CREDITS

v1.1
Creator: Pierce Fraser
Editors: Tim Wu and the support of the Kickstarter backers
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Lauri Laurintytaer, Mike Szurkiewicz, Nibiki, Oksanna Briere, Pierce Fraser, Philipp Pfeiffer, Maloking,
Victoria Yurkovets
Cover: Kai Wei Tsao
Rear cover backer thanks: Glassan (Liansra) and John Walker II (Whiskey)
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1
Victory 4 Hexapod 66
Specialization 68
Family 6 Biped 68
Ability list 7
Wheeled 68
Descriptions 9
Maglev 69
Ursidae 9 Tentacled 70
Aquatic Families 13 Hexapod 72
Delphinidae 13 Cogsune 74
Selachii 15 Building a Cogsune 79
Merged Families 19 Stats 79
Rodentia 19 Cogsune rules 79
Rats 18 Reinforced bone structure 79
Mice 19 Atypical anatomy 79
Squirrels 21 Quantum backup 80
Rabbits 22 Scholarship 80
Bats 24 Morphism 81
Ledger 81
Ungulatae 25 Focus 81
Horses 25
Motivations 81
Cows 26
Tasks 81
Deer 27
Goats 28 Modular 82
Gazelles 29 Requisitioning new limbs 82
Starting appearance 83
Orders 29 Limb Selection 83
Seals 30
Arms 83
Raccoons 31
Legs 87
Mongooses 32
Tails 88
Hyenas 32
Character advancement 89
Cogsune inclusion 90
Species 34 Working with Cogsune abilities 91
Morphism 35 Multiple Cogsunes 91
Modifications 35 Enemy Cogsunes 91
Exonymphs 92
New Morphisms 36
Horns 36 Exonymph rules 100
Bio-Luminescence 37 Mutable brain 100
Followed 37 Extended memories 100
Lever-Stanced 39 Not from around here 100
Tusks 41 Off the grid 100
Hoofed 42 Mutable anatomy 100
Small talk 44 Gray meal 100
Surgical Incompatibility 102
Blips 46
Building an Exonymph 102
Building a Blip 47 Family, species, morphism 102
Appearance 47
Stats 102
Origin 48
Scolarship 102
Stat boost 48
Motivation 103
Ability: 48
Focus 103
Benefits 48
Design 48 Starting Equipment 103
Surgical template 49 It’s thinking 104
Finish up 50 Focus Abilities 106
Final notes 50 Science 106
Cogs 52 A few modifications 106
Cog Characters 59 Overcharge 106
Ravenous armor 106
Special rules 59 Thermodynamics 107
Healing 59
Engineering 107
Eating 60
Infrastructural engineering 107
Pressure and temperature 60
Physical law 107
Oxygen 60
Structural weakness 107
Computers 60
Systems redirection 108
Debt 60
Combat 108
Surgery 61
Extreme range 108
Advancement 61
Fluid motion 109
Frames 62 Saw it coming 109
Biped 63 Stuck in 109
Wheeled 63 Communication 109
Maglev 64
Tentacled 65
2
Emergency channels 109
 “Expert” 109 Drone Controller 133
Form follows function 109 Fi-op Fur 137
McGuffin muffins 110 Hive node 137
General 110 Inteliformic flesh 139
A few miles more... 110 Nanoassembler 144
Do you feel lucky? 110 Prosthetic utility 145
On your guard 110 Pushframe network 145
Out of place 111 Reinforced Prosthetics 145
Motivations 113 Remote vision 146
Stimplant 147
Compulsions 114
Compulsion mechanic 115 Cog surgical rules 147
Triggers 115 Implants and surgery 147
Nublood synthesis 148
Compulsion options 115 Power Reserves 148
Possession 115 Twinning node 148
Revulsion 115
Codependency 116
Expanded rules 149
Brightness 149
Control 116
Pressure 149
Risk 116
Diving 150
Addiction 116
Swim speed 150
Consumption 116
Suffocation 150
Domination 116
Cold 151
Submission 117
Heat 151
Confrontation 117
Neuroplex costs 152
Final notes 117
Surgery 118 New systems 152
General surgery 118 Learning 152
Diamond Weave 118 Dynamic investing 153
Expressive control 118 Using the system 153
Genetic compatibility 119 Levels of expense 154
Lazarus gland 119 Investment scope 154
Metabolic Backups 120 Forbidden services 155
Nublood 120 1-credit purchases 155
Prehensile Tail 121 Rental or bribed weapons 155
Reinforced claws 121 Hospital services 155
Spontaneous Metamorphosis 121 Final notes 156
Telesyncronization 123 Cinema Events 156
Reclaiming operations 125 Cinematic rescues 156
Delphinidae 125 Gaining cinematic rescues 157
Reclaimed Echolocation 125 Boosting cinematic rescues 157
Reclaimed Personal Orientation 125 Using cinematic rescues 157
Reclaimed Polar Adaptation 127 Cinematic pushes 157
Reclaimed Restoration 127 Gaining cinematic pushes 158
Reclaimed Sonic Manipulation 127 Combat 158
Rodentia 127 Random damage 158
Reclaimed Auditory 127 Action: Diving 159
Reclaimed Climbing Grip 127 Action: Pinning 159
Reclaimed Iron Stomach 128 Lore 160
Reclaimed Leaping 128 “Are you lost?” 162
Reclaimed Sonar 128 Housing 165
Selachii 128 Understanding environments 166
Reclaimed Ampullae of Lorenzini 128 Education 167
Reclaimed Cartilaginous Skeleton 129 Understanding education 168
Reclaimed Dermal Denticles 129 Crime 169
Reclaimed Lateral Line 129 Understanding law 171
Reclaimed Nictitating Membrane 129 Needs 172
Ungulatae 130 Understanding morality 175
Reclaimed Horizontal Pupils 130 Faith 176
Reclaimed Horsepower 130 Understanding faith 180
Reclaimed Ironhooves 130 Opportunity 182
Reclaimed Protrusions 130 Understanding opportunity 184
Reclaimed Sure-footing 131 Leverage 185
Ursidae 131 Understanding leverage 188
Reclaimed Bear-fisted Combat 131 Layers 188
Reclaimed Metabolic Control 131
Reclaimed Olfactory 132
Reclaimed Polar Adaptation 132
Core rulebook combat addendum 192
Reclaimed Stature 132 Core rulebook FAQ 194
Implants 132 Acknowlegments 198
Bliss emitter 132 3
 Victory was officially categorized as a maintenance stop, but its true value was as a
freeport; corporately unaligned and available to anyone who needed provisions and the feel of
gravity on their bones again. Spacecraft were some of the only truly independent environments
in the Sol system, as their ability to move people great distances unseen while transporting all
manner of hazardous material made them too large a liability for corps to want to maintain
control over. Free stations were a bit more scarce, as they typically cost too much to get without
a corporate loan. But Victory was old, long paid off, and not large or advanced enough to be of
any interest to a larger enterprise. Small stations made money hand over fist once they became
self-sustaining. When its caretaker had money enough to satisfy himself, he left it to Eliza, who
had been maintaining its systems for years. She still did. She just had a chance to come up out of
the duct-work and see people more often these days.
They were working people, mostly. Vacationers came to the Jovian satellites on a fairly
regular basis, but they didn’t make stops at random specks in orbit. But the engineers from the
Nephilim rig did, when they wanted a change of scenery. Orbital workers from Gany and Europa.
Freighter pilots, IRPF deep orbit patrols, the occasional wanted criminal. Fascinating people.
Good talkers. They made for more interesting company than the Victory’s monotonous MarsCo
AI, who had recently learned to be even more grating on the nerves due to an audio malfunction
that was dropping a low frequency rattle into its voice. Liz needed to fix that, she reminded
herself, knowing full well she’d continue to put it off. When you listen to the same computer
report systems malfunctions for the better part of a decade, it’s actually rather refreshing when
something changes. Even if it’s for the worse.
The bar, though, Liz loved working the bar. You could see and hear things in a free station
you wouldn’t see anywhere else. Rivals talking shop, competitors sharing drinks. It was somewhere
people could actually feel like they had the liberty of being off the clock. She supposed, in a way,
most bars were like that, but there was something special about being able to come out and listen
to the hum of a different reactor under your feet, and know your bartender didn’t get their checks
from the same person you got yours from. Sometimes it was just for the privacy. She’d find people
just sitting, staring out the window, watching the storms on the planet below.
Except the Europans. She had to seal up one of the windows a while back; most of them
wouldn’t sit down in view of the planet. There was a couple once, long distance relationship
between Io and Europa, used to come up here a lot after their shifts ended. One would sit behind
that cover, the other at the same table, in the light. Always made her giggle. She wasn’t sure if they
even realized they were doing it. You picked up on those little things after you watched people for
a while. What they took with them when they came, and what they left at home.
Like the tiger shark. She was new, and Liz rather liked her. IRPF veteran, multiple
conflicts, probably had a stack of awards somewhere she never showed anyone. Face was all cut
up, chunks missing from fins. And a smile. Nicest person you’d ever want to meet. Out here on
a shakedown cruise apparently, taking some time away from constant contact. She was in here
every week, never sporting her badge, never flagging for her corp. Woman was probably a captain
for all she knew. Might actually have her own cruiser. Never acted like it, though. Just sat and
chatted. Making friends. Liz had a feeling it had been years since she’d had that opportunity.
Places like Victory weren’t mechanical necessities. People could pull into corp ports and
get resupplied faster. They could collect provisions dropoffs from any of half a million little outfits
that would leave a box sitting in space for you with all you could want. Most spacers were more
than capable of mixing a drink and sitting down at a table if they really put their mind to it. But
people still came, day in and day out, to sit in a different chair and be a new person for a little
while. Someone with different worries and different cares, who wouldn’t be seen in the context
of their everyday life. They formed communities, bit by bit, with every glass served and story
shared. It was a social necessity. Eliza had personally overhauled more spacecraft systems than
she could remember, and had never gotten as appreciative a thank-you as she had for introducing
one lonely face to another in front of a window. This was a practice people needed out here, every
bit as much as they needed their thrusters aligned or their gyros replaced.
No one leaves their world and flies for millions of miles in cold space without a story to
tell. Sometimes they just need the right setting to tell it in.

