Continuing from my earlier compilation, here's the list of endgame prototype designs. Many failed and I don't know whether Gwolfski intends to retain them---it would make sense either way, really. Now I'll go dig up the Arstotzkan equipment lists.
Egan_BW: [3]
You were sitting in the upper balcony on Moskurgs side when a shitstorm of rifle fire blows apart the balcony a few feet away from where you're sitting. The gunman you'd failed to notice rains chunky salsa all over you and everyone next to you. You knew it!!! You'd prepared for this eventuality - that's why you handed out your brand-new Single-Action-Allah out to every Moskurg guard in attendance. As a six-shooter that uses a rotating cylinder and miniaturized Wands of Thunderbolts, the SAA acts as a shortened rifle that can fire six times in rapid succession. It's impossible to reload in a timely manner though, and the fact that you gave one to every guard in attendance means even the Moskurg traitors have it. The palace is filled with deafening cracks of lightning, blowing apart the wooden pillars lining the room. You're not concerned with that, though; you spy Mehmed fleeing through a doorway. That traitor will not get away with this! You leap over the shattered banisters and chase after him. Continue to Pursuit of Mehmed below.
Crazyabe: [4]
Your time in the forge has been well-spent. You've built a statue of al-Mutriqa himself - from his younger years. This is an exceptional Adamantium statue of al-Mutriqa. The item is an exceptionally designed image of al-Mutriqa the Moskurg Hero and a fig leaf. al-Mutriqa is striking a menacing pose. The fig leaf is making a plaintive gesture. The artwork relates to the duel between al-Mutria the Moskurg Hero and Myark the Arstotzkan Hero during the late-spring of 943 during the War of Forenia. The fig leaf was an after-thought, but every tasteful nude statue should have some modesty. al-Mutriqa agreed - if you were going to smuggle it into the wedding, it'd be best if it didn't weird out the guests too much. Unbeknownst to everyone else, you've applied some pretty hefty enchantments to that bad boy, giving it its own limited sentience. Right now the statue sits in a pile of other wedding gifts a few rooms over, primed and ready to protect the Sultan and Hayat...once it sees them. Meanwhile, you are trampled to death in your attempt to hide under a nearby pew. Hopefully the statue will be able to do all the fighting for you... Continue to Pursuit of Mehmed below.
Taricus: [2]
Somehow you managed to get yourself integrated into the guards, wielding your own special brand of armor. Gleaming adamantium, with enchantments engraved into literally every available surface. Your straight sword and heater shield look hilariously out-dated compared to the guns clutched in every guards hands. Most people look on dubiously at your claims that it's the "Armaments of the Hero", and intelligent to boot. When the fighting breaks out, you're one of the first people to make your way to Hayat, and one of the last to reach her. Turns out your self-designed armor is a bit bulky and hard to move around in, but it does surprisingly tank a stray lightning blast without cooking you alive. Continue to Pursuit of Mehmed below.
Kadzar: [6]
Much like Taricus, you managed to get yourself integrated into the guards, wielding thick leather gloves and falcons rather than sword or rifle. These are specially trained falcons - Defender Falcons, with the sole intent of protecting Bjorn. One sits on each shoulder, one on each forearm, one on each wrist, and one on your head. It's getting pretty difficult to hold them all up, but once bullets start flying you know you've made the right choice. "Fly, my pretties!" you scream, and throw all seven falcons towards Bjorn. Continue to Duel of Bjorn and Hardrada below.
Kashyyk: [5]
You sit in the pews, a few rows behind the Sultan. You're decked out in a full adamantium kit, replete with sabre, pavise shield, a dozen firestorm grenades, a bandolier of Wands of Thunderbolt, and your own custom-designed "Lightning Repeater Rifle™". You take up quite a bit of space on the pew, but once bullets start flying you're glad for all the equipment. You see the King and Sultan fall - when Mehmed flees and Hardrada stays, it's a tough choice, but you ultimately decide to chase after Mehmed. He is a traitor, and he will not get far! Continue to Pursuit of Mehmed below.
