Aberrant 2.0 Body Modifications

General Notes

Attribute Bonuses

Attribute bonuses from body modification apply to mundane uses of the attribute, but not quantum power effects (the sole exception is the accuracy of certain powers, like Quantum Bolt or Disintegrate or Stun Attack). On the flipside, they don't increase the cost of increasing the attribute. A character with Strength 4 and two purchases of PSE (Strength + 2) pays (4 * 4 = 16), not (6 * 4 = 24) XP to buy a new dot of strength, and if she pays for that new dot, should list her strength as 5 + 2, rather than 7.

New Background

New Background: Enhancement: A Psion or neutral with this background has submitted their body to cybernetic or biotechnological reconstruction, augmenting their natural abilities with additional modification. Enhancement provides a character with 10/20/34/48/60 XP of body modifications to be distributed as a character sees fit. This is one of few the methods a Psion or neutral may attempt to compete with Novas-jacking up attributes via Enhancement and hoping for the best.

Enhancements Above 5: Enhancements may be raised above 5 in the case of unethical experiments like the Huang-Marr project, exhumans, superscience experiments, or people who make a living out of fighting superhumans like Novas. Enhancement ratings of 6-10 provide 74/90/108/128/150 XP for body modifications.

Nova Enhancement: Novas may not support Enhancement-their bodies channel Quantum via their M-R node, but Nova powers are much less subtle and their side effects course throughout the body, the Nova's only protection being their complete immunity to their own superhuman ability. A Nova must grow her own Enhancements, paying the XP to purchase them, without being able to take advantage of the greatly reduced cost of the background.

General Bodymods

Inhuman (Attribute) (6 XP): A Nova with Inhuman (Attribute) can raise the attribute in question to any level, ignoring normal caps, as long as the Nova has sufficient experience. This can be bought up to 9 times, once per attribute.

Implant Only

These body modifications can only be purchased via Enhancement.

Super-Science

Counter-Intrusion Mesh (8 XP): To defend against enemy intrusion into a user's cybernetic implants, this bioapp was created. A organic mesh with electrokinetic abilities, this biotech implant counteracts enemy electrokinetics (and cyberkinetics). The Counter-Intrusion Mesh adds +2 difficulty on all rolls to affect the user's augmentations via subversive powers such as electrokinesis and cyberkinesis. If formatted, this bonus increases to +4. The mesh is a bioapp and has Tolerance 2.

Noetic Shielding (12 XP): Noetic shielding is an anti-aberrant system implanted into anyone who might see direct combat with Aberrants. It adds +2 to the difficulty of all attempts to affect the user with Quantum powers, and +2 to all soak values (bashing, lethal, and aggravated) for the user against quantum powers. If formatted, it adds +3 difficulty and +3 to soak against quantum powers. This shielding system is a bioapp, with Tolerance 3.

Linear Frames

Linear Frames are heavy computer-assisted exoskeletons which replace the user's strength and might values with their own. When implanted, they connect to the user's skeletal system and provide extreme strength. Linear Frames cannot be powered by body bioelectricity, and carry their own heavy battery systems, generally providing roughly 24 hours of power. Armor must be custom-fitted over a linear frame system to work. However, the heavy skeletal elements of a linear frame provide +4B/6L armored soak with no penalty (although their relatively limited coverage means bypassing the struts is only a called shot at +1 difficulty).

Sigma Linear Frame (12 XP): The lightest and smallest frame, the Sigma frame provides the user a rating of 8 in the Strength attribute and the Might ability. Sigma Linear Frames are fairly light, only massing roughly 70 kilograms.

Beta Linear Frame (16 XP): Powered by heavy carbon-nanotube musculature and powerful electromagnetic servos, the Beta frame provides the user a rating of 10 in the Strength attribute and the Might ability. Beta Linear Frames mass approximately 120 kilograms.

Omega Linear Frame (20 XP): The ultimate in implanted strength enhancement technology, the Omega Linear Frame provides the user a rating of 12 in the Strength attribute and the Might ability, allowing the user to carry 240 kg of equipment completely unencumbered and lift nearly 2.5 tons without difficulty. Omega Linear Frames mass approximately 140 kilograms.

Physical

Enhancement

Physical Structure Enhancement (4/8 XP): The character gains +1 to a physical attribute. This is essentially an equipment bonus like the one granted by powered armor, not an actual increase of the physical attribute. In Novas, PSEs manifest themselves in a variety of ways, from intergrowing carbon nanotube strands around muscles and tendons to growing a T-800 style endoskeleton or whatever. PSEs cost 4 XP if raising Strength or Stamina, and 8 XP if raising Dexterity. A character may not have more than +3 in a single attribute from Physical Structure Enhancement.

Dense Musculature (10 XP): A Nova with high-density musculature masses approximately twice as much due to greatly toughened and heavier skeletal muscles. Dense musculature adds 2B/2L soak due to its higher density, a -0 HL, and +1 to Strength.

Physical Overclocking (4 XP): The character's physical abilities are overcharged, pushing her close to the redline at any given time. The character gains +1 to all physical attributes but any attack which successfully deals damage to the character deals an additional level of damage, as her body is close to breakdown and any damage could send it over the edge. This may be bought twice, giving a character +2 to all physical attributes but causing any damage-dealing attack to deal an additional two levels of damage.

Long-Lived (1/2/4 XP): The character has a significantly longer lifespan. At 1 XP, the character's lifespan is doubled (to ~160-200 years with modern medical care), increasing the time in his or her prime by ~70 years. At 2 XP, the character's lifespan is quadrupled (to ~320-400 years with modern medical care), and most of this increase is again, in the prime of his life. At 4 XP, the character is biologically immortal and will stay in their prime forever, aging ceasing as soon as they hit biological maturity at around 20-25.

Weapons

Fangs(1 XP): The character has semi-retractable fangs, which can retract partially to look like cute little fangs or extend to puncture skin. These fangs allow the character to make a Brawl-based bite attack at +1 difficulty dealing (Strength + 0L) damage. A must for your Nova vampire wannabe.

Strike Faces (2 XP): The character has hard and dense solid plates over the knuckles, knees, and elbows, adding +1 to unarmed strike damage.