FAMILIES
While the families represented in the HSD
core rulebook reflect a majority of the Vec-
tor population, they don’t make up the
entirety. The Vector project included
dozens of families and even individual
species for an assortment of different
reasons. The following section depicts
families that range from land-dwelling
to sea-dwelling and a few spots in be-
tween, and includes a few special rules
for unique combinations of families
which have formed over the course of
Vector history.
Aquatic
Several Vector species are aquatic in origin,
and their anatomy has resulted in a few
unique rules for their play. Species that fol-
low Aquatic guidelines will have the Aquatic
keyword in their descriptor. They are subject
to the following rules:
-Aquatic Vectors move at full speed under-
water, provided they have at least one point in
Swim. They still need to roll checks if attempt-
ing to do anything which might require an Ath-
letics check on land.
-Aquatic characters can speak normally un-
derwater via special vocalization. Sounds also
translate more accurately to their ears while
submerged than to most Vectors, allowing them
to carry out conversations with each other with
the same level of clarity underwater as on land.
-Aquatic Laterals do not have a fist attack. Or
fists. Or arms, for that matter.
-Speed: Calculate Movement as normal. Adjust it
in the following ways depending on your Mor-
phism:
If your character is a Lateral, they are unable
to move at any considerable rate at all
6 while on land. In the water, their Move-
ment Score is effectively 4x their listed
Movement Score.
If your character is a Taur, their Movement
Score is effectively half their listed Movement
Score while on land, to a minimum of 1. In the
water, their Movement Score is effectively 2x
their listed Movement Score.
-Operate: Lateral Aquatics cannot use any
equipment which would require the use of
the Operate Proficiency unless they are either
equipped with a Pushframe or similar manip-
ulation device, or the equipment was designed
with fins in mind (most underwater equipment
is, due to the high Lateral population below
the surface). Casual button-pushing and lever
manipulation is alright, but anything complex
enough to require a check by someone with
hands is outside the “grasp” of a flipper. This
extends to any check which would require
manipulation by extension (Pilot, for instance).
This can be overcome through equipment like
the Pushframe.
-Swim: Any aquatic vector can sub out the Profi-
ciency point specific to their species for a Pro-
ficiency point in Swim, and, if they do so, may
stack one other general Species point on top of
it despite the usual limitation on stacking Spe-
cies points.
-Mobility: Body sockets are not compatible with
aquatic laterals. While it’s physically possible
to cram one into a wide-framed suit, the sheer
discomfort and anatomical incompatibilities
would render it next to useless. Special robotic
frames are available to allow water-locked Lat-
erals to move around on land, but they take up
considerably more space than the usual bipedal
socket (about as much as a small car). Push-
frames, on the other hand, not only function un-
derwater, they’re actually improved by it. When
submerged, a Pushframe’s range increases to
two feet. It cannot, however, effect things out of
the water if it is in the water itself, or vice versa.
Families
Ursidae
+1 to Body: Presence
This family receives +1 dice when
identifying or navigating using Scent.
Choose one or none of the following
abilities:
Drifter: Skip the Scholarship section of character
generation and instead distribute 17 dots among
any Proficiencies you like, but only at the Talent-
ed level (1 dot). Bonus dots from other aspects of
character creation apply as normal. No Proficien-
cy can be above 2 at startup, regardless of your
Mind:Strength score. You begin the game with 1
Allegiance point to MarsCo.
Thinker: When called upon to make corp-specif-
ic information checks where you would use your
corp Allegiance as your Proficiency score, count
yourself as having 2 Allegiance in every corp unless
you would otherwise have more. This only applies
for information. Socially, your research has col-
ored your opinion of a family without you actually
engaging with them. Select a family. You suffer a -1
dice penalty to all Community based checks when
associating with that family.
Delphinidae
Aquatic
+1 to Mind: Dexterity
Begin game with the Respiratory
Redundancy surgery, with the Extended
Breath option.
Choose one or none of the following
abilities:
Logician: You can decrease the Complexity of any
check that requires the Mind:Strength stat by 1, to
a minimum of 1. In combat, if your team’s Nerve
score is reduced to 0, you personally must flee, sur-
render, or hide, whichever affords you the greatest
chance of survival. You may not elect to continue
fighting.
Professional detachment: If you would
make an opposed check against intimida-
tion, coercion or deception, add 1 extra
dice to your roll. If you attempt to use
intimidation, coercion or deception
to manipulate someone, treat the roll
as though you have 1 point less in the
applicable Proficiency, to a minimum of
zero.
Selachii
Aquatic
+1 to Body: Strength
Begin game with the Respiratory
Redundancy surgery, with the Gills
option. The normal re-education
rules do not apply.
Choose one or none of the following
abilities:
Restless: When crafting, repairing or pro-
gramming, it takes you half the time it takes most
people. Craft checks are typically 4 hours per
success and software generally takes a day to write,
but the times for some of these operations are
contextual and arbitrary, so your Guide will decide.
This can be further increased by the Efficiency is
excellence Focus ability. Essentially: you are twice
as productive as most people in the same amount
of time. When testing against fatigue from lack of
sleep, you must begin testing after only 20 hours
awake, as you don’t get enough sleep on average
anyway. Because of that, Neuroplexes take an extra
4 days to teach you, and you cannot crash-course
with them.
One step further: In opposed checks, you win
ties regardless of whether you are the aggressor or
the defender. Other characters cannot use the Help!
rule to assist you with any check in which you have
two or more dots in the required Proficiency.
7
Rodentia Ungulatae
+1 to Mind: Acuity +1 to Body:Resilience.
When rolling Threat Response attacks, If ever an effect would cause you to be
enemies get one less cover bonus knocked Prone, you may make a Body
than normal (+3 cover rather Resist save (attack value 10) to remain
than +4). upright. In extreme circumstances, Guide
ruling applies.
Choose one or none of the
following abilities: Choose one or none of the following
abilities:
Busy hands: When making sup-
portive actions in combat, you require Headstrong: You are very grounded in the here
one fewer success than normal. In most and now, reflected as a +2 to your dice roll when
cases, that means your action will com- making Mind-based saves. This includes Reaction
plete with 5 successes rather than 6. Social- rolls, provided you are not trying to resist an action
ly, your character tends to fidget and can’t you feel strongly about. In situations where you feel
keep their hands (or tails, or whatever may you are morally or socially correct in your actions
be applicable) still. Manifest this habit in but are resisting to avoid inconveniencing or even
whatever way you feel is appropriate, but it endangering yourself or your party, you are at -2 to
equates to +1 complexity on Community:- your Reaction roll.
Dexterity rolls.
Centered: You can switch your entire Momentum
Twitch reflexes: You may make a new ability out for another from any other Morphism
sort of Threat Response action. It costs the when combat begins. You maintain it until the
same as a normal Threat Response, only in- Guide has determined combat has ended. You can-
stead of firing your weapon, immediately move not benefit from Commands given in combat while
your Movement score in any unobstructed direc- you are using this ability.
tion once your approaching enemy has finished
moving. If this should take you out of range of their
attack, they will have to make another movement Orders:
action to close the distance again. It can only be Caniform and Feliform
activated once per enemy. Outside of combat, your
character is very high-strung. When making Reac- Specific rules for these characters are found on
tion rolls, your target number is 2 higher than what page 30. Caniforms and Feliforms are treated as
would normally be required to pass. Canidae and Felidae characters for all rules not
expressly changed in their entires.

8
 was fully aware of the level of global devastation
URSIDAE the systematic bombing caused by Hydra was do-
ing, it was far too late to attempt to stop it; not that
Sometimes called the “lost” family (though they possessed the means to do
rarely in polite company), Ursidae holds the singu- so anyway. For the human pop-
lar distinction of a lack of historical justification. ulation of Mars, it was a time
Many records from the days of the Vector experi-
ments are jumbled, incomplete or lacking context,
but rarely is a chunk as large as an entire family
outright missing. Ursidae was part of the first wave,
an alpha, right up there with Canidae and Feli-
dae, but the earliest mention of them in historical
documentation is simply their presence in the first
tanks, with no notation as to why they were chosen
or what their inclusion hoped to add to the overall
line. One would think it should be a small inconve-
nience; it’s not like any of the modern Vectors really
pattern their lives off what humanity was thinking
nearly 1000 years ago, but the lack of a distinct
process behind their creation has left the family
with a lot of profound questions over the years.
Vectors are philosophical beings, just as
humans were, but for them, some of the great
questions of the universe actually have categorized
answers. “Why am I here? What is my purpose?
Where did I come from?” There are names and
notes attached to the answers to these questions.
Sometimes even locations. One of the first tubes is
actually on display in a Martian museum; there’s a
canine family that can trace their genealogy all the
way back to it. Granted, they’re the third one to do
it in the museum’s history (oddly enough, the “new
evidence” always seems to follow a substantial
donation), but it’s still a thing that can be pointed at
as a reason, or at least a cause, for existence. Ursi-
dae has none.
The theory is that the records regarding the
Ursidae family were lost in an accident before they
were integrated in redundant backups. Three pos-
sible events are considered the most likely culprits,
and it’s a matter of hot debate among historians
as to which is the true cause. The first was the
surprise nuking of Mars near the end of the war,
when a HemiVector spy on board a descending ship
detonated it, destroyed the Mars spaceport, and
severely damaged the surrounding area. Some of
those structures were known to contain informa-
tion about other critical operations.
The second was the fall of humanity after
the Hydra program was launched. By the time Mars 9
of indescribable sorrow. The sort that sits in your
gut like a heavy weight and doesn’t leave. A sad-
ness that can only be caused by the knowledge that
everything that was once your world was ending.
Your culture, your heritage, any hope of
redemption and reconciliation: gone. A
lot of day-to-day recordkeeping fell off
the books during that period, because
people simply weren’t doing it. Sloppy
mistakes were made, systems weren’t
properly maintained, and data was lost
or misplaced. It took a long time for
purpose to drive the survivors back
into orderly behavior. In the time be-
tween, any number of things could have
fallen into a folder and never returned.
The third was the owl, which best
estimates believe was gestated in the same
building that Ursidae was, years earlier.
