[updated] WX-78 major rework ideas + perks

[Mortalbane]

Why rework?
Current WX is cool, especially compared to pre-refresh. But when i watched his animated short, where he pulled out his heart, i thought - why circuits, why not organs?
I started thinking about this and other stuff, like why is his sanity and health affected by food if he is 100% non-organic, or why can he sleep and heal, or why lightning strikes buff him instead of shutting him down, or why do you get biodata from clockworks, or why he has a ghost if he is called Soulless Automaton.
Also some of his circuits are useless, like who upgrades hunger or sanity?
So now i've got this rework.


Base kit

• Wetness damages a bit slower, but also slows anything that can be slowed - move and attack speed, crafting and eating speed, etc.
• Lightning strike replenishes some Energy, but damages you and stuns for a few seconds, causing a blackout and system reboot.
• Charge meter, circuits and biodata removed.
• Hunger is replaced by Energy.
• WX cannot be healed by means that heal organics.
• Food can't affect WX's sanity and health.
• WX can place the Assembler Pod.
• WX can craft new organs and bodies.
   

Assembler Pod
A placeable structure which is used to craft new bodies.
It is one-of-a-kind structure created by Wagstaff, and sadly you have no clue how it works or how to craft it. It is immune to fire and damage, hammering it turns it into a packed version, like Summer Cawnival structures. The packed version can't be stolen or eaten or anything.
Allows you to swap organs for your current body.
It acts like a tent with infinite durability, for WX only. To restore your health, it uses your Energy.
It can't restore your Energy, but a fully discharged body can be dragged here to kick-start it.
It has its own inventory, which allows storing crafting materials and organs.
Its main slot can hold a pre-crafted body, but you will be unable to get into the Pod, while another body is in there.

Bodybuilder
Using the Assembler Pod, WX can craft new bodies. There are several types made of different materials, will be unlocked by perks.
Those bodies have no head, but have 2 organ slots - Heart and Stomach.
The bodies can be carried around like other heavy objects.
Initial max health and Energy depends on the body.
A body cannot leave the Assembler Pod if some of its organ slots are empty.

Headlicopter
Unlike those other meatbags, WX never actually dies. Instead, his head detaches from the body and sprouts little helicopter blades, flying around just like Jimmy.
If you have a body available, you can attach yourself to it - think of it as a meat effigy of sorts.
Sanity state is stored in your head, so it is kept between the bodies. But if you detach from a body with low sanity, it is restored to the point where nightmare creatures don't attack you.
Due to this mechanic, WX dodges the max health penalty for dying.

Sticks and stones may break automatons
When WX's health runs out, he detaches from the body. Instead of a skeleton he leaves behind a broken carcass, which can be mined for some materials.
But what happens if you try to revive by magical means, like Postern or Telltale Heart?
You indeed revive, but instead of shiny metal your head is now attached to thin jerky meat body, looking like a thin Meat Effigy. Or a stick figure.
This body is very weak, has laughable stats, and your sanity starts to drain while you are in it, while WX comments "WHAT IS THIS?", "WHY AM I A MEATBAG?" an so on. This body's only purpose is to get you to a new proper body or to the Assembler Pod.
If you're trying to revive via a body stored in the Pod, but some of its organ slots are empty, you will be unable to revive. You will have to detach again, craft organs, insert them, and only then revive. Don't forget your organs!

Repairs needed
Healing with food, salves, potions, amulets, etc - forget about that. Instead WX crafts repair kits and eats gears.
He cannot heal using a tent or bedroll, which is replaced by the Assembler Pod.

Energy
Hunger is replaced by Energy, and there are multiple ways to replenish it.
If it reaches 0, WX's head detaches from the body, as if he died, but the body remains usable. It just needs to be recharged by any means, like lightning strikes, or dragging it to the Assembler Pod.

Organs
They basically replace the current Circuits, and are shown in a similar interface. New ones are still prototyped with Jimmy's help, but require no biodata, only crafting materials.
The transform-me-into-a-robot starter pack:

• Processing unit mk.I - a Brain slot organ. Defines your starting max sanity. Numbers won't impress you.
• Broken Heart Module - a Heart slot thing. Gives absolutely nothing but the distant feeling of sadness.
• Bioreactor Stomach mk.I - a Stomach slot item. Allows eaten food items of any spoilage to restore your Energy. Numbers are a bit reduced compared to what meatbags get when they eat that food.

You start the game with those, and all of them are easily crafted

Drones
Jimmy has some company now, other drones can be unlocked with perks.
Each drone is unique, and only one with the same name can be active at a time.
Initially you can have only one active drone at a time.
Drones are untargetable, but they have hp and can be killed indirectly by AoE attacks and such. Unfortunately, they are also unable to tank for you.
All of the above applies to Jimmy.


Skill tree
Bodybuilder branch
Allows you to craft various bodies and organs, for example:

Brain slot
Processing unit mk.II - gives average max sanity. Comes with a cooling system that prevents overheating. Doesn't refrigerate food in your inventory.

