This is a brief list of odds-and-ends that might be found in the hands or on the body of the average person.

These are examples of equipment ordinary people may carry with them at all times.

Attaché Case: A briefcase made of tough, high-impact armorplast, it has DR 12 and can be fitted with any standard lock or security system. It can also be coordinated with any outfit, thanks to a varicloth surface with a few dozen different patterns programmed into it. A fingerprint lock system prevents anyone but the owner from changing the pattern. $80, 2 lbs., LC4.

Pocket Pack: This is a collection of six items which many technicians and crewmembers find invaluable; it is standard issue on well-run ships. It includes a penlight, a Swiss army knife (screwdriver, scissors, small knife, file, tweezers, bottle opener, and toothpick, $10, 1/8 pound), a roll of vacuum-proof sticky tape ($2, 1/8 pound, 150 yards x 2 inches), a marking pen ($4 and 1/16 pound, will write on metal or glass, in temperatures from -150° to 400°, in zero gravity and in vacuum), a single meal’s worth of food tablets ($5, 1/4 lb.), and a candy bar ($1, 1/8 pound, in a vacuum-proof wrapper). $25, 0.75 lbs.

Cleaning Gel: A quick-hardening gel that the user applies, then peels off along with any dirt. Using it is akin to the ancient technique of applying olive oil and scraping it off. Bottle with eight applications: $4, 1 lb.

Smart Brush: A motorized micro-brush and vacuum cleaner used to remove dirt without water, often used in the field, on desert planets, or on places where water is a priority. $50, 0.5 lbs., B/24 hr.

Depilatory Cream: Painlessly removes hair, and prevents growth for long periods (different brands do so for a month, a year, or permanently). Comes in bottles good for several topical or one whole-body application. $10, 0.1 lb.

Digital Shampoo: Often included with shampoos and soaps, these electrostatic films assemble when exposed to water and bind to hair, turning it into a programmable video screen. Hair-care products can break down the hair films or reinforce them, acting as high-tech styling gels and conditioners. Most become useless after a month, but weekly applications are common. $10/application.

Smart Hairspray: This hair coating is based on slipspray or buzzfabric technology. When applied, the hair automatically sheds dirt and maintains flexibility. $2/application (lasts 1 week).

Grooming Spray: This device looks like a deodorant stick with a small control at the base. It is an applicator-programmer that releases a swarm of microscopic machines (“groomers”). The user sets the groomer to “mark,” then sprays out boundary-marker machines that delineate the area to be groomed; the spray nozzle adjusts to cover an area from a square inch to a square foot. Then the user resets to one of a dozen “groom” settings and releases groomers into the bounded area, which they won’t leave. The groomers trim body, facial or head hair or fur down to the setting-specified minimum length in millimeters (a setting of zero will depilate). They also can be set to remove dirt or dandruff, or to apply dye. The job takes about 30 seconds.

Used bots self-destruct within an hour or two: they are non-toxic and will degrade harmlessly if exposed to ultraviolet light or intestinal flora. Grooming spray is $10, 0.1 lb. (30 uses). LC4.

Bioplas Contact Lenses: These correct vision problems (if genetic engineering hasn’t done away with those already) and change eye color. They cost $20. All sensor-equipped contacts are made out of bioplas. They can be worn indefinitely, due to bioplastic’s ability to “breathe” and eat bacteria, and normal scanners cannot detect them.

Ultra-tech clothing can be woven of fibers that conduct electricity. Examples include silk organza, which uses a mix of normal silk and a silk thread wrapped in thin copper foil, as well as a variety of specialized plastic optical fibers. Electronic components may be sewn directly to the fabric or attached to the metallic yarn. Other devices can be temporarily fastened onto the fabric as necessary. This means the clothing functions as a databus that allows different electronic devices to talk to each other, or share power supplies, without the need for additional communicators.

Power is usually supplied by a combination of woven solar power, body heat, and piezoelectricity generated from the flexing of the fabric when the user moves. “Smart clothing” is available at no extra cost. However, there are many other applications for these fabrics.

Waterproof Coating: Truly waterproof fabrics become available in TL8, although they suffer some degradation after a dozen cleanings. By TL9, water does not penetrate the weave even when completely immersed for years, and water-based paints, dyes, and chemicals sheet off instantly. It has no effect on oil-based fluids and solvents. Any garment can be bought waterproof; add 50% to cost at early TL9, 25% at TL9, 10% at TL10.

Imprint Circuits: Simple microcircuits and microprocessors can be printed onto cloth (or even flesh). For $10, a solar-powered electronic device such as a chronometer or calculator can be imprinted onto nearly any surface. Artistic designs made out of multicolored LEDs are also available.

