Automatons, Animati
A Dwarven Craftsman toils away at his Automaton
The Product of nonmagical means, craftsmen and tinkerers attempted to make life through many years and countless hours, and from that yearn, Automatons were born. While their origin is unknown, it is speculated that a human clockmaker was inspired by The Machine God’s Reevers, specifically one who visited and gave him the ability to make these things, perhaps this was a fabrication.
Description:
Automatons -- or as some folk call them: Animati, (or rarely Animii) -- are nonmagical constructs made from inorganic, or dead organic material. They come in various shapes and sizes, from humanoid builds to metal songbirds, they are versatile in the sense that their creation varies, and can be designed in various ways, so long as it is reasonable. If one was to take an automaton apart, they’d be met with an interesting sight: vessels, cogs, and a frame with churning heart inside; a marvel of engineering.
Automaton Creation:
A young craftsman and his automaton working out arm plating for a new automaton.
The creation of an Animati is no easy feat. While the creation of other constructs can prove difficult, the craftsmen must go over various designs and means to support their automaton so that it does not fail, or be inefficient. This means that everything need to be accommodated and complemented; an incredibly brawny automaton will need to take on more mass on the legs to help support it, a large automaton will need to be hunched over some as to not fall over, etc.
A frame is required, acting like the skeleton for the automaton. This will need to be filled with various tubings and cogs that go throughout the body much like veins. These tubings are to be filled with an Alchemical fluid, one that will act blood to the Automaton. If they lose enough to make a human die, then they too will shut down. Some areas will require larger portions of the vessels, as more fuel needs to be put in areas where articulation and strength is. Once the frame and vessels are made, or drawn out, the most important part of the construct must be made -- their heart.
The Heart, also known as the “Gear Heart” or “Clock Heart” is a heart-shaped device comprised 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 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.
From the heart, the Animati is near its completion, but it will require further work for sight, smell, sound, and other senses; as well as being able to talk, be aware, and see. To grant it a mind, the craftsmen must make a specific attachment that is put either on the heart, or put in the ‘head’ area of the Animati. The attachment is comprised of Alchemical fluids that would grant the mind awareness and intelligence, with the more complex and folded the device is (for more fluids to be inside), the greater an intelligence the Automaton will have. The fluids that flow through the vessel will also have to mingle with the fluids in the ‘brain’, allowing it to send information throughout the body. Then, the voicebox, and eyes must be made. The eyes are made via alchemically treating glass with reagents for awareness and then filling the inside of the eye with more alchemical fluid. Then, the voicebox. This is designed similar to small note boxes, with various cords, pins, and gears implanted on such a small device, with the more complex allowing for a greater variety in voice; Some humanoid automatons sound like kind and beautiful melodies, while others are cruel and gritty. Additionally, further attachments will be required for olfactory and hearing, which can easily be designed, with more fluids circulating inside of the attachments.
With the essentials done, the construct’s frame and vessels -- while not necessarily requiring for it to be humanoid -- will then need to be covered and protected from damage, essentials falling out, and time. Naturally, some points will still be exposed to some degree (depending on how mobile the creator or automaton wants to be), such as the joints, and other bendable and mobile regions -- though the vessels are likely tucked inside the frame and are mostly protected by it. The most common misconception is that the Animati needs to be crafted of metal -- these creations can be made of various inorganic or even dead organic material, so long as it can aptly hold the essentials. From the size, and design, this can decide the strength and agility of the automaton; human sized model that appears muscular and has enough circulation in the muscle areas will be comparable to a man in peak condition.
Naturally, the larger the automaton, the larger the heart and wider the vessels, as to make sure enough energy is being transferred, and as stated before, the body needs to be made to something practical, or else the design would fail; however, it is not unheard of for creators to add onto the bodies, be it slots to make retractable quills, or even small storage devices. After the craftsmen gets everything they need down, now is time for the final stage. Animation.
The Animation will involve placing the main fluids inside the vessels if this was not done already, and if the craftsmen wills it -- they can place further reagents that can give the construct an inborn personality, rather than one that has to slowly develop. After the vessels and attachments are filled, the heart is then activated through the use of a spring, which causes the cogs to churn and provide energy to the fluid, allowing it to travel and course through the body. Some craftsmen also use lightning conductors or some kind of outside energy to jumpstart the heart; and once it beats, the eyes of the Animati will either open, or cast a light. They are awoken, and once they get taught and used to their functions, the Animati will be ready for the outside world.
Effectively, The automaton requires a frame that can be designed in whatever fashion so long as the resources and feasibility is possible to acquire, with ‘blood’ vessels for alchemical fluid, a heart that when activated will jump-start the fluid and give life to the construct, something to give it a mind (to the level of a descendent) and not make it a potato, and then attachments for the eyes, ears, and for sound. The bigger, the larger the hearts and vessels need to be. They need to be taught things after being animated, but they strangely have an innate instinct, which is further expanded on, depending on the mind’s complexity. Further alchemical formula can be put in to give it an innate personality through mixing it with the mind, or the main vessels. Making these take time, typically allowing one to two human sized automatons per week, though helpers can lower the amount to five days.
Obedience Vessel:
While the the Automaton has free will, their masters might choose to make sure their loyalty is absolute. While making the mind weak enough and teaching them to be loyal, or simply educating the disoriented Animati at birth is an option, another route is to use 20 milliliters of blood in the fluids required. This cannot be any kind of blood, it has to be the creator’s, which acts as an identifier in the Fluids, which makes the automaton both unbreakably loyal to their master, but also makes them fully acknowledge them as their creator. Of course, the creator can add the blood of others to hardwire the automaton to be loyal to them, allowing an Animati to have multiple masters, though the first will always have higher priority, witch each lower number having higher priority than the lesser numbers.
