What are the biological and hygenic needs of a tech-priest relative to those of a normal human? This is most assuredly a silly question, so I'm looking for your opinions rather than a definitive answer (because there probably is none).

Factors and thoughts to consider include:

- How many calories does it take to power a potentia coil?

- How about a mechadendrite? A built-in auspex? A tank-crushing servo arm?

- Can a tech-priest synthesize his own nutrients by plugging into a power source with his luminen capacitors?

- If an overweight tech-priest wants to slim down, should he go for a jog, run maglev-sprints, or do resistance training by running away from a powerful electromagnet? (Swimming laps is most definitely a bad idea)

- Do tech-priests bathe? How often?

- Do TPs wear machine-oil-scented cologne to conceal their impure organic smells?

- If a tech-priest has a respirator grile, how does he even eat?

- Could a significantly blessed tech-priest skip the hassle of the previous question by replacing his digestive system with a fuel tank and combustion engine?

- How would a tech-priest fare in a drinking contest? Would he get drunk very quickly because of his low organic body mass, or would his cogitator brain keep him sober long after his fleshy drinking partners fall unconscious?

On how they eat/drink I'd assume it's by tube or injection. Or an all-liquid diet. I believe in one of the Ciaphas Cain novels it's mentioned that the most common "food" on Forge Worlds is a nutrional paste of some manner, which makes it seem that solid foods are probably in short supply on a Forge World, likely due to the Mechanicus being unable to eat it. And as far as drinking contests go, I suspect that the bionic augmentations would help the Tech Priest out quite a bit.

I would assume he/she would have to clean their mechanical bits so they don't rust/corrode/break. Any flesh they had would need to be cleaned as well, because the flesh is weak, but if you don't clean it, it starts to get.....nurgly. Also in the Cain novels a tech-priest says "I already ate this week." which implies they either eat very little or they eat a large quantity in one sitting. I've also never thought that they might just plug in to the wall to get "nutrients"....."Magos Doppler, we must leave soon." "Give me 74.346643 seconds Magos Wizen, I must acquire sustenance. (plugs into wall) "much better. We go now!" All that aside. As for the overweight tech-priest....well, i'm sure the mechanicus could always offer some undoubtedly stressful and entirely-too-invasive version of liposuction.

Hi Covered,

I guess that the "less blessed" (who are mostly in the flesh expect for two limps and half a dozen implants) will be quiet similiar to a human being. With the added need of machine ungeant and oil to care for their bionic limbs

On the other end of the spectrum, I see these "there are some inner organs left, but that´s it!" similiar to ROBOCOP. And I mean the ORiGINAL Robocop and not that "I am quick and slick" re-"visioning" thing of late. For those who do not know: besides power from cabales (battery charge) the orginial Robocop was on a "nutrien slurry diet". The stuff tasted and looked a lot like those stuff you feed babies with after they are over getting milk.

@ How many calories does it take to power a potentia coil?
I think it is safe to assume that WHATEVER it is that powers the potentia coil (or the other things), it is NOT going to be calories taken in by food. If you think about what that thing DOES in regard to power output, Machine-Temples would start to need their own agri-planets quickly.

@Can a tech-priest synthesize his own nutrients by plugging into a power source with his luminen capacitors?
To me, power is power and food is food. A Tech-Priest needs both. HOw much of which and in which forms depends on how "blessed" it is (see above).

@If an overweight tech-priest wants to slim down (...)
Question rejected for being to silly


@Do tech-priests bathe? How often?
Anyone remembering the "android oil bath" in the first of the ORIGINAL THREE StarWars movies? Something like that for a "fully blessed" priest, but perhapts once in a month or less. Otherwise.....the Imperium never seemed to be a clean place...

@Do TPs wear machine-oil-scented cologne (...)


@If a tech-priest has a respirator grile, how does he even eat?
I go by the assumption that is a lot like in the mentioned robocop, movie: nutrien paste is inserted somewhere. Perhaps they even have their own "slury making" implant in ther body so they can render down what ever food is available .

