Post by 3personal5me on Nov 29, 2019 8:31:04 GMT
Anthony Allerton Research Log
MAJOR PROJECTS
-Arcanomechanical Arm
My Magnum Opus, so to speak. A flawless replacement of my original arm, and then some.
When I was young, I was in a terrible accident when one of my inventions exploded. I lost my arm, and almost lost my life. I was in a coma for a week. woke up, I had an idea, a concept, seared into my brain. I don't know where it came from, but it was a profound insight; a breakthrough in my research.
Energy is the problem. It's always the problem. If you want to move something, burn something, freeze something, teleport something, energy is involved. It comes from somewhere, and that somewhere is the Weave; The fabric of magic itself. But there is another place where energy can be gathered and controlled; the elemental planes. Fire, water, earth, wind, so many sources of magical power. And the source of mine. The idea I had was for a new power source, one that could supply energy from multiple elements. While a traditional artificer would bind a fire elemental to run a steam engine, or a wind elemental to power a flying machine, I had a much more ambitious plan; A series of incomprehensibly small portals to the elemental planes themselves, acting as a sieve to absorb the raw background magic of the elements. A series of crystals, elementally aligned, polarize the magic resonance and brings the streams into harmony, providing a blend of arcane energy comprised of all the elements. An array of finely etched mythal lined sigils conduct this energy with remarkable efficiency, allowing it to be stored and directed as needed. The entire system is hardly the size of an apple. It is a part of the overall arm assembly; housed within the shoulder cavity, near the heart. It allows me to power my arm almost indefinitely, driving the mechanical systems which provide the kinetic energy to use the arm. Similar methods can be used to power other equipment, across of variety of applications.
The Arcano Mechanical Arm will surely prove to be one of the most useful devices I have ever created. Not only has it made me whole again; it has pushed me beyond the limits of humanity.
-Elemental Attenuation and Modulation Rod
The first creation made specifically to interface with my arm. Banded metal with a crystalline lattice formed from ground minerals from the Elemental Plane of Earth which were calcified by exposure to Green Dragon Blood. The result acts as a sort of filter, focusing down the all-element magic to a specific wavelength and thus, a specific element. By refining the coherence of the magic, the energy required to stabilize and maintain the effect is reduced. It allows for more efficient use of the energy available, thus allowing more overall power transmission for the same costs.
Lightning from the Plane of Air proved useful in improving the accuracy of the system. Lightning, given its unique nature, is remarkably easy to control and direct at low levels. When the system is used offensively, a near imperceptible thread of lighting jumps from the “wand” to the target. This bolt of lightning creates small vortices in the background weave, which can be used to further stabilize and guide projected energy packets. In other words, it makes the user more accurate.
In theory, the EAMR (note to self: need new name) should be compatible with conventional arcane spellcasting, filtering the Weave of magic as its focused by the "wand".
-Crystal Light Interference Receptors
A headset designed to improve vision in lowlight conditions. While appearing to be simple goggles, perhaps used by a blacksmith, they are far more advanced. Thermal energy is used to burn gasses pulled from the Elemental Plane of Wind, creating a unique wavelength of light. This light is filtered by crystals which block all but that unique wavelength. When this light reflects off an object and returns to the goggles, it encounters a set of lenses with arcana-luminescent gel sandwiched between the panes of glass. The gel emits visible light in the blue spectrum when it encounters this light. By compartmentalizing the gel into extremely small pockets, fine control can allow the formation of images within the glass itself.
After some experimentation, I have found that this system can in fact be used in other ways, such as to “project” text and images onto glass. I’ll have to look into using this for other applications.
-Stabilized Force Redistribution Reactive Plating
All the power and skill in the world is useless if you don't live to use it. That's why I set to making armor more effective. The obvious solutions were more padding and more metal. But that just meant wearing heavier armor. So instead I looked into instead preventing the armor being damaged in the first place, or absorbing the energy being applied. With this in mind, I began by researching the energy storage capabilities of various magical items and equipment. I found that the properties of a Ring of Spell Storing could work remarkably well to absorb unstructured energies. The question was how to convert physical energy into magical. It was straightforward enough to siphon some of the heat from a Firebolt, it's another to try to absorb the blow from a warhammer. Here, I found inspiration in the arcane spell Shield. By copying the framework of the spell, and adjusting the runic circuit governing the flow of energy, I managed to create a stable field of repulsion around a set of armor. It served to slow objects rapidly approaching the wearer, consequently reducing the force. The energy is converted into magical potential energy, which is safely dumped into a slow draining crystal to be safely bled off over time.
-Multiple Configuration Toolset
My work has proven to require a vast array of toolsets. From smiths tools to masons tools to jewelers tools, the amount of equipment I use on a daily basis is astounding. While I have a very well furnished workshop at home, working abroad has served to highlight this problem. Ever the engineer, I immediately set to work building a solution.
