Salvage Tech

Salvage Tech is the bizarre science that is the purview of the Artificers. Using junk that they have found in the tunnels, or purchased from Traders who have carried it below from the surface, the Artificers bend reality to their will, warped through the Radiance &mdash; producing inventions that physical science never envisioned.

One cannot begin a discussion of Salvage Tech without speaking of the madness of the Artificers. Some argue that it is their daily proximity to the Radiance that gradually drives them insane. Others say that it is their insanity that allows them to create the Salvage Tech in the first place &mdash; for it is the instability of their minds that permit them the freedom to think in the bizarre terms necessary to shape everyday wreckage into working, fantastic inventions.

Examples
Salvage Tech comes in all shapes, sizes and forms. Much of what you create is dependent upon your imagination, so long as your local Conductor approves. To help get you started, here are some common examples of Salvage tech.

Doctor DeathsHead Battle Armor
This suit of powered armor was built by an Artificer with a severe delusion: He thought he was a comic-book villain. The armor uses the Repair Operant to counteract damage (3 coins worth), and contents an integral Rocket Pack (Transportation: air, personal) and Chainsaw fist (Destruction, Range: personal, Damage: 4). A fearsome bit of equipment, if not for it's extreme unreliability (3 successes needed to use).

Fizzers
A few UnderWorlders can remember a time when there were no Fizzers. A few. Now, the ubiquitous little psuedo-junkmen are just about everywhere. Apparently some long-gone Artificer came up with a tiny, easy to make device that, when dropped in an ordinary soda can, would turn the thing into a tiny homunculus that would follow one simple command. Without thinking he created hundreds of the things, which in turn started making more and more of themselves. The initial device is still relatively easy to find; it's a simple charm that resembles two bottlecaps that are held together by a rubber band. Drop it in a can, shake it up and out pops a pair of tiny arms, legs and a little head. The tiny homunculus will follow one command, then, it goes off on it's own.

It's unknown exactly what the proto-junkmen are up to, but they are everywhere, jabbering their strange language of rattles, clinks and clanks. They are not inhabited by ghosts, like true junkmen, but by ideas, emotions and passing whimsies. Ambitious homeless still collect hundreds of cans in the hope of creating a miniature army; this tactic rarely wors. Fizzers, oddly enough, can operate topside and are excellent spies and thieves because they can retract their arms and legs and blend in with the rest of the city junk. Still, there is a high attrition rate topside. Those who have figured out what they can of the Fizzer language can recount stories of "horrible big-mouthed blue mosters" and the terrible place the Fizzers only know as "the Recycling Center."
 * Creating a Fizzer is a level 12 Creation invention. This is a basic Fzzer, as descrbed above. "Souped up" Fizzers, that essentially have additional Salvage Tech added to them, come in at a higher difficulty.

I Go Pogo
Not a very popular form of transportation in low-ceilinged tunnels, the I Go Pogo is a mechanical polo stick that goes like a bat out of hell once activated.
 * (Defining Trait: Fast, Transportation: ground, personal)

Jacob's Hammer
An invention of Lord Steam of the New York Underground, the Jacob's Hammer is an adaptation of the Jacob's Ladder (the electrical-arc lab equipment so often seen in mad scientists lairs). The rifle-sized device looks a bit like a tuning fork-and throws a bolt of electricity at its target.
 * (Range: Distance, Damage: 7, no reloads necessary (runs on static charge))

The Motivatrix
Perhaps the ultimate vehicle, the Motivatrix is a large (10 passengers plus cargo) vehicle that features all modes of travel: Ground (via tracks and legs), Water (surface and submersible), and Air. It features a long range voice communicator, self-sealing armor (4 coins of Repair) and an electrified skin (Destruction, Range: personal, Damage: 4). It is a preferred vehicle for the discerning Navigator (or at least those that don't have custom conveyances).

NetGun
This device casts a net at a target, wrapping them up in the lines (made from old bits of string and fishing line). This weapon does NO damage, but hits the target with a 5 coin penalty against any physical actions, until someone releases them from the net.
 * (Range: Immediate, Damage: 0)

Plungerstickers
Another relatively common piece of salvage tech are the Plungerstickers, named for their close resemblance to plungers that attack at the elbows and knees. They take a little getting used to, but an advanced user can actually scuttle along any surface &mdash; wall, ceiling or floor &mdash; at a pretty good clip. They're designed to hold to a ceiling, but they will work almost anywhere. The special gel-plastic cups will adhere to any surface, no matter how dirty or rough. A favored tool of spies and assassins, Plungerstickers are useful for anyone who needs to pass through unnoticed.
 * (Transportation: ground, personal)

Ready Whip Aerosol Cheese Gun
No Artificer is mad enough to admit to being the nefarious mind behind this hellish contraption. The gun is a large fire-hose and packpack affair that douses its intended target with literally gallons of thick, clotted, processed cheese food. It does 4 dice of temporary damage (based on suffocation), and bestows a one-coin penalty to physical action until the goop can be washed off. (Destruction: Range: Immediate, Damage 4 (temporary), -1 penalty to physical action). The gun fires from a clip of Aerosol Cheese (a rare substance in the UnderWorld...thankfully), and must be reloaded after every 6 shots. Sick.

Rock'em Sock'em Gauntlets
These gauntlets, constructed from Goalie mitts and Erector Set pieces, function both as a weapon and a tool. This considerable ability is offset by the inherent clumsiness they bestow... and they look pretty silly too.
 * Range: Personal, Damage: 4. Defining Trait: Strong. Manipulation (3 coins). Negative trait: Clumsy

Track Sabers
A relatively simple piece of salvage tech, the Tack Saber is simple a one-piece metal sword with a thick rubber handle. Sticking out of the bottome of the handle is a long cord that attaches to an iron electromagnet. Some of the more complex versions have retractable cables. The Track Saber is designed for use almost exclusively in subway tunnels. Simply chuck the maget at the third rail, poke your opponent, watch'em fry. Click the button to disengage the magnet and you're done. The amazing popularity of the Track Sabers probably has a lot more to do with the highly familiar hum they produce, and the spark-spraying lightshow when two track sabers clash in battle.
 * (Range: Personal, Damage: 6)

Track Skates
Rollerblade-style skates intended for use on subway tracks. They draw power from the third rail to propel the wearer at speeds rivaling subways themselves.
 * (Defining Traits: Fast, Secondary Skill: Transport, Transportation: ground, personal)

Tunnel Crawler
A common form of transportation in the UnderWorld, a tunnel crawler is a small tracked vehicle with room for two people, made from bits of old Big Wheels and strips of washing machine driver belts. It is not particularly fast, but it is rugged.
 * (Defining Trait: Tough, Transportation: Ground, Small)