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why don't skaven ever build WITHOUT warpstone?
Topic Started: 17th December 2009 - 10:58 PM (1,087 Views)
Muote


lore wise we are supposed to be tinkerers and inventors bordering on maniacle genius, and yet so far as I can tell the total of skaven creations can be summed up as "take invention, add warpstone"

while this is a fantastic theme, that every single piece of machinery, equipment, etc. relies on the stuff gets a little old. I'm not saying that the most of them shouldn't, but more that NONE of them do. not to mention the fact that realistically it's silly to assume that EVERYTHING works better when you slather some warpstone on it

I can imagine conversations between warlock engineers go something like this:

"look, I have created a new kind of explosive!

- fantastic, you know what would make it better? lace it with warpstone!

well warpstone is kind of expensive and it doesn't really mix well with the compounds I've picked

- PUT SOME MOTHER#$%ING WARPSTONE IN THERE BEFORE I CLAW YOU $#@%ING EYES OUT"


etc.
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SiliconSicilian
Grey Seer
Rats have small brains... Like when Bart Simpson was trying to get the cup-cake and kept getting electrocuted, Skaven have it embedded in their small brains that warpstone (cup-cake) equals good/better and taking a little electrocution or worse is acceptable. :)

Master Splinter would be much easier to reason with than a Skaven Warlock Engineer and obviously sees things a little clearer given that Donatello's inventions are always unique.
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Pestilent Lord
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Doomwheel Driver
They're warpstone addicts, what do you want? :P

Warlock adept: I have built a blast-bomb, it should be able to blow a dwarf hold into the next century.
Master Warlock: How much warpstone is in it?
Adept: Zero-none, you didn't trust me with any.
Master: Here-here, add some.
Adept: But it works good-fine now.
Master: Everything is better with warpstone!

I don't think the Brass Orb has Warpstone, and there's no evidence (beyond their creators propensities) that the Doomrocket or Infernal Bomb contain Warpstone. The Doom-Flayer originally wasn't Warpstone powered, but they added a warpstone power generator to give it some extra kick.
I think part of why so much of Skaven technology demands warpstone is because it's one of the strongest power sources that Skaven can lay their paws on. They don't really have access to the kinds of alcohol that Dwarves use to fuel their most inventive equipment. I'm not as sure about blackpowder, but I imagine that's actually almost as hard to get as warpstone is.
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SiliconSicilian
Grey Seer
Agreed. Why blow a dwarf into the next century when warpstone can blow him into 40K (and then out, sadly)?
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FurryFiend
Chieftain
honestly I view it sorta like us. Try for example Us making inventions without electricity. Its something that is hugely common for us and in our inventions.

Warpstone does number of things. Helps with mutations. And powers things. And kills those that normal weapons don't. Its something that works for them.
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Bibamus
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SiliconSicilian
Dec 17 2009, 06:19 PM
Agreed. Why blow a dwarf into the next century when warpstone can blow him into 40K (and then out, sadly)?

it seems they tryed that on the elves and it worked... would explain the eldar
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Grimstonefire
Clanrat
I'm inclined to agree with Furry Fiend, I think it's mostly down to the skaven needing it as a fuel source.

Are they capable of making engines or generators using another fuel source other than slave/ rat power?

I think as well, instead of putting the time into improving things to make them much more reliable (as the empire, dwarfs or chaos dwarfs would), the skaven aim almost entirely for power potential. AFAIK the only way they could do this is with magic (warpstone).

If they were capable of magically enchanting things without it it would nerf most of the fluff as well. ;)
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FurryFiend
Chieftain
It is also sorta an addiction to them as well.
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BloodStream
Clanrat
It's their only practical source of magic/fuel. What do you expect?
It'd be like seeing if people could get by in the world without using any Carbon, or Aluminium in our fuel/creations. It'd be possible to do it otherwise, but it'd be completely inefficient.
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Ratemis
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Muote
Dec 17 2009, 05:58 PM
lore wise we are supposed to be tinkerers and inventors bordering on maniacle genius, and yet so far as I can tell the total of skaven creations can be summed up as "take invention, add warpstone"

while this is a fantastic theme, that every single piece of machinery, equipment, etc. relies on the stuff gets a little old. I'm not saying that the most of them shouldn't, but more that NONE of them do. not to mention the fact that realistically it's silly to assume that EVERYTHING works better when you slather some warpstone on it

I can imagine conversations between warlock engineers go something like this:

"look, I have created a new kind of explosive!

- fantastic, you know what would make it better? lace it with warpstone!

well warpstone is kind of expensive and it doesn't really mix well with the compounds I've picked

- PUT SOME MOTHER#$%ING WARPSTONE IN THERE BEFORE I CLAW YOU $#@%ING EYES OUT"


etc.

Warpstone is a building material like any other to the Skaven. The Dwarfs are essentially the same way with gromril and runes. Take anything made by dwarfs, and they have to try and make it better with runes or gromril.

Empire is the same way with it's clockwork and extraneous technology. You can't just have a cannon you have to have a four cannons, strapped together, that rotate and fire!

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Skaven use warpstone because, to them, it is available and fairly plentiful (at least to those who do the inventing). It's a potent power source and apparently has good properties when mixed with other compounds.

It's not just skaven that use warpstone often, Empire wizards use it in many forms. I seem to remember that powerstones even had a bit of warpstone in them.
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QueekQueek
Grey Seer
Quote:
 
I seem to remember that powerstones even had a bit of warpstone in them.


Not to sidetrack the topic, but if this is true (that powerstones are basically dilluted warpstones) Then the FAQ had BETTER say that warpstone tokens are once per turn and not once per game... Because if they're one use only, they're worthless to me compared to powerstones.

To say that warpstone is more potent than powerstones, and then go and make them more expensive and less useful... Would just not sit well with me.
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scrivener
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*toot*

Even vamps use warpstone quite commonly.

Skaven like things as powerful as they can be, and the most obvious way to achieve that is to add warpstone!

"That jezzail is cool, but what if it fired warpstone bullets?"

"Shooting fire at the enemy is a great concept, but what if it was warpstone fuelled fire?"

"We can either coat a blade in regular poison, or... we can make it seep warpstone poison!"

"That's a great idea, but how can we make it better?"
"Add warpstone!"
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hakoMike
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Muote
Dec 17 2009, 05:58 PM
- PUT SOME MOTHER#$%ING WARPSTONE IN THERE BEFORE I CLAW YOU $#@%ING EYES OUT"

Why am I hearing the voice of Samuel L. Jackson....?


So why warpstone? It's in their psyche. In contrast to that, I give you stunty theatre:

Dwarf1: I'm trying to invent a new cannon, but I can't get the cannonball to move.
Dwarf2: Maybe you're not using enough gunpowder.
Dwarf1: Gunpowder is too cliche. I used cupcakes.
Dwarf2: Cupcakes. To launch a cannonball. Really?
Dwarf1: YES!! NOW PUT SOME MOTHER@#$@#%ING CUPCAKES IN...
Dwarf2: You're out of the club.
Dwarf1: (pout)
So old. So so old.
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FurryFiend
Chieftain
Needs more warpstone. Everything is better with warpstone. And bacon. But everything needs more warpstone.
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Mahtobedis
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Warlord
*Picks up a piece of Warpstone. Realizes how much like kryptonite it looks*

Does that mean that superman would be better with warpstone?
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