Yeah, but ASM is the bottom of the longer leg, which means if we want to avoid trying to blow through a tech and its prereqs in a turn, then it takes us three turns,
I'm fine with blowing through the prereq, actually - it's not like we don't know the full cost, and if it's another 2x research turn we'll be able to afford to boost the prereq handily. It's when trying to pick up an unlisted follow-on tech that things get chancy.
So I don't personally see much reason to want to put off the component that helps us right now, EaR, for the one that doesn't, Alternate Meanings.
Anyways, whether or not SSDIPS should wait will become more clear with the update. But if I'm right then the earlier we do it, the more powerful it will be for cleaning up Denva - and a clean Denva is a Denva that can use warp comms to tell us about the rest of the sub-sector in real time while our personal resources focus on where they're best needed.
I'm fine with blowing through the prereq, actually - it's not like we don't know the full cost, and if it's another 2x research turn we'll be able to afford to boost the prereq handily. It's when trying to pick up an unlisted follow-on tech that things get chancy.
So I don't personally see much reason to want to put off the component that helps us right now, EaR, for the one that doesn't, Alternate Meanings.
Anyways, whether or not SSDIPS should wait will become more clear with the update. But if I'm right then the earlier we do it, the more powerful it will be for cleaning up Denva - and a clean Denva is a Denva that can use warp comms to tell us about the rest of the sub-sector in real time while our personal resources focus on where they're best needed.
I think it's not super clear which one will help us more, actually - especially as we'd be getting taste of chaos anyway, and can also throw in hardware psychic encryption as well, and can pick up EaR next turn.
And for SSDIPS, I don't think it'll make that big a deal? The stuff it applies through gets replaced pretty constantly anyway - it's installations and void ships that get built and then hang out for centuries unless someone blows them up.
I feel a bit iffier about blowing through prereqs, but it's a workable backup plan, I suppose. I'd rather do the cheaper stuff first though, and hope prices come down, especially when that's more convenient overall. If we're gonna blow through prereqs though, then get MS CPS as well as MS CR.
[X] Plan: Son of Frankensteining My Plan Once Again
-[x] The big idea: Get lots of intel on Klyssar from the shipwreck, hacking, and drugs-enhanced interrogation, deny intel from Klyssar using psy encryption. Drugs also have a chance to provide less-lethal munitions immediately, good for handling slave soldiers.
--[X] This is an edit of Meianmaru's plan. Link has his explanation, this link has mine. Edits in bold.
-[X][Aetherion] Keep.
-[X] Boons:
--[X] Help conquer Klyssar's nest (+1)
--[X] Transfer OMC/machine spirit technology (+1)
--[X] Transfer corruption defenses, including all Psychic shielding, Cognition Filter & warp sensors. This will also mandate you to transfer basic cultist detection if you get it. (+1)
--[x][Boon] Permanent Manufacturing capacity
--[x][Boon] Specialized Crew (Diplomats for Victan)
--[x][Boon] Specialized Crew (Cogitare for Anexa)
--[x][Boon] One-time Social Intervention (Cogitare NGO with Vita and Anexa in charge)
--[x][Boon] Permanent Social intervention x1 (Free action: Cogitare recruitment and [discovery/science] mission statement promotion)
-[x][Repair Bay]: Fix up your ship, prioritize your nearly depleted psy shields. Psychic Shielding Outer Hull (7/240 HP -> 207/240 HP), 0/125 structure damage, 510/540 HP Oubliette
-[x] Construction x1 (15600 VBP)
--[x] Restore Outer Hull Psychic Shields (165 VBP) (207/240 HP -> 240/240 HP)
--[x] Restore Bongo Oubliette Shields (150 VBP) (510/540 HP -> 540/540 HP)
--[x] Repair Structure Damage (15 VBP) (0/125 -> 15/125 structure damage repairs)
--[x] Warp Research Lab (500 VBP, 100 CP) (2000 VBP -> 200 HP outer shielding, 200 HP internal shielding) (Location: Current Star System, void of space away from anything important) --[X] 2x Caltrops (650 VBP, 20 CP)
---[X] Stationed at the Aetherion/our industrial park
--[X] 3000x Spectres (300 VBP, 60 CP)
--[X] 2000x Medium Humanized Machine-spirit Infantry Bots (200 VBP, 40 CP)
--[X] 2000x Heavy Machine-spirit humanized Infantry Bots with Machine Spirit Jammers (380 VBP, 40 CP) --[X] 80x Light Machine-spirit tanks (120 VBP, 4 CP)
--[X] 40x Medium Machine-spirit tanks (150 VBP, 2 CP)
--[x] Repair the maximum amount of Aetherion Orbital Manufactories to Machine Spirit standards (8970 VBP)
-[x] Research x1 (200 + 80 (Anexa) + 60 (Anexa staff) = 340 RP)
--[X] A Curio Cabinet of Cultists (100 RP)
---[X] Anexa assist
--[x] Psychic Encryption (150 RP)
--[X] Drugs? Drugs. (75 RP) ---[x] Transfer this to W, too. Interrogations!
--[x] Faith is My Shield (15/75 RP)
-[X] Orders #1: salvage the Echo of Apotheosis
-[X] Orders #2: Free Klyssar's Nest from the cultists with W. Try to do some recon in advance using hacking, and interrogations of captives for more intel.
--[X] Victan Helps
-[x] Anexa active Action: Research (A Curio Cabinet of Cultists)
-[x] Victan Active action: Planning/coordinating the Klyssar operation with Denva, and directing intel gathering/recon applicable to it, such as interrogations.
-[x] Cia (Write-in): Assist assault on Klyssar's Nest
All Warfare is based on deception. Know the enemy and know yourself; in a hundred battles you will never be defeated.
Those words ring from the ancient history of Terra, and you never really understood them. Surely war is more about weapons, morale, logistics... the list goes on. The side that has more stuff is usually the one that wins, right? You can't beat a battleship with a destroyer no matter how much you know.
But you're starting to understand. You're not about to be able to come up with brilliant military plans or outthink your enemies because it's just not something you're geared to do, but you can start to grasp what the quote really means. Which is that no matter the force imbalance, if you have perfect knowledge you'll always be able to find every advantage. The destroyer that knows everything can run away from the battleship, lay ambushes to wear it down, or find allies to help.
The comment is about meta-conflict, where the person who has a more accurate version of reality is always able to inflict the most damage for the least sacrifice. Put in other words, information is power, and tricking your enemy is the best way to deny them power. The flip side of that is that information-gathering is the most effective way to boost your own power, and that's heavily influencing your planning as you decide how you're going to recapture Klyssar's Nest.
This time your observation window is looking out over Aetherion. It's pretty but hardly the glorious majesty of Oldeer or the sparkling jewel of Calderath primus. Still, the various platforms and shipyards barely visible give it a sense of scale, and reminds you of the tools you have to work with.
"We're going to try to retake Klyssar's nest in a couple of years," you start out with, turning away from the window to look over your crew. They've long-since become accustomed to your ways, and are waiting for you to give out assignments and explain your thinking.
"Of course that means building up a bunch more bots, which is the primary thing we're waiting for. But we're also going to trying to learn everything we can about the Chaos forces there while trying to deny them any information about us and our attack. So that's what we're going to focus on. I'll work on salvaging anything I can of the Echo of Apotheosis, and Anexa we're going to look into all of the cultist loot and corpses that have been piling up. That should give us a good sense of their capabilities and potentially help W and Denva deal with their own cultist problem."
You move onto the next part of your mental list. "I'll also be working on understanding pharmacology better, both so we can nonlethally subdue people on Klyssar's nest and to hopefully provide W some help in rooting out the cultists."
Victan purses his lips at that comment but doesn't interrupt.
"Finally, I want to prevent any sorcerous information-gathering. We know that Bongo was talking to the Echo of Apotheosis. I don't know if the capability or knowledge to do that died with the ship, but that kind of thing needs to stop. I'm finally going to look into how my shields can prevent people from scrying or doing other warp bullshit to gather information." You shake your head in disbelief.
"On the other hand, us knowing about that it is what let us trap the boarding party," Cia points out. "But I can see wanting to shut it down entirely.
"Are we sure that they're not still in communication?" Victan asks with a frown.
You grunt acknowledgement of the point. "Pretty sure. I think I know what to look for, and Bongo hasn't been exactly docile recently, but I haven't seen any sign of more communication. Maybe all of the people who could do it died aboard the Echo of Apotheosis, but we shouldn't count on luck. We want to know as much as we can."
Victan is nodding along, predicting your next words. "Then I'll be working with W again to get all the information we can on the cultists?"
"You guessed it. And Cia will be preparing for the assault. We have time, but I fully expect our enemies to be using the time too, though hopefully less productively than we will." You gesture out the viewport. "They don't have nearly as much industrial capacity as we do, after all.
Then you remember something. "Oh, yes. And I'm spending some of the goodwill to get Anexa and Victan some staff. More Cogitare for Anexa, and diplomats and spies for Victan. Figure out who you want to recruit and they'll be yours."
Anexa blinks at you owlishly. "I didn't think that are that many Cogitare left. It was a cult within the Mechanicus, not really something people got trained in."
You nod. "That's also something we should change. If we want to proceed as we've been going, then they're exactly what we need. We've already started with the enclaves we left in Calderath and Vorthrynn, but let's try to do that more systematically. That means we need people like that, who are willing to displace and be teachers, who see knowledge and spreading it as a holy duty."
"The Cogitare." She says. "I can see the argument. How to make it happen?"
You shrug. "Denva owes us. We'll have every remaining member found an institute and train others. Get media about them going. All we really need to do is establish it as an option in the eyes of the populace and tell them what it means. Some people will decide it's their calling."
"Where am I getting my staff from?" Victan says, a bit confused. "I haven't had a staff before."
You shrug. "Wherever you think will be helpful. Is there anybody you want to recruit from Aevon Counterintelligence? Diplomats? Sociologists? Analysts? Whoever you think is helpful, we can get them. From anywhere on the planet."
He nods, eyes going distant as he starts considering the question.
You slap your thighs. "Ok, lots to do, let's get to it." You get up and head to the labs to get started. You have robots and bots for the research, but the avatar is good at fine control in some useful ways, and it helps you feel present in a way that doing research entirely by bot denies you.
The first target is getting better at designing and synthesizing novel drugs. You've got a vast catalog of medicines you can synthesize as part of your medical suite, but they're very much intended to make people better, and some of the more easily abusable ones were stripped out.
But right now you need some of those abusable drugs, so it's time to plumb your databanks to figure out how to do that. You start by trying to design drugs from scratch, and then quickly realize that this is a path that's been tread a thousand times before, often to rather disappointing success. But you have the records of all of that, and while a lot of it is fragmentary and incomplete, many parts of it aren't. People only really figured out the full picture of computational drug design around the time you were born, and none of the models used were public.
But in the preceding centuries they got pretty close, and you know more basic science than they do. So - why recreate the wheel? You take a bunch of models you have, as well as all of the data you have on later models, and jam them all together in your simulation systems. You have so much more processing power than most of these models were built to use, so you expand them, and feed in more data than they had access to, and correct issues with their understanding of the underlying biology.
And before you know it, you've arrived at a model that is scoring about as well on all of the benchmarks as the cutting edge models of your time, and that's pretty cool. You need to understand the biochemistry of human biology to use it, but you can request a desired change in biology and it'll spit out a drug that can do that. Not only will it improve your medical care dramatically, but it means that you can design tailored interrogation drugs to reduce inhibitions or encourage friendly relations.
It's a bit more challenging to make an easily vaporized knockout gas that won't have significant side effects, and it still requires that it be inhaled, but you manage, and start producing some grenades to distribute to your bots in the upcoming push.
You have to leave it there, but you're excited about the next level of this kind of research. This system is designed with the normal parameters of the human condition in mind, but with some pushes you could design some pretty incredible pharmacological interventions.
Researched Drugs? Drugs - rolled 99+20=119. Critical success! You can custom-design drugs for various applications. Bonus to medical care, interrogation, taking prisoners, etc. Unlocked blueprint modification - Less-than Lethal armament
Unlocked bonus technology - Perfect Knockout (75 RP)
Unlocked bonus technology - Superhuman Uppers (100 RP)
Discounted existing technology - The key to Expert surgery is Ego cost reduced by 50 RP
Discounted existing technology - Regeneration is just a matter of applied Growth cost reduced by 100 RP
Discounted existing technology - Juvenat Beginnings cost reduced by 75 RP
Discounted existing technology - Navigator Gestation cost reduced by 50 RP
In the meantime you're managing a stream of construction going on around Aetherion. The Crucibles from around the system have flocked to the gas giant for fuel and to hold up Denva's end of the bargain on manufacturing capability. They're busy working to your specifications to restore the manufactories around Aetherion to your exacting specifications, while also taking care of a hundred other odds and ends including building the bots you'll need for the Klyssar assault, and some light defenses to make sure that Aetherion isn't defenseless while you're gone. No sense giving the enemy easy openings.
Spark of the Ancients partially Repaired!
+89 Orbital Machine Spirit Manufactories
+2 Caltrop Defense Platforms
+Warp Research Lab
+3000x Spectres
+2000x Medium Humanized Machine-spirit Infantry Bots
2000x Heavy Machine-spirit humanized Infantry Bots with Machine Spirit Jammers
+80x Light Machine-spirit tanks
+40x Medium Machine-spirit tanks
You were worried about working with the people aboard the Crucibles, and some of them are crotchety asteroid miners who really would be happier talking to nobody. But others are very charming families who took the chance to establish a very comfortable domestic life aboard their mobile manufactories, and you start making a list of the ones you actually enjoy working with.
At the end of the project you tap the groups you like the most and make them a proposal. You'd like to hire them in the long term. Give them a stable contract of employment for them, their families and descendants in perpetuity. In return you'll provide them with luxuries, medical care, legal protection and enough Denvan currency to turn heads. They jump at the offer, and their only condition is that they get to pick their name, and brag about working for you.
You tentatively agree, and then shrug when they choose the name of the VoidForge Miners. Still, you'll have their services in perpetuity, and even after you leave the system you'll be able to set them to future tasks. They'll expand as Denva does, and you have a hard time seeing the downside of having a clan of asteroid miners working for you.
The next thing you want to do is figure out how to actually block signals through the warp, instead of just attacks. Your psychic shields should be capable of it, but you're going out on a bit of a limb here. Unlike a lot of other research you've done so far, this wasn't figured out in the distant past and you don't have records to follow up on. You're charting entirely new territory because these psychic shields are fairly unique to you.
Still, you remember the key insight that got you here - with small modulations in your psychic shielding, you should be able to prevent any usable information from leaking through. You'd originally envisioned something that was basically a software update that continually fluctuated the shields by a small amount, the idea being that it was possible to tune out a constant yelling but less constant to tune out a constantly changing yell.
This would be easier if I had something to test against. As it is now I'm relying on simulations.
Still, those simulations have served you well before, though you have to make some assumptions as you start to move into uncharted territory. You can use your sensors to tell when a signal gets attenuated, but without a way to generate reliable signals it's tricky to tell how good they are. You're able to figure out the best kind of modulation for your current design, but the problem is that you're just aren't sure what the signal-to-noise ratio is on a scrying ritual.
You run the numbers several times with slightly different parameters and get slightly different results. Your current shield with your new modulation system might block various warp transmission or scrying attempts, but against a sophisticated enemy it might be little more than some static. To do the job properly you'll need to figure out how to modify the hardware to amplify the effect.
Researched Psychic Encryption - 4+20 = 24. Poor success. Your psychic shields are better at blocking scrying and warp communication, but you're not sure by how much. Unlocked new technology - Hardware Psychic Encryption (50 RP)
The other thing you've been doing this whole time is investigating the various pieces of the Echo of Apotheosis. Denva is just as glad to hear you're taking care of this, since a lot of their space capacity is busy building up the basic orbital infrastructure that they lost when the Forsaken Echo took control.
But piece after piece of the salvage is scorched junk. You chase down every single chunk of the ship that you can find, and all you get from it is scorched armor and degraded scrap metal. Even when you find a cogitator or piece of technology it's rusted and scorched past the point of intelligibility.
I didn't destroy it this thoroughly, did I?
You check your sensors, and several of the pieces are notably more degraded than they should be. It's like some form of corrosion acted on all of the pieces of the ship in the time since the battle. Turning your warp sensors on several pieces of the worthless salvage you see that there is a faint warp signature, one that smacks of some kind of entropic effect. It doesn't feel active or like a danger to you, more like... a debt come due. You're not sure why that's the impression you get, but the very stuff of the warp is emotion, and that's what your sensors tell you.
Still, it shouldn't effect the whole ship. There has to be something shielded from the effect - and by screening through the bulk of scrap with your sensors, you find it. The signal is weak, but something is resisting the ever-present field of decay that's claimed the ship.
Salvaging the Echo of Apotheiosis - rolled 14 + 10 =24. Poor success.
Rolling for loot - 4. Information.
It's a small safe embedded in a chunk of wall or floor. It looks like it was once hidden in some way, but the covering has long since given way, leaving the rune-encrusted metal bare. You very carefully cut open the safe and find within a few mementoes and a single data-slate. Plugging it in very carefully you find that this belonged to the ship's chief vox officer, and is a record of the blackmail they kept.
