[✓] [Playable CA + Invention + Feat] Animatii; Clockwork Artifice

[Valannor 6345]

Animatii; The Clockwork Craft

 

“‘Lo, and behold! This roiling heart of gears,
Churning e’ermore, seldom respite from these terrible nightmares!
Glimpse this truth and lay bare thy fears,
Am I human? Am I machine? I think that GOD no longer cares…”
- The Clockmaker’s Woe, 1787 F.A, discovered in a man’s workshop after he hung himself before a depiction of a Gear Heart. Strangely, his family is still known to receive mail signed with his signature to this day.

 

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The product of generations of Artificers toiling away in secretive workshops and artisanal guilds, it is said that the origin of the clockwork craft was in fact the gift of the Machine God, bestowed by the hand of his Reevers to a human clockmaker in elder days long ago; bequeathing unto him the capacity and knowledge of the Machine God’s own crafts. Alchemical and non-magickal in nature, these men of steel were soon dubbed ‘Automatons,’ and thus the craft of Animatii came to the hands of the modern Descendants. Rumors still linger of the Machine God's meddlings having led to the birth of such a practice - but scattered and few are they, and so ludicrous that surely they can't possibly be true… 

 

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Index:

Animati - the art of crafting automatons.

Animii - automatons/clockwork constructs.

Animii Crafter - one who makes automatons.

 

Explanation

Animii, or more commonly, automatons, are constructs made of clockwork and alchemical machinery. This art is not one of arcane nor magical origins, but entirely mundane, necessitating only an understanding of the material alphabet and basic mechanics. Those capable of forging these constructs are known as automaton crafters and may be of any profession, from humble clockmakers to wisened alchemists. While the clockwork itself might not be complex in concept, the alchemical requisites for a functioning  automaton necessitate that one be taught by another automaton crafter. Even should one manage to be taught the basics, the art of the automaton crafter demands a special attention to detail, a skill honed over many years of study.

 

- Animati is an advanced alchemical feat. One may begin to learn advanced alchemical feats once they have reached T3 in basic alchemy. 

- Animati may be learned under one with a valid TA in Animati. 

- Animati requires an accepted FA to perform. Knowing the recipe is not enough; the alchemist must be taught the creation of automatons as well.

- Animii are grouped into five tiers for simplicity sake and to group together redlines.

 

Once an alchemist begins learning automaton crafting, they must take time and effort to refine their craft. Imperfection and failure will be commonplace among budding craftsmen, and even experts in the art will struggle with slight blemishes in their work. Still, the goal of perfection always looms overhead. 

 

 

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The Making of Automata 

The culmination of mortal engineering, automatons are clockwork constructs made by an automaton crafter. They are versatile creations, and may come in many shapes and sizes, limited only by the whim and imagination of their creator. The universal trait of automatons is that they are made solely from inorganic or dead organic material bound together by clockwork, though this does not mean that every inorganic material is prime for making such things, as one must be careful to not pick a metal too heavy or too soft. Commonly, steel and bronze are favored by automaton crafters for their durability and strength, with bronze being preferred for cogs and clockwork within the automaton itself. It would certainly be inadvisable to make an automaton out of a stuffed doll, for instance, without a proper skeleton of a harder material beneath the surface. 

 

The chief component of Animii, which engenders their sapience and allows their function, is dubbed ‘Lifeblood’ - a synthetic vitae which acts as blood for the automaton, and which powers their bodies and the various modules which give them intelligence, sight, etc. It is a green-ish fluid, though it may be dyed to other colors, with the consistency of a thin oil - easily staining clothes and work aprons or gloves. Unlike one’s normal blood, it cannot clot on its own, proving to be a vital weakness of all automatons if drained wholly or in large enough quantities. All Animatii require Lifeblood to function. Lifeblood’s recipe is as follows, which produces enough to reliably craft a single humanoid Automaton;

 

Spoiler

 

Recipe:

- Powdered charcoal mixed with water

- Connection x3

- Life x3

- Growth x2

- Strength x1

- Balance x2

- Endurance x3

- Grace x2

- Order x3
 

- Intelligence Vessel: The ‘brain’ of the automaton; it is often placed in the head region, though it is not uncommon for animati to be made with their cerebral module closer to the gear-heart. This module is necessary for any greater mental function of the automaton, and without it they cannot bear any distinct sense of awareness or intelligence. Automatons built without a cerebral module would bear intellect resembling that of an olog and would suffer from short-term memory loss; in addition, they would struggle to respond to external stimuli granted by their other modules. This module takes the shape of a wyrd organ of folding vessels, and the more folds or ‘wrinkles’ there are to the module, the more intelligent the automaton shall be - capped at the intelligence of a normal descendant. 

 

- Visual Module: The eyes of the automaton, placed most commonly on the head. It is not unheard of for an automaton to have more than two functioning eyes, though should these be placed facing different directions, it would result in the automaton’s vision being fragmented and leave them with poor hand-eye coordination. These are made by alchemically treating hollowed glass and filling the interior with alchemic lifeblood. The eyes must then be plugged into the cerebral module, though if the automaton lacks one they may be connected to the heart, albeit at the cost of poorly processing visual information gained by the eye. 

