Have them act as mulligans. Load them up with paralysis potions and have them randomly cast at everything when they see a non-allied target, even themselves. That way, they'll end up developing randomized behaviors that you can capitalize and refine later on.

>I think it'll be a while before that slime forgives me.
I think you should be ready to get bonked in the head one of these days.

>>1089629
Support golems would be good, with a plantlike design, maybe flowered vines. The potion powered kind would be very good for adjusting to different adventurers on the fly, if you kept a stock of different potions on hand.

>>1089624
>both
NICE.
...why doesn't paradox manipulation count as a miracle? Are there known physical laws that allow it?

>>1089625
>Rockfruit
Yeah that really seems useless doesn't it? The rocks aren't even big enough to make a trap of some kind. Maybe we can mutate/crossbreed them to grow useful ore instead.

>reisarf copy
UHHHHH wait there's another Reisarf out on the trip? What's going to happen when they get back?

OH. I almost forgot, we need to cure Stargazer of her infestation. Which is now inside you. Is that convenient or inconvenient? Keep in mind all the scraps of eldritch flesh left over from the battle has potential to have parasites in it.

>>1089626
>golem harassment
Well Evil Eye seems the most obvious choice here. Spatial Extrusion could be very very annoying when used on/between the platforms they have to cross, as well! Curse of Formlessless has a critical success chance, how likely is it that the golems spamming that could land the slimification on an adventurer?
>aesthetic
Pillar with an eye on it?

I'm imagining a handful of little golems scattered around, with thick hat/lids, that periodically pop out of holes or pots or st, and shoot some kind of minor damage at adventurers from behind. Like "Ow! What was that?" *looks around wildly* "Ow!" *hit from behind again*

>>1089664
I like this a lot. Especially if you can make an arena covered with small domes. Some will be golems. Some won't.

So the golems will bounce up and down when tread on, unbalancing intruders. They'll cast a spacial spell to confuse them, too, when they're far away. Not a damaging attack - that's what other enemies are in the room for - just something to make moving around a chore. I don't have the full list on hand, sue me, but the gist is to make these speed bumps annoying little shits for a game of whack-a-mole that must be played while being attacked.

And for easy dungeon replays, the room layout can be shuffled about, too!

As for aesthetic, a domed hat hiding a spellcasting eye or smug smile should work just fine.

>>1089625
>>Rockfruit
You can plant them in the ceilings and use them as a non-magical rockfall trap, or along walls to camouflage doors/openings/other traps. The nice part is they probably wont even register to adventurers who are looking for magical or mechanical stuff.
>>Alien Lard
Ooh, this should be really useful. We should save some for Doyle, but the rest we should render down into oil. So much we could make with some mana rich oil, even outside of cooking. I bet we could make some cool candles or torches that should be useful for the dungeon's Shadow theming. It could be used to make some resin and lacquer along with that bug we bought, for the golems and maybe items for treasure chests. If we have enough we could even use it as is to just make some oil slick traps, hopefully permanent ones.

Most of the plants in general seem like they'll end up being useful potion ingredients in any case.

>>1089646
Yay my idea got through
Basically, the universe itself caused a time paradox, which means you're not cheating with an improbable exploitable event because the GM explicitly told you that it happened.

Honestly? I think something more mundane might be in order.

2 Turrets disguised as ornate fountains. Normally they passively swivel their heads left and right, from which a lovely stream of water pours out, gently agitating the pool. Once the fighting starts though, they track enemies. At some random point when the invaders least expect it, they begin firing constant high speed streams of pressurized water at our foes.

I don't know if I'd really want rotating faces, that's getting into chintzy territory, and will likely be defaced (anything with that much magical automation is bound to be dangerous from an adventurers perspective).

But maybe carved reliefs in support pillars, or other vine covered statues in recesses in the walls. Something tastefully ancient greek.

>>1089740
Ohh make what appear to be vine covered statues but are actually plant/golem hybrids that will act like part of the decor until an opportune moment to trip someone up presents itself

>>108974
I was thinking as an alternate idea, we could try Merud's potion-golem idea, and make one based on the fertilizing sap, and have golems that can super grow the plants in the room.
So we could then either put a woody golem in here, or some of the more offensive plants like the bombs or the nuts, and then plant something obstructive on the platforms so that they have to use them before the golems cover them in overgrowth that makes them difficult or annoying to jump on to.

