RandomMarine wrote:There were already three antags that can be untouchable, invisible observers until they have the perfect opportunity to appear and act, then quickly disappear.
That shit is awful. We didn't need a fourth. Hopefully the mode stays out of rotation until the whole idea behind clockers warping in from another zlevel is axed.
I'm tentatively onboard with doomguy here, but then I get thinking otherwise.
Bear me out, but, these ideas are ones that'd probably only work on Terry, or if we ever deign to go for 40+ minute rounds.
Anyway, I personally have an issue with starlight gazers. They just don't seem steampunk to me, and Rat'var should be Lord of the Engines, in my headcanon.
What if, to get power, one had to build a re-sprited(I know, I know, I said the BAD word) TEG engine-type setup, that resembled steaming pistons, a firebox, and a flywheel, and still had to find some way of getting heat in to the engine? In a pinch, just plain ol' pressure differential would work, and could be a great way to sabotage the SM by replacing a pump with a Cerf'fher Shunt(timegated/powerlocked item?)
Venting burning plasma into the chamber from off-station via Urng Shunts, grabbing combustibles for the firebox, something. It'd mean that at least one person had to stick around on Reebe to work on power generation, and it gives the others something to do other than just converting. Theft and so on, after all, is kind of a necessity in the great cogworks.
That and possibly some limited conversions that work like a virus by the name of Cresr'ptvba, with low transmission, that serves to turn the victim's innards into clockwork parts a la that one SCP, and as such when gibbed, their brain-replacement can be used to be stuffed in to a clockwork construct or Qvssr'eapr Engine(think AI, but clocky.) Figure that one can only manifest one or two hissing, steaming syringes of the virus per round without setting up a Refractory shunted off the main engine.
The converts might should have slightly differing objectives that are supportive of the Cult, but owing to the limitations of their automaton cogitation, are unable to fully grasp the full extent of the matter.
But, similarly to this last point, the inability to convert silicons; They are anathema to the mechanical perfection of the Lord of Engines. They pervert Tesla's Insights after all, and most run on DC power rather than the True AC power.
Though, I could also see the Cult making Cnpf'vzvys shells that resemble Engineering Borgs and have largely the same capabilities, just with less health as per brasswork items in general.
Granted, all of this is probably a headache of the ages once all's said and done, given that we're talking about a major rework of how Clock Cult gets power, and how they convert, as well as removing two of their most powerful allies and giving them a barely-concealed buddy in exchange.
Edit: Renamed a thing or two