For when you need something from the far-flung future, we're happy to deliver.
You may have heard that a blade a single molecule wide is effectively the sharpest blade in existence. This is absolutely true. Most 'monomolecular blades' are really several molecules thick, but this is still plenty good enough to cut through most armors like butter.
Armor protects with only half value against a weapon with a monomolecular edge, and damage is always Slash type. Quadruple any damage that bypasses Armor instead of applying normal modifiers!
What tells someone you're angry at them better than a healthy zap of electricity combined with every blow to the skull? True to its name, Electroshock weapons (typically Bash, though Slash and Stab weapons could conceivably use this as well) inflict an additional 10 points of Electric damage on a hit; metal armor, or armor penetrated by the weapon, provides no protection against this extra damage! If the target takes damage, make a Willpower doubled roll minus the SLs of the attack (plus any Pain Resistance) to avoid falling prone and losing a turn to extreme pain!
Electric carving knives are impressive. Now imagine an electric carving sword. That's the general idea behind the vibrational blade, a blade that vibrates at a highly rapid frequency, allowing it to be used as a saw and inflicting extreme damage on whatever gets under it. In game terms, vibrablades add an additional 10 points of Slash damage to any hit, regardless of the strength of the user, and can be used to gradually cut through materials, inflicting 10 points of Slash damage per Turn without significant exertion.
Boring drills are designed for one purpose – to drill directly through the armored battlesuit of an otherwise incapacitated enemy to kill them. As such, boring drills are big, heavy machines with extremely hard tips that are best used when an opponent is incapable of movement. Use a Dexterity + Getting Medieval - 2 or Combat Score - 2 roll if attempting to use one in a hand-to-hand brawl; the difficulty of landing a solid strike is offset slightly by the fact that a giant whirling drill bit can still rip things up even if it backhands someone. Boring drills inflict 4 x Strength Slash/Stab damage, and can ignore up to ten points of Armor, and if held on target can drill through one extra point of Armor per ten points of damage per Turn.
Technically, this is a beam of condensed ionized plasma confined to a variable space in order to be used as a melee weapon. It is notoriously unsafe to handle, due to the extremely high temperatures involved, and it is recommended that plasma blade wielders invest in heat-resistant gloves for extended use. Plasma blades without safety mechanisms use a simple click-switch to go from 'off' to 'knife length' to 'sword length'; plasma blades with safety mechanisms require one Turn to change settings, but are less likely to turn on accidentally with disastrous consequences.
In any form, these plasma blades inflict a constant 40 points of Fire damage against anything they come into contact with, per Turn, and can gradually burn through higher Armor Values. Using a plasma blade requires a Dexterity + Getting Medieval roll, or the Combat Score. In addition, merely holding the hilt inflicts one point of Fire damage per Turn to the user's hand - we meant what we said about wearing gloves.
A typical ray gun utilized by typical futuristic warriors. Wielding this puppy requires a normal Dexterity and Gun-Fu Roll, or the Combat Score. The gun fires beams that do 15 points of base damage (Beam type). This inflicts triple damage (after modifiers and armor are applied) to living tissue, and any armor (natural or worn) that gets in the way of the beam protects with only half of its Armor Value unless specifically made to resist Beams. Blaster pistols hold twenty shots on a full charge, and use normal pistol ranges.
This large beam weapon is capable of firing more powerful blasts over greater distances - combined with a proper scope, it is a damnably effective weapon. Its beams inflict 20 points of Beam damage, with the normal triple-damage against living flesh, and half-Armor Value against non-beam-resistant armor. Blaster Rifles use a large power cell that holds forty shots on a full charge, and use normal rifle ranges.
What's worse than a flamethrower? A flamethrower that spews gasses heated to the fourth state of matter, of course. While in most civilized worlds these are probably very, very, very illegal to anyone but the military, they are often used to clear out areas quickly and efficiently.
Using a flamethrower requires a Dexterity and Gun Fu roll -2, or the Combat Score -2. Plasma flamethrowers spray a continuous burst of ionized plasma out to about thirty feet, inflicting 20 points of Fire damage on anything dumb enough to get in its path, and an additional 6 points of Fire damage per Turn until the target is extinguished. Plasma flamethrowers can set anything remotely flammable on fire with sufficient exposure; they require an atmosphere to work (the gases are drawn into the compression chamber), and use a heavy-duty power cell that gives thirty seconds of constant use or thirty individual bursts.
This pistol has more computing power than your typical workstation. Linked directly into the Mindjack, it uses the images from the user's brain to assess ranges, possible targets and movement. It pretty much aims itself, using a complex system of gyros and muscle feedback to the user's hand, giving shooters a +3 bonus on their Gun Fu rolls. As it uses the shooter's eyes to assess targets, it cannot aim where the shooter cannot see, although if they have the right ocular implants, they can see quite a bit. The smartgun does 15 points of Bullet damage and halves any Armor Value. It carries 25 bullets.
