Sun, 2010-07-04 21:19
Of the dangers within the Great Machine, there exists a creature that invokes fear and dread within the klik. The spark elemental is a vicious destructive force that serves as a constant threat within the inner workings of the many gears, gyros and cogs of the great machine. It is a creature of primal force, sowing havoc and chaos where ever it goes, in search of new sources of energy from which to feed, grow and ultimately procreate.
These elementals are mysterious in origin and it is unknown if they predate The Event or were directly caused by it. To the klik the origin of these creatures is not their concern, but the eradication of them is a high priority. Spark elementals feed off the small amounts of energy given off my most klik, but are especially attracted to klik equipped with arc coils and similar devices.
The elementals possess a klik, feeding off its energy while at the same tame giving it a massive super charge making it stronger, more resilient, but extremely deadly. While possessed the klik will begin tearing apart anything remotely mechanical, assimilating and milting the new technology it acquires into itself at an alarming rate. Most klik never survive long enough before the elemental burns them out, but those that do become deadlier with each upgrade they take on. Eventually once it has enough energy the elemental will seek another host to infect, acting much in the same way a virus or parasite would in order to spread.
Some even believe that a spark elemental can even reside in an organic host, surviving in a limited state off the bio-rhythmic energy given off by most organic creatures. It cannot reproduce when in control of an organic host, but the host does gain some benefits of its presence. The draw back is that the host gives off a minute static charge and if possessed for too long their nervous system and internal organs will be fried to a crisp.
Spark Elemental occurrences are extremely rare and only one has ever been recorded outside The Great Machine itself, something it actively sends klik out to seek and destroy. The only known record The Machine has is a log report disclosed to them by a high-bred patrol. According to the high-bred they came across a lone churl that was acting strangely and seemed as if he was looking for something, but they were never able to find out what. The churl attacked them and butchered half the platoon before it finally went down.
If the klik ever found the rogue elemental, they aren't saying, and no one else knows that such a creature is running loose and unchecked.
(this isn't what I'm weaving together, it was just an idea that popped into my head. Coincidentally i know how one is made and i have more to come of where it's origins lie. Please forgive any grammar issues it's a rough draft i wrote off the top of my head.)
Sun, 2010-07-04 21:53
#2
I was going on the assumption
I was going on the assumption that as with anything of this nature, some AI's can possibly develop in new and dynamic ways. :)
Tue, 2010-07-06 12:42
#3
We have something...
We have something in the works kinda like this, but I do like a couple of the twists you added here. :) Keep your eyes on the site...
Tue, 2010-07-06 18:16
#4
do you think it's usable?
do you think it's usable? There's more to the spark elemental than just this, it's actually tied to the story/fluff I'm writing. :)
Tue, 2010-07-06 19:22
#5
Triggered Eidetic Memory
Cool, but I'd consider revising the name since it's kinda been done here:
http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=129577
Tue, 2010-07-06 21:13
#6
We have this...
We already have something very close to this, it's called a Surge.
Tue, 2010-07-06 22:06
#7
A quick note
This is something I've noticed and it kinda bugs me. If you got a card LIKE another one, apparently it's not necessary. I mean, for starters, yeah, totally, branch out as much as possible. But I'm looking forward to the day when people go "It's exactly like 'blah' except for 'blah." If the difference is strictly appearance, role, mentality, a single number etc. I'd say it's still worth it. The devil's in the details but that's what makes the world so interesting. Can you imagine what it would be like if there were only one kind of butterfly or if all soil was exactly the same?
Anyways, my point being, you guys are doing perfectly fine, but don't brush this under the rug just because it's very similar (heck, even if it were a clone...). As time goes by you may wanna dreg it up because it's just a wee bit different.
Wed, 2010-07-07 03:32
#8
For what it's worth, there
For what it's worth, there are whispers of a plan to eventually have multiple ART renderings of more cards than just the Races. I'm just wary of the idea of having multiple RULES renderings of very similar cards, simply because at that point you're brushing up against the "flexibility" tenet of the game system. The game heartily encourages you to grab a card and use it for something outside its "this is what the card says" purpose, so mirroring cards with different names is getting into "no no - you need the SURGE for this, and not the (similar) SPARK ELEMENTAL" territory. It could be perceived as cutting back against that very encouragement.
The intent here is simple - if you want to call them Spark Elementals, go ahead and call your Surges that. The names aren't law. The backstories aren't law. The ecologies aren't law. It's great to build off the limited framework provided by the game to develop your own personal "take" of the world, and the goal is to promote that. Multiple names for the same rules would seem to encourage the exact opposite - that if you don't have the right name for the right use, you're doing it incorrectly. That's my take on it, anyways.
