Monday, November 6, 2023

The Awesome Agglomerator, Mysterious Alien Robot

This villain is the occasional nemesis of the superhuman Long family (Longhair, Knack, and their son the Leaping Lizard) thanks to the use of miracle metal in some of their technology.  As an uncompromising alien robot it can show up as a more general-purpose villain seeking to recover lost fragments of itself from other sources or to carry out the next stage in whatever mysterious plan its creators programmed into it.

The Awesome Agglomerator

An apparently-alien robot composed entirely of a morphic super-substance dubbed "miracle metal" by the authorities.  This exotic material's origins remain unknown, but it appears to some form of inorganic pseudo-life that responds to certain coded electromagnetic stimuli.  The stuff can assume a wide variety of properties, create more of itself from other forms of matter, generate its own electrical current through what appears to be direct mass conversion - in effect, it's a perfect medium for super-science gadgetry.  Unfortunately the Agglomerator's primary priority is to recover loose samples of the stuff no matter who's using it, followed by creating more of it for use in building much larger alien devices whose purposes remain unknown since the hero community has managed to keep any of them from being fully completed - so far.  One ruined structure appeared to be a signaling device meant to reach across dimensional barriers, which suggests that keeping any of them from being finished might be a Good Thing.

The Agglomerator doesn't appear to be built as a dedicated war machine, but even so it can adopt a fairly efficient combat form by modifying its robot body, giving it great strength and durability, limited energy weaponry and short-ranged flight capacity.  Being made of miracle metal also lets it generate significant electrical charges, slowly transform other materials (metals work best) into more of the alien substance, and reanimate any fragments torn from its frame as backup helpers, although re-integrating them requires significant downtime for re-programming.  While it usually operates alone or with specialized constructs of its own creation, it has been temporarily "hacked" by tech-savvy villains for their own purposes in the past, occasionally resulting in some unlikely team-ups.  

Description: A very tall humanoid robot with three-digited hands and feet.  The curved surfaces of its frame are faceted like a geodesic sphere.  While not a true shapeshifter its bulk varies considerably based on its current Power Suit (which represents its robot body's capabilities) die size, ranging from very thin with a 20" shoulder span and spindly limbs up to 5' shoulders and massively armored appendages.  Damage that spawns legion minions will tear jagged pieces out of the thing's frame, which will swiftly form into smaller, less complex versions of the main body and resume the fight independently.  It speaks very little, but when it does so it sounds like a badly-programmed TTS device.     

Gender: None     Age: Unknown     Height: 6'10"     Eyes: Dull Silver

Hair: None                    Skin: Dull Silver                   Build: Robotic

Approach:  Adaptive                                Archetype:  Legion

Health:  10 + (5 x H)

Powers: Absorption d10, Electricity d8, Transmutation d8, Power Suit d6

Qualities: Conviction d10, Close Combat d8, Miracle Metal Man d8, Ranged Combat d8

Status: (# of Legion Minions) 0 - d12 / 1-2 - d10 / 3-4 - d8 / 5-8 - d6 / 9+ - d4

Abilities:

Energy Conversion (R) When Attacked, Defend yourself by rolling your single Absorption die.  Boost yourself using the same roll.

Limited Synchronization (I) Whenever multiple Legion minions all take the same action against the same target, you must roll all their dice at once and use the lowest rolling die amongst them for each minion's result on that action.

Miracle Metal Body (A) Boost using Power Suit.  Use your Max die.  Attack using your Mid die.  Defend using your Min die.

Miracle Metal Minions (I) Whenever a Legion minion with a die size greater than d4 rolls a save against physical damage, instead of the normal effects if it succeeds it splits into two minions, each of one smaller die size, and you take 1 irreducible damage.  If it fails its save, it is only reduced one die size rather than being destroyed.

Priority Optimization (A) Lower two of your powers by one die size each.  Increase one of your other powers to d12.  Then take a basic action using that power.

Shed Fragment (R) When you would take physical damage, prevent that damage and create a minion with a die size equal to your status die (after creating that minion).  You may use this reaction more than once per round, but each use after the first deals 1 irreducible damage to you.

Upgrades & Masteries (optional, usually in effect unless recently reduced in size & mass):

Quality Upgrade (I) +20 Health.  Increase all Quality dice sizes except Miracle Metal Man by one (max d12).

Master of Superiority (I) As long as you are manifesting an effect related to a power you have at d12, automatically succeed at an Overcome involving usage of those powers.

Tactics

The Awesome Agglomerator's tactics are dictated by its programmed priorities (represented by the Conviction quality), which start with recovering lost fragments of miracle metal (by force, if need be), then creating more of it with Transmutation- and Electricity-based Overcomes and finally using it to construct various supertech alien gadgets that will no doubt endanger the world.  Against heroic opposition, the first move will be to use Priority Optimization to switch to "combat mode" and increase its Power Suit power to d12 while lowering Transmutation and Electricity to d6 each, usually taking a Boost or Attack action as it does so.  If hit with physical damage, it always opts to use Shed Fragment to produce a minion, which suffers from Limited Synchronization but benefits from Miracle Metal MinionsEnergy Conversion provides a solid reaction against other damage types, and it might use an action to increase it to d12 if facing major threats, dropping Transmutation and Electricity to d4 in the process.  When not adjusting its power dice, Miracle Metal Body gives it a very versatile all-purpose action ability.  The Agglomerator usually has at least one bonus to work with each turn, which will usually be employed to minimize damage (either on Energy Conversion or the Min die of Miracle Metal Body) unless the enemy is using mostly physical damage so it can safely improve an Attack instead.

Its upgrade will usually be in effect unless it recently suffered major damage, which will reduce its physical size and mass as well.  It mastery is very, very easy to employ if it has a bonus from any power it maximized already.  If it isn't facing major opposition it may even maximize Transmutation at some point and Overcome to start making more miracle metal before "jump-starting" it with Electricity.

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The Agglomerator is often accompanied by smaller masses of miracle metal shaped into simplistic humanoid forms and used as assistants and a self-transporting supply of material for larger projects.  They've been pre-programmed for adaptability and quick integration into more elaborate constructions - including the Agglomerator itself. 


Miracle Metal Minions d6, d8, or d10 minions (usually d8)

Description: Very basic humanoid robots varying in size from four to six feet tall.  They share the same geodesic sphere faceting their master uses.  Their simplistic self-defense programs rely on clubbing blows or electrical discharges in combat. 

Programmed For Rapid Integration: You may sacrifice yourself to roll your die and the Agglomerator Recovers that much Health if it is nearby.


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