What qualifies as blackmail among a Chaos ship makes for fascinating reading, since it's not so much a list of the bad deeds people have done as the good ones. Looked at from a certain perspective it's the weaknesses. The navigator won't sacrifice children, the captain will forgive the occasional treachery if it's done competently, and the sorcerer... well. The sorcerer is jealous of their knowledge, and will just about only teach people who have something to offer. But the only thing the sorcerer cares about are sorcerous knowledge and "interesting mutations." They're also not inclined to leave their quarters very often.
It's all very interesting, but you're pretty sure every single member of the crew so named is dead, so it's of limited use. But then you find one thing that is useful - an illicit starmap that marks out the connections of sub-sectors Hearth and Hearthward. There's not a lot of detail beyond the warp connections, but what worries you is that the system of "Hearth" in the sub-sector "Hearth" is labelled as the home of the "Ten Thousand Scourges," and also an Imperial Forgeworld. Ex-imperial, now.
The notes seem to assume familiarity with that faction, but reading between the lines it seems to be a loose association of Chaos Warbands that split off from "The Dark Imperium" some time ago to strike out on their own and find a place to stake their claim.
They appear to have found it in the system of Hearth, and be busy building up their ships and capabilities as various warbands break off and claim surrounding planets.
Well. It's not pleasant to find out that there's a nest of Chaos-worshipping cultists in control of a forgeworld just two sectors away. But on the plus side, now you know. And you also know that the Forsaken Echo didn't come from the Demons who are past Y'Kala Drift. No, you have two separate groupings of Chaos-worshipers in the local Sector. Joy.
On that note, it seems timely to investigate all of the Chaos artifacts you've got building up. It seems like chaos cults are going to be an ever-present part of your existence in the near future, so gaining intelligence on them is valuable.
But first, Anexa has needed to onboard her new crew, and make sure to install cognition filters and other implants. They all came aboard with their own implants, but were eager to upgrade to the best that "Magos Vita" could offer. Then she introduced the real you to them, and about a third of them were jubilant and the rest downcast.
Which was confusing, and somewhat worrying. But upon some further probing you learned that they weren't upset that you were an AI - they were upset that they were wrong. They'd thought you were an awakened machine spirit, or actually just an incredibly heavily augmented human who had reached the zenith of cybernetic augmentation, looping all the way back around to a human appearance.
The impression you get is that it's akin to a minor religious revelation to them, and you're not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing.
Still, they've been quite helpful in cataloging and analysis of the less-tainted chaos samples, and your new warp lab has been extremely useful in remotely examining many of the more obviously dangerous specimens.
What you find is promising. Not in the sense that any of it makes you happy. These are clearly artifacts and bodies steeped in an immense amount of suffering. Many of the most powerful artifacts nearly weep with trauma and death. You don't have a scale to judge how many sacrifices was carried out to empower many of the items now in your possession, but at this rate you're going to need one...
Wait, scratch that. You can quantize a range over which you see discrete "levels" of enchantment. Some of the still-cursed-but-not-as cursed seem to have only been fed with one or two sacrifices. From that you can build a metric to understand the level of sacrifice that went into each item. Which ranges from one to several thousand for an obsidian knife whose material properties are just insane. It's made of stone, but according to every test you run it's capable of cutting through every material you have access to. Except that shard of golden armor, perhaps. But that's not something you want to test.
Instead, you and Anexa start speculating on if there's a way to simulate that process without all the murder. To use warp-based manufacturing to break the laws of physics in particular ways to enhance the results of your manufacturing. Without all of the murder. Possibly? Probably? It's an intriguing option, at least.
What's also interesting is the variety of effects here. Some are clearly intended as improved versions of mundane weapons, but others are geared to help with summoning and empowerment rituals, or even to aid in navigation or sending rudimentary signals through the warp over short distances. Interesting.
At the end of the process you know quite a bit more than you did before about the signature of Chaos and the detailed reading on every kind of chaotic item means that you can not only understand the purpose of chaotic items and rituals better, you'll be better at detecting them.
Researched A Curio Cabinet of Cultists, 72+30 = 102. Critical success! You understand Chaotic items and rituals better, and will be better at detecting them.
+1 Anexa level. Unlocked bonus technology - Warp Manufacturing (150 RP) Requires Immaterium Understanding Discounted existing technology - The Taste of Chaos cost reduced by 200 RP The technology has also been improved. Discounted existing technology - Yelling into the Warp reduced by 25 RP
Discounted existing technology - Warp Weather Prediction cost reduced by 50 RP
Discounted existing technology - Demonology cost reduced by 50 RP
Discounted existing technology - Improved Psychic weapons cost reduced by 50 RP
Discounted existing technology - Psychic Materials cost reduced by 50 RP
Victan's crew is next, and while many of them seemed excited by the idea that you're an artificial intelligence, none of them seem to have quite grasped the significance of the matter in the same way Anexa's Cogitare did. A couple of them even decided to send that information home in various messages to loved ones. Not hidden or anything, just in the main body of their text.
They were a little miffed to discover you were reading their mail. But then Victan sat them down and explained the importance of the secret, and the lengths to which you'd gone in the past to keep it, and they realized they had, in fact, dodged a bullet.
Still, since that mildly rocky introduction, you've been impressed with their ability to keep the stream of intelligence flowing up from the planet below organized. It's been a bit scattered and inconsistent, but there are gems in there that they're appropriately picking out and highlighting.
The effort to root out the last holdouts and unearth the cultists who are hiding within the civilian population are... going. But the parts of Denva that were occupied have been quarantined to prevent any cultists from slipping to the parts of the planet that Chaos was never able to invade. It's going to leave generational scars on the planet, and you, Victan and W are worried about it creating a rift between the "Two Denvas."
But it needs to happen. There's an absolute plague of murders and mass killings, and you don't have a better solution with the tools available at the moment.
Denvan Chaos Cleaning - 42.
At least you're learning some valuable information about Klyssar's nest from the new drugs and the "enhanced" interrogations they allow. It does seem like Klyssar's nest was where the Forsaken Echo was trying to build their recruiting base, as well as training new sorcerers intended to guide their new ships through the warp. However, together with the evidence you found in the wreckage of the Echoes of Apotheosis, you're almost entirely certain that the primary sorcerer of the Forsaken Echo died with their ship, and all that's left aboard Klyssar's nest is their half-trained apprentices.
And several thousand fanatical troops. Still, those troops were intended to control the local populace, not defend the station against boarding. They shouldn't have many of the tools for defending from an external attack.
The issue you're facing right now is not really one of troops, but more of how to deliver them. You haven't built any more shuttles, and so you're limited to delivering two thousand troops at a time. It's a good number, but the limitation on how many bots you can deliver at a time is going to limit your capabilities. As is the lack of boarding craft - which means you'll have to insert your units at the existing docking ports. There's a lot of them, but it cuts down your entry points rather dramatically and makes it much easier for the defenders to set up fixed defenses.
Denva Aid for Klyssar's Nest Invasion - 89.
Luckily, Denva has come up with aid on this front in addition to the intelligence provided. Their combat troops are tied up with other purposes, but as soon as they're done rebuilding some of the basic orbital transshipment stations necessary to connect the Denvan ground-based manufacturing to the void, they put those shuttles at your disposal. Most importantly, many of them are maintenance shuttles. They're not capable of carrying a huge number of troops, and they're very unsuited to attacking a maneuvering ship while under fire, but they are set up to cut through hulls, and that gives you options.
The real question is if you try to flood all of your bots onto the station at once or if you send them in waves. The advantage of sending them at once is that you might be able to overwhelm them before they can mount a serious response. The downside is that if they do manage to pull out some trickery, it'll hit all of your bots at once, while if you hold back reserves then you can send them in reactively.
Doing some math settles the issue, because even with the Denvan shuttles you don't have the capacity to send all of your forces over at once. After consulting with Cia you settle on the three-pronged strategy, where the first wave will be a large number of specters in the maintenance shuttles, armed with knockout gas and the intention to infiltrate the station and take down as many enemies as possible before they can really react.
The second wave will launch as soon as the enemy musters significant resistance, and will consist of a mixed force of your other units, intended to conquer the station entire. The third and final wave will be whatever you can't fit in the second wave, and likely include Cia as well. If you get to that point then you'll have identified the place of strongest resistance for her to head towards, and hopefully the defenders will have blown their trump cards and won't have anything left to do.
"We ready?" You ask your assembled crew after laying out the plan. They've all had their opportunities to tweak and modify it, and they all nod their assent.
"As long as we can take the reactor then we can prevent them from blowing the station," Anexa says, reiterating her key point. "That's most important."
"It'll also be easy to disperse the knockout gas through the entire station," Victan points out, again treading old territory.
You hold your hands up. "Which isn't without its risks. We'll evaluate it when we get there. For now it seems like we're retreading old ground. Any new changes to propose."
Everybody glances around for a moment, and there seems to be nothing. You look towards Cia. "Are you ready?"
She nods calmly. "I am."
"Then, let's do this," you reply.
The Spark of the Ancients departs Aetherion alone, leaving the swarming industrial activity behind you, and slowly approaches Klyssar's nest. Your warp sensors aren't reporting dramatically unusual activity, though there's some clear indicators of an active Chaos cult.
No surprise there.
You're moving at far below your maximum speed, as if in an attempt to inspire dread in those on the station. But the real purpose is to give all of the maintenance shuttles and their loads of specters time to board the station and knock out as many of the defenders as possible before they catch on.
It all goes well. You know the blind spots of the station, and its immense size means that there are unpatrolled areas and blind spots that your shuttles can sneak through. A few thousand Specters successfully work their way through the stations hull and get inside, then start converging on the critical areas.
However, they don't make it far. The station is swarming the chaos acolytes busy herding the civilian population towards the center of the station. It's not hard to guess why, and you only consider your next steps briefly.
Your bots are not capable of perfectly discriminating between the cultists and the civilians, and even if they were, they wouldn't be capable of avoiding collateral damage. Luckily, you brought along gas dispensers filled with knockout gas, and in a coordinated attack you unleash it on the groups of cultists herding the civilians about.
It's not perfect, and those with health conditions and small children might suffer for it, but it's better than being sacrificed to Chaos. Unfortunately, it's also not instantaneous, and the alarm goes out even as your bots attack. Several hundred cultists slump into unconsciousness, but more are rushing towards the locations of your bots. Clouds of knockout gas catch some, but many have donned gas masks or rush down new paths.
The battle is joined in the middle of hab-blocks and civilian habitats across the station, and that makes you wince. Your bots are armed with light weapons, and while most of the cultists aren't heavily armored, they're almost universally heavily armed, and you're certain that civilian casualties are mounting as plasma and hellcannon fire rakes through housing districts.
As soon as fighting broke out you launched the first wave of shuttles and kicked the Spark of the Ancients up to maximum acceleration, but it's still going to be long minutes before your forces arrive in boarding distance. Your specters withdraw out of the civilian areas, giving up ground that they couldn't have held anyways and taking heavy losses to keep the attention of the chaos forces.
That means that when your more conventional assault shuttles arrive at the existing docking hatches the defenses are stripped to the bone, or even abandoned. It looks like many of the cultists left their posts when your earlier attacks were called in, and they're busy chasing down and eliminating your first boarding wave.
That means your main force is are able to punch straight through the weakened defenses. Tanks you built to carry heavy fighting down the primary transitways are able to completely crush the weakened resistance that remains, and you blitz through the primary accessways toward the critical parts of the station. In a matter of minutes, the forward units reach the reactor core and life support. You've made it inside the command loop of the enemy, and the defenders of those locations are clearly not expecting tanks to roll up on them and blast them to smithereens. A few bots were able to catch rides on the tanks, and they storm through the reactor immediately, cutting down the cultists inside before they have enough time to get up to anything naughty.
You're starting to relax. It looks like everything is going well. There are still groups of enemies throughout the station, but they're scattered and lack coordination. The only problem is that they're loose among the civilian population, and you're worried that they're going to be atrocity-prone. Your only option to solve the problem is to disperse knockout gas throughout the station, but you'd prefer to avoid that if at all possible.
You also haven't reached the central citadel of the station - where the navigators lived back when this was one of house Klyssar's many holdings. But your bots are closing on the entrance. Unsurprisingly, it's well-defended, but if need be you can siege it as necessary.
You speak in Cia's ear as she boards one of the freshly-returned shuttles. "We may not need you after all."
She just grunts. "Don't speak too soon."
As if her words were the trigger, your warp sensors - previously dormant - spike. The source is inside the citadel, and a wave of unreality washes over the rest of the station from that source. The feeds from every single bot go insane, anomalous readings and feelings spiking in all directions. They didn't pull Klyssar's nest into the warp, but the reality inside the station is more warp-like than it should be. Dreams whisper through the corridors, and strong emotions have a habit of manifesting as auras or temperature changes. The effect even reaches out into space and washes against your shields.
-19 outer hull psychic shielding
Your bots aren't coping well. They don't even have psychic shields, and their sensors are going haywire. It's not scrapcode, but many of your bots start disobeying their orders, firing upon other bots as their friend-foe sensors glitch. You see civilians going mad, twisting and writhing and gouging out their eyes, or throwing themselves headlong into walls. In the last orders you get through as the effect peaks, you have the bots unleash the knockout gas into the air ventilation system. It won't reach the citadel, but it'll hopefully prevent the civilians from doing themselves too much harm.
If the gas still works when the immaterium intrudes into the materium.
The shuttles are already starting to depart, and you consider holding them back. Most of your second wave of bots is out of contact, though you're not sure if it's temporary or permanent, and there's no sense in sending in more bots to go insane.
You're ruminating on the decision not to put psychic shields on any bots when you notice two things. First, Cia's shuttle has pulled ahead of the rest and is speeding towards the station. Second, the effect is weakening, and you're slowly gaining control over your bots again. It looks like they are dramatically reduced in number, as many of them self-destructed when the psychic tripwires inside of them went off.
More of them have been destroyed by the cultists, who have rallied and started pushing your units back. It's still a rather chaotic situation, but it appears that several of the cultists have transformed into unholy abominations - Chaos Spawn if your memory serves - and they're ripping through your units in close quarters. The tanks fare better against them, weapons designed to fight other tanks blowing the chaos spawn to pieces in the places they can reach.
But there are no battle lines. Just bands of roving bots and cultists tearing each other apart in the madness that is Klyssar's Nest. The storm of warp influence recedes, though you can feel the ritual that must have caused it brewing in the center of the citadel. It's not done, it's just preparing for another wave.
You helpfully drop the location into Cia's implants, and she snorts. "Yup."
The third round of shuttles dock, and the bots rush into the station, making for the civilian areas and the citadel. They bulldoze a path through the fighting to make a clear path for Cia, who quickly outstrips them.
In the civilian areas, the picture is... better than you thought. Most of them seem to have succumbed to the gas, and other than a few roving cultists who seem to have been driven into the grasp of insanity, every conscious being on the station is trying to kill your bots. Which - well, better them than civilians, you suppose. You should have enough.
Cia reaches the entry to the citadel. Your first wave of bots had just reached it when the first wave started, and it looks like they went insane and started shooting in all directions. Holes are blown in bulkheads, floors, ceilings, defenses, and each other. The people manning those are recuperating and open up as Cia comes into view, forcing her to duck back into cover and wait for the bots in your next wave to catch up to her charge.
That's when the ritual unleashes itself once again, though not quite as strong as before. Your view of the situation fuzzes. Still, Cia's psychic shielding protects her from the maelstrom, and the signal from her implants comes through loud and clear. She's using this opportunity to blow through the defenses as the cultists reel from the sudden mental onslaught.
There are scores of more defenders, but Cia blows by them, occasionally lashing out with fire and sword to cut through her defenses. Her flames seem more powerful than usual, blasting outwards and seeming to maliciously embrace her targets.
A final blast door stands in her way and a flaming sword cuts through it in seconds. Inside is what can only be a ritual gone wrong, as a dozen screaming sorcerers levitate in the grip of power that streams out of their control through a complex diagram drawn in blood on the floor and ceiling of the room. Shards of opalescent light orbit the center of the room, where a twisted shard of crystal hangs in the air, singing with a warbling noise that is immediately blocked by your cognition filters.
Cia's focus is the crystal, and with a flame-empowered leap she soars into the center of the room, swinging her force blade through the air to collide with the vibrating gem.
The collision happens, then undoes itself, then happens again. Cia's psychic shields strain against the effect and then pop, but the crystal pops right along with them, shards of shrapnel embedding themselves into every surface in the room. They stick deep into her armor but according to your sensors fail to penetrate the innermost layer. The sorcerer apprentices around the room are uniformly staked to the walls by the shards of crystal, and you see Cia look around at their writhing bodies. She reaches for her belt, grabbing several incendiary bombs and tossing them around the room before unleashing flame of her own. When she leaves the room a few minutes later it's a raging inferno that has devoured all traces of the ritual and those who carried it out.
The rest of the station is... under control. Your bots have died in their thousands to the cultists and the effect of the warp, and the ones that are left are struggling to search through the rest of the station and gather up all of the unconscious cultists. Still, the station is yours, even if civilian casualties were higher than you would like.
Klyssar's nest invasion - rolled a 50. The Klyssar's nest civilian population has suffered about 30% casualties between your assault and the sacrifices of the last few years.
+1200 Chaos Cultist captives. 488 are kept, the rest are given to Denva.
-2629 Specter Light infiltration bots
-1730 Medium Humanized Machine-spirit Infantry Bots
-1204 Heavy Machine-spirit humanized Infantry Bots with Machine Spirit Jammers
-350 Heavy Machine-spirit Infantry Bots
-53 Light Machine-spirit tanks
-12 Medium Machine-spirit tanks
Cia intervention - 83.
