An expansion for the award winning [Campaign Idea], Metallforme.
I think I got into Digimon again due to Loch. I think. I don’t actually know that. We talked about it once, maybe 3 months ago, and then I randomly bought Cyber Sleuth, and started rewatching Digimon Adventure, as well as watching Beatbreak. I can’t think of a reason why I’d do that except for Loch, so this was probably their fault. This post is most informed by Cyber Sleuth. Due to this, the vibe might be slightly off compared to the rest of Telos. Less industrial, more computer games. Regional differences, of course.
NEW METALLFORMES
Spore
HD1 AC14 (Guard Up) Types Figure, Earth, War
Stocky mushroom guy with short arms and legs. Has a wide toothy smile on its stem, and no eyes. Wears boxing gloves. Cannot take them off. All its plans include punching things anyway.
STR 2d6+2 CON 3d6 DEX 3d6+2 INT 1d4 WIS 1d6 XHA 1d12
Movement Good footwork. Jumps from leg to leg as if on springs. Jabs the air for fun.
Attack A Right Hook - Fly like a shutter-fly. If the previous attack was a Left Jab, Spore gains +2 damage until the end of combat. 1d6 blunt damage.
Attack B Left Jab - Sting like a cyber-bee. So fast it burns - if the previous attack was also a Left Jab, Spore suffers 1 damage. 1d10 fire damage.
Unique KNOCKOUT - when taking damage, Spore releases a cloud of spores. Nearby enemies save CON, or fall asleep for the next round. I don’t think Spore knows what a KNOCKOUT is.
Module Slots 1 Red, 2 Yellow
Development
Win a fight by KNOCKOUT.
Get Spore up to a +10 damage bonus from Right Hook during one combat.
Gift Spore a piece of actual boxing merchandise.
Frostling
HD1 AC10 (Protective Goggles) Types World, Earth, Beast
Mole whose nose is the shape of a snowflake. Wears 2 sets of goggles. Its front limbs are mechanical robot hands, a bit too big for its body. It doesn’t actually have arms for these hands to connect to, they just stick out awkwardly out of its torso.
STR 2d4 CON 2d6+2 DEX 2d4+2 INT 2d6+2 WIS 3d6+2 XHA 1d6+2
Movement Awkward. Trips every couple steps, stands up, corrects its goggles. Pushes on.
Attack Absolute Zero Punch - enemy saves DEX or freezes for 1 round. Not due to the cold, the attack animation just has a bad tendency to really destroy the performance of reality itself. 1d4 world damage.
Unique Collision Mesh - a taste of the potential the Frostling holds, it can remove “hitboxes” of objects it focuses on for at least a minute (for example, you can walk through a wall that’s visually still there, or make the enemy’s sword not deal any damage). The effect ends immediately if Frostling moves or gets distracted in any way.
Module Slots 2 Blue, 1 White
Development
End an unfavorable fight using Collision Mesh.
Freeze an Energy Geyser, just to see what happens.
Reach the heart of Frostum’s Castle.
Paulie
HD1 AC16 (Good Plastic) Types Item, Stable, Insect
5-legged crab-like thing. Its legs’ outer shell looks exactly like a safety cone. It can enter a defensive position, and hide entirely within the plastic casing.
STR 1d8+2 CON 4d6 DEX 3d6+1 INT 1d6 WIS 1d4+2 XHA 1d6+2
Movement Nice and chaotic slalom. Freakishly fast.
Attack Road Works Ahead - ranged (20m). Paulie spits hot asphalt at the target. 1d6 fire damage.
Unique Safely Coned - when in its defensive mode, Paulie cannot move but can easily pass for a naturally occurring safety cone. Paulie gets 2DR when Safely Coned. It can enter defensive mode as a free action during its turn, but has to forego an attack to leave it.
Module Slots 2 Green, 1 Yellow
Development
Defeat an enemy without ever leaving Safely Coned.
Use Safely Coned to successfully warn someone of danger.
Restore a damaged structure to its former glory.
Milcin
HD1 AC14 (Evasive Maneuvers) Types Item, Holy, Air
Frisbee-sized metal flying saucer. The pyramid-like dome on the top has a singular 2-dimensional eye, which it uses to look down on people mockingly.
STR 1d6 CON 1d8 DEX 2d4+2 INT 4d6 WIS 3d6 XHA 1d4
Movement Small thrusters all over the body, releasing little white clouds while going POP POP POP.
Attack Tractor Beam - ranged (50m). Energy beam capable of pulling, and pushing objects or creatures equal in size or just slightly larger than Milicin. Does no damage on its own.
Unique A Anti-Gravity Engines - Milcin is unaffected by gravity. Using its thrusters, it can move through air at walking speed.