This odd-looking handgun is the standard weapon of telepathic demons. It draws on the telepathic abilities of the wielder and creates a burst of mental static that can disorient or incapacitate the target. In order to use a mental disruptor, you must have Psychic Visions, Telepathy, Telekinesis or another psychic ability. To attack, use your Willpower + Wild Card (Psychic Focus) or the Brains score; this cannot be dodged! If you hit, the weapon inflicts 10 points of base damage that ignores all armor. In addition, the victim must make a Willpower (doubled) roll at a penalty of three + the Success Levels of the attack; on a failure, she is knocked out. Even if she remains conscious she suffers a -2 penalty to all actions for the next four turns. A mental disruptor has a maximum range of 50 yards, with no range penalty. The attack cannot be detected by any normal senses, but anyone with psychic powers will feel the burst of mental energy.
You know how the CIA is always supposed to be beaming messages into people's heads? This is what they (whoever 'they' really is) use to do it. A psychic transmitter is a crystal-studded cube about the size of a shoebox, with a large glowing sphere embedded on one side. A character with psychic powers can use the transmitter to establish a mental link with anyone she can see, anyone she is familiar with, or anyone that has been tagged with a mental beacon (a common element in government-made neural chips). The user can project telepathic messages into the mind of the victim; the victim can choose not to respond, but she'll keep hearing the “voice” of the transmitter. This is a good way to convince someone that she is going insane, or to manipulate someone who is already insane. If you possess the Telepathy Quality, you can read thoughts through this link, as if you were able to touch the target.
Another handgun used by those wacky telepath demons, this is identical to the mental disruptor except for the effects of the attack. Anyone struck by a psychotron must make a Willpower (doubled) roll at a penalty of 5 minus the Success Levels of the attack. If she fails, a mental link is formed between you and the victim. You can project images into her mind; this is treated as the level 1 Illusion power in Chapter 2. The effect lasts as long as you continue to concentrate on your victim. You may perform other actions while maintaining the illusion, but you will take a -4 penalty on any checks. You can use the psychotron on multiple opponents, but you have to project the same illusion into the minds of all victims.
What does science fiction hold for the humble grenade? Look below to find out.
This grenade releases a cloud of gases that disrupt beams without significantly obscuring vision. Any Vision-based Perception roll is at only -1 when looking through the cloud; any beam weapon fired through suffers an effective -2 to hit and half damage. Treat otherwise as a Smoke Grenade.
A really, really, really bad idea. No, really.
Okay, if you insist – antimatter grenades contain a small amount of antimatter, which reacts with extreme violence when brought into contact with matter. Most of the grenade's weight is used on the containment systems to keep the grenade from going off early, and the power cell that runs the containment unit. Antimatter grenades are usually fired from a grenade launcher with an interface system to configure the payload, so that the grenade will explode when and how the firer wants. The explosion from an antimatter grenade inflicts 500 points of Fire damage and 500 points of Bash damage to anything within twenty yards of the blast site; reduce damage by 5 points per 20 yards further away. This is for a 'tactical' antimatter grenade. A more powerful one could reasonably be made but would likely kill the user. Antimatter weaponry is usually used as a Plot Point in similar fashion to suitcase nukes and biological reagants; always as something to be stopped before it goes off.
Fragmentation grenades are nasty. Monomolecular fragmentation grenades are much worse. As one might guess, these grenades are packed with tiny bits of monofilament that become incredibly lethal shrapnel over very long ranges. Use normal grenade damage; as with other monomolecular weapons, Armor protects with only half value against a weapon with a monomolecular edge, and damage is always Slash type. Quadruple any damage that bypasses Armor instead of applying normal modifiers!
Assumptions about the future tend to follow the modern pattern of assuming that armor will be essential to provide any chance of surviving futuristic weaponry. The Armor Value of armor reduces the damage of attacks; futuristic armor may be made to protect against Beam damage in particular, diffusing or deflecting energy weapons in a manner that keeps the wearer alive longer.
Some forms of armor are even required in science-fiction campaigns; campaigns involving the depths of space will require pressurized vacuum suits for survival, for example. However, the notes mentioned in other sections still apply - in most areas, visible body armor is illegal without proper authority, and will likely attract attention.
| Armor Table | ||
|---|---|---|
| Armor Type | Armor Value | Notes |
| Apocalypse Armor | 18 | Self-contained environmental protection suit |
| Battle Gear | 14 | Covert, yet effective |
| Bulletproof Armor | 15(7) | 15 vs Bullet/Bash, 7 vs Slash/Stab |
| Covert Armor | 6(3) | 3 vs Bash, 6 vs other |
| Flak Jacket | 10 | Halved against Slash/Stab attacks |
| Hardened Leather Armor | 4 | Stiff leather armor, possibly studded |
| Leather Armor | 3 | Breastplate, helmet and arm and leg protectors |
| Leather Jacket | 2 | A leather jacket, such as worn by bikers |
| Metal Helmet | 16 | Only vs Head Shots; other helmets use AV as armor |
| Military Armor | 40 | Halved against Slash/Stab weapons |
| Padded or Quilted Armor | 1 | Cloth padding that offers minimal protection |
| Plate Armor | 20(10) | Very heavy; second value is used against Bullet attacks |
| Plate Mail | 16(8) | Second value is used against Bullet attacks |
| Small Shield | 15 | +1 to Off-Hand Block; if Block succeeds by 1 or less, apply AV to attack |
| Medium Shield | 20 | +2 to Off-Hand Block; if Block succeeds by 2 or less, apply AV to attack |
| Large Shield | 30 | +4 to Off-Hand Block; if Block succeeds by 4 or less, apply AV to attack |
| SWAT Armor | 30 | Halved against Slash/Stab attacks |
Battle Gear: Cool, black, and the latest in commando protection, this has Armor Value 14, and when worn in combination with dark clothing, provides a +1 to stealth related Acrobatics or Crime rolls, unless the operative happens to be sneaking around a brightly lit white room.