+1 Cia level.
Gained the Shards of Warp-Resonant Crystal. Unlocked new technology - Shards of Humming Gemstone (100 RP)
Well. The system is now secured, though at a higher cost than you would like.
Current capabilities:
Command Points 3,564/14,500
Flagship: Spark of the Ancients, 1700 CP cost Suffering from 110 bp of structure damage.
Ground Build Capacity: 0
Lift Capacity: 500 (converts between ground and void BP)
Void Build Capacity: 600
Research Capacity: 200
Psychic Shielding: Outer Hull 221/240 HP, Vita Core 135 HP, Crew Quarters (203/500) 135 HP, Basic Psychic Experimentation Lab 135 HP, Bongo Oubliette 540/540 HP, Secondary Vault 50 HP, Captive Holding cells (500/500) 50 HP, (repair for 5 BP/point, can be repaired by repair bay)
Bongo Psychic Energy = 17/??? Represented as approximate damage potential.
Juvenat usage: 3/50 people's worth (cannot be stockpiled)
Shipbuilding capacity: 0 ship construction slots (treat it as capacity. You can only be building ships that fit within your construction slots)
Available ships:
none, beyond your flagship.
Available ground forces:
457 Specter Light infiltration bots (20 CP)
270 Medium Humanized Machine-spirit Infantry Bots (20 CP)
794x Heavy Machine-spirit humanized Infantry Bots with Machine Spirit Jammers (20 CP)
37 Light Machine-spirit tanks (4 CP)
28 Medium Machine-spirit tank (2 CP)
CP costs for infantry bots work as breakpoints in increments of 1000. So 50 or 500 or 1000 bots all cost 20 CP, and 1001 costs 40 CP. Abstraction, y'all.
Misc assets:
A Void Abacus, Psytech Samples, A Navigator Fetus, A Scrapcode generator named Bongo. Dark Eldar Weaponry, A few Dark Eldar bodies, Dark Eldar Boarding Craft. Khornish Cultist corpses & artifacts. The Hand of Saint Agatha. A sector-governor's ransom in wealth. A dozen ancient metallic bots (pending vote). A chunk of auramite supposedly from the Emperor's armor. Warp-Resonant Crystal. 500 surrendered Chaos Cultists.
Civilization Boons:
Outstanding: 0 Boon Opportunities: Help cleanse the planet of hidden chaos cults. Give them the capability for interstellar travel and your knowledge of the local stars. Get their R&D system up and running (requires rolling well, or multiple actions). Do big favors for civilizations to earn Boons. Most recent list of boons. Existing boons:
Voidforge Miners, +1100 bp/turn in Denva.
Sharing General Design & Industrial techs.
Large Cogitare presence.
The Stellar Ascendancy. "Be for others as I have been for you."
Current Installations:
89 Machine-spirit orbital Manufactories. +5340 Void BP/turn (20x89=1780 CP), around Aetherion
41 Orbital Manufactories, damaged. (repair for 75 bp, or 100 bp for machine-spirit orbital manufactories), around Aetherion
1 Large Shipyard, damaged. (0/3000 BP to repair), around Aetherion
Contains hulls for 2x Light Cruisers (1800 BP size), 4x Frigate (900 BP size), 12x Destroyers (450 BP size)
Warp research lab, 200 inner shielding, 200 outer shielding. Far orbit of Aetherion
Military:
2 Caltrop Defense stations (2x10=20 CP), around Aetherion
In progress construction:
none
In-progress research:
Abacus Manufacturing (50/100 RP)
Intelligence Coding (170/400 RP)
Faith is My Shield (15/75 RP)
Actions (choose 4 of the below, can choose the same action multiple times):
[] [Free] Poke around some more in the databases, looking for anything in particular. Don't do this just because it's free. Do it if you want to know something. Writing those sections delays the updates. If you want Vita to get more done, don't ask for this.
[] Orders: Command existing units in a given theater of operations.
[] Travel/Explore: Pick a system on the Map to travel to/explore. Currently, you may travel 1 system as part of an explore action, or 3 systems if you don't explore. You can explore a place you've already explored, or focus your exploration on a specific feature of a place you've already explored. Or explore two systems next turn and then the turn after go back for specific POIs without costing an action. Jumping a single system over as part of an exploration action is free, a number which will increase with better navigation.
[] Diplomacy/Subversion: Talk to people. (Write-in goal & method)
[] Construction: Gain build points equal to your build capacity, write in what you spend them on.
Installations
Installation default is to be built in full view. Basic stealth (building under cover, sensor-absorbing materials) can be applied with 2x BP cost. Ground-based installations can be built entirely underground for 3x BP cost.
For non-military installations, you can upgrade them with psychic shielding by spending extra BP up to the 2x the base cost of the installation. The more you spend, the stronger the shielding will be.
Basic Biology Research Lab (50 BP, 50 CP) Will allow you to process basic biological samples, such as flora & fauna. Or captives.
Basic Technological Research Lab (50 BP, 50 CP) Will allow you to process basic technological samples, to understand their electronics, materials, etc.
Basic Psychic Experimentation Lab (200 BP, 50 CP) Will allow for safer experimentation with psytech and general psyker powers, at the very least confining the damage from perils of the warp. Can be outfitted with inwards-facing psychic shielding.
High-Energy Physics Research Lab (500 BP or 500 VBP, 100 CP) Will allow you to conduct research on more... excitable branches of physics. Maybe don't put it close to anything you want to keep. (Rolling a 1 while researching something here might turn out badly, but at least you'll have containment measures in place)
Warp Research Lab (500 BP or 500 VBP, 100 CP) Anexa's brainchild. Half mad science lair, half sensible warp research setup. Will allow you to conduct research on the warp, miniature portal generator and all. Will likely help contain poor results, though maybe give it some psychic shielding. (Rolling a 1 while researching something here might turn out badly, but at least you'll have containment measures in place in addition to any psychic shielding you add.)
Captive Holding cells (25 BP, 10 CP) will allow you to hold 500 captives and keep them fed and watered while you interrogate/indoctrinate/talk to them.
Small automated medical facility (50 BP, 50 CP) 50 treatment rooms with autodocs capable of dealing with severe injuries.
Large automated medical facility (500 BP, 50 CP) 500 treatment rooms with autodocs capable of dealing with severe injuries.
Directional-control Radio tower (25 BP, 5 CP) improves signal reception quality and allows you to send your own signals across the planet, as well as giving you the capability to bounce them off the atmosphere to disguise their origin.
Observatory (100 BP, 25 CP) Built on a nearby mountain. Will unlock research projects to map the current system.
Manufactory (100 BP, 50 CP) More manufacturing capacity and the raw material harvesting to use it. +50 ground-based build capacity.
Machine Spirit Manufactory (120 BP, 20 CP) As a manufactory, but controlled primarily by machine spirits. +60 ground-based build capacity.
Industrial Aquaculture Plant (50 BP, 10 CP) Produces all of the food necessary to feed 5000 people. The food is very spicy.
Rocket Launch facility (50 BP, 10 CP) Uses chemical rockets to convert up to 500 ground build capacity to half that amount of void build capacity per action. The opposite of stealthy.
Spaceport (100 BP, 25 CP) Allows you to use shuttles to convert ground build capacity to Void build capacity with no loss, or as a base to host and rearm fighters. Can host 10 fighters or 10 shuttles, each capable of converting 50 ground BP to void BP per action, built separately. Stealthier than rockets, but not invisible.
Magnetic Catapult launch system (1000 BP, 50 CP) Allows you to convert up to 500 ground build capacity to void build capacity per action with no loss. Actually quite stealthy.
Medium Void-shield Installation (1000 BP, 50 CP) A void shield capable of stopping medium orbital bombardment, approximately fifty heavy strikes.
Anti-Orbital Defenses (100 BP, 5 CP) A single large lance dug into a reinforced bunker. Will prevent hostile forces from claiming the orbits uncontested, but can be neutralized by orbital bombardment or ground invasion.
Anti-Air Defenses (25 BP, 5 CP) A trio of rapid-recharge lascannons backed up by advanced targeting software in a reinforced emplacement with an upwards-facing arc. Will attempt to destroy ballistic missiles, aircraft or shuttles as they approach. Can miss or be saturated by large amounts of incoming fire or miss and fail to destroy their targets.
Anti-personnel Bunker, Psychic Shielding (40 BP, 2 CP) A bunker with a set of high-fire-rate weapons designed to take down humanoid-sized attackers wearing medium or lighter armor. Modified with psychic shielding.
Machine-spirit Jammer (100 BP, 10 CP) A bank of cogitators capable of jamming a large number of small machine spirits (weapons, doors), several medium machine spirits (vehicles) or one large machine spirit (small ship). Effect is temporary and resistance will build up.
Basic Juvenat Production Facility (250 BP, 50 CP) A set of carefully-managed vats capable of supplying 50 people with a perennial supply of Juvenat.
Void Installations
These are built in space. They require 'void BP' which is associated with lift capacity. This is a detail we'll abandon eventually, but for now your lift capacity is limited.
Orbital Aquaculture Plant (250 BP, 25 CP) Produces all the food necessary to feed 25,000 people. The food is very spicy.
Orbital Manufactory (250 void BP, 40 CP) Orbital manufacturing capability, built above a world. Includes material harvesting & transport. Gives +50 void build capacity.
Machine Spirit Orbital Manufactory (300 void BP, 15 CP) Orbital manufacturing capability, built above a world. Includes material harvesting & transport. Gives +60 void build capacity.
Deep Space Manufactory (750 void BP, 40 CP) Manufacturing capacity built near asteroid clusters. Gives +100 void build capacity. Automatic basic stealth. Requires you to do a system survey.
Machine Spirit Deep Space Manufactory (900 void BP, 15 CP) Manufacturing capacity built near asteroid clusters. Gives +120 void build capacity. Automatic basic stealth. Requires you to do a system survey.
Small Shipyard (1000 void BP, 50 CP) 4 Ship construction slots
Medium Shipyard (3000 void BP, 100 CP) 16 Ship construction slots
Large Shipyard (10,000 void BP, 250 CP) 64 Ship construction slots
Basic space stealth missile (5 Void BP, 1 CP) Rests steailthily in orbit, until activated, at which point it can attack nearly any target in orbit. One-shots satellites, many are needed for ships or larger platforms.
Shuttle (20 BP, 5 CP) Each shuttle converts up to 50 ground build capacity to void build capacity. Requires a spaceport for efficient transfer of materials.
Fighter (20 BP, 5 CP) These fighters have twin-linked lascannons to attack ground and orbital targets, and can carry a couple of small bombs. Requires a spaceport for rapid launch and rearming.
Basic Stealth Fighters (25 BP, 5 CP) These fighters have twin-linked lascannons to attack ground and orbital targets, and can carry a couple of small bombs. They shouldn't be especially noticeable to anybody not actively looking, though they won't be able to close all the way to attack range without being spotted. Requires a spaceport for rapid launch and rearming.
Basic Stealth Assault Shuttle (25 BP, 5 CP) Sometimes you want to deliver things other than bombs to your enemies. So let's stick some armor and guns on a shuttle, and make it a bit more maneuverable. They shouldn't be especially noticeable to anybody not actively looking, though they won't be able to close all the way to attack range without being spotted. Can carry 100 troops and provide anti-personnel and light antiarmor fire. Requires a spaceport for rapid transport of troops.
Crucible manufacturing craft (550 void BP, 60 CP, 1 ship construction slot) Voidborne craft with small crew compartment. In-system only, no defenses but relatively hard to chase down. Gives +100 void build capacity, very mobile.
Tiny system monitor (950 void BP, 50 CP, 1 ship construction slot) Destroyer, 1500x300 meters. 7 gravities of acceleration. Medium armor, Light Shields. 2 Light Macrocannon batteries, 1 light lance battery. High-maneuverability thrusters.
Small system monitor (2375 void BP, 100 CP, 2 ship construction slots) Frigate, 2200x600 meters. 5 gravities of acceleration. Medium armor, Medium Shields. 4x Medium Macrocannons, 1x Medium Lances, 2x Point Defense.
Candle destroyer (1450 void BP, 1 ship construction slot) Destroyer, 1600x350 meters. 8 gravities of acceleration. Medium armor, Medium Shields. Living Space, Psychic Shields (20 HP) 2 Light Macrocannon batteries, 1 Medium Lance battery. High-maneuverability thrusters.
Flame torpedo frigate (2500 void BP, 2 ship construction slots) 2000x500 meters, 6 gravities, light shields, medium armor. Living Space. Psychic Shields (40 HP) Medium Torpedoes, 2x point defense, Prow ram, Light macrocannons. High-maneuverability thrusters, melta torpedo payloads, Alloyed Armor, Light Boarding preparations.
Units
Avatar (10 BP, 0 CP) 1 human-appearing robot.
Specter (100 BP, 20 CP). 1000 infiltration bots, light arms and armor intended to fight lightly-armored enemies. Can pass for human, are run by machine-spirits, equipped with machine-spirit jamming and are both passively and actively stealthy.
Light infantry bots (25 BP, 200 CP). 1000 human-sized bipedal robots with light arms and armor, mostly intended to fight lightly-armored enemies. Good in tight corners and rough terrain. Expensive CP cost due to need for close control.
Light Machine-spirit infantry bots (35 BP, 20 CP). As light Infantry Bots, but controlled by machine spirits. Slightly more chaos-resistant.
Light Humanized Machine-spirit infantry bots (60 BP, 20 CP). As light Infantry Bots, but controlled by machine spirits and made to look like humans. Slightly more chaos-resistant, tougher and stronger.
Medium Infantry Bots (50 BP, 200 CP) 1000 human-sized bipedal robots with medium armor and light anti-tank weaponry. Good all-rounders. Expensive CP cost due to need for close control.
Medium Machine-spirit Infantry Bots (75 BP, 20 CP) As Medium Infantry Bots, but controlled by machine spirits. Slightly more chaos-resistant.
Medium Humanized Machine-spirit Infantry Bots (100 BP, 20 CP) As Medium Infantry Bots, but controlled by machine spirits and made to look like humans. Slightly more chaos-resistant, tougher and stronger than normal bots.
Heavy Infantry Bots (100 BP, 200 CP) 1000 human-sized bipedal robots with heavy armor, and heavy armaments such as plasma guns, meltaguns, heavy flamers, melta bombs, missile launchers. Good in open field combat against heavily armed foes.
Heavy Machine-spirit Infantry Bots (150 BP, 20 CP) As Heavy Infantry Bots, but controlled by machine spirits. Slightly more chaos-resistant.
Heavy Humanized Machine-spirit Infantry Bots (175 BP, 20 CP) As Heavy Infantry Bots, but controlled by machine spirits and made to look human. Slightly more chaos-resistant, tougher and stronger than normal bots.
Heavy Machine-spirit humanized Infantry Bots with Machine Spirit Jammers (190 BP, 20 CP) As Heavy Infantry Bots, but controlled by machine spirits and made to look human. Slightly more chaos-resistant, tougher and stronger than normal bots. Can jam the weapons and equipment of foes who use machine spirits.
Light Machine-spirit tanks (150 BP, 5 CP) As Light tanks, but controlled by machine spirits. Slightly more chaos-resistant.
Medium tanks (200 BP, 50 CP) 100 medium battle tanks with battle cannons to fight enemy armor.
Medium Machine-spirit tanks (375 BP, 5 CP) As Medium tanks, but controlled by machine spirits. Slightly more chaos-resistant.
Basic Artillery (300 BP, 50 CP) 50 basic artillery units, capable of shelling battlefields with indirect fire. Includes internal ammunition fabrication.
Basic Machine-spirit Artillery (450 BP, 5 CP) As Basic Artillery, but controlled by machine spirits. Slightly more chaos-resistant.
Ocean Remediation Ship (50 BP, 10 CP) A ship that will dredge up massive amounts of seaweed, compact it and sink it to the bottom of the ocean as a solid lump. 1 ship will fix 1% of the Calderath problem over 1 century.
Machine Spirit Ocean Remediation Ship (75 BP, 1 CP) A ship that will dredge up massive amounts of seaweed, compact it and sink it to the bottom of the ocean as a solid lump. 1 ship will fix 1% of the Calderath problem over 1 century. Controlled by a very serene machine spirit.
Export Goods
Light Infantry Weapons (5 BP) Enough light weapons to outfit 1000 humans. Mostly intended for anti-personnel use. Lasguns, a few stubbers, some grenade launchers and supplies of frag grenades.
Light Infantry Armor (5 BP) Enough light armor to outfit 1000 humans. Roughly equivalent to Imperial guard Flak armor, though with better communication abilities.
Medium Infantry Weapons (10 BP) Enough medium weapons to outfit 1000 humans. A mix of anti-armor and anti-personnel use with greater specialization. Hotshot las-gun equivalents, some lascannons, some autocannons, some flamers, some sniper rifles, a supply of krak grenades.
Medium Infantry Armor (10 BP) Enough medium armor to outfit 1000 humans. Roughly equivalent to Imperial carapace armor.
Heavy Infantry Weapons (20 BP) Enough heavy weapons to outfit 1000 humans. Primarily focused on anti-armor, will work well on power-armored foes. Plasma guns, meltaguns, heavy flamers, melta bombs, missile launchers.
Heavy Infantry Armor (5 BP per unit) Enough heavy armor to equip 1000 humans with armor slightly superior to Sisters-of-Battle grade armor. Can be built with integrated void-shields by doubling the price.