Sensitive Module - gives average max sanity. Allows to see in the dark, like the current Optoelectronic Circuit, also highlights dangers such as tentacles. When hounds or boss are nearby, shows distance to them, until they appear on screen.

Neural Inhibitor - quite low max sanity. Locks the sanity value, preventing any change.


Heart slot
Generator Heart mk.I - reduces your Energy drain rate when you are running. Gradually increases your move speed as you run, up to a cap.

Generator Heart mk. II - further reduces Energy drain while you run. Gives move speed bonus, and gradually increases it as you run, to reach even greater speed.

Empathy Module - a piece of heartware, which gives bonus max sanity and sanity regeneration aura for you and your friends. It also plays a faint melody, tending to plants. Maybe you aren't so Soulless after all?

Scarless Heart Module - constantly heals you for a bit of hp, doing it in a heartbeat rhythm - two ticks of healing, pause, two ticks, pause.


Stomach slot
Bioreactor Stomach mk.II - gives bonus max Energy. Comes with an item slot, where you can put an item stack, and it will be used as needed. Food item is not consumed instantly, but is digested over short time. This restores Energy in several ticks, and gives more total food value than the original item. Allows you to eat any organics to restore Energy, the food value depends on the item. Things like grass or rot restore a little. You can put living creatures such as rabbits in that slot, and digesting them gives the most Energy. Well, NOW you are Soulless.

Furnace Stomach - gives bonus max Energy. Allows you eat anything that burns to restore Energy over time. Now food gives little values, but logs or grass tufts give more. The more valuable is the fuel, the longer it burns. While "digesting", your temperature rises, you dry quicker, and you provide heat and light. Can you be cooked on? Why not. Also perishables in inventory spoil faster.

Accumulator Stomach - gives a lot of bonus max Energy. Lightning strikes now damage you much less, give more Energy, and don't shut you down, making it a true food source. Lightning strikes charge you for some time. While charged, you produce sparks once is a while, giving light, your attacks deal some additional lightning damage, and mobs attacking you also receive it. Any non-lightning electrical damage you receive has all of the above effects on you, but reduced. You can still eat food items, but food values are greatly reduced.


Bodies
In addition to crafting your basic body, you can unlock a few new ones, for example:

"Rook" - tough body with great stats and built-in armor, but has reduced movement speed. Mostly crafted from thulecite.

"Golden boy" - luxurious body that has it all - good speed and good stats. And style.

"Dread-naught" - a dreadstone body capable of self-repairing.

And so on.
Each perk of the branch can be a separate craft, or can also include various upgrades.



Mechatronics branch
This branch revolves around building drones like Jimmy with various functions. Idk why Jimmy was named that way, i bet it has a meaning. Each of my drones is named after a famous character related to the drone's ability.

Perk examples:

Ember - learn to craft Ember, a swift little drone who enjoys setting your enemies on fire. She gets close to the enemy and starts heating up the space around herself, until things start burning, and continues to deal fire damage in a small radius around herself.

Dennis - a drone, who detects fires and flies over to extinguish them. When you overheat or catch fire, he extinguishes you, reducing your temperature, but increasing your wetness. Can save the loot after Ember is done with your foe.

Mary - a slow but elegant drone, who can project a large umbrella-like force field which protects from anything that falls from the ceiling - rain, acid rain, boulders, etc. She detects the "threat" automatically and reacts immediately. But she gets tired rather quickly and has to rest and recharge the ability.

John - orbits you and seeks out enemies, raining machine gun fire upon them. While very aggressive and fast-attacking, doesn't hit very hard. Sometimes shoots a missile for a damage burst, and can set things on fire.

Lassie - picks up items and puts in your inventory. Good girl.

The list can go on, and perks can include various drones, their upgrades, ability to control more drones at a time, and so on.
Heck, there can even be a skill that allows all your current drones to combine into one big drone for a time, raining chaos, fun and destruction.
Whatever suits your fancy.



Affinity perks

Shadow perk examples

Nightmare Reactor Stomach - now you can only eat nightmare fuel and the like. The fuel "burns" slowly, giving a lot of Energy, and makes your attacks stronger for the duration.

Fuel Squeezer 9000 - allows to craft and place a trap, which can catch a nightmare creature and hold it in a force field. The creature takes damage over time until it dies, and each damage tick has a chance to produce nightmare fuel. The trap has infinite uses, but only one can be active at a time.



Lunar perk examples

Neil - learn to craft a flying drone named Neil, who orbits you and attacks enemies trying to harm you. He shoots a continuous lunar beam, which gets stronger with each second, up to a cap. Enlightenment zones or full moon charge Neil for some time, making his beam even stronger.

Lunar batteries - being under the effect of enlightenment or full moon rapidly restores your Energy. After the Energy threshold is full, it starts filling up again, "overfeeding" you up to double of your maximum Energy stat. As long as you are overcharged, you gain bonus damage against shadow creatures, deal that damage when shadow creatures hit you, and glow in the dark.