Unique B Nano Fabrication - once per Day Phase, Milicin can produce any aluminium object smaller than itself, and spit it out.
Module Slots 1 Green, 1 Cyan, 1 Blue
Development
Kidnap 5 different potentiafauna using the Tractor Beam.
Acquire a piece of Earth art for Milicin to appreciate.
Avoid a conflict using Nano Fabrication.
NEW TECHNOVOLTAS
Switcheroo
Requirements Has Type Dark
+1HD
The Metallforme gains a long, dark cloak, with a tall collar that covers up the lower half of its face. As a bonus, it might get a magician or wizard hat, if you find it appropriate.
XHA +4 INT +1d4
Unique Now You See Me - as a free action or reaction, the Metallforme can hide inside its coat, and instantly switch places with its human. It cannot perform this move again until it recovers its coat from the human.
Module Slots +1 Blue
Development Take a lethal wound in the place of the human. Play it cool.
Switchetwo
Requirements Has Switcheroo
+1HD
The Metallforme’s cloak seems to gain a mind of its own - bonded to its wearer, it moves on its own to protect them from danger.
XHA +1d4
Unique Now You Don’t - the Metallfome can now switch places with any willing target. It can attempt to switch places with an unwilling target, by having them save XHA. The wearer of the cloak has +1DR OR -2AC, whichever is preferable.
Module Slots +1 Blue
Development Put yourself in gravely danger, and switch places with an enemy. Survive, while they don’t.
Malleable
Requirements Has Type Item
+1HD
The Metallforme’s body becomes more adaptable, with mechanical elements bridging the gaps between its original body, and new elements it takes on.
Unique Itemskill - once per Day Phase, the Metallforme can make any item it could reasonably carry a part of its body OR switch the item it chose before for another one. That item no longer takes inventory slots, and can be used without hands (ex. a sword gets added as a sword-end tail).
Module Slots +1 Orange
Development Steal an enemy’s weapon mid-fight, and use it to knock them out.
Working Forme
Requirements Has Type Figure
+1HD
The Metallforme takes a liking to earth culture - it starts dressing itself based on its idea of how humans look like (ex. full mafia suit, or socks and white undies, or ironic t-shirt).
Unique Clothes Maketh a Forme - any Module the name of which includes an occupation of some kind (ex. from original post: Judge, Travel Guide), even out of its original context (Burn GUARD), have their Variables increased by 1.
Module Slots +1 Yellow OR +1 Cyan OR +1 Green
Development Befriend a human that’s not part of the party :)
Grappler
Requirements Is a Spore
+1HD +2 AC
The Spore’s mastery of martial arts deepens. It abandons the boxing gloves for hand wraps, and starts wearing sports shorts. You don’t see how that makes it a better fighter, but it seems content.
DEX +d4 CON +1d6
Unique BAIT-N-SWITCH - Once per round, when an enemy misses an attack against Spore, Spore can instantly grapple them. Spore cannot miss an attack against the enemy it’s grappling.
Module Slots +1 Red
Development Use BAIT-N-SWITCH against a far superior opponent, don’t let them escape, and win the fight.
Sentinel
Requirements Is a Spore
+1HD +2 damage
The Spore’s mastery of martial arts deepens. It bulks up significantly, and insists on always carrying a blade of grass in its mouth. You think it has brain damage from getting punched too much.
STR +d4 CON +1d6
Unique ULTIMATE - Whenever Spore suffers damage from any source, add 1 to its ULTIMATE counter. When ULTIMATE reaches 6, it can instantly perform a free attack, and then ULTIMATE resets. If the attack lands, it deals the max possible damage. It also has a cool unique animation.
Module Slots +1 Yellow
Development Obviously, have Spore knock someone out with its ULTIMATE.
Enlightened
Requirement Is a Spore, 3 or more HD
+1HD +1 Attack per Turn
The Spore has reached the Metalleformic limit of martial arts. To show its gratitude, it goes into the forest, to perform 10,000 punches and prayers. It gets bored after the first 3. Somehow, it achieves enlightenment anyway. It grows a second pair of arms.
Flip a coin to either get -1 or +8 WIS
Attack Buddha Palm - Ranged (as far as you can see). Spore’s hands meet in a prayer. A golden hand the size of a skyscraper descends from the sky to best its enemies. 4d6 holy damage. Can only be performed once per turn, during Day Phase, and under open sky.
Module Slots +1 White
Development Help another Metallforme achieve Technovolta 3 times. It doesn’t have to be the same Metallforme.
