Warhammer 40K The Mechanicus discover "Men of Iron" units whose AI are broken or near-lobotomised?

CarlManvers2019

Writers Blocked Douchebag
What will they do to the "bodies" and other technologies they find if they confirm that the AI are broken?

Would it be tech heresy to try to study or reverse engineer or make use of tech that was used by the enemy to kill humans many millennia ago?
 

Chaos Marine

Well-known member
Depends on the radicality of the Archmagos in charge of the expedition. If they're cautious, they'll purge the site from orbit with overwhelming firepower. The Men of Iron are simply too dangerous and too vulnerable to the risk of corruption to be allowed to exist.

If they're radical or egotistical enough, they'll probably try to reverse engineer, or they'll outright steal the location and move it to a secure location to study in relative (it's 40K, if you consider yourself safe the 'Nids or Chaos are more than likely on their way) safety.
 
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CarlManvers2019

Writers Blocked Douchebag
Depends on the radicality of the Archmagos in charge of the expedition. If they're cautious, they'll purge the site from orbit with overwhelming firepower. The Men of Iron are simply too dangerous and too vulnerable to the risk of corruption to be allowed to exist.

If they're radical or egotistical enough, they'll probably try to reverse engineer, or they'll outright steal the location and move it to a secure location to study in relative (it's 40K, if you consider yourself safe the 'Nids or Chaos are more than likely on their way).

Reverse Engineer everything but the AI itself?
 

Chaos Marine

Well-known member
Reverse Engineer everything but the AI itself?
Yes and only that. Unless they're a Tek Heretek, even a radical Archmagos wouldn't risk reviving a Man of Iron, not without some serious precautions to prevent the corruption of Chaos. Perhaps building a laboratory in the same way you'd build a Navigator's Sanctum which would then be stored in an even greater Sanctum and even then, it's very likely to find that Chaos would find a way through. But radicals are radicals so they may think it would be worth the risk. Probably have a torpedo warhead or five under the facility ready to detonate at a moment's notice.
 

CarlManvers2019

Writers Blocked Douchebag
Yes and only that. Unless they're a Tek Heretek, even a radical Archmagos wouldn't risk reviving a Man of Iron, not without some serious precautions to prevent the corruption of Chaos. Perhaps building a laboratory in the same way you'd build a Navigator's Sanctum which would then be stored in an even greater Sanctum and even then, it's very likely to find that Chaos would find a way through. But radicals are radicals so they may think it would be worth the risk. Probably have a torpedo warhead or five under the facility ready to detonate at a moment's notice.

It won’t count as tech-heresy, even if it’s known that millenia ago, its gun-arm was used to murder humans?
 

Chaos Marine

Well-known member
It won’t count as tech-heresy, even if it’s known that millenia ago, its gun-arm was used to murder humans?
What? No. No one would give a shit. So long as the AI or whatever technology is there that stores the Abominable Intelligence is either destroyed or non-existent, they most likely wouldn't give a shit. The power source/reactor, weapons, articulation designs are what they'd want. Metallurgy, that kind of thing.
 

CarlManvers2019

Writers Blocked Douchebag
What? No. No one would give a shit. So long as the AI or whatever technology is there that stores the Abominable Intelligence is either destroyed or non-existent, they most likely wouldn't give a shit. The power source/reactor, weapons, articulation designs are what they'd want. Metallurgy, that kind of thing.

Really no care for the history surrounding it? Sure the AI maybe gone, but fact is it was used to help destroy mankind

That technology was used by the AI, not humans
 

Chaos Marine

Well-known member
Really no care for the history surrounding it? Sure the AI maybe gone, but fact is it was used to help destroy mankind

That technology was used by the AI, not humans
It's just far too dangerous to risk. The Men of Iron caused a war that spanned the entire galaxy and it happened before the Age of Strife. Before the Eldar hate-fucked a Chaos God into existence. The Mechanicus have a formula to determine how quickly AI will turn on their creators and it's depressingly accurate. Most machine intelligences (known as machine spirits) are based off of animals so as not to gain enough sentience to properly rebel.
 

CarlManvers2019

Writers Blocked Douchebag
It's just far too dangerous to risk. The Men of Iron caused a war that spanned the entire galaxy and it happened before the Age of Strife. Before the Eldar hate-fucked a Chaos God into existence. The Mechanicus have a formula to determine how quickly AI will turn on their creators and it's depressingly accurate. Most machine intelligences (known as machine spirits) are based off of animals so as not to gain enough sentience to properly rebel.

Okay, though if they can get the tech without the AI

Would they? I mean practicality aside, there’s still history to consider
 

Chaos Marine

Well-known member
Okay, though if they can get the tech without the AI

Would they? I mean practicality aside, there’s still history to consider
What tech exactly? The ones mentioned previously? Yeah, sure, they'd be all for that. Whatever powers the Men of Iron would make an Archmagos unimaginably rich if he could produce it reliably. Assuming he can come up with a credible story for how he acquired it. Otherwise he or she would be lobotomized into being a servitor or reduced to a servoskull.
 

CarlManvers2019

Writers Blocked Douchebag
What tech exactly? The ones mentioned previously? Yeah, sure, they'd be all for that. Whatever powers the Men of Iron would make an Archmagos unimaginably rich if he could produce it reliably. Assuming he can come up with a credible story for how he acquired it. Otherwise he or she would be lobotomized into being a servitor or reduced to a servoskull.

Huh, was thinking it’d be like a reaction to realizing the antique helmet you’re using was used by Nazi Prison Guards in the Holocaust while having an obsession with hating Nazis
 

Chaos Marine

Well-known member
Huh, was thinking it’d be like a reaction to realizing the antique helmet you’re using was used by Nazi Prison Guards in the Holocaust while having an obsession with hating Nazis
You're giving the Mechanicus too much credit in terms of empathy or compassion. If it took the death of every single life on a planet to recover an Imperator Titan, they'd ask you why phrased that as a question while preparing the life-eater virus bombs.
 

CarlManvers2019

Writers Blocked Douchebag
You're giving the Mechanicus too much credit in terms of empathy or compassion. If it took the death of every single life on a planet to recover an Imperator Titan, they'd ask you why phrased that as a question while preparing the life-eater virus bombs.

Yeah, but I was also thinking, it’s a weapon that was kinda used by a technically-a-heretic
 

CarlManvers2019

Writers Blocked Douchebag
Ah, I see what you're getting at. I had assumed that they'd been pure or untainted. If the equipment was tainted then obliterated from orbit would be the outcome from either a radical or a puritan.

Well, not tainted in the way that it could corrupt the user

But tainted in that there’s horrible history attached to it
 

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