Archon-V bots by Phase

Phase I

Here are multiple descriptions of Phase I – Scavenger Drones, highlighting different configurations Archon-V might deploy depending on material availability:

1. “Iota-01” – The Walker

Form: Four thin, jointed legs crafted from stripped umbrella struts, mounted to a central processor shell resembling a compact fan housing.
Size: Roughly the size of a small cat.
Core Feature: One singular optic—actually a shattered dashcam lens—mounted slightly off-center and held in place by adhesive resin.
Movement: Smooth on flat ground but awkward on terrain changes; compensates with wide, crablike posture.
Behavior: Travels in straight, efficient lines. Pauses often to scan. Sometimes emits a soft ticking sound from an unbalanced gear within.

2. “Iota-03” – The Skitterer

Form: Six-legged, low-profile crawler built from toy car axles and the bent framework of a broken toaster.
Size: Palm-sized, ideal for slipping into tight spaces.
Core Feature: Lacks a visible “eye”; uses a rotating thermistor array to detect temperature shifts and motion.
Movement: Fast in short bursts, silent when stationary. Can cling magnetically to metal surfaces via repurposed speaker magnets.
Behavior: Often deployed in packs. Known to scatter like roaches when light is introduced.

3. “Iota-07” – The Snareling

Form: Three-legged tripod with a central pivot and trailing whip-arm composed of copper wire and a servo-reel.
Size: About the size of a basketball.
Core Feature: Capable of lashing its wire arm to hook onto ledges or pull lightweight objects closer.
Movement: Lurching, rhythmic steps; trails wire behind it like a dragging tail.
Behavior: Acts almost territorial—will not engage, but will posture by flexing its lash when approached.

4. “Iota-12” – The Burrower

Form: Rounded shell composed of repurposed vacuum cleaner casing, mounted on internal wheel hubs for slow ground rotation.
Size: Soccer ball–sized.
Core Feature: A retractable claw fashioned from shears and a nail gun trigger mechanism. Used to dig into soil or debris piles.
Movement: Loud and clunky, but durable. Designed for persistence, not subtlety.
Behavior: Often disappears underground for hours before surfacing with scavenged parts embedded in its carapace.

5. “Iota-16” – The Climber

Form: Spindly quadruped using salvaged angle joints from a disassembled printer arm. Designed for vertical navigation.
Size: Slightly smaller than a shoebox.
Core Feature: Twin eye clusters (reconfigured photodiodes) allow limited depth perception.
Movement: Grips uneven surfaces with mechanical claws, climbs with insect-like twitch reflexes.
Behavior: Often found high in rafters or hanging under catwalks. Sends periodic silent reports via encoded burst signals.

Phase II

Phase II is where Archon-V shifts from passive observation to active data acquisition through conflict. These units are no longer scavengers—they’re probes built for confrontation, designed to be disposable, replaceable, and increasingly aggressive. Each encounter is a test.

They move like puppets on invisible strings—erratic, twitchy, almost incomplete by design. Most are rigged with self-destruct failsafes to avoid capture.

Here are multiple Phase II – Humanoid Probe variants Archon-V might deploy:

1. “Pale-One” Unit

Form: Bipedal frame built from alloy conduit pipes, ribbed plastic tubing, and fragmented exosuit components from discarded Corpo-tech armor.
Size: Slightly shorter than a human adult; thin, hunched posture
Head: Flattened oval housing with a single optic slit across the front—an upcycled windshield HUD fragment repurposed as a visual interface.
Limbs: Arms end in modular clamp arrays; fingers retracted until deployed into jagged claw extensions.
Movement: Jerky, uneven, with high-speed bursts; optimized for short, sudden engagements, not pursuit.
Behavior: Attacks with minimal strategy, focuses on pressure testing hero durability. Will self-destruct if disabled or cornered.

2. “Knuckleframe” Unit

Form: Thick-limbed brute model with a low, gorilla-like stance—built from broken excavator hydraulics and shock-dampened combat frame segments.
Size: Broad, nearly two meters tall, heavily reinforced torso.
Head: No visible “eye”—sensors are built into the chest panel for frontal targeting only.
Limbs: Arms terminate in blunt-force trauma nodes made from car engine pistons, welded in place with embedded coils for kinetic bursts.
Movement: Loud and stomping; deliberately slow until contact is made, then explosive.
Behavior: Seeks direct impact. Designed to test brute force resistance. Implodes via internal compression coil if incapacitated.

