Robot Dungeon

I've written before about a world where the dungeoneering was an done by androids who were the remnant of human civilization (all that's here). There's another way to get dungeons crawling with robots, and that's with a future post-apocalyptic world that's been overrun by them. Instead of apes, or fairies, or vampires, let the robots take over something like Screamers (and the Philip K. Dick story it's based on "The Second Variety"), Terminator, or Magnus: Robot-Fighter. Unlike those examples though, human civilization can have been pushed back to pseudo-Medieval levels.

Say the robots have moved mostly underground, leaving humans to limp along on a damaged surface world. The underground bases of the robots would be a lot like dungeons. Robots would have made various robotic or bio-robotic guardians--monsters, of sorts. Maybe the robots are even aliens? A post-sentient, techno-organic swarm that landed and buried itself into the earth, spreading underground like roots, building robotic creatures in a myriad of forms as it went. You'd have a whole underground ecology of robots. Add "magic" (really psionic powers in disguise) and you've got a fantasy world, or close enough.

For a real fantasy world, assume that the alien robotic swarm invaded a fairly D&Dish world (except with maybe less conflict to begin with).

More Entries From the Catalog of Worlds

A follow-up to this post. More excerpts from A Concise Atlas of the Multiverse (2273):

BEDLAM (Pandemonium)
Type: Metaphysical
Reality: Highly Mutable, psychomorphic
Dominant Lifeform: ?

Description: A roiling, colorful manifold filled with psychedelic, pseudo-matter forms spontaneously generated by interaction with the mental imprints of sophont beings, Bedlam is thought to be either a vestige of raw hyperspace prior to manipulation by the Precursors or a walled off area of damaged metric. Its metaphysics have a profound effect on visitors, leading to feelings of depersonalization, paranoia, and sometimes full psychotic reactions among those not properly prepared. Prolong exposure to the naked manifold ultimately leads to dissolution of the physical form, following mental disintegration. Artificial islands of stability exist within Bedlam and these are the primary destinations for visitors. Wildcatters use some islands as bases for attempts to "mine" the metric.  Gathziri monasteries are often found in these places, though its unlikely their inhabitants created the islands in the first place.

BLACK IRON PRISON (The Big House)
Type: Metaphysical
Reality: Fixed, paraphysical
Dominant Lifeform: deodands; numerous prisoner species

Description: Black Iron Prison (human designation) is an ancient megastructure, a 4-dimensional hyperoctahedron the size of a dwarf planet, and the pocket universe that houses it. The structure was supposedly constructed by the Precursors as a prison, or maybe as the concept of confinement, itself. It is staffed by a clade of hereditary guards called deodands, who view their job as a quasi-religious obligation. For a fee, they will accept new prisoners from any political body, though very few governments will admit to using their services. No public record of those housed in the Escher-maze cell-blocks of the prison exists, but some of its inmates are likely the descendants of individuals whose accusers have been long forgotten, to say nothing of their alleged crimes.

Wednesday Comics: Multiversal Spotlight: Earth-35

Earth-35
Concept: Earth Maximum Press/Awesome Comics Universe.
Pictured: (left to right) Starcop (analog of Starhunter, analog of Martian Manhunter), Mercury-Man (analog of Doc Rocket, analog of the Flash), Miss X (stand-in for Alley Cat, a pastiche of Black Canary/Catwoman), Morphin' Man (analog of Polyman, analog of Plastic Man/Elongated Man), Majesty (analog of Glory, pastiche of Wonder Woman), Olympian (stand-in for Fisherman, stand-in for Green Arrow), Supremo (analog of Supreme, pastiche of Superman), the Owl (stand-in for Professor Night, Batman analog).
Sources/Inspirations: Maximum Press/Awesome Comics' Supreme #41-56, Supreme: The Return, Judgment Day (1997), Avatar Comics' Alan Moore's Glory (2001).
Analog: None in previous versions of the DC Multiverse.
Comments: Morrison has said this Earth is "a copy of a copy." In 1992, Rob Liefield's Extreme Studios populated his corner of the Image shared universe with dark heroes in 90s style. In 1996, after Liefield's depature from Image, he allowed Alan Moore to remake his characters in the image of Silver Age DC Comics. Supreme went having an inconsistent backstory and being largely vengeful and violent to being a very close pastiche of Silver Age Superman that more would use as a commentary on comics in general and Superman in particular. The other characters mostly just filled out Supreme's world, though Moore had bigger plans for Glory, which were never realized with that character, but seem to have provided the inspiration for Promethea.

