Combat Augmentations

The following augmentations have specific applications for combat and dangerous circumstances, in addition to non-combat uses. Weapon/armor ware is listed with the combat rules (from Melee Combat to Armor Mods).

Adrenal Surge: This gland enhancement supercharges your adrenal response to situations that invoke stress, pain, or strong emotions (fear, anger, lust, hate). When activated (mentally or by stress/emotions), the concentrated burst of norepinephrine accelerates heart rate and blood flow and burns carbohydrates. You receive +1 Vigor pool and ignore the modifiers from 1 wound. Extensive use of this mod without a break can lead to adrenal fatigue (−20 impairment modifier to all actions; GM discretion).

Drug Glands: The morph has tailored glands designed to produce specific hormones or chemicals and release them in the body. You can mentally activate these glands to release the chemicals as a quick action. These glands can produce any substance listed with a bio or chem type (Chemicals, Drugs, & Toxins). Each type of drug gland is considered a separate enhancement. Drug glands only hold 1 dose at a time, but can produce a new dose every 4 hours.

Energy Efficiency: The bioware version of this ware boosts your metabolism. The hardware version optimizes your shell’s energy usage. The meshware version optimizes code. This gives you 1 extra short recharge per day.

Hardened Skeleton: The morph’s skeleton is laced with strengthening amorphous metals and fullerenes. Increase your Wound Threshold by 1, Durability by 5, Death Rating by 8 (biomorphs) or 10 (synthmorphs), and your SOM Check by 10.

Immunizers: This nanoware system monitors your health for signs of damage or deleterious effects inflicted by drugs or toxins of the biological or chemical type, as well as new diseases. Each time you are so affected, the nanobots make a Medicine: Pharmacology 60 Test. If successful, they devise defenses that provide total immunity against that drug, toxin, or disease in the future. Some people with this augmentation learn to enjoy the taste of various chemical toxins like cyanide or arsenic.

Medichines: An implanted hive circulates nanobots throughout your system, monitoring your health at the cellular level and fixing any problems. Medichines allow you to ignore the effect of 1 wound (cumulative with other mods, up to a max of 3 ignored wounds). They also accelerate your natural healing (Biomorph Healing). If damage taken exceeds your Durability, or you take 5 or more wounds in an hour, the medichines automatically stabilize you, prevent you from bleeding out, place you into a medical stasis (during which you are unconscious and unable to act), and broadcast for emergency services via your mesh inserts. Medichines also reduce the duration and effects of drugs, toxins, and pathogens by half (cumulative with toxin filters). You can override this protection to permit intoxication or other effects, but unless you activate a second override, medichines prevent the toxins from accumulating to lethal or permanently harmful levels. Medichines provide health status reports to your mesh inserts and muse.

Medichines for synthmorphs and bots consist of nanobots that monitor and repair the shell’s integrity and internal system functions. Note that the synthmorph version of medichines allows the synthmorph to self-repair in the same manner by which a biomorph with medichines would naturally heal (1d10 per hour, 1 wound per day).

Muscle Augmentation: The morph’s muscle mass is enhanced and toned and myofibers strengthened. You inflict an extra DV 1d6 with melee attacks and apply +10 to SOM Checks.

Nanophages: These nanobots patrol the body, alert for signs of intrusive nanodrugs or -toxins and destroying them before they have more than a minor effect. You may make a SOM Check when exposed to a nanodrug or -toxin. If you succeed, it has no effect. If you fail, the nanodrug or -toxin’s effects and durations are reduced by half. You may instruct nanophages to ignore specific nanodrugs/toxins. Nanophages are only effective against one nanodrug or toxin dose per 8-hour period.

Nanopump: This implanted nanobot hive produces one type of nanodrug, releasing it into your system when commanded via your mesh inserts. Each type of drug requires a separate hive. Nanopumps only maintain 1 dose at a time, producing a new dose every 4 hours.

Nanotox Glands: An implanted nanobot hive produces one particular nanotoxin. You can deploy these nanobots with a quick action via bodily fluids or miniature ducts in your skin (i.e., a scratch with claws, spraying saliva, sexual contact, or a firm grip). You may also coat a melee weapon, so that it delivers the nanotoxin the next time it inflicts a wound (once only, until re-coated). Nanotox bots can be programmed to only affect a specific target or to wait and unleash their effect at a set time or with a radio signal. The nanobots can only survive in an effective concentration outside the body for 24 hours. Nanotox glands maintain 1 dose of nanobots at a time, but can produce a new dose every 4 hours. The nanobots are programmed not to attack your morph.