Modern day bears fit a great deal
of personality types, but are habitually
lumped in with canines when consid-
ered by other families. The differences are
distinct, but the trend of so many centuries
of not being able to attach a label to their
history has resulted in them being socially
absorbed by the larger group. They have a
reputation of being thought of as sidekicks rath-
er than leaders, which is largely unfair when their
history is thoroughly considered. Bears have led
fleets, run corporations, achieved scientific break-
throughs, but they’re forever regarded as being
“part of a team” instead of individually recognized.
Over the years it’s made them a little bitter, and re-
cent trends of asserting their identities have led to
a growing public opinion of them being inherently
violent or quick to anger. This behavior only serves
to keep pushing the problem, and some bears have
come to embrace that adversarial reputation as
a part of their “uniqueness.” Depending on what
version of their history they believe, some will go
so far as resenting avians or HemiVectors for their
supposed role in the lack of Ursidae history. Those
that do will usually take issue with the members of
their own species whose views of the guilty party
in their history differ from their own.
10
STEREOTYPES
Canidae: It’s not hard to start hating dogs
when you get shoved into their shadow your whole
life. I try not to; most of the ones I’ve met are fine
people, but it just starts to irk you after a while. It’s
not like people “mistake” us for them, it’s that they
just assume there isn’t a difference. Test it some-
time. Stand in a crowd with a bunch of different
Vectors when teams are being organized. If two
dogs are sent out somewhere, I’ll bet you lunch
you’re sent out with them.
Avialae: How do you feel about the Ques-
tion? We’re not supposed to let it color our opinion,
yeah? Good luck with that. You’re going to wonder
about it, some lonely night, and chances are pret-
ty good that when you see feathers the next day,
you’re going to rethink them a bit. Were they re-
sponsible? Hell no, ‘course they weren’t. Happened
seven hundred years ago, and it’s not like the owl
shit was deliberate. Shouldn’t bug you at all. But it’s
going to. Even if you don’t follow that take on histo-
ry, it’s going to bug you. Because maybe...maybe it
was them, and if we ever find out someday, some-
one’s going to have to be held accountable for that.
Ungulate: I kinda think of these guys as
“better reptiles,” though I’d probably get frowns
if I said it out loud. I don’t think I’m the only one
who thinks it though. Bulls don’t feed you any bull;
they’re tough and they’re steadfast and they don’t
have any crap attached to it. There just isn’t a lot
of...depth, to them. A work horse is a work horse,
it’s what they do.
Rodentia: They try to be too damned
clever for their own good. There’s a lot of room for
innovation when it comes to doing things well, and
no one steps up to that plate quite like a rabbit or a
mouse does, but you get a few of them together and
they start re-inventing the wheel. Three days later
you’ve got some crazy-ass levitating anti-gravity
cancer-causing float web that cost a fortune and
breaks after the third use when someone could’ve
done the same thing in an hour with a rope and
a pulley. Like a horse. Horse woulda got that shit
done.
 Seals: Annoying little optimistic go-with-
the-flow pissant flipper-sausages. They’ll tell you
all day to “stop dwelling” on something, or encour-
age you to “find new ways” to channel your frustra-
tion or get over some shit situation or something,
all with this pleasant little knowing smile you just
want to smack off their cute little faces. And you
know the really maddening part? Damned things
are right. I don’t think anyone’s got it quite as
tough as they do, and they shine like a light in the
dark. They find ways to do everything anyone ever
thought they couldn’t manage. I love ‘em. I just hate
that I love ‘em, ‘cause they’re damned obnoxious.
APPEARANCE
Family Ursidae is typically tall and broad,
and their short tails and blunt ears set them apart
from canines or others of relatively equivalent stat-
ure. Pandas and Polars are easy to recognize due
to their coloring, but black bears and grizzlies can
pass for canines on a cursory glance as bipeds. The
difference becomes a lot more obvious when taurs
and Laterals are involved. Grizzly and polar Later-
als have a particularly difficult time operating in
tight areas, as they’re significantly larger than most
doorways or ceilings and lack the flexibility of large
cat breeds that might suffer the same issue. As
Laterals go, though, they match raccoons in terms
of overall manual dexterity. Many manage to find
lucrative work in the same positions as standard
Vectors, even if they do feel a little cramped in the
lunch room.
AQUATIC
FAMILIES
The officially accepted reasoning
behind the inclusion of fully aquatic
families into the Vector line was to
make the oceans of Earth habitable.
Presumably, even though the land was
in ruin, once the radiation had died
down, aquatic Vectors could find a
wealth of ready resources and food in
the sea, and serve as a foothold for the
re-population of the blue planet. Things
didn’t quite work out that way, but aquatic
Vectors have nonetheless made homes in
the vast oceans of Venus and Mars, as well as
other, even more exotic, locations.
Aquatic Vectors were introduced in
the Omega generation, and as such were
built using the most advanced technolo-
gy available at the time. It was necessary;
this breed would be treading a volatile line
between sea and land, and it would require
some creativity when it came to designing
their skin and respiratory systems. It’s no
surprise that only a handful of Earth’s vast ocean
life was included.
All aquatic Vectors share a deviation from
the traditional outlooks on certain morphisms, as
they work pretty differently when “legs” aren’t part
of your natural animal anatomy. Most tauric aquatic
Vectors look a bit like a cross between a naga and
a mermaid, and have about as much trouble on
land as you would expect. Tauric Delphinidae and
Selachii members transition to their lateral lower
bodies just below the thighs, leaving a gap between
the crotch and the lower body that’s absent on
tauric snakes. Their hips are flanked by fins, which
make for the extra set of limbs typically used to de-
fine the tauric morphism, and their lower body is a
somewhat longer, extended version of their animal
shape. Long enough to use for serpentine motion
on land, though they’re not nearly as good at it as
nagas are. Tauric aquatics cut an imposing figure on
the shore; between their extended bodies and fins,
they’re extremely large, but the bizarre hybridiza-
tion of anatomy is a detriment to land-based
motion. In the water, they’re considerably 11
faster than their generic footy counterparts, but not
nearly as fast as a full Lateral of their race.
Tauric seals have an even harder time; their
tauric anatomy is more traditional, with their
front flippers serving as forelegs and their
lower body being at a right angle to
their upper, like taurs from the land-
locked families. This makes them
about as agile as a normal seal on land,
which is to say, not very. Those poor
seals which (through some act of a
spiteful god) end up both micro and
tauric have the singular distinction of
being, quite possibly, the most ador-
able creatures ever to scoot ponderously
around the galaxy. Naturally, most of them
don’t much appreciate that description.
Lateral landlocked Vectors are
trapped in the unfortunate reality of being
perfectly suited to the wrong lifestyle. They
exist in a world of buttons and tall controls
and chairs intended for people to bend at
the waist. They’re perpetually too short and
lack the fingers needed to truly take advan-
tage of the world around them. Even though
their bodies are evolutionarily sound for ex-
istence on land, they are profoundly ill-suited
for existence in society. Aquatic Laterals, however,
have a different situation.
Aquatic Laterals are so ill-suited for land
life that (with the extraordinarily rare exception)
they choose to live entirely in the oceans, for which
they are profoundly well-suited. Land Vectors had
little reason to build large underwater structures,
so nearly all underwater habitation on Mars,Venus,
and anywhere else possessing substantial bodies of
water has been designed with Lateral specs in-
volved from the beginning. Controls are structured
for underwater visibility, hallways are flooded,
rooms are submerged, and most structures are
open to the sea in many areas, serving more as pri-
vacy zones and meeting areas than actual “homes.”
The societies that have grown in these
undersea domains are a mix of Vector sophisti-
cation and almost wildlife-level mannerisms. For
one, aquatic Laterals are the only Vector subclass
known to hunt for food as a natural does. The prey
has been contained and bred so hours
don’t need to be spent searching for it, and
12 traditional land meals are available, but the
cost of import and the difficulty involved in getting
a meal meant for land into the mouth of a Lateral
shark have all pushed for a behavior that closely
mirrors nature. Non-Lateral aquatics sometimes
choose to live in these domains themselves, though
rarely for long periods. Living in a Lateral home
is tough when you’re not equipped like one. Even
their restaurants consist of schooling fish, so you’ll
inevitably be staying in the “leggy” portions of the
facility. They’re designed for standard Vectors, but
mechanical necessity and the relatively low popu-
lation of land-based Vectors choosing to live un-
derwater means they end up a wee bit cramped. A
lovely place to a visit; a bit stunting to stay in.
Nonetheless, Vectors, both aquatic and not,
still venture into the depths to live among the finny
population. Some out of adventure, some for re-
search and curiosity, some just because they want a
different scene from the land-life. And the Laterals
appreciate it, because for all their speed and agility
underwater, they are nearly completely unable to
exist above it. Technology exists to allow a Lateral
aquatic to maneuver on land, but their bodies are
so poorly suited for the task most will avoid it un-
less they have a damned good reason. Paws may be
inconvenient, but they can still function as hands in
a pinch. Fins and flippers are pretty good for wav-
ing down a cab, but that’s about it.
DELPHINIDAE
Dolphins are, or were, one of the most in-
telligent creatures on Earth back when Earth still
possessed a scale of intelligence. Most countries
had officially accepted them as a sapient race by
the time the war hit, though the admission was
more a novelty than any indication of action. They
were protected from hunting, but beyond that,
there wasn’t much to it. It’s not like the dolphins
were buying homes or filling out tax forms, after all.
When the time came to implement aquatic species
into the Vector line, however, they were at the top
of the list, and it made more than a few people
feel a little squeamish. This was a race that had its
own society, its own language, even a rudimentary
understanding of mathematics, and their template
was being taken from them for manipulation by
forces outside their control. It seemed somehow...
different... from the previous Vectoring subjects.
 From a scientific standpoint, it didn’t really project is a quote that provides some of the only
matter. Dolphins were not being slaughtered to emotional context from the entire team of 700
surgically splice them with humans, nor was any years long past. “I would not have been so quick to
degree of harmful capture or violence required to play God, had I fully understood the rules.” By the
sculpt the new bodies; a small blood time the family Delphinidae left the
sample provided enough genetic tanks, millions of humans
material to modify the human blank. had died back home, and
It was no more a violation to them their new caretakers
than it was to a dog or a cat. The were forced to look in
only real difference was that a dog the eyes of a tem-
or a cat didn’t really care if there plate they knew to
was another species wander- be from a creature
ing around built off hijacked of near-human
DNA. They had no recog- intelligence, and
nizable sense of self. explain what was happening.