Basic Force Weapons (5 bp for a personalized one, or 10 for 1 bp for general-purpose) A force weapon in the shape of a sword, axe, spear or glaive. Ideally it gets personally fitted to the user, which is difficult but has a better result, or you can mass-produce weapons that will work but won't be all they could be.
Man-portable Machine-Spirit Jammers (10 BP) Enough small devices in the forms of vox-units, bluescreen grenades and directed antennae to arm 1000 humans with gear that increases their effectiveness against enemies using weapons, armor and vehicles with machine spirits.
Personal Void Shields (5 bp per unit) A void-shield projector capable of protecting a person or bot from weapons fire. Can be fit into an amulet or be a larger unit attached to armor for greater shield strength.
Personal Psychic Shields (25 bp per unit) A person-sized set of psychic shields, that must be attached to the inside of a stiff suit of armor, increasing bulkiness and decreasing flexibility unless properly integrated by Armor Device Integration.
Light crewed tanks (100 BP) 100 light battle tanks, primarily armed with anti-personnel weapons. Need crew. Roughly equivalent to the Imperial Chimera.
Medium crewed tanks (200 BP) 100 medium battle tanks with battle cannons to fight enemy armor. Roughly equivalent to the Leman Russ.
Basic Crewed artillery (300 BP) 50 basic artillery units, capable of shelling battlefields with indirect fire. Includes internal ammunition fabrication.
Trade goods (Any cost you wish to spend) A mix of medical supplies, civilian equipment, vehicles and appliances tailored to your trade partner's needs. 5 is a small amount of goods, 10 is decent, 20 is a fair number, 50 starts being quite a lot.
Manned Manufactory (100 BP) More manufacturing capacity and the raw material harvesting to use it. +50 ground-based build capacity, to be spent as the people running it desire.
Residential Space (10 BP)
Enough living space for 1000 people. Beds, plumbing. Temperature control.
City (1000 BP per 50,000 people)
The complete package for a city. Residential space, power generation, sewage treatment, transit, and offices. No food production.
Orbital habitat (1750 Void BP per 50,000 people) As city but in space. Includes Hydroponics.
Manned Ocean Remediation Ship (50 BP) A ship that will dredge up massive amounts of seaweed, compact it, and sink it to the bottom of the ocean as a solid lump. Also can turn the seaweed into moderately palatable food for the crew. 1 ship will fix 1% of the Calderath problem over 1 century.
[] Research: Gain research points equal to your research capacity, to be spent designing new blueprints or researching projects. Write in what you spend them on.
Ground Blueprint Design:
To design ground installations & non-combat units, suggest them in the thread and I'll add them here if they're valid, along with RP cost to design them. This includes bunkers, anti-orbital defenses, ground units, etc. You'll unlock more things with more technology. Some things are impossible without the correct research - for example, heavy tanks will require you to research heavy armor first. Other things will be very cheap if you already have most of the design - for example if you research a better weapon it will be relatively cheap to just swap that out on the tanks.
Blueprints Design
Blueprint Modification Options
New blueprint Modification system: We've unlocked various additions to ground blueprints. Instead of attempting to list all possible combination below I'll list the base options, and you can trick them out with the following modifications. In general BP & RP should round up to the nearest 5. CP does not. Note that these are calculated off "base cost," not total cost, so it is not compounding, though some upgrades increase the base cost.
Here's an example of me designing a fancy assault shuttle.
The base blueprint is 25 RP - Assault Shuttle (25 BP, 5 CP), but I want to make it fancy. First, let's make it machine-spirit controlled. That gives +0.5x base BP, -0.9x CP, or +15 BP, -4.5 CP. So the blueprint is now:
25 RP - Machine Spirit Assault Shuttle (40 BP, 0.5 CP)
Then I want to give it void shields. That costs +1x base BP cost because it's a small craft, then +1x RP. So +25 BP, +25 RP. Now it's:
50 RP - Void-shielded Machine Spirit Assault Shuttle (65 BP, 0.5 CP)
Now I want to give it psy shields. That's +4x base BP cost for small craft (which was 25, so +100 BP), and +1x base RP cost (which was 25, so +25 RP). So now it's:
75 RP - Void & Psy-shielded Machine Spirit Assault Shuttle (165 BP, 0.5 CP)
Oh and screw it, might as well make it stealthy too, which is +1x base RP cost, +0.25x base BP cost, so that's +10 BP (round up to nearest 5) & +25 RP cost, which leaves us with:
100 RP Basic Stealth Void & Psy-shielded Machine Spirit Assault Shuttle (175 BP, 0.5 CP)
And of course that's a bit of a mouthful, so I'm going to rename it the "Icarus," and the blueprint should look like:
100 RP - Icarus (Basic Stealth Void & Psy-shielded Machine Spirit Assault Shuttle, 175 BP, 0.5 CP)
If we'd wanted to also make it humanized (so it looks like it's piloted by people, for example if you wanted to transport allies without them knowing it was flown by robots) then this all changes, since that adds +5 BP to the base cost. That doesn't change the RP or CP cost at all, but it does change BP. Instead of 25+15(0.5x)+25(1x)+100(4x)+10(0.25x)=175 you'd do (25+5)+15(0.5x)+30(1x)+120(4x)+10(1.25x)=205 BP. And then you'd have
100 RP - Basic Stealth Humanized Void & Psy-shielded Machine Spirit Assault Shuttle (205 BP, 0.5 CP)
Humanization - (+15 base BP cost for combat bots, +5 base BP for vehicles, small craft & defensive installations) Makes a unit appear to be operated by fully-armored humans. Slightly increases strength and armor of those units. Can be applied to: Combat Bots, Vehicles, Small craft, defensive installations.
Machine Spirit Jammers - (+10 base BP) Adds machine-spirit jamming equipment to the blueprint, enhancing capabilities against forces that use machine spirits. Can be applied to: Combat Bots, Vehicles, Small craft, defensive installations.
Machine-spirits - (+0.5x base BP cost, -0.9x base CP cost) Make this blueprint controlled by machine spirits, making it slightly corruption resistant and reducing the load on your systems. Can be applied to: Combat bots, vehicles, small craft.
Void Shields - (+1x base BP cost for tanks & small craft, +9x base BP cost for bots, +1x base RP to design blueprint) - Adds void shields to the object, dramatically increasing survivability. Can be applied to: Combat Bots, Vehicles, Small craft.
Psychic Shielding - (+4x base BP cost for tanks, small craft, +9x base BP cost for bots, +1x base BP cost for defensive installations +1x base RP to design blueprint) - Adds psychic shields to the object, dramatically increasing survivability against warpy threats. Can be applied to: Combat Bots, Vehicles, Small craft, defensive installations.
Basic Stealth - (+0.25x base BP cost for vehicles and small craft, +0.5x base BP cost for bots, +1x base RP cost, ) Makes a unit harder to detect with both active & passive means. Can be applied to: Combat bots, vehicles, small craft.
Less-than Lethal armament - (+0.5x base BP cost for vehicles and small craft & bots.) Arms a unit with dispensers for drugs to render human foes unconscious instead of dead. Will be improved by research for flexible . Can be applied to: Combat bots, vehicles, small craft.
Combat Bots
10 RP - Light infantry bots (25 BP, 200 CP). 1000 human-sized bipedal robots with light arms and armor.. Expensive CP cost due to need for close control. Good at rapid pursuit & maneuvering through tight terrain, bad against heavy armor.
25 RP - Medium Infantry Bots (50 BP, 200 CP) 1000 human-sized bipedal robots with medium armor and light anti-tank weaponry. Expensive CP cost due to need for close control. Good all-rounder capable of all roles, though not optimal at either.
25 RP - Heavy Infantry Bots (100 BP, 200 CP) 1000 human-sized bipedal robots with heavy armor, and heavy armaments such as plasma guns, meltaguns, heavy flamers, melta bombs, missile launchers. Good at the heaviest fighting over open ground against heavy armor, not well-suited to avoiding collateral damage.
Vehicles
15 RP - Light tanks (100 BP, 50 CP) 100 light battle tanks, primarily armed with anti-personnel weapons. Good at rapid pursuit & maneuvering through tight terrain, bad against heavy armor.
25 RP - Medium tanks (250 BP, 50 CP) 100 medium battle tanks with battle cannons & antipersonnel weapons to fight enemy armor and infantry. Good all-rounder capable of all roles, though not optimal at any.
25 RP - Heavy tanks (500 BP, 50 CP) 100 heavy battle tanks with heavy battle cannons to fight effectively against heavy enemy armor. Good at the heaviest fighting over open ground against heavy armor, not well-suited to avoiding collateral damage.
Small Craft
25 RP - Shuttle (20 BP, 5 CP) A single shuttle which converts up to 50 ground build capacity to void build capacity, and shouldn't be especially noticeable to anybody not actively looking for it. Requires a spaceport for efficient transfer of materials.
25 RP - Bomber (20 BP, 5 CP) Sometimes you want to deliver cargo to your enemies. Can deliver a fair amount of ordinance to a target in atmosphere or out of it. Unlocks a bomber hanger attachment for ships.
25 RP - Fighter (20 BP, 5 CP) These fighters have twin-linked lascannons to attack ground and orbital targets, and can carry a couple of small bombs. Requires a spaceport for rapid launch and rearming.
25 RP - Assault Shuttle (25 BP, 5 CP) Sometimes you want to deliver things other than bombs to your enemies. So let's stick some armor and guns on a shuttle, and make it a bit more maneuverable. Can carry 100 troops and provide anti-personnel and light antiarmor fire. Cannot deliver troops to space targets.
Defensive Installations
10 RP - Anti-armor Bunker (50 BP, 5 CP) A bunker with a heavy melta cannon, able to take out most armor in a single shot.
5 RP - Anti-personnel Bunker (20 BP, 2 CP) A bunker with a set of high-fire-rate weapons designed to take down humanoid-sized attackers wearing medium or lighter armor.
25 RP - Light Void-shield installation (250 BP, 25 CP) A void shield capable of stopping light orbital bombardment, approximately ten heavy strikes.
25 RP - Ballistic missile (50 BP, 10 CP) A long-range ballistic missile. By default it carries a high-yield explosive head capable of destroying approximately a city block. Can be intercepted by orbital defenses.
25 RP - Nuclear warhead (25 BP, 1 CP) A variable-yield nuclear warhead that can be deployed by ballistic missile or other means to destroy a city-sized target unless it's heavily dug-in.
10 RP - Spy satellite (10 void BP, 5 CP) A small spy satellite that lets you do your own surveillance on the planet below. Under your complete control and with better sensors and communication hardening than any of the local satellites.
Utility
50 RP - Advanced Technological Research Lab (500 BP, 100 CP) Will allow you to process advanced technological samples, including materials of alien origin. Has advanced scanning, modeling and processing capabilities.
10 RP - Maglev System (5 bp/mile, 50 flat CP) A high-capacity maglev system to transport large amounts of goods across a planetary surface, linking various surface installations together into a single network so production from any of them can be applied at all of them.
Void Blueprint design:
To design void blueprints, follow these steps:
Choose a starting hull from the list of available void chassis below
Choose the number of Build Points to be spent on the base hull. This corresponds to overall size of the ship - a destroyer with 200 bp will be 1200x200 meters, while a 500 bp base destroyer will be 1600x400 meters. This will set the "hp" of the design as well as determine the total amount of space inside the ship, which is represented by the number of BP spent on the hull. That's your "Budget"
Pick the speed, shields and armor of the design. Shields are recharging temp HP, while armor is damage reduction. Speed is self-explanatory. These do not count towards cramming.
Pick hull equipment to go onto the ship. These do not count towards cramming.
Choose weapons, combat equipment & noncombat equipment to add to the ship. Your budget for these things is the base BP spent on size before you start to get into cramming. You can cram more stuff in, but there will be penalties to maneuvering, maintenance, etc. As an example, if you build a destroyer with a base hull cost of 400, then you have a budget of 400 to spend on weapons/equipment before penalties start kicking in.
Have a vote win which spends the necessary RP to design the planned ship.
(Basic Defense Satellite) Light defense Platform. Base 100 Bp (200x200 meters). No engines, Light shields for 50 bp, light armor for 50 bp. 1x light lance battery for 100 bp. Total is 100+50+50+100 = 300. Weapons+equipment is 100, within the base BP of 100, so no cramming penalty.
(Basic System Monitor) Destroyer chassis. Base BP 350 (1500x300 meters) Engines: 7 gravities for 100 BP. Light Shields for 50 BP. Medium armor for 100 BP. 2x Light Macrocannon batteries for 200 bp, 1x Light Lance battery for 100 bp, High maneuverability thrusters for (1/10 base, round up to nearest 50 =) 50 bp. Total is 350+100+50+100+200+100+50 = 950. Weapons + equipment is 350, within the base BP of 350, so no cramming penalty.
Light defense Platform, 10 RP, 10 CP, (100-400 BP, 200x200-500x500 meters.) Engines: (none) for (0). Shields: (none/light/medium) for (0/50/100) Armor: (none/light/medium) for (0/50/100)
Destroyer, 25 RP, 50 CP, 1 ship construction slots (200-500 BP, 1200x200-1600x400 meters) Engines: (6/7/8 gravities) for (50/100/150 BP). Shields: (none/light/medium) for (0/50/100) Armor: (none/light/medium) for (0/50/100)
Frigate, 50 RP, 100 CP, 2 ship construction slots (500-1000 BP, 1600x400-2200x600 meters) Engines: (5/6/7 gravities) for (75/150/225 BP). Shields: (none/light/medium) for (0/75/150) Armor: (none/light/medium) for (0/75/150)
Light Cruiser, 75 RP, 200 CP, 8 ship construction slots (1000-2000 BP, 3500x400-4400x800 meters) Engines: (3/4/5 gravities) for (100/200/300 BP). Shields: (none/light/medium) for (0/150/300) Armor: (none/light/medium) for (0/100/200)
Heavy Cruiser, 100 RP, 300 CP, 32 ship construction slots (2000-6000 BP, 4500x600-6000x1200 meters) Engines: (2/3/4 gravities) for (300/400/500 BP). Shields: (none/light/medium) for (0/200/400) Armor: (none/light/medium) for (0/200/400)
Available Hull Equipment:
These do not count towards hull cramming.
Living Space (1/5 of the base cost of the hull, rounded up to the nearest 50) This ship is built to be run and operated by humans. It will require a crew but will not cost CP to command.
Warp Drive (1/10 of the base cost of the hull, rounded up to nearest 50) This ship can jump to the warp. Navigation systems sold separately.
Void Abacus (1/10 of the base cost of the hull, rounded up to nearest 50) This ship can navigate through the warp slowly, at a rate of 3 systems per action. Requires Abacus Manufacturing technology.
Psychic Shielding (Between 1/10 to 1/5 of the base cost of the hull, rounded up to nearest 50) This ship has a neural network integrated throughout the whole thing, that thinks "no" as hard as possible, answering the question for any warp-corruption for any beings or objects within the hull. HP of the shield is 1 HP per 5 BP spent on it.
Basic Passive Steath Profile (1/5 base cost of the hull, rounded up to nearest 50) This ship has it's sensor profile reduced with special coatings and a shape that reduces the cross-section in response to active sensors. It can reasonably expect to stay hidden at long ranges (outside weapon range) as long as it's not moving, or moving very slowly. Improved Passive Stealth Profile (1/2 base cost of the hull, rounded up to nearest 50) This ship is heavily dedicated to stealth, with not just coatings and a shape but also significant amounts of sensor bafflers and other passive systems designed to prevent it from being spotted. Should be able to stay hidden at medium ranges (or long weapon range) as long as it's not moving, or moving very slowly. Advanced Passive Stealth Profile (Doubles base cost of the hull, rounded up to nearest 50) This ship tries it's hardest to be a void in space, and so long as it's not moving it generally succeeds. Should be able to stay hidden at close ranges as long as it's not moving, or moving very slowly. Probably not good enough to get into boarding range.
Available Weapons:
These do count towards hull cramming.
Multiple the final weapon cost by 0.9 before applying it to ship designs. So if you have 500 BP of weapons, it only counts as 450 for the purposes of ship packing. But it'll count as 500 for final ship cost.
Prow Ram (1/20 base cost of the hull, rounded up to nearest 50). This ship is built to run into things, and hurt them more than it gets hurt.
Light Macrocannons 100 bp. Medium range, projectile weapons built for sustained barrage. Medium Macrocannons 200 bp. Medium range, projectile weapons built for sustained barrage. Heavy Macrocannons 400 bp. Medium range, projectile weapons built for sustained barrage.
Light Lances 100 BP. Long range, hitscan burst weapons. Not excellent at sustained fire. Medium Lances 200 BP. Long range, hitscan burst weapons. Not excellent at sustained fire. Heavy Lances 400 BP. Long range, hitscan burst weapons. Not excellent at sustained fire.
Light Missiles 50 BP short range, limited ammo, vulnerable to enemy point defense but very good burst damage. Limited ammo. Decent anti-fighter/bomber weapon. Medium Missiles 100 BP short range, limited ammo, vulnerable to enemy point defense but very good burst damage. Limited ammo. Decent anti-fighter/bomber weapon. Heavy Missiles 200 BP short range, limited ammo, vulnerable to enemy point defense but very good burst damage. Limited ammo. Decent anti-fighter/bomber weapon.
Light Plasma Cannon 250 BP, Medium range, high-fire rate with incredible damage potential. Extremely effective against shields. Medium Plasma Cannon 500 BP, Medium range, high-fire rate with incredible damage potential. Extremely effective against shields, less effective against armor. Heavy Plasma Cannon 1000 BP, Medium range, high-fire rate with incredible damage potential. Extremely effective against shields, less effective against armor.
