Bionic Traits

Bionic traits represent the melding of metal and flesh that is the holy work of the priesthood of the Omnissiah, prosthetics to mend injury and implants to improve the body beyond mere biology, as well as the tools of the priesthood themselves.

Flaw - Haywire: Characters with Traits from this section are more dramatically affected by Haywire, during the 10s effect they cannot move, attack or make calls and must instead spasm violently.

Flaw - Command Override: Characters with Traits from this section are at risk of their enhancements being used as a backdoor into their mind - they must react to Command Override unlike normal characters.

Bionic Enhancements

(Requires: Physrepping) While drugs such as rejuvenat slow the progression of age, most Imperial citizens of a certain wealth and status subject themselves to bionic enhancement to both enhance their abilities as well as replace failing flesh - though the Adeptus Mechanicus follow this to its logical possibly extreme, seeking to replace more and more body parts until more of their body is bionic simulacra then organic material. This trait represents the installation of bionics that are more than prosthetic replacements for limbs and organs but rather customised work created by the Adeptus Mechanicus or a from a more illicit source, that enhances their abilities further.

For each time you choose this trait you gain +1 Endurance.

You may take this trait up to twice however the drawbacks from doing so increase if you do so;

If you take this trait once, then after being reduced to Bloodied you cannot benefit from this trait until a Tech-Priest (which can be you) has performed the Rite of Becalming on you, or a Tech-Priest or Chirugeon (which can be you) has spent at least 30s recalibrating your systems and you have had the chance to Recuperate.
- This is the case even if you recover from being Bloodied by means of the Grizzled Veteran trait, a Martyr's Gland or a call of Get it Together.

If you take this trait twice then in addition to the restriction above, after being reduced to Bloodied you cannot recover to more than half your endurance until a Tech-Priest or Chirugeon specialised in bionics has undertaken repairs on you while you Recuperate. A Tech-Priest or Chirurgeon may repair several people's Bionics at once during a single Recuperation period, and they may benefit from the Recuperation period themselves too.
- The Flesh is Weak: It is said that those that increasingly replace their flesh with bionics begin to experience a sense of dislocation from their body and inattention for organic concerns. Lifted from their body's inhibitions and often missing parts of their brains to implants, it is easy for them to become less and less recognisably human.

A Tech-Priest or Chirurgeon may repair their own bionics, but performing these rites alone is a tedious and delicate process. Recalibrating your own systems takes 5 minutes rather than 30 seconds. While it is possible to undertake repairs on yourself, you may require assistance from another PC to do so, depending on the location and extent of your bionics.

For each time you choose this trait you may choose two of the following implants;

Neural Failsafe: Cerebral implants designed to shock the mind to prevent mental intrusions - these implants activate when affected by the call Would you Kindly? or compelled to surrender information via Interrogation. They also engage in response to an effect that would make you Shaken. When your implants activate you may call Deflect - before writhing in pain for 10s - you may do this up to twice after which you cannot use it again until you Recuperate.
- After you recover, you are not Shaken but you may experience blank spots in your memories surrounding whatever triggered your failsafe.
- If you are captured you, or a character you have entrusted control of your implants to, can overload them. If you choose to do this you can choose to either be Subdued or overload them to the point it is fatal. If you have transferred your implant control to another, then you will only become Subdued.
- For roleplay purposes you may agree an activation code for these with whoever holds the controls, they can either use them to inflict the above effect or agree a command for a more ‘corrective’ shock with no mechanical effect.

Augmetic Viscera: Focused upon increasing the natural resilience of an individual, many of your organs have been replaced with extensive bionics. You gain +1 Endurance and may call Deflect to up to two calls of Weaken after which you cannot use them again until you have Recuperated.
- For the purposes of roleplay, your character does not need to breathe or eat for extended periods but many continue to do so - this offers no protection against the void.

Martyr's Gland (may not have Grizzled Veteran): Usually installed in the spine or skull, this system floods a wounded individual's system with drugs. After you become Bloodied you may use Get it Together on yourself after 10s of animated roleplay as your implant painfully injects drugs into your system. This ability cannot be used again until you have Recuperated. You continue track your bleed count throughout the recovery roleplay.
- This is treated as the normal Get it Together call subject to the same restrictions such as calls that prevent it from affecting you.
- You may use this call immediately after becoming Bloodied, but may not use other augmetic traits until your augmetics have been restored as above.

Augmetic Senses: The replacement of sensory organs with bionic enhancements designed to provide the same benefits as a handheld auspex is commonplace. You may call SCAN at vocal range up to three times with at least 10s between them before needing to Recuperate and appease the machine spirit.