I experimented with many ideas. Some were entirely mechanical, relying on interchangeable heads, handles, and more. This still proved to be ineffective. While it resulted in a slight reduction and weight and material required, it still meant carrying hammer heads, axe heads, saw blades, and more.
My next attempt used pure force energy to create tools “out of nothing”. In theory, this system would result in a MASSIVE reduction in weight and material. A single unit would be responsible for generating Force energy and shaping it into the tools needed. While energy intensive, it did work. It was even capable of creating the fine teeth of a lockpick. However, moving the objects proved taxing on the system, as it had to reassess the relative position of the containment fields. This all culminated when I tried to use it to create a hammer. From my best guess, the rapid move of the swing, followed by the sudden deceleration and absorption of kinetic energy, overloaded the system, causing a cascading failure in the resonant capacitors. In layman's terms, it blew a three foot crater in my workshop floor.
Attempt three was a middle ground. Carrying the raw materials of the tools (wood, steel, glass, crystal, etc) and transmuting it into the tools required. The system was a success, weighing only as much as a single toolset and exploding zero times. The transmutation process is slow, however. Great care must be taken to move the material in such fine ways, creating firm seals between each piece. Wood grains must be aligned, metal stresses removed, and glass re-polished. I’ve gotten the process down to an hour, but I’m hoping I can improve it over time.
-”Eldritch Cannon” Remote Energy Projector Unit
The REPU was one of the most ambitious projects I ever took on. The idea was to create a mobile platform from which energy could be projected in a variety of methods. I started with the Multiple Configuration Toolset, using it’s transmutation properties to develop a small package of raw material which can be rapidly assembled into preset configurations. Each package contained an Elemental Portal Reactor, similar to that in my arm, to provide the large amounts of power required to quickly reconfigure matter and run the systems afterwards. From there, I had to develop the platform itself. I had two ideas.
The first was a fairly large sized contraption. The size of a small dog, it sat on four mechanical legs. Tensor and his Floating Disk inspired me to create a sort of “net” of magical energy to hold up most of the systems weight, allowing the legs to focus primarily on locomotion. Using mythril sigil circuits like those in my arm, I was able to create a set of four legs which were capable of natural movement and articulation. I took inspiration from the crab when programming the movements into the motive systems “brain”. With some modification, it allows for omnidirectional movement, and can even move along vertical surfaces.
The other platform was much smaller, able to fit in your hand. It proved much more difficult to engineer. The problem was miniaturizing the internals of the larger system while maintaining its original capabilities. I was able to retain all of its abilities, including the legs, though it still required the same amount of materials. The excess raw material was burned up, fueling the systems and allowing the same power output from a smaller frame.
Once I had the basic systems down, it was time to make them actually do something. The first application was very straightforward; to deliver a packet of Force energy at range with respectable speeds. By utilizing capacitive crystals like those in the SFRR Plating, the weapon can store large amounts of energy before projecting it inside of a stabilized bubble of superheated gas. The resulting projectile has remarkable range and can strike with significant force. My test dummy was thrown almost a dozen feet!
The second function was similarly offensive, but instead focused on area of affect and area denial. Those same capacitive crystals are used to instead apply large amounts of force into a small area within the cannon, temporarily tearing open a hole to the Elemental Plane of Fire. The result is an impressive gout of flame, and can be repeated with almost no danger to the fabric of reality.
The third, and final, function is focused instead on protection. Rejuvenating waters from the Plane of Water is turned to steam by the Flames of Creation from the Plane of Fire. The product is then infused and cooled by wind from the Plane of Air before being ejected out of the housing with high pressure, saturating the atmosphere in a ten foot radius. The mist, when inhaled, stimulates the natural healing of the body. It’s effects can even be seen when applied topically, as in the case of it settling on the skin. While the effects are short lived, it is capable of allowing minor injuries to quickly heal, allowing someone to sustain more damage.
This platform was, in fact, the device I had been attempting to use when I lost my arm. At the time, I was using passive energy collection systems to power the device, drawing residual magic energy from the area. While it was a very efficient system, it was slow and underpowered. That night I also learned how inconsistent the system was.
I’m not sure what caused such a rapid increase in the background magic that night. It could have been any number of things, many of which I may never truly comprehend. When the Adamantine power collector array was activated, it was immediately bombarded with magical energy, which it tried to funnel into the capacitive crystals. This caused one of the crystals to crack; a small defect with a huge impact on its performance. The capacitors fired, attempting to open a portal to the Plane of Fire. Instead, huge amounts of raw Force energy was dumped into the faulty crystal, which hadn’t fired. The massive influx may have been contained in a fully functional capacitor, but the previous damage proved a fatal flaw. The crystal exploded, unleashing enough energy to vaporize the device and turn my arm into a fine red mist.