They wouldn’t feel Somewhere in that conversation so
taken advantage of. many centuries ago had to have been
A dolphin, however, the revelation that it was unlikely Earth’s
might. But even that dolphin population was going to have
wasn’t the true heart much say in whether or not they sur-
of the issue. It dug a lit- vived the war.
tle deeper, at the reality Family Delphinidae doesn’t carry
of the Vector project as a the emotional baggage of its creators
whole. around with it on a daily basis. Dolphins
For several of the are generally considered pleasant folk,
scientists involved, the dolphin with their Lateral members being among
Vector was a second look back the few Vectors universally recognized as
at a much earlier decision “friendly.” Mostly because of their environment;
made in anger and self-righ- Lateral dolphins have luxurious lives compared
teousness, when the Vector to most of the landlocked Vector species. They’re
process began to spite the among a very small population that can do the
damning legislation made by jobs given to them, which puts them in high de-
people with less vision. Now, mand. Living space is plentiful, their ocean world
with the project in its third is bountiful, and since they have very little reason
generation and with Earth to come on shore anyway, they typically don’t have
slowly smoldering far, far cause to gripe at folks for whatever may be going
away, the feeling in the air on up there. They’re also rather infamous for pre-
was very different. Bur- tending to be naturals when they’re not; a collective
ied in a log entry from joke which has led to more than a few awkward
an unknown scientist revelations.
in the Delphinidae The situation changes a bit in tauric mem-
bers, who have an even harder time than tauric
sharks getting around on land. Their bodies aren’t
naturally accustomed to serpentine motion and
have to be taught it, which many have likened to
“learning to walk on your hands” in terms of how
unnatural it feels. With practice they can manage a
pretty graceful job of it, but the bizarre
construction of aquatic taurs makes it
difficult for them to move at speed in 13
comparison to people with legs, and their upper
bodies slow them down in the water compared to
Laterals. Most of the family Delphinidae consider it
a lose/lose situation, and they’re statistically the
second-highest race to undergo body-re-
placement surgery if afflicted with this
condition. Seals are the first.
Standard bipedal Delphinidae Vec-
tors have much fewer anatomical
eccentricities to worry about than
taurs or Laterals, though more than
your everyday dog does. Dorsal fins
are smaller and less pronounced, but
still present, and their thick tails make
sitting an annoyance in most areas (a
condition that those of family Reptilia can
identify with). Stools are the usual solution;
most attempts to make a one-chair-fits-all
design for seating has resulted in something
that’s either too large, too unruly, too ex-
pensive to be practical, or equally uncom-
fortable for anyone sitting in it. Arm and
leg protrusions in fin-like shapes are also
familiar to the family, but their size can vary
dramatically between individuals in a spe-
cies. Delphinidae Vectors have human shaped
feet, without webbing, as no alternative exists
within their progenitor species.
Family Delphinidae is generally viewed as
an even-tempered sort, with its various species
being intelligent and witty, if a little detached. Their
penchant for aquatic living tends to color their
opinion of land-life a bit, even if they spend most of
their own time there. Most notably, dolphins (and
indeed, most aquatics) exhibit less brand loyalty
than most Vectors do. Megacorps have customers in
the ocean, certainly, but not nearly so many as they
do on land, and with far fewer products. Add to that
the fact that dolphins typically provide their own
food and housing and a lot of the areas for corpo-
rate bombardment go missing. As a result, they
tend to make good sounding boards and go-be-
tweens for other Vectors who may be too tied up
in personal feelings to view a situation objectively.
Family Delphinidae has no shortage of passionate
feelings; it just doesn’t usually have them about
the matters that compel and infuriate your typical
canine CEO.
Bottlenose makes up the majority of
14 the Delphinidae population, with orcas be-
ing among the least common (comparatively; they
still have a substantial population). Even among
their own kind, orcas face a racial bias uncommon
in Vectors, who are accustomed to be surround-
ed by people of all shapes and sizes. The stigmata
extends directly from Europa, whose local popu-
lation of mutated undersea monsters has colored
the public opinion of what an orca “is.” Curiously
enough, the misconception is not present among
Europan natives, but among the populous of worlds
like Mars and Venus who hear strange stories from
the distant moon and figure there’s some band of
drugged-up killer whales out there being jackasses
to everyone. Natives of Europa, and anyone who’s
ever seen so much as a silhouette of what lurks in
their depths, know that it’s a far cry from the Vec-
tors walking around on the surface.
STEREOTYPES
Availae: Birds like to think of us as a kindred
spirit, as they have a calling to the air like we have
a calling to the water. I think the parallel is less pro-
nounced than they suggest. They visit the sky; they
don’t live in it. For all their rumored eccentricities,
it seems to me they’re just looking for people who
understand them.
Mustelidae: Otters, especially Lateral otters,
fancy themselves swimmers until you actually get
them out with our kind in the deep zones. Outclass-
ing a cat is usually worth a giggle, outclassing an
otter is outright hilarious.
Selachii: Your relationship with sharks will
change dramatically the further down their mor-
phic line you travel. Their bipeds are just folk, like
anyone else. Their taurs are even friendly, most of
the time. They have a rough time of things, like ours
do. But their Laterals are...touchy. Be careful when
you meet them. A lot more of them go feral than we
do, and it’s a serious problem in open water.
Reptilia: The sharks are closer to these guys than
we are, and it’s not for baffling reasons. I trust them
more than I trust cats. Granted, I trust most things
more than I trust cats. Reptiles have a long history
with shallow water, and I think the seafaring ones
give us our dues for playing in the deep.
Felidae: They’re way too wrapped up in the given the whole “two legged dog” thing a genuine
corporate game for me. Cats always seem to have go, it died out long before humans came along. The
an agenda, and it’s always about something I don’t Vectors themselves aren’t even that; they’re clean
care about. Half the time, we have nothing to talk designs that incorporate familiar traits and ap-
about. The other half, I’m always having to doubt pearances from established genomes, but
what they say. are at their core a fully artificial crea-
ture that began its evolutionary process
from ground zero, 700 years ago.
APPEARENCE
Most members of this family stand around
This was a point of some con-
standard human height with equivalent ranges of
cern when the Selachii family was
deviation. Their fitness and musculature is typically
added to the line.
more noticeable than it is on other families because
of the lack of fur, which has led to a general opinion
Many Vectored species could
of Delphinidae as athletes. They have no particular
trace their roots to Earth’s prehistory.
predisposition toward sports, but in mixed-breed
Family Reptilia, for starters. Dolphins
company, people will often nudge them toward it
stemmed back pretty far, becoming more
if only because of reputation. Orcas are particular-
and more primal as the millennia went by.
ly large and heavyset, usually over 6 feet tall with
But sharks were a different sort of “ancient.”
taller members threatening Vectors with Macro
They were perfect; completely unchanged
surgery in terms of height. All members of the
for millions of years, exactly balanced for
family feature smooth, rubber-like skin instead of
their role in the world. Apex predators in
fur and long, thick tails akin to their progenitors.
nearly every oceanic ecosystem. Fast, cun-
Dorsal, arm and leg fins are also present, but typ-
ning, powerful, and on the whole, untouch-
ically muted. The famous blowhole of this family
able by anything that wasn’t a very well-
serves little purpose on a biped and was removed
equipped and vastly more intelligent species.
in the original Vector design, but some Vectors have
Which led to a troubling thought: if sharks were
had them surgically added above their dorsal fin
being included in the Vector program to serve as
between their shoulders as a sort of physical state-
an underwater populous for Earth’s reintegration,
ment of dedication to living below the waves. While
as was the plan with the entirety of the aquatic line,
it does have a practical purpose (cupping an oxygen
who was to say they would share?
supply over the blow-hole keeps the mouth free to
Bipeds weren’t the issue. All Vectors were
speak) it’s primarily a social statement more than a
built off a human template; having a shark-like fa-
necessity. This family does not grow hair naturally,
cade didn’t automatically imbue them with physical
but some have taken to adopting cosmetic surgery
superiority any more than the bears or the tigers
at a young age to gain the ability.
did. The concern was Laterals. As third genera-
tion Vectors, Lateralism was a known issue and
had to be assumed to find its way into the Selachii
SELACHII genepool over time. Normal sharks were already
at the apex of their ecosystems; the only thing
that kept them in check was feeding moderation
“History” is a relative term to Vectors.
brought on from a lack of genuine cruelty. Sharks
They’re all well aware there was a race that lived
eat to feed and more or less leave things alone
before them, and that their own bodies stemmed
otherwise. But if, for instance, a group of them
from animals that had evolved in Earth’s environ-
was possessed of human intelligence, they would
ment, but so much of Vector genealogy is built from
not be subject to those limitations. Include a little
scratch that it’s difficult to point to any one person
good old fashioned technology, and they would be
walking around and say “you, you have a proud
faster, stronger, larger and better equipped
heritage of millions of years of evolution” because,
for control of more than 70% of any given
by all rights, they don’t. If nature had at any point 15
terraformed planet than any other family
in the Vector line. The inclusion of a family that so
profoundly outclassed its peers in their natural
environment was, at best, dubiously wise.
They proceeded anyway (a very famil-
iar choice among the entire Vector-
ing process), and their choice
came of several different
factors. The first was the
assumption that Lateral-
ism was eventually going
to breed itself out of the
Vector line. 700 years lat-
er, that has proven to not
be the case. Laterals are rare but
hardly unheard of; most people
have met several in their lifetime
and they continue to coexist with the
population. It’s unlike-
ly they’ll ever really go
away. Taurs are even more
ubiquitous, and since the
genetic anomalies that result in mor-
phisms are the result of accidents
in programmed code rather than
natural mutation, they’re actually
rather robust in their own right. The
second was population; sharks made
up only a fraction of the
Vector populous, and their
line would include no
Laterals at its initial in-
troduction. It would
be generations before
interbreeding would work
that anomaly into their family, and even then,
it wouldn’t be a large percentage. It was very
unlikely they could become a major destabi-
lizing force with so few members, and
in such a niche area. And as
ever, there was the hope for
16 good behavior. Just being
a shark doesn’t stop you from being a Vector, with
emotions like compassion and concepts like justice
and the ability to choose not to sabotage the ocean.