Nuke: [4]
While other spent the week preparing their various little spells and tricks and weapons, you mediated and prayed. Your spell - Allawm Bila Rahma: "Merciless Consume" - will likely be your last, and so you've needed to steel yourself for what's to come. When the traitors strike and the fighting breaks out, you don't cast right away. You'll only get one shot, and you don't want to blow it too early. You pull back to a far corner of the room, preparing yourself for the grand finale of what's to come. Continue to Duel of Bjorn and Hardrada below.
Sensei: [2]
A relatively new addition to the design team, you managed to somehow snag a seat in the front row. You're sitting with the Arstotzkans, though no one can rightly say if they've ever seen you in the design room before. As soon as the first blast of lightning hits, you're up and running, preparing your specially concocted spell for this exact situation. Already a bubble shield is forming around you - designed to deflect attacks and protect anyone inside it. With any luck, you'll be able to save one of the heirs before their death can plunge the continent into another four decades of magical warfare. Continue to Pursuit of Mehmed below.
Andres: [6]
They called you crazy. "It'll never work," they said. "It's too top-heavy, why not give it treads instead?" Hah! Like they would know. "Why did you replace the hands with cannons? Why not actual hands?" Those people had no knowledge of warfare, not like you. Your weapon is a giant crystal mech - made of gleaming crystal that shined bright in the sunlit snow, it stands under a blanket in a shed a block away from the palace. As soon as the fighting breaks out, you're out the door and sprinting down the street to where you've hidden it. "The King is Weak, Hardrada is a Traitor, the Sultan and Hayat are even worse - Moskurg!" You arrive at where you've hidden your weapon away and clamber inside. This is going to be one interesting wedding... Continue to Duel of Bjorn and Hardrada below.
Madman: [2]
Really, who didn't see this coming? You practically predicted this rebellion happening in your sleep, and that's why you've got a spell prepared. Quickly, you drop to your knees and pull out a bit of chalk. It's kind of hard drawing a spell-circle while people fight and clamber around you, but you manage to get a semi-round shape on the ground and begin your prayers. It'll take you a few seconds to gather the necessary magical energy to fire it off, but once you do this should all be over. If only the Sultan had taken your advice and made it illegal to have murderous thoughts - that would have made things so much easier! Continue to Pursuit of Mehmed and Duel of Bjorn and Hardrada below.
RAM: [2]
Damn Moskurgers! You can't trust them - no loyalty. Slaying their own Sultan?! What barbarians! Luckily, you've prepared your own little retort to their disgusting religious magic. The Gray Crystal Goo - an insidious little spell that literally eats Moskurg magic. You quietly slip a small crystal seed out of a metal tin in your pocket. You crush it, then toss it in the air. You've done your work - now it's time to leave. Continue to Duel of Bjorn and Hardrada below.
BBBence1111: [5]
You are a foreigner, from a land far across the sea. Drawn to the continent by tales of magic, you found a place among Arstotzka with your impressive knowledge of mathematics and a latent magical talent. Now you are cursing your luck - the side you picked lost! Clearly there is only one thing to do. You've conspired with Hardrada and secured a position for yourself as a member of the High Command that will come about once the revolution is won, and as such you spent your time developing a more potent form of Arstotzka's staple fire magic. Named "Pyre", it is a green, insistent fireball that takes a page out of Moskurgs book of Alannar. The fire simply refuses to go out! Tendrils of green flames snake along your arms as you pool your magical ability and prepare for the fight ahead. Continue to Duel of Bjorn and Hardrada below.
Zanzetkuken: [1]
Chaos simply for chaos's sake is your goal - you've been delving into things you shouldn't have. You've stared into the abyss, and the abyss handed you an instruction manual. The war must continue; and now there are three (possibly four) factions to keep the fires burning! Too many important players are here right now, though, and if they fall, the game is all over. Laughing madly, you begin casting your Dimensional Portal to replace those who are about to die with exact copies of themselves from other dimensions. Why you are doing this isn't exactly clear, but it's not terribly important. Midway through casting the balcony beneath your feet gives out and you go tumbling to the floor. Your spell is interrupted, and rather than pluck others from this dimension and send them away, you yourself land in another world! You stand up, only to realize the terrible mistake you've made - the door closes behind you. You're all alone in the worst dimension possible - the "Cannala Dimension". You die instantly.
