Tech Level Guide

Technology Level Guide for Alkebulan

Understanding the Complex Technological Landscape 300 Years After the Cataclysm

CORE PRINCIPLES: Uneven Technological Development

Progress is Non-Linear

  • Advanced knowledge lost: High-tech solutions forgotten while basic crafts survive
  • Magical interference: Technology works differently in contaminated areas
  • Resource constraints: Limited materials force improvisation and adaptation
  • Knowledge hoarding: Elite groups control access to technical information
  • Regional variation: Technology levels vary drastically by location and community

Scavenging Over Innovation

  • Salvage-based economy: Most “new” technology is rebuilt from Cataclysm remnants
  • Reverse engineering: People attempt to recreate lost technologies with mixed success
  • Dangerous experimentation: Attempts to understand pre-Cataclysm tech often go catastrophically wrong
  • Jury-rigged solutions: Makeshift repairs and modifications are the norm
  • Planned obsolescence abandoned: Everything must be built to last and be repairable

TECHNOLOGICAL CATEGORIES: What Works and What Doesn’t

Pre-Cataclysm Legacy Technology

  • Remnant artifacts: Magical-technological hybrids from the lost empires
  • Infrastructure ruins: Partially functional systems that nobody fully understands
  • Data storage: Information locked in devices that few can access
  • Weapons systems: Dangerous military technology scattered across the wasteland
  • Medical equipment: Life-saving devices that require rare materials to operate

Post-Cataclysm Adaptations

  • Contamination detectors: Crude but essential devices to measure Remnant Magic exposure
  • Water purification: Basic filtration systems using salvaged materials and simple magic
  • Communication networks: Message systems using trained animals, signal fires, and salvaged radios
  • Transportation: Rebuilt vehicles, pack animals, and dangerous but fast artifact-powered transport
  • Construction: Building techniques adapted for contaminated materials and unstable ground

REGIONAL TECHNOLOGY LEVELS

Port Zephyr: Commercial Innovation Hub

  • Technology Level: Renaissance to Early Industrial with magical augmentation
  • Specializations:
    • Advanced metalworking using heat-resistant alloys salvaged from ruins
    • Clockwork precision instruments for navigation and trade
    • Alchemical processes for purifying contaminated goods
    • Printing presses producing maps, trade contracts, and propaganda
    • Harbor engineering with cranes, dry docks, and sophisticated rigging
  • Notable Innovations:
    • Remnant scanners: Mechanical devices with minimal magical components to detect contamination
    • Trade scales: Precision instruments that can weigh goods down to contamination particles
    • Sending stone networks: Rare magical communication systems for wealthy merchants
    • Purification chambers: Sealed rooms where contaminated goods can be safely processed
    • Airship docking: Specialized harbor infrastructure for the few airships that visit

Amunrai Imperium: Militarized Technology

  • Technology Level: Late Medieval with focused industrial capacity
  • Specializations:
    • Mass production of standardized weapons and armor
    • Siege engines adapted for Remnant-contaminated battlefields
    • Military engineering for fortifications and supply lines
    • Propaganda printing and mass communication
    • Magical-technological hybrid weapons for elite units
  • Notable Technologies:
    • Legion standardization: Uniform weapons and armor that can be maintained by any imperial smith
    • Contamination barriers: Engineering solutions to protect troops from Remnant Magic
    • Supply chain logistics: Systems for moving resources across vast conquered territories
    • Airship warfare: Elite sky fleet for rapid deployment and aerial bombardment
    • Intelligence networks: Combination of magical scrying and mundane spy networks

Survivor Communities: Practical Necessity

  • Technology Level: Dark Ages to Medieval with crucial specializations
  • Focus Areas:
    • Sustainable agriculture in contaminated soil
    • Water purification using local materials
    • Basic medicine and surgery with limited supplies
    • Textile production from available fibers
    • Tool-making from salvaged metals
  • Community-Specific Adaptations:
    • Fishing villages: Boat-building adapted for contaminated waters
    • Mining towns: Extraction techniques for safely accessing buried resources
    • Trading posts: Rapid construction methods for temporary but secure structures
    • Farming settlements: Crop rotation and soil treatment for contaminated land