As a final (almost token) attempt to rein in
their creations, a deliberate choice was made to not
Vectorize two of the Selachii species most known
for their biological superiority; the hammerhead
shark and the great white. The fact that both
were also known as particularly violent
attackers was irrelevant; Vectors are
not animals, and they are not nec-
essarily damned to behave like
them. The reasoning was more
because of their extreme level of
specialization. The hamerhead’s
entire body (head, most promi-
nently) was tuned to be the per-
fect hunter of its particular prey,
and would not be of any particu-
lar benefit to a Vector for anything
other than that purpose. The great
white was likewise excessive-
ly large and powerful, which
would serve no function to a
Vector beyond being even more
of a problem to other Vectors.
While it wasn’t exactly writ-
ten down in the development
notes, there was also the fact
that both the aforementioned
species had made the transi-
tion from Earth to the Martian
oceans (with a few quirks, as
was the case with all transi-
tional animals) and there was
some wisdom in not making Vec-
tors the absolute masters of their
domain. That last bit worked pretty
well, actually. So much of the shark’s
power came from knowing how to be
a shark. Vectors aren’t born with that
knowledge; they have to learn how to
hunt and stalk and read the currents.
It gave them a sense of humility, de-
spite being arguably better equipped.
The modern Selachii fam-
ily shares shoreline, street and
ocean with its brethren, as well as a
mixed reputation. There is a feeling
of “having something to prove” that
permeates the family, whether it’s being the best
athlete, the best student, the most loyal employee
or even just a most attentive friend. They’re almost
never idle; unless they happen to be sleeping at
the moment, it’s a safe bet a shark is busy doing
something. They have a reputation for “brooding
productivity,” which basically means they often
need rescuing from their work from time to time or
they’ll never surface from it. They’re not inherently
anti-social, they just tend to lose track.
Tauric sharks are a mixed bag; some re-
sent their lot in life enough that they more or less
seclude themselves or cluster with other aquatic
taurs so they don’t feel outpaced, while others
embrace their differences and become some of the
more vocal members of their family. Shark taurs are
very long, very large and visually impressive crea-
tures; those few that come out and let the world
take notice of them tend to command more respect
than scorn.
In an almost self-fulfilling prophesy, Lateral
sharks have earned their entire family a wary eye.
They have the largest feral population (essentially,
Vectors who have chosen to live as animals, fore-
going the rights and privileges of their species to
embrace the calling of their physical form) of any
Vector, brought on by the sheer difficulty of coex-
istence when your body is so specifically designed
for its natural function. Dolphin-shaped dolphins
manage to live like Vectors with relative ease, but
for shark-shaped sharks, everything from their
massive mouths to their secondary eyelids is tuned
to be a perfect underwater hunter, and it’s damned
difficult to adapt to being anything else. Even the
Lateral sharks that do choose to remain in co-
habitation areas typically do it far out at sea or in
Waterships. Most that don’t go full feral will school
with other shark Laterals and live in a sort of mi-
crocosm of society completely off the grid. It’s said
they’re quite large in some areas, and not always
populated exclusively by sharks.
STEREOTYPES
Canidae: Most dogs don’t trifle with pretense,
and I’m alright with that. Which is a good thing, re-
ally, because you’re going to have to deal with them
just about anywhere you go. Just keep a cheat-sheet
handy. I can’t tell one dog from another, and they
just hate it when you get the wolves and the foxes
mixed up.
Mustilidae: They’re like dogs if you took out all
the productivity and replaced it with general
bullshitting. They’re damned annoying
most of the time; half of them think
they know things they don’t have a clue
about, and the other half acts without
thinking to begin with. Lateral otters
rate highest on the dead list from our
ferals every year, over and over. It’s hor-
rible, but you’d think they’d eventually
figure it out and stay away. Nope. There
comes a point where you stop being
sympathetic.
Delphinidae: It’s extremely easy to un-
derestimate a dolphin, and extremely stupid.
We’ve figured out a peaceful coexistence for
the most part, and if you ever get to won-
dering why that is, go pick a fight and see
where you end up. Dolphins make con-
nections almost as well as dogs do, except
they make the connections matter, and their
friends will show up when they need them.
Reptilia: Odd synergy here. Reps are focused
and concentrated; we work well with them. There’s
also the “ancient origin” thing, but that only applies
in a literal fashion with Laterals, and our Laterals
almost never interact with theirs. Completely dif-
ferent lifestyle. I think the camaraderie comes from
us leggy types looking out at them and seeing some
glimpse of what actually pre-dated the species that
invented us. Almost feels like we came first.
Ursidae: Bears are an interesting study sub-
ject. They have this knack for looking like they’re
completely out of their depth, and then surprising
you. You can never take them at face value. I’d be
annoyed by the pretense, but it doesn’t stem from
a need to be deceptive. It’s more a natural reserva-
tion, held back until it’s needed. In a way, you get to
meet them twice.
APPEARANCE
Sharks cut a distinct silhouette as
bipeds, with more prominent dorsal fins
than dolphins and gill-slits along their neck 17
or back, depending on species. Like all Vectors,
their bodies have been modified to fit an adapt-
ed life, and as such the trademark conveyer belt
of teeth is absent from all but Lateral members.
They do have vague serration and distinctly
dagger-like canines, however. Tauric
sharks are larger on average than dol-
phin taurs, with longer tails and larger
fins. They share the same hip arrange-
ment, but typically find snake-like
locomotion easier than dolphins do,
as it’s similar to their natural move-
ment. Like the Delphinidae family, this
family does not grow hair. Cosmetic
surgery can change that, but is typically
less popular in sharks than in dolphins.
Unlike the Delphinidae family, this family
possesses external ears in its bipedal form,
generally long and pointed. The notes in the
original files claim the ears were included
to experiment with improving hearing over
species without them, but were ultimately
left off other ear-less Vectors when it be-
came apparent the difference was negligible
so long as the eardrum itself was engineered
well. Nevertheless, the pointed ear has been
part of the Selachii family since its beginning,
and they would be considered odd looking with-
out them.
18
MERGED
FAMILIES
Not every Vector that was created brought
an entire family of species with it, and not every
species survived from creation until now. Extinc-
tion hasn’t happened in centuries, but history tells
of several Vectors that simply died out, leaving
holes in their family line. Others were absorbed
into other families with similar traits, even if they
didn’t actually stem from the same taxonomy. In the
modern era, not every Vector “family” is actually
a “family” by Earth’s classic taxonomic definition.
Some don’t even hold related species, namely the
smaller ones that have been shuffled around, lost
members, or share similar traits. Though “family”
in name only, these kitchen-sink collections still
have centuries of history, and are universally recog-
nized in the modern day.
RODENTIA
The merged family Rodentia consists of
a variety of largely unrelated species who have
joined together over the years because of similar
backgrounds, historical partnerships, and a few
common mistakes. Some were one-off species that
were introduced to the Vector program because of
specific exploitable assets, but whose actual fami-
lies did not provide substantial variation to warrant
including additional members. Others, like the rats
which make up the family’s majority population,
have lost most of their species distinctiveness
through deliberate genetic manipulation. Rodentia
is a very large family, which grants it a significant
presence in society as a whole, but its members are
also substantially different from each other in per-
spective and mentality. It hurts them as a unifying
force, but helps them get around their reputations
from time to time.
Rats
Rats, like many Rodentia, were introduced
in the second generation. Their design was flawed
(not uncommon for Golden generation Vectors)
but the nature of the error didn’t become clear
for several generations. Rats had a malfunction in
their mutt-reduction protection that caused it to ally, however. It’s a curious dichotomy that makes
fail rather extravagantly when paired with other them difficult to befriend until you figure out the
rats. Vectors are designed not to hybridize. Even rules of how to communicate with a species whose
members of the same species, say, a husky and a individual members want to stand out in a crowd,
golden retriever, will not create a mixed breed child but who take personal pride in their collec-
unless specific steps are taken medically to deac- tive status as “RAT,” the singular.
tivate those protections. In rats, the intra-species
protections were absent. Over time, all rat species Mice
would eventually homogenize into one. Mice were not
Rather than fight this and stamp part of the Vector pro-
their own family “flawed,” the rats em- gram. In fact, mouse Vectors
braced it, and promoted reproductive didn’t exist until 150 years af-
exclusivity for several generations of their ter the last population
history to actually help the process along, enhancement phase.
as well as introducing specific boosters They were created,
for traits considered preferable by their quite illegally, by a rat-
own standards. The final product of this owned megacorp called
self-induced eugenics program was a rat Genotype in an act that
with jet black fur, black skin, and golden stunned the solar sys-
eyes that shine red in direct light. While tem and would eventu-
rats all have their own unique attributes, ally become one of the
heights, weights, facial features and per- more infamous events
sonalities, every modern rat shares that in Vector history.
common coloring. It’s a trait the species as a The original Vector
whole bears with pride, and they are among project facilities haven’t func-
the least tolerant of fur dye or pattern-based tioned in ages, but the biotech-
morphisms in their midst. Most rats looking nology that was used to create
to distinguish themselves employ piercings Vectors to begin with is at the core
and other jewelry, or ear and tail tattoos. of all modern industry pertaining
There is nothing quite so visually striking to organic manipulation. The abil-
as massed rat Vectors; they appear as a ity to make a new Vector is within
wave of glossy black cut into sleek shapes the grasp of any corp with a large
with long tails and metallic detailing. enough biotech department, and
Rats are a touchy subject with a has been since day one. The deter-
lot of Vector families. They’re the only rent is responsibility. If anything per-
species to collectively take responsibility taining to the new Vectored race were
for the creation of a new type of Vector to go wrong (if they became vi-
after the original program’s termination olent, or antisocial, or
(and subsequently lose control began showing
over them), and the only species undesirable
to so drastically destroy its vari- behaviors)
ety. There are some that salute it would in-
the unity that has come of it, and evitably fall
others who view it as a form of back on the
voluntary genocide. Rats, on the organization that
whole, are almost aggressively spawned them to “rein
apathetic about how the rest of them in.” It wouldn’t
the solar system views them. They even have to be
typically put a great deal of stock on a large scale.