Datacortex: It is not uncommon for these memory centres to be implanted in the brains of those who wish for their legacy to be preserved - should they die, their data cortex can be harvested and while not allowing resurrection these are often installed into servo-skulls or into successors in order to preserve the deceased's memories as a database. After a period studying a clue that you lack an appropriate lore or trait to read the associated clue card of - you may read it. This ability cannot be used again until you Recuperate.

Reflex Catalyst: You may call Deflect against one attack call whose source you are aware of. This may not be used against Haywire, Sunder or calls with Warp attached. This ability cannot be used again until you Recuperate. This should be roleplayed as dodging the blow.

Augmetic Arms: The majority of bionic arms in the Imperium are created with the intent to simulate a regular limb but yours lack such restraints in strength, you may call Knockback when striking a blow with a melee weapon. After 5 calls this ability cannot be used again until you Recuperate.
- This must be represented by extensive physrepping along the arm.

Eye of Vengeance: - These bulky targeting signums are installed in place of one or both eyes, providing unparalleled targeting data. If you have a trait that allows you to make a ranged call of Sunder - you can "lock on" to your target, against that specific individual you do not need to remain static while in the 15s wind up to the Sunder call. If you have the Automatic Weapons trait you may focus your fire on this individual and move while firing calling either Dakka or Bolt - this ability cannot be used again until you Recuperate.
- This applies to other traits based around ranged weapons that require you to remain static.

Physrep Requirement: While a great number of possible ways to physrep a bionic exist, it is important for these to be visibly physrepped, as it allows characters with Tech-Powers to see that you are a valid target for their abilities. Examples might include wire, socket and metal plate prosthetics fixed to the skin, or larger wearable physreps build into gauntlets, face masks, chestplates or similar.

Tech-Priest

(This trait is not compatible with: Info-Executioner or Psyker) You are a member of the Priesthood of the Omnissiah, ordained into the sacred mysteries of the Cult Mechanicus and trusted to provide spiritual and pastoral guidance to the humans and machines under your care. Usually the result of years or decades of faithful service, the trust invested in you by your ordination is not a burden to be treated lightly.

This trait can be used to represent a Knight-Scion of Anaximund with specific Mechanicus Education.

Although not recommended, this trait could also be used to represent Heretek characters who have illegal access to advanced technology but that is not advised and should be discussed with the team first.

You gain the Mechanicus discipline and may select one specialism in it.

You begin an event with Five Esoterica of Martian or Technological Origin

- Canticles of the Omnissiah: You have access to the bizarre and arcane technologies of the cult mechanicus. A Tech-Priest may join one of the Orders of the Machine Cult as described in the Technoarcana section gaining the Rites and Martian Device of that Order.

Physrep Requirement: All members of the Adeptus Mechanicus are in possession of at least extensive cosmetic augmentation; it is a core part of their belief that ‘the flesh is weak’, and as a result most are nearly fully cybernetic. It is alright to still have some flesh displayed, but you should be visibly covered in augmentation. It is important for these to be visibly physrepped, as it allows characters with Tech-Powers to see that you are a valid target for certain calls they can make.

Additional Physrepping Note: It is not OC required to wear the traditional robes of your Forge (Red with black or white cog-tooth trim for Ferraeus and Naximus, or blue with white cog-tooth trim for Castellum) but it is IC required by the authorities of the Machine Cult as a duty of ordination. Failure to do so carries the IC risk of disciplinary action if it comes to the attention of other priests.

Machinator Array

(Requires: Tech-Priest and Bionic Enhancements) Often bound to the spine, machinator arrays are a complicated system of additional limbs, energy cells, coils, antenna and other augmentations that do not seek to act as a simulacrum for an existing human organ but rather adding features that the human body does not normally have in order to improve the individual’s abilities beyond that which is human. They come at a mental cost, adapting to becoming more machine than human strains the mind and makes those who undergo these augmentations often more alienated from their Imperial peers due to the increasing ways in which their bodies are different from the human baseline, though the Mechanicus embrace such changes.

This trait is not without its Drawbacks:

After being reduced to Bloodied you cannot recover to more than half your endurance until you recieve the Rite of Becalming from a Tech-Priest (which may be you) or a Tech-Priest or Chirugeon specialised in bionics has undertaken repairs on you while you Recuperate. A Tech-Priest or Chirurgeon may repair several people's Bionics at once during a single Recuperation period, and they may benefit from the Recuperation period themselves too.
- The Flesh is Weak: It is said that those that increasingly replace their flesh with bionics begin to experience a sense of dislocation from their body and inattention for organic concerns. Lifted from their body's inhibitions and often missing parts of their brains to implants, it is easy for them to become less and less recognisably human.