Computer Clothing: General-purpose computers can also be clothing. A small computer with the printed option will fit on a single garment such as a shirt or dress. It is Complexity 5 and stores 10 TB. $100, 0.5 lbs., 2B/20 hr. LC4.

Display Fabric: Based on similar technology as video walls (Ultra-Tech, p. 51), clothing can be made into a video display. An integrated computer stores images and controls the display, though an external feed is required to choose or change the pattern or video. This can be anything from a single color, a still image, an animated GIF-like loop or full HD video. Display fabric is also available in stereoscopic 3D, allowing images with depth. Display fabric is +2 CF, while stereoscopic 3D display fabric is +9 CF. Display fabric is mutually exclusive with varicloth.

Varicloth: This cloth uses imprinted circuits to alter its color and pattern. A sweater, dress, jacket, shirt, pair of pants, or skirt may be bought with a half-dozen different color patterns programmed into it. Running a finger over a sensor concealed in the garment switches it to the next pattern. +2 CF.

Solar Fabric (TL9) Solar cells can be woven into the fabric of clothing, using the high surface area of cloth to their advantage to generate power. A shirt, waist-length jacket, pair of trousers, or knee-length skirt provides enough surface area to recharge one A cell per hour of exposure in sunlight at TL9, increasing to one B cell per hour at TL10+. Time is quadrupled on an overcast day; artificial light provides no power. Multiply the rate by relative light levels for other environments. +1 CF.

Buzz Fabric: Clothes, furniture covers, or other rough fabric surfaces can be engineered to clean themselves. Buzz-fabric fibers contain microscopic circuitry and brushes that eject dirt and grime. A buzz-fabric wearer can be totally clean moments after falling down in a mud puddle. Dirt is ejected, not destroyed: buzz fabric on a horizontal surface like a rug or mat would be a lot easier to clean (since grime would not be ground into it), but you would still have to go over it with a vacuum cleaner to remove the residual dirt and dust!

Buzz fabric sheds water, and dries five times faster than normal cloth. This makes it very popular for rainwear. Despite its nickname, buzz fabric doesn’t make an audible noise. +1 CF from normal clothing or fabric, and versions are available for flexible armor and most types of environmental suits. +1 CF to armor or suit’s basic cost in most cases; for bioplastic, add only 0.2 CF to cost.

Responsive Fabric (“Memswear”): Clothing, footwear, and imitation-leather goods can be made with integrated microelectromechanical systems (MEMS). These tighten or loosen to produce a stylish and comfortable fit. While responsive fabric is not quite one-size-fits-all apparel, it offers more tolerance than ordinary “dumb” clothing. Responsive fabric can also change porosity, adjust to temperature and humidity, and absorb sweat stains. Responsive fabric costs three times as much as ordinary clothing. If it incorporates buzz fabric or varicloth, it costs four times as much. Including both costs five times as much as normal clothing. Bioplastic suits such as the biosuit or bioplas bodysuit already incorporate responsive fabric technology.

Waterproof Coating: Truly waterproof fabrics become available in TL8, although they suffer some degradation after a dozen cleanings. By TL9, water does not penetrate the weave even when completely immersed for years, and water-based paints, dyes, and chemicals sheet off instantly. It has no effect on oil-based fluids and solvents. Any garment can be bought waterproof; add 10% to cost.

Swimwear: This is a full-body ultra-smooth low-drag swimsuit and optional set of swim fins. Fins take four seconds to attach or remove, and add +1 to Basic Move for the purpose of figuring Water Move. When wearing fins on land, Move suffers a -1 penalty.

Biomimetic Swimsuit: +1 to Basic Move for the purpose of figuring Water Move; with fins, the total bonus is +2. This design is inspired by fish skin, with a surface texture that decreases drag and turbulence by making water spiral off the body. $50, 0.1 lbs. ($75, 0.2 lbs. with fins).

Bioplas Swimsuit: +2 to Basic Move for the purpose of figuring Water Moves; with fins, the total bonus is +3. This suit is similar to the biomimetic swimsuit, but incorporates a layer much like slickskin. It also heals any rips automatically. The fins are detachable. $100, 0.1 lb. ($150, 0.2 lbs. with fins).

This spray tube contains a smart polymer that sticks to bare flesh, then solidifies into a skintight fabric with the look and feel of a silk body stocking. It provides as much warmth as light summer clothing, while being porous enough to allow the wearer’s skin to breathe. Various colors are available, including skin tone, metallic colors, and translucent models. It has no DR.