Bulletproof Armor: Whether a vest or a bodysuit, this stuff is made of Kevlar and composite materials. It provides 15 Armor Value against bullets and bashing, seven against Slash/Stab weapons.
Chain Mail: These finely woven metal links are heavy, but they provide 8 Armor Value. This value is halved against firearm attacks.
Covert Armor: When on a stealth mission, the stylish warrior can’t always wear a bulletproof vest. This covert armor is the cutting edge of undercover protection; while incredibly resistant to any sort of penetration, covert armor appears just like normal cloth. That wool sweater could save your life! Covert armor only has Armor Value 3 against Bash damage, but that increases by three against all other damage types.
Flak Jacket: Standard-issue commando gear in olive green or camouflauge patterns. When combined with appropriate clothing in an appropriate environment, it provides the wearer with a +1 to all stealth-related Acrobatics or Crime rolls. Lighter than full SWAT gear, it has Armor Value 10.
Leather Armor: This could be a mutant's X-coveralls or a suit for a man without fear. It could be just a leather breastplate, helmet, and greaves. Armor Value is 3 or 4 (for hardened leather).
Leather Jacket: Looks cool and may have plenty of zippers or metal attachments. Provides two points of armor protection.
Metal Helmet: Only covers the head but it covers it well. Grants 16 Armor Value (assuming the attack is a Head Shot). Other types of helmets exist; use the particular armor for the specifics.
Military Armor: This top-of-the-line ceramic and Kevlar covering provides 40 Armor Value. This is halved against Slash/Stab weapons.
Padded or Quilted Armor: This stuff looks pretty silly (imagine yourself surrounded by thin pillows) but it's better than being bare-assed. Its Armor Value is 1.
Plate Armor: This is the fancy stuff you see in museums around the country. Covers the entire body and is a bear to get around in (can't move much more than a slow walk). It provides 20 Armor Value, halved against Bullet damage.
Plate Mail: This is chain mail reinforced by solid metal plates. It provides 16 points of Armor Value. This value is halved against bullet attacks.
Shields: Shields make it easier to block strikes. An Off-Hand Block maneuver by a combatant equipped with a small shield gains +1 (such as a buckler), a medium shield (such as a Viking's round shield or kite shield) gains +2, and a tower shield (such as a scutum) gains +4. If the Parry would have succeeded without the shield's bonus, it's a clean deflect and no damage is taken. Otherwise, damage is calculated as normal but the shield provides additional Armor Value protection of 15 for a small shield, 20 for a medium shield, and 30 for a tower shield. A shield can also be used offensively with a Dexterity and Getting Medieval roll. It does 2 x Strength Bash damage and allows a Strength (doubled) Resisted Action to knock the target prone.
SWAT Armor: For the heavy ordinance squads of boys in blue. This armor grants a boffo 30 points of protection, halved against Slash/Stab weapon attacks.
This exists in any world where psionics is scientifically understood, and is a headband that generates a soothing . The wearer is shielded from psychic attacks; she receives a +5 to any rolls to resist direct psychic manipulation (telepathy, hypnosis, or the attack of a mental disruptor). Any psychic damage is reduced by 5 points.
This high-tech device is the size of a fanny-pack, weighs about five pounds, and is worn about the waist. When activated, it generates a glowing field of energy that projects itself to a range of about a foot from your body. This screen deflects fast-moving objects and beams, while allowing slow-moving objects to pass through normally (thus allowing you to walk safely, sit in a chair, etc.) This provides an Armor Value of 20 against all forms of damage (excepting against melee attacks, and any attack from within close quarters) while in use. It lasts for five minutes on a full charge.
Force screens have a side effect of interfering with scanning equipment; -2 to acquire information inside or outside of the force screen with analyzers and similar scanning equipment (but a +2 to find the screen itself).
To keep in constant contact with your cybersetting pals, this handy transceiver is surgically placed close to the inner ear. Optional upgrades can increase auditory perception (which is great for safecracking) or pick up broadcast radio and TV audio. With the increased auditory perception feature, this item grants the same bonuses as the Acute Hearing Quality.
After a shot of adrenaline mixed with experimental cyberchemicals, your character can suddenly have the boost of strength that she needs to life the car off the trapped victim or ignore those nasty wounds for a while. A small vial of the solution is kept on the surface of the skin with an implanted delivery device that senses the need for the shot. The booster lasts for ten Turns, increasing the character's Strength by two. Also, the user can ignore all penalties for injury right down to -10 Life Points, and if not taken to -10 Life Points by an obviously destructive weapon (say, a vat of molten iron, an exploding building, or the like), can continue to operate without penalty beyond -10 Life Points, kept alive purely by the chemicals. Still, at the end of ten Turns, Survival rolls must be made as normal. Reloading the delivery device takes one minute.