1/1 Deem 2024/04/29(Mon)02:15 No. 1089980 ID: 937ec0
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>UHHHHH wait there's another Reisarf out on the trip? What's going to happen when they get back?
I will have two Reisarfs.

>...why doesn't paradox manipulation count as a miracle?
Chronomancers are real and very annoying. Travel back in time IS impossible, but there are some very convincing imitations. It's pitiful really, trying to wind back the clock rather than actually fix the consequences.

>I think you should be ready to get bonked in the head one of these days.
Nonsense, I won't let that slime have the last word. Whatever it throws at me, I am going to catch it.

>I almost forgot, we need to cure Stargazer of her infestation. Which is now inside you. Is that convenient or inconvenient? Keep in mind all the scraps of eldritch flesh left over from the battle has potential to have parasites in it.
Nothing inside Stargazer is getting out until I release the seal. I have golems probe the leftovers and we do find one outsized gristleworm and dispatch it. We also retrieve Stargazer's weird egg sac from behind some rubble.

Gained Jumbo Gristleworm Carcass. This might be big enough to function as a worthwhile catalyst.
Gained Gazeggs. These were supposed to make those who consume them mimic my state, but Stargazer made so many copies of copies they're thoroughly degraded and contaminated by her.

>>Rockfruit
>Yeah that really seems useless doesn't it? The rocks aren't even big enough to make a trap of some kind.
>Building material stockpile, naturally replenishing falling rock traps, this plant is a great labor saver
I have plent of stone, but they're interesting to look at at least. Perhaps they'll be most useful once they grow some more.

>Maybe we can mutate/crossbreed them to grow useful ore instead.
It's very likely they're derived from the copper oreberry bush which I already have.

>>Alien Lard
>So much we could make with some mana rich oil, even outside of cooking. I bet we could make some cool candles or torches that should be useful for the dungeon's Shadow theming. It could be used to make some resin and lacquer along with that bug we bought, for the golems and maybe items for treasure chests.
Alkaline's already able to make low quality oil, but it might certainly have some interesting crafting uses.

>Seenuts will be great to plant around the garden.
Doubt they have the brains to not attack my other denizens. Eventually I might be able to find an out of the way spot for them.

>Shapeshifting skin would make for some very interesting outfits, I bet, particularly for denizens prone to sudden changes in shape and size.
We shall see. It's a pity the colours are so limited.

>Supporting pillars that regenerate the boss are a classic.
>Make an arena covered with small domes. Some will be golems. Some won't.
>We could try Merud's potion-golem idea, and make one based on the fertilizing sap, and have golems that can super grow the plants in the room. Plant something obstructive on the platforms so that they have to use them before the golems cover them in overgrowth that makes them difficult or annoying to jump on to.
>Turrets disguised as ornate fountains. At some random point when the invaders least expect it, they begin firing constant high speed streams of pressurized water at our foes.
I enjoy your enthusiasm but I'm constrained by the Thaumatorium being mostly pool with some stepping stones, which constrains what I can easily fit in with a quick remodelling during the repairs.

These could be very effective in other rooms though. Particularly if Merud and I work on the Golem Totem again to make another golem type easier to build en masse.

>The potion powered kind would be very good for adjusting to different adventurers on the fly
The versatility is limited though, since I don't have any good offensive recipes at the moment.

>A curse of formlessness would be a good thing to zap thaumatorium-goers with because it'd make them more likely to fall into the water
>Spatial Extrusion could be very very annoying when used on/between the platforms they have to cross, as well!
I think the spatial spell will be the better pick: It'll be more tolerant of imperfections in the bare bones materials we're using since it doesn't need to be formed such that it can penetrate an enemy's defences and cling to them.

>A plantlike design, maybe flowered vines.
>Platonic solids to keep some simplistic menace. Artistic nudes to mix in distraction with the harassment and maybe garner some rightful admiration. Dragons to give Chakarchelou a catalog to aspire to and to enjoy the classic. Animated weaponry to make the harassment a little more efficient.
Space, space... some simple platonic shape might be the best, to ensure they're durable. Or perhaps...

>I'm imagining a handful of little golems scattered around, with thick hat/lids, that periodically pop out of holes or pots.
Ah the perfect defence: a sturdy hat.

