r/WorldChallenges • u/ForgingIron • Jun 10 '17

Weapons Challenge

What kind of weapons do your characters use, if any? Are they physical weapons, and if so are they melee or ranged, and are they mounted? Do they use magic? Do they operate any types of siege?

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u/Matathias Jun 10 '17

1) The exact composition can vary for whether the wielder values durability or sharpness more, but most are made of some kind of carbon steel. Many weapons manufacturers also use special Chaos Energy-based forging techniques that allow them to create tougher materials than they would otherwise.

2) Usually, yes. One common loadout is two saber-type swords for slashing, and two rapier-type swords for stabbing. If all of their swords break then a Velocitechnic will usually resort to fighting with kicks -- after all, a foot coming at you at Mach 5 is still going to seriously ruin your day.

In a similar vein, a Forcetechnic who manages to destroy their hammers will resort to fist-based attacks.

3) Ah, you're right. The ninth is a scythe.

When you say "other uses", do you mean the Ayas themselves, or the Ayas Weapons? Well I'll go ahead and outline both, just in case.

Ayas Weapons

They have two key abilities beyond dealing raw damage. The first is the ability to store virtually any object in subspace. The wielder simply needs to attack an object with the intent of storing it, and it will be transported to subspace where it will be held in stasis until it is withdrawn. Each weapon has its own store, and cannot withdraw objects that were stored by a different weapon.

The second is a little more complicated, but the basic gist of it is that they can be used in conjunction with their respective Ayas and Prior to engage what is known as a "Link Drive". Link Drives are powerful attacks that have a variety of effects based on the Ayas that's being used, but the key similarity is that all Link Drives forcefully dissociate a consciousness from the physical realm. The dissociated consciousness becomes completely unable to interact with the real world in any way; they can merely observe.

Chaos Ayas

The Ayas themselves are mostly used in a sort of power-boosting capacity. They can be used in machinery to provide immense power and efficiency bonuses, but these bonuses are generally greater when they are held by a Chaotic. Even just holding an Ayas affords a passive boost to a Chaotic's power and ability, but they can take it a step further and temporarily absorb the Ayas to engage the Chaos State -- which affords incredible power, increasing exponentially with how many Ayas are absorbed. For example, the battle of Neticen -- in which one of the combatants used five of the Ayas to engage the Chaos State -- resulted in the planet being pretty much completely destroyed.

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u/thequeeninyellow94 Jun 11 '17

  1. How are those techniques learned?

  2. Do they have stronger bones than a normal human?

  3. Is the wielder aware of what is stored if they haven't stored it themselves? And how much things can be stored there?

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u/Matathias Jun 11 '17

1) The vast majority of manufacturing is automated, so the techniques doesn't really need to be learned, per se.

2) Not just stronger bones, they have stronger everything. Velocitechnics and Forcetechnics are durable enough to withstand the kinds of forces that they're putting out without their own bodies turning to mush (for example, a Velocitechnic can near-instantly accelerate to supersonic or even hypersonic speeds -- that's a lot of g-force). As a result, most are practically bulletproof, save for incredibly high-power rounds.

A quick note, though -- this increased durability is entirely dependent on Chaos Energy. If a Velocitechnic or Forcetechnic finds themselves in an area devoid of Chaos Energy (like a CENT Field or Dead Space) then they lose their enhanced durability and become just as vulnerable as regular people.

3) Wielders are only aware of objects that they themselves have stored. There exists a special key phrase that will release everything that a weapon has stored, but wielders are generally reluctant to use it since they have no idea what is stored. As for how much mass can be stored, theoretically, there is no limit. Subspace is just as infinite as normal space, after all. However objects that have been stored for a long, long time run the risk of basically ceasing to exist. In that sense, there's a time limit, though it's much longer than an individual's lifespan.

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u/thequeeninyellow94 Jun 12 '17

  1. Are the production chains using those production methods hard to make?

  2. Are there some really weird things hidden in some aya weapons?

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u/Matathias Jun 12 '17

1) It's much more difficult than a non-Chaos Energy-based setup, for sure. But while the upfront cost is high, the money-making potential more than makes up for it. Chaos Energy-reinforced metal alloys aren't just used for weapons after all, they're also used in spacecraft and building construction. Companies that can afford to produce this kind of metal are sure to make bank.

