reaper78's illustration was so interesting I was compelled to turn it into a D&D character. Here goes:
COMMIT - The Steam KnightGrim, unfaltering, fixed of purposeCommit was one of the first warforged ever created. He was one of House Canninth's early experiments with artificial intelligence, and was considered a qualified success; later warforged were tuned for greater flexibility of mind. He belonged to the Order of the Steam Knights, a squad of elite warforged called upon to protect VIPs; in this calling, they were never known to fail.
The Steam Knights were one of a handful of squads who first demonstrated the power and effectiveness of warforged on the battlefield. With their success, House Canninth committed more resources to warforged development, beginning an arms race which would alter the course of the Last War. Once more advanced models of warforged were available, the Steam Knights were surplussed. Commit was sold at auction and ended up working for a series of owners, most of whom appreciated his quiet professionalism. Eventually a master decided he'd earned his freedom and emancipated him.
260 years ago, Commit was riding in a caravan with Wynn, a gnome with whom he'd become fast friends. The caravan was ambushed by highwaymen; the two of them attempted to defend, and Wynn was killed. Over his friend's objections, Commit swore over Wynn's dying body that he would avenge him. He has spent the intervening time searching fruitlessly for Wynn's killer, an elf with long black hair.
Over the intervening centuries, Commit has utterly exhausted all available leads and finds himself at loose ends. The elf could be anywhere, or already dead, but Commit finds himself unable to turn away from the task before him. His mental makeup forbids him from forsaking his promise, despite the unlikelihood that it will ever succeed, and so he travels from town to town with a well-worn drawing, asking if anyone knows of this man. He will continue this task until his death or the completion of his task, whichever comes first.
In combat, Commit determines an objective and then pursues it regardless of danger to his person. He will never back down from a task once it has been locked in. The counterpoint to this is that he can be slow to make up his mind, and is very difficult to talk into any position he didn't choose himself. He moves with a plodding determination, choosing powers that keep him alive and draw his targets toward him, and never ones that cause teleportation. Commit's fixity of purpose has gotten him in trouble on numerous occasions; he often lacks the ability to react to the changing tides of battle, and more than once this has led him to the brink of destruction. That is why he now seeks the aid of companions. Once he has established trust with a member of the party, he will teach them the location of his restraining switch. Rotating the knob on the back of his neck one quarter turn to the right will disable his cognitive functions for the rest of the fight. Commit weighs over 500 pounds, so he is too heavy for most characters to carry, but his legs will keep him upright and move him in whatever direction he is pushed or pulled until his cognitive functions resume. Every 30 minutes, he has a 25% chance to restart and "wake up".
The Creation Forge that built him was destroyed long ago, but he carries a complete set of his own schematics within his positronic brain; very few of his parts are so complex they cannot be recreated at any blacksmith's forge. When damaged, countless gears and pistons can be seen within his frame; significant damage causes gouts of steam to erupt from his person, which must be replenished with clean water.
Commit is dour and stern, with a dark sense of humor. He seldom speaks and laughs even more rarely, but when something does catch his fancy the result hardly sounds like laughter: "Huh. Huh, huh, huh." Shining yellow pinpricks peer out of his visored helmet, which is bonded directly onto his steel skeleton. Glowing slats are visible in the blade of his broadsword, which is of a piece with him; steam blasts from the slats and trails from vents in his shoulders when he channels a daily power, which he rarely does except in the pursuit of an objective he considers essential.