TECHNOLOGICAL CONSTRAINTS: Why Progress is Limited

Resource Scarcity

  • Rare earth elements: Essential components for advanced technology are nearly impossible to find
  • Energy sources: Limited access to reliable power generation
  • Specialized materials: Plastics, advanced alloys, and complex chemicals are rare
  • Precision tools: Equipment needed to make other equipment is scarce
  • Knowledge materials: Books, blueprints, and technical manuals were destroyed in the Cataclysm

Magical Interference

  • Remnant disruption: Magical radiation interferes with complex mechanical and electrical systems
  • Unpredictable effects: Technology works differently in different contamination zones
  • Corruption cascade: Magical contamination can spread through metallic systems
  • Power drain: Remnant Magic can siphon energy from technological devices
  • Temporal instability: Some contaminated areas experience time differently, aging technology rapidly

Social Barriers

  • Knowledge hoarding: Technical information is jealously guarded by guilds and elites
  • Superstition: Many people fear technology, blaming it for the Cataclysm
  • Economic inequality: Only the wealthy can afford to experiment with new technology
  • Political restrictions: Governments control access to dangerous or militarily useful technology
  • Cultural loss: Generational knowledge was interrupted by the apocalypse

SPECIFIC TECHNOLOGIES: What Exists and How It Works

Transportation

  • Ground Vehicles:
    • Horse-drawn carriages: Standard passenger transport for those who can afford it
    • Trade wagons: Heavy carts designed to protect goods from contamination during transport
    • Military transports: Armored wagons and cavalry units for imperial forces
    • Pack animals: Horses, mules, oxen, and other beasts of burden for cargo and travel
    • Walking caravans: Most people travel on foot with handcarts and backpacks
  • Water Transport:
    • Fishing boats: Small craft with contamination-resistant treatments on hulls
    • Trade vessels: Larger ships with cargo holds designed for hazardous materials
    • Imperial warships: Military vessels with ballistas, catapults, and troop transport capacity
    • Smuggler craft: Fast, stealthy boats for avoiding customs and patrols
  • Air Transport: Extremely rare and dangerous
    • Remnant airships: Floating vessels powered by contained Remnant Magic cores
    • Imperial sky fleet: Military airships using weaponized Remnant technology
    • Merchant airships: Cargo vessels that can bypass dangerous overland routes
    • Experimental craft: Dangerous prototypes built by desperate or ambitious inventors

Communication Technology

  • Long-Distance:
    • Signal fires: Networks of beacon towers for basic message transmission
    • Trained animals: Birds, dogs, and other creatures used for carrying messages
    • Sending stones: Rare paired magical stones for instant communication over vast distances
    • Magical sending: Expensive spell-based communication for critical messages
  • Local Communication:
    • Bell systems: Coded bell signals for town-wide alerts
    • Message boards: Community information centers in settlements
    • Town criers: Human messengers for spreading news and announcements
    • Horn networks: Signal horns for coordinating activities across settlements

Weapons and Military Technology

  • Melee Weapons:
    • Swords, axes, maces: Traditional D&D weapons crafted from salvaged metals
    • Polearms and spears: Reach weapons essential for keeping dangerous creatures at bay
    • Crossbows: Mechanical ranged weapons that don’t require magical components
    • Shields and armor: Protection ranging from leather to plate, often pieced together
  • Ranged Weapons:
    • Longbows and shortbows: Traditional archery weapons using available wood and sinew
    • Crossbows: More complex but reliable mechanical ranged weapons
    • Slings and javelins: Simple thrown weapons requiring minimal resources
    • Siege engines: Catapults, ballistas, and trebuchets for military operations
  • Magical Weapons:
    • Remnant-enhanced weapons: Traditional weapons infused with controlled Remnant Magic
    • Artifact weapons: Pre-Cataclysm magical weapons of immense but unpredictable power
    • Alchemical ammunition: Arrows and bolts with magical effects
    • Enchanted armor: Protective gear with magical properties for the wealthy elite
  • Gunpowder Technology: Extremely Limited
    • Primitive firearms: Rare and unreliable weapons that few know how to make or maintain
    • Alchemical explosives: Magical alternatives to gunpowder for mining and warfare
    • Signal flares: Simple pyrotechnic devices for communication and distraction

