devotion to family honor. These children have the best and most expensive toys, including poppets in fancy, frilly clothing. Such poppets are sometimes armed with subtle weaponry to fight against kidnappers or assassins who threaten their charges. Commoners in these nations treat poppets with deference and caution, as no one wants to risk the wrath of a spoiled scion. Awakened poppets from these lands sometimes believe themselves members of the aristocracy and can be snooty.

In nations such as Nex, Osirion, and Katapesh, where magic flows freely, construct servitors are common. As many people expect to see familiars and homunculi in their daily routines, a busy poppet rarely draws much attention. Such poppets are assumed to be on tasks for powerful masters, but they don’t command too much respect—after all, if the task were truly important, the master wouldn’t have sent a simple poppet. Poppets in these regions can expect to have to wait in lines, pester trade workers to get their attention, or barter like anyone else. They also tend to have simple and functional appearances with few ornamentations and a tendency to look shabby from years of work. Thus, poppets from these lands have a deeper understanding of common folk from spending so much time shoulder to shoulder (or, more likely, shoulder to thigh) among them.

Some poppets originate from crafted sophistication more so than magical skill. They might be cunning clockworks with interlocking piston‑powered gears or simply wood and wicker with ingenious hinges and well‑calibrated mechanisms inside. Others might look like toy soldiers or have visages of smooth, thin metal. Such poppets are most common in Alkenstar, Numeria, or around Absalom’s Clockwork Cathedral. They often worry about rust, grit, or water spoiling their inner workings, to the point of being fussy.

There are few areas where poppets are outright feared, but Ustalav is one of them. Whispered stories of ghosts or curses tell tales of common objects, or even toys, given dread animation to inflict misery on a household, making citizens highly suspicious of poppets. This belief is unfortunate because Ustalav has more than its share of the creatures; eccentric inventors, professors desperate to prove abstruse theories, and possessing spirits from beyond the grave might give a poppet the spark of life. These poppets learn caution quickly, lest they be thrown into a bonfire or lake.

Because they’re made from fragile materials, most poppets don’t last very long before breaking down. A few rare exceptions survive from powerful ancient empires with well‑known mastery of constructs, such as the Azlanti Empire or the Jistka Imperium. These poppets might be incredibly old—older than they’ll ever know, as such poppets awakened recently within an ancient ruin usually have no solid recollections of their creators or their original purpose. These poppets pose perhaps the deepest mysteries, as they might hold the keys to unlock secrets of lost civilizations.

Poppet Origins

It’s rare to find two poppets that look alike, but the most significant and defining characteristic of a poppet isn’t what they’re made of. Rather, it’s how they were imbued with life and independent thought. Magic animates most poppets, and those awakened gain their spark of life and sentience when something goes slightly off‑kilter with their enchantment. For unknown reasons—perhaps an accident or a creator’s errant tinkering—a spark of life explodes into being, and a formerly lifeless series of nested commands and calculations synthesize together as true thought. The poppet suddenly gains life and self‑awareness, the ability to speak and reason, and a desire for freedom.

In some cases, a poppet’s life essence originally belonged to another being. An errant fragment of a departed soul, psychic impression, or similar ephemeral sliver lodges within the little construct, and the poppet’s magic fashions an entirely unique personality around it. A poppet awakened this way might have occasional glimpses into the being who donated this essence, but their life, mind, and soul are thereafter their own.

The rarest, and perhaps most precious, poppets are brought to life with love. These are faithful assistants or beloved toys that someone earnestly, honestly wished would become “real.” There’s more magic in the world than found in formulas and litanies, and this wish magic awakens poppets in the best of circumstances: knowing they’re cherished and able to respond with love of their own.

Poppet Adventurers

Poppets like helping others and experiencing new things; both of these motivations lead naturally into the life of an adventurer. They aren’t generally driven by a lust for treasure, but they like adorning themselves with pretty accoutrement and using their finds to better the lives of others. The acolyte, entertainer, and laborer backgrounds are good choices for many poppets, as are cook, scavenger, and servant (Advanced Player’s Guide 48–49). Poppets who watched their creator work might have the artist, hermit, or tinker background to reflect what they’ve seen. Because poppets like to help others, they gravitate toward becoming bards or champions. Some might think that poppets’ small size and general clumsiness make them poor fighters or rangers, but certain poppets embrace these classes out of a drive to display their bravery and prove the naysayers wrong.