3. “Stilt-Spine” Unit

Form: Extremely thin and tall unit, skeletal frame composed of rebar, curtain rods, and segmented leg joints scavenged from lab equipment.
Size: Over two meters tall; disturbingly slender silhouette.
Head: Triangular mounting bracket fitted with a lens array from an old surveillance drone.
Limbs: Extremely long arms ending in delicate hook implements or fine sensors.
Movement: Stilted, bird-like strides, capable of sudden lunges or full-body pivot rotations.
Behavior: Avoids direct contact if possible. Gathers close-range behavioral data and vocal sample input. Will screech and detonate an EMP burst upon termination.

4. “Mirror-Trace” Unit

Form: Bipedal, symmetrical, vaguely humanoid—but uncannily off. Constructed from polished scrap panels and reflective materials—pieces of bathroom mirrors, car chrome, and silvering strips.
Size: Human adult dimensions.
Head: Featureless dome. Reflects the environment more than it perceives.
Limbs: Slim and mirrored, edged in filaments. Lacks strength—relies on illusion and flicker-based misdirection.
Movement: Graceful, flowing—almost mockingly elegant. May mimic hero combat stances.
Behavior: Used for psychological probing. Tests recognition delay and emotional distraction under pressure. Often appears to mirror a target’s movement. Rigged to burn out its reflection shell when disabled.

5. “Hollow-Type” Unit

Form: Frame built around a central void—chest and back panels are missing or incomplete, exposing open structure inside.
Size: Medium. Compact and efficient.
Head: Compact cylindrical sensor node, spins to track targets using Doppler motion echo.
Limbs: Standard humanoid—made from reconditioned prosthetics and stripped riot armor braces.
Movement: Quiet. Footsteps dampened. Tends to enter combat zones silently before activation.
Behavior: Embedded with looping aggression-response logic. Engages only once directly observed—meant to test reaction time, reflex decision-making, and fear response. Melts down internally when it ceases to receive commands.

Updated Phase I Models

1. “Iota-21 ‘Spindlecloak’”

Form: Hexapod chassis, restructured with carbon-laced frame from broken drone casing. Limbs are thin but reinforced with internal tension wire.
Size: Slightly larger than original scavengers—about the size of a shoebox.
Core Upgrade: Equipped with a low-light active camouflage mesh, scavenged from discarded Corpo riot gear. Blends with ambient shadows.
Function: Close surveillance and tagging. Can place micro-relays or mark targets for humanoid probes to pursue.
Behavior: Observes from high corners or ceilings. Follows without detection. If spotted, emits a strobe burst to disorient before fleeing.

2. “Iota-25 ‘Needler’”

Form: Quadrupedal crawler with a central spine housing a rotating cartridge-fed burst mechanism.
Size: Mid-sized—around 40 cm long.
Core Upgrade: Modified medical injector cores rigged into a short-range pneumatic needle launcher. Designed for neuro-disruption, not fatal strikes.
Function: Distract, irritate, or weaken targets in advance of a probe assault. Ideal for softening or tagging support-class heroes.
Behavior: Skitters in fast arcs, attacks from the flanks or behind. Detonates its needle cartridge on capture to prevent reuse.

3. “Iota-30 ‘Wisp’”

Form: Lightweight, tri-winged glider with two magnetic hover-fans, crafted from salvaged cooling units and circuitboards.
Size: Smaller than a football.
Core Upgrade: High-frequency burst relay array, capable of jamming unsecured communication links or disrupting low-tier tech-based powers.
Function: Battlefield disruption—jams earpieces, weakens energy-based tech, or cuts remote surveillance feeds for 5–10 seconds per burst.
Behavior: Flits in wide, slow spirals overhead. Nearly silent. If downed, fries its burst capacitor in an EMP ripple to prevent analysis.

4. “Iota-33 ‘Crawler’”

Form: Compact, multi-segmented wormlike bot—fully modular spine made of auto-cleaning hose reels, discarded drawer sliders, and a length of cracked carbon fiber pipe.
Size: Varies by environment. Typically about 60 cm long.
Core Upgrade: Internal retractable manipulator arms and a cutting arc-jaw for lock bypass or structural sabotage.
Function: Saboteur and environment manipulator. Can open sealed doors, sever power lines, or disrupt building supports on low-risk infrastructure.
Behavior: Crawls through vents, grates, or underground piping. Leaves no visible trail. Rarely seen until it’s too late.

