Exsurgent Strains

A few of the more common exsurgent strains are here. GMs are encouraged to devise their own or adjust these to fit the needs of the story.

Vector: How this strain is spread (Exsurgent Infection).

Timeframe: The period of time the infection (or that stage of the infection) takes to transform the target. Increase this duration for weaker or older strains, decrease it for stronger or newer strains. There are 20 action turns in a minute.

Damage/Stress: Damage and/or stress inflicted by the infection on your body or mind at that stage. Armor does not apply to this damage.

Alter

Unlike most versions of the exovirus that attempt to overwrite your mind, the alter virus partitions your brain and makes room to inject a new, separate personality. This alter ego resides hidden within your mind, acting subtly at first to avoid detection, such as taking over while you sleep. As it grows more bold, it will seize control and come to the fore at opportune moments. Your original ego will have no memory of what occurs when the alter is in the driver’s seat, unless it chooses to share those memories (which it may do to taunt you). Awareness of these blackout episodes or takeovers will trigger alienation Stress Tests. For the alter or your ego to take control, you must win an opposed WIL Check.

The alter is handled as a separate NPC ego, with its own aptitudes, skills, memories, ego traits, and so on. Exsurgent alters exhibit many types of personalities, from sociopathic and twisted versions of transhuman personas to odder and more alien things, but all are intelligent and motivated. Some may be forks of exsurgent-corrupted transhumans.

The various sub-strains of the Watts-MacLeod virus provide a good starting point for establishing individual identities. Most are motivated to spread the alter virus and eradicate transhumanity, but GMs may tailor their agenda as they see fit. Note that psi sleights or social/mental influences only affect the personality at the fore.

Variant: One known variant of the digital alter virus, perhaps malfunctioning, is known to install multiple alters within the victim’s mind. In some cases, the virus continues to insert new alters, sometimes at an exponential rate, creating a sort of cramped group or hive mind and eventually fracturing the victim’s mental state under the weight of so many different personas (SV 1d6 per day or hour).

Haunting Virus

The haunting virus is a variant of the mindstealer virus. It alters your personality slowly over time, in a manner designed to torment you in the process, eventually taking control. Most victims, unaware that they have been infected, incrementally lose their minds to the exovirus’s persistent manipulations and hallucinations.

Stage 1

• Timeframe: 3 months
• Stress: SV 1d6 per week

Each week you suffer a haunting effect: roll 1d6 + 1 and apply the result from the Haunter Sub-Strain table. You also frequently experience lucid, weird, and surreal dreams of exotic exoplanet landscapes, life as an alien creature, scenes of mass carnage and mayhem, and stranger things.

Victims gain the Psi (Level 1) trait with the haunter sub-strain and the Heightened Awareness sleight; most are not cognizant of these abilities. During this stage, you gain one additional psi-chi sleight per month. At this stage, you may not push your sleights.

Stage 2

• Timeframe: 3 months
• Stress: SV 1d10 per week

The effects increase. You suffer a haunting effect as in Stage 1 every day. The dreams occur every time you sleep.

At this stage, you begin to feel an alien presence in your psyche, but you must make a WIL Check to communicate this feeling to others; if you succeed you suffer SV 1d6.

Your Psi trait increase to Level 2 at this stage, and acquire either the Infectious Mind or Nightmare sleights. During this stage, you gain one new psi-gamma sleight per month. Even if you are aware of these abilities, however, they remain wild and uncontrolled; such psi-gamma sleights manifest in unexpected, uncontrolled, and alarming ways.

Stage 3

The virus subsumes your mind. You become an exsurgent NPC.

Mindstealer

One of the most common exsurgent strains, the mindstealer virus rapidly rewrites your mind in a matter of minutes. During this time, you are actively aware that your mind is under attack and undergoing massive changes. This process is incredibly confusing, frightening, and painful; you are impaired (−30) for the duration. Many victims are reduced to whimpering, drooling, or convulsing. Some attempt to take their own lives; however, once the timeframe is halfway complete, you must make a WIL Check and suffer SV 1d6 to take any action that puts yourself at risk.

Once the virus runs its course, your mind will no longer be transhuman, but an exsurgent NPC.

Skrik

A variant of the mindstealer virus, this strain also triggers an unusual internal change.

Stage 1

• Timeframe: (COG Check) action turns
• Stress: SV 2d10

This virus strain initially functions the same as the mindstealer virus.

Stage 2

• Timeframe: 1 week
• Damage: DV 1d10
• Stress: SV 2d10

After a period of 1 week, the internal changes are complete. From this point onward, every 2–3 days you will vomit up a skrik — an exsurgent miniature version of yourself. Sometimes you will cough them up more frequently, and sometimes you will vomit up a whole bunch at once. These skriks are not under your control, though you can sometimes influence them.

