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I am looking to create a mod that adds a special weapon or chemical to destroy, dismantle or at the very least hinder Dwarven Automatons. 

 

But first I need to know more about the contradictory lore of the ElderScrolls franchise. Is there any media inside or outside the games that show what their possible weaknesses even if the author seems like a shifty khajiit.

 

They may not be machines that we come to know them as but there has to be a way of dealing with these steam powered metal zombies.

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Yeah, TES lore is a bit everywhere, changing from game to game or even from different out of game sources... I'd go by the in game lore, just to keep it simple and consistent with what the player can find in game. So weakness or additional effects for frost spell/attacks (like an additional slow for movement and attack animations or something). Fire and Shock could be less effective and make it have a decent amount of AR so physical damage is greatly reduced (most perk overhauls give maces/war-hammers innate armor pen or AR reduction in some way).

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23 minutes ago, Grey Cloud said:

I thought shock was the one that they didn't like. ?

""I was about to raise a cheer when the giant figure turned back to me, unharmed by the lightning bolt hurled by Master Arum, determined to destroy this first intruder. I shouted out "Steam! Steam!" as the giant raised his fist to crush me into the floor. There was a hiss and a gust of bitter cold and I looked up. The monster was now covered with a shell of ice, frozen in the very moment of dispatching me. Master Arum had understood. I leaned against the wall with relief."" (Ruins of Kemel-Ze book).

 

Automatons are basically mechanical constructs powered by a mix of steam and magic. I think the magic part is the less constant one across games (with different theories about their connection with the Heart of Lorkhan or some use of soulgem power in there). But steam is mentioned and showcased in different games, so it would make sense that low temperatures would hinder its functions (and perhaps high temperatures too, but the heat resistance of dwemer metal is an entirely different thing to speculate about...).

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37 minutes ago, Grey Cloud said:

I was just talking about in game. I usually go with shock as I have a dim and distant memory of seeing/reading something about shock being the thing.

Ah. Yeah, with vanilla stats most automatons have 100 frost resistance with a single case of frost weakness (nice consistency with your own lore Bethesda, great job really), 0-25 shock resistance and only a couple of cases of fire resistance. So from the three elements, shock would be the best. Not because they are weak to it, but because no automaton is specially resistant to shock.

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10 minutes ago, Grey Cloud said:

I was just talking about in game. I usually go with shock as I have a dim and distant memory of seeing/reading something about shock being the thing.

I don't take any notice of lore myself.

From memory, they don't like shock and iirc they're not keen on fire either, though I think shock was better.

 

I did check on UESP and apparently the Ruins book info does not apply in game

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On 12/2/2020 at 9:11 AM, Slorm said:

From memory, they don't like shock and iirc they're not keen on fire either, though I think shock was better.

 

I did check on UESP and apparently the Ruins book info does not apply in game

How are Dwarven automations powered anywho. Also where is their brain? I remember reading they shut down after reaching a certain distance from their homes.

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8 hours ago, Darkpig said:

How are Dwarven automations powered anywho. Also where is their brain? I remember reading they shut down after reaching a certain distance from their homes.

Sphere's I assume by Soulgems and Centurions by Dynamo Cores I would guess. I don't recall seeing anything about their brains or how they are programmed, maybe a bit of steampunk magic

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9 hours ago, Slorm said:

Sphere's I assume by Soulgems and Centurions by Dynamo Cores I would guess. I don't recall seeing anything about their brains or how they are programmed, maybe a bit of steampunk magic

Calcelmo arrived to the same conclusion. So that narrows it down to steam and soul gems. Unless the dwemer have a taste for the dramatic and both items are just for show. Since it likely isn't I must say having two power systems seems odd. Perhaps the soul gem powers the boiling plate to power the machine which seems like a waste due to the energy lost to heat. Either that or the dwemer figured out how to recharge already filled soul gems which is unlikely due to the single soul nature of the gem unless they somehow split the soul. Well given the longevity of the machines it is likely that they recharge themselves so power energy lost isn't a big deal.

 

In the end I can only sum it up to steam magic. If there is some hivemind in the dwarven ruins I could justify making a simple emp. This might dip too much into magic for the magic hating nord but magic hating nords only care about whacking things with sticks so who cares. I personally want to use beans.

 

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If I had to guess (shamelessly cribbing from non-TES steampunk stuff for ideas), the magic probably involves a way of creating heat without a need for fuel. This then converted to steam to power the actual mechanical workings. The soul gems may be what the "brain" depends on.

 

The magic and science would basically comprise different parts that work together.

 

This also explains why an automaton is made in the image of a mer (or man), or creature, since the soul gem driving it probably needs to inhabit a familiar form.

