A city is not gauged by its length and width

What wonderful beauty can be found wandering these city streets. - Art by: Quique Alcatena

Cast out by accident of birth, they are foreign to all worlds but their own. Called Fracti, a word meaning 'broken' in a dead language, they are but wanderers with strange skills. Their forms are strange, lacking the surreal celestial heads of one parent and the mundane one of the other. With heads of tools, machines, books, and vapors, these poor souls work harder than most to find a place fore themselves in this city. Rare, and subject to rumor, they avoid 'polite' society out of shame or disdain. Finding homes among the fringes, these broken children explore unknown reaches to gain the success that has been denied them.

Sometimes, when two worlds collide, a better one is created. - Susan Gale

While dalliances have occurred between the Breksta and other races, they are frowned upon due to the possibility of progeny being spawned from such unions. Breksta who do not wish to be shunned by their own people, purposely end 'monstrous' pregnancies. Those who are born of the union of a Breksta and another race are called Fracti, and are shunned more so than their parents.

It is impossible to determine what 'kind' of Fracti will come from a particular union of Breksta and other. Race and gender of the Breksta in the union seems to bear no known influence. Of those that can be born, the Ferramenti tend to find integration into mundane society the easiest. Ferramenti are born with heads and necks of tools that seamlessly meld into the flesh of the collar of their humanoid bodies. No matter the race of the other parent, the Ferramenti always possess human like bodies with skin coloration that can run the normal gamut of human tones. Like their Breksta parent, the Ferramenti tend to be larger than normal humans. Even in the case of being born of Gamayun mother, emerging from an over-large egg, the Ferramenti will be born with a humanoid body. The Ferramenti, as with all the Fracti, have an average life expectancy that is generally an average between that of the Breksta parent (192 years) and the race of the other parent. As with the other Fracti, the Ferramenti are believed to be 'mules', though the Infinite City allows for many things beyond belief.

Ferramenti are the quintessential craftsmen, needing only their hands to complete any job put before them. Among the Fracti, the Ferramenti and the Apparati (to be covered in a later post) have the greatest chance to find gainful employment, often being sought by various employers due to their capabilities in repairing complex machinery. While rare, the Ferramenti have been known to gain enough wealth from their employment to live very comfortably. 

A very prosperous Ferramenti.

 

OSR / AD&D / LotFP

+ 1 Strength (7 / 18)

+/- 0 Dexterity (3 / 18)

+1 Constitution (3 / 18)

+ 2 Intelligence (8 / 18)

+/- 0 Wisdom (8 / 18)

- 2 Charisma (3 / 18)

The Ferramenti are known to be able to work out solutions to difficult problems with ease, however, they are often taciturn and awkward around others. Due to being large than average humans, they tend to have greater strength and endurance.

Ferramenti possess 360 degree vision and are immune to gaze attacks. They require +5% more experience to level up as compared to other races.

Hands for tools: Ferramenti only require their hands when undertaking a task or project, having no need for tools. They may grip a bolt, and turn it easily as if their hand were a wrench, or press their fingertip to the head of a screw and turn it as if their finger was a screwdriver. Their hands do not morph or change, rather whatever they are working on behaves as if their hands were the proper tools. Crowbar, chisel, hammer, screwdriver, awl, or any other tool without moving parts can be replicated by their hands. This ability grants a number of advantages:

AD&D

This ability grants the character +15% bonus to the Open Locks and Remove Traps (but not finding) skills. Due to their innate understanding of tools and the work that can be done with them, a non-rogue is granted use of the Open Locks and Remove Traps (but not finding) skills. The base value for these skills, before stat adjustments, is: 25% (Open Locks) and 20% (Remove Traps). Unless the character gains levels in the Rogue class, they can never increase these skills. Finally, this ability grants a +3 bonus to any Skill Proficiency use that would benefit from, or require, the use of tools.

LotFP

This ability grants a +1 bonus to the Tinkering skill (X out of 6 System). This ability also grants a +3 to D20 rolls for miscellaneous tasks that would benefit from, or require, the use of tools.

One of the many tools the Ferramenti can emulate.

Additional Abilities

Trap Finder: This ability allows the character to cast Detect Traps a number of times per day equal to ½ their level (rounded up). The caster level is equal to their character level. Requires +5% extra experience to level up.

Fixer: This ability allows the character to cast Mending a number of times per day equal to their level. The caster level is equal to their character level. Requires +5% extra experience to level up.

Hands for Weapons: This ability allows the character to treat their hands as any one-handed melee weapon that does not have moving or complex parts. This ability cannot grant the character any extra reach for striking purposes. The character's hands must be empty in order to use this ability. Requires +5% extra experience to level up.

Hands for Shields: This ability allows the character to treat their hands as shields, granting them an AC bonus. The character's hands must be empty in order to use this ability. If both hands are empty, they may treated as carrying two shields. Requires +5% extra experience to level up.

This is the original picture I altered. Its from the 19th century, so no copyright!