Merud and I run into a number of complications in converting Spatial Extrusion into a simplified form that will map to a magic core golem, even with Reisarf's help. It'll have to be a sustained spell, unlike Reisarf's ability to drop them down and forget about them. The plus side is this allows some creativity in suddenly withdrawing a Spatial Extrusion to disorient an invader.

The pop up design causes some problems as well, since it won't be able to withdraw while maintaining the spell. Merud has the idea of making the golem extrudes parts of itself to provide an better anchor point for the spell and speed up casting. This has the plus side of physically reinforcing the golem while the spell is active. While attacking it will force it to drop the spell, it will take much less damage than it otherwise would and will have the chance to withdraw again using its head piece as a practically unbreakable shell.

With a first pass of these new golems' design made, I have some time to talk to Merud about his other projects. The mutlti-cored golems and some of our talks on more distributed functionality have lit a fire in him. He has been working on some golem organs to enhance specific attributes of the golem they're installed in, and would like to trial them out.

He describes his three most polished ideas to me:

Goo Gullet (test version): "This is a proof of concept for an inexpensive mana supply for an autonomous homunculus. Droplets of raw mana are introduced from a reservoir into a sealed chamber to react with orange goo. Per Reisarf's notes, the activated curse-matter will fail to curse anything and decay back into a larger amount of orange goo. The excess is drained and digested by the golem as fuel. This may need other improvements to the golem's digestive tract to be worthwhile. And, of course, raw mana is hard to come by outside of your dungeon."

2 Dose Serum Gland (rework 2 v0.5): "The prototype I mentioned for a reusable potion. The golem should be able to trigger a dose the potion's effect on demand, and replenish the potion fluid over time. It might require consumption of some of the ingredients however."

Idolatrous Liver (Lauded Liver?) v0.1: "This is purely curiosity about how your False Idol functioned, in particular how acts of devotion create a bidirectional enhancement effect between yourself and others. It uses clay from the sample you provided. I think if implanted directly into yourself or into an attendant golem this would possibly allow you to gradually 'save up' a trigger of the idol transformation through appropriate acts, or it might allow a modified golem servant to direct a flow of low level reinforcement magic towards the individual it's serving. It might also allow a golem to undergo an idol transformation directly, but I think it's unlikely. Unfortunately the sample is contaminated by the curse you acquired in the Orange Crags, which may reduce effectiveness."

"What's with these names, Merud?" I say.

"They're works in progress!"

Which of these should we go ahead with testing? And on which golems? There's my golem body, the puppet Stargazer is using, various homunculi, the brute golems, the woody brute, the garden homunculus, the mud-and-stick golem, the cauldron golem, Merud's golem horses, Pancake, and Centaur.

>>1089980
Love the hat golems. Note that with a little work their hats could disguise as decorative urns.

Why not put the serum gland thing into the cauldron golem? Seems like an easy synergy, right?

>>1089980
>I will have two Reisarfs.
Two... fully formed Reisarfs? How is that going to interact with the resurrection chamber? Will the second Reisarf have a second Stargazer?
Will there be any problems if they interact?

>Gazeggs
Wait, are those going to make the consumer imitate Stargazer now? I wonder if Reisarf will be interested in that...

>Seenuts too dumb to recognize allies
Hmm. Well, if the nuts ripen even after detaching from the plant, we can store almost-ripened nuts in sealed alcoves or ceiling hatches and release them upon invaders.

>test?
Test the one that's in test version, Goo Gullet. This is just how R&D works, you don't test things before they're ready to be tested.

Oh, and put the gullet in the woody brute I guess. Optimally it's going to be used in a golem that will be the last one to fall in a fight, so that the gullet releases curses as it breaks!

Test the goo gullet on Centaur and the lauded liver on the woody brute.
The serum gland would be fit for the garden homunculus, perhaps she could grow her own ingredients?

>>1089981
I like this idea, can have the hat golems double as an urn with the serum gland in one of theme?

>test
lets go ahead with testing goo gullet. also if we make too much cursed goo, we could use it as a curse trap if it overflows

>>1089980
>Gazeggs
Careful now, you don't want those to hatch into gazebos.

>Unfortunately the sample is contaminated by the curse you acquired in the Orange Crags
Well, that's simple to fix. You could just give him a new uncontaminated sample now, can't you?

>>1089980

With the seednuts, we could probably use golems as simple friend/foe identification I think? Open up and aim the plant at foes while sealing up or otherwise directing aim away from allies.