Can I weaponize that?
MAJOR PROJECTS
-Arcanomechanical Arm
My Magnum Opus, so to speak. A flawless replacement of my original arm, and then some.
When I was young, I was in a terrible accident when one of my inventions exploded. I lost my arm, and almost lost my life. I was in a coma for a week. woke up, I had an idea, a concept, seared into my brain. I don't know where it came from, but it was a profound insight; a breakthrough in my research.
Energy is the problem. It's always the problem. If you want to move something, burn something, freeze something, teleport something, energy is involved. It comes from somewhere, and that somewhere is the Weave; The fabric of magic itself. But there is another place where energy can be gathered and controlled; the elemental planes. Fire, water, earth, wind, so many sources of magical power. And the source of mine. The idea I had was for a new power source, one that could supply energy from multiple elements. While a traditional artificer would bind a fire elemental to run a steam engine, or a wind elemental to power a flying machine, I had a much more ambitious plan; A series of incomprehensibly small portals to the elemental planes themselves, acting as a sieve to absorb the raw background magic of the elements. A series of crystals, elementally aligned, polarize the magic resonance and brings the streams into harmony, providing a blend of arcane energy comprised of all the elements. An array of finely etched mythal lined sigils conduct this energy with remarkable efficiency, allowing it to be stored and directed as needed. The entire system is hardly the size of an apple. It is a part of the overall arm assembly; housed within the shoulder cavity, near the heart. It allows me to power my arm almost indefinitely, driving the mechanical systems which provide the kinetic energy to use the arm. Similar methods can be used to power other equipment, across of variety of applications.
The Arcano Mechanical Arm will surely prove to be one of the most useful devices I have ever created. Not only has it made me whole again; it has pushed me beyond the limits of humanity.
-Elemental Attenuation and Modulation Rod
The first creation made specifically to interface with my arm. Banded metal with a crystalline lattice formed from ground minerals from the Elemental Plane of Earth which were calcified by exposure to Green Dragon Blood. The result acts as a sort of filter, focusing down the all-element magic to a specific wavelength and thus, a specific element. By refining the coherence of the magic, the energy required to stabilize and maintain the effect is reduced. It allows for more efficient use of the energy available, thus allowing more overall power transmission for the same costs.
Lightning from the Plane of Air proved useful in improving the accuracy of the system. Lightning, given its unique nature, is remarkably easy to control and direct at low levels. When the system is used offensively, a near imperceptible thread of lighting jumps from the “wand” to the target. This bolt of lightning creates small vortices in the background weave, which can be used to further stabilize and guide projected energy packets. In other words, it makes the user more accurate.
In theory, the EAMR (note to self: need new name) should be compatible with conventional arcane spellcasting, filtering the Weave of magic as its focused by the "wand".
-Crystal Light Interference Receptors
A headset designed to improve vision in lowlight conditions. While appearing to be simple goggles, perhaps used by a blacksmith, they are far more advanced. Thermal energy is used to burn gasses pulled from the Elemental Plane of Wind, creating a unique wavelength of light. This light is filtered by crystals which block all but that unique wavelength. When this light reflects off an object and returns to the goggles, it encounters a set of lenses with arcana-luminescent gel sandwiched between the panes of glass. The gel emits visible light in the blue spectrum when it encounters this light. By compartmentalizing the gel into extremely small pockets, fine control can allow the formation of images within the glass itself.
After some experimentation, I have found that this system can in fact be used in other ways, such as to “project” text and images onto glass. I’ll have to look into using this for other applications.
-Stabilized Force Redistribution Reactive Plating
All the power and skill in the world is useless if you don't live to use it. That's why I set to making armor more effective. The obvious solutions were more padding and more metal. But that just meant wearing heavier armor. So instead I looked into instead preventing the armor being damaged in the first place, or absorbing the energy being applied. With this in mind, I began by researching the energy storage capabilities of various magical items and equipment. I found that the properties of a Ring of Spell Storing could work remarkably well to absorb unstructured energies. The question was how to convert physical energy into magical. It was straightforward enough to siphon some of the heat from a Firebolt, it's another to try to absorb the blow from a warhammer. Here, I found inspiration in the arcane spell Shield. By copying the framework of the spell, and adjusting the runic circuit governing the flow of energy, I managed to create a stable field of repulsion around a set of armor. It served to slow objects rapidly approaching the wearer, consequently reducing the force. The energy is converted into magical potential energy, which is safely dumped into a slow draining crystal to be safely bled off over time.
-Multiple Configuration Toolset
My work has proven to require a vast array of toolsets. From smiths tools to masons tools to jewelers tools, the amount of equipment I use on a daily basis is astounding. While I have a very well furnished workshop at home, working abroad has served to highlight this problem. Ever the engineer, I immediately set to work building a solution.