Jilladilla: [3]
You've spent some time developing further Arstotzka's original concept of the "Crystal Lance". With the foundation laid out for you, it's pretty easy to hammer out the finer details. Your Lance is now self-generating, and with the HonestStrike integration it will home in on any target you throw it at! You've taken up position on the upper balcony, and once the fighting breaks out you waste time. Instantly you begin conjuring and throwing crystal spears at anyone who happens to be wearing a bandana, be it red or blue. Loyalty to Forenia! Protect Hayat, protect Bjorn! Continue to Duel of Bjorn and Hardrada below.
VoidSlayer: [4]
You've spent your time working on something more immediately useful (albeit more morbid) than your cohorts. A healing wand, that relies on the same principle as the dogwood wands. Made out of a finely-carved human thighbone, you've already tested it on maimed soldiers with varying degrees of success and consent. You've been able to regrow arms, legs, eyes, and fingers - some even with bonus "Vitality Tumors™" to ensure a long and healthy life. When the heirs fall, you immediately leap from your spot in the pews and rush to their aid. Continue to Pursuit of Mehmed below.
Happerry: [5]
You happen to be standing by one of the exits when the fighting breaks out, desperately trying to get past the guards despite having lost your invitation. They don't seem to understand how important it is that you be allowed inside - the Sultan had specifically asked the design team to help oversee security during the wedding! The guards - both of whom happen to be wearing curious blue arm bands - keep you at bay, preventing you from entering, but you can see what happens over their shoulders. Mehmed, his blade deep in the Sultans stomach. Your eyes grow wide as the depth of the treachery hits you. Your goal had been to protect your ruler, and in that task you've failed. But, you can see Mehmed running this way in an attempt to escape justice. Your custom spell - Hero's Luck - fills your arms and legs with power. You crack your knuckles and turn your attention to the guards. You don't want anyone distracting you when you catch the traitor. Continue to Pursuit of Mehmed below.
Light Forger: [5]
It was a risky procedure, but it was the best way you could think to protect your country. You've built a glorious bronze statue, enchanted it thoroughly, then embedded a special crystal of your own design. Then came the spell - Anima Retinentia. Your mind escapes your body and anchors itself in the statue. Your new body is strong, powerful, and much, much, much more handsome. The joints creak whenever you move, but at least you can move; this had been a very real fear when developing the spell. You leave your old body behind and quietly insert yourself into the pile of gifts for the wedding. After all, what better gift than a life-long immortal servant? Once the newly-weds unwrap their gifts, they'll understand just how useful you can be! You only wish you were the only statue in the pile, since someone else had seen fit to gift an adamantium statue of a nude al-Mutriqa to the couple. Oh well, you'll just have to prove how much more useful you'd be than that dumb lump of adamantium. Hey, wait - is that Mehmed, running down the hall? Continue to Pursuit of Mehmed below.
ChiefWaffles: [6]
Screw Moskurg, and screw Forenia too! You're not going to live under the yoke of those southern oppressors, and you will certainly not pray to their disgusting god. You and a group of like-minded individuals have concocted your own secret faction - the Vaulters. Secretly, you and several others have quietly built the largest, most powerful crystal structure the continent has ever seen. Named the VSC SS50 "Vault", it will put only the most loyal of all Arstotzkans far outside the reach of Moskurg. It will put you in space. This design has been a long time coming, and already most of the structure has been built in secret under the waters of the frozen harbor. Designed to sustain 200 people indefinitely, the ship features a staggering amount of features that are too long to bear listing. A set of powerful vacuum-certified engines are strapped to the base of the artillery shell-shaped craft, and even now you're strapping into the pilots chair and beginning the final countdown while your companions finish up the last few details. Continue to Escape from Forenia below.