For the organs...

The gullet feels like it could be useful for increasing the range of our operations, but their fuel being rare outside of our base will put a dampner on that. Could be good with the horse golems, but I feel like we'd need a solid supply of mana before testing that wouldn't risk us.

The serum option could do massive for our in-house potion supply, potentionally letting us start focusing on potions as products a bit more. Could be good with the more nimble homunculi as the delivery systems.

As for the liver, that could potentially let us store "charges" of the False Idol while it's active. This could give you the breathing room to engage in combat if needed without disrupting things too much. If you're willing to divest some fresh clay, we could have a cleaner sample to work with. As for the golem there, I'd say the Wood Brute for elemental compatibility.

For which to pursue, I lean for either the Serum or the Liver

>>1089999
>Gazebos
Agreed; such monsters may be beyond even our control.

Let's work on two of them so even if one fails we still have one success. Or, if they both fail, we learn twice as much. Centaur has an advanced and not quite fully understood digestive system, she would be a very interesting testbed for the goo gut! (And since you're the only source of raw mana, cutting off the supply would be a failsafe against a golem gone rogue.)
Implant the lauded liver in the stick and mud golem, the reinforcement will be the most dramatic on her.

Those Hat Golems are ADORABLE!

*Ahem*

I think the autonomous golem idea is the best bet right now.

I'm willing to bet you could combine the gazeggs and the orange goo to further draw out their replication abilities. Since raw mana is indeed scarce outside the dungeon, this more efficient "Golem Fuel" could help reduce the amount needed.

>>1089980
It might have just been me, but that slime you upset earlier... does she have a crown structure on her head similar to what Alkaline does? Is it possible that she might be a slime queen candidate?

1/2 Deem 2024/05/03(Fri)06:24 No. 1090194 ID: f232bc
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>Hmm. Well, if the nuts ripen even after detaching from the plant, we can store almost-ripened nuts in sealed alcoves or ceiling hatches and release them upon invaders.
Good thinking, that should be workable. If they're kept in the dark and undisturbed they should be quite stable.

>Love the hat golems. Note that with a little work their hats could disguise as decorative urns.
The hat in its deployed configuration will be very obvious, as it's half stone, half magic-limned darkness. Some urns based on this design might cause some entertaining confusion all the same.

>Why not put the serum gland thing into the cauldron golem? Seems like an easy synergy, right?
>The serum option could be massive for our in-house potion supply, potentially letting us start focusing on potions as products a bit more.
I hadn't considered using it for mass production. It won't produce doses of potions at a fast rate but the cauldron golem should provide an easy way to measure the performance and modify it further.

Belphe doesn't seem to like this intruder in his territory.

"You think this might cause friction?" Merud asks, watching a pot confront a pot.

"Belphe, behave." I tell my cauldron gulper. "I need you to make a potion using some of our new fruit so we can test how well this works. An enhancement effect using the overlapples or the rock fruit I think. We might as well make efficient use of all this fruit." I tap my chin. "Stoneskin again maybe?"

Belphe narrows his eye and then waggles his arms excitedly as he dances around the cauldron golem, scooping up some fresh potion ingredients. Is he trying to show off?

>It might have just been me, but that slime you upset earlier... does she have a crown structure on her head similar to what Alkaline does? Is it possible that she might be a slime queen candidate?
She does. There's no slime bud though. Seeing she's a fusion of several slimes, maybe Alkaline's slimes are getting uppity in her absence!

>Gazeggs
>Wait, are those going to make the consumer imitate Stargazer now? I wonder if Reisarf will be interested in that...
>I'm willing to bet you could combine the gazeggs and the orange goo to further draw out their replication abilities. Since raw mana is indeed scarce outside the dungeon, this more efficient "Golem Fuel" could help reduce the amount needed.
I think they would imitate Stargazer, yes. I must admit to curiosity about what that would do considering her current condition. But there won't be any experiments with them until after Olan's tour.

Given the considerable stress that eggs have already caused me, it is also tempting to simply incinerate the things.

>Well, that's simple to fix. You could just give him a new uncontaminated sample now, can't you?
No I can't. I don't have the ritual active. I think it might be best to simply wait until we do have an uncontaminated sample.

>Let's work on two of them so even if one fails we still have one success. Or, if they both fail, we learn twice as much.
That leaves the goo gullet then!