Retractable Blades (2-10 XP): Implanted (or ingrown) retractable blades cost 2 XP per every +1L damage they do. Str + 1L damage blades are worth 2 XP, while Str + 5L damage blades are worth 10 XP. Retractable blades are difficulty +2 to detect when retracted. Retractable blade damage is considered armed and does not stack with unarmed damage.

Raptor Vibroblades (14 XP): These implanted vibroblades are extremely deadly against armored targets, dealing Str + 4L damage with AP 5. Merely slapping a target with these active will tend to cause the victim to fall into pieces. Of course botching (or even failing) an attack with one of these may be... quite dangerous to the user.

Predator Jaw (6 XP): The character's jaw and teeth are modified and optimized for tearing through flesh and crushing bone, allowing the character to make bite attacks with Brawl, which are at +1 difficulty and deal (Str + 4L) damage with AP:2. Bite attacks can also be used in the middle of a crush. The strengthened, hardened jaw is generally obvious.

Integrated Weapon (4/8/12 XP): Baselines with cybernetic replacements and Novas which desire it may end up installing or outright growing integrated weapons. The character may have to reload the weapon from a hidden port, or may generate ammunition in his or her body. The former allows quick reloading and ammunition variety, while the latter requires no feed port to load magazines into, but the character only regenerates (Stamina) rounds of ammunition per hour and chooses a single ammunition type to use. It costs 4 XP to integrate a pistol or SMG sized weapon (conceal J or below), 8 XP to integrate a long arm such as a shotgun or assault rifle (anything conceal O or below), and 12 XP to integrate something completely absurd such as a heavy machine gun or anti-tank missile launcher. Any weapon significantly larger than a HMG (i.e. with a mass more than 50 kg) cannot be integrated due to size reasons. Integrated weapons are difficulty +2 to detect when retracted.

Quills/Spines (5 XP): A Nova with this has a coating of spines on his body, is naturally edged, or otherwise can easily cause harm to someone he or she touches. The Nova's unarmed attacks now deal lethal damage, and anyone who touches the Nova more than casually takes (Stamina)L damage (up to 5L). Repurchasing this enhancement once either makes the damage voluntary or increases the damage cap to 10L. Repurchasing this enhancement twice adds both benefits.

Nematocysts (4 XP): Nematocysts carry a poison payload, which inflicts a penalty of ([Dexterity]-[victim's Stamina] to the victim's dice pools and deals 1 die of bashing damage if the victim fails a Stamina + Resistance roll, difficulty +2. Success on the roll halves the penalties and prevents all damage from the nematocyst poison. Novas are automatically immune to this poison even without Adaptability. Buying this modification multiple times increases its difficulty of the roll by +1 per purchase and adds 1B to the damage and dice penalty.

Dragon's Breath (6 XP): Like a bombardier beetle, a character with this body modification possesses a naturally evolved or surgically implanted self-defense mechanism which acts as a shotgun firing flamethrower shells (Accuracy +0, Dmg None, Rng 20, Rate 2, Capacity 8). Successful attacks (use Dexterity + Athletics/Brawl to attack) deal no damage, but set the target on fire, causing them to take 6L damage per turn until they put it out, which ignores normal armor. A character may store up to 8 uses of this mechanism and regenerates (Stamina) uses every hour.

Toxic Blood (4/6 XP): The character has blood that is hostile to people around him and the environment as well. His blood may be acidic, full of flesh-eating enzymes he alone is immune to, or smart nanotech that spontaneously combusts when it touches an enemy. Whatever it is, if he takes lethal damage, his blood sprays (levels of damage taken) meters, dealing a base of 8L damage with AP (2) to everyone inside the radius. At the ST's discretion, certain types of lethal damage such as lasers or fire may prevent this from happening. Toxic blood costs 4 XP if indiscriminate, 6 XP if it only damages things the Nova wants damaged (the aformentioned combusting smart nanos). It may be stacked up to (Stamina/2, round up) times, each additional purchase adding +1 to AP and +4L damage.

Venom Sacs (6 XP): The character now possesses poison reservoirs which can produce poisonous compounds. Generally, poison of this sort must be spread by intimate contact, although a repurchase of this body modification allows for the character to spit the poison up to a distance of (Strength) meters. This poison deals 2 unsoakable levels of lethal damage if the victim fails a Stamina + Resistance roll at difficulty +3, or 2 unsoakable dice of bashing damage if the victim succeeds or is a Nova without Adaptability (Novas with Adaptability are immune). The character is immune to his own venom, and generates (Stamina) doses per day, storing up to 10 doses.

Armor

Again, all body modification soak gains are armored soak increases and stack in that fashion.

Scarification (1 XP): The character's skin is thick, scarred, and callused, adding +1B/0L soak. This often comes with being horribly deformed (as the flaw).

Tough Skin (3 XP): A character with tough skin has armored skin that can ward off small-caliber bullets and glancing knife blows, adding 1B/2L stackable armored soak. Tough Skin does not increase penalties for wearing additional armor.

Subdermal Armor Mesh (6 XP): A character's skin is heavily reinforced, adding 2B/4L stackable armored soak. This armor is not inherently visible, but greatly alters the texture of the skin, meaning that it can be discovered by touch. This replaces tough skin and has the same interaction rules with other sources of armored soak.

Dermal Plating (6 XP): A character with Subdermal Plating gains 4B/4L stackable armored soak with no penalties, but the armor is obvious to onlookers if the character wears skintight or revealing clothing, as it takes the form of heavy bone, metal, or chitin plates under the skin. As a cybernetic implant, dermal plating is generally done via implanting self-healing ballistic plastic plates just below the skin. Dermal plating counts as armor for the purposes of armor stacking.

Heavy Exoskeleton (8 XP): A character with this body modification has no visible skin, replacing it with hardened metal or chitin plates that give him 6B/6L stackable armored soak, but counts as worn armor for the purposes of armor stacking. This modification replaces Dermal Plating.

Low-Friction Skin (2 XP): The character's skin on all parts of the body save the soles, fingers, and palms is modified to be extremely slippery to the touch and hard to get ahold of. Mostly useful for martial artists, this enhancement adds +1 difficulty for any attempts to hold the Nova. This generally gives the character's skin a "wet" or "oily" sheen to it which is distinctive close-up.