Andrea: [1]
You're far less skilled, but you help ChiefWaffles in the construction of the Vault. He does most of the work, but you help, some. You do a non-negligable amount of work assisting. Probably. As of right now you're sitting in the crew quarters, idly wondering where everyone is. You told the other 195 passengers that you'd be blasting off today...right? Actually, now that you think about it, did the secret messages you sent out say it was today, or next week? You glance behind you, where supplies for 200-odd people sit stacked and secured. Gosh, you sure hope they're gonna show up soon, or else this is going to get really awkward once the rest of you reach space... Continue to Escape from Forenia below.
Helmacon: [3]
Your aspect of the Vaulters mission is more militaristic. With your newly-designed space-capable V-ECT-0-5 dropship, you coordinate with other members of the Vaulter team to deploy armed forces around the city to raid Moskurg positions. The new dropship handles like a dream; with the help of other vaulters, you raid various museums and historical sites for valuable artifacts to bring with you to space. After all, it's important to maintain your history, after all. "Go, raid the Moskurg guards!" you call to the other members of the vaulter task force. "I'll take this load of paintings and carved stone statues back to the Vault. Remember; we blast off this time next week! Be back by then!" You pilot your craft back to the vault and dock with a specially-designed airlock. You'll unload this batch of artifacts, then go back to help with the raiding. Say, what's that rumbling noise? It sounds almost like the vault is about to take off. Continue to Escape from Forenia below.
Gwolfski: [2]
Your job in the Vaulter faction was the design and installation of the VSC-OBCP-1 teleporter; a rare and crucial component of the vault. With this, you'll be able to instantaneously move supplies around, pull supplies from earth, and even bombard from orbit! You're not sure it really works since you never got time to test it, but by golly you got it installed! You've got a whole week to make sure it's properly working, so you're not too stressed. Hmmm...that sounds almost like a countdown, doesn't it...? Continue to Escape from Forenia below.
Fallacy: [6]
Your job was the most important of them all. The Aetherfarm is a special farm based on the dogwood wands to feed the 200 or so people who will be living in space for who knows how long! It's large, complicated, and it works perfectly. Even better, you've developed it so that you can insert circuit diagrams into the machine to dictate aspects about the crops you'll be growing! You can mix and match crops, change the size, the flavor, the number of seeds produced, the color, and even the effects they'll have on the human body. The Vaulters don't know what sort of crazy stuff happens to the human body in space, so that last detail is super important. If people start growing three heads or getting sick, you'll want the food to be able to prevent those nasty side effects. You quietly slot an extra circuit diagram of your own design into the Aetherfarms library and smile to yourself. They wouldn't listen - your designs never saw fruition, but now? Now is the dawn of a new era. The others don't get a choice in whether your achieve your design goals now - not with your subtle control over their food source. Continue to Escape from Forenia below.
Crystal Subconjuration
Designing the crystalline structure of our weapons turns out to be quite difficult. As we exert more finely-tuned control over the microscopic shape of the crystal, the required circuitry for printing it begins to balloon exponentially. For really small things like crystal axes, it's all we can do to streamline the circuitry to prevent additional cost, but for larger devices like our Lightnings and Crystalclads the circuit requirements are just too much.
The end result is more hardy axes and body armor segments, but anything larger is simply too expensive to manufacture.
Starshells
Essentially a KPD motor strapped to an artillery shell, the Starshell achieves very impressive range. An overcharged Aethergem is slotted into the nose and screwed in place. The gem is fitted with a safety and a shock sensor, which permits the flow of power from the gem to the connectors attached to the KPD nozzle on the rear of the shell. When armed and fired, the shell activates the KPD and allows us to achieve two additional ranges, all the way out to BLOS+2. This is one more than Moskurgs ground-based artillery, and two more than their accurate range.
The explosive capabilities of the shell are slightly less than that of our existing blast shells, but they are not appreciably more expensive.
ASAF-B49 "Firestorm"
The Arstotzkan Air Force Bomber 949 "Firestorm" fills the role missing from the current air fleet. Slightly smaller than a Lightning, the Firestorm features a bubble canopy for the pilot that wraps around from his head to his feet. A crude cross-hairs is painted on the floor as a bomb sight, but is largely just for show. A standard set of spherical controls allows the pilot to pitch, roll, and accelerate the aircraft, and a set of short, stubby wings and tail allow the craft better turning while moving forward, as we'd discovered with the Valkyrie. The craft is propelled by a KPD4 propulsion spell-array, which in turn is powered by a single Aether Reactor. The craft is entirely unarmored and any unnecessary weight is stripped free, allowing unprecedented heights to be reached. The Firestorm is the first aircraft capable of flying above cloud cover.