Poppet Settlements

Poppets don’t often meet another of their kind, much less settle down together. Poppet-only settlements simply don’t exist or are so remote as to be wholly unknown. Instead, poppets are most common in large cities, surrounded by the bustle of crowds. Any place where people appreciate skilled artisans, whether in cloth or clockworks, is a good place to find simple poppets, and thus awakened poppets are more likely to be found in bigger cities like Absalom, Katapesh, and Quantium. Poppets usually have a network of allies to draw upon in their communities; for many poppets, this network includes their creator and their creator’s associates, but even poppets who don’t know their creator tend to make themselves useful and liked.

Poppet Motives

Nearly all poppets are interested in helping others and finding more creatures like themselves, and both these motivations are excellent for adventure. Yet, a poppet might have any number of other, more personal motives. A poppet might adventure to find a cure for a terminally ill creator, carry out the dying wish of a deceased friend, or complete the life’s goal of a spirit that awakened within them, even if the poppet doesn’t know who that person was in life. A poppet might take up arms to rescue kidnapped friends or save endangered children. Poppets aren’t often greedy, but some might adventure to adorn their simple forms with gemstone eyes, golden thread, or other flashy accoutrements.

Poppets in Society

It might seem strange to picture a poppet walking into a general store to buy rope and jerky, but such occurrences aren’t uncommon in urban areas. Poppets are, after all, designed to handle mundane tasks, so people aren’t likely to call attention to a poppet going about routine business in such communities. People might even help the poppet out by leaning a plank so it can reach a counter or adjusting a heavy load—thinking that, by doing so, they’re aiding a powerful or influential owner. Talk is likely to circulate, however, if the poppet is active in a small settlement where such helper constructs are unknown, or if the poppet is engaged in some truly unusual tasks, like giving a speech or dragging in a slain monster for a bounty.