Sharkskin (2 XP): The character's skin is covered in hard sharp ridges, allowing for better grips on objects. Attempts to disarm the character are at +1 difficulty, as well as any attempt to knock her down or move her as long as she is barefoot. The character may also cause distracting and painful surface wounds (damage 1B) by roughly brushing against someone, and gains +1 to Dexterity for swim speeds due to superior hydrodynamic qualities. This body modification may significantly impact the character's love life, for obvious reasons.

Energy Shunts (6 XP): The character has implanted thermal superconductor shunts which evenly distribute and disperse the heating effects of energy weapons, adding +2B/2L to soak damage from energy weapons.

Thermal Capacitor Mesh (6 XP): The character's skin is impregnated by a thermal weave that can store and safely jettison excess heat, adding +2B/2L to soak incendiary weapons or the effects of fire.

Low-Profile Armor (6 XP): The character's armoring is altered to look and feel natural. Transforming the large plates of dermal plating into dense intramuscular and subdermal meshes with the same texture as human tissue, allowing low-friction skin or sharkskin to be turned off, and other modifications allow the character to disguise their modifications, adding +2 to any Awareness roll difficulties to detect them. Heavy exoskeletons may not be disguised as anything else but obvious armor.

Survival

Enhanced Antibodies (2 XP): The character gains +1 automatic success to resist poison or disease.

Filter Lungs/Liver (2 XP): The respiratory system of the character is enhanced with biochemical filters, and the liver's ability to dispose of toxic chemicals is further augmented. A character gains +2 to resist any toxins or diseases with this body modification. Against weaker chemical agents such as tear gas or alcohol, the character may automatically succeed resistance rolls with no issue.

High-Capacity Lungs (2 XP): Characters with this body modification gain +2 Endurance.

Nictating Membranes (2 XP): A character with this body modification adds 1 success to resisting blinding (as Sensory Shield) or eye irritants. Combined with filter lungs a character becomes mostly immune to riot agents.

Blood Hyperoxygenation (2 XP): The character has blood which can carry significantly more oxygen than normal. The character gains 1 automatic success on any rolls to endure strenuous physical activity, as she can sustain activity for longer, and 1 additional Incapacitated health level, as it takes a lot more damage to the heart and a lot more blood loss to kill the character.

Redundant Organs/Vital Organ Shielding (2 XP): A character may gain additional toughness by increasing body redundancy, adding either 1 -0 and 1 -1 HL or 1 -2 HL and 2 -4 HLs per purchase. As an alternative, a character may instead provide comparable increased toughness by selectively armoring his vital organs. A character may buy a number of this body modification equal to his Stamina + 2.

Regenerator (4 XP): A character with this body modification heals faster than normal, reducing healing times by 1 category. Baselines with this body modification may heal crippling injuries (such as those from aggravated damage) without the need for prosthetic replacement or cloned body parts.

Dispersed Organs (4 XP): A Nova with dispersed organs gains improved resistance to called shots, whether because of organ redundancy or because he just doesn't need them any more. Called shot bonus damage is halved. Purchased twice, the Nova takes no additional damage from called shots and probably looks like a Shoggoth on the inside. Each level of Dispersed Organs adds +1 difficulty to all medical rolls to treat the Nova.

Trauma Tolerance (8 XP): The character has fast-clotting blood, a multiple redundant circulatory system, a decentralized heart, and so on. The character automatically stabilizes himself when dying (with no need for assistance) unless wounded further, and gains another 1 -4 and 2 Incapacitated health levels.

Unliving (15 XP): Whatever the character is now made of, it doesn't decay the same as flesh and bone, although it still heals, it still mends, and it still can break. The character is no longer precisely living, and that which does not live may not precisely die. Perhaps a Nova has embraced the condition of a vampire, or a Psion has had a full body conversion, or other drastic body modifications were made. A character with this body modification no longer makes a real distinction between "Incapacitated" and "Dying" health levels, and is only killed by body destruction. Furthermore, being unliving, the character no longer needs to eat, drink, or breathe, although spare mass for healing must come from somewhere, and so must energy. A vampire would require blood, for example, while a cyborg would probably require regular recharging-but without sustenance the character merely shuts down (suffering the increased difficulties to all actions) rather than dying. Characters with this body modification may choose an ability instead of Medicine needed to treat their recovery. A Frankenstinian monster may require someone with Art (Sewing), while a cyborg would use Engineering (Robotics) or Engineering (Cybernetics), while a nanotech blob would use Science (Nanotechnology). Unliving characters are immune to most poisons and toxins.

Inorganic (15 XP): The character is no longer mostly made of something with the consistency of flesh and bone, and is more machine than man. Although called "inorganic", this does not require the character to be made of things that don't contain both carbon and hydrogen. Most full-body cyborgs would have this body modification (as well as Unliving). Inorganic characters may no longer spend WP on physical tasks, as their bodies are no longer capable of functioning at anything other than peak normal performance at all times, but instead may pay 1 lethal health level to overstress their bodies for the same effect. They also soak lethal damage with full (rather than half) Stamina and are immune to fatigue, allowing strenuous tasks to be undertaken without need of rest. Inorganic characters are extremely resistant to extreme environments as well, allowing semi-comfortable survival anywhere from the arctic circle to near-boiling temperatures where only extremophiles thrive.

Power

Enhanced Movement (2 XP): The character's legs are augmented, adding +1 to dexterity and strength for movement purposes. A character may stack this enhancement up to (Strength or Dexterity, choose higher) times, additional purchases adding ever more inhuman qualities to the character's legs.

Springs (4 XP): This body mod adds spring-like structures to the character's legs which greatly increase their power. Novas with this enhancement halve fall damage from controlled falls, add +2 to damage with kicks, and double jump distances and heights.