in how they are viewed individu- Anything; petty
19
crime, public insults, terrorism or just poor behav- to avoid mistaken identities. The only mouse spe-
ior, and the first thing that would pop to anyone’s cies that was Vectored had pure white fur, pink skin
lips would be “what are you going to do about and black eyes (though the red glint stuck around),
this?” followed shortly by “why were they made and had a genetic predisposition toward being
to begin with?” That’s a very large albatross small, with few members exceeding five
to bear for any organization dependent feet tall.
on public opinion to support its suc- The whole situation
cess. Up until Genotype created mice, caused ripples of worry
the only group to successfully attempt through the entirety of
this sort of thing was Applied Science Vector society. The results of
and Robotics, the creators of the Cog a new species introduction
race, and it’s required so much had been theorized at be-
effort that they have almost fore, but it had never
hinged their business on it for actually happened,
over 600 years. and certainly
Genotype was the megacorp that not completely
spearheaded the single-species out of the
rat consolidation movement. blue like
What began as a way to keep
the rat family from
being viewed as
genetically defi-
cient grew into an
industry based around
various treatments to help
accelerate and aim the homog-
enization of the rats into a singular
species. Along with it came mentalities, manifest this. They were locked in
destinies, and all the hallmarks of a system put in a trap of their own making:
place to rally a people behind it. One of those men- by standing back, they al-
talities was a dismissal of some of the usual rules of lowed a race that was clearly
Vector behavior, in order to legitimize their actions. created for the purpose of
With that choice came the opportunity to step over subservience to continue
additional boundaries under the same banner, being abused, but if anyone
which culminated in the creation of Vector mice as stepped forward and for-
a species all their own. mally accused their creators
“Slave race” was, of course, never in the of it, all Genotype would
press releases or any official statement made by have to do is say “Really?
the megacorp, but it was pretty clear in everyone’s We didn’t mean to do that.
thoughts when all the details were laid out on Fine, you take them,” and
the table. Mice were underpopulated, vulnerable a whole new race of peo-
because of their lack of a social history, and reliant ple would land in their
on corp support to keep them going as they tried laps. For years, tensions
to establish their place in the world. And Genotype rose, and to many it was
happily provided that, with a few conditions, nat- looking like the only way
urally. Being a workforce, occupying dangerous to get the now even larger
areas, being handed jobs as charity that were, in megacorp to own up to its ac-
fact, undesirable or risky and required tions while still providing for its creation
minimal education. They went so far as to was to force it on them violently. It was
20 differentiate the mice visually as well, so as going to come down to who took that dangerous
first step, and nobody wanted to be the one to start.
So, they didn’t, and the ever growing population of
mice continued to exist under the “benevolent” rule
of Genotype.
About 20 years later, the mice took care of
the problem themselves, and Genotype was re-
duced to smoldering ruin. Overconfidence in their
own situation had caused Genotype execs to grant
access to far too many key areas of their enter-
prise to the mice they had convinced themselves
were their friends. Through cunning deception and
careful planning, coordination with outside help
and a sense of righteous indignation the rats prob-
ably didn’t even know was there, mice had worked
their way into financial systems, manufacturing
systems, commerce, food, water, every aspect of the
Genotype industry. They brought the entire mul-
timillion-employee company down to its knees in
two days, and, in a publicly televised declaration of
principles and execution of its board of directors,
flattened it on the third. To many in Sol, this was
the day the mice truly arrived, and there was noth-
ing meek about it.
Since then, mice have slotted forcibly into
family Rodentia, and are known as fiercely inde-
pendent people who detest having to rely on any-
one who isn’t put in that position by some sort of
ranking scheme. They like a hierarchy, and work
very well in structured environments where they
know exactly who is accountable to whom. In
open systems they’re typically quick to volunteer
for tasks. Some assume it’s because they feel they
have something to prove. Others think they do it
to avoid being assigned things instead. As Vectors
go, though, their reputation for being quick-witted,
short-tempered and sharp-tongued is among the
most widely recognized in Sol. The fact that they
have such a concrete public image as opposed to
other species is likely due to the fact that their ex-
istence will forever be tied to their own actions so
many years ago, instead of the actions of humans.
Squirrels
There are over 150 different species of
Vectored squirrel, ranking them among the most di-
verse Vectors in existence. They’re also the first, but
it’s not something they celebrate quite as openly as
canines do. Canidae holds the distinction of being
the first “true” Vectored species, as in, the first one
to be put in the tanks with the intention of emerg-
ing as fully fledged members of intelligent society.
They were not, however, the first to undergo the
operation. Humans typically don’t run early ex-
periments on dogs. They tend to aim smaller, and
in the case of the earliest prototypes, they
used squirrels. The reasoning accept-
ed by most Vector historians was that
squirrels were inexpensive, plentiful,
had a very large species differentiation
available to test with and presented a
few unique anatomical challenges for
conversion. Typically, rats or mice were
used for things of this nature, but the
theory was that it was actually some-
what difficult to get lab rats up to Mars
because they were being monitored as
likely indications of then-illegal operations.
Alas, not enough of Earth’s specific history
remains to know for certain.
Squirrels are rarely credited for the
role they played in Vector creation, and
most of them are content with that fact. Be-
ing the test subject is somewhat less glam-
orous than being the finished product the
canines were, especially when certain docu-
ments exist that suggest squirrels were likely
not intended to remain in the system past the
testing phase. The clearest indication is the fact
that they were included in the second generation
and not the first, despite being a completed project
by the time the first generation launched. It would
appear their inclusion was not considered neces-
sary until a need for a larger population became
apparent. They’re not alone in that boat: any of the
second or third gen Vectors could claim the same,
but only squirrels were known to exist and function
prior to their official inclusion in one of the popula-
tion enhancement phases.
As a species, squirrels are easily overlooked.
They’re known for modesty and shyness, and in
most workplaces they aren’t really expected to
shine in the crowd. Rarely are they described as
“ambitious,” and even “outgoing” is a rarity. Like
dogs, they’re often seen as faces in the crowd,
and not really considered significant beyond that.
Which makes it all the more satisfying to those
squirrels who break the mold. Those who’ve logged
some time with the species typically have
a different outlook: they are as good as you
tell them to be. It’s rare for a squirrel to 21
volunteer to do anything; they’re usually content and as such their individual achievements are often
to do their assigned tasks and be left alone, but if overlooked. Hundreds of squirrels have achieved
you push them, even when they’re concerned about greatness in history. They’ve been proud captains
not being capable, they rise to the occasion with or lead companies, been supermodels or sports
surprising regularity. They have a knack stars, even redefined the laws of physics, but it
for learning how to learn, and with was always an individual achievement more than a
the right person pushing them along, collective one. More than most species, squir-
they can pick up whatever is nec- rels don’t look at other squirrels as family
essary to achieve what’s required. or particularly close kin. They’re just other
More often than not, they didn’t folks, like anyone else, doing their thing.
even know they It’s a simple open-mindedness and largely
had it in them. positive outlook that has kept them out
Savvy bosses of trouble for 700 years, but it has also
usually try and shrouded them in obscurity.
pair squirrels with
mice in teams. It gives Rabbits
the mouse’s innate There is a long standing jab toward
go-get-’em attitude family Felidae about having started
a suitable tool to three separate race wars in their
mold, while sub- history, and losing all three of
sequently them. It isn’t entirely accurate.
keeping For one, Vectors are not segre-
them out gated into different species or
of trouble. family centers in everyday life, so
Of course, it’s not like one cat or dog or bird
it’s also a can stand up on a box and declare
racial stereo- “we’re all doing this now.” Rats are about
type that would the closest example to that actually hap-
likely bring down pening, and it was only possible because
a lot of heat on said of a genetic defect they were going to
employer if people have to deal with anyway. Secondly, the
called them out on it, “wars” themselves are somewhat over-
but that’s never stopped blown.
things before. The first was a corporate rivalry be-
The big “problem” with the tween two feline-owned corporations
squirrel species is, because they’ve of substantial size, which turned out to
never really stood out, they’ve also be fueled by a private affair between
never been hammered down. There the CEOs that went sour. They brought
is no singular event they can point each other to ruin and toppled a pair
to and say: “This, this is us. This is of billion-credit empires in the pro-
where we stood up” beyond poten- cess. From the outside, it literally
tially being a discarded step in the looked like a catfight, as that was the
Vector process. Mice have their vast majority of the employee popula-
strike for equality, rabbits have tion, and the public assumption was that
their war with the cats, dogs have it was species in-fighting, as, naturally,
their roles as “caretakers,” nearly the corps themselves were very tight-
every unique species has something lipped about the real reason. The truth
that they can be defined has been known for centuries now,
with. Squirrels have yet but the reputation stuck around.