 

- Voice Module: The voice-box of the automaton, allowing for proper verbal communication. It is designed similarly to a notebox, filled with various cords, strings, and pins which can be plucked to produce sounds; the more complex the voice box, the more complexity the voice may have, but the more fragile the module will be. While the voice module can come close to replicating that of a human, it will never sound fully organic, having either a strange instrumental tune or a more gritty and coarse one. 

 

- Audio Module: The hearing module of the automaton, allowing them to receive auditory input. These modules consist of a thin layer of filament made from treating leather with alchemical lifeblood; they are often placed in the head where the ears would be, though creative liberty with their location may be taken. That said, they are incredibly fragile and can be easily torn if the automaton’s interior is exposed, rendering the automaton effectively deaf if destroyed. 

 

- Obedience Vessel: An optional module which an alchemist may install within their construct, binding the automaton’s will to their own. This is achieved by taking 20 milliliters of blood and injecting it directly into the automaton's stores of lifeblood. This cannot be any blood; it must be the blood of the individual the creator wishes the automaton to owe obedience to. While this does not prevent the automaton from forming other allegiances and relationships, it will solidify their loyalty to their creator, preventing them from causing outright harm or acting against their master’s directives and orders in ill faith. It is possible for an automaton to have multiple masters, though the first and largest sum of deposited blood will always take priority, with each lower number subsequently following.

- If one desires to swap out the obedience vessel of an Automaton to replace it with one of their own, they require informed OOC consent from the Automaton to do so, given the extreme level of control an obedience vessel offers over the persona. 

 

Animii themselves are further broken down into five tiers based on their complexities.

 

- Firstly, there is the base level of Animii which encompasses things such as prosthetic arms, eyes, lungs, or various other prosthetics which do not involve life-sustaining organs. These may be fitted to a patient and can not be expected to work on their own or have sentience. Such prosthetics completely rely on the recipient and are not to be mistaken for an upgrade of one’s natural limb as they are fundamentally worse than the flesh one is born with. Also within this tier are non-sentient inventions about the size of a prosthetic arm or smaller, such as a wrench that folds back into a different tool.
 

- The second tier is used to group creatures smaller than or around the size of backpacks or smaller, such as birds or cats. These include not only animals but all small creations which contain sentience, such as an Animii backpack with an arm for grabbing things. Animii of the second tier can be expected to perform simple tasks but prove useless in combat. 
 

- Next, there is the third tier of Animii which is expressed as creatures bigger than a backpack but are capped at the size of a grown golden retriever. These Animii can only be pets and cannot be used to augment one’s own body in any way - this is to say that no mobile prosthetic or invention will be allowed to exist in this category as they simply weigh too much to be effective. These creatures may be used in combat to varying degrees of effectiveness but will bleed out after five emotes as they have no ways to stop their lifeblood from leaking from their wounds. 
 

- The fourth tier of Animii is used to describe non-combative non-player characters greater than the size of the third tier though no longer than a humanoid, such as an Automaton butler that wanders one’s estate giving wine glasses to those attending a party. These cannot be used to relay any sort of information that the creature themselves does not know, and abide by normal CRP mount & pet rules. Automaton mounts to the size of a horse are likewise included in this tier, and follow all rules on mounts.

 

- The fifth and final tier of Animii is limited entirely to Animii which are played by players. There are two versions of this - one where an Animii is made without a soul and then is played via a player with an accepted CA, and another where a soul enters the vessel upon death and is able to be played with a valid CA. More information about this Automaton CA is listed below in a separate section. 

 

Creations that do not fit within the five groupings above cannot be made or played without an appropriate MArt, likewise for those which bend or alter the rules of standard Animatii. If one cannot determine what grouping an Animii should fit in or if one is appropriate to make, the lore team should be consulted beforehand. Exo-skeletons/Iron Man suits/Power Armor are strictly forbidden and may not be crafted. 

 

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[CA] Automatons

T5 Automatons

 

There have been tales of walking effigies of clockwork and steel, powered by fine-tuned gears and infused with an alchemic lifeblood. These, the fifth-tier of Animati, are the ultimate achievement of the clockmaker’s craft, made in the distinct image of mankind to either serve the task their maker has endowed – or to seek a purpose of their own.

 

Automatons are made from non-living and inorganic materials, most often steel or a combination of various metallurgies. To create one, a sturdy skeleton must be made to ensure it does not crumble from its own weight, the material of which must be stronger than the exterior plating. This frame will always retain a humanoid resemblance, meaning that it will generally stand upright and have limbs and appendages befitting the average descendant. Various aesthetics are possible, such as granting it a head in the shape of a bird or beast, or adding steel spines along its back, but the construct must always be upright and bipedal. 

 

Once the skeleton is made, the automaton must be filled with the various tubing and clockwork necessary to power it, with the most important of all being the Gear Heart. These tubes flow from the Heart much alike to the arteries and veins of a living man, powering the construct with an alchemic lifeblood pumped by the Gear Heart, which acts as the source of automation within the construct. The Heart is incredibly fragile and, if exposed, needs only a one or two heavy hits to be effectively destroyed and its contents spilled out, thus rendering the automaton inert. Likewise, just as a human may perish from losing too much of their own blood, an automaton may perish if too much of their own lifeblood is lost.