Some heroic hunters have modified the delivery system to send a shot of holy water into the blood stream, triggered by a vampire's bite. This will send holy water straight into the mouth of the bloodsucker as a final act of revenge (40 points of damage). Pointless, perhaps, but at least you know you've gone out with a splash.
The latest trend in the dark cyberfuture is the addition of enhanced limbs, even if the former ones were healthy. The old ones are sold on the black market. Usually cybernetic limbs grant the character a flat score of 4 in both Strength and Dexterity, but only when using the replaced limb. Stronger and/or more dexterous limbs are available, but without extreme modification the limb has its limitations.
Stories of cyberneticaly powered individuals who push the limits of their abilities usually end in disaster – the limbs pop messily off the bodies. Whole-body replacements are available, with the subject's brain surgically implanted into a new body. This is the equivalent of having the Robot Quality, except the Attributes of such a cyborg can be increased as far as your Director will allow.
One of the strangest trends in cybernetic prosthesis modification comes from the “vampire wannabe”. Many wannabes have undergone drastic surgery to have retractable fangs, and some even have sub-dermal muscle enhancements to give the impression of a vampire's game-face. Suddenly slaying becomes far more complicated…
Some people just know they are going to get into a fight and like to be prepared for the worst. Armor of varying thickness can be surgically grafted onto or even under the skin. Plates of Kevlar can be attached to both front and back of the ribcage to prevent staking – a particularly useful bit of preventative medicine for the vampire on the street. Strips of flexible steel can be applied to the arms and legs to strengthen the bones, while thin layers of chainmail can be laid under the skin of the neck to protect against bites. Sheets of thin Kevlar have an Armor Value of ten (five against Slash/Stab attacks), while chainmail has an armor value of eight (four against Bullet attacks). If the armor takes too heavy a battering, it may be rendered useless at your Director's discretion.
An implanted weapon is attached to one of the character's cybernetic limbs, retractable at will. Implanted firearms require ammunition as normal; implanted beam weapons require an energy source; and implanted melee weapons are as useful as ever (and may qualify you for the Tool Man advantage). Extending or retracting a cybernetic system takes one Turn, but during that time, the character can activate or deactivate as many cybernetic systems as they wish.
In the hackable world of cyberpunk, valuable data is taken from place to place via information couriers. People wipe their earlier memories for more storage space and upload the information straight into the brain via a Mindjack. The courier is unable to access the information. She can only download the data at the destination when certain visual stimuli are present. With some modification, human beings can become data stores for vast amounts of information. Information can only be retrieved by the carrier when in a state of meditation, downloading the information directly to a deck via a Mindjack, or reciting it verbally.
The key feature of any cyberpunk setting is the ability to “jack in” to computers and technology directly without all those fiddly keyboards and mice. With a single fiber optic cable, plugged into the surgically implanted socket (usually behind the right ear), characters can access cyberspace, upgrade skills and tune into her weapons. This multipurpose socket is connected directly to the brain and is about the size of a pentop. Once fitted, the wires seek out the correct parts of the brain themselves, and the socket is almost impossible to remove without causing serious brain damage.
Nanomolecular machines are injected into your bloodstream, constantly working their way through your body, acting as a major supplement to white and red blood cells and extending your lifespan dramatically as a result. This accelerates your natural healing rate; you regain Life Points equal to your Constitution every hour and recover from drugs, tranquilizers, etc twice as quickly as normal. You also gain an effective Hard to Kill 5; if you pass a Survival Test by the Hard to Kill bonus given by your nanite infusion or less, you appear dead, but if left alone will recover as soon as your nanites fix the damage.
These chips are typically used for behavior modification, self-improvement, or manipulation of a subject - or just good old-fashioned entertainment.
The earliest forms of 'neural chip' are implanted directly into a subject's brainstem; installing or removing a neural chip in this manner requires Doctor 5, Mr. Fix-It 5, and a thorough understanding of the subject (or barring that, a good deal of improvisation.) Failing to install or remove a neural chip properly can cause crippling brain damage - an expert brain surgeon with knowledge of the subject is generally recommended. Don't try this at home. Typically, the organization that installed a chip can remove it (and may do so in order to remove evidence of its activities); however, prototypical designs may require improvisation to remove.
Other neural chips may be connected to the brainstem via a chip slot - an internal slot that requires surgery to access, an externally accessible slot that allows the user to slot in their own chip at will, or even a helmet-mounted slot that uses neural induction to generate the chip's effects in the brain without any surgery at all, using a neural induction helmet. Neural chips that are not implanted in the brainstem can typically be removed without permanent harm. Typically, chips that include effects the user may not want are surgically implanted, or some other method is used to keep the user from simply removing the chip.
One chip can have multiple functions - a booster chip can include slave programming - but normal humans can only have one chip installed at a time. Multiple chips attempting to control a nervous system would likely cause catastrophic damage or turn fatal at worst, and would interfere with each other at best.
A DataChip contains normal computer programs and files meant to interact with computer systems; this may allow for a person to play computer games on their own cybernetic eyes, or to record what they see for later dissemination, for example.
These chips prevent the victim from performing a specific type of action. If the victim attempts the prohibited action, they suffers blinding agony. This is represented by five points of damage (no defense); in addition, the victim is stunned by the pain, and is completely helpless on the Turn following the action. Each Turn thereafter, they may attempt a Willpower (doubled) roll; success allows for the resumption of normal activities (though a headache still remains to remind them of their failure to obey). Mod chips come in a couple varieties.
