Expanded Worlds
A crucible is both synthetic and organic. Polymers and alloys seamlessly fuse with warm flesh and pumping blood. A living supercomputer, a crucible is a creature of frightening intelligence with the ability to absorb inorganic and organic material to repair itself or adapt to new situations. Crucibles move using a version of translation that essentially allows them to teleport short distances within a given recursion, or slide between Weird Science or Psionics recursions (though that takes longer).
Crucibles act on a subtle, decades-long plan that requires them to make minor adjustments (and sometimes major changes) in the recursions around the Shoals of Earth and perhaps beyond. What their ultimate goal is, and whether they're working together or at cross purposes, isn't something any crucible has yet revealed.
Crucibles don't seem to come from a recursion seeded by fictional leakage, nor do they seem to be natives of the Strange. Their origin is a mystery.
Motive: Intercede in various recursions
Environment (Weird Science or Psionics): Usually in secure facilities with a few servitor creatures on hand
Health: 21
Damage Inflicted: 5
Movement: Immediate
Modifications: Speed defense as level 2; knowledge of recursions and the Strange as level 8.
Combat: A crucible can pummel foes within short range with long, silvery tendrils. Because it can absorb matter, physical attacks against a crucible may not have the intended effect. A character who successfully attacks a crucible with a melee weapon or an unarmed strike must make a Speed defense roll. On a failed roll with a weapon, the attack deals damage, and then the crucible absorbs the weapon, destroying it and regaining 1 point of health. On a failed roll with an unarmed strike, the attack is negated and the character takes 3 points of Speed damage (ignores Armor). A crucible can also spend its action absorbing matter around it (such as walls, floor, equipment, unresisting living creatures, and so on), regaining 5 points of health. Although a crucible normally moves slowly, it can use an action to teleport a short distance every other round. A crucible that has cyphers or artifacts uses them in combat.
Interaction: A crucible usually speaks by plugging into nearby electronic systems to generate a synthetic voice, though some can also speak telepathically. A crucible is willing to negotiate, especially if it wants something, though if its goals are at odds with what the PCs want, it's unlikely to give in without a fight.
Use: The characters are contacted by a crucible that wants them to accomplish a task in a recursion that operates under the law of Magic. The job: assassinate a ruler (who the crucible paints as evil) and put an imprisoned heir (who the crucible describes as innocent) in the ruler's place.
Loot: A crucible might have 1d6 cyphers and possibly an artifact.
GM Intrusion: The character damaged by a silvery tendril must succeed on a Might defense roll or be snatched into the crucible's embrace. Until the PC escapes with a successful Might-based task, she can't take any actions except trying to escape. While caught, she speaks in the crucible's voice, issuing threats to the other characters.