>Let's go ahead with testing goo gullet. also if we make too much cursed goo, we could use it as a curse trap if it overflows.
This will be incorporated into a golem specifically to be able to regulate how quickly raw mana is introduced to the orange goo. It should be a drip feed: creating more goo, extracting the excess after it stabilises, and then introducing another drop of raw mana. Though if it does fail the golem will be cursed.

>Centaur has an advanced and not quite fully understood digestive system, she would be a very interesting testbed for the goo gut! (And since you're the only source of raw mana, cutting off the supply would be a failsafe against a golem gone rogue.)
Centaur, despite her flaws, is one of the most sophisticated golems in my dungeon and so I should start making better use of her. With care to avoid any further golemetry related mishaps involving her, Merud and I implant the new organ.

2/2 Deem 2024/05/03(Fri)06:26 No. 1090195 ID: f232bc
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Merud has been working some long hours maintaining my dungeon's golems and I'm pleased to notice he's been learning from it too. I need to do something nice for him. It's been a largely thankless task given the primitive state of my dungeon.

----------------------------------------
Merud Emetter
Lvl 2 Human Golemeter (1=>2)
----------------------------------------
Power: D
Vitality: C => B
Accuracy: C
Speed: E
Wits: B
Skill: B
Spirit: D
Luck: B

A golemeter deeply immersed in the theory and practice of making more and more sophisticated golem. Astonishingly perceptive and knowledgeable, he still hungers to learn more. Though he hasn't been able to work much on talking golems, his horizons have broadened considerably.

----------------------------------------
Detected Abilities
----------------------------------------
Golemetry: The creation, control and upkeep of golems. At its most basic level it is puppeteering inanimate objects and steadily moves towards more complete and independently operating golems.

Arcana: Merud has a broad range of basic knowledge in various types of magic. Given time and preferably no distractions, he can cobble together various spells.

Wizard Eyes: Merud is very perceptive, and skilled at identifying supernatural effects, their sources and parameters.

Rote Spells:
Command Golem: Allows a golemeter to assume control of a golem to make it perform better at a single task. Can be used to issue orders to a golem the golemeter did not create. Hinders or can even take temporary control of a hostile golem.
Improvised Construct: Creates a basic golem from nearby material.
Battery: Imbues a golem with a small reservoir of energy, allowing it to perform tasks far from the golemeter for up to an hour.
Supercharge: Temporarily enhances a golem's abilities but it takes damage over time.
Soul Semblance: Merud can equip a golem he has created with complex abilities such as the speaking on a limited topic or performing complicated tasks without oversight.
NEW - Triage: A patch job, allowing quick restoration of basic functionality, and magic to be salvaged from more damaged golems to restore a more intact one. If cast on a golem before battle, it will be partially repaired and temporarily strengthened as other golems are disabled near it.

----------------------------------------
Special Equipment
----------------------------------------
Golemeter Scarf: A quickly made cloth golem addition to Merud's golemeter robes after several parts of his original robes were absorbed by Centaur. Swifter but lacking protection compared to the original. In an emergency it can operate as an independent golem.

----------------------------------------
New Ability
----------------------------------------

Amalgamate Construct: Merud can temporarily merge material, a magical item, or another golem into an existing golem to upgrade its operational parameters. The exact effects depending on the choice of fusion. He can indefinitely sustain a single amalgamated golem.

OR

Golem Garrison: Merud can use a golem as a template, creating a squad of several replicas at a reduced cost in terms of golem control links and mana consumption, and simplifying maintenance and reconstruction of destroyed golems. More complex and powerful golems will have less copies.

----------------------------------------

Merud's studies have led to a better understanding the process of golem creation. One will allow easier tailoring of an elite or highly specialised golem while the other will give us a larger force of golems that'll need less time maintaining it.

We'll need to pick out a golem to use as a test case too.

Amalgamate Construct, obviously. Test it with yourself and gold. Think of the earth pulse you could generate!

Amalgamate, more new thingies!

From a practical/dungeon master standpoint, golem garrison is incredibly useful. Instant reinforcements, larger unit cap. As creative as amalgamate golems could be, someone’s got to be the handy man about the dungeon, and that is a lotta hands.