Foot Anchors (4 XP): The character has powerful spring-loaded barbed spurs in his feet which are primarily used to anchor the character to hard surfaces (any surface with a soak rating less than [Character's Strength + 3] is fair game). When anchored, any attempts to move or knock back the character are at +1 difficulty with one foot anchored, or +2 difficulty with both feet anchored. In addition, these anchors can be initiated immediately after connecting with a physical attack, adding an additional +1 difficulty to a kick attack but adding AP:2 and a damage add of [1] to the kick itself, as well as turning its damage lethal (having a large and very sharp barbed spike slam right into your body is not very good for health)

Flexible Skeleton (6 XP): A Nova with a flexible skeleton has a skeleton that bends rather than breaking under extreme stress, which grants increased blunt trauma tolerance. If the Nova would take bashing damage, that damage is reduced by 1 level (minimum 1 level) after soak as bones bend momentarily rather than snap. Furthermore, as only soft-tissue damage is inflicted, the Nova heals Bashing damage as if it was 1 level lower.

Ultralight Body (6 XP): A Nova with an ultralight body has high-efficiency muscle tissue and porous bones that halves his weight, which reduces his natural soak by 2B/1L (min 1B/0L) but halves all falling damage, adds +2 to dexterity for movement purposes, and doubles jump distances. If bought twice, the Nova uses extremely high-efficiency organs and tissues, comparable in strength/weight ratios to carbon nanotube or aircraft composites, which eliminates the soak penalty, adds +4 to dexterity for movement purposes, and quadruples jump distances, as well as reducing the Nova's mass by a full 75%.

Improved Grip Strength (6 XP): Someone with this bodymod has incredible strength that they cannot actually use outside of controlled circumstances. Having a cybernetic arm with carbon nanotube musculature might be an example of this-the arm might be a hundred times stronger than a human arm, yet if the user attempted to exploit that strength to lift something, it'd just rip right out of the socket. Improved grip strength adds +1 automatic success to Might rolls to control a grapple, +[1] damage to any crush attack, and may be stacked up to (character's Strength) times.

Hyperdense Skeleton (6 XP): A hyperdense skeleton is abnormally heavy and solid, sometimes just out of increased bone density but it is not uncommon for a Nova to end up with bones plated in some sort of dense heavy metal such as adamantium. Novas with hyperdense skeletons add +2 damage to unarmed melee attacks, +2B/1L soak, and because of the greatly reduced chance of breaking limbs, doubles the character's safe fall distance. Terminal fall damage stays the same, as the increased skeletal mass also increases terminal velocity. Purchasing hyperdense skeleton twice allows the Nova to deal lethal damage with unarmed blows due to the hardness of his skeleton, increases the Nova's soak against damage by 3B/2L instead of 2B/1L, and renders the Nova's bones practically unbreakable, tripling safe fall distances.

Adrenaline Overproduction (8 XP): The character has the ability to flood his system with stimulants, increasing movement speed and strength for a short period of time. This body modification allows a character to gain +1 strength and +1 dexterity for a combat round per use. Using adrenaline overproduction deals 1 unsoakable bashing level of damage per activation to the user.

Burst Strength (10 XP): The character is enhanced to have extreme levels of short-duration strength and speed. As a cybernetic or biotech modification, this can be done by drastic alterations to muscle contraction speed, artificial muscles, or more exotic methods such as electromagnetic rams. Novas have their own explanations and drastic physiological alterations to support them. The character adds +2 to Strength for the purposes of movement, throwing, and melee damage.

Environmental Adaptation

Environmental Adaptation (6 XP): The character is adapted to a type of environment, chosen at character generation. Example adaptations are listed below. This modification can be purchased multiple times, each time adapting the character to a different environment.

Aquatic: The character gains a pair of gills along the side of her chest which allow her to breathe underwater normally as long as the gills are exposed to water (a simple modification of most swimsuits will allow for this, as will loose-fitting clothing). The character is also streamlined, losing all body hair save on her scalp and eyebrows, gaining slightly webbed feet and hands and elongated toes. This allows her to swim at her normal running speed.

Arctic: The character is extremely resistant to cold due to antifreeze in their blood and additional heat-storage capacity, adding +1B/1L soak against cold-based attacks and +1 success to any roll made to resist extreme cold.

Desert: The character becomes particularly efficient at storing food and water, doubling the intervals which dehydration and starvation affect him or her. In addition, the character is resistant to extreme heat due to better temperature-exchange ability, adding +1 success to any roll made to resist extreme heat.

Forest: The character's arms are elongated and strengthened, allowing him to swing through trees at his normal running speed and adding +1 strength for the purposes of climbing, grasping, or crushing. The character also is made more resistant to most toxins, adding +1d to any roll made to resist toxins, and has somewhat toughened skin which has no game mechanics effects but reduces abrasion and other minor abuse such as thorns and splinters better.

Microgravity: The character is adapted to low or zero-G, gaining an effective 2 dots of Microgravity Ops due to alterations to their sense of balance. Characters with microgravity adaptation are immune to nausea from sudden changes in acceleration (or gravity) as well.

NBC: The character is much more resistant to radiation, disease and poison damage, gaining +1 automatic success to resist the deleterious effects of radiation, or the potency of diseases and poisons. Self-repairing chromosomes and superior error-checking mean undirected radiation damage is generally considered to be one level lower (Aggravated to Lethal, Lethal to Bashing, Bashing stays unchanged). Intense radiation, such as the neutron flux of a enhanced radiation warhead or standing inside a reactor core without protection, is still aggravated.

Vacuum: The character's skin becomes thicker, tougher, and smooth to the touch, a vacuum sealed poreless membrane, and the character gains membranes which can seal the lungs and eyes off. The character may recycle oxygen from carbon dioxide, allowing him to hold his breath for up to (Stamina * 30) minutes. The character is also hermetically sealed, making them largely immune to skin contact agents, and adds +1 automatic success to resist the deleterious effects of radiation due to better radiation shielding.

Manipulator Feet (2 XP): The character's feet are designed with opposable "thumbs" and elongated digits which allow them to be used for fine manipulation and tool use.

Photosynthetic (2 XP): The character can photosynthesize. This may, but does not always, turn the character a shade of green-a Nova's physiology can adapt melanin to photosynthesize if it has to. With sufficient water, a photosynthetic character doubles all intervals for starvation.

Broadened Diet (2 XP): The character's diet is broadened via alteration of the digestive system, reducing all Survival or Endurance rolls to avoid the effects of hunger/thirst by 1, as the character can subsist on more sources of water and food without issue (tainted/brackish water, rotten food, grass cellulose, etcetera). Each further purchase broadens the character's diet further, adding an additional -1 difficulty per purchase.

