The Malfunctioning Inevitable

The hoard of terrible creatures roiled from the buildings, horns and thorns rising from their smoldering flesh. The demons hissed and roared, snarled and clawed, burning saliva dripping from their maws as they sought prey to rend and tear.

A figure stood before them. They were tall and broad, dressed in simple steel armor. They carried a shield on their arm, and a sword in their other hand. They waited patiently, as if the onrushing tide of terrible, damned things were no more distressing than a cloud passing over the sun. The demons stared at the figure, sensing the light that burned within them. As one they turned, and charged.

"There are too many of them," a small, mechanical voice said. Opticon, the creature of whirling bronze and copper gears and spheres, said as its mechanical wings beat, keeping it airborne. "Your chance of victory is less than a single percent chance. You were not made for this!"

The figure he spoke to raised its sword, and when it spoke there was a surety in its voice. "You are mistaken," Orion said, the smile in their voice impossible to ignore. "This is precisely what I was made for."

Iron Wills and Silicone Skin

Inevitables are construct-like outsiders that were created by the axiomites for the sole and express purpose of enforcing cosmic law, and standing against the forces of chaos. They are meant to serve their purpose, and to act without emotion, or to waver from that purpose. They pass judgment, and they enforce the law.

But what if one of them malfunctioned in a unique fashion? What if it deviated from this programming, and began to learn, to grow, and then to feel? What if it understood that to merely enforce the law and dispense punishment was not sufficient... it must also seek to do good, and to temper its judgment with understanding and compassion?

This is how one winds up with a unique story behind an android paladin.

We begin with a basis of an android, who has been inhabited by the spiritual programming of a particular inevitable. It awakens in this new form, and immediately seeks to follow its purpose and programming. However, something is different. Perhaps it's this mortal form that was meant to experience things in ways a traditional inevitable isn't, or maybe the character has the Empathy merit. Either way, this chassis gives the Malfunctioning Inevitable a new understanding of the world it exists in, as well as a connection to a divine source it did not possess previously.

This concept works with most paladin archetypes. Whether one wishes to use a traditional paladin, to opt for the Wisdom-based choice of Tortured Crusader, or to go with something unique or specialized like the Holy Gun or Undead Scourge archetype. The idea is that the soul finds itself drawn to greater heroism than it was before, utilizing powers and abilities it didn't previously possess, while also feeling that familiar parts of itself are gone, traded to exist in this current form.

To add onto this concept, it can even be fun to have a lesser inevitable attempting to contact the paladin, or to lead them back to be "repaired" so they can function properly again. Taking feats like the Familiar Bond and Improved Familiar can grant you a companion like an Arbiter, or you could use the Chosen One archetype found in the Familiar Folio. More powerful inevitables might be selected via the Divine Bond class feature, or via the Leadership feat, if one works with their Game Master to find an acceptable option.

The throughline of this concept, though, is to watch a machine who was based on laws and consequences grow into a more nuanced character with a broader personality, and a deeper understanding in how they pursue their noble goals and ends. Characters like the Iron Giant, the Terminator, and even the journey we see Data go through are all examples of the emotional arc of the Malfunctioning Inevitable, which can make it very appealing to a lot of players who want to tell that kind of story in their own way.

For further reading on the subject, check out the following articles as well:

- 5 Paladin Multiclass Character Concepts Your Table Won't Expect

- The Paladin Spymaster

- The Farm Boy Paladin

- The Pill-Popping Paladin

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That's all for this week's Unusual Character Concepts post!

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