Gazeggs could replicate Stargazer’s dungeon level powers without the corrupting influence of the winze! That’s super powerful! If there are two Reisarfs, one of them should eat all the eggs to be a temporary Stargazer standin. (Will her wiggles and suitability as a staff be emulated, I wonder?)

>>1090195
>Potions
For the Overlapples, theyre bigger one the inside to store more juice and fruit stuff, maybe we can make a potion from it that will let the drinker store more "juice"? Like if it could temporarily expand their pool of mana, or stamina or just energy in general, rather than restoring it?

Amalgamate Construct, for sure.

Deem, the dungeon and our denizens are really trending towards the blending and fusion of things arent they? A lot of the unforeseen incidents have that in common as well. Is that normal?

>>reward for Merud
Well, He does need a new Golem robe, seeing as Centaur chewed up his old one. Maybe thats a good use for that Gazerspawn Skin.

>>1090196
yesyesyesyesyes

HUGE. GOLDEN.

arms

Whichever you go with, the woody brute should be the test subject. She’s been a hard worker since nearly day one.

>>1090195
Given Merud's goal is golem sentience I think we should go for elite golem rather than Golem army.

From a dungeon perspective, raising more copies of golems is incredible.
-Triage a golem and then copy it to make two or more fixed golems from two broken ones.
-More workers for any project of his, and of course more minions in a fight.
-Double the power of golem bosses.
-Double Deems… your duplicate body could be studied in more detail without damaging the original.

Those are all huge force multipliers, Merud would be improving his raw talent and capacity for golemetry. But amalgam… As a researcher, amalgam is something new and unique for Merud to experiment with. The results aren’t reproducible by his peers yet unfortunately, but maybe he’ll work something out. Or perhaps that’s because he would be peerless. There are upsides, I just don’t see them providing as many benefits at once.
-a note of caution: would anything amalgamated with Centaur actually be able to de-fuse?

-The handy Hin-hammer: Pocket golem!
-Infusing the stonebush into the woody brute - would this fusion of plant and stone behave differently from ordinary rock?
-Gazeggs: grant a magic golem powerful eldritch abilities. Presumably without using up the eggs.
-Fusing the cauldron golem with a hat golem: uh, larger cauldron storage capacity? Could use the spatially warped cauldron as an extra potion bath.
-Homunculus golem fused with flesh - golems made from flesh are harder to animate, does this bypass that limitation? Though, hmm, where are we going to get a bit of spare flesh. …Oh! Stargazer left a bunch lying around.
-Pancake can be fused with spare metal to make an extra secure door, or a very heavy crushing trap.
-Woody brute + handy brute = one very big golem, I’m sure.

See, there’s a lot you can experiment with, but who knows what the practical value will be. And he can only do one at a time! And finally, how would the results of this ability differ from just integrating those materials/items into the golem the old fashioned way? Even golem fusion has been done before - see Centaur.

amalgamate would greatly speed up the development of new golems. Combine, observe the effects, and then figure out how to replicate.

You should get Merud a new robe.

Garrison.
We could use more dependable order in this dungeon and less lone heroes doing wild things when we’re not looking.

Amalgamate. It'll give Merude lots to experiment with.

Speaking of golem's, question, Deem.
Eventually, when you're fragment matures into it's own core, do you think she'll prefer to live as an independent golem or do you think she'll quickly settle down somewhere and start a new dungeon?

Wait, which timeline does Stargazer remember?

Both of them seem like they'll up our overall level of power pretty heavily, golem garrison letting us float a larger contingent of enemies, and Amalgamate letting us refine quickly through combination.

I'd say it follows the way we are to go with amalgamate. Mutation and evolution is more your thing than having an army at your back.

And, just as a funny thought, now that Reisarf has a clone of him/herself, you know he's eventually going to get freaky with himself.

1/3 Deem 2024/05/17(Fri)04:52 No. 1091126 ID: ef4bac
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>Deem, the dungeon and our denizens are really trending towards the blending and fusion of things aren't they? A lot of the unforeseen incidents have that in common as well. Is that normal?
As a dungeon I try to take in denizens that will complement my weaknesses and add to my strengths. I've chosen twice now to focus on ensuring development in my denizens: I'm still working towards adding an element of shadow to help them develop their own mysteries and unique skills, and I have strengthened the fecund aspects of my earth element too to promote denizen growth.