The cockpit features a sealing hatch and a small circuit-controlled one-way air valve to ensure the compartment is air-tight. A slight modification to our channeled mist spell - made easy thanks to our impressive knowledge of conjuration magic - allows it to produce breathable air rather than mist. This provides the pilot with air, and the one-way valve keeps the air pressure at an acceptable level for human life.
The "bomb bay" is a circuit array borrowed from the crystalworks that is hard-wired to produce "blastgems" - another new invention necessitated by this design. It is a crystalline sphere that features a very simple conjuration system contained within, along with a crystal magegem charged with enough power drawn from the reactor to produce a blastball. The bomb is on a set timer that cannot be changed once the Firestorm has left the ground - usually it will be set for the same amount of time it takes the sphere to fall from max height to the ground below.
The bombs have a rather small radius, compared to our HA1 artillery shells. It is about comparable to the blast radius of Moskurgs hand grenades, and rivals it in lethality. Sadly, we ran out of time trying to figure out how to incorporate the HonestStrike module into a non-gun design, so the bombing zone below the craft is rather widely dispersed and can't be used for much more than bombing cities or city-sized targets. Furthermore, we discover that at high altitudes ice tends to form on the Firestorm aircraft. This ice formation obscures vision, slowly decreases the effectiveness of the KPD4, and can cause the blastgem manufacturing system to jam. A jammed blastgem system will invariably cripple the craft, preventing furthering bombing action. The small explosive power of the blastgem is usually unable to completely knock out the Aether Reactor, at least, and though the craft will be unable to continue fighting without repairs the pilot will usually be able to limp home. Expensive.
ASAF-F43 Interceptor: 1,200 AAAethergems strapped to a blastball producing pad. Features an enclosed cockpit and ball gunner made of crystal glass. Incredibly unstable, heavy, slow, and explosive. Expensive. Obsolete.
ASAF-F44 "Avenger": Improved version of the Interceptor. Uses an expensive, dangerous Aether Reactor and a KPD Mk.2 engine for lift. Features an enclosed cockpit and ball gunner made of crystal glass. Unstable, heavy, and slow acceleration. Very Expensive.
ASAF-F45 Lightning: Improved version of the Avenger. Uses a stable Aether Reactor and a KPD Mk.3 engine for lift. Features an enclosed cockpit and a ball gunner made of glass. Reasonable acceleration, high top speed, reasonably stable. Cannot drop bombs. Expensive.
Wand of True Light: Seeds doubt in enemy minds. Theatre-wide effect. Moral penalty. National Effort.
AS-STV-1 "Restless": Steam train. Crystal structure. Can carry troops and supplies to the front line. Little power, but can pick up to the speed of a horse in gallop. Very Expensive.
ASAF-QAT48 "Valkyrie": A troop transporter. Uses two Aether Reactors for power, can carry up to ten men. Limited armor, acceleration, and ceiling, but it can move quite fast. Difficult to fly in inclimate weather. Normal Cost.
Magegems: Magical batteries. Comes in A, AA, and AAA forms. The AAA battery should be able to power a couple flares. An AA battery should be able to power a SPSF-C all by itself, and an A battery should be able to power a regular PSF-C. Three A batteries can power a single PSF in all its glory. Made of a special crystal-glass with nickel banding. Does not lose charge. New D-level gem equal to two A-level gems can be recharged in 5 minutes. Cheap-Very Expensive.
Aethergems: Essentially a circuitry, anti-magegem, and wire setup that attaches to a magegem. Replenishes a magegem automatically at 3 minutes for A gems, 2 minutes for AA gems, and 30 seconds for AAA gems. Can "double up" on gems for +1 expense and reduced lifespan. Cheap.
