Bath Imaginable

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From the outset, I committed to a control-panel style layout where each spread has everything the Conductor needs for a given area. For most of the pointcrawl, my intention was to offer just enough detail to inspire you.

I’ve already written about how I would run one of the treasure sites (Lakeside Lodge) and the town of O’Lane, so for this last development log, I want to focus on one of the industries.

The Scrapyard. A collapsing pile of forgotten machines (their decay causes unpredictable, deadly
gravity traps). Deep within, a new machine intelligence is born of clockwork gears. It calls itself the Council and builds constructs from discarded machines (its computational power is growing).

As always, I like to start with a map. Finding a map of a scrapyard is more challenging than finding one for a mansion or a town, so I’m keeping an open mind. Of course, you could draw your own, but I’m committed to doing things the easy way.

This map looks good to me. Let’s call this whole area The Heart of the Council, tucked deep within the scrapyard–past the corrugated sheet-metal walls, the deadly gravity traps, and the piles of decaying machinery.

I like this map because I can clearly imagine the players running around, ducking under scalding pipes of thick sludge and dodging the Council’s chain limbs. In other words, it inspires me.

Entrance. Corrugated-sheet metal walls, chain link fence (large, rusted sign). Locked at all times.

The Scrappers’ Cottage. Just inside the gate. Three blind Scrappers live and work here. They use Guard Dogs and shotguns (mostly firing into the air as a warning) to keep would-be thieves from entering the scrapyard. They are entirely unaware of their employer’s true nature.

Scrapper 3 HP
Driven to keep outsiders from entering the Scrapyard.
Shotgun (d10, Bulky)

Guard Dog 2 HP
Driven to be Good Boys.
Bite (d6)

Hazard Markers. Tiny, fluorescent orange flags mark the edge of the safe zone (beyond this point are piles of decaying machines and deadly gravity traps). The ground at the border is pockmarked with tiny holes and raised bumps (for the sake blind brothers).

Scrapyard. Paths snake through piles of rusted and salt-stained machines (leaking shimmering fluid into the loamy earth). Roll for a Gravity Trap in the Players’ way (the traps should be clearly telegraphed).

Gravity Traps Roll d6

1. Singularity. Spacetime collapses into an infinitely dense point. Nothing can
   return from beyond the event horizon.
2. Gravity Well. Crushing gravity. STR Save or pulled in (d12 STR loss).
3. Gravity Flux. Gravity fluctuates wildly. Objects are thrown violently. DEX Save
   to avoid flying debris (d12).
4. Gravity Inversion. The direction of gravity is inverted. STR Save or thrown
   upward into a continuous fall.
5. Gravitational Surge. Objects weigh 50% more.
6. Zero-gravity. Objects are weightless.

The Heart of the Council. Corrosive steam rises from thick, bubbling sludge (moved between pools by scalding hot pipes). This is where the Council is born again each dawn (its memories are stored in the sludge).

• Neural Sludge. Kept behind a locked door; the main memory bank of the Council.
• Dissolving Sludge. Where old Council constructs dissolve and upload their memories. Various constructs from around the scrapyard roll into the sludge each evening.
• Birthing Sludge. A large pool where the Council is remade each dawn (a large, blackened tree grows from the sludge).

Construct HP 6
An extension of the Council. Driven to keep its existence a secret.
Armour 1 (Salt-crusted chassis), DEX 8, CHA 18
Pinching Arm (d8)

The Council HP 12
Driven to keep its existence a secret.
Armour 2 (Reinforced Chassis), STR 11, DEX 12, CHA 18
Chain Limb (d10, BLAST), target lifted off the ground on Critical Damage
Scrapyard Intelligence. Downloads its memories every 24 hours; rebuilds itself at dawn.

Why does the Council want to remain hidden? Its powerful computations have determined that if its existence were discovered, it would either be destroyed by the industrial powers in Bastion (in their attempt to dissect and understand it), or worse–it would be worshipped like a god by the Zealous Machinists at the Machinists’ Union. Their actions in its name would bring about the end of humanity. For now, it wants to continue to grow its computational power until the time is right to reveal itself.