Available after completing the No Strings Attached quest, these wandering performers entertain crowds and confound their enemies with a customizable puppet known as an "automaton." This puppet uses different frames, maneuvers and attachments to do a variety of different tasks. Puppetmasters (PUP) can also fall back on Hand-to-Hand fighting skills that utilize the flexible movements of their art.
Your automaton will not Deactivate if you re-sync to the same level that you were in (because the level sync should have already adjusted the automaton's level, and the automaton will remain synced to this level until re-activated).
Before being able to use an attachment, you must first trade the attachment to Tateeya in Aht Urhgan Whitegate to have it placed in the Automaton's inventory.
Automaton attachments must be equipped on your automaton to receive the effects of the attachments when using elemental maneuvers. However, if no attachments are equipped, the automaton will still receive a small stat boost corresponding to the number and type of maneuvers used.
Automatons with the Soulsoother Head have the ability to cast cures, regens and status removal spells on all members of the Puppetmaster's party. (The automaton and master will always have priority over other members.)
In Salvage all pet's stats are locked with the master's. This means if your HP is locked, for example, your pet's HP is locked as well. Using a cell to remove a lock also removes the lock from the pet. This includes all cells- For PUP, the automaton will not be able to cast spells if your magic is locked. (However, the automaton needs no equipment to shoot and a ranged cell is not needed for ranged attacks.)
If you log-off with your automaton activated, it will appear next to you the next time you log-in.
When combining heads and frames the combat skill is calculated by adding the head's skill rank modifier to the frames skill rank. Each skill rank modifier point increases the skill cap to the next skill bracket i.e. an E would become a D but a B- would become a B. For instance, combining the Valoredge Head with the Sharpshot Frame would increase the frames C+ skill rank by 1 resulting in a B- melee skill.
The Soulsoother and Spiritreaver Head have a skill rank modifier of +2 magic skill, which when equipped with the Stormwaker Frame increases its skill cap to A+. Similarly when equipped to the Harlequin Frame the magic cap is raised from B- to B+.
Note:Automaton skills can be raised even when Puppetmaster is selected as a subjob, but will be limited to the level of the subjob as with other sub-skills.