Light Melta cannon 200 BP, Very short range, medium-fire rate but with incredible damage potential. Extremely effective against armor. Medium Melta cannon 400 BP, Very short range, medium-fire rate but with incredible damage potential. Extremely effective against armor. Heavy Melta cannon 800 BP, Very short range, medium-fire rate but with incredible damage potential. Extremely effective against armor.
Fighters 100 BP, 50 CP. Parasite craft with short-ranged guns and some missile capability. Basic stealth automatically applied. Shuttles 100 BP, 50 CP. 10 Shuttlecraft, combined capacity of 500 lift to or from a planet. Assault Shuttles 150 BP, 50 CP. 10 Assault shuttles, with combined capacity of 1000 troops or 10 tanks in one trip. asic stealth automatically applied.
Point Defense 50 BP. A series of turrets on the hull to shoot down enemy fighters, missiles and torpedoes.
Small Torpedoes 150 BP. A payload of straight-flying armored torpedoes, sized to give destroyers a bad day, hurt frigates and prick cruisers. Medium Torpedoes 300 BP. A payload of straight-flying armored torpedoes, sized to wreck frigates, hurt cruisers and make grand cruisers know they've been touched. Large Torpedoes 600 BP. A payload of straight-flying armored torpedoes, sized to wreck cruisers, hurt grand cruisers and make battleships know they've been touched.
Light Teleportarium 100 bp. Can teleport a small number of organics or robots onto enemy ships from close range. Enemy shields must be down. Medium Teleportarium 200 bp. Can teleport a medium number of organics or robots onto enemy ships from medium-close. Enemy shields must be down. Heavy Teleportarium 400 bp. Can teleport a large number of organics or robots onto enemy ships from long range. Enemy shields must be down.
Available Equipment:
These do count towards hull cramming.
Low-emission Systems (1/10 of the base cost of the hull, rounded up to the nearest 50) This ship has been tuned to reduce overall emissions, making it stealthier. Not stealthy. Stealthier.
Improved Sensors 250 BP - increased size and density of sensors, backed up by the necessary computational support, will make it more difficult for anybody to sneak up on this ship. Excellent Sensors 500 BP - You would say it's impossible to sneak up on a ship with this many sensors, but you saw what the Eldar did, and now it's merely incredibly improbable. Superb Sensors 1000 BP - This ship has enough sensors of enough modalities that it's basically a mobile scientific research platform. Anything weird will get noticed, investigated, and if it's an enemy ship, pinned down.
High-maneuverability thrusters (1/10 of the base cost of the hull, rounded up to the nearest 50) This ship is more maneuverable, able to flip, spin and dodge more quickly. This lets it maneuver well through dense asteroid clusters and dodge/ram more effectively in combat.
Plasma payloads (choose missile warheads or Macro cannon warheads) (1/20 of the base cost of the hull, rounded up to the nearest 50) This ship can load and fire plasma-warhead ammunition, which has a flat damage increase.
Melta payloads (choose missile warheads, Macrocannon warheads or torpedoes) (1/20 of the base cost of the hull, rounded up to the nearest 50) This ship can load and fire melta-warhead ammunition, which is especially effective against enemy armor and hulls.
Tuned Shields Costs the same as the chosen armor cost, and additionally counts towards cramming (not the total cost, just the extra cost for tuned shields, so if shields costs 100 bp, then tuned shields cost 100 bp and 100 bp is counted against cramming). These shields recharge significantly faster, but when taken down all the way take slightly longer to reboot.
Alloyed Armor Costs the same as the chosen armor cost, and additionally counts towards cramming (not the total cost, just the extra cost for alloyed armor, so if armor costs 100 bp, then alloyed armor costs 100 bp and 100 bp is counted against cramming). Armor is much tougher but is harder to repair.
Light Boarding preparations (1/20 of the base cost of the hull, rounded up to the nearest 50) Bulkheads are reinforced, extra hatches seal all decks and turrets guard key chokepoints, making boarding annoying. Medium Boarding preparations (1/10 of the base cost of the hull, rounded up to the nearest 50) The ship layout is designed to funnel borders into kill-zones in front of armored bunkers, and any borders will take heavy casualties. Heavy Boarding preparations (1/5 of the base cost of the hull, rounded up to the nearest 50) This ship as essentially a flying dungeon, filled with escherian mazes, hidden turrets, crushing-hallways and other deathtraps.
Light Machine Spirit Jammers (1/20 of the base cost of hull, rounded up to nearest 50) Banks of cogitators with code to disable machine spirits. Enough to cause significant degradation in an enemy ship's sensors, maneuvering and targeting. Primarily effective against ships of the same weight class. Medium Machine Spirit Jammers (1/10 of the base cost of hull, rounded up to nearest 50) Banks of cogitators with code to disable machine spirits. Same as light jammers, plus will also effect total thrust, weapons firing rate. Primarily effective against ships of the same weight class. Heavy Machine Spirit Jammers (1/5 of the base cost of hull, rounded up to nearest 50) Banks of cogitators with code to disable machine spirits. Same effect as medium, but may also effect friend-foe designation and reactor stability. Primarily effective against ships of the same weight class.
These do count towards hull cramming.
Troop compartment (50 BP) Can carry 10,000 soldiers or 500 medium tanks across the stars.
Medical bay (25 BP) Can treat 1000 severely injured people at once.
Manufactory (Any cost up to base cost of hull) Generates void BP equivalent to 1/10 of its cost.
Cargo Bay (No cost, free. Designate an amount of BP to fill for cramming purposes) Allows transport of an amount of BP equivalent to the cramming amount from one system to another.
Repair Bay (Any cost up to base cost of hull). Repairs damage across friendly ships equal to its cost. Can be used to refit the ships as well with a +50% markup. Cannot be used to make new ships, bots, manufactories.
The ways to get new research options are to:
Do research. That'll unlock more research.
Build appropriate installations & potentially acquire samples to research in them (samples could be anything from 'a human' to 'a Norn queen' in rarity).
Ask for them. Often I'll tell you what you need to do to unlock specific research options,
Ship Design
-[] Grand Cruisers (400 RP) Making a ship design that's not spaghetti takes time and effort. It's still boring. But if you want to make queens of the void, its necessary. (unlocks grand cruisers, half of the prereq for battleships)
-[] Medium Defense Platforms (50 RP) You've already got most of the tools you need to build bigger defensive platforms, but these would be a larger platform to stick guns on, with more ability to withstand damage. (Unlocks medium defensive platforms, potential for other void-based installation options)
-[] Improved Engine Designs (125 RP) Based on your understanding of physics and a few old research papers you think you can improve engine reactor thrust velocities. (Enhances ship speeds at every level. Unlocks further speed, maneuverability & stealth technologies)
-[] Streamlined ship design (100 RP) You can improve your tools for ship design to make it easier to design ships in the future. That might be nice (Halves the RP cost to design new ships, may unlock other ship design improvements)
-[] Efficient Equipment Distribution (100 RP) Let's see if you can apply the benefits from weapon packing to equipment (Equipment costs count as 0.9x for ship capacity packing. Especially effective for cargo holds.)
-[] Extremely Efficient Weapon Distribution (200 RP) You did a good job already in packing more weapons into less space. But you think you see ways to make it even better (Weapons cost at 0.75 for ship capacity packing)
-[] Can I have a new ship please? (200 RP) Triggers a sub-turn to design yourself a new ship. It can be any size, up to one class larger than what you currently have available (This is Vita's unique mechanic, and will let you design new iterations of your ship)
-[] Boarding Capabilities (100 RP) Apparently it's common for ships in this day and age to board each other and for the crew to fight hand-to-hand. Instead of, you know, chucking enormous missiles at each other. Insane. Well, it might be a nice capability to have in case you want to capture ships intact. (Unlocks boarding torpedoes, drop pods, and boarding craft for hangers, may combine with stealth research to unlock stealth borders)
-[] Networked missiles (100 RP) The biggest danger to missiles is that they'll get shot down by fighters and point defense. If you can network them together to cooperate against those threats, more of the warheads will reach their targets. (Unlocks new combat equipment to make missiles more effective. May unlock more technology to make missiles smarter, longer ranged and generally more effective)
General Design
-[] Large-scale Void Manufacturing (100 RP) Unlike ground factories, which have to deal with gravity and atmosphere, there's little stopping you from just... scaling up the principles of void manufacturing. Besides the annoying spaghetti of logistics, but that's a solvable problem. (Allows you to design large void manufactories that are more efficient, improves the manufactories on your ships to be 1/5 instead of 1/10 production. Potential for other void-based platform technologies).
-[] Ground Manufactory Efficiency Improvements (50 RP) You dramatically improved the efficiency of your void manufacturing by stripping out the dumb stuff that was required by stellar federation bureaucracy. There's probably some stuff like that in your ground manufactories too. (Reduces the CP cost but not BP cost of your ground manufactories. Unlocks follow-on tech to build ground manufactories in more challenging conditions such as extreme temp/pressure planetoids).
-[] Shuttle automation (150 RP) Surely I don't have to fly these stupid things myself. (Reduce the CP cost of shuttles by 50%)
-[] Walkers (300 RP) Tanks are... kind of boring? Mechs are cooler. (unlock armiger knights, dreadnaughts, starts the knights/titans research tree)
-[] Mothballing (50 RP) Keeping a bunch of systems functional and ready requires attention that is swiftly running out. Maybe you can figure out how to spend less attention on things that are mostly inactive (Unlocks the ability to mothball an installation for 10% of it's build cost, free reactivation that takes a few weeks. May unlock techs to allow you to freely turn things on and off, as well as increasing the speed of reactivation enough for you to keep military installations mothballed until they're needed.)
-[] Abacus Manufacturing (100 RP) You understand all of the physical parts of an abacus. Now you need to figure out all of the manufacturing techniques needed to actually put one together. (Unlocks the void abacus ship equipment)
-[] Habitation Requires Correct Ingredients (200 RP) If a planet lacks an essential element, there's not that much you can do about that. Well, there isn't unless you lack imagination. You could crash comets and asteroids into the planet and get volatiles that way - but it would take a lot of them. Still, doable, if expensive. (Unlocks the ability to add essential elements to planets that lack them. Likely expensive, though further research will reduce the cost).
Stealth
-[] Improved Spaceship Passive Stealth (200 RP) Your current stealth systems are effective, but it would be nice if they were a little bit more effective. And maybe a bit cheaper. (Improves the effect and cost of stealth hull equipment. Unlocks further research towards better spaceship stealth.)
-[] Low-Emission equipment (150 RP) Hiding a ship's profile versus active and passive sensors is one thing, but hiding engine signatures and head dumping is entirely another (Unlocks new non-combat equipment to allow ships to maneuver and do other things without destroying their stealth. Unlocks further research towards better spaceship stealth. May unlock technology to allow weapons fire without breaking stealth.)
-[] Active Spaceship Stealth (150 RP) Not returning a sensor signal is one thing, but actively providing false signals is another, and something that the Drukhari are evident masters of. (Unlocks new equipment to improve ship stealth against various sensors that you can't trick any other way. Unlocks further research towards better spaceship stealth. May unlock technology to hide your position and prevent enemies from getting good targeting.)
-[] Ground force stealth standardization(150 RP) It takes some time and effort to design stealth versions of various units, and they end up more expensive to produce. If you take another look at the process with an eye towards standardizing it you could probably improve that. (Reduces the BP & RP cost of stealth modifications for ground forces, potentially to zero.)
-[] Improved Passive Stealth (50 RP) Ok, you've figured out the basics of hiding your small craft, but you have ideas on what you can do better, that might allow them to hide from even fully-alert enemies. They probably won't be able to close all the way to attack range, but they'll be able to get a lot closer (Unlocks improved stealth designs with improved performance. Unlocks further research for advanced passive stealth technologies. Will synergize with other stealth research.)
-[] Improved Active Stealth (150 RP) Again, moving towards the idea of actively countering sensors so they can't see you. It's a cat-and-mouse game with sensors, and you want to be the cat. (Improved stealth designs for actively hiding signatures. Unlocks further research for advanced active stealth, and will synergize with other stealth research.)
-[] Optical Camouflage (300 RP) Covering your units with holograms to make them harder to see with the naked eye sounds like a simple concept, but it very much is not. You need to know where the watcher is, project an image of what's behind you, and make it account for the movement of both the viewer and object. Unless you can think of a better idea. (Unlocks a blueprint modification to make your units harder to see. Unlocks further visual camouflage capabilities that might be closer to true invisibility)
-[] Examine the Dark Eldar Craft (150 RP) The Dark Eldar boarding craft showed incredible stealth capabilities. If you can figure out how it works that would be a great way to improve your own stealth capabilities (Discounts all stealth technology, may unlock unique stealth research and let you see through Eldar stealth better) Requires Advanced Technological Research Lab.
Shields
-[] Heavy Void shields (150 RP) Your current shields are good, but they could be better. Specifically, you want to make multi-layered shields, which could be applied to anything larger than a destroyer (Unlocks heavy void shields for ships and stations, as well as further research for void shielding improved for recharge speed, layered defenses, etc.)
-[] Heavy In-atmosphere void shields (100 RP) Well, the void shields you have are nice. But it would be nice to be able to build bigger ones, that can shrug off essentially any possible orbital bombardment. You need to figure out how to take advantage of the ridiculous energy and heat dissipation capabilities of being on a planet. (Unlocks heavy and super-heavy void shield installations. May unlock research towards better overall void shielding.)
-[] Void Shield Layering (400 RP) If you could layer multiple shields together, then when one failed the second could take damage while the first recharged. Right now there's harmonics that prevent this, but you are sure you can figure it out... with a full redesign. (Unlocks the ability to layer two sets of shields. Will unlock research for more layers of shielding, weirder shapes of shields and other specialty modules)
-[] Void Shield Discounts (300 RP) You have some ideas on how to swap out materials or simplify designs to reduce the costs of void shields. (Reduces the cost of void shields across the board. May lead to new kinds of mundane applications for void shields, such as manufacturing modules, shielded fighters or shuttles)
Materials & Armor
-[] Superheavy Armor (200 RP) Let's just stick starship armor on them and call it a day. (Unlocks superheavy tanks. Prerequisite for space-marine-quality power armor)
-[] Chaos Space Marine Armor Investigation (100 RP) Between the dozen corpses you can almost certainly piece together a full suit or two of armor from the chaos space marines. What does it do? Why is it covered with horns? (Significant discounts on space-marine power armor research, potential discounts on robotics and cybernetics, may unlock further research to improve power armor. Potential identification of strengths and weaknesses of Black Legion power armor).
-[] Advanced Materials (250 RP) You know there are exotic elements with absurd physical properties. But it's also possible to build absurdly strong materials with common elements. How does that work? Time to dust off some ancient research projects and figure this stuff out. (Unlocks improved armor, as well as research to unlock megastructures. Also required for battleships and larger walkers)
-[] Heavy Armor Production Line (100 RP) You can make Heavy armor, but you solved the problem by effectively making each suit into a custom-crafted suit full of expensive actuators. Maybe a redesign will make it cheap enough to mass-produce, and unlock follow-on research. (Dramatically reduces cost for heavy armor, and subsequent superheavy armor. May unlock more options for heavy armor, including integrated mobility options)
-[] Armor Device Integration (200 RP) Your armor blocks blows, which is its basic purpose. Still, it would be great to be able to integrate different devices into it - void shields, psytech, mobility options like jetpacks, holdout weapons and more. (Unlocks the ability to design specialty types of medium, heavy and superheavy armor that contain additional functions, many of which will be unlocked by other technology.)
-[] Temperature? Let's talk Albedo (150 RP) To change the temperature of a planet, you simply need to change how much it's absorbing and re-radiating, then let the energy of a local star do the rest. (Unlocks projects to heat or cool planets over decades with surprisingly minimal investment. Unlocks further improvements and potential weaponization.)
-[] The Golden Metal (200 RP) On Calderath, inside the Sector Governer's Hall of Wonders, in place of pride, you found a piece of golden metal supposedly from the Emporer's armor. What is it? What can it do? Why does it react stragely to psychic energy? Can you shape it into something for Cia? How can you find more? (A basic understanding of auramite and how to work it. Will unlock further research to prospect for it more efficiently - or potentially synthesize it eventually). Write in if you'd like to fashion what you have into the edge of a weapon or part of a piece of psytech for Cia.
Necrons
-[] Necron Initial Investigations (200 RP) You've got these scary robots lying in prison cells as if you're afraid they'll come to life and attack. Which you are. But the reason you have them is to study them, so start studying them. Everythign about them is fascinating, from the matierals they're made from to their mode of articulation to their processing units and even some faint radiation they're giving off. (Begins the necron research tree). Requires advanced technological research lab.
Robotics
-[] Avatar self-customization (100 RP) Your previous avatar was capable of changing its appearance at your whim, changing the hair, eye and skim color rapidly. Hair length and body size changes took a bit longer but were also possible. Is this worth figuring out? It might just be you being vain. (Unlocks some disguise-style cybernetics... once you get good cybernetics and can do things like skin/eye replacements).
