VCOM: Reality Defense

Background

There are two wars being fought. The first is the Ascension War, a war for the hearts and minds of the Sleepers. Subtlety and guile rule the day, and Paradox slaps down those who seek to escalate too far. The second is the war in space, an overt war. In space, there is no paradox, no need for subtlety. There is a storm coming, a twisted mockery of the Technocracy, seeking to consume everything in stasis.

And you are the last line of defense.

Threat Null is coming. The Void Engineers are running out of time, beset by internal conflict. They have turned to the most unorthodox sources for help.

Thematics

This is not your normal game of mage. Forget the conspiracy, forget the shadowy urban fantasy. Trenchcoats and Desert Eagles aren't going to do shit to a Threat Null posthuman. You're going to want the big guns, the cyberware, whatever little advantage you can throw at the problem. Threat Null doesn't care. If you care, you will probably die. Forget permanent paradox points. You chose to give your bodies as the weapons for this war, and your sacrifice will be remembered.

Of course, that doesn't mean you'll never get to do things on Earth. Trying to figure out how to operate on that old dirtball with ten points of permanent paradox is definitely something that'll happen. Don't worry too much about it though! You'll be fine.

Character Generation

Acceptable Mages

You can either play a Void Engineer or a Traditionalist. Yes, you heard that right. As in the Revised book, the VE's closest relations are typically with Euthanatoi, Etherites, and Orphans.

Legitimate 'defectors' from other Conventions are allowed. Why yes, this is sounding awfully like the Void Engineers are trusting the Traditions more than the Technocracy.

Recommended Backgrounds

Devices, Requisitions, Enhancement. Those are all sold at half-cost.

Character Generation Bonuses

The Void Engineers are now a military unit with a civilian wing. There are essentially no noncombatant Voids, just some who are okay at it and others who are very, very good at it. All characters get these Abilities for free:

Athletics 2

Brawl 1

Dodge 2

Firearms 2

Melee 1

Pilot 1

Instead of the normal 'abilities may not be raised higher than 3 in chargen without freebie points', abilities may not be raised by more than 3 dots beyond what you get free in chargen. Yes, you can start with Firearms 5.

Character Archetypes

Pick one as primary, and one as secondary. Note down the bonuses. Answer the core question of both.

The Post-Human Warrior

"This isn't a war ordinary humans can win."

In slightly different circumstances you might have become a card-carrying member of Iteration X. Or maybe you nearly died and this was the most expedient way to save you. Maybe you realized that if the enemy can't fight you,

The Core Question: Given how inhuman the threats you face are, and how that inhumanity is very easily taken as a warning, why did you commit to such radical enhancement?

Primary: You're either an exojock, probably left over from the old days when the Void Engineers and Iteration X were the best of friends, or you're a Progenitor combat construct. You have either Exoarmor (8d soak, 3d primium, +4 Strength/Stamina, 6 -0 HLs, 3 permanent paradox) or Exomuscle (2d soak, 1d primium +2/1/2 Str/Dex/Sta, 6 -0 HLs, 3 permanent paradox), or the biological equivalent. You soak lethal and aggravated damage with full Stamina. This is probably not your only augmentation, or even close to it.

Secondary: You've got some combat-relevant enhancements. You have +1 to all physical attributes and an extra -0 HL (i.e. 8 points of physical structure enhancements). You can soak lethal and aggravated damage with full Stamina.

=The Odd Man Out

"Can you please stop calling them extradimensional entities? They're demons."

If you were around two decades ago, you'd probably have been on the other side of these ships, seeking to destroy it and its inhabitants. Now there is a greater foe. As they say, the Technos are only seeking to push their ideas of what is right and proper on you whether you like it or not. The other guys are here to set everything you loved and ever wished for on fire and possibly torture it a few times for kicks.

The Core Question: Why is it that you're working with the Technocracy? What made you decide this was better than fighting them, or fighting on your own?

Primary: You get a powerful magic artifact (Talisman 5), a powerful avatar (Avatar 5), or a Destiny (Destiny 5). You may not buy Technocratic backgrounds, such as Enhancement, without good reason, but get an additional 4 freebie points. You also get Lore (Your Tradition) at 3, and Lore (Something Supernatural) at 3. You probably have Spirit instead of dimensional science. Everyone thinks you might stab them in the back and they don't trust you much (effectively the "Probationary Member" flaw).

Secondary: You were a novice member of your Tradition but got poached by the Void Engineers. You have Dual Traditions (Void Engineers/your previous Tradition), and Lore (Your previous Tradition) at 2. You may purchase Spirit alongside Dimensional Science. If you have both, you raise the lower of the two at half-cost.