Wed, 2010-07-07 06:53
#9
I'll just scrap the idea, i
I'll just scrap the idea, i didn't want to cause any contention with anyone, and I'll alter the story as well I'm working on as well. I can change the name, the name was never set in stone. I'm curious to know what a surge exactly is or does.
Wed, 2010-07-07 07:09
#10
No worries! Don't completely
No worries! Don't completely scrap the idea, either. Just because the Wandering Men already have the concept of a Surge doesn't mean you can't help them potentially SHAPE the concept of a Surge. Alternatively, this idea may help seed other DIFFERENT ideas - such as the wider Klik story you're working on - which could be interesting all in their own right.
There is no "bad idea." There are just ideas that aren't officially used. You can easily take those ideas and build from them to make a completely different one, one that could make it in all on its own. Don't get discouraged! The "first draft" of something may seem to fall flat in your eyes, but it supposedly took Thomas Edison over 10,000 tries before he revolutionized the world with the light bulb... and each time he was working off what he'd learned in the previous attempt. We're not saying "stop doing what you're doing." We're saying "okay, you're thinking on the same page here - now tell us what makes this different." Once Ashy or one of the other Wandering Men specifies what a Surge actually does, you can build on that to make your creation meaningfully separate-but-connected and create a subspecies or partner being that stands apart and shines in its own right. Just don't think that we're just shutting you down. This is merely a prompt to distinguish what you're doing and make it even cooler.
Wed, 2010-07-07 13:15
#11
MHM's right
MHM's dead on here. There are no bad ideas. Feel free to post them. We very well may use them.
However, when it comes to design, there's a fine line between card glut, usefulness and "more of the same" that has to be tight-roped. This is an even larger issue with Untold, because we want to maintain the modular aspect and flexibility of the game as much as possible.
That does not mean that at some point in the future we would not need a Spark Elemental, of course. I was merely commenting that right now, we have something that's already very much like a Spark Elemental that you can use. That's all.
Please - submit all the ideas you want! You'll be surprised at what happens! :D
Wed, 2010-07-07 17:22
#12
Exactly
More or less my sentiments there Ashy.
I'm just venting at my frustrations that that's how it is now. I get that that is EXACTLY how it needs to be at the moment, but I'm hopeful for a day when it's not.
Wed, 2010-07-07 18:13
#13
don't take it as me being
don't take it as me being discouraged, if i let things like this stop me then i wouldn't be a writer. The reason i considered scrapping it is because, i didn't want to step on anyone's toes and after reading m3's comment i didn't want anyone to argue about what was what.
I just want to do whatever i can in helping to shape what you guys envision. Writing for the sake of writing with the hope of getting my name out there for the other projects I'm currently working on with my own material. As far as the elemental goes i can change the name, though i think it's cool that you guys had already thought of a creature that works like this one does. If you want ashy e-mail me and i can disclose the idea behind it in more detail as you what it really is, i hate to post it on here and spoil the story I'm writing for everyone else.
Wed, 2010-07-07 20:12
#14
I'm sure we'll find a use for it....
I'm sure we'll find a use for it! Are you going to be at Play On Con this weekend? I think you're from B'ham, ya?
Wed, 2010-07-07 20:43
#15
I'm suppose to be off on
I'm suppose to be off on Saturday, but I'll be at Leeds supporting bud's first 40k tournament, how long is play-on con going on for?
Wed, 2010-07-07 20:45
#16
All weekend
All weekend long - you can get details from our Con Schedule page. Try and swing by sometime during the weekend if you can, I'd love to meet you and talk more about your desire to help. :)
Wed, 2010-07-07 21:25
#17
i just looked at the con
i just looked at the con schedule, it's 35 bucks to get in on Saturday, i doubt I'll be there :(
Wed, 2010-07-07 21:41
#18
:(
Shucks...we'll be there Sunday too. :P
Thu, 2010-07-08 00:10
#19
Play-On Con
I've been reviewing my monetary situation and I'm thinking about attending with MHM. I'll need to see how much a weekend pass is though.
Thu, 2010-07-08 07:55
#20
You should, man - it's only
You should, man - it's only $45 for today, tomorrow, and all weekend.
Thu, 2010-07-08 08:40
#21
Love ta meet ya
We'd love to meet ya, M3! :)
Thu, 2010-07-08 09:05
#22
because of money constraints
because of money constraints and work i won't be able to make it. If you want ashy i can e-mail you or if you just want to e-mail me.
Thu, 2010-07-08 09:35
#23
Email Dropped!
Email dropped! :D
Thu, 2010-07-08 19:58
#24
Can someone say CUBE?
Sounds like it's time for another Birmingham C.U.B.E. maybe? ;)
Mon, 2010-07-12 09:50
#25
Yup
Yup...
I'm going to be rounding up all our GMs very soon, in fact. :)
I like the idea of something that can make fearless machines run in terror.
Some call me Fezzik