-[] Improved Armor Articulation (50 RP) From your research on humanizing combat bots you have some ideas about improving the points of articulation on armor to increase the range of motion and make the suits more responsive. (Increased performance & mobility for heavier armor, both for combat bots & people wearing heavy armor you make. May unlock further armor upgrade techs)
-[] Combat Bot Melee Combat (150 RP) Your bots aren't armed for melee combat, and don't really have the articulation for it. If you could fix that, maybe they wouldn't be so vulnerable to close-range combat. (Gives your combat bots melee weapons and basic proficiency with them. Will unlock technology for improved melee proficiency, as well as synergize well and potentially unlock technology for improved melee weaponry.)
-[] Really good Robotics: (600 RP) You know it's possible to make robots that are really strong. You've seen the specs floating around. You just don't quite know how to do it, though you've got some ideas on the matter... it would take quite a bit of simulation and a lot of trial and error to bring them into reality (Unlocks improvements to avatars, power armor, cybernetics, combat bots, improved manufactories). Acquire samples of advanced robots to reduce this cost.
AI research
-[] Intelligence Coding (400 RP) You don't really understand how your own code and hardware works. Maybe putting some effort into understanding that would pay dividends. It's never been something too interesting, but hey, maybe you should give it a shot. (Helps you understand your own code. Prerequisite to building new AIs, starts command point tree and automation tree, also unlocks personality-checking research)
- [] Personality-Checking Routines (200 RP) All of this chaos-corruption is making you nervous. People changing according to the will of some warp-entity? Becoming different in ways that would disgust their past selves? That gives you the heebee-jeebies. Maybe - just maybe - it would be good to develop some ways to automatically check if aspects of your personality are diverging ways you don't want them to. Then you might be able to fix the problem before you become somebody who doesn't want (Gives you some algorithms to check for personality divergence in AIs. Doesn't do anything, just alerts you to changes and lets you decide what steps to take. Unlocks further research to prevent/rollback personality change, as well as potentially extend this research to humans with neural implants). Locked behind Intelligence Coding.
Psychic Shielding
-[] Better Psychic Shielding Efficiency (200 RP) You've figured out how to make your shielding modular, but each panel is still tricky to make. If you spent some time iterating that design you think you could make them even easier to make, and potentially power powerful (Further Improves the BP/HP ratio for psychic shields, may improve the HP of shielding you can pack into a unit of space.)
-[] Psychic Shielding Reliability (100 RP) Trying to make tripwire-versions of your shielding that could be installed in everything has revealed a weakness - the circuits can spontaneously fail. You fixed that problem by making them tougher, but now they won't always trigger. You're confident you can fix this issue, but it'll require you to make them more failure-proof. On the plus side, this should mean that your psychic shielding can last longer without maintenance. (Makes psychic tripwires more accurate, potentially to the point where it's impossible to corrupt your tech without you knowing about it. Also likely to make your psychic shielding last long time periods without maintenance. Will unlock research to use this on ships, and to make civilian-grade versions that could be put into literally everything).
-[] Small-scale design-integrated psychic shielding (150 RP) You could take this approach a step further, and integrate the psychic shielding into the designs of bots, vehicles and small installations from the start. (Makes the cheapest version of psychic shielding free & automatic to build into bots, vehicles and small installations. Will likely improve the quality of shielding available and unlock research for further shielding improvements)
-[] Large-scale Design-integrated psychic shielding (250 RP) Start installing this shielding into hull plates as the norm. Every ship will have psychic shielding (Makes the cheapest version of psychic shielding free & automatic for all ships and platforms. Will unlock research to make this shielding better)
-[] Alternative Shielding Meanings (150 RP) Your current shielding says "No" at all times, which seems to work against most warp threats. You think you might be able to modify it for a different meaning, which may have different effects. You're not sure exactly what, but you'd kind of like to try "Aboslutely not" or maybe even "You're not real" and see what happens. (Unlocks new types of psychic shielding with different/improved effects, as well as further research into more powerful psychic shielding - some of which may be less "shielding" and more of an offensive weapon.)
-[] Machine Spirit-controlled Psychic Shields (50 RP) You think it's possible to integrate machine spirits into your chaos shielding, which would probably make it more effective in almost every way except cost. (Unlocks new kinds of psychic shielding that are more resistant to damage, potentially self-repairing and more) Requires Machine Spirit Chaos resistance.
-[] Tiny Psychic shielding (400 RP) You were able to make your smaller psychic shielding by stacking the components and using the interference caused to generate the proper effect. However, you don't understand that interference well enough to go any smaller. Once you do, you can start to try to make actually tiny versions of the psychic shielding, small enough to fit in implants, or potentially into totems that project the shielding effect outside of themselves. (Fixes the issues with personal psychic shields, unlocks the ability to create implants with psychic shielding capability and potentially allows you to make amulets with psychic shields. May unlock additional technology to make all of that better.) Requires Triple Nested Psychic shielding
-[] Triple Nested Psychic shielding (200 RP) You've had two shields, yes. What about three? (Allows you to have three layers of shielding active at once. May unlock tech to allow inner shields to boost outer shields to be greater than the sum of their parts)
-[] Multi-meaning shields (300 RP) Your current shields say "No." Other sayings probably exist, and saying multiple things at the same time might have more esoteric effects, such as damaging attackers or defending better against certain types of attacks. Combining multiple of those into one shield could be powerful. (Allows you to combine two shield types together into one shield. May unlock further research for further combination, or to say one meaning EXTRA HARD.) Requires Alternative Shielding Meanings
-[] Scrapcode Denial (400 RP) Scrapcode - and psychic corruption in general - is a difficult opponent. It's hard to enforce mistakes when it can magically see through your defenses. But if you could incorporate psychic encryption into that approach, it becomes viable again. (Makes your shielding Extraordinarily resistant to potentially completely immune to scrapcode-based attacks. Does not apply to machine spirits yet. May unlock technology to apply to other kinds of corruption. Likely synergistic with generating your own scrapcode)
-[] Psychic Shield Tuning (200 RP) Your new scrapcode defenses help against scrapcode, but not necessarily other threats. This research would potentially allow you to tune the capabilities of your shielding on the fly to improve performance against other angles of attack. (Resistance to specific types of attack will improve with exposure, up to a cap. Unlocks more research to allow for more flexible shielding that can target specific weaknesses of various psychic enemies. Synergizes with mutli-meaning shielding.)
-[] Hardware Psychic Encryption (50 RP) To properly block scrying, you need to design new psychic shielding. You don't think it'll be more expensive, but you could be wrong. (New versions of psychic shielding that block scrying with much greater effectiveness. Likely unlocks better versions that will defeat the most powerful seers, and may unlock specialized research to build installations that will deny scrying and foresight over a larger area - like a system)
The Warp
-[] Teleportation is like skipping a stone (150 RP) Teleporters work by skipping a cargo across the shallow warp, linking two places for a moment. They are limited in many ways. Now that you understand that, you can find the limits to extend range, capacity and think about other ways to utilize the same general idea. (Improves teleporters for boarding, may lead to the ability to directly teleport to planetary surfaces. Unlocks further research for further improving the teleporter, as well as potentially leading to warp portals, which is likely required for webway understanding).
-[] The Taste of Chaos (100 RP) When investigating the stations in Vorthryn, and again when investigating the artifacts you found a flavor to the warp signatures hanging around the chaos-corrupted stations. If you do more analysis on it, you should be able to set up some filters that can tell you when a signature is chaos-associated or identify active Chaos-cults, chaotic blessings or chaoticlly-enhanced items through sensors alone (Makes your warp sensors very sensitive to Chaos-associated markers. More useful in detecting cults than individuals, though will be able to detect chaos blessings. Like to unlock further research to screen for ever-smaller amounts of chaotic influence).
-[] Shards of Humming Gemstone (100 RP) The shards of crystal you recovered from the ritual don't carry an inherent chaos taint of their own, but they resonate with the warp somehow. The largest piece you have is the size of a human hand, maybe you can figure out what it is and how to use it? (May unlock new options for using, finding or synthesizing this warp-reactive substance, as well as discounts to technologies that involve resonance with the warp.)
-[] Empathy at Range (200 RP) Your warp sensors work well on things that are nearby, but they're definitely not able to detect anything large beyond combat range, or smaller things beyond very close range. Maybe it's a matter of improving sensitivity, maybe you need to specifically build some parts of your psychic shield to extend range. (Makes your warp sensors active at longer range, unlocks further research to pinpoint psychic activities from across the solar system. Half of the prereq for basic warp-based FTL communication)
-[] Yelling into the Warp (150 RP) If you can receive signals from the warp, how do you send them? It probably involves modulating your psychic shielding somehow. Does that mean a new thought? Probably. (Unlocks the ability to cast signals into the warp, though that may attract attention. May allow you to signal psychically-sensitive allies... or enemies. Half of the prereq for basic warp-based FTL communication) Requires Alternative Shielding Meanings
-[] Warp Weather Prediction (400 RP) The Warp has been said to have "weather." Well, at least storms. But if you're constantly monitoring the signals from your psychic shielding, you can start to make predictions about what will come. That... might be useful. (Likely to give you advance warning of significant warp-effects, especially warp storms. May unlock further research to improve warp navigation, and if you crit again, a strange kind of warp-based technological foresight.)
-[] Warp Manufacturing (150 RP) The laws of physics break down in the warp, and in spaces influenced by the warp. This includes creating impossible structures and pushing materials beyond their limits. Figuring out how to use that might be tricky, but will probably be quite rewarding. (Figure out ways to use warptech to improve mundane manufacturing, unlocks techs for both mass-production and relic-tier artificing). Requires Immaterium understanding.
-[] Vortex Weapons (250 RP) When you first read about them vortex weapons sounded... terrifying. Now you're even more scared. Still, that might be a nice thing to have in your arsenal at some point. (Unlocks basic vortex weaponry. Likely further research for larger and smaller vortex weapons). Locked behind High-energy Physics
-[] Reliable Gellar Fields (300 RP) Your gellar field technology is capable, but for something that important you want it to be rock-solid. That'll probably require a full redesign, but having a gellar field that cannot be knocked out with destroying a good chunk of your ship seems like it might be a good investment. (Improves your gellar field technology to make it more reliable and redundant. Will help you resist demonic attacks in the warp.)
-[] Faith is my shield? (75 RP) Clearly the Imperium believes that faith can protect you from warp gribblies. It even seems like it might be true. How? Is there a way you can harness the effect without having to dedicate yourself to the Imperial creed? Also, what's going on with this skeletal hand you found? (Understanding the benefits of Faith. May unlock further research to allow Vita to design a less objectionable faith optimized for warp protection, and help develop better psyker training programs. Likely to unlock further understanding of relics and their usage.)
-[] Demonology (100 RP) Demons. They can be summoned, bound and banished. Preferably in that order. How? That knowledge could be powerful... and dangerous. (Allows you to do basic demonology to summon/bind/banish demons. Unlocks further technology around all of that, including potential better protection from demons.) Price will triple without the Scrapcode generator to experiment on.
-[] Immaterium Understanding (225 RP) Anexa believes she understands something fundamental about the warp. Do some experimements to see if she's right. (Further discounts on all warp-related research, potential to unlock a research from farther down a warp research tree while skipping prerequisites) Anexa must work on this action. Guaranteed level(s) for her. Requires Warp Research Lab.
-[] Improved Void Abacus (125 RP) You understand how the Void Abacus works now, and you think you can tweak it to be better. That involves some amount of expanding and improving its connection to the warp though, so you're far from certain (Improves your Void Abacus design to be faster and better at warp jumps, though still inferior to an average navigator. May unlock further optimization of Void Abaci, including for cost/unstable warp jumps).
-[] The Basics of Psychic Computation (400 RP) You have several examples of different kinds of cogitators that interact with the warp in some way. They all share some kind of neural network system, but are very different in other ways. If you can figure out the minimal requirement for something to be psychically active - well. That would have implications. (Improves psychic shielding research, psytech research, some machine spirit research, may improve scrapcode research. Will help genetic manipulation to create psykers. May lead to a research tree to make psychic AIs or implants that grant psychic powers).
Psytech
-[] Help Cia's Training (50 RP) By spending more time with Cia, actively monitoring her use of her powers and providing feedback, you can improve the quality and outcomes of her training (Gives a +10 to any Cia training dice this turn, and may result in new kinds of outcomes. Can be improved by further pyromantic research. Repeatable)
- [] Basic Psychic Amplification Devices (100 RP) You think you understand the principles of psychic amplification, but to actually confirm that you need to build one and see if it works. (Allows you to build basic psychic staffs or other personal psychic amplification devices. Unlocks more advanced psychic amplification, as well as larger amplification constructs)
- [] Basic Psychic Suppression Devices (150 RP) You think you understand the principles of psychic suppression, but to actually confirm that you need to build some and see if it works. (Allows you to build basic psychic hoods or other personal psychic protective devices. Unlocks more advanced psychic nullification, as well as larger nullification constructs)
-[] Complex Psytech Implants (250 RP) Adapting what you know from organic-machine control implants, you can give a psyker greater control over their implants, in turn allowing you to give psytech implants more capabilities and more power that requires active tuning on the fly. (Improves psytech implants in terms of both precision and raw power) Requires either Basic Psychic Suppression Devices or Basic Psychic Amplification Devices
- [] Improved Psychic weapons (250 RP) You are starting to understand how force weapons work, but you're far from perfecting them. There's definitely work to be done on the composition of the main weapon, and if you can figure out how to grow crystals into the proper orientation that will help, and the psi-convectors and... well. It's almost easier to list the ways you can't improve them. (Further improves force weapons in every way. Potential to unlock specialized kinds of force weapons, such as versions specialized to fight specific foes and maybe large-scale force weapons such as ship rams).
- [] Psychic Aegis (250 RP) Psychically enhancing a weapon in combat is an obvious application, but the equally-obvious follow-on is enhancing armor. Or shields. Whatever. General defensive measures. It would be significantly more complicated than a simple weapon, and shields are probably the first step. But still - that would be a path to near-invincibility. (Allows you to create force shields and armor. Unlocks further research for improved force armor and other kinds of large-scale defensive psytech).
- [] Psychic Materials (250 RP) Silver. Specific kinds of crystals. Chitin? What unifies those things? What is it that makes them warp-conductive? If you can figure that out, maybe you can start designing new warp-capable materials that are better. (Psytech improvements across the board in terms of new materials, likely follow-on research into specific specialty materials and applications. Will be improved by samples of additional psionically active materials).
- [] Pyromancy Staff (200 RP) Amplifying a specific kind of psyker powers should allow you to amplify them even more. (Allows you to build pyromancy-focused psychic amplifiers, with the most common one being in the shape of a staff. Will unlock further pyromancy-specialized equipment, including larger-scale and more powerful amplifiers that may be relevant in ship combat.)
- [] Improved Pyromantic understanding (300 RP) Cia's eager to delve further into the secrets of pyromancy, and if you tried you could follow along for the ride. Any maybe figure out how to model this specific kind of psychic power. (Improves all pyromancy-focused psytech, improves the Help Cia's Training action and may unlock research towards influencing young psykers towards pyromancy.)
-[] Destructive Scrapcode Investigation (200 RP) Well, if Bongo doesn't want to play ball, maybe you need to go in there and figure out what makes the scrapcode generator tick. Time to bring out the power tools. (Discounts existing scrapcode research, may unlock new research around psytech/psychic shielding. Gives better understanding of Chaos Demons. Destroys the scrapcode generator and likely banishes Bongo back to the warp.)
-[] Scrapcode Generation (400 RP) You have the barest hints as to how you might start generating scrapcode. You need to imbue psychic meaning into code. You're not quite sure how you might go about that, but it's an interesting avenue to chase down. (Unlocks the ability to create and hack with your own brand of scrapcode) Requires psytech past Basic Psychic Amplification Devices, as well as Rapid hacking
Physics
-[] Dark Eldar Weaponry (150 RP) You have a few examples of Dark Eldar weaponry. Some of it just uses esoteric poisons, but other parts seem based on physical princples you can't identify. That's exciting (Unlocks new weapons based on Dark Eldar small-arms weaponry) Requires Advanced Technological Research Lab.
-[] Gravity Weapons (200 RP) You know it's possible to use gravity as a weapon, though it sounds a bit crazy. But still, it might be worth trying? (Unlocks basic graviton weapons for infantry, vehicles and warships, as well as research for more advanced graviton weapons. Half of the research necessary for Nova Cannons)
-[] Bootstrapping a magnetic field (200 RP) If a planet's magnetic field is dead then in the short term it'll be bombarded with hazardous levels of radiation, and in the long term whatever atmosphere is present will get blown off into space by stellar wind. But there might be a way to fix that? (Unlocks a rather expensive semi-megastructure project to start up magnetic fields. Unlocks further research to cheapen the process. May lead to some crazy research into utilizing or messing with star or gas-giant magnetic fields.) Requires gravity weapons & Advanced Materials.
-[] The Biggest Boom (150 RP) So. There's no actual upper limit for how big a fusion warhead can get. But it does get more complicated to build bigger and bigger bombs. Let's figure that out. (Unlocks bigger, exterminatus-grade warheads for nukes. The other half of the research necessary for Nova Cannons)
-[] Superconductive Shenanigans (50 RP) Room-temperature superconductors are a thing. But only kind of, and they still need to be highly pressurized to be stable. You know some people cracked this problem, but they didn't publish on it, which was annoying. But you think you might have an idea how they did it. Figuring it out would be great for manufacturing, and drop costs across the board. (A flat production boost of 5-15% depending on rolls).