Prosthetics:
An Alchemist with a prosthetic arm.
Much simpler, Prosthetics are meant to aid those who have lost or been born without limbs. By making a frame that fits the missing body part, filling it with vessels for the main fluid, and then adding a smaller heart, the wearer of these can have their limb back once the part is attached via strapping it on and having parts of the vessels attached to the body, albeit their sense of touch will be off compared to their fleshy counterpart. While the limb is more durable and possibly more steady, it can also be customized to the user’s desire, though the user’s body will still need to be taken in account. An arm that is able to lift a great deal of mass will require for the user to have enough body strength to support such an endeavor. Due to the vessels being attached to the body, they can be opened up, which causes for blood and the fluid to pour out.
Machine Spirit:
“What... has become of me?”
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 animati wandered the realm with a heavy conscious.
Through the use of methods similar to cloning, as well as some ideas from golemancy. The craftsmen must craft the inside layering of the heart out of mage gold, and then adding roughly a hundred milliliters of blood, and a certain amount of reagents to represent the person to each fluids, it can act as an identifier for the soul. When the craftsmen 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 Animati, 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.
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.
The Machine Spirit must PK if they run out of bodies and have their last body's heart destroyed.
A personal document must be kept with a screenshot of body creation (2 or 3 screens will do), and a date as to when it was made. This is just to keep track and make sure no one is pulling anything sketchy.
The body must be made similar to the creator in the sense that they cannot become a mechanical horse, or some kind of animal -- but a grotesque form can be done.
Making the body needs to be structurally sound.
Requires blood, and then the main fluid once they transition into an automaton.
Magic users will weaken the coil, and if they get damaged -- they will need to adhere to the connection weakness. 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.
Magic users that are nonvoidal can be allowed it: Their deity allows it, and or the fact that their body no longer has lifeforce, or genus will not stop them from being able to use the magic.
While maintenance is required for all, mages will need more maintenance as 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 do. If consent is not given, the soul could reject going to the coil.
Requires a CA.
General Vulnerabilities/ Weaknesses:
The joints and any bendable portion are the weakest parts of the body, while there are some areas that might be more protected (say the torso having small overlaps to where the torso can bend a bit, but even then this provides some gap to have a blade go through, or high force can end up ripping through the overlap; similar weaknesses to scalemaille), the use of blades or force can end up compromising that body part.
The vessels act as veins, and by penetrating the vessels, the Automaton will start leaking fluid, causing the automaton to be weakened on scale with the amount they lose; if they lose too much they effectively shut down due to bleeding out (similar to a person losing enough blood). Naturally some areas will have larger vessels for more circulation, which can be used to the opponents advantage. Naturally, depending on what fluids are leaking, the Animati can suffer different effects: With mind fluids hampering mental prowess, and so on.
The heart, when ripped out or shattered will cause the automaton to shut down, in addition, any damage done to the heart will greatly compromise the automatons function. If the heart from the automaton is salvaged, however, it can be put back in a new body -- though the cause of death would be very hazy; if broken beyond repair, then the creation will have to start from scratch.
As the hearts beat similar to man, the Animati, while tireless, will see issues if they attempt to push beyond their limits. The cogs will wildly churn as the heart enters an “Overclock” stage, where the heart beats rapidly and irregularly. This has the chance to become fatal if the Animati keeps trying to push their limits for a prolonged period, effectively destroying the heart from the inside. Minor feats of increased strength or speed (meaning going over the limitations of the body slightly for a small amount of time), will cause for the Animati to function at a weaker capacity for two hours, requiring their heart to slow down and churn like normal.
Blunt force trauma is also formidable, able to dent in the covering, or even shatter it depending on the material(s) used to make the construct. Though, depending on the type of material and its make, other weapons or techniques can be used to put one out of commission.
Unlike humans who are able to have blood clot, and have their skin repair damage, it is more than likely the Animati will lack such a means. They cannot rely on healing magic, or potions either. No, they require repair if damage is done to them; some Animati carry pastes and other materials to temporarily fix themselves if they suffer from leakage. The more main fluids they lose, their body cannot instantly make more -- this is where an Animati can get more fluids put into them, or break down food to slowly generate more.
If poorly designed, the construct will surely fail due to its impracticality.
Additional Notes:
Requires an application for Animati crafting, filed under misc.
Playable humanoid automatons need a CA to be made, though humanoids can be played by an ET, or can be used as background automatons that the creator can describe, similar ruling to Alchemical Fiends.
Adhering to the construct cap, only 3 playable can be crafted, with a slot refreshing every four months.
The Alchemical Formula for the fluids are kept on a separate document as to not be metagamed.
Nonhumanoid or smaller humanoid animati can be played by the creator, though they would still need to teach and give commands to those
Redlines:
Cannot make a frame out of brittle material such as obsidian because it’ll shatter when the automaton moves or makes light contact.
Plausibility and functionality must be taken into account when making these.
Liches, undead Archetypes, and things without blood cannot become Machine spirits.
A machine spirit requires OOC consent.
Players are unable to RP playable Animati that exceed the heights of an olog or a golem, and surpass their strength without overclocking.
Credits:
A big thank you to Gladuos, Lion, Zarsies, and Skylez for providing advice and feedback on the piece.
