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So, Diabolist wards & runes take no internal magic power to create. This means that mechanically even a robot can learn & master all the technical knowledge to become a Diabolist except the ability to energize wards/runes. I was thinking that it would be cool to explore the idea of a character who was a robot & a Diabolist, perhaps they were a learning/teaching tool for some arcane & alien group, maybe they went haywire & think themselves a wizard, maybe they wish to explore this "Celestial circuitry" of wards, phrases & runes.

My question is, how far can I go? Is there any way at all for a robot to gain P.P.E. by any means? Could they maybe keep some mice in their pocket & kill them to energize a ward?

Aermas wrote: ↑Thu Sep 12, 2024 9:37 am So, Diabolist wards & runes take no internal magic power to create.

Where do you get this? While they are constructed externally, they are still energized from the Diabolist's own store of PPE (PFRPG 2nd edition, p. 122, "Ward Energizing").

From the book. Where it says they can create Wards as they are just physical expressions. A robot may not have natural P.P.E. to energize the Wards, but they can physically make them.

Just a knowledge-bot would be interesting enough but I'm also looking for ways a robot might be able to manipulate P.P.E. enough to energize what they create

The "optional" article in Rifter 84 could accomodate this. A scroll of the Earth Warlock Transference Essence & Intellect tspell could put a Diabolist in a robot, or a dual class Warlock/Diabolist could cast it themself. Their ability to manipulate PPE while in a robot is a little more iffy, and PPE batteries would be required in any case. As for a robot, using the Rifter 84 article one would have a given amount of PPE/hour to use, but I'd say a homebrewed TW "energize ward" effect might be the best approach.

Ah thanks for pointing me at Rifter 84. I think I can make that work, a robot or TW robot Diabolist with a TW Core that has just enough control to pump P.P.E. into wards.

The TW Miniature & TW Transformation components in the same Rifter also gives me some good options for my "Armor in a Can" thread too

Curbludgeon wrote: ↑Thu Sep 12, 2024 4:49 pm The "optional" article in Rifter 84 could accommodate this. A scroll of the Earth Warlock Transference Essence & Intellect spell could put a Diabolist in a robot, or a dual class Warlock/Diabolist could cast it themself. Their ability to manipulate PPE while in a robot is a little more iffy, and PPE batteries would be required in any case. As for a robot, using the Rifter 84 article one would have a given amount of PPE/hour to use, but I'd say a home brewed TW "energize ward" effect might be the best approach.

Do you want Necrons? Cause this is how you get Necrons.......

Aermas wrote: My question is, how far can I go? Is there any way at all for a robot to gain P.P.E. by any means? Could they maybe keep some mice in their pocket & kill them to energize a ward?

In Canon there is:
-at least 1x NPC who transfers into a Golem, and he's a Ley Line Walker NPC in SoT6 (pg103-5) he does cast at penalty though due to materials involved (Iron)
-Archie-3 has psionic powers AND PPE (SB1o pg76, not sure on SB1r or other printings). So another Mutant AI like Archie-3 could in theory develop and "self generate" PPE and ISP, and even potentially tap into them (Archie-3 does have psychic powers he uses)
-Robot RCC does allow for a TW Energy Source (SB1o pg101), which likely means there is some PPE storage involved (this is speculation, text could also suggest some type of reaction going on)
-various TW Cybernetics/Bionics (WB20, SoT series, possibly the mystical Borg in WB6, the Horune Dolphin/Shark borgs in WB7, NPC in SB1 adventure, etc)
-SNARLS in WB8 (pg116), and the CS Psi-Scanner (WB12 pg155) show that technology can detect mystical energies

Taken together with the right Intelligence Type that gets mutated, there is precedent for it to develop PPE, though I think I would add casting penalties similar tot he Iron Golem (robot does have lots of metal after all). It also requires the Robot to have developed a strong enough belief in magic (or a school) to manipulate the PPE, which it could due to sensors before the mutation

It's sucha niche case that it may be suitible for a PC or an extra special NPC, but you couldn't mass produce robots that could make and energize wards or circles.

This is for a one off NPC or PC