Neural Shutdown Chips are typically used in circumstances where one does not want critical information falling into enemy hands, though there are certainly other uses. When a HiberChip is activated, it shuts down the victim's higher brain functions, throwing the chipped individual into a coma. Neural shutdown is an extremely traumatic experience. If the chip is deactivated, the victim can make a Willpower (doubled) roll to return to consciousness; if the roll fails, the subject remains in the coma indefinitely.
The effects of a neural shutdown chip typically block any attempts at telepathic information retrieval; there is no brain activity to scan. If the Cast has a clever approach or if the plot hinges on acquiring a specific piece of information, attempts may be allowed, but the telepath should take a minimum of -5 to any associated rolls.
Sometimes it’s not enough to prevent a specific type of action. Sometimes the chipper wants the victim to perform an action. In that case, a slave chip is a must-have item. There are two basic types of slave chips:
Depending on the model and purpose of the chip, the victim may or may not be able to recall any of the actions she performed while under its influence. In particular, automatic action chips usually place the victim in a trancelike state.
It is possible to resist the effects of a SlaveChip, but it requires tremendous strength of will. A character can make a Willpower (doubled) roll to try to break the chip’s hold. If she scores four Successes, she regains control of her actions for one Turn; each additional Success Level gives her an additional Turn of free will. This attempt can only be made once every minute. In addition, if the victim is not aware of her actions, she can only make this roll if some outside force compels her to do so - like her best friend begging her not to kill herself.
There are many ways to use slave chips in a game. Characters with slave chips are walking time bombs. Members of the Supporting Cast may turn from ally to enemy at the touch of a button. And what would a character do if her best friend turns into a deadly assassin and there’s no way to safely remove the chip? In the case of a chipped character, it could be that the chip is only activated by a specific stimulus that the character can try to avoid, or perhaps the signal can be magically disrupted. But in the long run, the Cast must track down and defeat the villain who is controlling the chip, and even then, there is always the chance that someone else will find a way to activate it.
If a character has taken the Chipped (SlaveChip) Drawback, take your time activating the chip. A SlaveChip is not supposed to be activated as often as a ModChip. Its effect are going to be nasty, so it should be used sparingly. Also remember that the victim may not be able to remember her actions while under the influence of the chip. Perhaps the gang is investigating a series of murders, and it’s halfway into the story arc before the character discovers that she’s the killer!
Delving deeply into the realm of the unethical, a StepfordChip is essentially designed to induce a state of cheerful obedience in the implanted subject similar to that of a slave chip, but on a constant basis. StepfordChips are usually designed to give a particular authority group control over the individual, and often have an assortment of other modifications to change personality and behavior included.
Ever find yourself needing to know how to pilot the odd helicopter or jet-ski to escape the bad guys? Just pop in a SmartChip that holds the skill. Once removed, no knowledge of the skill is retained. Each chip grants the user a Wild Card skill of five in one particular skill area. The chips are very specific and set to the one level. If the character needed to perform surgery on an injured teammate and already had Doctor 3, she would still only get the Wild Card (Surgery) 5 (the Doctor Skill would make no difference while she's relying on the pre-programmed information). Some of the more dangerous chips, such as Demolitions, are only available on the black market.
Commonly known as a BoostChip, a Tactical Activity Booster chip allows a character to perform at superhuman levels for a brief period of time. Developed as an alternative to chemical enhancement programs with their unfortunate side effects, BoostChips are extremely useful for tight situations, but can only be used once per day. Here are three sample BoostChips; feel free to develop others with similar capabilities.
* //Adrenal Boost:// This provides the user with a brief rush of strength and energy. For 10 Turns, the user gains a +2 bonus to Strength and Dexterity (which can exceed normal human limitations). The increase in Strength adds eight Life Points to the character’s total, but these points are lost when the effects of the chip wear off.
If you want, you can allow a character to use a BoostChip more than once per day, but this should carry a considerable price; each use beyond the first causes a character to lose one point from all physical Attributes for 24 hours. You can DO it, if you don’t mind risking your health. And if you decide that a character is getting too much mileage from their chip, you can always have it turn out that the chip has a bit of extra programming from the manufacturers!
A common piece of cyberware for everyone. No longer does your character need glasses or contacts. Still, why stop there when she can have the time constantly on display in the corner of her vision? TV or virtual programs can be beamed in as well. For a few extra bucks, zoom features, infra-red and thermal imaging (not so handy for spotting vampires unless they've just fed), camera-like recording to send images (be sure to switch it off before using the bathroom), X-ray vision … the list is endless. But as always, the more special features you want, the more it's gonna cost you. Without the optional enhancements, this item provides the same benefits as the Acute Vision Quality.
Concealed just under the fingernails, these are retractable steel blades that can be used in close combat or for food preparation. These nasty little cyber-items do 2 x Strength Slash/Stab damage, and use either a Dexterity and Kung Fu roll, or a Dexterity and Getting Medieval Roll, or the Combat Score.