 

Once the Gear Heart and its vessels have been made, the clockmaker must then move onto the sensory components, such as the visual, auditory, and voice modules. Only after they have completed all internal and sensory components, may they begin to plate the construct. 

 

While most automatons are made in descendant shape and likeness, it is possible for automatons to be made to imitate larger things. That being said, anything larger than a regular descendant, ranging from a halfling to an uruk, would suffer from various functional penalties. Because of their large size, they would require a stronger frame with more density focused on the legs and lower body; this weight would leave their movement limited to a consistent walking pace, with the automaton unable to go beyond this. In addition to slowed physical abilities, larger automatons would suffer from greatly delayed processing speed due to the vastness of their size, making them excessively lethargic and more simplistic in thought, requiring them to be constantly directed by another individual for most tasks - never able to perform terribly complex feats like their smaller cousins. 

 

Spoiler

- T5 Automatons are always distinctly humanoid in shape, though they may have complimentary aesthetics depending on the whim of their maker. These aesthetics cannot grant any extraordinary function; (i.e. talons can only be as sharp as regular knives).

- Animii Crafters can add things onto their creations, be it something as simple as making a finger open up to be a pen, to something as having a spring loaded blade come from their wrist. It should be noted that these gadgets should make sense and incorporate some realism (for example, there’s no way an automaton can have a greatsword loaded in their arm, discreetly). In addition, one must consider weight and possible complications to the creation. One example of this would be mounting some sort of massive crossbow, which would -- if attached to the arm or back -- hinder some movement.  

- Anything added to an automaton must be balanced and accommodated; a more brawny automaton would require larger legs and would thus be slower, hunched over, etc. Extra appendages and limbs would disperse the automaton’s strength equally through each limb; an automaton with three arms would have 1/3 of their base strength in each arm. 

- Capabilities granted by modules cannot exceed that of descendant capacity; an automaton cannot hear better than a regular descendant with an auditory module. 

- The material an automaton is made from must be in-organic or dead. Most commonly automatons are made from steel, but some may have tufts of dead fur or other materials accentuating them. That said, they should not be made entirely from dead materials (i.e. wood), as these would likely rot away and expose the automaton’s interior. 

- Automaton plating cannot be too dense, and most can only possess a maximum 2mm of thickness before being weighed down; this means that roughly 4 heavy jabs from a sword, or 3 swings of a mace could puncture and dent the automaton plate respectively, leaving its interior liable to damage. For reference, this is no thicker than that of most typical armors. Heavier materials, such as carbarium, would likely need to be even thinner should the automaton hope to move, with the amount of force necessary being determined by the material in question.

- Automatons can be made from special ST materials, though the material used should be specified on the app. The equivalent proportions should also be handed over to the ST prior to the app’s acceptance. For measurement purposes, this would equate to a full suit of armor made from said material. 

 

- The Gear Heart should be placed in the center of the automaton’s body so that it may distribute the lifeblood fluid more evenly throughout. 

- Modules are not microtechnology; at best they are the size of what would be a normal descendant organ. For example, the Gear Heart will always be the size of a regular human heart; the cerebral module will be no smaller than that of a regular brain, etc. 

- Modules are delicate and thus can be easily destroyed if exposed; 2 heavy blunt strikes would be enough to damage them to the point of inoperability. Automatons bleed out in around 8 emotes, unless the injury is patched. 

- Unlike normal mortals, Animii cannot clot their own wounds, as their blood is a synthetic fuel - necessitating repair to avoid bleeding out. 

Automatons must always be humanoid in shape, though they may have aesthetics which grant them no unique combative advantage. 

- Regular-sized automatons cannot be taller than uruk, nor smaller than that of a halfling. Anything larger, up to the size of an olog, would be limited to a walking pace (their movement cut by half for mechanical limits, e.g moving 2 blocks per round instead of 4) and slowed movement and mental processes, requiring another individual to guide and direct them via an obedience vessel for most tasks. They would never be able to, for example, formulate complex plans or execute complex actions. That being said, they are capable of forming personalities and engaging in dialogue as normal. 

- Automatons cannot shapeshift nor change their form dramatically on their own. 

- Automatons and Machine-spirits cannot FTB.

- Only 3 Playable Automaton CAs can be made every 3 months by a single Animii crafter, with a slot refreshing 3 months after the last was made. 

- One may only construct [1] CA Automaton per IRL week, due to the intense effort required to craft such an intricate piece of alchemical artifice. 

- Automatons do not possess any mana whatsoever, and may not learn magics which require one to hold a soul of any kind. 

 

Overclocking

When in need of further strength and speed, an Automaton may enter a state equivalent to an adrenaline rush known as ‘Overclocking’ over the course of [2] emotes, wherein they greatly increase the speed and force with which Lifeblood flows through their bodies. By overclocking, one’s gearheart churns irregularly and swiftly, and due to the nature of clockwork things, such can cause internal damage, be it through gears breaking off, vessels snapping, or leakage. This implies that if one decides to keep an Overclock stage, they will surely die given enough time. However, if one were to augment themselves by a small amount, and do it for a short amount of time, they would suffer weakness, this depending on what kind of Overclock. There are two types of Overclock which an Automaton may enter;

Spoiler

Minor:

Minor overclocking is when an Animati pumps enough fluids to where they have an additional quarter (+25%) of their strength, and speed. This may only be maintained for [4] emotes straight without killing oneself, and it renders the automaton at roughly half of their physical capabilities for the rest of the RP scenario. The speed increase would allow them to move [1] block further than normal.