You may select one of the following augmentations;

Biologis Array (Requires: Chirugeon) are an array of spidery limbs or tentacle-like mechandrites tipped with syringes and medical tools linked to vials and vats of chems to allow a medically inclined Tech-Priest to treat the injured more efficiently.
- You may perform First Aid on multiple characters at once any character within <1m of you may pause their bleed count providing you remain static.
- You are considered to be in a Medbay for the purpose of performing Proper Procedures and treating effects on Wound Cards.

Infiltrator Array (Requires: Ordo Malagra or Adept Mortis or Vigilator): Comprised of a complicated array of stealth baffles as well as a “dataspike”, a melee oriented device designed to allow physical infiltration of mechanised systems, this unusual array is more commonly found on Tech-Assassins and the Skitarii Sicarians;
- You may ignore (there is no need to call Deflect) up to three calls of Scan. This ability cannot be used again until you Recuperate. This does not block Warp Scan.
- You may use your dataspike to call Haywire or Command Override against a bionically modified or clearly mechanical foe up to three times. This ability cannot be used again until you Recuperate.

Enginseer Array (Requires: Ordo Macrotek): Used by the Enginseers of the Adeptus Mechanicus in order to repair the heavy machinery of the Imperium, these bulky arrays involve hulking servo-arms, plasmacutters, and exo-frames designed to aid in their work by increasing their strength. These coincidentally make them quite dangerous in a melee.
- With the permission of a Ref you may undertake Engineering tasks.
- You may call Knockback when striking a blow with a two-handed melee weapon (56”> props). After 3 calls this ability cannot be used again until you Recuperate.
- When affected by a Knockback call, the effects last only 2s rather than 5s.
- After 15s in melee (if they move out of range before you finish you count you must restart it) charging up your plasma-cutter - you may expend a Esoterica to call Sunder against your target if they are within melee range. The call Sunder may only be used once, regardless of how many sources of it you have, before you have to Recuperate.

Explorator Array (Requires: Vigilator or Verispex): Comprised of vast augur arrays, auspex docks, and antenna, an explorator array is used by the Adeptus Mechanicus in the quest for knowledge used on frontier worlds to enhance scanning capabilities far beyond the norm.
- After a period when you have performed the SCAN call you can, after any combat has finished, ask a ref a question about a being that has Pinged to the call.
- After 60s spent examining a piece of technology that you are unfamiliar with, you may do one of the following things with it: call Command Override or Access its systems (with ref permission). This may be used on any piece of technology, including non-human technology; not everyone will react well to this use of your abilities.

Info-Executioner

(This trait is not compatible with: Tech-Priest) Data-savants, Data-shamans, Info-executioners - navigating the local planetary networks on an Imperial world is a challenging task, from sifting through a thousand useless channels of data to having to calibrate to listen to distant communication satellites and comms relays in the wildernesses of uncivilized worlds, to even trying to decipher foul xenos communications. Often a Tech-Priest of the Ordo Logi is not available to unscramble such data, and into that breach a myriad of technologically talented Inquisitorial Agents find welcome in the retinue of Inquisitors. Info-Executioners are not necessarily inducted members of the Machine Cult by default but have an intimate understanding of Imperial communications and data networks. Implanted with enhanced MIU’s and extensive neuro-processing wetwear, they are the masters of the info-flow.

This trait is intended for characters wanting to play technologically talented characters from outside of the Adeptus Mechanicus but it could be used for a Lexmechanic - a low-ranking member of the Machine Cult who work in numbers and code but are not yet fully initiated into the Omnissiah's Priesthood.

Be aware if you use this trait as an outsider of the Adeptus Mechanicus' service you will need to be careful - not demonstrating the proper rituals of the Machine Cult when doing these can invite hostile attention from Tech-Priests and other servants of the Machine so a canny Info-Executioner learns quickly to emulate the rites, or not to get caught at the least.

This trait grants the Mechanicus discipline (with no specialisms) and access to the Info-Executioner Technoarcana

Physrepping: Characters with this trait have subjected themselves to considerable cranial modifications, you should have some form of visible cybernetic augmentations around the head and neck and may have had your senses replaced by bionic replacements often they are upgraded with a 'dataspike' a short weapon-like design loaded with code designed to brute-force infiltrate a system.