- Could a significantly blessed tech-priest skip the hassle of the previous question by replacing his digestive system with a fuel tank and combustion engine?
No. There is always a brain left and brain is not running on energy alone. The need for biological food will be minimum, so. By the by, fossile fuels are ineffective for long-time running anything. That is why Diesel Generators are auxillary and not the main power plants anymore. Go for a reactor or a re-chargable isotropic fuel cell.

- How would a tech-priest fare in a drinking contest?
There are jolly, drink-loving Tech-Priests in your universe?

I'm with the guy above on almost all of this. However, it got me thinking about solar or wind powered tech priests. (One more reason for guard to hate the rain.) An overweight tech priest would probably have the fat pumped out of him, or be forced into a harsh training regimen. That or lobotomised and turned into a servitor for wasting the almighty Omnissiah's resources on his pathetic fleshy parts.

I don't believe a tech-priest would ever get into a drinking contest for fun. He would most likely do this to prove that flesh is indeed weaker than metal when challenged by a group of Guardsman.

The Black Library novel Scourge the Heretic (produced to support DH and set in the Calixis Sector) features a scene of the party's Techpriest eating with the rest of the group. He makes a point of saying that he doesn't care what the food tastes like, as long as it is nutritious. I was curious how they eat with a permanent respirator, but the book skips over this detail.

I don't believe a tech-priest would ever get into a drinking contest for fun. He would most likely do this to prove that flesh is indeed weaker than metal when challenged by a group of Guardsman.

Personally, I don´t even think that a proberbly indoctrinated Tech-Priest would care. Let´s face it, "getting drunk" is BAD for us. We do it because we are unreasonable and enjoy the side effects. Said side effects are imparing our functions. Which Tech-Priest would consider an imparison of his functionality to show off in a silly primitve "flesh man ritual" that is about who can imbibe more harmful substance?

That aside & to finally answer your question: it should depend on how much of the biology is still there. If there is a stomach and a liver and a blood circulation, the Tech-Priest will suffer from just the same detrimental side effects as a "normal" human. Because that his how a "normal human" gets affected by alcohol, too!

If the Tech-Priest is so "blessed" that he cannot diggest like a normal human I guess it is safe to assume that that imbibing alcohol would be even MORE harmful to him then to a human being. Both a stomach and our liver do a GREAT job in dealing with all the stuff we put in through our mouth, making sure we can actually digest it (stomach) AND handle it and any "by products" of it (a job the liver grudgingly does). If those are not "installed" anylonger..well...alcohol is not good for you! Unless, of course, it is high percentage stuff so you can use it for cleaning these blessed parts of you...but keep it away from that weak flesh!

EDIT: of course, there will be some implants/glands/filterbionics/whatever somehwere in the grimdark40k to actually just do that: filter acohol and make you a super-duper-drinker without any problem because the alcohol jsut does not affect you anmyore...but then again..I expect a noble to have such for reason X, but a Tech-Priest? Perhaps one who is meant to be on "diplomatic missions"...to involve in said flesh man ritual without suffering from it

Alcohol is a remarkably efficient fuel (compared to the same volume of food) as such I imagine a tech priests only problem with it would be the mental impairment (which could easily be avoided by enhanced digestion.)

Sunflower or corn oil is even more caloric . And t o fully utilize the kcals of ethanol you'll need not stomach, but the fuel cell .

Alcohol is a remarkably efficient fuel (...)

..in a combustion engine designed to operate on it. The same is not true for a (biological) body.

EDIT: let me go a little further.

Any given human body has a base amount of calorien it needs to operate (maintaining a working temperature and “powering” things like organs and most of all: muscles). If the body is not getting that calorien, it cuts itself back (for some strange reason, muscles first...perhaps because they need the most calories).

If you give the body more calorien then it currently demands, it is NOT generating extra power. I cannot. It turns it into fat instead in order to store it. Fat, on the other hand, can get problematic VERY soon if it builds up. If you are currently doing a lot of physical work, your body will then try to build up muscle or turn "stored calories" into it. But simply "taking in high energy fuel" if you are not having a "high energy demand engine running" is a BAD thing, not a good one.

Now, take into accoutn how "cut back" a Tech-Priest biology is to begin with. Taking in "high power fuel" would just be a waste because his "biological parts" do not even have the demand. Hack, he is likely to have less "real muscle" because he has less "real limbs" left!

