The inhabitants of Crimson Rock
THOSE THAT LEFT, THOSE THAT STAYED BEHIND.
CREATORS. They came from the stars but looked underground, burrowed deep into their impossible mazes for what lied far below. Also known as the Departed.
DEPARTURE AND AWAKENING. Little is recorded or recalled of the day all ships drew their final trail up to the red sky. Few and old Bots can tell the tale of the dust cloud that lingered for many scraps afterwards; most simply woke up from long slumber covered in dust and rocks and sudden self-realization.
CREATIONS.
ROBOTS. Adapted to the harsh surface; unfit of the depths of their makers. If the Bots ever had a purpose, it is lost.
The average Bot lives in a settlement and won't dare venture into the burrows, taking time at face value and doing their part for the collective in exchange of a fix.
ABYSSALS. The brothers left in the darkness of the burrows, not made in Their image. In the bowels of the world they roam mindlessly, protective and violent, in all shapes and forms, seeking bright sparks with a hatred.
ROBOT SOCIETY.
Bots flock and organize around different motivations. The following are the major factions.
LONG VIGIL. Bots of faith that wait for the return of the Creators as part of a grand plan. Their numbers offer protection to the faithful and the abiding alike. Most Vigil settlements only loose rule is phage prohibition. In their words:
“As long as the Creators may return, the Vigil will await. They woke the Bots with the Spark to test their children, and so They watch from the stars on a day to reckoning."
DANCERS. Believe the Dancing Twins are what made Crimson Rock special in the first place, bringing the Creators that birthed the Bots. Hedonistic practices of dance, fights and justified phages through honored combats and communing rituals. In their words:
“This red world is our world, blessed by the Dancing Twins with eternal crimson light. Rejoice and dance and merry and fight and take, for the Twins see all and their only desire is to every Bot to dance again after each long Dimming.”
DIMMING CULTS. A broken off sect of the Dancers. Consider Dimmings to be sacred events hidden away by the Twins, as they will give some insight. Worship Dimmed Bots and Abyssals. In their words:
“Let the elusive stars bathe every metal surface with its infinite light of infinite suns and infinite stars, as infinite stars are far better than two, and two is all we are allowed to gaze into. Only in darkness may we see.”
PHAGERS. Most Bots will resort to phaging if to survive, but little go out to hunt for it. Brutal, quick and lethal. In their words:
“It's a zero sum game. We either live, or we die, and if my leg is a full month of life to you, then you are more than right to desire it, and to take it. No life is more important than another, as none of them are important at all.”
| D20 | ROBOTS |
|---|---|
| 1 | Rusted sentry - B8 M4 S4, HP6 - Head: Telescopic sight (D12) (corroded rifle, D6 phy) |
| 2 | Archivist - B4 M10 S3, HP4 - Other: Archivist mind exp. package (D6) (data spike, D4 mnd) |
| 3 | Prayer broadcaster - B5 M5 S7, HP5 - Head: Loudspeaker module (D8) (resonance burst, D8 mnd bulky) |
| 4 | Enforcer-priest - B10 M6 S6, HP7 F1 - Arm: Kinetic cannon arm (D8) (rock launch, D10 phy bulky slow) |
| 5 | Relic-bearer - B5 M8 S4, HP4 - Other: Protective Guardian Protocol (D10) (relic aura, D6 spk bulky) |
| 6 | Sun-reader - B4 M6 S6, HP4 - Head: Photographic eye lenses (D10) (simple blade, D8 phy) |