With one painful injection directly into the spinal cord, the subject's entire nervous system is enhanced with a superconductive material that relays messages from the brain faster than before. It can take weeks to become oriented to the new reflexes. During that time, the character often over-estimates when reaching for objects or places her foot wrong when moving down steps. Once she is accustomed to her new abilities, she gains the equivalent of the Fast Reaction Time Quality.
On the one hand, injecting yourself with chemicals may sound like a bad idea. On the other, replacing your left arm with a machine gun might also sound like a bad idea, but that doesn't stop some people from trying. Note that drugs can be addictive, and the effects of this addiction may or may not be noted. Get creative! Often things that push the human body into overdrive have some cost involved, and anything that makes you feel better will make you want more. It's up to you to define and apply the downside of enhancement drugs. Consider how much disruption they are causing your plotline or how much your plotline could be enhanced by the characters spiraling downward - or whether a shot of Jolter in the morning is your campaign's equivalent of coffee.
Most drugs are provided in pill, liquid, inhalant, or injection form, depending on their nature. Pills take five minutes to begin working; liquids take one minute; inhalants and injections begin taking effect after one Turn.
Parivicam is a substance that promotes accelerated processing of sensory input in the brain, giving the user a level of awareness they never knew they had. It is taken via pill or injection, and lasts for three hours. During this period, Perception is increased by 2; users with average hearing could listen to whispered conversations across a room while under the influence of the drug, or read distant text with ease. However, in people with Paranoia or Delusions, Parivicam worsens their symptoms by one level (to a maximum of Deranged); people who become addicted may develop Paranoia or Delusions as a side effect (particularly things like 'hears voices').
Cardion is a powerful stimulant that kicks the body's metabolism into overdrive to provide a surge of physical ability. Strength and Dexterity are increased by 1 for a period of one hour after taking the drug, either via liquid or inhalant; however, Constitution is reduced by 1 for this period due to the strain put on the body. This is often marketed as a diet supplement due to its metabolic effects, but the drug is occasionally linked to heart attacks and strokes, and as such is generally frowned upon for use in this manner. It is officially banned in sporting events.
This is a coagulant, stimulant, and cellular regeneration accelerant meant to be injected near a wound site in order to rapidly promote healing. It takes no medical training to use, and restores 5 LP one Turn after usage, in addition to stopping bleeding. It is available as an injection only. Multiple uses of this drug within a short period of time have a chance of causing heart attacks due to hypercoagulation (roll vs Constitution doubled minus the number of doses taken within 24 hours after the first).
This is a universal substitute for blood plasma that is meant to be used for quick recovery of lost blood in a crisis situation. It is typically supplied in a specialized pack with a pre-loaded supply of plasm (6 pints) and diagnostic machinery to determine the proper amount to administer; used appropriately, it can restore up to half an individual's lost Life Points, if they were lost due to blood loss.
Vampires attempting to consume Plasm Substitute will find that it is, at best, an unsatisfying alternative - no health is regained from consuming it, although it does marginally sate hunger.
A favorite device of science-fiction shows, the analyzer is a super-Palm Pilot that lets your character find out just about anything – as long as your Director decides she should know it. Otherwise, the device malfunctions or encounters weird “sub-space distortions” and so forth. Analyzers can provide the exact chemical composition of an object, or the atmosphere; they can also give you a quick medical diagnosis, detect life signs, and play any number of video games. With an analyzer in hand, you can say things like “Captain, that woman walking towards us has no life signs.”
Using an analyzer requires an Intelligence and Knowledge roll. People who haven't been trained in its use incur a -2 penalty, -6 if they are from a primitive culture (i.e., no TV sets).
This handy device utilizes advances in surveillance, electronics, and sensor technology to form a compact unit that a trained military professional can use in the field. Certain vigilante outfits may have developed something similar for their own use. To a casual observer, it looks much like a touch-screen phone or game system.
Any type of roll with a bioscanner requires at least minimal training (provided by the manufacturer of the device). Given time, a technically oriented character can figure the scanner out by making an Intelligence and Mr. Fix-It roll, but she suffers a –4 to all rolls until she gets some Wild Card (Electronic Surveillance) skill training.
MilSpec-Secure versions of this device are at a -8 to Computer rolls to attempt to crack the device's internal encryption, a -4 to attempts to reverse-engineer or monitor it using other skills, and may be fitted with a self-destruct mechanism that permanently destroys the unit if it detects unauthorized attempts to tamper with its core hardware or firmware. They typically require a special interface to upload or download information to the device or perform other functions, and customization beyond intended parameters is usually frowned upon.
Versions designed by less security-conscious sorts are at a -4 or less to Computer rolls to attempt to crack the device's functions, but often offset this with added functionality (such as wireless web access, removable memory cards, USB data connection / recharging, etc).
A bioscanner has a number of functions:
* Tracking: It can track the location of any homing dart within two miles, providing direction and distance to the target.
* Thermal: It can perform a thermal scan within a thirty by ninety foot cone, collating the data and providing information on the body temperature and basic nature of all living creatures in this area. If a creature is not in the database, information on its mass, basic shape, and body temperature are provided. This scan can penetrate most materials, although at your discretion it could be blocked by lead shielding or mystical barriers. Thermal scans are an easy way to spot a vampire in a crowd of people. If you want to make things a little more challenging—especially if a character is scanning a crowded area—require a Perception and Wild Card (Electronic Surveillance) roll to pick up the important details (i.e., vampire) in a timely manner.
