Dogmatic

**Dogmatics**, sometimes called **Clockwork Men** on the Material Plane, were the native inhabitants of Dogma and the representatives of the Mandate of Order. They were built by the Inevitables to assist with the maintenance of the Great Machine, but many leave Dogma to spread Law to areas of the cosmos infested with Chaos.

## Description

The Dogmatic were tall, stocky automatons who resembled other bipeds such as humans and elves. They were built to exacting standards, such that any two Dogmatics on the plane of Law were almost indistinguishable. All Dogmatics were built from metal fibers, woven together like rope, with large metal plates fused to them.

It was only when a Dogmatic left the plane of Law that any sense of individuality appeared. From their creation, all were sapient, intelligent creatures that could solve novel problems, but the oppressive nature of the plane prevented them from ever developing personhood. Like all things, they are corruptible to Chaos, and so spending time away from Dogma leaves many with "unnatural traits", such as individualism, creativity, and a sense of humor. While some feared these changes and opted to return to Dogma, where such things would be reset, others found the loss of Free Will too great a sacrifice.

Once a Dogmatic had spent time away from Dogma, they often changed their appearance to match their new sense of identity. Replacing their body plates with pieces of armor, or inscribing sigils or runes to distinguish themselves, and even simply painting painting over their pallid grey bodies.

## Personality

Most Dogmatics avoided spending time on any Chaos-aligned plane, the Material Plane included. Deep in their mechanical minds was a hardwired desire to conform, and to uphold the perfection of their creation. Often, the first sign of individualism occurred while away on missionary duties, where they were required to break with tradition to further their goals. There was no formal rule against such actions, only the innate desire within each Dogmatic to follow the path of Law. Once those behaviors began to present themselves, many returned to Dogma to be "cleansed", as the powers of the plane of Law removed any traces of deviancy.

For those Dogmatics that remained, the urge to obey the proper order only lessened, but never went away entirely. Although they developed individualism, the idea of breaking the law, or even worse breaking oaths, was anathema to them. To them, good and evil were less important than lawfulness, and thus some fell in with tyrannical organizations that had strict hierarchies. The Baatezu frequently sought them out, as they made excellent commanders in the Blood War, with little ambition and absolute commitment to their contract. The fact they were in a position to oppose the endless Chaotic forces of The Abyss made the deal all the sweeter, though any Dogmatic would jump at the opportunity to kill slaads. Born of pure Chaotic energy, the Slaad were the existential enemy of all who hailed from Dogma.

## Abilities

Dogmatic were tenacious and disciplined, and their mechanical bodies made them incredibly resilient. Things that would kill any other species outright, such as powerful poisons or deep wounds, were often of little consequence. Lost limbs could be reattached by a skilled smith, they required no food or water to survive, and seemed to never tire, even from strenuous activities. These qualities made them ideal soldiers, and those that found their way to the Material Plane were often a sought after commodity.

Most Dogmatic favored martial combat, finding the discipline and rigor of training and ordered combat to align with their innate inclinations. Many became monks for the same reasons, finding the ascetic lifestyle easy to fall into. As they were sentient, they were capable of producing magic, so some chose to study the arcane, as learning to cast spells by hand was a tedious and difficult art. Despite this, since Dogmatic were not biological they lacked the bloodline to conjure magic innately, and relied on study or pacts.

One notable talent was their ability to interpret language. Although they learned to speak languages much like other species, their innate sense of order allowed them to read and process written words even if they had never spoken the language before. Much like solving a code, they could read the text and pick out patterns that held the meaning of words and phrases. Give a Dogmatic enough time, and they could translate just about anything, regardless of what language it was written in.

## Society

The Dogmatic lacked any true idea of a culture unto themselves. So few left the Great Machine that they were unlikely to meet another while away. When several Dogmatic did each other, as some times happened in the employ of a liege lord or crime boss, they would become inseparable and worked far better together than alone. Some went on to form knightly orders, such as the Brotherhood of the Cog, or monasteries dedicated to the study of Free Will or the Mandate of Order.

#### **On Dogma**

On Dogma, the Dogmatic were classified by what purpose they had been built for.

* **Mechanists** - Those Dogmatic built to repair, maintain, and build Inevitables. They also assisted in the maintenance of the Great Machine, with its enormously complicated internal mechanisms and need for exacting precision. They rarely left the plane, as their duties were constant and vital, but those that did most often found themselves working as craftsmen.
* **Missionaries** - The class most likely to leave Dogma, missionaries were sent to visit the other planes and spread the Mandate of Order. They might travel between villages, ingratiating themselves with locals to influence their legal theory or social order. While not ostensibly warriors, they often came into conflict with the myriad chaotic species that populated the multiverse.
* **Warforged** - More likely to return to Dogma than missionaries, Warforged fit their namesake, with a temperament for battle and combat. They were bulkier, more durable, and more highly adept at the use of weapons than their other brethren. Many were sent as shock assault teams to destroy slaad mercenaries in the material plane, or aid other lawful creatures on crusades into The Abyss.

#### **Relationship with Other Races**

Dogmatic most often got along with Dwarves, as their regimented and collectivist society appealed to the Dogmatic desire for purpose. They also got along well with Humans, who were often lawful in nature, desiring order and civilization. The fact the Dogmatic despised goblinoids and the Orcs made them quick friends with more civilized races, who at the very least considered them allies.

#### **Religion**

The Dogmatic were rarely religious, as was common amongst native outsiders. They considered the idea of deities as being far more mundane than commonfolk on the Material Plane, and thus considered worshipping them to be like worshipping a parent. Of all things, they were most like to worship the idea of Law itself, rather than any single entity. The Mandate of Order, the force of Law in the universe, was in existential opposition to the forces of Chaos, and many assumed the mantle of missionary and crusader to champion that cause. Some others worshipped Primus, the greatest of the Inevitables, though it refused to indulge such behaviors.