-[] Miniaturized antigrav (50 RP) You can make antigrav that reduces the weight of things like shuttles to make them able to make orbit. But there's a floor on how small you can make that technology. The Imperium seems to have solved that. (Unlocks drones, jump-packs etc, as well as additional research to make antigrav vehicles/walkers)
-[] High-energy Physics (300 RP) There's some pretty crazy stuff you can do with physics. Especially when the energy exponents really start getting insane. However, that's going to take a bit of testing - maybe on a planetoid you don't care too much about. Or in space. (The next steps towards bigger, badder weapons, such as fusion beamers, volkite weapons, disintegration weapons. Half of the research for vortex weaponry.) Locked behind a High-Energy Physics Research Lab
-[] Better Sensors are just Physics (150 RP) You've made some progress on better sensors, but if you're really going to go to the next level you're going to start looking for edge cases. Things that are hard or downright impossible to hide, and will give away an enemy ship no matter its stealth. (Unlocks better basal sensors across the board, as well as improves specific stealth technologies. Synergizes with stealth research, unlocks even better sensors and may unlock long-range sensors to do detailed scans from across the system).
-[] Combat Information Gathering (200 RP) Many ship weapons are slow-firing and demand specific responses. If you can tell what an enemy ship is going to do before it does it, that will give you a tactical advantage. (Allows you to detect and decode energy signals to predict enemy ship activities, giving an advantage in combat. Will help more the better your sensors are. Will synergize well with boarding, may unlock targeted-teleportation technology and technology to target weak-points).
Machine Spirits
-[] Machine Spirit Ground Strategy (300 RP) Your bots can coordinate on the small scale, but being able to manage larger battles and fights is beyond them. If you can figure out how to connect individual squad networks together you can improve their performance. (Improved combat performance of machine-spirit imbued infantry & vehicle forces over the scale of theaters. Will unlock further technology for improved strategic coordination.)
-[] Machine Spirit Combat Bot Flexibility (250 RP) Your bots can do one thing, and that's win fights with lethal force. If you want them to do things like take captives, or avoid collateral damage, then you're going to need to teach them to do that. (Enables enhanced flexibility of orders for your combat bots. May unlock greater creativity in problem-solving on the part of your combat bots, as well as the capability for the bots to be effective at medicine or other tasks)
-[] Machine Spirit Void Tactics (125 RP) Fighting a ship is a very different thing from fighting on the ground, but many of the principles are similar. Adapt them. (Improved combat performance of machine-spirit imbued ships and void fighters. May unlock technology for improved strategic coordination. If you want to point your fleet at a system and say "Conquer it, spare the civilians" this is a good tech to have.) Requires Large-Scale machine spirits
-[] Large-scale Machine spirits (75 RP) As it stands, you can integrate machine spirits into small things. Expanding that to military installations and ships is going to require designing even more complex networks and figuring out how to make them work. With Anexa's insights you think it's eminently possible thought (Unlocks machine-spirit equipped versions of frigate-sized or smaller ships and platforms, as well as most defensive installations. Unlocks more research for machine spirits for larger ships & platforms.)
-[] Independent Manufactories (400 RP) Your manufacturing machine spirits are pretty good at being independent but still require some direction on sourcing materials, and various types of blockages. If you give them more independence then they'd need even less management. But at the same time, building in that much independence would require appropriate safeguards so they didn't go off the rails. (Further reduce CP requirements of machine-spirit manufactories).
-[] Machine Spirit Shipboard Manufactories (75 RP) The constraints on shipboard manufactories make them different enough that you haven't been able to apply the machine spirit technology to them. (Improves the BP produced by the shipboard manufactory equipment, likely by about 20%. May unlock tech allowing better cramming for ship manufactories).
-[] Basic Automated Manufactories (150 RP) If you tool a factory and install a machine spirit optimized to make just one thing, then it can just keep doing it without your oversight. (Unlocks automated ground/orbital/deep space manufactories, which will continue to produce a single kind of product without requiring actions. Will require CP, and cannot make starships or installations. Unlocks further research to increase productivity, and flexibility, remove the CP requirement, as well as allow the automated manufactories to produce ships, installations and eventually megastructures).
-[] Machine Spirit Ship Design Improvements (200 RP) By encouraging creative and complex solutions to problems you can use the design-specialized machine spirits to improve your ship designs in exciting new ways. (Allows you to cram more things into void ships, depending on rolls. May unlock further research to further optimize cramming, as well as discount the absolute cost of various categories of ship components).
-[] Machine Spirit Hallucinations (300 RP) Your new mechine spirits are capable of incredible creativity when you push them to solve impossible problems. A lot of it is silly and impossible, but buried within the morass are occasional nuggets of gold. Every good idea starts as a bad idea, so let's generate more ideas. (Improves the number of RP you get per action, though not by a huge amount. May unlock more research to further improve this number).
-[] Machine Spirit Chaos resistance (75 RP) You think the reason that the machine spirits resist chaos is because they understand their purpose to some extent, and the entire neural network needs to be corrupted to corrupt that purpose, which is harder. There's also emotional simulation that's going on in there. (Improves the basal resistance of machine spirits to chaos corruption. May unlock further technology down this chain, as well as half of the requirements to integrate machine spirits with psychic shielding.)
-[] Psytech Machine spirits (100 RP) You don't think that machine spirits can be psychically active. However, from what you understand of psytech it's a temperamental and difficult discipline, and you think that integrating machine spirits into the construction of psytech might improve its reliability and performance. (Improves psytech, at the cost of making it somewhat more expensive. May lead to more advanced versions for more advanced psytech, and may contribute to better psychic shields)
Biology
-[] Servitorization (50 RP) You find it repulsive, but being able to replace somebody's brain with a computer that drives them around would have its uses. (Unlocks the ability to servitorize people in the medbay. Unlocks follow-on research to replicate their personality as well)
-[] Variety is the Spice of Life (50 RP) Your current foray into aquaculture production is fully effective at feeding large numbers of people, but it also makes them try to drink an ocean the first time they eat it. And several times after that. And kind of kills their taste buds toward anything else. Maybe get some other versions of aquaculture working that don't do that? (Fixes the spice problem).
-[] Enhance the Agriculture! (200 RP) 5000 people being fed from one facility sounds like a lot. But it's really not when you start to consider things like star systems. So far you've been playing with the hobby-version of aquaculture. More commercial versions used heavier food-manufacturing systems that are closer to organic printers. They'd probably be much more effective for feeding extremely large numbers of people. (Unlocks blueprints for extremely efficient methods to produce large amounts of food. Unlocks research to install tiny systems that fully substitute food needs, such as installing something onto a spacesuit that fully converts waste into delicious food).
-[] Calderath Stank-Be-Gone (200 RP) Calderath is an interesting case of a planet that doesn't need to be terraformed so much as ecologically engineered. You think you know how to do it - make a microbe that sinks the stupendous amount of seaweed standing up the oceans and buries it in ocean sediment. Actually making and deploying such a thing and having it do what you want is a different matter. (Potentially makes Calderath livable to humans again without breathing masks. Will cross-synergize with MICROBES, and both techs will discount each other) Write-in a risk tolerance. Depending on how well you roll you might not release it and instead get a follow-up action to further improve your solution. Even if you roll poorly and release it there will be a subsequent roll to determine success or failure.
-[] MICROBES: Miniaturized climate regulatory and optimized biogeochemical engineering symbionts (250 RP) Microbes are the chemical factories that reshape the chemistry of the planetary surface and atmosphere to your liking. Delving into the techniques used in the distance past to figure out how to engineer them would let you design better, faster terraforming organisms, as well as let them be applied to more extreme starting conditions (Improves, cheapens, accelerates and broadens the terraforming projects you have available. Unlocks further improvements and potential weaponization.)
-[] Complex genetic enhancement (150 RP) The complexity of human genetics lies in the epistasis between multiple different alleles. Put more simply, this shit is complicated. Figure it out. (Unlocks more advanced enhancements, including significantly improved strength, intelligence, etc. Unlocks research for even more dramatic engineering, and is likely required to try to make psykers)
-[] Psyker genetics (300 RP) What makes somebody psychic? You have a psyker, and some genetic samples from others acquired from various trips to the monasteries. (Allows you to develop a test to determine psychic ability, though it won't be perfect. Unlocks further technology to improve psychic potential in adults and embryos.)
-[] Understanding Mutations (150 RP) The mutations that occasionally pop up in Denva's population are... weird. Complex, and have bizarre phenotypes. Why? What's causing them? Why are they so hard to treat? Maybe look into that. (Potential cures for more difficult mutations, as well as further research into why they occur, and treating other kinds of genetic deterioration.)
-[] That's two levels of augmentation too many (150 RP) The Chaos Space Marines you fought are not really intact anymore, but there's enough accumulated gore spread around that you should be able to get a decent sample of their genetics and stuff like extra organs and surgical enhancements. And maybe mutations? (Discounts genetics, mutation, augmentation research. May unlock special researches around geneseed and space marine-specific augments.)
-[] Adult genetic engineering (100 RP) Genetically modifying an adult comes with all sorts of complications. Doing it without killing them or incapacitating them for months is even harder. (Allows your genetic enhancements/therapies to apply to adult humans. Likely required for a full understanding of juvenat.)
-[] Does in vitro have something to do with wine? (100 RP) Unlocks the ability to clone basic humans (Unlocks the cloning bay, as well as further technology to clone things other than baseline humans, like humans without brains for organs or humans with more dramatic genetic mutations. Along with brain implants may lead to personality backups).
-[] The key to Expert surgery is Ego (150 RP) You can do fairly effective surgery, but the most complicated surgeries are beyond you. From all of the literature you have available, to truly break into the next level you merely need confidence. The confidence of somebody who believes they cannot be wrong. (Unlocks further discounts for advanced medical tech, cybernetic augmentations and more. Unlocks very advanced medical care, and further technology for reviving technically-dead bodies and brain transplants).
-[] Physical Apperance is Skin-deep (100 RP) Being able to do surgery on somebody's inside is one thing. But what about their outsides? (Unlocks cosmetic surgery to fix scars, alter appearances and even change skin tones. Unlocks follow-up research to allow you to disguise humans as xenos species whose biology you understand, or vice versa. May discount juvenat research.)
-[] Regeneration is just a matter of applied Growth (300 RP) You can make sure everything lines up properly to stimulate natural growth, but you can't actually accelerate it. Trying is a quick path to cancer and needs to be tweaked for every patient. That's why it wasn't common even in your time. But it should be possible, and you don't have to worry about pharmaceutical patents. (Your medical treatments have vastly accelerated healing timelines. Normally a prereq of juvenat, but in this case will simply have synergy. Unlocks further research for video-game-like med-kits and the ability to give people new organs without surgery)
-[] Perfect Knockout (75 RP) Your knockout gas is good, but it could be great. Increase dosage window, increase duration, decrease side effects. Make it absorb through exposed skin. (Dramatically improves effectiveness of knockout gas).
-[] Superhuman Uppers (100 RP) Pushing beyond the realm of what's normally possible for the human body is a recipie for disaster - unless you design the drugs right. (Unlocks drugs to boost human mental and physical characterstics beyond norms. Includes basic psytech drugs. Half of unlocking further psytech drugs).
-[] Juvenat Beginnings (325 RP) Ok. Juvenat is complicated. You're able to make it by following a formula that is at times precise, at times general and at times just - what? Maybe start to delve into the science of that. (Unlocks a basic understanding of juvenat, and may make it more efficient to produce. Tech cost will be reduced by other biomedical researchers. The start of the juvenat research tree.)
-[] Navigator Genetics (400 RP) So... you have some navigator genetic material. You can poke at that, see if you can figure out how it works. They had a reputation even back in your day, and it only seems to have gotten worse. Still, tempting. (Unlocks basic understanding of navigator genetics. Will unlock further technology to improve the health of navigators, as well as technology to allow you to clone navigators.) Locked behind Complex genetic enhancement
-[] Navigator Gestation (150 RP) You have a navigator fetus. You don't know what to do with that beyond the obvious. So, how would you do it? Well, you doubt you could just implant it into somebody. From the traces left behind on Klyssar's nest you should do this in a tank. (Allows you to turn the navigator fetus into a navigator baby) Locked behind the Does in vitro have something to do with wine? and maybe a followup tech depending on rolls.
-[] Dubious Dark Eldar Dissections (75 RP) You've got some corpses of Dark Eldar. Time to take them apart and see what you can learn! (Gives you some details on Dark Eldar physiology. May provide bonuses towards psyker genetics, or develop medical techniques, drugs or implants for Eldar)
Cybernetics
-[] Combat Mobility Cybernetics (100 RP) Sticking rockets and grappling hooks into cybernetics isn't just cool. It's also useful - it'll let the wearers utilize more of the strength of their new limb without tearing apart their organic body. It'll also give them new maneuverability options. (Unlocks new parts for augments that enhance the wearer's strength and mobility. Synergizes with other technology, may unlock enhanced mobility for bots & armors)
-[] Combat Neural Implants (50 RP) Allows you to install neural implants to calculate trajectories, assist with aiming, further improve reaction time and generally improve human capabilities in combat. (Unlocks combat-focused neural implants. Will synergize with other cybernetics and neural implant technologies)
-[] Advanced organ replacements (100 RP) Your organ replacements almost fully replicate the real thing, but not quite. But they can't adjust to shocks in body homeostasis and they do need to be replaced every decade or so. You think you can make them as good or slightly better than the real thing, including the potential to grow with the bearer. (Unlocks organs which actually just replace normal organs almost perfectly. Likely to synergize with other implant/cybernetics/enhancement techs).
-[] Superhuman organ replacements (300 RP) Your organ replacements almost fully replicate the real thing, and have some useful auxiliary functions. But there's another level of improvement that's possible here. You could make organs that conveyed superhuman characteristics on the wearers. Improved oxygen transfer rate, improved bone density, immunity to most toxins, improved healing rate. (Unlocks advanced organs implants which grant superhuman capabilities. Not quite space-marine-level, but that's the next tech, though these are still artificial). Locked behind Advanced Combat cybernetics.
-[] Companion Cogitators (350 RP) Your implants are good. But they still rely on external computers for any heavy lifting. But with a good deal of work, and some effort at miniaturizing computation, data storage and power units you could fit a full computer into somebody, giving them access to a full suite (Powerful neural implants capable of incredible amounts of data crunching/cryptography, as well as full virtual presences. Further improves Organic-machine control, unlocks very powerful types of implants, including implanted machine spirits, personality-backups and depending on other technology minor AIs).
-[] Mood Regulators (100 RP) Interfacing the implant with the brain's emotional centers will allow it to regulate emotional states. Potentially useful to help the bearer regulate dangerous emotions like fear, lust, anger, greed, sloth, as well as emotional outbursts when such would be dangerous for them. Also potetnialyl useful for interrogation. (Your implants that can help with - or destroy - mental stability. Useful for those engaged with Chaos, and for unstable psykers. May unlock more technology geared towards ensuring a stable mental condition). Locked behind Drugs? Drugs.
-[] Pain Controller (100 RP) Pain is an incredibly deeply seated stimulus, and it's hard to block it without destroying a lot of senses. But if you manage it it could help immesurably with combat implants. (Your implants allow the deadening of pain, allowing people so implanted to fight or last through injuries and other bad feedback).
-[] Advanced Combat cybernetics (150 RP) Your cybernetics can easily contain light and some medium weapons, but they're not really suited to heavy combat. Yet. You could make them tougher, beefier, and figure out how to fit the power sources for larger weapons inside. (Unlocks advanced combat augments. Half of the technology for excellent combat augments, unlocks further cybernetics/research). Locked behind Really good Robotics.
-[] Advanced Cognition Filter (150 RP) Your existing Cognition Filter works very well, but you worry that it's prone to remove important details. It's hard to see how long an enemy's sword is when that sword is covered with Chaotic sigils, for example. Some amount of modelling and virtual reality augmentation could just replace that with an unadorned sword, circumventing the drawbacks of the first-generation cognition filter. (Improves Cognition filters to remove any downsides to filtering out chaotic information from perception.)
-[] Chaos Corruption Cognitive Intervention (400 RP) Chaos corruption is a lot of things. However, it almost certainly involves some amount of neural rewiring to think more Chaotic thoughts. With your neural implants, you believe you might be able to reverse that, using warp sensors to detect combination of memory editing, negative feedback and induced plasticity to undo the Chaotic brain patterns. This is unlikely to return them to how they were before, but it'll give them a chance to be somebody new without demons twisting their brain. (Your brain implants can slowly un-corrupt the mental side of chaos corruption). Requires Companion Cogitators& Understanding Mutations
-[] Improved Organic-Machine control (75 RP) You think you can about double the capacity of the machine-control implants with a full redesign. (Approximately doubles the capacity of organic-machine control, letting a single human command more CP worth of units. Leads to further follow-on improvements.)
-[] Large-Scale organic-machine Control (75 RP) A manufactory is one thing, a shipyard or gas refinery is another. But at this point it's mostly a matter of scale and networking. (Allows OMC implants to control any kind of industrial production, including shipyards and non-military megastructures. Leads to further technology to improve the amount of CP one person can control.)
-[] Collaberative Computational R&D (250 RP) You've set it up so that humans can help you with research and development, but the gains are limited because there's only so much they can help you with before you get diminishing returns on team size. Figure out better ways to utilize your research teams and let bigger teams contribute to projects. (Increases size of research team before RP/turn limit is reached. May assign more technical staff to further reduce design costs.)