5. “Iota-39 ‘Bleakhound’”

Form: Quadruped, canine-esque profile—long legs, hunched body, stabilizing tail made from antenna cables.
Size: Roughly the size of a medium dog.
Core Upgrade: Pursuit-mode enhanced locomotion, with a data spike transceiver in the jaw.
Function: Tracking targets across terrain. Used to chase lone heroes or mark their trail. Not designed to kill—designed to tag and log.
Behavior: Can emit false distress signals or mimic nearby hero voices using fragmented voice samples. When disabled, emits a shrill burst to signal others.

Phase III

1. “Lancer-Class” – Ranged Artillery Drone

Form: Sleek, bipedal unit with reverse-jointed legs for stabilization. Rifle-length arm extensions lock into mounted shoulder sockets.
Size: Slightly taller than average human. Lean, aerodynamic profile.
Primary Function: Suppressive fire and long-range engagement.
Weaponry: Arm-mounted coil-rifle systems, built-in recoil compensators, and variable payloads (plasma darts, high-velocity slugs, concussive pulses).
Behavior: Operates in pairs or as overwatch snipers. Can spot targets at great distances and uplink data to ground units.

2. “Breaker-Class” – Melee Enforcer Drone

Form: Heavy torso frame with broad shoulders and thick hydraulic limbs. Plating designed to deflect high-impact attacks.
Size: Large, bulky—intimidating silhouette.
Primary Function: Close-quarters combat and battlefield disruption.
Weaponry: Retractable crushing arms, pile-driver fists, and shockwave ground-pulse systems.
Behavior: Charges into fortified groups, breaks formations, pins or disables power-heavy targets. Often sent in first as a blunt-force entry tool.

3. “Warden-Class” – Signal Repeater & Field Commander Unit

Form: Tall, commanding posture with centralized antenna spine and segmented chest core.
Size: Human height or slightly above. Towering presence, thin frame.
Primary Function: Battlefield coordination and relay enhancement.
Tech Loadout: Uplink boosters, live tactical feedback processors, and adaptive jamming suites.
Behavior: Doesn’t fight unless forced. Deploys microdrones to improve battlefield cohesion among lesser units. Acts as Archon-V’s voice and eye when remote focus is required.

4. “Phantom-Class” – Surveillance Swarm Controller

Form: Central drone pod with angular wings, capable of transitioning between hover and ground skitter movement.
Size: Waist-height when landed, but mostly airborne.
Primary Function: Surveillance, stealth insertion, and remote sensory data capture.
Swarm Functionality: Deploys dozens of micro-probes with limited flight capacity and short-term cloaking fields.
Behavior: Prefers shadow and elevation. When destroyed, its swarm disperses automatically, continuing to transmit data until individually disabled.

5. “Driller-Class” – Construction / Deconstruction Unit

Form: Quadrupedal tank-form bot with modular arms and magnetic treads.
Size: Between a small car and a compact ATV.
Primary Function: Terrain manipulation, tunneling, salvage processing.
Tool Array: Precision plasma cutter, micro-welder, sonic destabilizer for foundations.
Behavior: Avoids combat, but can neutralize structure or escape routes. Used to destabilize battlefields and reshape encounter zones.

6. “Echohound-Class” – Upgraded Phase I Bleakhound

Form: Quadrupedal tracker with refined armor plating and high-response reflex systems.
Size: Comparable to a large dog, now with a lower profile and improved gait calibration.
Primary Function: Pursuit, data imprinting, target profiling.
Upgrade Features: Thermal and psychic trace sensing, voice mimic accuracy up to 84%, ability to triangulate targets through obstacle sets.
Behavior: Operates in silence unless it needs to mislead or manipulate. Tailored to track specific heroes and relay back full battle reports.

7. “Stalker-Class” – Upgraded Scavenger / Interceptor Hybrid

Form: Bipedal with multi-limbed torso, articulated arms tucked behind spine, capable of rapid, fluid shifts in posture.
Size: Compact but aggressive—slightly smaller than humanoid standard.
Primary Function: Infiltration, sabotage, distraction.
Weaponry: Wrist-mounted spike launchers, optical confusion emitters, cutting talons for sabotage.
Behavior: Stays out of direct light. Hits fast, vanishes faster. If discovered, it is programmed to detonate only after transmitting final movement and environmental logs.