HA1: Arstotzkan heavy artillery. Fires at beyond line-of-sight range. Requires three apprentices to operate, plus loading crew. Uses nickel circuitry to cool the cannon. Breech-loaded. Made mostly of crystal. Cheap.
Blastshells+R: A hollow shell, in which a circuit-gem core can be inserted into before firing. Provides extended (albeit less accurate) range, out to BLOS+1. Cheap.
Blastshells+E: A hollow shell, in which a circuit-gem core can be inserted into before firing. Provides explosive capabilities to the shell upon landing thanks to a fragile limiting AAA gem in the tip. Cheap.
Blastshells+R/E: A hollow shell, in which a circuit-gem core can be inserted into before firing. Provides both extended range and explosive capabilities, albeit less accurately. Cheap.
HA1-b "Mundane": A variant of the HA1 for mundane use. Features 3 A-level Aethergems that can be slotted in and out and specialized firechamber to produce PSF-C's on command. 1 round per 3 minutes. Expensive.
HC1: AKA the "Extreme-Range Hybrid Cannon". Arstotzka's first cannon. Uses a fireball to propel a fist-sized iron ball Long-Range. Inaccurate, but can be loaded quickly. Has a tendency to crack. Cheap. Obsolete.
HC1-E: The Elite version of the HC1. Fires at Extreme-Range. Uses rifling, ballistics, and an overall better and more consistent design. Utilizes enchanted nickel etching for barrel cooling. Made mostly of crystal. Breech-loaded.Cheap.
Equalizer: Anti-magic shell. Dispells all magic around it. Difficult to produce and fire, dangerous to use. Expensive.
HC2: A failed attempt to upgrade the HC1 with auto-cooling barrel and ambitious steam recycler. Explodes or breaks after every shot. Very Expensive. Obsolete.
AS-HAC-1: An all-crystal small-caliber cannon. Swivel-mounted. Breech-loaded. Aimed through horse-hair crosshairs. Relatively short reload time. Uses a "bolt action" for loading. Circuit-cooled. Cheap.
AS-R1 Hybrid Rifle: A cannon you can hold! Made out of crystal, circuit-cooled, breech-loaded, bolt-action. A single AA-level Aethergem allow non-magic users to use it, provided they replace it with each shot. Uses just the fireblast for propulsion rather than steam. Reaches Extreme Range, but inaccurate past Medium Range. Cheap.
Arzotskan Academy for Adequate Apprenticeship: Basic magic training for apprentices. Allows them to be more useful on the offensive. Very prestigious. Actively recruits new apprentices.Expensive.
Crystalworks Mk2: A workshop that produces crystal items cheaply, permanently, and with a mild brittle factor. Crystals can repair microfractures, eliminating the need for maintenance. Larger facility allows Expensive.
Wand of Fireballs: Hurls fireballs at a distance, able to destroy whole squads at a time. A National Effort. Obsolete.
Minor Towers of Forever Frost: Small, complicated towers that have to be assembled in place and requires the skill of several wizards to operate. Creates a very powerful cold evocation and then channels it directly into the air, consistently lowering temperatures within a radius of about fifty miles. Can induce snow in the jungle during the winter, freezing rain in the summer. Now made with pre-inscribed marble blocks.Expensive.
Anti-Magic Charm: A magically enchanted quartz crystal. Hums loudly in the presence of magic, and prevents magic from being conjured inside the very limited range. Expensive.
Anti-Magic Bomb Arrows: Arrows that explode on contact with magic into red-hot, razor-sharp crystal shards.
Magic Lance: Conjures a set of lances for a cavalry squad. Thick enough not to break on use. Cheap.
Magic Axe: Conjures a set of long axes for officers. Cheap.
Dogwood Wand: Wand that allows the user to accelerate the growth of a patch of plants to an area and height equal to their own height. Wands are cheap to make, but don't last very long. Cheap.
HonestStrike: A scroll-type module that can be appended to most anything. Improves the accuracy of the weapon, to an extent. Requires the user to loudly praise Allah to work. Very Expensive.
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Topic: Wands Race II - Forenia (Read 3369 times)