An earth dungeon has variety in expression, but my dungeon is still undersized and monotonous. It's only in the last few weeks I've even established lairs I have aspired to shadow but not really grasped it, so I am suffering from vagaries with truths to be discovered. I have passed over fire and can't pass down gifts of pyromancy or other enlightenments.

We shall not speak of air, light or water. My dungeon is however wetter than perhaps it should be and thus I am suffering from blending there too. I have placed myself more centrally than is perhaps ideal too, as my development of the False Idol has indicated.

Considering all of this it's not surprising that we are seeing all these recombinant efforts to force growth and generate variety as new things are encountered, expressed, combined and passed about my dungeon to see which denizens they resonant best with.

It doesn't help they are all developing so fast. Hin, Reisarf and Moriko are all over-levelled for the current state of my Dungeon Heart. Stargazer likely will be next. My wounded Heart will be struggling to support them unless I can gather more gold.

Perhaps people grow faster in this era or perhaps my wou- no, I am getting sidetracked.

>As a researcher, amalgam is something new and unique for Merud to experiment with. The results aren’t reproducible by his peers yet unfortunately, but maybe he’ll work something out.
>Amalgamate would greatly speed up the development of new golems. Combine, observe the effects, and then figure out how to replicate.
I worry I have left Merud to pick up the slack too many times, so giving him the opportunity to ease his research and more quickly develop golems seems a fitting reward.

>Given Merud's goal is golem sentience I think we should go for elite golem rather than golem army.
And his own specialty is one that would likely benefit from focusing on quality over quantity.

>From a practical/dungeon master standpoint, golem garrison is incredibly useful. Instant reinforcements, larger unit cap. As creative as amalgamate golems could be, someone’s got to be the handy man about the dungeon, and that is a lotta hands.
There's dungeon structures I can make that should help ease the burden of building and maintaining a large number of golems, though less versatile than this skill.

I give Merud a few minutes to ponder his new skill in isolation to see what he comes up with.

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Reisarf hustles back in.

"Deem! I took a nap and remembered what happened to the Potential Void on the monster hunting trip and thought you'd want to know."

I think for a moment about what I would find the most personally annoying.

"Alkaline ate it, didn't she?"

"Oh I didn't have to worry at all." Reisarf says. "How do you always know these things?"

"I - no, lucky guess." I say.

I catch a rock that is flung at me from ambush. The shadow slick slime yelps in panic and hides again. That slime's getting added to the punishment roster too.

Reisarf blinks at me, arms half raising as if he was debating whether to applaud. "Are you sure?"

"Yes I'm sure. What did it do?" Obviously she didn't explode or I would know.

Reisarf shuffles uncertainly. "She wants it to be a surprise."

"And if I don't want to be surprised?" I say icily.

"I would be very conflicted!" Reisarf says.

I sigh. "Fine, if Alkaline wants to surprise me, she can surprise me." I spoil that slime too much.

"OK, but you'll want to know that Hin also ate it!"

This is my hubris. "What happened?"

"I also passed out in the middle of trying a hybridisation spell. Hin tried to interrupt it but the Void fused directly to her. I don't think the Moon is involved, but it's like a less hairy werewolf! She's lizardy like she was in the Orange Crags, but littler."

I blink. We were thinking of researching such a thing, though this is a bracingly direct approach.

I hold in another sigh. Reisarf is trying to do better. "Thank you for informing me Reisarf."

>Wait, which timeline does Stargazer remember?
I don't know. She doesn't talk. As she was at the epicenter of events and didn't get moved to accompany Alkaline and Hin on the expedition, the original one I would say.

>Gazeggs could replicate Stargazer’s dungeon level powers without the corrupting influence of the winze! That’s super powerful! If there are two Reisarfs, one of them should eat all the eggs to be a temporary Stargazer standin. (Will her wiggles and suitability as a staff be emulated, I wonder?)
It certainly might be powerful, but I'm not doing any experiments with those things until after Olan's visit.

>For the Overlapples, they're bigger on the inside to store more juice and fruit stuff, maybe we can make a potion from it that will let the drinker store more "juice"? Like if it could temporarily expand their pool of mana, or stamina or just energy in general, rather than restoring it?
That seems like a good idea as it might also work well with the serum gland attempt. Since Belphe is still brewing up a mix for the cauldron-golem, I ask him to try this. He sulkily agrees to brew this up for his 'competitor'

>Eventually, when your fragment matures into it's own core, do you think she'll prefer to live as an independent golem or do you think she'll quickly settle down somewhere and start a new dungeon?
Don't be an idiot. I am myself. I will remain myself.