22 to land in that spotlight,
The second was the only true attempt
at outside interference against Genotype for their inferiority made the prospect of being attacked by
creation and subsequent exploitation of mice Vec- whatever qualified as a “rabbit soldier” a matter of
tors. Several teams of cats united under a banner of little concern.
responsibility toward Vector-kind began econom- The social and economic war lasted
ic and social pressure against the corp, and were nearly five years before the shoot-
gaining considerable ground, until a few unfortu- ing war began. It lasted six
nate leaks made it look very likely that they were months, and ended with
only moving in to try and get a piece of the action. the disbanding of the
When they were exposed, they subsequently feline superiority move-
dissolved in short order, and it made the whole ment, a series of public
of feline kind look pretty bad in the process. apologies, the payment
The most recent (around 200 years ago) of significant repara-
was the only one that qualified as a genuine tions to various busi-
race-based conflict, and subsequently col- ness owners
ored the previous two. It was a time of tu- on the part
multuous expansion in the stars with of feline
fresh technology that allowed for businesses
faster trade and great explosions that hadn’t
of wealth, and cats, due in no even been
small part to their considerable involved, and
population, were grossing high on an overall
pride and profit. A movement began feeling of
within some of their more lucrative shame that
ranks about their success being based hung over
on predatory instinct. That they could feline heads
“hunt down” that which could make for the next
them happy, and they were better fifty years or so
equipped than other species to cap- before they really
ture it. It began as an ambiguous ref- started putting it
erence but evolved over several years behind them.
into a larger mentality of genuine racial As it turns out, those
superiority, and before too long, it needed same “panicky, jerking, ner-
a target to prove it. That target was rabbits. vous” twitch reactions that
Up until then, rabbits had enjoyed a peace- made rabbits such an “inferior”
ful reputation of being somewhat more outgoing species in the wild made them
squirrels: bright, useful, plentiful, and a bit more exceptionally alert, quick and
aggressive than some of the meeker members accurate when put in the cockpit
of Rodentia. They had confidence and drive, but of a ship or armed with a rifle.
were known to be a little panicky under pressure. Guns, it would seem, don’t really
The growing feline superiority movement point- care if you growl really big and
ed to those incidences as indications of genetic have large sharp teeth. They
cowardice or weakness, and rabbits began finding only care how fast you can
themselves without jobs with feline employers, or, pull the trigger. Aside from the
for those with businesses of their own, no feline social sting, it was a reminder to
employees. When several rabbit-owned companies Vectorkind not to judge books by
were aggressively bought out through open coer- their covers. Fur, scales, feathers
cion, it became clear that this problem was only go- or fins, there was enough human
ing to get bigger. Violent retaliation was threatened in everyone to fight like
against the movement’s leaders, but they laughed humans fight.
it off. By then, the thought process behind rabbit 23
 Bats birds do. While tauric birds are generally referred
Giving one family singular control of the to as Angels, tauric bats bear the somewhat less
skies carried with it the same concerns associated pleasant title of “Gargoyles,” and most would just
with giving one family singular control of the as soon have you not use it around them. While
ocean. Unfortunately, truly flight-capable religion in many forms is very much still in exis-
Earth wildlife is somewhat limited tence in the post-human universe, “Angel” has been
outside of the Avialae family, especial- attached to tauric birds more firmly than it has
ly when disregarding insects, which to scripture. When the word is spoken aloud, the
were not compatible with the Vector default thought is of a bird with wings coming out
design process developed at the time. of its back instead of its arms. It is not inherently
But there was another option worth thought of as “angelic” in the traditional sense.
pursuing, involving a creature with Gargoyle, however, was a term adopted later in
fantastic adaptation and flying ability Vector history when images of ancient Earth build-
and a unique challenge to the Vector ings surfaced with statues
designers. Bats arrived alongside birds that looked vaguely akin
in the third generation, and have shared to tauric bats. Rather
the skies on uncertain terms ever since. than feeling natural
With substantially fewer species in- like the angel moniker,
cluded in their Vectorization, bats were an “gargoyle” was a viral-
underdog in both diversity and population ly popular title among
from day one. It’s bred in them a mentality other species that was
of cutthroat cunning and deception that socially forced on them,
cats find familiar, but instead of being aimed and has stuck ever
toward personal advancement, bats typical- since. Most bats
ly pay more attention to personal
protection. They have a knack
for picking out weakness-
es and exploiting vital
areas, and turning other
people’s thoughts against
themselves. By design or
coincidence, this has
put them at odds
with the Avialae
family on mul-
tiple occasions,
as they’re already
known for being
one step from dan-
gerously unhinged,
and bats are quite
good at picking out
which direction to push. Which is not to say they’re
all assholes who push people’s buttons all day, they
just tend to know a bit more about the situations
they go into than they let on, and they work that
gray area to their advantage.
Bats share a few Morphism quirks
24 with birds. Their taurs, for example, have
wings on their backs and taloned feet, like
consider it at least somewhat derogatory.
Bat Laterals are not seen with quite the
same esteem as bird Laterals are by their own
kind. Bird Laterals can exist pretty readily in most
normal environments provided there’s something
to perch on, and their family respects their supe-
rior flight skills. Between light, noise, and inferior
perching and walking ability, many bats have a
much harder time of it. They tend to flock toward
careers that take advantage of their quirks, which
can be anything from underground mining to tight
corridor maintenance in space stations. Typically, a
Lateral bat can demand good money for the sort of
work only they can do, as the other op-
tions tend to be much worse at it. Alas,
said jobs are few and far between, and
many of this admittedly rare breed live
vagrant lives or join full-Lateral commu-
nities rather than attempt to bridge the
gap.

UNGULATAE
It would probably shock most of Vector so-
ciety to learn that “ungulatae” wasn’t even a word,
much less a family, prior to the fall of humanity.
Latin naming standards fell apart a bit once Latin
was no longer a thing that could be referenced, and
since then many names have drifted or been as-
sembled out of what appeared to be common roots.
These hooved Vectors have been lumped together
since their introduction, as many of them are so
unrelated to anything else that they’d be isolated
otherwise. Unlike Rodentia, Ungulatae is quite
united in several personality traits, including a
powerful work ethic and somewhat notorious stub-
bornness (though the details do vary from species
to species). They see themselves as one large group,
though they’re not always particularly cohesive.
Ungulatae contains a lot of “sibling rivalry,” the sort
that comes from a family that loves each other, but
doesn’t necessarily like each other all that much.

Horses
The most common member of the Ungulatae
family, and probably the most universally disliked 25
by the rest of them. Horses are every employer’s
favorite asset. They’re single-minded, strong, hard-
working and dedicated to their tasks, and make
for excellent and trustworthy employees. They
also tend to be the measure by which the entire
family is judged, so when other members
(like deer) who operate differently
come around, they’re often thought of
as “lacking” by comparison. It’s led to
more than a little friction, most notably
between horses and cows. The horses
themselves aren’t usually out to show
anyone up, but they’re proud of their
reputation, and most of them figure
if other people had the same attitude,
there wouldn’t be a problem.
As dedicated as they are, you would
think the upper echelon of corporate con-
trol would be filled with equines. They
actually make up a very small percentage
past a certain point on the corporate ladder,
right about where the work stops being
about efficiency and effort and starts being
about creativity and dynamic solutions.
Equine minds travel very hard and very fast
in straight lines, and have a notably difficult
time deviating from them. When put into
positions of high authority, they tend to either
try and do everything themselves instead of allo-
cating tasks, or they try and transform their work-
force into copies of themselves rather than working
toward individual strengths. Both results are neg-
ative, and while there are certainly exceptions, the
species as a whole is largely regarded as laborers
rather than adapters. To a horse, the solution to
most work problems is working harder.
They are not, however, compelled to con-
tinue in quite the same way the Selachii family is.
A shark will seek opportunities to be productive.
They sleep little, move often, and pass up chances
for fun or breaks to bury themselves in whatever
they feel is worthwhile. Horses do whatever they’re
doing to the best of their abilities, but don’t gen-
erally feel bound to look for something else when
they’re done. Work comes in its own time; it always
will. They play with gusto, sleep like rocks, and
patiently await the next challenge to be handed
to them. Most can’t figure out why the sharks are
always trying to dig up the next problem.
Most sharks can’t figure out why the horses
26 keep needing someone to hold their hands
and point them to the next thing they should be
doing. As a result, Ungulatae and Selachii tend to
stay away from each other despite some obvious
similarities. Deer are the exception, but then, they
are for many things.
Cows
If horses are easy to read, cows are big neon
signs outlined in black poster marker. Like anyone,
they come in a wide variety of personalities, but
the species as a whole is almost devoid of pretense.
You can typically figure out what sort of cow you’re
dealing with within the first minute of meeting
them; they don’t tend to hide behind a social mask.
Badgers and wolverines have been friends of the
bovine species for ages, finding mutual respect in a
collective attitude of give-no-shitery. Of the three,
however, bovines tend to be a little less outright
cantankerous.
There has been a longstanding friction be-
tween cows and horses that stems almost entirely
from their attitudes toward working. Cows pride
themselves on being efficient and hard workers,
much as horses do, but they’re much less willing
to simply execute orders. They typically question
things, insert their opinions, or, on occasion, out-
right change the order to whatever they feel will
best accomplish it. In situations where the cow
itself is intelligent and innovative, this is often a
very valuable personality trait. In situations where
the cow only thinks they’re intelligent and innova-
tive, this is even more destructive than not doing
the work at all. The result is a somewhat dimin-
ished public image of bovines next to equines and a
reputation that includes “meddling,” both of which
tend to royally piss off members of the species who
represent the more positive aspects of questioning
what’s handed to them.
Socially, cows have one of the tougher times
dealing with the Vector/animal divide. All Vectors
are omnivores, and all Vectors have always existed
with the knowledge that there is a fundamental
difference between themselves and the animals
their appearances are based off of. When that is
(and always has been) a part of your culture, it isn’t
terribly difficult to understand or adhere to. How-
ever, beef and similar grown protein based off beef
is still a massive part of the Vector diet, and, social
training or not, it’s a little tricky to ignore it. It
doesn’t necessarily stop bovine Vectors from eating
cow, but it has led to them acting a little standoff- Deer
ish toward those families most likely to treat them “Deer are what dolphins could be if they’d
poorly for the similarity. Cats and dogs, primarily. lighten up a bit. Or maybe what weasels could be if
Many of the human moral issues with animal con- they laid off the drugs once in a while.” Energetic
sumption haven’t survived their 700 year absence, and vivacious, deer channel the famous
as most meat is grown in labs now anyway. It takes Ungulatae persistence inward rather
less space and is more efficient than having to pro- than outward, and are known for being
vide food and care and land. enlightening, contemplative, and pos-
The issue is less them sessing of an almost infectious posi-
being concerned tivity. Deer make it their business to
with animal rights, work on themselves before they work
and more them on other things, and attack the chal-
being irate with lenge with the same level of dedication
being compared their family is known for. For some, it’s
to something they’re maintaining a peak of physical condition.
not; a situation that is For others, it’s a pursuit of mental growth
fairly uncommon or wholeness of being. Perhaps it’s art, or
with other Vec- music, or a particular talent or activity, but
tor species. whatever it is, most deer define themselves
by how well they pursue it. They tend to be
excellent specialists if you can make their
work coincide with their personal growth.
They can work well in situations that
don’t, too, but if it’s in direct conflict with
themselves, you won’t have to worry about
it getting in the way. They won’t be working
for you for very long.
