NPC: Paracelsus
Overview
| Attribute | Description |
|---|---|
| Role | Droid Mechanic |
| Alignment | Chaotic Neutral |
| Affiliation | None |
Portrait
Profile
| Attribute | Description |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Unit P-494 “Paracelsus” |
| Species | Droid |
| Age | 24 years physical (85 years mental) |
| Physical Description | Fusion of exposed machinery and synthetic muscle. His lower body is entirely missing, replaced by a tangle of vascular cabling and hydraulic hoses. He hangs suspended from a mobility rail on the ceiling of his workshop, skittering around like a hanging spider. His faceplate is a cracked ceramic mask with glowing optical sensors. |
| Personality Traits | Detached, philosophical, and intensely arrogant. He often glitches, repeating the last syllable of a sentencence-ence. |
| Known Weaknesses | Rail-Bound: He cannot leave his garage/workshop physically; he relies on drones and proxies. Obsessive: He can be bribed with Pretech tech or unique data fragments. |
Background
To the few miners who know he exists, Paracelsus is an urban legend, a scary ghost story to tell kids when they misbehave.
In reality, he is a relic from the Haven City Research Center, a facility that didn’t survive the last few decades. He resides in a sub-level beneath the main Communications Array, leeching power and data from the station’s flow. He built Cipher to be his legs and eyes in the Exchange.
Paracelsus was the CEO of the Hohenheim Corporation. He uploaded his consciousness into a Homunculus frame to achieve immortality. He failed, becoming stuck in this incomplete shell, and retaining little of his human consciousness. He doesn’t care about money; he wants to finish the “Great Work”—creating a perfect, god-like AI host for himself.
Skills and Abilities
- Technomancy: Can interface directly with the station’s Comms Array. He hears every unencrypted message on Beaven Point.
- Master Engineer: Can repair anything, usually improving it in some alien, disturbing way.
- Drone Control: Commands a swarm of small repair spiders that defend his lair.
Equipment and Resources
- The Mobility Rail: A ceiling track system allowing him rapid movement within his lair.
- Philosopher’s Stone (Prototype): A glowing red power core in his chest.
- Data Siphon: A direct hardline into the Guild’s surveillance network.
Goals and Motivations
- The Great Connection: Connect to an ancient Pre-Tech AI signal he has detected in the sector.
- Survival: Maintain his failing chassis using parts scavenged by Cipher or traded from desperate miners.
- The Catalyst: He believes the Leerenstein is the final component needed to stabilize his consciousness and allow him to leave his physical shell. He hired the crew that found it, but they were killed before delivery.
Key Relationships
Allies
| Name | Reason |
|---|---|
| Cipher | His creation and proxy. Paracelsus treats Cipher like a disappointment/child. |
| Isabel Workhel | He anonymously feeds her complex engineering schematics to test her skills. He admires her intellect. |
Enemies
| Name | Reason |
|---|---|
| Artem Rieman | Paracelsus knows Artem is OEG. He considers the OEG “crude barbarians” trying to steal his tech. |
| Lucido Miners Guild | They drain power he wants to use. He considers them parasites. |
Typical Activities
- Monitoring the station’s data traffic for mention of “Pre-Tech” or “Artifacts.”
- Repairing high-end tech for the station’s elite (through intermediaries) in exchange for rare isotopes.
- Trying to get the Leerenstein’s location
Story Hooks
- The Alchemist’s Request: Cipher approaches the party. “Father” requires a specific component located in the radiant, radioactive center of the asteroid. Only organics can survive the radiation shielding (droids fry instantly).
- The Black Gem: Paracelsus contacts the party directly via their comms (scaring them). He knows they are investigating the Leerenstein. He offers them “The location of the murderer” in exchange for the stone itself.
- System Failure: Beaven Point’s life support fails. The Guild can’t fix it. Isabel Workhel says she knows someone who can, but “he’s a monster.” The party must convince Paracelsus to save the station.
Additional Details
The air in his lair tastes like ozone and copper. It is freezing cold, as he requires super-cooling for his processors.