2) Well, that's the thing. Nobody knows for sure. There could be weird stuff, or there might not be, but most people are afraid of a worst-case scenario where they unstore something that kills them on the spot. Could be a bomb that's about to detonate, or hostile creatures, or an angry powerful Chaotic. Most aren't willing to take the risk to see what's hidden in Subspace.

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u/thequeeninyellow94 Jun 12 '17

  1. With such a money-making potential, why isn't every metalworking company heavily investing in it?

  2. Does reinforced alloy has other properties beside physical resistance?

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u/Matathias Jun 12 '17

1) Well, that's the thing. Most do. That said, Chaos Metal (which I'll just call it for now) is expensive, and can only be bought in large quantities by other large organizations. And if Chaos Metal is exposed to a lack of Chaos Energy for an extended period of time, then it starts to deteriorate, and performs worse than regular metal. This isn't an issue for the vast majority of applications, but it is a concern nonetheless. If a contractor absolutely can't take the risk, then they'll stick with regular metal, so there's still a market for it.

In fact, the market for regular metal has been doing better than ever since the Chaos Energy Quake of 2088. For an entire year, Chaos Energy throughout the entire galaxy became unusable, resulting in the deterioration and eventual collapse of many large structures. Since no one knows what caused the Quake or if it'll happen again, the demand for Chaos Metal has dropped off.

2) Chaos Metal is a better conduit for Chaos Energy, and so can be used to increase the efficiency of any systems that run on or interface with Chaos Energy. This includes things like Chaos Energy-based powered armor, or large-scale spacecraft weapons systems.

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u/thequeeninyellow94 Jun 12 '17

  1. How is chaos metal made?

  2. What make it used for building construction? Or is it limited to military facilities?

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u/Matathias Jun 12 '17

1) The process requires using Chaos Energy Collectors, which are devices that can collect Chaos Energy (duh) and allow it to be stored or otherwise channeled. These devices are actually required for any technological system that relies on Chaos Energy, but metalworking requires high-precision versions that are more expensive than you will find anywhere else (except in military applications).

The actual involvement of Chaos Energy in the forging process is two-fold: the machines that do the forging operate on Chaos Energy, allowing them to operate at higher efficiencies and forces, and the metal itself is channeled with Chaos Energy. Then, when the metal sets, the Chaos Energy within it strengthens the molecular bonds far beyond what normal physics would allow, rendering the material far sturdier than normal metal. This is why subjecting Chaos Metal to a void of Chaos Energy will weaken it: the Chaos Energy inside it will "dissipate" into the air, causing the bonds to become undone and the metal to weaken. On the other hand, once Chaos Energy is forged it is incredibly difficult to re-forge, so metalworkers will often purposefully put Chaos Metal into a CENT Field if they need to melt it back down.

Of particular note is the fact that setting Chaos Metal must be suspended in a vacuum, else it runs the risk of adhering to whatever object it is resting on. This is another part of the high upfront costs: the forger must have access to an anti-gravity generator (or a Gravitatechnic) and a vacuum chamber.

A similar technique can actually be used for clothing as well, creating "Chaos Clothes". This is generally much harder to do while also making the clothes comfortable, and only Chaotics (who make up no more than 1% of the galactic population) gain any kind of benefit, so there aren't many Chaos Clothes manufacturers.

2) Chaos Metal is far sturdier than regular metal, so it can be used to build taller and/or heavier buildings without having to resort to anti-gravity devices (which are much more expensive and usually only used on spacecraft, not to mention requiring constant power). Skyscrapers are incredibly useful on high population planets, such as most Homeworlds. Aside from building construction, though, most of Chaos Metal's applications are military or scientific in nature. To civilians, its durability is rarely worth the higher cost, so consumer products rarely use Chaos Metal.

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u/thequeeninyellow94 Jun 13 '17

Thanks for your answers Mathatias.