Gone are the days of dressing in green, looking like an army guy. This cybersuit scans your character's environment and adjusts its color and tone to match, making them almost completely invisible. The suit doesn't reduce the sounds made by the wearer, but anyone trying to locate her by sight alone suffers a -4 on Notice rolls. The Suit has no Armor Value and is easily damaged. If it takes more than 10 points of damage, the camouflage effect is lost.
This computer, known as a “Deck” among cybersetting hackers, is the size of a laptop and looks like your average computer. You plug directly into cyberspace through your Mindjack, controlling your actions with your thoughts alone. To the casual observer, the hacker appears to be in a state of trance - in reality (oh, bad phrasing), they are in the realm of cyberspace, manipulating data streams and flying through restricted network domains.
Note that settings with this sort of system generally require it to pull off any impressive uses of the Computer skill, and any budding hackers should be warned of bio-electrical feedback and mind-death caused by the ultra-hard firewalls and anti-intrusion software (or ICE). Players and Directors who are into that sort of thing may make entire sidequests or adventures out of exploring the vast tunnels and catacombs of unexplored computer networks, using Intelligence and Computers in place of Dexterity and Getting Medieval and using programs in place of weaponry.
A particularly nasty bit of covering available for cybervampires is a full-body “sun suit”. This skintight black material, complete with a full hood and face mask, is sewn over every part of the body. The eyes are protected by thick lenses that may be lightened or darkened as necessary. To feed, a pair of syringe-like retractable needles spring from the index and middle fingers of each hand, and the blood is pumped directed into the vamp's mouth. Of course, this type of coating may be completely unnecessary if pollution in the cyberworld has obscured the sun.
Who hasn't wanted to try one of these at least once? Not the military, that's for certain. The military has been working on personal jetpacks for years, and a squad may be assigned a working prototype. A personal jetpack is a large device that weighs 200 pounds; the user must wear protective clothing and a portable oxygen supply. The jetpack allows the use to fly at a speed of 80 miles per hour, rising to a maximum height of 8000 feet. It can run for 90 minutes before burning through its fuel supply. The jetpack can be used to hover, and the user has one hand free for actions like firing a weapon. Any tricky action—hovering, firing while flying, or cool aerial acrobatics—requires a Dexterity and Driving roll. A failed roll can result in a painful introduction to the ground—25 points of Bash damage and a 50% chance that the jetpack stops working. The jetpack does contain an emergency parachute, so the rest of the Cast probably won’t have to scrape their friend off the pavement—although you never know when someone might have forgotten to stuff the parachute… This item is a Power Level 4 Superscience item (base 4 minus 1 for size plus 1 for duration), or may be treated as pure tech (more limited examples do exist in real life, after all.)
It’s difficult for a human to infiltrate a group of vampires. The undead have keen senses, and things like high body temperature and pesky beating hearts really blow your cover. This high-tech body-stocking projects a low-level energy field that shields the wearer in a number of ways. It masks her heartbeat, keeps her apparent body temperature at room level, conceals the smell of warm blood - something vampires are quite sensitive to - and through a truly bizarre application of quantum mechanics, prevents her from showing up in mirrors. However, it doesn’t come with a “game face” - the masquerading vampire may find herself in a spot of trouble if she’s invited to partake in a meal. It also only lasts for five days before it must be shut down (and taken off) for a day. This item is a Power Level 6 Superscience item (base 4 + 2 for duration).
This fancy syringe is designed to automatically inject when touched to a person - more subtle versions are disguised as a pen or similar object. If used as a weapon in combat, with a successful Dexterity and Getting Medieval roll (or Combat Score) against a target, a wielder can inject them with a chemical or other payload. Injectors take standardized vials, and require one Turn to reload.
Those involved in much more subtle affairs prefer these tiny injectors, disguised as an innocuous small object, like a ring or a bracelet. When used in combat it works just like an injector. If the target does not realize the threat, a Dexterity and Crime roll (or Combat Score) is opposed by the victim’s Perception and Notice roll (or Brains Score). Success for the attacker pricks the opponent without her even noticing what happened, although the poker may have to come up with an excuse for touching the victim in the first place. The micro-injector has two drawbacks: the smaller dosage reduces the Strength of any loaded drug by one, and it takes a full minute to fit a new venom cartridge into the device because of all the little fiddly bits. The tiny size of the weapon prevents non-chemical payloads.
We could write a whole section of different kinds of bugs, but you know what? We’re not going to. Bugs are easily concealable cameras or microphones that can be stuck to things. Depending on the mission requirements and what’s available at the local equipment depot, bugs could be designed to read heat signatures, trigger alarms or explosives, or other nifty tricks. While we’re on the subject of bugs, we’ll also throw in the idea of SIGINT (a fancy way of saying “Signals Intelligence”) equipment. These are devices designed to intercept signals from any sort of emitter—bugs, radios, telephones, surveillance cameras, and so on. Basically, bugs that can bug someone else’s bugs, in addition to doing things like tapping into phone lines or intercepting radio signals. Another nifty gadget is TEMPEST technology, which allows an operator to pick up signals from a nearby computer and see what’s on the monitor (watching a person's screen without standing behind the user, in other words). Handy, huh? So if an Episode involves bugging, you can pretty much make up whatever type of bug catches your imagination. The real challenge is usually going to be getting in to place the bug.