Donning suitspray requires spraying it over the body. It adheres to flesh but remains semi-liquid for about 30 seconds, enabling it to be lathered about for full coverage. The smart polymer can sense if it is not stuck to flesh, and if so will easily peel off instead of adhering. Thick body hair may stick through it; depilatory cream or the equivalent is a good idea. Most people prefer to put it on while in a bathroom with a mirror; this ensures full body coverage. Otherwise, embarrassing patches may be overlooked, although these can be easily fixed with an extra squirt or two.

Suitspray takes about 20 seconds to spray on, half that if someone else is helping. It does not wash off in ordinary water, but rinsing with a special soap or a sonic shower will remove it within 30 seconds. (So will 10 seconds of stunner fire, or any hit by a screamer.) Suitspray is popular with those who don’t mind showing off their bodies and who prefer not to carry bulky clothes when they travel; it also makes a good thermal undergarment. In some hotels, a shower may dispense a suit for a small fee ($4 added to the bill).

Suitspray: A can holding enough suitspray to cover an adult human. $4, 0.25 lbs. Flakes off in two days if not removed. LC4.

Video Suitspray: As above, but incorporates digital ink, transforming the body into a low-res video screen. This is usually controlled by a wearable computer, and is equivalent to programmable camouflage. A can is $20, 0.25 lbs. LC4.

Slicksuit Spray: Suitspray that incorporates a layer similar to slickskin. It has the same effects as slickskin, but wears off after a day. The user should avoid spraying it on the soles of his feet or palms of his hands. A can is $40, 0.25 lbs. LC3.

This is a can of spray-on paint containing digital ink. When sprayed onto a surface and controlled with a radio, it acts as a low-resolution video display. This has a variety of uses, from decorating the walls of a room in ever-shifting patterns, screens in temporary bases, or multimedia graffiti. Each can contains enough paint to cover 20 square feet. $20, 0.25 lbs. LC4.

Any cloud of aerostat microbots can be programmed to hover in close formation around their master, forming a body suit, a trailing cloak, or a veil and cloak. The swarm will not cover the eyes or mouth unless commanded to do so.

Swarmwear does not interfere with movement: the swarm tracks the user’s body with its sensors and adjusts to his motion. Up to four square yards of swarms can combine around a SM 0 person. Swarmwear is usually a single color (depending on the swarm’s own paint scheme). Chameleon swarms can change to multiple colors or patterns if desired. A one-square yard swarm is wispy; a two-square yard or larger swarm covering a single person will be opaque.

Swarmwear can only act upon the wearer or anyone touching him. A person using swarmwear can’t move any faster than the swarm’s top speed (unless they land on him, which prevents them from performing their normal functions).

A swarmclad person has DR 1, if covered by a swarm thick enough to be opaque.

The most popular ultra-tech entertainment systems may be dreamgames or sensie media, but there are other ways to have a good time!

This is a combination sound mixer, synthesizer, and digital recorder. A cybervox can analyze, record, duplicate, and modify any sound (short of dangerous ultrasonic or subsonic frequencies), including music and speech. It can be used as an electronic musical instrument. Often worn on a shoulder strap; some are built into guitars or other instruments. It provides a +1 (quality) bonus to appropriate Electronics Operation (Media) or Musical Instrument tasks. $200, 2.5 lbs., C/10 hr. LC4.

These devices use neural technology to produce continuous sensory pleasure. In some worlds, these devices may replace drugs as a major vice… but unlike drugs, they require nothing more expensive than electrical current.

Euphoria Machine: This device runs off a power cell (or house current). The user must connect to it via direct neural interface. It electrically stimulates the brain’s pleasure centers for as long as it is worn. This is very addictive. It’s possible to wear a low-power device and still function (sort of). The user suffers the Euphoria irritating condition, and must roll vs. Will each week to avoid addiction. It is small enough to be discreetly attached to a belt or headband. $100, 0.1 lb., A/100 hr. LC3.

Ecstasy Machine: A more powerful device, usually worn in bed. It works the same way as a euphoria machine, and can function at “low power” as one. It can also be set for a level of pleasure so intense the user can do nothing else: this is the Ecstasy incapacitating condition. Roll vs. Will-3 each day that the device is used to avoid addiction. An ecstasy machine is $500, 0.5 lbs., 2A/24 hr. LC2.

Neurostimulator: This is usually a handheld device or implant. It uses direct neural induction to produce the low-power Euphoria irritating condition of the euphoria machine. It does not require a neural interface, but works only as long as it is in contact with bare flesh, plus a second after. The intensity increases to incapacitating ecstasy if applied to erogenous zones. The neurostimulator takes a few seconds to build up to full intensity. It is ineffective as a weapon, but it can provide a +2 (quality) bonus to both Erotic Art skill and to Interrogation skill with a cooperative or restrained individual. $100, 0.2 lb., A/1 hr. LC3.