From the Catalog of Worlds

A follow up to this post, here are a few excerpts from the Catalog of Worlds:

ANIMAL WORLD
Type: Physical
Reality: Fixed, paraphysical (“cartoon physics”)
Dominant Lifeform: Humanoids resembling Terran animals
Description: Animal World appears to be an alternate Earth, except for it being inhabited by talking, anthropomorphic animals. Beyond the dominate species, all objects, whether ostensibly living or not, are animate to varying degrees. Their technology level is roughly late 20th century, and the populace’s awareness and acceptance of space and multiversal travel is highly variable. The altered physical laws of the world can be disorienting and even dangerous. Visitors are encouraged to spend time in virtually simulations before arrival to acclimate themselves as much as possible.

CONTROL
Type: Metaphysical
Reality: Generally fixed, paraphysical
Dominant Lifeform: polyhedroid machine life with a group mind
Description: Control is believed by many to be substructure of the universe—its underlying operating system. It’s mostly perceived as a 3-dimensional grid of glowing lines in a void, disappearing into infinity, though some visitors have described a hum of unseen machinery. The 4-dimensional polyhedroids are “programs” then, tasked with increasing uptime and eliminating threats. Any traveler who makes it to Control runs the risk of beings perceived as such. Polyhedroids communicate in the “machine code” of the universe, so their transmissions are highly efficient at reality manipulation at cut through the formulae and sigils of other entities.

THE HELL-WORLDS
Type: Metaphysical
Reality: Limited mutability; individual realms are locally fixed
Dominant Lifeform: Diaboli
Description: The Diaboli clade have either formed or modified a mostly barren universe to hold a number of realms and subrealms with environments and physics tailored to the desires of their rulers. They are a very wealthy cultured, enriched by their dealings with other species. Each realm is under the control of a director. There are very few laws to limit the director’s authority, at least when it comes to visitors from other worlds. Their society is very hierarchical, despite their protestations at times to the contrary, and research into protocol prior to a visit is highly advisable.

The Witch Queen of Noxia

Here's a snippet from the Land of Azurth: Richard Svenssen's rendition of Morthalia, Witch Queen of Noxia. The player's haven't met her yet (which is probably for the best, as they're only 3rd level) but at some point they'll probably hear some version of the tale of "The Doomed Lovers of Noxia" that details Morthalia's rise to the throne as a consequence of the machinations of the Ixian witches Angvaine and Nocturose.

Angvaine is now dead, it is assumed. Nocturose lies in eternal sleep in a glass coffin. She is mourned by the Witch Queen and her goblin subjects.

Strange Stars Up North

Earlier this week, John Till posted a session report from Con of the North of another Strange Stars Fate playtest. This one included a Vokun animal transport ship, a stoner dude AI, and of course, space pirates.

Read all about it here.

Deals With the Devils

Art by Paul Harmon

Hyperspace works on laws altogether different than the amoral, mechanical physics ascendant in our universe. Some experts theorize that in the bulk in which the multiverse is embedded, forces that could be reasonably described as moral principles are objectively real--or at least as objectively real as anything else. Evil might be tangible and quantifiable. That would go a long way to explaining the Diaboli.

The Diaboli are a clade, a culture, or maybe a corporate entity that despoil worlds and corrupt other cultures—even whole universes—with faustian bargains of advanced technology and metaphysical knowledge. Maybe they've tempted some with miracle cures for disease or solutions for world hunger, but more often they appeal to baser instincts with advanced weapons of war or aids to the pursuit of pleasure. Whatever they offer, the cost is inevitably high--too high. The Diaboli are quick to sell fixes for the problems that arise, which inevitably just make things worse. At every turn, the Diaboli enhance their material wealth and create misery from which they are able siphon metaphysical energy. Some of their victims survive the devastation of their previous culture to become junior Diaboli themselves, and the toxic memeplex propagates like a multiversial pyramid scheme.

The Diaboli are very old; some believe they are the degenerate remnant of the Precursors who built the Ways. The truth, though, (at least as much as can be gleaned from a group as duplicitous as this one) is that the Diaboli fear the apotheosed Precursors. They believe the Precursors' Judgment is coming someday—and they plan to deny that judgment by becoming powerful enough fight back against gods. Only by draining or corrupting all potential rivals do they believe this end to be achievable. They view this as a net good for the entire multiverse and see themselves as defenders of order and civilization, albeit one where their inherently superior culture is in power.