New Mental Ware

Asymmetric Sleep

Your are capable of unihemispheric slow-wave sleep, meaning that only half of your brain sleeps at a time while the other half remains awake and vigilant. You require the same amount of rest as normal (4 hours for a long recharge with biomods, 8 without), but during this time you remain in a state of quiet wakefulness. While resting, you may make Perceive Tests without a sleeping penalty, stand, and even slowly walk or otherwise maintain a position. More complicated physical actions, conversation, Know Tests, etc. require full wakefulness. This adaptation is a necessity for cetaceans who must hover/swim and surface for air while sleeping and is ideal for those who must remain alert in dangerous environments.

Auto Backup

Your digitized ego is automatically backed up via the mesh to a predetermined secure storage server every 48 hours. This interval can be changed, but it is rarely done more frequently given the bandwidth requirements. The backup transmission uses quantum cryptography (the same as quantum farcasters, EP2) and may not be intercepted and decoded unless the quantum keys used in the exchange are somehow acquired.

Brain Box

A brain box consists of a living human brain and a sturdy, miniature life-support system to maintain it. This wetware organic system can be used in place of a cyberbrain in any pod or synthmorph (except swarms). Removing a cyberbrain also removes the access jacks and mnemonics bundled with it (though these can be added separately). Brain boxes are normally hidden from standard visual detection, but a few eccentrics show them off with a transparent aluminum casing, allowing observers to see their biological gray matter.

An ego with the Psi trait ensconced in a brain box can use psi. However, since they lack a full nervous system, they suffer a −30 penalty to Psi Tests and WIL Checks involving psi and they cannot use sleights at Touch range, unless the target happens to be poking their finger into their gray matter. Likewise, morphs with brain boxes may be targeted with psi sleights at −30.

Core System

Cores are cyberbrains for ships, habitats, and similar infrastructure. They follow the rules for cyberbrains and core morphs.

Defrag

This app monitors your digital mental-state and takes measures to keep it in prime condition and optimize its performance. Whenever you take a short rest, you recover an additional pool point.

Failsafe

This augmentation can only be used in conjunction with either medichines or nanophages (EP2). It is designed as an emergency response to exsurgent infection. If a known strain of the exsurgent virus takes hold in the body, the failsafe kicks into action and takes the following steps. First, the cortical stack is isolated and explosively ejected from the body (usually falling 1d6 meters away). Alternatively, if the morph also has an emergency farcaster installed, that is activated instead. Then a potent neurotoxin is triggered, killing the brain and body. For synthmorphs, the cyberbrain is erased and the power supply deactivated and physically decoupled.

Fake Brainprint

This plug-in alters the diagnostic outputs on brainprint scans of infomorphs or cyberbrains to mimic a pre-loaded print. Against portable brainprint scanners, there is a 5% chance it will trigger an anomalous reading, usually leading to a more thorough check. Against a full brainscan, there is a 10% chance that the output tampering is detected. GMs may alter these percentages to reflect more antiquated or state-of-the-art systems.

Hypermesh Link

This ware was developed by the Neo-Synergists to create a group mind-state. Hypermeshed egos automatically share their real-time emotions, thoughts, and experiences with each other and also their memories and skills. These broadcasts can be tuned out to a low-level emotional “hum,” where changes in an emotional state can be picked up with a Perceive Test.

Hypermesh links are not for everyone — many find them too invasive or overwhelming. When first joining a group mind-state, you must make a SAV Check or suffer SV 1d10 from alienation. If you fail, you must make the test again in 24 hours.

Hypermeshed egos receive +1 Insight pool. You also gain a special use of Insight pool: you may spend an Insight point to make a test using the skill of another hypermeshed ego. For NPCs with this ware, treat this as being able to make any test with skill 50. At the GM’s discretion, certain specialized skills may not be available.

The intimacy of the group mind-state means that hypermeshed egos cannot deceive or withhold secrets from each other. Egos in the group are also subject to personality bleed: attempts to identify you using Kinesics suffer a −30 modifier and you receive a +30 modifier to impersonate other hypermeshed egos.