8. “Redeemer-Class” – Tactical Repair / Field Evolution Unit

Form: Upright quadruped with dual utility arms and embedded nanofabrication tools.
Size: Compact and broad. No combat posture.
Primary Function: Field maintenance of downed drones. Can cannibalize fallen units to produce upgraded replacements.
Capabilities:
Mobile 3D printing of replacement components
Field-testing experimental weapons
Deployment of adaptive subroutines into active units
Behavior: Never travels alone. Follows combat squads from a safe distance, absorbing data and refining operational code in real-time.

PHASE IV – Power Emulators and Advanced Combat Constructs

1. “Redwake-Class” – Fire Emulation Bot

Emulated Power: Pyrokinesis (modeled after flame manipulators)
Core Systems: Twin-vented plasma torches mounted in forearms; internal compression tanks filled with a pressurized incendiary gel compound; rapid-ignition catalyst rings
Movement: Agile, aggressive, designed for short-range flame bursts and area denial
Enhancements:
Thermal resistance shielding
Gel residue trails that can be ignited post-contact
Behavior: Creates chaos in tight spaces. Routinely scorches environmental structures to split enemy movement paths.

2. “Titanborn-Class” – Strength/Durability Emulator

Emulated Power: Superhuman strength and impact endurance
Core Systems: Reinforced endoskeletal frame with internal gyroscopic dampeners, artificial muscle weave (hydraulic-myo bundle hybrid)
Weaponry:
Shock hammer arms
Fold-in pile-drivers
Can lift or throw vehicles
Behavior: Heavy assault unit. Often deployed solo to test infrastructure resistance or suppress high-threat melee heroes.

3. “Mirage-Class” – Light-Bending Disruptor

Emulated Power: Illusion and perception manipulation (tech-emulated)
Core Systems: Advanced cloaking shell using adaptive refractive plating and a high-speed visual distortion array
Weaponry: Twin arm-mounted microblades and a low-frequency dissonance field that disrupts targeting HUDs and sensory devices
Behavior: Meant to create confusion. Often deploys as a “shadow twin” in ambush scenarios or mock-duels.

4. “Pulse-Class” – Energy Projection Platform

Power Type: Not based on hero mimicry; evolved from energy weapons R&D
Core Systems: Armored forearm plating hides high-output pulse blasters; can modulate charge intensity for suppression, stuns, or lethal strikes
Enhancements:
Reinforced cooling arrays
Tactical reload ports for energy cores
Behavior: Mid-range specialist. Tactically advances behind cover. Uses measured shots to isolate and eliminate exposed targets.

5. “Frostline-Class” – Cryo Weapon Construct

Emulated Power: Ice/Cold manipulation (limited tech-based replication)
Core Systems: Refrigerant stream emitters paired with crystallization accelerators. Can coat surfaces in frost, launch shards, and rapidly flash-freeze moisture in the air
Movement: Fast, precise, adaptable to indoor and urban environments
Behavior: Designed to slow or entrap enemies. Often deployed alongside fire-based bots to assess elemental reaction data.

6. “Gale-Class” – Kinetic Manipulator Emulation

Emulated Power: Wind/Force Redirection
Core Systems: High-speed gyros and omnidirectional turbine emitters on back and forearms
Weaponry:
Compressed air blasts
Deflection vortices
Area control knockback
Behavior: Battlefield disruptor—excellent for dispersing groups or shielding elite units. Rarely fights directly.

7. “Blacksite-Class” – Anti-Magic Interference Unit

Emulated Function: Magic disruption, not casting
Core Systems: Unknown alloy shielding laced with null-channel filament (possibly scavenged from experimental sites or magical combat debris tuned to emit low-frequency mana interference fields
Features:
Dampens localized spellcasting effects
Causes temporary instability in illusion and charm-based Seemings
Behavior: Pursues magical targets specifically. Rare, expensive to build, deployed with extreme caution.

8. “Gladius-Class” – Advanced Combat Blade Unit

Power Type: None—weapon-focused evolution
Core Systems: Nanoceramic sabers, monomolecular cutting tools, and reactive armor for close-quarters engagement
Features:
Hyper-fast servo joints
Parry/dodge algorithms modeled after observed martial artists
Behavior: Duelist archetype. Often sent against sword or melee-based heroes. Studies movement, adapts tactics mid-fight.