Chromatophores (4 XP): This augmentation adds rapid color-changing and pattern-matching ability to the character, giving her +2d to all stealth rolls as long as she is either essentially naked or wearing clothing/equipment which can also blend into the surroundings. Chromatophores can be purchased twice to add a further +1d to all stealth rolls (due to faster and more precise color-matching) and the ability to display fast-moving patterns, turning the character into a living video screen.

Glider (4 XP): Novas with gliding wings can glide at their normal running speed.

Reaction Control System (6 XP): Whether it's cybernetically implanted or ingrown, having a set of thrusters capable of minor acceleration and attitude control greatly help zero-G maneuvering. The character can slowly maneuver in zero-G without the need for an external source of thrust, although the reaction mass has to come from somewhere. Peak thrust for this system is generally somewhere around 0.1G maximum, so it's not exactly going to win any speed records.

Wings (12 XP): A Nova with flight ability can fly to a limited extent-not nearly as fast as a Nova with the Flight power, and with an obvious and easily visible cause (such as internal rocket thrusters, gigantic feathered wings, or the like), but fly nontheless. A character with 1 purchase of Flight may fly at their normal running speed, and if the Nova has the Flight power, the Nova gains a further +1 to the power's rating for speed and maneuverability. Each purchase of flight increases the character's flight speed by her normal running speed (so 2 purchases means double normal running speed, 3 means triple, etc). and adds another +1 to the effective rating of the Flight power for speed/maneuverability.

Size

Note that any size-reducing body modification cannot be granted by enhancement (outside of pulp story "shrink rays" or the like). Size-increasing ones can be, but there's a significant difference between sticking another 50 kilos of fuel cells, myomer, and exoskeleton on someone and shrinking them to half size. Attribute decreases from size modifications may not reduce an attribute below 1.

Large (6 XP): Being about 50% heavier and larger than the average man has its advantages, adding +1 to strength, +1 to stamina, and 1 -0 HL. Novas which are Large add +1 to Dexterity for movement.

Huge (12 XP): A character with this modification is around twice the mass and size of an average person, easily about 180 kilos and 2.2 or more meters tall, and gains +2 Strength, +2 Stamina, and 2 additional -0 HLs. Huge Novas add +2 to dexterity for movement purposes only.

Humongous (18 XP): A character with this modification is four times the mass of an average person and around 2.5 to 3 meters tall, gaining +4 Strength, +4 Stamina, and 4 additional -0 HLs. Furthermore, their size increases their movement speeds by 50% (round up), and they double their lifting and encumbrance thresholds (so each dot of Str + Might allows a character to carry 10 kg at light encumbrance instead of 5, so on). Humongous characters are much easier to hit and spot, reducing the difficulty of attacks made against them by 1 and increasing the difficulties of all stealth rolls they make by 1.

Gargantuan (24 XP): A character with this modification is six times the mass and around 80% taller than an average person, averaging around 3.25 meters tall and gaining +6 Strength, +6 Stamina, and 6 additional -0 HLs. Furthermore, their size increases their movement speeds by 50% (round up), and they double their lifting and encumbrance thresholds. Gargantuan characters are much easier to hit and spot, reducing the difficulty of attacks made against them by 1 and increasing the difficulties of all stealth rolls they make by 1.

Brobdingnagian (30 XP): A character with this modification is twelve times the mass and over twice the height of an average person, averaging around 3.9-4.3 meters tall, gaining +8 Strength, +8 Stamina, and 8 additional -0 HLs. Due to their huge size, they double their movement speeds and triple their lifting and encumbrance thresholds. Brobdingnagian characters are extremely easy to hit and spot, reducing attack difficulties against them by 2 and increasing the difficulties of all stealth rolls they make by 2.

Small (1 XP): A character with this body modification is about 1/8th normal mass and roughly half as tall/wide/thick, reducing Strength by 2 and halving movement speed and encumbrance/lifting ability. Characters which are small are more vulnerable to damage, reducing soak by 2B/2L/2A (minimum 0 soak) and receive double pre-soak damage from non-area attacks. On the other hand, a small character adds +1 to the difficulties of hitting or detecting the character, although area attacks are immune to this difficulty increase.

Tiny (1 XP): A Tiny character is roughly 1/64th normal mass and 1/4th normal dimensions, reducing Strength by 4 and reducing movement speed and encumbrance/lifting ability to 25% normal. Characters which are tiny are more vulnerable to damage, reducing soak by 4B/4L/4A (minimum 0 soak) and receive tripled pre-soak damage from non-area attacks. However, tiny characters add +2 to the difficulties of detecting or hitting the character with non-area attacks.

Miniscule (2 XP): A miniscule character is 1/512th their normal mass and 1/8th their normal dimensions, reducing Strength by 6, also reducing both movement speed and encumbrance/lifting ability to 1/8th normal. Miniscule characters can suffer fatal injury from mere annoyances to normal humans, losing 6B/6L/6A soak and receiving quadruple pre-soak damage from non-area attacks, but are nearly impossible to hit, adding +3 to the difficulties of detecting or hitting the character with non-area attacks.

Lilliputian (2 XP): Lilliputian characters are roughly 1/12th height and 1/144th normal mass, reducing Strength by 8 and reducing movement speed to 1/12th normal. Lilliputian characters can easily be killed by otherwise harmless phenomena, reducing soak by 8B/8L/8A (min 0 soak) and receive five times pre-soak damage from non-area attacks, but are virtually impossible to target or hit, adding +4 to the difficulties of detecting or hitting the character with non-area attacks.

Utility

Climbing Claws (1 XP): Small, catlike retractable claws are terrible weapons (Str - 2L damage, minimum 1L) but useful as tools. Not only do they make great can openers, but also add 1 automatic success for climbing rolls.

Concealable Pocket (1/4 XP): A small concealed pocket is built into the character. The 1 XP version can store a tiny tool such as a syringe, a PDA, or a magazine of ammunition, while the 4 XP version can store anything with conceal J or below.