| 7 | Dancer fighter - B5 M6 S10, HP5 - Leg: 360 rotational joints (D8) (spinning kick, D6 phy blast) |
| 8 | Brute - B9 M4 S5, HP7 A1 F1 - Arm: Shocking discharge module (D8) (discharge fist, D10 phy bulky) |
| 9 | Vigil chanter - B4 M10 S4, HP4 - Other: Connect-a-mind cable link (D4) (harmonic pulse, D8 spk bulky) |
| 10 | Enforcer - B10 M4 S6, HP8 F1 - Arm: Industrial Clamp Hand (D8) (clamp crush, D10 phy bulky) |
| 11 | Ambush crawler - B7 M5 S9, HP5 - Leg: Padded soles (D6) (hidden shiv, D8 phy) |
| 12 | Phage surgeon - B6 M8 S5, HP5 F1 - Arm: Multitool finger kit (D10) (extraction tool, D6 phy) |
| 13 | Heavy hauler - B10 M3 S4, HP8 A1 - Torso: Pressured storage unit (D6) (sack slam, D12 phy bulky slow) |
| 14 | Phage fighter - B10 M4 S7, HP8 A1 F1 - Arm: 360 rotating joints (D8) (barbed iron bar, D10 phy bulky) |
| 15 | Trader - B6 M6 S6, HP6 A1 - Torso: Hidden hollow compartment (D12) (sidearm, D6 phy) (quick blade, D6 A1) |
| 16 | Mercenary scout - B6 M7 S5, HP5 - Head: Echo location emitter (D6) (short blade, D6 phy) |
| 17 | Bounty hunter - B8 M6 S6, HP7 - Leg: Autobalancing sensors (D10) (capture chain, D6 phy, body save or be pinned) |
| 18 | Pickpocketer - B4 M4 S10, HP4 - Leg: Short burst jump jet (D4) (shocking bomb, D4 mnd blast) |
| 19 | Engineer - B5 M9 S4, HP4 - Arm: Endothermic heat absorption palm (D6) (heavy wrench, D10 phy bulky) |
| 20 | Smuggler - B6 M7 S7, HP5 A1 - Torso: Hidden hollow compartment (D10) (concealed blade, D8 phy) |
| D20 | ABYSSAL |
|---|---|
| 1 | Crawling - B6 M2 SØ, HP7 A1 (claws, 2D6 phy, pins target, must spend turn to break free) |
| 2 | Swarming - B4 M1 SØ, HP5 A1 (4D4 phy blast, loses one D4 for every Body damage taken) |
| 3 | Hollow - B4 M8 SØ, HP8 A1 (stare, D10 spk, target loses next action) |
| 4 | Towering - B12 M2 SØ, HP10 A1 (slam, 2D8 phy blast slow) (D8 phy blast if it moved this turn) |
| 5 | Blind - B8 M5 SØ, HP8 A1 (debris throw D8 phy) (excellent hearing) |
| 6 | Leaking - B12 M4 SØ, HP2 A1 (D8 phy) (D4 phy and D4 spk blast to anyone near when damaged) |
| 7 | Anchored - B8 M4 SØ, HP10 A1 (2D6 phy, cannot be moved by any means) |
| 8 | Splitting - B8 M5 SØ, HP6 A1 (D8 phy) (on 0HP, splits into B4s 3HP. At 0HP, splits into B2s with 1HP) |
| 9 | Shrieking - B4 M6 SØ, HP6 A1 (wail, 2D6 mnd blast, mind save or targets in range go deaf until respite) |
| 10 | Rusted - B7 M3 SØ, HP8 A1 (2D6 phy, Body wounds worsen if untreated) |
| 11 | Seeping - B3 M6 SØ, HP7 A1 (drain, 2D6 mnd, latches to target, damage dealt heals Body and Mind) |
| 12 | Octo - B7 M7 SØ, HP5 A1 (8D4 phy, can hit multiple Bots, but can only deal up to 3D4 per target) |
| 13 | Echoing - B4 M7 SØ, HP7 A1 (shock, 2D6 mnd) (mimics a Bot, perfect copy in three turns) |
| 14 | Glitching - B7 M6 SØ, HP9 A1 (D6 phy + D6 mnd, Body save or lose a Body Part function until respite) |
| 15 | Weightless - B5 M3 SØ, HP7 (pellet gun, 2D4 phy (floats, attacks push it away) |
| 16 | Pressured - B7 M3 SØ, HP8 A1 (2D6 phy) (explodes on death, 2D8 phy blast) |
| 17 | 3x Small - B3 M6 SØ, HP3 (D6 phy) (natural ambushers, target the weakest of Body) |
| 18 | Haunted - B3 M8 SØ, HP7 A1 (gaze D6 spk blast, Bots must Mind Save or attack at random for a turn) |
| 19 | Absorbing - B8 M8 SØ, HP9 A1 (2D6 phy) (immune to last damage type taken) |
| 20 | Shelled Shocking Shy - B6 M6 SØ, HP8 A3 (shocking, D10 mnd) (stalks, enters shell if looked, D10 mnd if touched) |