I was thinking about this a month ago on a fantasy version of Earth’s weapons of mass destruction. I had to think about what would Alagossian weapons of destruction would be like. I know plenty of famous fiction stories and worlds, but I never dived into some on Alagossia.
The only ones I can think of are the Saints who are basically gods who can destroy the world with a problem. I would stick with just the Saints, yet even using them is far too easy, so I was pondering it a bit.
I am still trying to figure out the Pillar Incident and the Cataclysmic Flash that took place over a millennia ago. I am vague on how to go about that, but something or someone caused the event to happen then select few people foolishly glance at an absolute eldritch horror that drove them completely insane. That eldritch horror’s skeleton remains, but the second has mysteriously disappeared.
The case is that the two eldritch horrors have what it takes to destroy all of Alagossia along with the Saints too. That is a weapon of Mass destruction, then again I am still figuring that out.
I have things in Nazra-Eradelia that can be compared to Tsar Bomba times five, I haven’t dived into further.
There are some things, just I need to understand what it is and more that is required in heavy world-building.
I want to know if any of you have any in your own stories or know the some in fiction.
I understand that some of you would NOT have anything like that in your story, while some would. However, in famous works of fiction that you’ve seen and read, you noticed something that was similar to Earth’s weapons of mass destruction that was greater.
The concept of WMDs in stories doesn’t bother me at all. They’re held over our heads and mostly unused, so I expect fantasies would have those pinch points but otherwise ignore theirs for daily life, like usual.
Do you have one in your own stories? Do you know any famous fictional works?
Well, WMDs don’t bother me ever, it’s just one of those world-building things that was there and never used yet or there and was used but could be used again, depending on the plot.
It was a thought in regards to world-building how I looked at random shit on the internet.
Thinking about it in a weird way that is natural, Mother Nature is a weapon of mass destruction given how much the author wants to dive into that. Even on Earth, Mother Nature going off the rails is a prime example of how the world is against humanity and becoming a dangerous weapon in a way.
The Xeelee lore has the GUT-Drive reactor that generates a energy output roughly equal to the Big Bang. These reactors can be weaponized, and scaled down to infantry backpack size. From what I’ve read (of the lore), one GUT equipped ICBM could destroy the sun.
To be a little more restrained, the book Weapon of Choice by John Birmingham features an interesting futuristic cruise missile (similar to the Pluto project). The missile is nuclear powered, contains several dozen APFSDS flechette launchers, and all kinds of guidance and target selection equipment. The missile whips along at sea level and near-sonic speed, when it flies over a target the reactor super-heats several flechettes (hot enough to melt synthetic armour) and launches them into said target at frightening velocity. Once the flechettes are expended the missile flies into one last target and detonates it’s own warhead (with enough destructive force to break the Bismark in half).
The closest my story has to a WMD might be a very angry Freyja. I’ve been trying to find a legitimate reason for the support and random encounter characters to be unnerved by Freyja’s presence, and to develop a subconscious fear of what Freyja could do (once combat trained) along with a constant nagging desire to run the hell away. One of my favourite YouTube lore channels found the answer: trans-human dread. Freyja would have the toned-down combined effects of Warhammer 40k’s Astartes and Eldar (see below) on anyone who is not accustomed to being around Special Forces trained genetic freaks.
Don’t be afraid of that muscled cutie in Dov’s shadow? Karen, I’m terrified ~ PancreasNoWork Karen’s house guest.
On the subject of Warhammer 40,000, or Warhammer 30,000 lore, both the pre-fall Eldar and the pre-AI revolt human empire had star system destroying levels of technology. The Eldar, at the height of their powers, scared the universe’s ancient Gods into hiding, and the bald apes had battleship class weapons that distorted or accelerated / decelerated time in a specific area (like around or inside an enemy battleship).
If nature wants you dead, you are dead.
Or Never turn your back to the sea ~ family saying.
The second you disrespect the ocean is the second it kills you.
Stay away from that bastard North Atlantic ~ Sterling Hayden.
A little off topic but an interesting discovery. I recently heard about a science-fiction enthusiast who decided to compare the combat capabilities of an (original trilogy) Star Wars Star Destroyer and an original Star Trek Enterprise.
This enthusiast happened to be a metal and asteroid expert (super-brain), and he examined a scene in The Empire Strikes Back where a Star Destroyer is swatting asteroids with its turbo-lasers. His inner asteroid expert determined that those asteroids were pure iron, due to their shape and colour / light reflections.
The enthusiast then calculated how much energy / destructive force would be required to atomise such an asteroid with one shot. His conclusion: a single direct hit from a Star Destroyer’s turbo-laser would slice the Enterprise in half, energy shields be damned. Now, I’m wondering how strong were the Rebel’s shields on the ice world Hoth if the Empire opted for a land invasion instead of an orbital bombardment.
Speaking of power-scaling, and over-powered sci-fi weapons / factions, I just encountered this old video. Some fictional species and realms are plain nuts…Warhammer 40K is mundane by comparison, and the Xeelee are far more powerful than I have read about (yet they are not the dominant species of that Sci-Fi setting)…
I only know about Warhammer 40K from you gushing about it and some videos on YouTube. I don’t plan to get super involved in everything as a whole, but I love the aspects of it.
I was a fan of Warhammer 40K as a tabletop game, I collected the Space Wolf (aka Space Viking) miniatures, until the models and paints became Weapons of Financial Destruction. I still play the computer games sometimes.
Now, I’m leaning into Halo lore as a new favourite Science Fiction realm. If only because real-world medical science, assisted with the next generations of AI researchers, could make some of Halo’s medical science possible.
The Halo Forerunners technology is where I’d like humanity’s AI-infused future to end up.
The more advanced Halo Precursors had a level of technology that made the Laws of Physics / Laws of Reality optional for any desired area. The Laws could be rewritten on a whim, like they were pencil sketches.
Oh, some other science fiction weapons that interest / terrify me…
Dr Manhattan, a human WMD (science is the ultimate superpower)
The aliens in The Three Body Problem. A small group of alien scout drones (space UAVs) demolished future humanity’s best space battle-group.