Frostum’s Culling
Requirements Is a Frostling, 5 or more HD
+1HD
Frostling’s final Forme - its body plan reconfigures until it no longer resembles a mole, as its tiny robot hands stretch into powerful mechanical arms. It gets newer, cooler goggles as a bonus too.
STR +4 DEX +4 WIS +1d6
Attack Cull - ranged (20m). The enemy saves INT, or becomes Culled. They disappear from the world completely for 1d6 turns. When they reappear, it’s as if time didn’t pass for them at all - they might not even realize they were Culled. 2d6 world damage. Double damage against Corrupt types.
Module Slots +1 Blue
Development Resolve a conflict using Cull BUT not by defeating the enemy in combat.
NEW MODULES
Written with the idea that they could be stapled on the end of the lists from the original post.
Red - Related to combat, breaking, and shows of force.
9. Tag Team - When your Metallforme attacks the same enemy as an ally, they both get +[d4] to their attacks. Add a d6, if they share a type.
10. Too Little - Once per Day Phase, you can set your Metallforme’s STR to 20. This effect lasts for [1] turns.
Orange - Related to transforming, efficiency and modification.
9. Adapter - You can swap any instances of types in all of your Metallforme’s modules and uniques with any [1] type of your choice. Adapter II and onward allow you to apply this ability selectively, BUT the types have to be decided when the module’s equipped.
10. Cup Swap - You can expend a battery to swap the Variables of any 2 of your Metallformes equipped modules. Cup Swap II allows you to attempt to forcibly swap Variables with someone else’s Module (though, by default you have no way of knowing what Variables it has before doing so).
Yellow - Related to situational buffs, repair, and protection.
9. Tactician - Expend a battery, and have your Metallforme loudly announce a target. Anyone who attacks said target gets [2] Energy, and can immediately spend it. Energy is intangible, untransferrable, and can be expended in place of a Battery. It lasts until the end of combat.
10. Solidarity - Your Metallforme can take a Corruption type or the results of desynch from other Metallformes onto themselves by expending a battery. It can hold [1] consequences like this. When it Technovoltas, it can expend an additional battery to entirely remove the effect.
Green - Related to the environment, geography, and resistance.
9. Gardener - Once per Day Phase, your Metallforme can touch the ground and make a tree grow rapidly in that spot. Gardener II can grow concrete walls; III power outlets; IV rivers; V mountains. Legends speak of Gardener VI, which the architects of Telos used to create the Energy Geysers.
10. Mesh LOD - Expend a battery to “simplify” the mesh of any inanimate object - stairs become slopes, trees become simple quads, so on. This effect lasts for [1] Day Phases.
Cyan - Related to information-gathering, prediction and navigation.
9. Camera - the metallforme holds perfect recollection of any images or sounds it witnessed. It can project the recordings onto flat surfaces. Camera II adds the ability to project a 3-dimensional hologram of the recording.
10. Wagon - Your Metallforme can easily carry you, as if you were completely weightless, no matter its STR or size. This doesn’t extend to any other person nor object you’re carrying.
Blue - Related to control, contingency and preparation.
9. Puppet Master - By expending a battery, your Metallforme can hop into the shadow of any creature who has [1] HD or less, and take control of their body for 1d6 rounds. This doesn’t work on Dark types [too cool for your tricks] and Holy types [too holy for your tricks].
10. Copycat - By expending a battery your Metallforme can create a one use copy of another Metallforme’s module. This copy has the Variables of Copycat or the copied module, whichever is greater. It doesn’t take an additional slot. If the module’s effect is passive, instead of being one use it lasts [1] days. Copycat cannot be used on one instance of a module multiple times.
White - Unusual, rare Modules which can be “configured” over the course of a Night Phase, swapped between two or more modes at will. Vary wildly in their abilities.
9. Same Hat - The Metallforme gets +[d4] damage against enemies of the same type as the last opponent it defeated. Can be configured to instead provide +[d4] to reaction rolls to strangers of the same type as the last opponent it befriended.
10. Panic - Expend a battery to confuse the target, making them incapable of discerning friend from foe, for [1d4] rounds. Can be configured to instead make the target focused, granting them additional [d6] on checks of [1] chosen stats until the next Night Phase.
Void - ???
???. Stack Overflow - This Module cannot be unequipped. Your Metallforme gains the Corrupt type, if it hasn’t already. You can expend a battery to permanently give your Metallforme +[1] to all its stats and Variables, but doing so automatically Corrupts another Metallforme in immediate vicinity. If there’s no Metallforme to Corrupt, your Metallforme instantly loses this module, and then desynchronizes.
???. Trojan - Your Metallforme gains a new Development condition: whenever another allied Metallforme desynchs, your Metallforme Technovoltas [1] times. The first roll on the desynchronization table for any Metallforme near you always comes up as 20.
