Knock-Offs

Knock-off morphs are designed to resemble the stock version of a popular brand, with just enough cosmetic changes to avoid legal challenges by the manufacturer. Their primary advantage is to undercut the price of the brand-name version, thus offering a cheaper alternative. The drawback is that they are usually of inferior quality and will be met with contempt by those who take brands seriously. However, not all knock-offs are poorly manufactured, some are essentially the same as the brand-name version, constructed using the same minifactories, blueprints, or pirated genetics as the originals. In markets where the brand-name version cannot be sold or easily acquired (whether for cultural, legal, or political reasons), local entrepreneurs may introduce a knock-off to fill the demand at the brand-name’s market price.

GMs can use knock-offs as a plot point in games involving NPCs who find knock-offs gauche, such as hyper-elites and socialites, or with niche factions who favor a particular morph, such as the Ultimates and remade morphs. Characters sleeved in knock-offs may suffer modifiers on social tests from −10 to −30 in these situations if the true nature of their morph is known. GMs can also base plots around criminal cartels who deal in knock-offs and the morph design corps who try to root them out.

GMs have two options for handling knock-offs:

Equivalent-quality knock-offs cost the same MP as the model they emulate. These either have minimal or cosmetic differences or have slight variations, such as one piece of ware switched out for another or one pool point switched out for a different one. These variations should be the same cost/complexity as whatever they replace. The rules for Designing New Morphs provide options and costs for tweaking morphs.

Inferior-quality knock-offs cost 1 MP less than the morphs they emulate, but are saddled with some negatives. The easiest option is to add 1 MP of negative morph traits (EP2 and this book). Alternatively, you can reduce the capabilities of the morph by 1 MP using the morph design rules. For example, the morph may have 5 less DUR and 1 less pool point.

Identifying Knock-Offs

To identify a knock-off morph, you must score a superior success using the rules for identifying morphs.