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14 minutes ago, SmedleyDButler said:

If I had to guess (shamelessly cribbing from non-TES steampunk stuff for ideas), the magic probably involves a way of creating heat without a need for fuel. This then converted to steam to power the actual mechanical workings. The soul gems may be what the "brain" depends on.

 

The magic and science would basically comprise different parts that work together.

 

This also explains why an automaton is made in the image of a mer (or man), or creature, since the soul gem driving it probably needs to inhabit a familiar form.

Then there must be some external switch turning them off when leaving their master's homes. Either that or the magical power you were talking about radiates from a central point and they automatically lose power when leaving that point for two seconds. Much like wireless phone chargers or something.

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Well, when they drop as loot, yeah.

 

Maybe a regular TES magic user wouldn't be able to recognize the changes to the trapped soul (maybe these were made through some special dwemer enchanter? Or a magic technique only Dwemer knew? "A wizard did it!"). Or as you suggest, maybe there's actually something in the automatons that affects the soul gem to limit or control the automaton in some way. It could be an actual physical component, like part of the casing, or it could be an enchantment on the armour.

 

Alternately, a simpler explanation would be that the power source only works within a certain range of another magical device or stone, but then you have the problem of "so why has no one ever found one of these control stones?"

 

 

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8 minutes ago, SmedleyDButler said:

Alternately, a simpler explanation would be that the power source only works within a certain range of another magical device or stone, but then you have the problem of "so why has no one ever found one of these control stones?"

Calcelmo's assistant may have stumbled on to something to control a simple spider. So maybe. I may have to do more research.

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  • 5 weeks later...

thinking about the sphere automatons that drop out of a tube system for distribution in the dwemer cities, maybe there's a central part built within those cities that acts as the RC center and if they move too far from it, they are shut down to prevent them from wandering off.

maybe they implemented that to prevent them from fulfilling deadly security measures onto harmless innocents outside of their homes.

just like you don't want your lawnmower-robot to wander off and go berserk in your neighbours flower garden.

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10 hours ago, DeadSomething said:

thinking about the sphere automatons that drop out of a tube system for distribution in the dwemer cities, maybe there's a central part built within those cities that acts as the RC center and if they move too far from it, they are shut down to prevent them from wandering off.

maybe they implemented that to prevent them from fulfilling deadly security measures onto harmless innocents outside of their homes.

just like you don't want your lawnmower-robot to wander off and go berserk in your neighbours flower garden.

Dwemer did mostly keep to themselves when they weren't experimenting on other races e.g. falmer. Or at least I think they did. Maybe FudgeMuppet has the answer to that.

 

But keeping to themselves for safety of others? I doubt it due to their nature as unethical scientists. I'd say it was quite the opposite. Keeping the machines away from hazardous terrain and battle axe wielding nords. But at the same time I gotta wonder. Were the dwarves cautious of races above ground? Surely sphere automatons are more than fancy hedge trimmers.

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many lore sources mention contacts of those races with the dwemer and some even mention the direct conflict with them. in one they described the dwemer gifting a battle automaton to another race and the enemies of the dwemer couldn't find out why or how the dwemer always knew their next step, but the automaton was merely a big battlemech with a dwemer inside who telepatically forwarded the enemy's battleplans to his fellow dwemer.

 

so they did know of the other races, they did have not only contact, but also trade&commerce and war with them.

dwemer did not solely live underground and they had territorial conflicts with their neighbours, especially those that envied them for their rich underground resources and their tech.

maybe preventing an automaton from wandering off too far was also to prevent it to get into the hands of the enemy, which would've used any chance to study their tech and try to use it against them.

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  • 8 months later...

I am resurrecting this thread.

 

Okay all drama out of the way I think I figured it out. The dwemer control their automatons through get this MUSIC. Much like a necromancer controls their undead through necromancy the dwemer control the souls lingering inside their soul gem prisons by way of a tune only they can hear. They make those spirits dance to their tune while steam powers the mechanical suits used to make them work.

 

Or maybe I've been listening to old Septimus ramble on for too long but it would explain a lot such as how animunculi never stray far from their homes and those that do cease to function.

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19 hours ago, Darkpig said:

I am resurrecting this thread.

 

Okay all drama out of the way I think I figured it out. The dwemer control their automatons through get this MUSIC. Much like a necromancer controls their undead through necromancy the dwemer control the souls lingering inside their soul gem prisons by way of a tune only they can hear. They make those spirits dance to their tune while steam powers the mechanical suits used to make them work.

 

Or maybe I've been listening to old Septimus ramble on for too long but it would explain a lot such as how animunculi never stray far from their homes and those that do cease to function.

 

I think you are on to something there.  he does say "Dig it, Dwemer! And be on!" As he is snapping his fingers and grooving to the rhythmic sound of my high heels against the icy floor. 

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