Spy movies are full of gear for spotting bugs and blocking transmissions. Again, we’re not going to get into technical details here, but sure, there’s lots of ways to do this. Basically, it’s up to you to decide whether the squad has the proper equipment for the job. Locating a bug is a tricky task that may require specialized skills. Using a device to block transmissions doesn’t require any sort of training—but it’s the kind of thing that attracts attention. The trained bug boy knows just how long to block a signal before it will be noticed; the amateur certainly sets off alarms.
In addition, equipment can be specifically designed to protect against various methods of surveillance against its operation; this typically (and sometimes dramatically) increases the cost of an item to a degree relative to the esotericness of the bug it is meant to counter and the degree to which it impairs operation. What price would you pay to ensure that your communications go unmonitored?
This spiffy headset unit handles all communications needs. In addition to providing an audio link to the command center, it has a small camera that can relay video images, and a biomonitor, allowing the communications officer to keep an eye on the wearer’s heart rate and other vital signs.
The comcam is extremely obvious to observers. On an assault mission, this is just fine. For the sneaky or sauve gal-about-town stuff, the little headset with the camera raises suspicions. Each function of a comcam can be performed by a concealable component. Audio communications are handled by a flesh-colored earpiece; if this is spotted, it may be may be mistaken for a hearing aid. A video feed can be hidden in a pair of glasses, a watch, or similar item. Wristwatches also make excellent biomonitors; alternately, a biomonitor patch can be taped over the heart. All of these components require the use of an auxiliary transmitter, which is about the size of a cigarette lighter. Spotting a comlink earpiece requires three Success Levels on a Perception and Notice roll; spotting a camera requires four successes.
About the size of a PDA, this little device allows a character to manipulate electronic or magnetic locks, ATMs, and the like. This grants a +2 bonus to any roll dealing with electronic systems.
This handy device picks up a conversation in a room by bouncing a laser off of one of the windows. Setting up a laser mike requires an Intelligence and Wild Card (Electronic Surveillance) roll; if the bugger gets fewer than three Success Levels, she suffers the same penalties as if she were setting up a bug (see p. [?]). A laser mike lets a character listen in on a conversation from far away, and she doesn’t have to actually sneak in and place the bug. But the mike does have one limitation. You know how vampires don’t have reflections? As it turns out, their voices don’t create vibrations in glass either. Those wacky supernatural creatures. So listening into a room and hearing a one-sided conversation could mean a vamp-human discussion . . . or the gent could just be talking on the phone.
The thing about government conspiracies is that they often have mundane but extremely useful stuff they just shouldn’t have - and even without such conspiracies, such items do exist (just ask any group of MIT students.) Given a little lead time, major government organizations (and creative and careful groups of merry pranksters) can generally acquire master keys to buildings in any American city. Not so useful when the crew is in a hurry or fighting in the jungles of Peru, but when Ace is the place and Crime skills are lacking, it helps to have a key.
When out in the middle of nowhere, keeping track of the information picked up by comcams, bugs, or SIGINT gear is a bear. The MCC is an extremely fancy laptop computer with a backpack full of extra components, including a second monitor to help track multiple video feeds at once. Getting it all set up requires an Intelligence and Wild Card (Electronic Surveillance) roll; using it is an Intelligence and Computers roll. An MCC can also be used to relay a message to your headquarters of choice through a satellite uplink. Once it’s set up, the MCC is no longer mobile; assembling or disassembling the MCC takes five minutes.
You’ve seen them in everything from army ads on TV to Silence of the Lambs, ‘cause they’re just so darn useful. Night vision equipment used by military personnel uses image enhancement technology as opposed to thermal imaging, which is important when going up against non-warm things like vampires. Effectively, the goggles see up to 200 yards away in perfect darkness. Still, a –1 penalty is imposed on any Perception rolls due to that funky green image.
The PMWI is the closest you’ll get to those X-Ray specs offered in the back of comics in the old days (y’know, pre-1990). The standard PMWI used by special operatives is the size of an electric razor. It picks up EM waves emitted by living creatures and uses resistance to build a picture of the objects carried by the target. This model has a range of 10 yards, and can even be used through walls (although lead or similar materials block the signal). The PMWI can be set to deliver its data to the user’s bioscanner or to a mobile communications center. Interpreting the data correctly requires a Perception and Science or Computers roll. Many agencies are working on developing even smaller PMWI units; a smaller unit would have a correspondingly shorter range. Note that undead creatures do not emit the radiation that the PMWI uses to generate an image—so no peeking through a zombie’s pockets!
When you’re on a Black mission, you may not be able to pull out a bioscanner and check out your current pals. The probe ring packs a powerful scanner into a rather large piece of jewelry or item of similar nature (like that mirrored pocket-watch). In conjunction with a mini-transmitter, it scans a character’s immediate surroundings and relays the information to a mobile communications center for analysis. The range is far more limited than the bioscanner - only 10 feet for thermal imaging or protein sampling - but it’s a good way to find out whether the guy nearby is actually a robot.