 

Major:

Major overclocking allows an Animati to have an additional half of their strength and speed (+50%), but can only do so for [2] emotes without perishing as a result. Stopping the overclock before death would render the automaton completely inert and unconscious for the rest of the RP scenario. The speed increase would allow them to move [2] more blocks than normal.

- Overclocking would not allow one to move so quickly as to outrun or dodge a crossbow bolt, or punch a hole straight through an individual’s armor. 

- Olog sized Animatii may not Overclock whatsoever. 

- Overclocking must display a tell, such as steam pouring out of the automaton’s form, the excessive whining of gears, etc. 

- Automatons may only overclock once per encounter, perishing should they do so a second time. 

 

On Gear Hearts & Vital Function

 

 

The Heart, also known as the “Gear Heart” or “Clock Heart” is a heart-shaped device composed of various springs and cogs. Within it, the cogs are infused with redstone (which gives it its various nicknames, as though it was made by a clockmaker), and a precious gem or stone (either Diamond or Graphite) of some value is placed in the center. In addition, various pathways are to be accommodated for the tubing on the frame. The cogs and gem seem to generate some sort of energy that will jumpstart the fluids and give life to the construct. This is done via using springs to make the cogs churn, which creates the energy that is then aided by the redstone -- as well as the stone -- and transferred to the fluids. What is most interesting is that the heart seems to beat because of its inner workings, much like a living being, sustaining the automaton in winding clockwork - serving as the necessary lynchpin component of all clockworks. 

 

If an automaton were to ‘bleed out’ and lose all of its lifeblood, its Gear Heart would fall inert - soft-shelving the Automaton until such a time that its chassis is recovered, repaired, and new lifeblood is introduced; though as a result of the trauma, it would forget the means and cause of its death, in line with normal death rules. However, should the heart be damaged, crucial aspects of the Automaton’s memory and personality would be lost unless the heart was repaired with proper care, with the personality and memories effectively ‘killed off’ should the heart be destroyed entirely without the possibility of recovery. 

 

Spoiler

- Automatons, if they should bleed out, will lose all memory of the encounter which led to their temporary demise, in line with normal death rules. They will be effectively soft-shelved until recovered and repaired by an individual with an accepted Animatii FA. PVP conflict does not apply to the destruction of the Gear Heart unless pushed for by the Automaton's side of the conflict. 

- If the Gear Heart is damaged, major memories and personality traits will be lost, at the discretion of the Automaton. 

- If the Gear Heart is outright destroyed entirely, the personality and memories of the Automaton are irrecoverable, with no possibility of repair or restoration of the original. A new heart would need to be fashioned from the remains of the gear heart, if one were made, to recover any semblance of the destroyed Automaton. The physical item will, likewise, need to be disposed of and trashed.  

 

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Crafting & Innovation

 

 

Prosthetics

Spoiler

 

Simpler in make than full-fledged Automatons, Animatii or Clockwork prosthetics operate by using an individual’s own blood mixed with alchemical lifeblood. Typical prosthetics comprise legs, arms, hands, etc. and require a miniature Gear Heart to be located at the base of the limb, alongside the usual vessels, cogs, tubes, pulleys and other components that comprise the faux muscle and alchemical nervous system of the prosthetic. It must then be surgically attached, with vessels fed into the patient’s body to draw the blood that the limb shall use to function alongside its main fluids. They may perhaps be more durable than a Descendant limb, owing to their metallic construction commonly, but they will lack sensitivity of touch compared to their fleshy counterparts - able to endure [3] blunt strikes before their internals are effectively destroyed or knocked out of place, and the limb rendered nonfunctional. Limb prosthetics may be given relatively benign upgrades or unique features, such as hollow spaces in which to store items, a quill which extends from one’s index finger, blades which spring from the knuckles, etc. 

 

Slightly more complex and intricate prosthetics include the likes of eyes, hearing aids and jaws. In the case of jaws, they tend to be the simpler of the two, as they are largely one piece of metal with what little articulation they require being done by the primary vessels. They are prone to rusting, and should they be severely damaged, one’s blood would continue to flow until the broken section was plugged or repaired. They provide no boost to one’s biting strength, and largely function as a mundane jaw. They will likely also impose a lisp or speech impediment of some sort. Eyes are made functionally the same as Visual Modules, and may be inserted into the empty eye socket and kept in place with vessels to perform an identical function - with some Animii crafters choosing to have a metal housing about the eye socket to lend it a sturdier nature. Eyes are particularly fragile, and can easily be strained by whiplash or blunt trauma to the head, causing them to shatter and potentially damage the user. Should it crack or leak, the eye will quickly cease to function and the wearer may feel dizzy as a result of spilling alchemic fluids, albeit there is likely nothing more to come of it beyond loss of sight.  Disorienting effects and sudden light changes will also blind the eye for [1] emote, in addition to the base duration of the blinding effect. Hearing is also capable of being restored via the creation of a small prosthetic that must be secured to the ear to function. Although able to restore hearing, they are prone to breaking from trauma, and cause tinnitus-like symptoms with prolonged use.