Neural disruptors and neurolash weapons are available that deliver an extremely powerful (but transitory) pleasure jolt.

Holotech projection technology (see Holoprojector) and sophisticated computers permit the creation of realistic adventure-theme parks without the need for virtual reality. For $150/day, gamers can join a party of like-minded individuals for several days of escapism in the setting and genre of their choice. Special effects, from wizardly lightning bolts to vast battles, are easily accomplished by holotech projections and sonic projections, aided by occasional live actors and remote-control robots. Using sophisticated laser and visual sensors, a Complexity 8+ computer monitors the interaction between the live adventurers and the holograms, and makes them react accordingly. It can even “overlay” holographic images onto a living person.

Holoventure technology is not restricted to recreational use. They are used in military or exploration training exercises, and less sophisticated systems can provide special effects for stage productions.

These include specialized recreational robots and general-purpose bodies useful for housing digital intelligences or cyborgs. Even when AI is common, this sort of robot may be popular as a teleoperated puppet.

This general-purpose humanoid robot body comes in male, female, and androgynous versions. Custom designs, including those that resemble real people, are also possible.

Attribute Modifiers: ST+3 [30].

Secondary Characteristic Modifiers: HP+7 [14].

Advantages: Absolute Direction [5]; Doesn’t Breathe [20]; DR 5 [25]; Machine [25]; Payload 1 [1]; Protected Vision [5]; Radio (Burst, +30%; Secure, +20%) [15].

Perk: Accessories (Personal computer) [1].

Disadvantages: Electrical [-20]; Restricted Diet (Very Common, power cells) [-10].

Choose a TL lens below, plus a machine intelligence lens and a biomorphic lens for the robot as per the Computers and Robots section.

TL9 Model (-5 points): Add Maintenance (one person, weekly) [-5]. $75,000, 150-250 lbs., 2D/8 hr. LC4.

TL10 Model (+11 point): Add HT+1 [10]; Maintenance (one person, bi-weekly) [-3], Reduced Consumption 2 [4]. $50,000, 100-250 lbs., 2D/24 hr. LC4.

Some, none, or all of these options are possible:

Child Body (-30 points): A smaller robot body, the size of a 9- to 12-year-old. Remove the ST bonus. Halve the body weight and number of power cells (e.g., D instead of 2D). -40% to cost.

Artificial Womb (TL10) (+2 points): The android has an artificial flexible womb. If stocked with eggs, it can become pregnant. Add Payload 2 [2]. $10,000. LC3.

This is a small mechanical beast with a head and four legs. It may look cute or fierce, depending on the market. Typical models resemble small dogs, house cats, miniature dinosaurs, and so on, although they usually have modified paws or claws with opposable thumbs that give them some manipulatory ability. Robots of this type are often used for home security, keeping track of children, or pest control. They can be equipped with a range of sensors and “natural” weapons.

Attribute Modifiers: ST-3 [-30].

Secondary Characteristic Modifiers: SM-2; HP+1 [2]; Basic Move+5 [25].

Advantages: Absolute Direction (Requires signal, -20%) [4]; Doesn’t Breathe [20]; Discriminatory Smell [15]; DR 5 (Cannot Wear Armor, -40%) [15]; Extra Legs (4 legs) [5]; Infravision [10]; Machine [25]; Radio (Secure, +20%) [12]; Sharp Claws [5]; Sharp Teeth [1]; Ultrahearing [5].

Perks: Accessories (Small computer; fire extinguisher) [2].

Disadvantages: Bad Grip 1 [-5]; Electrical [-20]; Horizontal [-10]; Restricted Diet (Very Common, power cells) [-10].

Select one of the TL options. Also select a machine intelligence lens and a biomorphic lens from Computers and Robots.

TL9 Model (-5 points): Add Maintenance (one person, weekly) [-5]. $15,000, 20-50 lbs., 2C/8 hr. LC4.

TL10 Model (+1 point): Add Maintenance (one person, bi-weekly) [-3], Reduced Consumption 2 [4]. $10,000, 20-50 lbs., 3C/24 hr. LC4.

These are microbot swarm types. See Swarmbots in Computers and Robots for more general information.

Massage Swarm: These swarmbots are similar to a cleaning swarm, but they are equipped and programmed to deliver relaxing or erotic tactile sensations to their subject. They use Professional Skill (Massage)-10 and Erotic Art-10, or provide a +5 (quality) bonus to someone directing them. $200/square yard. LC4.

Play Swarm: These swarmbots are equipped to play and interact with one another in an amusing fashion. For example, a “farm in a box” might contain ‘bots that look and act like tiny animals, agricultural robots, human farmers, and so on. $200/square yard. LC4.