And alcohol is NOT an efficient fuel for the human body to begin with. Alcohol is high calorien for sure. But all that calorien comes with some very detrimental side effects.

To go back to the engine analog, it is like putting tainted fuel into a motor. It makes it dirty. It makes you need to clean the thing more often and to change the filters more often.

In a REAL engine (designed for taking it in) alcohol might be a good thing. In a human body, milk prodcuts and low-fat-meat would be much better to “power up” (which is the reason why body builders are more likely on stuffing that stuff then nuzzling whisky).

A Tech-Priest COULD handle it and especially if he is designed for it. But alcohol is NOT an efficient fuel for the human body as it holds alot of component that are detrimental. Other things are much better. Browser the internet for an athletes diet if you interested in that kind of stuff.

All of which could reasonably be handled by the enhanced digestion I mentioned in my post. Also when was the last time the admech cared about dirty fuel?

If you see that a Tech-Priest would be adding "unclean" fuel to a system (biological or machine) when there is no need to it (due cleaner alternatives) because "the filters will take care of it", then I have no further argument.

If you see that a Tech-Priest would be adding "unclean" fuel to a system (biological or machine) when there is no need to it (due cleaner alternatives) because "the filters will take care of it", then I have no further argument.

That sounds like a great insult to the filter's machine spirit

On how they eat/drink I'd assume it's by tube or injection. Or an all-liquid diet. I believe in one of the Ciaphas Cain novels it's mentioned that the most common "food" on Forge Worlds is a nutrional paste of some manner, which makes it seem that solid foods are probably in short supply on a Forge World, likely due to the Mechanicus being unable to eat it. And as far as drinking contests go, I suspect that the bionic augmentations would help the Tech Priest out quite a bit.

I'd disagree with you on this. The vast majority on a forge world (which usually resembles a hive world) would be humans (menials) performing all simple labour requirements with a much, much smaller group of tech priests as overseers. Food would be required to feed them.

On how they eat/drink I'd assume it's by tube or injection. Or an all-liquid diet. I believe in one of the Ciaphas Cain novels it's mentioned that the most common "food" on Forge Worlds is a nutrional paste of some manner, which makes it seem that solid foods are probably in short supply on a Forge World, likely due to the Mechanicus being unable to eat it. And as far as drinking contests go, I suspect that the bionic augmentations would help the Tech Priest out quite a bit.

I'd disagree with you on this. The vast majority on a forge world (which usually resembles a hive world) would be humans (menials) performing all simple labour requirements with a much, much smaller group of tech priests as overseers. Food would be required to feed them.

There is no reason the menials on a Forge World would be served anything other than nutrient paste.

or that the entire population of workers consists of servitors.

or that the entire population of workers consists of servitors.

I can imagine that there are certain very rare Forge Worlds that have an above-average amount of servitors to the point where they are more common than regular humans, but I imagine that they're rare as all hell.

I can imagine that there are certain very rare Forge Worlds that have an above-average amount of servitors to the point where they are more common than regular humans, but I imagine that they're rare as all hell.

Cyclopea.

"Once a Tech-Priest known only as “The Fabricator” ruled in apostasy over this forge world, which is in truth a series of space stations known as the Cyclopean Network. Orbiting a blighted world of misery and pain, the Network was entirely staffed with Servitors during his eccentric reign..." - The Lost Dataslate, p.5

EDIT: Ignore this. Posted in the wrong thread

On how they eat/drink I'd assume it's by tube or injection. Or an all-liquid diet. I believe in one of the Ciaphas Cain novels it's mentioned that the most common "food" on Forge Worlds is a nutrional paste of some manner, which makes it seem that solid foods are probably in short supply on a Forge World, likely due to the Mechanicus being unable to eat it. And as far as drinking contests go, I suspect that the bionic augmentations would help the Tech Priest out quite a bit.

I'd disagree with you on this. The vast majority on a forge world (which usually resembles a hive world) would be humans (menials) performing all simple labour requirements with a much, much smaller group of tech priests as overseers. Food would be required to feed them.

There is no reason the menials on a Forge World would be served anything other than nutrient paste.

It's good enough for servants of the Omnissiah, why not those who serve them in turn?