 

Finally, the most complex prosthetics are for voice boxes and lungs - both of which impose graver detriments on the host than simpler prosthetics. Voice boxes would be built and installed much akin to an Animatii’s Voice Module, exposed to the open air as metal overtakes flesh. The voice of the individual would then be akin to an automaton’s, and as they speak, the pins would rapidly extend out of the throat and one would see, if exposed, the vocal cords pluck and twang to form speech - prompting one to cover up the prosthetic, if they were ashamed of it. Lungs would be primitive, leather or metal-cloth sacks kept in operation with a miniature gear heart, resulting in a consistent ticking and wheezing as one breathes - and due to their inefficient and primitive nature, they’d be left with only half their usual stamina. 

- While these prosthetics are made of machinery, and indeed may be made in many styles, they are not sci-fi level augmentations, nor is that aesthetic possible under the LoTC tech-lock. 

- Limbs are considered Tier 2 Prosthetics, Jaws and Eyes Tier 3, and Lungs or Voice Boxes Tier 4. 

- All prosthetics lack the ability to repair themselves if damaged, and shattered vessels do not clot the blood on their own, requiring repair by an automaton crafter. 

- Limbs will never exceed the maximum strength of one’s race, and lack the capability to overclock at all. 

- Limbs and Jaws require [3] blunt hits to be rendered destroyed and inoperable, while Voice Boxes, Eyes, and Lungs require [1] to be shattered and destroyed. 

- All prosthetics are, in some way or form, inferior to the original it replaces. Limbs lack touch sensitivity and hold dulled sensation, organs have vastly decreased function, etc.

- Prosthetics cannot be the heart, brain, prostate, liver, kidneys, intestines, type of gland, stomach, or anything else that would be utterly vital to the function of an individual. Any further prosthetics may be written and added to this lore piece via a lore addition piece. 

- Heavily magical CAs such as Epiphytes, Azdrazi and Sorvians, or those with regenerative properties like Vargyr and Siliti may not have Animii prosthetics, as their bodies would reject them. 

- Animatii prosthetics are incompatible with all enchantments, such as Vehement Smithing artificery. Full limbs or prosthetics with upgrades require an ST signature, while eyes and other smaller prosthetics may merely be player signed.  

- Animatii prosthetics require OOC consent to be implanted onto an individual, and should the individual not desire it, their body would violently reject the given prosthetic or implant. 

 

 

Miscellaneous Inventions

Spoiler

Composed of the examples listed in the first and second tier of Animatii Creations, these are relatively benign and flavorful creations with little combative value, and rarely any more practical value than their mundane counterparts. Examples would include a folding wrench, a screwdriver that twists itself, more complex music boxes which could play small symphonies or arrangements, or Animatii backpacks which host arms and appendages to grasp objects or aid in the repair of other clockworks. These cannot be weaponized whatsoever, and may not be used to create repeating crossbows or similarly ludicrous things. 

- All inventions, without an MArt, must be strictly mundane and non-combative in nature; serving as benign, flavorful additions to roleplay more than they do as weapons of war or similarly harmful things. With an MArt, more lee-way is allowed, but things such as guns or modern technologies remain beyond the scope of Animatii, in line with LoTC tech-lock.

 

 

Servants & Pets

Spoiler

Commonplace within workshops and the homes of those affluent in the clockwork artifice of Animatii are servants, drones, and clockwork critters which serve a variety of different purposes, defined in the 2nd to 4th tiers of Automata. In the case of critters, able to be made around the size of a Golden Retriever at the largest, they may take a freeform design of one’s choosing within reason, such as spiders which help weave clothing, messenger birds, companions such as rats, or metallic dogs to help carry objects about. Tier 3 Pets abide by all of LoTC’s rules on pets in combat, should they be used for such, and should their vessels or tubing be cut they would bleed out within [5] emotes, with their limbs and components able to be destroyed in [2] blunt strikes, or [4] harsh slashing strikes. Animatii mounts such as horses are also included in this tier, their components requiring [3] blunt strikes to destroy, or [6] harsh slashing strikes, and [5] emotes to bleed out, and may only be used in any way which a mundane horse would be allowed to in combat. 

 

NPC servants, such as humanoid automatons or sapient work benches, are entirely benign and non-combative in nature. They may be used as butlers to make or ferry food around one’s home, NPC crew on a naval ship, and other similarly flavorful purposes. 

- Both Servants & Pets are unable to transfer information between owners, or be used to metagame whatsoever.

- Tier 3 Animii companions follow all rules for pets in combat, and may not exceed the size of a Golden Retriever. They are relatively fragile, owing to their smaller size and more primitive minds, and will otherwise act much as a mundane critter would. 

- One cannot use many multiples of a pet or mount to accomplish a feat that would require Smoggers to perform, such as moving a colossal house with a horde of Animatii buffalo.

-Piercing attacks capable of penetrating armor, such as a crossbow bolt, count as [2] slashing strikes.

