I DISCOVER THE CONDITION OF THE KNIGHT AUTOMATONIC
1 - Washed ashore, covered in barnacles; seaweed-entangled limbs and sand-clogged guts (clean out inner workings)
2 - Shattered, limbs blown off in some ancient catastrophe (reassemble)
3 - Inert in coffin, chest open. Bright arcing heart in crucible (replace in chest)
4 - Bound tight in an empty vault, hung from a dangling chain (free bonds)
5 - Frozen in clear sea-ice, swimming midstroke (thaw and dry)
6 - Strapped to table, attached to lightning rod apparatus (flip switch)
7 - Buried in sand, its fine filigree circuits scoured (retrace circuit connections)
8 - Embedded in a tree, branches and undergrowth grown around its limbs (cut away plants)
I INSPECT THE CHASSIS OF THE KNIGHT AUTOMATONIC
1 - Fist sized bronze cubes, rippling like a pixelated figure. Can stack up to 20ft as climbable blocks
2 - Marble statue of a buff princeling. A valuable, attractive piece of art when motionless
3 - Etched coils of silver curls flow over each other like snakes. Can fit through small holes
4 - Brass armor like stylized flames. Immune to cold; speeds up in heat, faster until it melts
5 - Boxy green-enameled armor. Helmet plume from extinct bird. Plant & animals never attack it
6 - Head like security camera, cloaked and hooded. Bonus to stealth
7 - Golden likeness of a many-armed god. Roll twice on WEAPONRY
8 - Oxidized iron body, top heavy like Superman. Can fire six chest missiles each long rest
I ADMIRE THE WEAPONRY OF THE KNIGHT AUTOMATONIC
1 - Estoc (exploding d8)
2 - Hex wrench tetsubo (d20, loses a turn on miss)
3 - Radium broadsword (d8, glows and save vs poison radiation on hit)
4 - Rack of wakazashis in its back (2d6, always has another if disarmed or thrown away)
5 - Morningstar steam-fists (d8, rolling sends them flying)
6 - Spinning saw blade (d6, save or lose a limb)
7 - Oversized grabbing claw (bonus to grapple, crush d6)
8 - Drillbit lance (d8, odds ruin armor)
I INQUIRE THE IDENTITY OF THE KNIGHT AUTOMATONIC
1 - Rex Talionis. An iron crown on its head. It claims to have memories of a king
2 - IG-77. A bandolier across its chest. A mercenary
3 - Knight of the Cartridge. Wears a round table emblem. Has romantic fixation on member of royalty
4 - Master Nameless. A black bandana. Assassin-hunter
5 - Newer Elements of Our Defense. Face of a human soldier. Tomb guard
6 - Unknown Joshua. Childlike naivete. Plays tic-tac-toe with anyone willing
7 - Three Interlocked Pigeons. Quotes engraved excerpts of Hidden Leaves. Ronin knight
8 - Turagapadabandha. A chess knight atop its turban. Might actually be a hoax.
I HEAR THE VOICE OF THE KNIGHT AUTOMATONIC
1 - Two grinding metal disks produce one-word shrieks
1 - Two grinding metal disks produce one-word shrieks
2 - Resonates body and floor to speak in resounding echoes
3 - Alters shape of holes in latticed head to create a fluting voice
4 - Silent. Etch-a-Sketch face shows pictographs
5 - Only expressive whistles and pops
6 - Tinny voicebox in head. Precedes with description: “Query” “Command” etc
7 - A calm seemingly male monotone from its one pulsing eye
8 - Totally normal human voice. Ridiculously complicated workings for proper imitation
I LEARN THE MISSION OF THE KNIGHT AUTOMATONIC
1 - to enact revenge on a conquering nation
2 - to guard its sleeping masters
3 - to bear an urgent message to a foreign monarchy
4 - to map the poisoned wastes of the beastmen
5 - to recover a holy relic for its clergy
6 - to preach holy writ to the dominant heathens
7 - to activate a great weapon on behalf of a guerrilla group
8 - to ensure the prosperity of its creator’s descendants
BUT
1 - they are in hiding, a persecuted minority
2 - by all accounts they never existed
3 - that was on the other side of the world
4 - it has forgotten who they were
5 - they are rather well off now and wish to hide what it knows
6 - it appears similar to a legendary demon of theirs
7 - they have been gone for an age, but its reactivation heralds their return
8 - they were horribly cursed or mutated by an event that it caused
I PLUNDER THE WRECKAGE OF THE KNIGHT AUTOMATONIC
1 - Wind-up alarm clock
2 - Fist-sized perpetual motion machine
3 - Sample of reverse-engineerable alchemist’s fire
4 - Wiring and generator, like a janky taser
5 - Sliding puzzle key to the Pyramid Calculative
6 - Polished slate prophecy of the prehistoric serpentmen
7 - Salvageable mainspring and winding mechanism
8 - Chaos Butterfly fossil
See also: Asimov, HAL, Prehistory, Time Travel, Robots, Rip Van Winkel, Arthuriana, Chivalry, Programming, Droid concept art
BONUS: I GET TWO KNIGHTS AUTOMATONIC TO DUEL
