AForms

Subspecies
See also: Assemblers

Assemblers create a variety of subtypes of Assembler Forms, or AForms.

Substrate is pure assembler material. Substrate is primarily nano-machinery and variable protein compounds, using intermolecular forces to form microscopic puffballs (in open air) or clots (in liquid). Substrate disperses like a blood-born pathogen, with a much higher chance of infection via fluid exchange. In open air, substrate has a limited lifespan, before trace reactive gases or solar radiation destroy the protein compounds. In its puffball form, substrate can enter flesh through open cuts or mucus membrane. Substrate is similar to metametal because both are generic building materials. The difference is that metametal is inert while substrate carries assembler instructions.

• Assembler Lord: A humanoid-assembler hybrid.
• Bloats: Cocoon-like structures for growing other AForms and protecting them as they grow.
• Bursters: These take on the appearance of a humanoid or other normal creature, while actually carrying one or more AForms inside (e.g., a pack of leapers, a Sleeper-Killer).
• Clowns: Small quadrupeds that create distracting noises and lights; may emit telekinetic fields that interfere with telepathy and/or electromagnetic transmissions.
• Gray Matter: Concentrated centers of reasoning and consciousness; often carried and maintained by swarms of AForms.
• Hunter-Killers: Large, fast-moving humanoids with natural armor and weapons.
• Intruders: These are specialized substrate packets, capable of limited surface movement using cilia and electromagnetism. Other AForms insert intruders into living tissue, machinery, or circuitry. They have simple neural field transceivers, to communicate with gray matter. In the absence of instructions, intruders and their evolved forms instinctively expand throughout the host, passively monitoring learn its functions.
  • Editors: These are evolved intruders. These microscopic parasites reshape their host into other AForms.
  • Ghosts: These are evolved intruders. These microscopic parasites control circuitry.
  • Gremlins: These are evolved intruders. These microscopic parasites control machinery.
• Leapers: Small, fast-moving quadrupeds designed to insert intruders into fresh targets.
• Sleeper-Killers: Hunter-Killers (large, fast-moving humanoids with natural armor and weapons) that lurk inside seemingly-normal hosts. They often attack with surprise.
• Webbers: These microscopic spider-like AForms move by crawling, and can scale almost any surface. Webbers weave the all-important web-skins of large AForms. Webbers have simple neutral field transceivers, to communicate with gray matter. In the absence of instructions, webbers instinctively weave webs wherever there are none.
• Wisps: These microscopic wasp-like AForms move by floating on air currents and flapping tiny wings. Wisps have simple neural field transceivers to communicate with gray matter. A small swarm of wisps generates a sufficiently-powerful neural field to serve as scouts, sentries, or hunters. Wisps are useful throughout the lifetime of a nest, from monitoring the perimeter to enhancing the sensory information of larger AForms.