-Every [2] slashing strikes is to be considered the equivalent of [1] blunt strike. Meaning one may destroy a combat pet's limb by harshly striking it twice with a greatsword, and once with a hammer.

-The destruction of the pet's head prior to its bleeding out results in its loss of intelligence, awareness and combat capability, due to its loss of intelligence and sensory modules.

-Destruction of its Geartheart results in instant death.

 

 

 

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[CA] Machine Spirits

 

 

"What... have I become?"

 

Much like the end of the Clockmaker's tale, those who craft can also become. The tragedy of the poor Clockmaker was falling in love with the Machine God’s creation and then wanting to become something like it. He worked to make a suitable body for himself, and when his work gave him life as the machine, the Reever had already left the plane. Maddened and heartbroken, the soul bearing animii wandered the realm with a heavy conscience. 

 

Through the use of methods similar to kloning, as well as some ideas from golemancy. The craftsmen must craft the inside layer of the heart out of mage gold or standard gold, and then adding roughly a hundred milliliters of blood to an aetheric Lifeblood solution, and a certain amount of reagents to represent the person to each fluid, it can act as an identifier for the soul. When the craftsman or convert dies, they find that their soul skips the stream, hopping back into the plane in the form of the Automaton. The body is less sensitive, and for the first few years, the coil is surreal, which requires for the person to get used to it, and the body must initially be made in the same design as the creator, with a foot to a few feet difference being feasible. If a voidal mage was to become the Animii, the frame and body would weaken, becoming as physically weak as the mage was in its fleshy life, and their coverings become embrittled, enduring [1] less strike than a conventional Automaton would be capable of. 

 

It is here, that if the Automaton was to die, it will be a true death, but to circumvent this, the machine creates more of itself, useless husks that will act as bodies when the construct is destroyed. While blood might not be possible, the use of their main fluids can replace the need, though reagents are still required. Now, to keep themselves alive, the construct must make more and more, sometimes keeping large shacks or underground facilities with these constructs. If they were to be destroyed, it would mark the end of the being.

 

Spoiler

- Functionally, Machine Spirits are identical to standard Automatons unless otherwise specified, such as the mechanics of their Gear Hearts and revival. 

- Machine Spirit Husks must be signed by the ST for authenticity, and placed as physical builds within the world. Should a Machine Spirit run out of husks and die, they would be Hard-PKed irrevocably, unable to return to life by any means. 

- Machine Spirits may not be subject to an Obedience Vessel, such unable to control the will of the Descendant soul. 

- The husk must be structurally sound and made at least moderately Humanoid in nature - though it may be grotesque in nature. Exceptionally unique Husks or ones that bear unique functions may be made via an MArt. 

- Requires blood initially to make the heart, and then the main fluid once they transition into an automaton.

- Voidal Magic users will weaken the coil, and if they get damaged -- they will need to adhere to their respective weaknesses. This can be rp'd as Machine spirits being able to feel with their bodies, and if they were to be hurt, they feel pain. While voidal magi are capable of being machine spirits, it does not come without its detriments. 

- Magic users that are nonvoidal are allowed so long as the fact that their body no longer has lifeforce, or genus will not stop them from being able to use the magic. One must still rp the respective downsides, stated in their respective lore pieces. Deity magic is wholly incompatible with Machine Spirits unless otherwise stated, due to Garumdir's hold upon the soul of Machine Spirits. 

- While maintenance is required for all, mages that would suffer physical degradation will need more maintenance to make sure their bodies do not completely fail. This will be through oiling and repairing, even replacing parts, or generating more fluids. The reason why mages are more prone to repairs is due to the voidal atrophy withering their bodies.

- Due to the expense and toil of making the body, it will take two weeks to fully complete one frame, though helpers can lower the time to a week. 

- Requires OOC consent from the person to convert them into a Machine Spirit. If consent is not given, the soul could reject going to the coil. 

- Requires a CA.

 

---

 

Tier Progression, Purpose & Citations

Animii crafting has no set tiers, merely requiring that all lessons and facets of the feat be known in order to apply for a [TA] in the feat.

 

Citation

 

 

Valannor & Pundimonium - Writing

BobBox, Unbaed, ShadyTales, Heathman, Keefy, Sybbyl, and Tentoa - Inspiration, feedback and criticism, ideas, providing us the will to live to work on this rewrite, & general help

 

The purpose of this rewrite was strictly to rewrite Animatii into a more clarified and modernized state, as the prior rewrite was heavily outdated and prone to abuse or its limits being stretched heavily to perform functions it outright shouldn’t have been able to. As for the purpose of Animii itself, I believe its previous writer, TaiwanNotChina, said it best.

 

“This lore has been designed for both players who lean towards nonmagical roleplay as a means to progress, as well as provide nonmagical lore. While we have a slew of magical things, we don’t have too many interesting lores for mundane players to use and interact with. Made for the craft-inclined, this piece serves to make automata plausible with a strong sense of fantasy behind it. Before anyone argues “N-no! Muh techlock!” Then play TES and look at the Dwarven Automatons, legit steam constructs.  “
 

[Keefy 2047]

[saint swag 2447]

this is good

[E__V__O 1984]

I like the lore rewrite a lot and have specified areas which needed to be listed.