Bioluminescence (1/3 XP): The character can emit light. The basic, 1 XP version allows for the character to emit any color of light at a brightness enough that they can fully illuminate a dark room as if it was daylight. The enhanced, 4 XP version allows the character to selectively emit light, allowing for the use of bioluminescence for countershading (reducing stealth difficulties by 1 in brightly-lit areas) and communication by projected light patterns.

Shears (3 XP): The character's jaw can dislocate and has augmented musculature and hardened, sharpened teeth, allowing the character to bite through most materials. If the character can bite a target (during a clinch, for example), these shears take 1 turn to set up and cannot be used as part of a multiple action (they are designed for power rather than speed) but deal (Str + 5L [2]) damage with an AP rating of (Strength). Mega-Strength adds +2 to the AP rating per dot.

Multitools (4 XP): A character with this modification possesses an integrated set of precision tools for various purposes, reducing all penalties from insufficient tools by 2, to a minimum of 0.

Tentacles (4 XP): Tentacles are flexible appendages which extend up to (Stamina) meters. Each purchase of this body modification grants 2 or more tentacles, which either do Str + 4B or Str + 2L damage, depending on their makeup, and can grasp and manipulate objects at (Dexterity - 2). Repurchasing this bodymod increases the number and flexibility of these tentacles, adding +1 meter to their maximum extension per repurchase and an additional +1B damage, as well as making them slightly more supple (reducing the manipulation penalty by 1). Tentacles may not have manipulate objects with a dexterity dice pool higher than the Nova's own.

Adhesive Grip (6 XP): Using Van Der Walls force to attach the character to walls, a single purchase of this body modification allows the character to walk up walls at his normal walking speed. Purchasing this body modification twice allows the character to move more or less normally on said walls and even ceilings, running up them at full running speed.

Multiple Arms (8 XP): A Nova with multiple arms reduces multiple action penalties by 1 per pair of additional arms he or she possesses. A Nova may support up to (Stamina or Wits, choose lower) sets of multiple arms, which does not count Mega-Attributes for the total.

Multiple Legs (6 XP): A Nova with multiple legs adds +5 to Dexterity for purposes of ground movement speed, and being able to kick with more than 1 leg increases kick damage by 1 per purchase. Like Multiple Arms, a Nova may support up to (Stamina or Wits) sets of multiple legs, and Mega-Attributes do not count for limb support.

Hyper-Flexible (4 XP): The character can bend and disolate her limbs in disconcerting ways, which +3 to any roll which may benefit from this superhuman flexibility. Rolls which are generally valid include Stealth, Legerdemain (for contortion or escaping restraints), and certain types of Performance rolls.

Bioelectrical Dynamo (2/8 XP): The character generates a surplus of electrical power, which may be tapped or conducted through fingers. The cheaper, 2 XP version is useless for attacking, but allows a character to damage or reset exposed circuitry, power a lightbulb, recharge a laptop, or other useful minor tricks. A character with the 8 XP version generates more power and can channel more of it, allowing her to deal either Str+6B damage (up to 2xStamina times/hour), or Str+6L damage + 6d EMP. Using the lethal damage mode deals 2 unsoakable bashing health levels to the user. The more expensive variant also adds +2L soak against electrical damage and an immunity to tasers due to insulation.

Mental

Enhancement

Mental Augmentation (4/6 XP): The character gains +1 to a mental attribute. Like a PSE boost, these affect all mundane uses but do not improve the effects of quantum powers, and do not increase the cost of the attribute. A character may not increase any attribute by more than +3. It costs 4 XP to improve Perception by 1, or 6 XP to improve Wits or Intelligence.

Sensory

Acute (Sense) (2 XP): A Nova with acute (sense) gains +1d to all Perception rolls based on that sense.

Nightvision (2 XP): The character has eyes which have much higher sensitivity to ambient light, eliminating all penalties from darkness outside of total pitch-black situations (where no light is available).

Alternate Sensory Mode (4 XP): Each time this is purchased, a character gains an alternate sense, such as lateral line sense (the ability to sense the electromagnetic fields of others), echolocation, infrared vision, and so on. Some examples are listed below. Besides for their special features, an applicable alternate sense provides additional sensory data (and a +1d to Perception rolls when the sense is applicable in addition to one of the normal five), and may allow a character to ignore difficulty increases in certain circumstances, as well as giving additional options to gain sensory data.

Echolocation: Character may navigate through the world without sight, via echolocation itself, negating optical stealth.

Electromagnetic Field: Allows a character to make Perception + Awareness rolls to detect nearby unshielded electronics and power sources/lines.

Lateral Line: Allows a character to make Perception + Awareness rolls to sense nearby neural signatures.

Thermal Vision: Character may sense heat and cold. +2d circumstantial bonus to detect hot things on a cool background or vice versa.

UV Vision: Character may see in UV spectrum. Often used to find UV-fluorescent materials or other tools.

Rangefinder (4 XP): The character can precisely judge distances and velocities, reducing the difficulty of all Firearms, Heavy Weapons, and Gunnery rolls by 1. Under certain circumstances, this difficulty reduction may apply to other abilities, such as Pilot, Drive, or Athletics.

Sensory Cutoffs (4 XP): The character has greatly reduced vulnerability to having her senses overloaded, adding +1 difficulty to all attempts to stun the character via powers like Strobe or objects such as blinding lasers, flashbang grenades, and the like. This stacks with Sensory Shield.

Improved Kinesthesia (6 XP): The character's kinesthetic senses are precisely tuned, adding +2 to all non-dodge Athletics rolls based on movement or precise positioning. The character also gains +1 success to avoid being tripped, knocked down, or otherwise unbalanced and can confidently move at full speed in even extremely hostile terrain (such as ice, or a tightrope) without a roll.

Extrasensory Access (8 XP for first/4 XP for additional): A character with this modification has exotic sensory modes covering multiple spectra, which are specialized to assist him in a specific task. The first Extrasensory Access modification costs 8 XP, but further repurposing of the five senses takes much less and only costs 4 XP per additional.

Materials Analysis: Analyzes chemical composition and makeup.

Motion Tracker: +1 automatic success to detect any moving objects within 30m.

Weakpoints: Successes on a Perception roll become penalties to target soak or bonus dice to destroy/maintain an object.

