This particular submission has re-inspired me. I must thank you for such a good sub (though the history seems like it cut off early, and could've been enhanced more). Long live steampunk and the ideas it spawns! Go to Comment
Something to consider is that powerful countries don't necessarily have the resources to field a large number of these. Depending on any number of factors, these could result in a global Cold War, or roughly the equivalent to the US after WWII, when we were the only ones with The Bomb for a while.
Heck, you only need one to be the most dangerous world power. Go to Comment
This one is all in the telling. And the telling doesn't need to be long either. Short, well crafted, and beautiful in an indescribable way. Very nicely done S. Go to Comment
I leave that up to the GM who uses the Melders. The Inscriptions on it help merge the metal and flesh into a seamless whole, among other things, but that can include or exclude the actual sense of touch. The body enhancements in general are fully-capable replacements for the limbs lost/replaced, but there is nothing to prevent Melders from becoming more and more inhuman and unfeeling the more portions of their body are replaced if a GM so desires. Go to Comment
It seriously seemed like the natural extension of divine blueprints, to be honest. From your comment, I wonder if I made it clear enough that Whrrrm was the diety, and Ailm/Kecet was simply the Leader of the Melders? Or were you mentioning that Whrrrm seemed to be a name that a direct man such as a smith would bestow upon such a hypermachine? Go to Comment
I honestly tried to make Whrrrm be benevolent at first, but I just couldn't force it on what seemed to me to be amoral by nature. I had to leave it up to prospective GMs to decide where he falls along the spectrum, whether that be good, evil, or perhaps a more Axtrami-style neutral.
Re: Artificial Head - I was more worried about PCs wanting Melder laser-cannons on their arms, to be honest. Couldn't be done (or shouldn't be allowed) with normal thaumatech, but the theotech could prove all sorts of nifty in that regard, if a GM was so inclined.
Hm...Clerics of Whrrrm being gifted with theotech spell-emitters...I see an NPC coming on. Go to Comment
The head researcher killing himself reminds me of the last frame of this comic: http://community.livejournal.com/scans_daily/4611731.html
Once again, I am stunned by your mastery of prose. I really love your submissions. They're always beautiful pieces of wordcraft. Very nicely done.
Sidethought: can the creatures exist outside of the cloud bank? I would assume that certain ones couldn't, due to the nature of various realities, but others very well might. That could be an iiiiiinteresting plot hook. Woo for "The Mist". Go to Comment
As is the source: there isn't much that rivals complete and utter annihilation of millions of souls in the space of a few seconds. It's a devastatingly horrifying thought. I think Ouro captured that feel quite nicely. Go to Comment
An interesting piece of equipment, though I'm not sure it's wise to use this with anything but a one-off "Golden Army"-esque event. I can see this going way, way too far out of bounds if given anything but the tightest boundary. However, within such a context, it seems like just the thing someone would want to come up with. Go to Comment
I don't have too much to say on this. I like the twist that they're actually summoning portals (which also fits well with the circles not working smaller than .5m). Go to Comment
Doom, doom cometh! Every major power needs to have a navy flagship if they have a navy. I like the feel you gave this, and I especially liked the various methods of propulsion, though for some reason I've got a nagging feeling that there's another method that could be added. Go to Comment
I really like this. I think it captures the essence of clockwork magic nicely. Not all magic in steampunk requires thaumatech, just as not all magic requires a spell or wizard.
Short, simple, sweet. I like it a lot. Go to Comment
Lifeforms (Constructed) (City/ Ruin)