And, just as a funny thought, now that Reisarf has a clone of him/herself, you know he's eventually going to get freaky with himself.
No, I don't know. I go to some trouble to not know what my denizens get up to in their private moments while within my dungeon. I don't think about it.

And neither should you.

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>You should get Merud a new robe.
>Maybe thats a good use for that Gazerspawn Skin.
Yes, that might work quite well. Is there anything special I should try to work in?

>A note of caution: would anything amalgamated with Centaur actually be able to de-fuse?
It would perhaps be good to test that. Raw materials almost certainly, it might have some odd effects on magic items, and golems are likely to be damaged.

>Fusing the cauldron golem with a hat golem: uh, larger cauldron storage capacity? Could use the spatially warped cauldron as an extra potion bath.
Those golems are more complicated in what they're meant to do. I want to try the golems out before making further modification to them.

>Homunculus golem fused with flesh - golems made from flesh are harder to animate, does this bypass that limitation? Though, hmm, where are we going to get a bit of spare flesh. …Oh! Stargazer left a bunch lying around.
I will add it to the list if Merud hasn't already thought of it.

>Amalgamate Construct, obviously. Test it with yourself and gold. Think of the earth pulse you could generate!
Unless I'm willing to play the part of a statue in my Treasury or Heart Chamber, very little.

I check in with Merud to see what ideas he's had. We can test one for now:

Homunculus + Alien Lard: "This might be a viable means of creating a more independent golem if the combination can retain Stargazer's ability to store and release mana, as any mana user could provide them energy instead of just a golemeter. Of course command tools or more sophisticated golem cores would still be needed to no longer require a golemeter present."

Hammer Brute + Treated Slime: "Liquids and gels are not a good match for a lot of common golemetry techniques, which this might sidestep. I'd expect the resultant golem to be more limber and resilient, possibly even stretchy."

Handy Brute + Sculpted Simulacrum: "Potentially a substantial increase in capability, however it'll depend on whether any remnants of the Simulacrum's abilities will remain once the spell that created it expires."

Woody Brute + Rockfruit: "This golem is already focused on tenacity and regeneration, so I believe this would further enhance those features by allowing stone armour to be grown as damage accumulates."

Gardener + Sap Bombs: "Again trying to bypass the limitations of our current tools and materials by fusing in more magically active components via amalgamation. I would expect a substantial improvement in the power of the plant growth inherent spell."

Centaur + Basic Golem: "I'm curious about three things: whether a golem combined via this method can successfully be disentangled from Centaur's aberrant golemetry, whether there'd be any side effects on the basic golem, and whether we will see more sophisticated behaviour after adding a third core."

Test the handy brute with a Hin simulacrum. Uh, once we see what state she’s in!

Woody Brute + Rockfruit! White Witch all day every day lets fucken goooooooo

Gardening Sapbombs!

>>1091127
>fusion theme is due to the dungeon being underdeveloped in comparison to our denizens
Shit, we better fix that.

>I don't know. She doesn't talk
Well ask Reisarf to ask her and tell you the answer, then.

>gazerskin robe?
Feels more on-brand for Reisarf, honestly... Maybe we have a surplus and can make more than one?

Woody Brute + Rockfruit

Since he can only maintain one at a time, we really should test that Centaur fusion first as a matter of practicality. However, I support testing the handy brute simulacrum long-term.

>>1091128
>>Gazer Golem Robe
Well, the skin supposedly had shapeshifting properties, and was part of something alive, maybe we could try giving it the ability to mimic materials, and some minor self repair ability. Just enough on the latter to keep it free from wear and tear. The mimicry might have some fringe utility for Merud's research as well.

>>Amalgam Golems
Both the Gardener + Sap Bombs and the Woody Brute + Rockfruit option seem great and on brand, so either or both of those should be good.

Though, we should keep the Hammer Brute + Treated Slime option in mind for after Hin comes back, since her Gelforging could be a key piece to really solidify that idea.

Gazer golem robe features:
-waterproofed
-bigger on the inside (roomy pockets)
-eyespots can be waved around to confuse and frighten predators
-jersey number on back (01)
-chemical/potion spill resistant?

brute + slime could lead to attributes with easy application across our entire gollem stock