Medical Technology

  • Surgical Instruments: Basic tools maintained from pre-Cataclysm medical supplies
  • Prosthetics: Crude but functional replacement limbs using available materials
  • Pharmaceutical labs: Alchemical workshops producing medicines from available ingredients
  • Diagnostic equipment: Simple tools for examining patients and identifying illnesses
  • Contamination treatment: Specialized equipment for dealing with Remnant Magic exposure

TECHNOLOGY IN DAILY LIFE: How People Actually Live

Urban Areas (Port Zephyr)

  • Lighting: Oil lamps, candles, and rare electrical fixtures powered by salvaged generators
  • Water systems: Combination of wells, cisterns, and basic plumbing using salvaged pipes
  • Waste management: Latrines, compost systems, and basic sewage disposal
  • Food preservation: Smoking, salting, and crude refrigeration using imported ice
  • Heating: Wood and coal fires, with rare heating systems in wealthy areas

Rural Communities

  • Agriculture: Hand tools, animal-drawn plows, and basic irrigation systems
  • Food storage: Root cellars, granaries, and simple preservation techniques
  • Shelter: Log cabins, stone houses, and salvaged material construction
  • Tools: Hand-forged implements maintained and repaired by local craftsmen
  • Power: Human and animal labor with occasional water-wheel systems

Frontier Settlements

  • Survival gear: Basic tools and equipment for living in dangerous areas
  • Defensive technology: Simple fortifications, weapons, and early warning systems
  • Portable equipment: Gear designed to be carried by individuals or small groups
  • Emergency supplies: Stockpiles of essential items for crisis situations
  • Improvised solutions: Creative adaptations using whatever materials are available

TECHNOLOGICAL HAZARDS: When Innovation Goes Wrong

Artifact Contamination

  • Magical poisoning: Pre-Cataclysm technology that poisons users with Remnant Magic
  • System failures: Complex devices that break down catastrophically
  • Addiction effects: Technology that creates psychological or physical dependency
  • Unpredictable behavior: Devices that work differently than expected
  • Contamination spread: Technology that spreads Remnant Magic to surrounding areas

Industrial Accidents

  • Workshop explosions: Experiments with salvaged technology going wrong
  • Chemical contamination: Industrial processes releasing dangerous substances
  • Structural collapse: Buildings and equipment failing due to poor materials
  • Worker injury: Dangerous machinery operated without proper safety equipment
  • Resource depletion: Industries exhausting local materials and damaging communities

Social Disruption

  • Economic displacement: New technology putting traditional craftsmen out of work
  • Military escalation: Weapons technology leading to more destructive conflicts
  • Class stratification: Advanced technology creating greater inequality
  • Cultural loss: New methods replacing traditional knowledge and practices
  • Political instability: Technological advantages shifting power balances

TECHNOLOGICAL OPPORTUNITIES: Innovation and Progress

Sustainable Development

  • Renewable energy: Wind, water, and solar power adapted for post-Cataclysm conditions
  • Circular economy: Recycling and reuse systems that minimize waste
  • Ecological restoration: Technology to help heal contaminated environments
  • Community resilience: Systems that help settlements survive crises
  • Knowledge preservation: Methods for maintaining and sharing technical information

Collaboration Networks

  • Trade relationships: Technology sharing between communities
  • Guild systems: Craftsman organizations that maintain and develop skills
  • Research cooperation: Groups working together to solve common problems
  • Educational initiatives: Programs to teach technical skills to new generations
  • Innovation hubs: Locations where experimental technology can be safely developed

Adaptive Solutions

  • Contamination mitigation: Technology designed specifically for Remnant Magic hazards
  • Modular design: Equipment that can be easily modified and repaired
  • Multi-purpose tools: Devices that serve multiple functions to maximize utility
  • Distributed systems: Technology that doesn’t rely on centralized infrastructure
  • Cultural integration: Technical solutions that respect local traditions and values

This framework provides a comprehensive understanding of how technology functions in your post-Cataclysm world, balancing the harsh realities of survival with opportunities for innovation and progress. The key is ensuring that technology serves the story and themes of your campaign while providing realistic constraints and opportunities for player characters.