Frames are powered mechanical extensions of the body that became ubiquitous during the Fourth Age, combining advanced engineering with Rift-powered enchantment. They range from species-specific Exoframes that augment or replace parts of the wearer's body, to enlarged Powerframes whose operator's limbs remain inside the machine's limbs, to Mechframes, where the entire pilot is protected within the torso. Originally developed for mobility, construction, hazardous environments, and space operations, Frames proved equally adaptable to warfare. Armor, ward projectors, weapons, industrial tools, thrusters, and other equipment are simply outfittings applied to the underlying Frame, making the technology one of the defining tools of the Mortal Space Age.
Frame
Typical frame height
Typical operators
Defining anatomy
Typical uses
Exoframe
Wearer-sized
Any species, but built specifically around that species/body plan
Wearer's hands reach the Frame's hands and feet reach its feet; Frame closely follows actual anatomy
Mobility aids, prosthetics, strength/endurance enhancement, EVA, armored infantry, medical support, industrial work
Compact Powerframe
~6 ft
~3–5 ft humanoids: Halflings, Gnomes, Goblins, Dwarves, similar species
Wearer's limbs occupy machine limbs; real elbows/knees align, but hands terminate inside forearms and feet inside lower legs
~5–7 ft humanoids: Humans, Elves, Hobgoblins, Caninefolk, Gnolls, most Beastfolk
Same
General military use, exploration, rescue, construction, EVA, cargo, hazardous industry
Heavy Powerframe
~11 ft
~7–9 ft humanoids: Half-Orcs, Orcs, Bovinefolk, Rhinofolk, Mammothfolk, similar species
Same
Heavy infantry, breaching, mining, construction, heavy cargo, hazardous industry
Mechframe
~15 ft+, no upper limit
Most ~3–9 ft species with sufficiently compact humanoid anatomy; operator proportions matter little once they fit inside the pilot pod
Entire operator contained within the torso; no operator limbs enter the machine's arms or legs
Construction, mining, cargo, EVA, underwater work, exploration, base building, combat, boarding, siege work, specialized heavy machinery
Exoframes
Powerframes
Powerframes developed an unintentionally uncanny resemblance to the Wardens. Because the operator's body still had to fit within the frame's limbs, increasing a Powerframe's height primarily lengthened its empty forearms and lower legs rather than greatly increasing its bulk. Larger models therefore tended toward the tall, slender proportions traditionally attributed to the nearly mythical Wardens. By the Fourth Age, this resemblance was deliberately exploited by rulers and other powerful figures, whose elite guards were sometimes equipped with sleek, white-armored Powerframes designed to evoke Warden imagery. The effect was intentionally imposing: ancient godlike rulers reborn in mechanical form, despite many of those who saw them no longer believing the Wardens had ever truly existed.