???. E-PULSE - You can no longer expend batteries to activate your Metallforme’s modules. Instead, you can at any point choose to deal [1d4] damage to yourself to activate any module. Modules activated this way temporarily get +1 Variables. Your Metallforme gets +[1] damage and AC as long as you, its human, are bloodied (below half-HP).
NEW FACTION
There’s a piece of graffiti you might’ve seen on some structures - horizontal line, with a half circle coming out the top, and radiating straight lines. Some of these tags might’ve been even helpfully signed - DAYBЯEAK.
A list of unrelated things you might encounter nearby.
(These might be slight spoilers, if you were ever to play a Metallforme game run by me, which you won’t, so it’s probably fine.)
A human-shaped figure (girl, about 13?) made entirely of static. Stuck in a forever loop - sitting under a tree, moving her hand as if petting a cat. She stands up, clearly agitated. Points in front of herself. Freezes. Turns around, runs, and… stops. The form glitches. It resets. If approached calmly, and treated like a person, she might break the loop long enough to answer a couple questions. If she ever hears the word “daybreak” she shuts up again. Forever, seemingly.
Power outlet on a nearby tree, with a cable coming out of it. It ends on some sort of destroyed device you’ve never seen before, like somebody combined a computer screen with a keyboard, and attached them to a long and thick silver glove. It’s absolutely ruined, and covered in specks of blood (there is, notably, still a hand inside of it), but maybe it can be recovered…
Cigarette buds. A whole pile of them. When you pick one up, the pile doesn’t grow smaller - the one in your hand seems to be a perfect copy of a bud on the floor. A nearby potentiabird will happily feed on the endless supply, if you don’t want it.
A dungeon of some kind! Entirely looted. It seems like it used to take the form of a maze, but there’s just now a tunnel from the entrance all the way to the final room. About midway through, it goes straight through a potentiaanimal [body of an elephant, with the head of a beetle, made entirely of stone], its form broken up by the giant hole. It remains alive. It’d probably prefer not to.
A giant tree lacking a “hit box”, just an empty texture. Hidden behind the texture stands a big tent, the kind you could buy in a supermarket. Slightly on the more expensive side. Inside there’s an electric heater, television set, VHS player, small collection of Polish comedy movie tapes, and a pile of saucy Brazilian comic books. All electrical devices are plugged into an outlet sticking out of the ground, but currently turned off. If somebody were to play one of the tapes, the movie would play normally, but a random Metallforme would appear on screen at some point, as if part of the scene. It seems confused and lost, and keeps looking around until it spots the camera. The rest of the recording is it begging to be released, and banging on the screen. When played again, the creature is knocking on the screen from the very start. It might be able to hear the players, was there some sort of recording device attached to the tv….
Shape of a man, phasing out of the ground on the horizon. They see you not long after you notice them, and suddenly trip forward. If you inspect the place where they were just moments ago, there’s no one there. Not even marks in the snow. Except… a gum wrapping, with a mouse comic strip on the inside.
A potentiaanimal [dog body plan, except with 7 legs, beetle-like exoskeleton, and a bird-like head] chained to a guard-rail sticking randomly out the ground. It’s a Corrupt type. There’s a power outlet sticking out of its side, and where its body and the plastic meet, there is nothing but static. It seems weak and starved, and takes turns growling and whimpering at anyone who approaches. If somebody tried to attach any device to the power outlet, it’d get powered, but very quickly corrupt. The animal gets smaller with each second of charging something like this.
Half-empty paint can. Enjoy.
NEW REGION
Garrison Island is a region covering both a small island of the same name, and also some of the neighboring Shimmering Sea (you can tell it’s not part of the rest of the main Shimmering Sea, because the water texture suddenly changes to a more green-ish hue, and the ambient is different).
Once upon a time it was protected by a powerful Frostum, who was bound to a human seeking to leave Telos. Story goes, he eventually succeeded. Their last meeting took place on Garrison Island. Drowning in a sea of despair, unable or unwilling to travel without his lifelong companion, Frostum made the island its home. Over the coming years, a strange structure would grow from the land. Frostum’s Castle - a collection of strange tunnels and rooms, suspended mid-air, as if somebody dug them up underground and then moved them 100 meters up in the Y axis…
Choose where visit:
[Garrison Village], where intelligent potentiafauna lives.
[Steel Forest], where road signs and railing grow like trees and flowers.
[Energy Geyser], taken over by a hostile critter of some kind.
[Ancient Ruins], seemingly haunted by potentiaghosts.
[Frostum’s Castle], floating above it all weightlessly.
Oops! Sorry! In order to explore Garrison Island in more detail, insert Disc 2.