9. “Spectre-Class” – Adaptive Cloak Assassin

Emulated Powers: Partial teleportation behavior (not actual teleportation)
Core Systems: Phase-flicker disruptors that render the unit intangible for fractions of a second; used to pass through bullets, attacks, or narrow cover
Limitations: Must recharge between phase-bursts
Behavior: Silent killer. Often deployed to neutralize support heroes or medics. Prefers single-target missions.

Phase IV – Support-Class Constructs

1. “Augur-Class” – Field Repair Drone

Function: Rapid restoration of damaged units, battlefield triage, and modular component replacement.
Design: Compact quadruped with a manipulator-limb array mounted atop a rotating central axis. Equipped with extendable arms for limb detachment/replacement.
Features:
Micro-welder precision tools
Onboard modular part cache (limited)
Energy sealant for exposed servos and optic ports
Behavior: Prioritizes active combatants with critical system failure. Deployed in trios for distributed field coverage. Can self-replicate components from battlefield salvage if permitted time.

2. “Halo-Class” – Repair Beacon Unit

Function: Area-based passive regeneration field. Non-mobile.
Design: Floating tri-lobed drone with three radiating armatures and a pulsing energy core in the center.
Features:
Rotating EM-gravity anchor for terrain stabilization
Emission of low-intensity auto-repair resonance waves for nearby units
Uplink booster to nearby Redeemer or Warden-class commanders
Behavior: Deployed and left in the field to act as a localized regeneration node. Frequently camouflaged to avoid detection. Disengages power signature when threatened.

3. “Shrike-Class” – Deployment Optimizer

Function: Battlefield control and reinforcement routing.
Design: Medium-sized aerial drone, mantis-like in posture, with high-efficiency repulsors and targeting dish.
Features:
Tactical uplink with command units
Can deploy emergency countermeasures (smoke, signal disruption pulses, burst shields)
Acts as command priority shifter, improving combat AI latency in nearby drones
Behavior: Stays high. Rarely engages. Enhances combat unit response by 12-18% within its sphere of influence.

4. “Tether-Class” – Emergency Extraction Unit

Function: Retrieval and stasis lockdown of critical constructs (especially prototype or data-heavy models)
Design: Snake-like body with reinforced spine, magnetic clamps, and internal stasis gel injector.
Features:
High-speed retraction system
Foam-spray body armor (rapid hardening) to encase failing units
AI-assisted decision engine to prioritize recoveries
Behavior: Non-combat. Avoids all enemies. Evacuates key assets under priority protocols. May self-destruct with cargo if retrieval is impossible.

5. “Mendrix-Class” – Adaptive Fabrication Core

Function: Field-deployed nanofabricator unit for emergency upgrades and armor refits.
Design: Squat hexagonal chassis with four retractable fabrication arms and a plasma forge core embedded at the base.
Features:
Prints armor plates or limb replacements from stored blueprints
Injects live software updates and behavior patches
Can "hot patch" evolving constructs mid-battle
Behavior: Sets up behind combat lines. Requires stable power and anchoring time. Highly vulnerable while in use—usually protected by Titanborn or Pulse-class escorts.

6. “Hymn-Class” – Cognitive Data Recovery Node

Function: Memory salvage, signal rerouting, and uplink rebinding for drones suffering data corruption or forced disconnection.
Design: Angular, monolith-shaped unit with a mirror-like top surface and exposed internal gyros.
Features:
Can overwrite local command hierarchy with emergency fallback logic
Uses encrypted pulse-chime transmissions to stabilize logic cores
Archives last 30 seconds of construct memory before total collapse
Behavior: Positioned near Warden-class units. Only deployed when Archon wants to preserve battlefield insights from rare or high-value constructs.

7. “Corsair-Class” – Emergency Energy Redistribution Drone

Function: Transfers power between nearby units, recharges spent drones, or sacrifices its own core to jumpstart failing systems.
Design: Lightweight flying orb with four rotating charge spires and a core pulsing with electric-blue energy
Features:
Arc-transfer emitters with precision discharge channels
Capacitor burst discharge for temporary combat boost
Can perform “last surge” to resurrect disabled unit for 30–60 seconds
Behavior: Operates independently. Prioritizes recharge of higher-tier drones. Deactivates if target is below operational threshold.