[Amendment] Punk automatons. Where's the steam...

[Helmet 1454]

Additions are BOLD

 

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. 

The mechanisms within moving Animii heats up the water within lifeblood, requiring the Gear Heart to occasionally release steam. To replace the water lost, the automaton must be refilled with clean water to perpetuate itself, re-hydrating the lifeblood. If an automaton’s lifeblood dries itself up for whatever reason, the whole machine will stop working- effectively shutting down until it is once more topped up with water. Automatons remaining motionless will not generate any steam, and thus will not need to hydrate their lifeblood during prolonged times of wait/rest.

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

- The occasional/gradual release of steam should be treated as an aesthetic, and will at most hiss out of an Automaton with the same force as a boiling kettle. Do not weaponize this.

- The refilling of water/re-hydration of Lifeblood does not need to be RPed for automatons, similar to how Descendants do not need to RP eating food to be considered ‘fed’. Shutting down due to thirst is still a possibility in dire situations, however.  

- 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.   

 

 

OOC Reasoning:

This (mostly) aesthetic change makes steam thematically MORE prevalent within the steampunk/clockwork FA.

No, Overclocking does not count. Only automaton/machine spirits can do it (leaving behind prosthetics, pets, misc inventions, etc), and doing so literally breaks them apart.

As an additional bonus to this, this change would also tone down the physics-breaking "perpetual motion machine" thing down a little by giving all things with Lifeblood + actively moving parts the IRP need to 'drink' clean water once in a while without getting in the way of the ancient, 'sleeping' automaton archetype.

No need to release steam because of movement if you aren't moving at all, after all.

 

My hopes with this amendment is that people RP automatons as generic robots less, and actual clockwork/steampunk constructs more. I know you cannot redline the player culture, but MAYBE with it being written down we'll see it heal a little.

 

 

[Pallodium 3775]

Amendments/Additions implemented into main lore post. Thank you for your submission. Moving to correct subforum to prevent redundancy and clutter.