LANSA: A successful Perception + Awareness roll (difficulty +9 - target's [Quantum + Taint]) detects a Nova.

Sound Editing: -1 difficulty to hearing-based Awareness rolls.

Pain Editor: No wound penalties (still incapacitated as normal).

Terahertz Radiation: Character may see through thin non-metallic walls and detect cybernetic implantation.

Autonomy

Trauma Tolerance (4 XP): Modifications made to the brainstem have altered the character's autonomous functions to better withstand traumatic injury. Any attempts to stabilize the character when dying are at half difficulty (round down), the character takes twice as long to actually die (doubling the time intervals to resuscitate the character), and the character adds +1 to Stamina for the purposes of resisting Dazing or Stun.

Daemon (4 XP): The character has a nonsentient but autonomous subroutine running in her mind, that she can assign to one of various duties while she does something else-including sleeping. Common uses for a Daemon are alerting a character to ambush, tidying up the house while in REM sleep, or other relatively simple tasks. Daemons have all of the character's physical abilities, but none of the character's mental or social abilities, and are considered to have a Charisma and Manipulation of 0 and an Intelligence of 1.

Bifurcated Mind (6 XP): The character can sleep while aware of her surroundings, owing to a modification allowing her to shut half of her brain off like a dolphin when sleeping. While "asleep", a character is considered to have half (round up) his mental Attributes and Mega-Attributes, and all actions are at +1 difficulty due to general lethargy.

Error-Correction (6 XP): Systems intended to ensure proper brain functionality have been integrated into the character, adding 1 automatic success to resist mind-affecting powers, and -1 difficulty to resist the effects of mental disorders.

Sleepless (9 XP): The character does not sleep and does not need to sleep. This is a dehumanizing, but incredibly powerful, feature that can greatly increase productivity. Sleepless characters gain 1 WP every 28 hour cycle rather than 1 WP with a good night's sleep.

Multithreaded (12 XP): The character has a multithreaded thought process which provides a few interesting benefits. First off, the character adds 1 automatic success to resist mind control or any other form of mental influence. Second off, for most research and development purposes, the character counts as an additional free assistant to himself. Finally, a character can ponder two problems or have two trains of thought at the same time, allowing a character to pay full attention to two things simultaneously, reducing multiple action penalties by 1, or maintain a Concentration power without having to concentrate.

Reactions

Neural Acceleration (2 XP): Synthetic fast-transmitting neurons, electro-optical bypass shunts, or some other method of increasing reaction speed have improved the character's ability to react to circumstances, adding +1 to initiative. The character may buy as many iterations of this augmentation as his (Wits + 1).

Ambidexterity (2 XP): The character no longer has a dominant side period, reducing all multiple action penalties by 1 as long as attacks are being made with two weapons. This is identical to the Ambidextrous merit and does not stack.

Fluidity (4 XP): The character's increased thought speed allows him to "carry through" unnecessary actions and change them into relevant actions. If a character's actions are invalidated, the character may alter them with no penalties. The character also no longer must spend/roll Willpower to abort to a defensive action.

Enhanced Reactions (10 XP): A character with this body modification reduces all multiple action penalties by 1 and adds +3 to initiative by decreasing their reaction times and increasing the speed at which they think (allowing for more precisely thought-out actions). This enhancement may be purchased twice, each purchase ever-more-heavily modifying the character's neurology.

Cognitive Overclocking (10 XP): The character can, at the cost of 1 willpower, overclock his mental processes such that every movement can be precisely accomplished like clockwork. When activated for an action the character gains +5 Initiative for that round and an additional action (which, like all extra actions, may not be split).

Combat Reflexes (6 XP): Most commonly acquired from having a battle computer implanted to analyze and optimize a character's fight-or-fight responses for combat purposes, but some Novas hack their own brains for better combat ability by removing and rewiring their fight-or-flight response. A character with Combat Reflexes rolls 2 dice for initiative instead of 1, and takes the desired one (generally the higher roll). This is identical to the Combat veteran merit (But does stack).

Interface

Implant Computer (8 XP): It is quite possible for a Nova to grow a computer system in their brain if they need it, and implanting a computer system to work in symbiosis with the human mind is fully possible. An implant computer adds +[1] automatic success to any mathematics or computer intrusion/programming rolls and in addition provides a character with perfect time sense and eidetic memory. Implant computers have their own wireless I/O connections.

Interface Port (1 XP): The character has a USB jack in the back of their head. Although only marginally useful, this allows for a hard, unjammable link with a weapon or vehicle. Obviously this requires one of the weapon/vehicle/machine link upgrades or an implant computer to be effective.

Radio Implant (1/2 XP): The character has an implanted 2-way radio with 10km range on a clear plain with no interference. The advanced version (2 XP) provides video send/receive support, cell phone connectivity, and a 25km range.

Nav Implant (2 XP): The character is implanted with a combination of GPS tracker, inertial navigation system, and compass.

Skill Implant (1/2/4/6 XP): The character is implanted with an artificial knowledge of a ability (physical, mental, or social). A skill implant requires 1 willpower to use during a scene or interval (the feeling of being puppeted is extremely disconcerting). A skill implant costs 1 XP for an ability at rating 1, 2 XP for an ability at rating 2, 4 XP for an ability at rating 3, and 6 XP for an ability at rating 4.

Weapon Link (6 XP): Either the power of the M-R node or cybernetic implantation gives the character the ability to interface with a properly modified weapon. A character with this enhancement reduces the difficulty of all Firearms, Heavy Weapons, or Gunnery rolls to hit a target by 1 and adds +1d to any rolls. Modifying a weapon to work with this link is a (Intelligence + Engineering[Electronic] roll) at +1 difficulty, with an interval of 1 hour per roll.

Vehicle Link (6 XP): A character with this body modification can link himself or herself to any (willing) vehicle with electronic controls. Any machine with no actual security can be considered automatically willing, meaning that almost all late 20th and early-mid 21st century vehicles will be considered valid. When linked, the character reduces the difficulty of all Drive or Pilot rolls by 1 and adds +1d to all such rolls. Most vehicles are capable of linking without any specific improvements.