Watts-MacLeod

The Watts-MacLeod strain is a strangely benevolent version of the exsurgent virus, seeming to imbue its victims with psi abilities without any of the other transformative elements typical of other strains. Perhaps an accidental mutation of the exsurgent virus, there are many who wonder if the true detrimental effects of this strain simply have yet to reveal themselves.

For the duration of the initial transformation, you suffer a −30 impairment modifier as your brain undergoes rewiring. Once the infection runs its course, you acquire the Psi trait at either Level 1 or 2. This trait must be purchased with Rez Points (if you have none available, you must pay the debt with future Rez Points you earn). You also acquire a specific sub-strain along with its negative traits and free sleights.

Most new asyncs, lacking Psi skill, suffer through a period of learning to master their new abilities. During this time, their psi sleights may activate accidentally, either out of desperation or of their own accord. GMs may wish to keep the initial aspects of the infection secret, revealing them to the PC slowly during gameplay.

Whisper

The whisper virus attempts to control its victims through rewards and punishments. It makes itself known as a voice in the back of your mind, encouraging you in accordance with its hidden goals, much like the stranger sub-strain of the Watts-MacLeod virus. Its agenda is often mysterious, though it seeks to sow distrust, paranoia, and chaos. At times, however, it may pursue specific goals, such as encouraging the elimination of a rival or sabotaging a crucial habitat system.

The whisper virus rapidly becomes intimately familiar with your personality and desires, so as best to manipulate you. It has several tools at its disposal to encourage your cooperation. When you act in support of its interests, it rewards you with one of the following:

• A temporary +2 bonus to your Insight pool; once spent, these points may not be recharged.
• It stimulates the pleasure centers of your brain, giving you a temporary high, much like tasping — and just as addictive.

Opposite of these carrots, the whisper virus has many sticks to punish you for lack of obedience:

• It muddies your thoughts and interferes with your thinking; reduce your Flex pool by 1 until your next recharge.
• It stimulates the pain receptors in your nervous system; treat as a shock effect. This bypasses pain editors and similar pain-ignoring effects.

The whisper virus can also apply an Enhanced Behavior or Restricted Behavior trait at up to Level 3; this can be used as a reinforcement or penalty. The whisper virus excels at converting people into sleeper agents and otherwise turning transhumanity against itself. Victims who struggle with the exovirus may need to make Stress Tests for alienation or helplessness.

Xenomorph

The xenomorph strain targets both the victim’s body and mind, transmogrifying them into an alien life form. Different variants of this strain produce different exsurgent xenomorphs. It is unknown whether these are copies of (once) existing alien species or neogenetic creatures created from scratch. Some believe the virus operates with a library of creatures to deploy, expecting that some will be more effective at exterminating the victim species.

Stage 1

• Timeframe: 1 hour (bio pathogen)/1 week (nanoplague)
• Stress: SV 1d6

In the initial stage, you suffer minor physical changes that are unusual but not impeding in any way and are easily hidden from others. Example biomorph alterations include: unusual hair or fibrous growth, skin discoloration or translucence, severe rashes, dermal thickening, weakened or enhanced sensory organs, strong body odor, hair loss, teeth gain or loss, vestigial tail or other limb growth, minor dietary changes, and so on. Synthmorphs might experience minor system glitches, malfunctioning or improved components, and spots of material stress or transfiguration.

During this period, you acquire the Enhanced Behavior (Acceptance, Level 3) trait. You do not question or worry about these changes — they seem natural or inevitable — nor do you wish to draw their attention to others.

Depending on the particular strain, you may also acquire the Psi (Level 1 or 2) trait along with a sub-strain and the correlating negative effects and free sleights. You are not aware of these abilities until they manifest on their own, and lacking Psi skill you are incapable of properly controlling them. GMs may choose to keep the sub-strain and sleights secret, revealing them at opportune times. At this stage, you may not push your sleights.

Stage 2

• Timeframe: 1 hour (bio pathogen)/1 week (nanoplague)
• Damage: DV 1d10
• Stress: SV 1d10

Your transformations grow obvious and difficult to hide from others, becoming more monstrous as the stage progresses. Example biomorph transformations include: growing scales or feathers, partial modification of limb structure, partial new limb growth, vestigial sensory organ growth, sensory loss, extension of claws or spines, severe dietary changes, etc. Synthmorphs might experience radical system and shape alterations, limited or enhanced sensor functions, or even conversion of their robotic shell to smart materials.

During this period, you acquire the Enhanced Behavior (Nest, Level 3) trait. You seclude yourself in a hidden and/or secure location to wait out the full transformation.

Stage 3

In this final stage, you emerge as a fully transformed exsurgent NPC.