 

I am curious though why you specifically mentioned,

53 minutes ago, Valannor said:

Anime Crafters can add things onto their creations, be it something as simple as making a finger open up to be a pen, to something as having a spring loaded blade come from their wrist. It should be noted that these gadgets should make sense and incorporate some realism (for example, there’s no way an automaton can have a greatsword loaded in their arm, discreetly). In addition, one must consider weight and possible complications to the creation. One example of this would be mounting some sort of massive crossbow, which would -- if attached to the arm or back -- hinder some movement

 

Would this mean you can add more "equipment" to the design in exchange removing block speed?

 

Secondary, 

54 minutes ago, Valannor said:

Automatons do not possess any mana whatsoever, and may not learn magics which require one to hold a soul of any kind. 

This seems like an odd specification. Though I'm sure it has its reason to be here.

 

Would it also be possible to specify with visual modules on prosthesis to state if they can have altered spectrums?, as example could they have a module that makes them see black & white? Be treated with alchemy? Eg- the alchemy potion which allows them to see mana.

 

Otherwise solid piece and I don't have much of any other feedback!

[UnBaed 8955]

3 minutes ago, E__V__O said:

Secondary, 

This seems like an odd specification. Though I'm sure it has its reason to be here.

 

Would it also be possible to specify with visual modules on prosthesis to state if they can have altered spectrums?, as example could they have a module that makes them see black & white? Be treated with alchemy? Eg- the alchemy potion which allows them to see mana.

 

Otherwise solid piece and I don't have much of any other feedback!

Stuff like that redline needs to be specified, or else players with automaton characters would assume they can go through with RP like obtaining a holy magic, or becoming a mystic - when that lore requires for characters to have souls to practice.  It might be an obvious redline, but obvious rules still need to be stated to avoid people trying to cheese the system

 

As for "filters" to be treated to their eyes, I'd argue it wouldn't be possible - far too broad of a thing to write on, while also ensuring there are rules where players don't abuse it by getting eye prosthetics that are permanently treated with arcana flow or catseye.  Aimii characters can still use alchemy-treated gear the same as anyone else, if they're designed to be smart enough to handle it

[E__V__O 1984]

1 minute ago, UnBaed said:

Stuff like that redline needs to be specified, or else players with automaton characters would assume they can go through with RP like obtaining a holy magic, or becoming a mystic - when that lore requires for characters to have souls to practice.  It might be an obvious redline, but obvious rules still need to be stated to avoid people trying to cheese the system

 

As for "filters" to be treated to their eyes, I'd argue it wouldn't be possible - far too broad of a thing to write on, while also ensuring there are rules where players don't abuse it by getting eye prosthetics that are permanently treated with arcana flow or catseye.  Aimii characters can still use alchemy-treated gear the same as anyone else, if they're designed to be smart enough to handle it

 

Thank you for the fast reply. I appreciate it.

 

I can understand it all and agree, my worry was the treatment to visual modules weren't specified.

 

Otherwise thank you for the reply.

[AfroJoeTheOlogBro 1093]

As THE automaton rper of lotc (trademarked and registered) I approve of the majority of this, and shall be schemeing at my poggers mart that ive been brewing on tenfold now as it is more necessary than ever. Cheerio boys, its robot time.

[femurlord 2365]

Where's the redline that removes Druids from learning it? Erm..

[Reckless Banzai Screamer 11594]

I love robots 🤓

[The King Of The Moon 5123]

 

Could we please have some disambiguity toward voidal machine spirits? I notice you avoid explicitly stating if it's possible or not, though there are some hangovers from the old lore implying it; it may sound silly but a clear cut 'they can be void mages' added into one of the implicit redlines will doubtless save debates and headaches in future. 

Assuming that is the case, could you please specify what you mean by 'like thick skin' here?

14 hours ago, Valannor said:

If a voidal mage was to become the Animii, the frame and body would weaken, becoming as physically strong as the mage was in its fleshy life, and their coverings become like thick skin, still easily penetrated with enough force. 

Are you saying that machine spirits who practice void magic have the same structure as regular animii, but are covered in leather rather than metal? Or are you saying that the metal covering their bodies literally softens (whilst still being 'metal') to become skin-like? Are they metal on the inside or squishy all the way through?

I personally feel this nerf is a bit unnecessary as well as vague and hard to visualise in actual mechanics, especially given they're already as physically weak as descendant mages and require more maintenance. If they're metal, they should just be metal.

How would you feel about instead specifying a lack of physical strength and an aether-aligned lifeblood recipe variant for magely machine spirits? Maybe add their joints are too brittle to be well protected, and so have lifeblood vessels naturally exposed? Or perhaps a requirement for the gearheart to be made from a thematic lore material? Seems like a harder creation process could be a much simpler 'balance feature' and encourage more roleplay between animii crafters and wizards (that don't want to add to the dark immortal CA bloat) looking to cheat death.

Also entirely unrelated nitpick but just say they have to be humanoid shaped without going overboard.

14 hours ago, Valannor said:

- The husk must be structurally sound and made in the same image as the Creator, e.g Humanoid in nature

The Creator isn't humanoid shaped, and it'd be weird for animii lore of all things to canonise that lol.