I experimented with many ideas. Some were entirely mechanical, relying on interchangeable heads, handles, and more. This still proved to be ineffective. While it resulted in a slight reduction and weight and material required, it still meant carrying hammer heads, axe heads, saw blades, and more.
My next attempt used pure force energy to create tools “out of nothing”. In theory, this system would result in a MASSIVE reduction in weight and material. A single unit would be responsible for generating Force energy and shaping it into the tools needed. While energy intensive, it did work. It was even capable of creating the fine teeth of a lockpick. However, moving the objects proved taxing on the system, as it had to reassess the relative position of the containment fields. This all culminated when I tried to use it to create a hammer. From my best guess, the rapid move of the swing, followed by the sudden deceleration and absorption of kinetic energy, overloaded the system, causing a cascading failure in the resonant capacitors. In layman's terms, it blew a three foot crater in my workshop floor.
Attempt three was a middle ground. Carrying the raw materials of the tools (wood, steel, glass, crystal, etc) and transmuting it into the tools required. The system was a success, weighing only as much as a single toolset and exploding zero times. The transmutation process is slow, however. Great care must be taken to move the material in such fine ways, creating firm seals between each piece. Wood grains must be aligned, metal stresses removed, and glass re-polished. I’ve gotten the process down to an hour, but I’m hoping I can improve it over time.
-”Eldritch Cannon” Remote Energy Projector Unit
The REPU was one of the most ambitious projects I ever took on. The idea was to create a mobile platform from which energy could be projected in a variety of methods. I started with the Multiple Configuration Toolset, using it’s transmutation properties to develop a small package of raw material which can be rapidly assembled into preset configurations. Each package contained an Elemental Portal Reactor, similar to that in my arm, to provide the large amounts of power required to quickly reconfigure matter and run the systems afterwards. From there, I had to develop the platform itself. I had two ideas.
The first was a fairly large sized contraption. The size of a small dog, it sat on four mechanical legs. Tensor and his Floating Disk inspired me to create a sort of “net” of magical energy to hold up most of the systems weight, allowing the legs to focus primarily on locomotion. Using mythril sigil circuits like those in my arm, I was able to create a set of four legs which were capable of natural movement and articulation. I took inspiration from the crab when programming the movements into the motive systems “brain”. With some modification, it allows for omnidirectional movement, and can even move along vertical surfaces.
The other platform was much smaller, able to fit in your hand. It proved much more difficult to engineer. The problem was miniaturizing the internals of the larger system while maintaining its original capabilities. I was able to retain all of its abilities, including the legs, though it still required the same amount of materials. The excess raw material was burned up, fueling the systems and allowing the same power output from a smaller frame.
Once I had the basic systems down, it was time to make them actually do something. The first application was very straightforward; to deliver a packet of Force energy at range with respectable speeds. By utilizing capacitive crystals like those in the SFRR Plating, the weapon can store large amounts of energy before projecting it inside of a stabilized bubble of superheated gas. The resulting projectile has remarkable range and can strike with significant force. My test dummy was thrown almost a dozen feet!
The second function was similarly offensive, but instead focused on area of affect and area denial. Those same capacitive crystals are used to instead apply large amounts of force into a small area within the cannon, temporarily tearing open a hole to the Elemental Plane of Fire. The result is an impressive gout of flame, and can be repeated with almost no danger to the fabric of reality.
The third, and final, function is focused instead on protection. Rejuvenating waters from the Plane of Water is turned to steam by the Flames of Creation from the Plane of Fire. The product is then infused and cooled by wind from the Plane of Air before being ejected out of the housing with high pressure, saturating the atmosphere in a ten foot radius. The mist, when inhaled, stimulates the natural healing of the body. It’s effects can even be seen when applied topically, as in the case of it settling on the skin. While the effects are short lived, it is capable of allowing minor injuries to quickly heal, allowing someone to sustain more damage.
This platform was, in fact, the device I had been attempting to use when I lost my arm. At the time, I was using passive energy collection systems to power the device, drawing residual magic energy from the area. While it was a very efficient system, it was slow and underpowered. That night I also learned how inconsistent the system was.
I’m not sure what caused such a rapid increase in the background magic that night. It could have been any number of things, many of which I may never truly comprehend. When the Adamantine power collector array was activated, it was immediately bombarded with magical energy, which it tried to funnel into the capacitive crystals. This caused one of the crystals to crack; a small defect with a huge impact on its performance. The capacitors fired, attempting to open a portal to the Plane of Fire. Instead, huge amounts of raw Force energy was dumped into the faulty crystal, which hadn’t fired. The massive influx may have been contained in a fully functional capacitor, but the previous damage proved a fatal flaw. The crystal exploded, unleashing enough energy to vaporize the device and turn my arm into a fine red mist.
Can I weaponize that?