Social

Enhancement

Somatic/Pheromonal Calibration (4/8 XP): The character gains +1 to a social attribute, via calibrating his voice, appearance, and pheromones to be more impressive (Charisma), trustworthy (Manipulation), or appealing (Appearance). A character may not increase any attribute by more than +3. It costs 4 XP to improve Appearance by 1, or 8 XP to improve Charisma or Manipulation.

Enchanting Feature (2 XP): The character has a particularly beautiful set of eyes, great facial structure, or something else that is more or less entirely memorable and unique. The character adds +1 automatic success to all Appearance rolls-and 2 automatic successes to any attempts to track the character. Looking unique may sometimes be more trouble than it's worth.

Pheromonal

Pheromones (2 XP): The character's pheromones are tailored for greater impact and potency. A character with this body modification selects one emotion per purchase of pheromones-when he makes a social roll which resonates with that emotion (seduction for lust, intimidation or interrogation for fear, rapport for calm) the character gains a +1d bonus. Repurchasing pheromones allows the character to choose another emotion, or increase the bonus for one emotional state by 1d (to a maximum of +2d).

Pheromone Blockers (4 XP): Nasal filters and neural bypasses immunize the character from pheromonal influence, eliminating any pheromone-granted bonuses (these include Coalition ones) and add an additional +1d to resist any attempts at seduction due to having a clearer head.

Empathy

Lie Detector (4 XP): The character's sense of touch is calibrated to analyze heart rate and skin conductivity, while her sense of hearing is calibrated for voice stress analysis. The character gains +1 success to any roll to detect lies as long as she can maintain physical contact and close proximity.

Empathic (6 XP): Installing electromagnetic sensors throughout the skull (or growing them) can provide someone the ability to see emotional states and active areas of the brain, adding +1 success to any Rapport roll, and +1d to medicine rolls involving diagnosing brain trauma.

Deception

Off The Shelf (4 XP): The character's looks are completely nondescript. He or she is generically handsome/beautiful, generically average, whatever the case may be. Looking like a composite of a dozen faces with no real distinguishing features adds +1 difficulty to any attempts to track the character, or remember him/her. Being "off the shelf" precludes having enchanting features.

Unreadable (4 XP): The character shows none of the standard signs of lying or nervousness at this point, but is also extremely disconcerting. A character gains +1 bonus success on any opposed rolls to successfully lie but all other social rolls are at +1 difficulty because he exhibits none of the standard autonomous responses, putting him right into the Uncanny Valley. The character may also fool the Lie Detector enhancement.

Social Chameleon (6 XP): The character is a social chameleon, unconsciously taking in and rapidly assimilating social cues such as slang, personal spacing, and so on. Within 24 hours, he may pass for a native of the region under normal scrutiny. This also adds +1 success to any disguise roll made to disguise oneself as a category of person rather than a specific person.

Asexual (6 XP): Neural rewiring removes normal human sexual responses from the character and leaves him or her completely asexual. All attempts to seduce the character automatically fail (in fact, no roll is possible), but all attempts by the character to seduce others must be attempted via (Manipulation + Subterfuge) at +3 difficulty. Faking autonomic responses is hard.

Appearance Alteration (10 XP): The character possesses various subdermal sacs which can have their shape and texture altered to simulate body features, and their skin and hair are capable of changing coloration, allowing the character to disguise himself or herself as anyone with roughly the same build and gender. Weight cannot be adjusted but height can be adjusted by a few cm, and hair/skin color as well as facial features can be altered, adding +1 automatic success to all disguise rolls and allowing disguises to be made without any tools. This is a significantly weaker version of the Appearance Alteration Enhancement, and a Nova with this body modification still cannot hide any aberrations with it.

Aberrant: Exile Campaign Mods

These systems are not actually normally acquirable, and not intended for use for other campaigns. As such, their cost is generally N/A.

Japan

Aberrancy Management Network: The "secret" of the universally taint-free Japan Novas, the AMN is a complex combination of active nanomachinery, quantum-active exotics, and other esoteric components which are (painfully) implanted into a pubescent quantum-latent teenager. After successful bonding, the teenager is forced into eruption via extensive use of quantum effects in close proximity. Any Nova erupted with this system in place uses the character generation rules for Japanese Novas (limit of 4 on Quantum, powers, and mega-attributes, cannot buy abilities tainted) and is guaranteed to erupt with a Taint of 0, the Taint Resistant merit, and the Eufiber Rejection flaw.

The AMN can be implanted in an already-erupted Nova, in which case their Taint is immediately reduced to 0. Each level of Taint reduced in this fashion also reduces the Nova's quantum score by 2 levels. If the Nova has a Quantum score lower than 1, he or she dies irretrievably and painfully due to total informational dissolution. Surviving Novas have their powers restricted in the same fashion Japanese ones have.

Coalition

Artificial Quantum Template: Cutting edge even for the Coalition, the artificial quantum template of the Coalition Fury is stabilized by part M-R node, part device, one of the gains from the technological trade between the Coalition and the Colony. Although unpredictable, difficult to manufacture, and limited, the implications of being capable of creating artificial Novas are quite literally world-shattering.

A Coalition phenotype implanted with an artificial Quantum template gains 10+1d10 NP worth of quantum powers and a Quantum score of 1 (max 2). These templates are built in a lab and cannot be adjusted after the fact-that is to say, a Fury may never spend XP on increasing Quantum powers. These artificial Novas are invariably designed with a host of killswitches and other protocols to prevent them from falling into enemy hands.

Quantum Attunement Booster: Standard quantum attunement only provides the same immunity the Nova possesses towards their own powers. The Coalition has the knowledge of an ancient quantum-powered race, though, and they understand how to take it further. A Fury with this modification can apply their quantum powers, Mega-Attributes, and Enhancements through anything they use. Points they possess in Armor increase the toughness of the vehicles they fly, points they possess in Mega-Dexterity improve the acceleration and handling of their vessels, and so on.

Mega-Dexterity increases speed differently for vehicles. Ground vehicles gain +8 m/round to safe and +16 m/round to safe and max speeds per point (roughly +10/20 km/h respectively), air vehicles gain +160/320 to their safe and max speeds (roughly +200/400 km/h), and spacecraft gain +0.5 to acceleration for every point of M-Dex.