Otherwise, happy to see it rewritten with minimal changes! Nice work.  The old lore has mostly been unproblematic for the past few years but as we all know wasn't nearly up to modern standards in terms of emote counts, redlines and general clarity. 

[Valannor 6345]

7 hours ago, The King Of The Moon said:

 

Could we please have some disambiguity toward voidal machine spirits? I notice you avoid explicitly stating if it's possible or not, though there are some hangovers from the old lore implying it; it may sound silly but a clear cut 'they can be void mages' added into one of the implicit redlines will doubtless save debates and headaches in future. 

Assuming that is the case, could you please specify what you mean by 'like thick skin' here?

Are you saying that machine spirits who practice void magic have the same structure as regular animii, but are covered in leather rather than metal? Or are you saying that the metal covering their bodies literally softens (whilst still being 'metal') to become skin-like? Are they metal on the inside or squishy all the way through?

I personally feel this nerf is a bit unnecessary as well as vague and hard to visualise in actual mechanics, especially given they're already as physically weak as descendant mages and require more maintenance. If they're metal, they should just be metal.

How would you feel about instead specifying a lack of physical strength and an aether-aligned lifeblood recipe variant for magely machine spirits? Maybe add their joints are too brittle to be well protected, and so have lifeblood vessels naturally exposed? Or perhaps a requirement for the gearheart to be made from a thematic lore material? Seems like a harder creation process could be a much simpler 'balance feature' and encourage more roleplay between animii crafters and wizards (that don't want to add to the dark immortal CA bloat) looking to cheat death.

Also entirely unrelated nitpick but just say they have to be humanoid shaped without going overboard.

The Creator isn't humanoid shaped, and it'd be weird for animii lore of all things to canonise that lol.

Otherwise, happy to see it rewritten with minimal changes! Nice work.  The old lore has mostly been unproblematic for the past few years but as we all know wasn't nearly up to modern standards in terms of emote counts, redlines and general clarity. 

 

The entirety of the Machine Spirit section was copied from the old lore with like... One or two redline alterations? The team working on this didn't think it needed changed at all given it's been relatively fine in usage thus far. 

 

I'll put it on the list to go in and tweak the interactions for voidal machine spirits, however. It's actually a good catch and something better to fix before anything could get out of hand. Much obliged, chief. 

[King_Kunuk 888]

I expect my grandfather FA once this is accepted tytytytyty ur the best kissue ;3

[Reckless Banzai Screamer 11594]

I had the opportunity to give this a more thorough read and overall I like the clarifications compared to the old lore write though I do have a couple of changes I disagree with.

 

1. I don't like the idea of including an obedience vessel with machine spirits, I feel the descendant soul would make machine spirits more complex compared to their artificial automaton counterparts and resistant to something like this. Trapping someone to machine slavery would be kinda funny though, but it I'd still say no going into my next reason -

 

2. I'm kinda 50/50 on the obedience vessel breaking on its own because I'd just snitch on em' to the feds if they abusing me and being able to break it based off perceived abuse/neglect is kinda subjective and gives ST another power they don't deserve.  But I think this is an attempt to start an automaton revolution in the future and I cannot allow this and will fight you tooth and nail to prevent the robo takeover. One exception to this I'd think would be if the creator/person hooked to the obedience vessel dies but then there's what if scenarios like what if an automaton never learns its creator is dead? I lean against having it break on its own.

 

3. I like intelligence vessel over cerebral module.

 

4. Just merge tier 1 and 2, 3 and 4 together I feel it'll read better.

 

I appreciate you took the time to put this together though and it's a big improvement that clarifies on points that were up in the air. I'm happy automatons cannot ftb either.

[Valannor 6345]

1 hour ago, Battle Unit said:

I had the opportunity to give this a more thorough read and overall I like the clarifications compared to the old lore write though I do have a couple of changes I disagree with.

 

1. I don't like the idea of including an obedience vessel with machine spirits, I feel the descendant soul would make machine spirits more complex compared to their artificial automaton counterparts and resistant to something like this. Trapping someone to machine slavery would be kinda funny though, but it I'd still say no going into my next reason -

 

2. I'm kinda 50/50 on the obedience vessel breaking on its own because I'd just snitch on em' to the feds if they abusing me and being able to break it based off perceived abuse/neglect is kinda subjective and gives ST another power they don't deserve.  But I think this is an attempt to start an automaton revolution in the future and I cannot allow this and will fight you tooth and nail to prevent the robo takeover. One exception to this I'd think would be if the creator/person hooked to the obedience vessel dies but then there's what if scenarios like what if an automaton never learns its creator is dead? I lean against having it break on its own.

 

3. I like intelligence vessel over cerebral module.

 

4. Just merge tier 1 and 2, 3 and 4 together I feel it'll read better.

 

I appreciate you took the time to put this together though and it's a big improvement that clarifies on points that were up in the air. I'm happy automatons cannot ftb either.

 

All feedback addressed and applied where applicable, thanks for the help chief

[Valannor 6345]

On 10/20/2022 at 7:26 AM, The King Of The Moon said:

Snip

 

Feedback applied, thank you for the assist