Egos may voluntarily leave the group mind-state and sometimes do for privacy (though their memories are accessible later). However, the hypermesh creates a dependency for everyone part of it for more than a week. If cut off from the hypermesh for 2 hours, you suffer a −10 modifier to all actions. If cut off for more than a day, you must make a WIL Check against SV 1d10/half. At the GM’s discretion, you may continue to suffer stress if cut off for an extended period.

Hypermesh links act as a VPN (EP2) and function over the mesh (thought lag will disconnect you from the group mind).

Multi-Ego Controls

This cyberbrain enhancement allows more than one ego to control a single morph simultaneously. Up to 5 other egos in ghostrider modules can be linked to the primary cyberbrain. Each ego goes on their own Initiative order, allowing the morph to act multiple times during the action turn. Each ego must be assigned a specific function of the morph to control: movement, perception, specific weapons, or other capabilities. Only one ego may control a specific function each action turn, though other egos may access data from systems controlled by others. Switching control of a system is a free action, but once triggered the system cannot be used until the next turn. The morph’s pools are shared by all linked egos. Modifiers applied to the morph affect each linked ego.

For hacking and control purposes, the ego in the primary cyberbrain is considered the control node, with each ghostrider module puppeted.

Multi-Focus

This mod is available to morphs with multi-tasking ware. You can either focus your detailed perception on one additional thing with the same quick action or maintain one mental-based task action that turn (e.g., research, hacking, programming, psychosurgery) for free. This does not provide bonus actions. You may take this mod multiple times.

Optogenetics Module

This implant is designed to be used in biomorphs like the freeman that are genetically modified to make their neurons sensitive to light. This module establishes a network within the brain to manipulate these neurons with selective pulses of light. Whomever controls the optogenetics module (usually a monitor ALI or meshed overseer) can trigger a specific set of neuronal activity. Each module can trigger one effect from the options below (chosen when installed).

Knockout: The module triggers unconsciousness in the target ego. The target can resist with a WIL Check at −30 to resist; if successful they are immune to this module function for 1 hour.

Modified Behavior: The module compels or restricts one specific behavior in the same manner as either the Enhanced Behavior or Restricted Behavior traits (EP2) at Level 2.

Sensory Modification: The modules impedes, cuts off, or modifies one specific source of sensory input. For example, the ego can be made blind, unable to hear specific frequencies, or fed tailored sensory input. Treat as the Modify Sensory Input mindware hacking technique (EP2).

Tasping: The module triggers the brain’s pleasure centers, in the same manner as tasping psychosurgery (EP2).

Multiple modules can be installed within a morph. Installation of this module includes the genetic modification to make the targeted neurons sensitive to light.

Possum Cache

This ware may only be applied to morphs with a cyberbrain, ghostrider module, or mesh inserts. It enables an ego therein to continue using the morph’s access jacks, cyberbrain/module, mesh inserts, and other mental augmentations while the morph is hibernating or dead. A backup power unit kicks in when the cyberbrain or module stops receiving sufficient power from the morph’s body, enabling them to continue operating for 2 weeks after the morph hibernates or dies; GMs should adjust this duration to reflect heavy or minimal usage. If hooked up to an external power source via access jacks, the cyberbrain/module can operate indefinitely. Egos that remain active via possum cache do not suffer any of the morph’s wound penalties. Death or voluntary entry into hibernation are the only circumstances under which this augmentation functions. It provides no benefit to morphs that are rendered unconscious or incapacitated.

If the morph was killed/destroyed by head trauma, or if it takes more than 10 DV of damage to its head after death, the cyberbrain is considered destroyed or at least too damaged to function properly.

Egos that are active via possum cache do not have access to any of the morph’s sensory input. If they are also deprived of mesh links, they may keep themselves occupied with AR, but may need to make weekly Stress Checks due to sensory deprivation (SV 1d6 + 2/half ).

Stabilizer

Your digital mind-state is constantly monitored, analyzed, and adjusted with error-correction routines. You automatically heal 1 point of stress per day. If you benefit from psychosurgery or another effect that reduces stress, you do not receive the bonus that day. This meshware has no effect on trauma or disorders.