Neurachem: This mod enhances your chemical synapses and juices your neurotransmitters, drastically speeding up your neural connections. Neurachem can be mentally activated or triggered by charged emotions. +2 Vigor Pool while active. Extensive use of neurachem without a break can lead to nervous system fatigue (−20 impairment modifier to all actions; GM discretion).

Novacardium: This morph’s heart is enlarged, ventricles enhanced, cardiac muscles strengthened, and circulatory system expanded, augmenting your strength and endurance. +1 Vigor pool.

Pain Regulator: This endocrine system mod adjusts the levels of specific hormones to dull the experience of pain. Ignore the effects of 1 wound (cumulative with other pain mods, to a maximun of 3 ignored wounds).

Pneumatics: This shell is equipped with soft pneumatic actuators, increasing its strength and jumping capabilities. Apply a +10 to Athletic Tests. You also inflict an extra DV 1d6 in melee.

Poison Glands: Similar to drug glands, your morph has tailored organs that produce poison, like the venom glands of a snake. Your morph has poison glands in its fingers/hands and/or mouth (and possibly elsewhere), so you can deliver the toxin with a quick action by scratching someone with a fingernail, biting them hard enough to draw blood, sharing a beverage, or shaking their hand. You may also coat a melee weapon, so that it delivers the toxin the next time it inflicts a wound (once only, until re-coated). Poison glands only hold 1 dose at a time, but can produce a new dose every 4 hours. Your morph is immune to the poison it produces. These glands can produce any one toxin with a bio or chem type, but not nanotoxins. Each set of glands is a separate augmentation.

Radar Absorbent: The shell is rebuilt with materials that pass, absorb, or trap radar and terahertz waves, reducing its sensor signature. Apply a −30 modifier to Perceive Tests to detect the morph using radar/terahertz.

Reflex Boosters: The morph’s spinal column and nervous system is rewired with superconducting materials, boosting transmission speed. This raises your Initiative by 3 and your REF Check by 10.

Respirocytes: These nanobots act as highly efficient artificial red blood cells, with increased capabilities for transferring oxygen and carbon dioxide. This increases your ability to hold your breath to 4 hours and your Durability by 5, Wound Threshold by 1, and Death Rating by 8. Respirocytes offer no benefit to synthmorphs.

Smart Actuators: Your shell makes use of smart materials and advanced actuator designs for increased speed and strength. +1 Vigor pool.

Stress Control: Your morph’s endocrine system (or its software simulation) has been modified to give you greater control over cortisol and similar hormones. This enables you to manage your stress levels and responses. Apply a +10 modifier to WIL Checks against stress or triggered disorders and raise your Trauma Threshold by 1. This does not impact your Lucidity or Insanity Rating.

Structural Enhancement: This modification bolsters the shell’s structural integrity, increasing its toughness and ability to take damage. Increase Wound Threshold by 2, Durability by 10, and Death Rating by 20.

Telescoping Limb: Your limb can extend for an extra meter of length (on a medium-sized morph; small morphs extend half a meter, large morphs extend 2 meters). This allows you to reach higher/farther items, but also provides a Reach advantage in melee combat. The cybernetic version of this implant only applies to cyberlimbs. Standard cyberlimbs with this mod cannot also have hidden compartments.

Toxin Filters: Your morph features an improved liver and kidneys and biological filters in its lungs. This makes you exceptionally resistant to drugs and toxins, including everything from recreational chemicals to nerve agents to spoiled food. You can even safely and comfortably breathe smoke and drink salt water. Make a SOM Check when dosed with a biochem drug or toxin; it only affects you if you fail. If affected, apply a +30 modifier to all aptitude checks made to resist specific effects. Additionally, all drug/toxin effects and durations are reduced by half (if you also have medichines, they are negated entirely). This augmentation provides no resistance to concentrated acid, nanotechnological attacks, pathogens, or similar destructive agents.

Weapon Mount: The morph is equipped with a hardpoint for carrying a weapon. Static mounts face one direction only, swiveling mounts have a limited 90° field of fire, articulated hardpoints allow the mounted weapon to face all directions. Additionally, any of the mounts can be internally concealed (assuming room within the morph’s frame). Some are designed to stay internal and fire through their concealing layers (leaving a hole), others pop up, like a turret, and can be retracted. Multiple mounts may be installed, but small morphs are limited to 2, medium morphs 4. Neither small nor medium morphs can mount weapons with the Long trait. Cybernetic versions of this mod are static and can only be mounted in cyberlimbs (max 1 per limb).