TABLE 1: POPPET HERITAGES
Exclusive Heritages Description
ghost poppetLOTGB You awakened when a bit of another person’s life force and a fragment of their soul—possibly, but not always, at the moment of their death—found its way into your constructed body.
stuffed poppetLOTGB You have little inside you other than cotton, sawdust, or dried leaves.
toy poppetLOTGB You have the form of a child’s tiny toy or doll, but you don’t let your small size impede your joy of life.
windup poppetLOTGB You’re made primarily of soft metals, such as tin or silver, and your life force dwells within an exceptional array of clockworks deep in your body.
wishborn poppetLOTGB You were wished to life, either by a powerful spellcaster or by the earnest desire of an innocent person who loved you very much.
Versatile Heritages Description
ArdandeRE Your elemental heritage is reflected in the oils and fragrances of plants, in tree resin that fossilizes into amber, or in the gentle smell of a flower.
ReflectionDA You were created as a duplicate of another creature, intentionally or accidentally, though you might not know of your origins.
TalosRE Your physical features reflect the influence a zuhra or other metal elemental has had over your bloodline.
draconic scionBAD You possess the power of dragons, whether you descended from dragons, learned from dragons, were transformed by exposure to draconic energy, or reincarnated from a past life as a dragon.
TABLE 2: POPPET ANCESTRY FEATS
Level 1 Poppet Feats Prerequisites Benefits
Harmless DollLOTGB — You look like nothing more than an ordinary toy, doll, or statuette, and you can fool others with your innocuous appearance.
Helpful PoppetLOTGB — You’re particularly skilled at helping others with a task.
rLet’s Try That AgainSG-04 — You feel a sense of deja vu when you’ve made a mistake, almost as if you weren’t so careless in a past life and could certainly do better if given another chance.
rLike a RoachSG-04 — Living with the bare necessities isn’t terribly hard for someone who has defied death, and like a cockroach, you always know how to survive.
QuadrupedLOTGB — You were crafted in a form with four legs rather than two.
Shiny Button EyesLOTGB — You’ve polished your eyes to reflect the smallest details in dimmest light.
Wash OutLOTGB — Toxins seep out of your artificial body quickly.
rWeight of ExperienceSG-04 — The experience you’ve accumulated over multiple lifetimes envelops you like a weighted blanket, providing comfort and bestowing confidence under pressure.
rWisdom From Another LifeSG-04 — You absorbed a wide variety of facts before you died, and your soul still remembers slivers of this precious knowledge.
Level 5 Poppet Feats Prerequisites Benefits
rAnimal Soul SiblingsSG-04 — Your eyes have been opened to the spiritual essence suffusing the world.
Cunning TinkerLOTGB — Time spent tending to your own form has unlocked your ability to fix other things.
rEmpathy IncarnateSG-04 — Reincarnation has given you a compassionate perspective and enabled you to relate to almost everyone you speak with, putting them at ease and quickly generating trust.
rFey InfluenceLOIL — You have been exposed to powerful fey magic.
Histrionic InjuryLOTGB — You respond with a startled look, dramatic pratfall, or theatrical arm-flailing that stymies your attacker.
rI’Ve Had Many JobsSG-04 — Finding and excelling at odd jobs is child’s play to one who has worked many occupations during many lives.
Nothing But FluffLOTGB stuffed poppet heritage Your fluffy interior lacks specific organs and struts, with few weak spots to injure.
rReincarnated RidiculerSG-04 — You’ve practiced the art of taunting an enemy, ensuring they know death will only make you stronger.
Sealed PoppetLOTGB — You’ve reinforced your interior parts with sealant or other flame-retardant materials, protecting you from fire.
rSleep of the RebornSG-04 — Philosophers compare the cycle of life, death, and rebirth to sleeping, dreaming, and waking.
Spark of IndependenceLOTGB — You touch a creature with the minion trait and share the heightened sense of autonomy you’ve discovered.
Swimming PoppetLOTGB — Your fins, flippers, or other accessories assist with steering you through water.
Level 9 Poppet Feats Prerequisites Benefits
rDrain EmotionLOIL Fey Influence You touch an adjacent creature and attempt to draw out its excess emotion.
rFey AscensionLOIL Fey Influence The fey influence on your form and features grows even more powerful and notable.
rLingering EchoesSG-04 — Not everyone is reincarnated, and you feel a strong connection with the spiritual echoes of those who didn’t receive the same opportunity as you.
rPlant Soul SiblingsSG-04 Animal Soul Siblings You’re now able to connect with the spirits present in the greenery of the natural world.
rRapid RetrainingSG-04 — Some feel trapped by their choices and have a tough time reinventing themselves.
Scaling PoppetLOTGB — Your construction integrates ropes, hooks, or other tools to help you move across steep surfaces.
Wheedle and JigLOTGB — You make capering motions and silly sounds to captivate onlookers.
rYou Seem Somewhat FamiliarSG-04 — You fought hundreds of foes in your various past lives, and now and then, something about a new opponent tugs at your memory, almost as if you defeated their grandparent long ago.
Level 13 Poppet Feats Prerequisites Benefits
rCannibalize MagicLOIL Fey Influence The fey magic inside of you is a vital part of your body, and you can steal other sources of magic to replenish yours.
rClinging to LifeSG-04 — This life still holds much for you, and you aren’t ready to fall back into the River of Souls just yet.
rEldritch CalmLOIL Fey Influence Your fey heritage has altered your mindset to more resemble the uncanny perspective of the fey.
rGlamourLOIL Fey Influence You unlock a new level of fey power and can manipulate the perceptions of others using a font of First World magic.
rI Sense MalevolenceSG-04 — Your time in theRiver of Souls has given you deep insight into the machinations of those who refuse to move on.
uImpossible GossipLOTGB — You can speak to inanimate objects, finding a magical spark within them similar to the one that animated you.
rLinguistic RevivalSG-04 — You achieved fluency in different languages with each reincarnation, and your brain remembers much of the grammar, idioms, and obscenities that you spouted in old lives.
rPain Is TemporarySG-04 — Sangpotshi practitioners know that suffering is a fleeting sensation that ultimately strengthens the soul and prepares it for a new reincarnation.
Reanimating SparkLOTGB — The magic that animates you strains to keep you alive.
Squirm FreeLOTGB — You’re used to slipping out of a bigger creature’s grasp or escaping a child’s overly enthusiastic hug.
rStone Soul SiblingsSG-04 Plant Soul Siblings Your connection with nature’s spirits has progressed to the point where you can even have casual conversation with pebbles and boulders.
rUnbreakable ResolveSG-04 — The experience of coming back after death has granted you a strong sense of resolve; devilish words, slick spells, and conniving trickery can’t easily catch you off guard.
Level 17 Poppet Feats Prerequisites Benefits
rBoneyard AcquaintanceSG-04 — Before your soul returned to the Material Plane, you interacted with a host of other souls on their way to the Boneyard.
rFey TranscendenceLOIL Fey Influence You become a powerful fey creature, gaining strengths tied to the First World but also some of the weakness against which all fey must contend.
rIndomitable SpiritSG-04 — Your soul has accumulated countless particles of quintessence over myriad deaths and rebirths, and for one moment, this raw material from the Great Beyond envelops you and your comrades.
rRelease the LightSG-04 — Many people report seeing a bright light before their death.
RestitchLOTGB — You’ve learned how to sew even the most terrible tears and wounds together.
rSee You in HellSG-04 — You aren’t sure if you’ll be reincarnated again, so you might as well take this foe with you.
Soaring PoppetLOTGB — Your construction has flaps of cloth or wicker that can keep you aloft.
rThis Time, Bring the BodySG-04 — Death sends a soul into the River of Souls.