-[] Streamlined OMC interface (125 RP) Your Organic-machine control implants are a beast to learn how to use, and the learning curve to true mastery is measured in decades if not centuries. With a further redesign focused on effective tooltips, detailed tutorials on every facet of their function and further optimization to work with various kinds of robots you can help new operators figure out the ropes and get up to speed quickly. (Increases effectiveness of humans equipped with OMC implants, both for combat and manufacturing)
-[] Gameified OMC (75 RP) You have the combat simulation part of it down, but a game is more than just fighting. You need a framework for why the fighting is happening, some kind of tie-in to manufacturing and the ability to make people care about the results of the combat. You can solve all of those problems, but doing it properly so that people actually learn useful skills and enjoy doing it will be tricky. (Create a game that teaches OMC-skills to the general populace, both providing basic training and helping find individuals with above-average proficiency. Synergizes well with Lower OMC Implant Specs)
-[] Interchangeable OMC control (100 RP) Right now it's somewhat tricky for somebody to take over a new OMC system. There's a lengthy process of familarization & customization as they feel out the new system and get it all running. All of this means that it's hard for people to easily switch off between constructs or take over new ones when the old ones are destroyed. If you can streamline the user interface and make everything more standardized, then it'll be possible for operators to "plug and play" with new hardware. (Makes it possible for people with OMC implants to quickly swap between controlled systems, letting them do things like just jump control to a new fighter when the old one is destroyed, keep manufactory systems operating through multiple shifts and ease collaboration.)
-[] Lower OMC Implant Specs (150 RP) Your OMC implants are fairly intense, and only growing more so as you improve their capabilities. If you figured out how to dial down the requirements for the software, then it would be possible for less-sophisticated and invasive implants to also work with the system. They wouldn't operate at the same capabilities of control, but it would allow people with civilian-grade implants to control a CP or two worth. (Dramatically lowers the barrier to entry into OMC-style work, allowing a much larger fraction of the population to work with organic-machine control, and likely accelerating training as lower-scale implants are required to successfully work with OMC-technology. May unlock future technology to allow implant-less people to operate OMC effectively through normal cogitators).
Hacking
-[] Rapid hacking (400RP) You need to figure out a new approach to subverting machine spirits. It might involve some combination of confusing them with a burst of signals, then showing up and 'relieving' the issue. But it would take a lot of trial-and-error to get right. (Improves hacking of imperial tech. Potentially enough for use in combat situations? Will unlock further hacking technology).
-[] Improved Machine-spirit Jamming (300 RP) Well, you can't combine it with hacking, but you can still try to improve what you have to be more efficent, target more machine spirits at a time, etc. (Improves success rate of jamming imperial tech, decreases failure penalties. May unlock further jamming technology)
Anexa Ifina, Magos Errant, Master of Many Talents.
Level 17
-[] Anexa active Action: Research - assists a research action you take, granting +5xLevel RP to the action. Will level on a successful roll, scaled by the importance of the tech.
-[] Anexa passive action: Exploratory Research - Roll to discount a random tech from one of her specialties, a success will discount an amount similar to her +5xLevel RP bonus but modified with the roll. Will receive the specialty bonus, and a crit will result in a level-up and unlocking a new bonus technology, like what you get for a crit on a research action.
Specialties (3/4): Machine Spirits. The Warp, Cybernetics. Grants a +10 bonus when doing research rolls in the relevant category. Staff: 100 tech-priests of the Cogitare Exploratium, which provide +20 CP each (2000) & 1 RP each (60) per turn, with people beyond 50 providing 0.2 and people beyond 100 providing 0. For design, 20 can be assigned to a design task to halve its RP cost. Those so assigned will not produce RP
Victan Thallos, Diplomat-Spy
Level 17
-[] Victan active action: Diplomat-Spy - assists any diplomacy action you take, granting +Level to the dice to the action. Will level on a successful roll, scaled by the significance of the action.
-[] Victan passive action: Counterespionage & Alliance-building - Defends against hostile covert action and improves relations with existing allies, as well as gathering information for making new allies. Will only level if something interesting happens. Staff: 100 assorted diplomats, analysts and spies from Aevon Intelligence & Counterintelligence. Will provide narrative bonuses to spying, diplomacy, infiltration, etc. (It's now valid to insert them covertly and you'll be provided more information on new worlds you talk to.)
Cia Steblin, FocusedPyromancer Psyker
Level 14
-[] Active Psyker improvement: Cia will actively attempt to practice her powers. Roll two d100s. Take the higher roll for determining level-up, but take the lower for perils of the warp. (DCs are unknown but context-dependent. They are currently favorable and will get less favorable as she levels)
-[] Passive Psyker improvement: Cia will take lower-risk actions to improve herself, including meditation, study and augmentation. A single level-up roll, with only a very low roll resulting in perils of the warp.
Focus: Combat. Cia is now armed with custom heavy armor and a large but crude two-handed force sword.
Abilities: Cia is able to use minor psytech without risk. She's learned the value of carrying around a few mundane ways to make fire for when she doesn't want to rely on her abilities, but is focusing on improving her pyromancy, which is currently ranked at Epsilon.
I was going to have Drugs unlock separate techs for physical and mental categories. But you crit, so now they're combined in a bonus tech.
I'm trying to add a slightly new system for boons. It's a work-in-progress. All of these will require some effort on your part - though granting them warp travel will only require you to finish abacus manufacturing and then give them the technology. Cleansing Chaos cults will require you to spend an action on that and for it to be effective, though with Taste of Chaos it'll be almost guaranteed. The R&D one is tricky - they want a full-fledged research & development sector, which may only take one action, or may take multiple depending on how well you roll, and then they'll only share techs with you in the areas you trade for. Other things will likely also produce boons - but these are the obvious near-term ones. Ask if you have questions, but keep in mind these are significant.
The Voidforge Miners will continue to exist and grow in Denva. You can add in their production to an existing construction action or treat it as a free action.
I didn't have space to write it in, but the Cogitare will continue to exist as a significant subculture within Denva going forward. I will probably let you recruit small numbers of them for free every time you return from being away. That "small number" will scale as Denva does.
The Chaos ritual is what happens when some sorcerers who don't know what they're doing are left in charge of coming up with a ritual to disrupt your attack and given a few years in which to do it. They pretty much just tried to make the most powerful ritual they could and it totally broke free of their control. This wouldn't have ended well for them regardless of anything else. But Cia managed to save the station.
I've decided not to make any significant edits to the format of the quest, but I will be engaging with Q&A less, and offering fewer chances for detailed write-ins.
Answering lots of questions about small tweaks to the plan is the thing that's draining my attention here. Please still ask questions, but @ me and provide a clear list of the questions you have, preferably without requiring me to go to great lengths to understand the context.
I'm not going to have time to write until at least next weekend. Moratorium for 48 hours, voting for at least 36.
-[] Warp Manufacturing (150 RP) You have a haul of items and bodies from the Chaos cult aboard the Auric Burden . Investigate them, and see what you can learn. (Improved knowledge about Chaos Cults. May lead to enhanced detection of Chaos cults & cultists. May lead to some understanding of how to use warp rituals to enhance items. May unlock further research once you have more samples.)
we dont need to do it all at once by any means,but i hope we can knock 1 or 2 of those every turn untill we have secured a strong foundation
tripwires need to be reliable,we cant have our "track if chaos has subverted our psyshields" work half the time and not work the other
encryption needs improvement
taste of chaos to track cultists
demonology to handle all demon related stuff
MSCR because we are gonna shove MS in every piece of tech
MSCP because we want even more robust PS (also it has a chance of giving passive regen wich would be a godsent for our action economy)
The rest of the station is... under control. Your bots have died in their thousands to the cultists and the effect of the warp, and the ones that are left are struggling to search through the rest of the station and gather up all of the unconscious cultists. Still, the station is yours, even if civilian casualties were higher than you would like.
I mean there are still civilians alive, by the standards of a place that was under the control of open Chaos Cultists for years that is a minor miracle. Not the kind the IoM would appreciate, but that just makes it better.
Actually speaking of the Imperium reading about the stuff W and company are doing on planet it occurred to me that she has entirely organically turned into what the inquisition was meant to be, not the cesspool of internecine conflict and paranoia they became almost instantly, but a person invested with knowledge of Chaos, a secure location and hidden intelligence apparatus with which to direct anti-Chaos efforts. And of course all it does is highlight why the Inquisition can never really work as an institution since it depends upon her being the only one and being highly personally competent. W really is that good and that upstanding, but you can't count on more people to share those qualities.
I think it can wait another turn. I'm still sticking to my plan from last page, mostly:
2x research:
-[] Faith is my shield? (60 RP -> complete)
-[] The Taste of Chaos (100 RP)
-[] Hardware Psychic Encryption (50 RP)
-[] Machine Spirit Chaos resistance (75 RP)
-[] Machine Spirit-controlled Psychic Shields (50 RP)
-[] Alternative Shielding Meanings (150 RP)
I will note, the first three of these should all boost the fourth, which boosts the fifth, which boosts the sixth. So, lots of potential or synergy here.
You're ruminating on the decision not to put psychic shields on any bots when you notice two things. First, Cia's shuttle has pulled ahead of the rest and is speeding towards the station. Second, the effect is weakening, and you're slowly gaining control over your bots again. It looks like they are dramatically reduced in number, as many of them self-destructed when the psychic tripwires inside of them went off.
hmm, you know that might actually have made things slightly worse? it sounds like the ritual was just throwing out warp radiation rather than anything directed, I suspect more than a few of those bots would have been, well not fine but functional enough. Which means this is actually a weakness of the present model. If someone dialed in an easy way to specifically trip that tripe wire they would be able to pretty easily take out anything we have equipped with it.
So the question is, how much more expensive would it make our bots to give them psychic shielding? because as is, warp bullshit is one of the most effective ways to deal with our bot swarms. Even if its to expensive for all of them, we might want to consider some % of them being fitted with em so we have an answer to ritual strikes other than throw Cia at them, or at the very least some bots that can go into the warp fire with her.
More of them have been destroyed by the cultists, who have rallied and started pushing your units back. It's still a rather chaotic situation, but it appears that several of the cultists have transformed into unholy abominations - Chaos Spawn if your memory serves - and they're ripping through your units in close quarters. The tanks fare better against them, weapons designed to fight other tanks blowing the chaos spawn to pieces in the places they can reach.
Ok so there is not really a solution to melee monsters in tight quarters, but if we're going to keep getting into boarding fights we might wanna consider prioritizing Combat Bot Melee Combat. It's probably not going to let em win, but a monster having to take a second or two to kill a bot vs being able to tear through them as fast as it can reach them is a big step up. We also might wanna consider skewing our mix more towards heavy bots who do better in these sorts of cramped quarters.
so, get into Melee, build a core of psy resistant bots and maybe bring more heavies and fewer mediums for leanness learned.
Warp Manufacturing (150 RP) You have a haul of items and bodies from the Chaos cult aboard the Auric Burden . Investigate them, and see what you can learn. (Improved knowledge about Chaos Cults. May lead to enhanced detection of Chaos cults & cultists. May lead to some understanding of how to use warp rituals to enhance items. May unlock further research once you have more samples.)
I'm going to bed before I can give full thoughts of any kind, but suffice it to say that the two Denver's situation makes me very keen to put a lot of work into cleaning the place up this turn.
So the question is, how much more expensive would it make our bots to give them psychic shielding? because as is, warp bullshit is one of the most effective ways to deal with our bot swarms. Even if its to expensive for all of them, we might want to consider some % of them being fitted with em so we have an answer to ritual strikes other than throw Cia at them, or at the very least some bots that can go into the warp fire with her.
There is a technology to make it free in exchange for a higher design cost.
It's also the same technology that would allow Denva to make to every house with psychic shielding economically. Every one of which would be a chaos sensor.
Sufficed to say I'm still strongly considering small scale design integrated psychic shielding, lul.
Boon Opportunities: Help cleanse the planet of hidden chaos cults. Give them the capability for interstellar travel and your knowledge of the local stars. Get their R&D system up and running (requires rolling well, or multiple actions).
We have a bunch of other stuff we need to do too - in particular, getting warp comms sorted. They do look like appealing goals though. Maybe the first one this turn, and the next two over the next couple of turns?
We have a bunch of other stuff we need to do too - in particular, getting warp comms sorted. They do look like appealing goals though. Maybe the first one this turn, and the next two over the next couple of turns?
how many turn do we project staying?
i wanna get ''101 Chaos & warp" done by the time we leave
we cant ignore all our other commitments (get their warp travel up and running) but we have to bite the bullet and stay for a while (3 maybe 4 turns) and do our homework,leaving them without ''101'' is asking for chaos to fuck them over
my idea is use 3 to 4 turns (at 200-ish RP a single action every turn thats around 960 RP,enough to get the basics done)
every turn we need:
>one "101 chaos and warp suite" action
>one related to warp travel and comms action
>one other action (industry or other research)
maybe throw a extra action if we really feel like going deep on research
how many turn do we project staying?
i wanna get ''101 Chaos & warp" done by the time we leave
we cant ignore all our other commitments (get their warp travel up and running) but we have to bite the bullet and stay for a while (3 maybe 4 turns) and do our homework,leaving them without ''101'' is asking for chaos to fuck them over
my idea is use 3 to 4 turns (at 200-ish RP a single action every turn thats around 960 RP,enough to get the basics done)
I think 3 to 5 turns atm, Prime might be thinking longer, I'm not sure. But the sooner we get Warp Comms, the sooner we can start sending out sensor ships and see what we're dealing with on the large scale, instead of scouting systems one at a time.
I've been assuming that we could stay for about five total before Wayfarer starts getting antsy, of which this would be our second. It was pretty vibes based the first time, with it being something we could put off by making progress towards being able to leave, not doing monoaction type turns, etc.
My overall turn plan besides the 2x research plan I linked would be to do one construction action to get the rest of the manufacturing online and do whatever else we want to do and then one order action to figure out what the hell is going on on primus.
I agree with angle about making progress on comms, which is part of why my draft does empathy at range - we'll be able to sweep the rest of the requirements next turn, while EaR helps end the cultist threat this turn.
I've been assuming that we could stay for about five total before Wayfarer starts getting antsy, of which this would be our second. It was pretty vibes based the first time, with it being something we could put off by making progress towards being able to leave, not doing monoaction type turns, etc.
My overall turn plan besides the 2x research plan I linked would be to do one construction action to get the rest of the manufacturing online and do whatever else we want to do and then one order action to figure out what the hell is going on on primus.
5 turns should be more than enough at 200-ish a turn that 1k RP and thats without accounting for double action research turns
the ''101'' cost us 480 RP more or less
520 RP left for the ''set up warp travel":
>Empathy at Range (200 RP)
>Yelling into the Warp (150 RP)
>Improved Void Abacus (125 RP)
(i would love improved gellar,but is too expensive)
475 RP cost
so that leaves 45 RP for other stuff
we will have to take 1 or 2 turns where we throw x2 actions at research to give us enough RP to not overly specialize on warp stuff
because 45 RP is not enough
5 turns should be more than enough at 200-ish a turn that 1k RP and thats without double action research turns
the ''101'' cost us 480 RP more or less
520 RP left for:
>Empathy at Range (200 RP)
>Yelling into the Warp (150 RP)
>Improved Void Abacus (125 RP)
475 RP
so that leaves 45 RP for other stuff
we will have to take 1 or 2 turns where we throw x2 actions at research to give us enough RP to not overly specialize on warp stuff
I'm not concerned about overly specializing on warp stuff. The Warp is important, it's not going to stop being important. We just found out there's a chaotic forgeworld to our north, which makes chaos even more important. We'll need lots of warp research.
I'm not concerned about overly specializing on warp stuff. The Warp is important, it's not going to stop being important. We just found out there's a chaotic forgeworld to our north, which makes chaos even more important. We'll need lots of warp research.
Yeah, we literally have chaos to three out of 5 sides of us. It's honestly kind of funny how we monofocused on the thing that is going to most apply to what will apparently be our most frequent opponent.
Go figure.
The other thing about chaos detection in particular is that it's a really huge asset for trade - Not just because people want it, but because it lets us better judge who we can give what technology to.
I'm not concerned about overly specializing on warp stuff. The Warp is important, it's not going to stop being important. We just found out there's a chaotic forgeworld to our north, which makes chaos even more important. We'll need lots of warp research.
Yeah, we literally have chaos to three out of 5 sides of us. It's honestly kind of funny how we monofocused on the thing that is going to most apply to what will apparently be our most frequent opponent.
Go figure.
The other thing about chaos detection in particular is that it's a really huge asset for trade - Not just because people want it, but because it lets us better judge who we can give what technology to.
AI is good civ, and I'll take it when we have room. Some other short term priorities are ship cramming, grav guns, and maybe stealth - for scouting ships and necrons (and then scouting ships again), respectively.
OMC can honestly wait, IMO. If we do more implant work shorter term, it'll probably be mood regulators or something to help with chaos treatment.
A chaotic forgeworld... Or we need a lot of bots, and I mean a lot of very fancy bots with knights and titans equivalents to take it or we need to consider saturation bombardment with a lot of nukes.
And i mean a of nukes, turn the planet into radiocative glass, lot of nukes.
AI is good civ, and I'll take it when we have room. But the shorter priorities are ship cramming, grav guns, and maybe stealth - for scouting ships and necrons (and then scouting ships again), respectively.
We're so far behind in warp comms research, and supporting warp research more generally. I just wanna scream. We needed this tech, like, two turns ago, and we haven't even gotten started. It's so bad.
If we are going to be doing a bunch of warp-related research now, maybe we should do Immaterium Understanding first? We have the required Warp Research Lab.
It's a little expensive, but we will more then likely get the cost back in discounts.