There is no “deer code of conduct” that tells
them to pick an inner zen to focus on, and most
deer probably couldn’t even point out their own if
they were asked, but their friends and loved ones
can see it in their behavior before too long. It brings
a richness to their lives, and diminishes them if it’s
absent. Despite it, they’re typically not obsessive
compulsive. To a deer, truly achieving greatness in
whatever it is you define yourself with means find-
ing a balance with it, in which both you and your
pursuit are mutually rewarded. Sharks, who
often lack that balance, have been known to find
strong companions in deer. They can remind
the Selachii that their pursuit will be better served
by pacing themselves, and they tend to do it from a
position of experience, which is a little less annoy-
ing than someone just telling them to relax with no
perspective of their own.
Though not all species of deer grow antlers,
it is a bit of a status symbol among those that do to
possess them, particularly because they’re
a pain to maintain. As a result, most deer
that grow antlers will look for ways to keep
27
them without actually keeping them. Holography
is a popular solution: cutting the antlers off at the
base and affixing small holoprojectors to the stubs,
which project the antlers fully grown. This also
makes them particularly bright and allows
28
for unique designs and effects, making them appear
almost magical in nature. Other deer looking for a
less flashy approach will cut off their antlers and fix
attachable bases to them, to be left at home except
for formal or decorative occasions where they can
be clicked into place. Very few deer, even Laterals,
actually leave a full head of horns in place through
the entire season. Doorways become an issue, as do
other people’s eyes.
Goats
Goats are the black sheep of the Ungulatae
family in terms of behavior. Horses think they’re
lazy, cows think they’re obnoxious, deer think
they’re aimless, and most of the rest of Vector kind
thinks they’re absolutely brilliant if you’re quick
enough to keep up with them. Goats are known for
a sardonic wit and a casual disregard for authori-
ty. They’re generally perceived as troublemakers,
but in a constructive sort of way. They break up
the status quo, force things to be rethought, and it
typically results in better solutions than the ones
that were previously available. They’re not so con-
cerned with their own image that they aren’t will-
ing to make asses of themselves for the sake of forc-
ing action. Most thinking teams and project boards
will have one. By the end of the project, everyone
who was looking at hours logged and deadlines met
will wonder what the hell they actually contributed.
Those people looking at the billion credit mistake
that was pointed out in a side comment mere days
before release will be buying them a beer, and per-
haps a house, because no one else caught it.
Outside of the workforce, goats share a goof-
ball mentality with much of the Mustelidae family,
and a similar knack for exhibiting surprising insight
in unexpected areas. They get along well with birds
as well, as both of them tend to be slightly off-cen-
ter of normal. They do tend to be a little less forgiv-
ing of the goat habit of mockery and sarcasm, but
for the most part goats can figure out how much
rope they have to play with before they hang from
it.
Unlike deer, goat horns are typically small
enough that they don’t present a major issue with
everyday life. Most goats don’t cut their horns
unless they’re forced to (typically by headgear like
helmets). Those with large horns that cause imped-
iments generally don’t have much choice but to file
them down or have them surgically stunted (gen-
erally at cost to the company if the job requires it), fortable. Gazelles are gracious hosts and use their
but if they do, they don’t follow the deer practice of homes, some of which have been in the same family
mimicking them through holography. To goats, it’s a since Mars was colonized, as a way to invite people
sign of the job, so they make it part of the look. into their confidence and show them what sort of
person they’re dealing with. Few gazelles
Gazelles lead the nomad’s life or have careers
Gazelles might not have made it as far as in the stars unless they own their own
they have with so few numbers were it not for their ship, specifically because they like
almost war-like reputation. having a home to come back
With the smallest population to. They do travel, however,
in Ungulatae, gazelles have from site to site for work
carved a name for them- or whatever is need-
selves in blood rather ed. Few conduct
than be trodden over their business
and forgotten under from their res-
so many other feet. dence. Work
The species is known is another
for refusal to compro- form of
mise, an almost suicidal social
fearlessness, and for combat,
being present in nearly one that can
every major conflict at bring glory of
the actual killing level despite its own, and
never having begun one as a you don’t let
collective whole themselves. your enemy into
If horses channel their your house or
self worth through their work fight your battles
ethic, and deer through their from the living room.
dedication to self-improve- Like most
ment, gazelles put their value on reputations, the “warrior race” tag is
glory, both personal and public. Glory somewhat overblown when applied to
can come from a variety of sources, but the everyday interactions, but gazelles do
public remembers glory in battle more than it have a habit of attacking the day’s activi-
does most other events, and that’s typically ty like they’re trying for some sort of high
the desirable option. Naturally, it hasn’t done score. They tend to attach undue impor-
much for their already meager population. To tance to success, and are typically sore
their credit however, they’re also known for losers. Pulse recruiters tend to favor
being good at it. gazelle hires over other Ungulates, if
Gazelles tend to be minimalists, not other Vectors entirely. They have
owning only what they need, wearing somewhat compatible outlooks on
only what is required, and not adorning life.
themselves with needless accessories. As a social
practice, their concern is more with cultivating a
name for themselves than a look. Curiously, while
they rarely dress themselves up in extra accouter-
ments, their living areas are among some of the
most lavish of any species. Gazelles consider their
homes, be it a ship, a room, or a building, to be an
extension of themselves. As a result, they tend to 29
be rather grand and personalized, and very com-
 were built from already-proven canine Vector tech-
ORDERS nology and gave human scientists a good oppor-
tunity to experiment with sea life without having
Not all displaced Vectors ended up in their to dive directly into animals that spent their entire
own families. While some were near enough lives submerged. Eventually, dolphins and sharks
in appearance or mannerism to fall would come to dominate this particular habitat, but
into a collected category, others were it was the research and experimentation with seals
Vectorized with the express intent of that made that scientific leap possible. They’re one
being one-offs. Those few species were of the few Vector races whose existence can be di-
pulled into the two largest families rectly credited for the future
in Sol: Canidae and Felidae. Though creation of other Vectors, and
publicly considered to be of the dog they’re awarded a degree
and cat group in terms of attitude of respect for that fact from
and reputation, they are nonetheless other aquatics.
“different” than their adoptive families, It’s a good thing, too,
and even though the connection has been because it’s damned
present for centuries, there are times when difficult to be a seal.
either side of the arrangement will try and Seal bipeds are
put a little distance between themselves smooth, sleek,
and their other members. a little stocky,
and tend to
Caniforms and Feliforms count as look densely
being part of the Canidae and Felidae built. All in all,
family respectively for all rules not ex- a fine and efficiently
pressly changed in their entries. Socially, powerful design, noted
however, true members of those families are for its generally small
aware that Caniforms and Feliforms are not or absent ears (all
necessarily “official” members despite their Vectored seal species
status. How the character reacts to this fact (if are earless seals)
they do at all) is up to them; the only ruling is that and dense, flippered
they are aware of it. Players should be aware that tails. The genetic
no species in the post-human Sol system walks code that gave
around with a family card in their pocket declaring them tails to begin
their pedigree by default; it is not considered tre- with when, by
mendously important by the public whole. It can, all rights, they
however, be as important to your character as you shouldn’t have
wish it to be. them, is the
keynote in their
CANIFORMS design that later
made it possible
Seals to do the same
process to dol-
Aquatic (unlike most Aquatics,
phins and sharks.
however, Lateral seals move at the same Unlike those fam-
rate on land that tauric seals do) ilies, seals do not
have fins on their
Seals were the prototype aquatic Vector. limbs. They look
Introduced in the first generation and a bit like thicker
subsequently boosted in the third otters, and are oth-
30 with a few new species variations, they erwise not at any
particular physical disadvantage.
Nearly every other body morphism, how-
ever, is particularly debilitating for a seal. Lateral
seals are sorely outclassed by just about anything
else that moves in any environment; they can’t
outrun anything on land and can’t out-swim any
aquatic Lateral underwater. Their taurs aren’t ser-
pentine like other aquatics, but rather traditionally
arranged, giving them the lower body of a seal and
a standard torso. This limits their land locomotion
to the scooting lurches of a Lateral seal. They can
get reasonably good at it with practice, but it never
gets easy, or elegant. They’re typically smaller than
other tauric aquatics and much less imposing, and
face even more resistance than snakes do when it
comes to working in areas where high mobility is
required. Snakes, at least, can comfortably spend
long periods in a body socket. For tauric seals there
are few comfortable options for increasing locomo-
tion, and most industries that rely on quick action,
such as ship crews, won’t risk the lives of others on
a seal trying to scoot at full speed across the deck.
All in all, it’s a recipe for a very bitter people.
The reality is completely opposite, and for those
captains and CEOs in the know about such things,
a seal in the right position is worth their weight
in gold, encumbrance or no. They are the quint-
essential optimists, known for facing every new
challenge with infectious determination and clever
problem solving skills. To seals, the fact that they’re
still around, and in considerable numbers, is a trib-
ute to the power of perseverance. They’re aware of
their shortcomings, and they’re just as aware that
they can overcome them if they’re smart about it.
Most of them seek careers like research and devel-
opment that don’t require much quick movement,
and seal scientists have created some of the most
noteworthy inventions in the known universe. TTI
has hired so many of them in the past that they
make up a substantial part of Europa’s population.
It’s also where the majority of their morphisms
end up. Biped seals are all over the system and in
all walks of life, but for those with aberrant bodies,
there are very few places one can go to thrive. Pri-
vate industry is a big one. Beyond that, you really
need to stand out in your chosen field.
Raccoons
In stark contrast to Lateral seals are Lateral
raccoons, which are largely considered some of
the most genuinely useful Laterals in the system
due to their manual dexterity. Raccoons are also
thought of as a “prototype” species, though their
implementation was more of a fix than a plan.
Latecomers to the third generation, raccoons
were genetically programmed as an
attempt to “cure” Lateralism over time.
They were built with a predisposition
toward the morphism, and contained
a corrective agent in their own genet-
ic structure that was hoped to slowly
remove it from the entire Vector race
as they interbred with other Laterals.
Even the use of this particular species
was related to that goal; it was thought
that perhaps a Lateral with near-human
hand dexterity would be a more appealing
mate to other Laterals, thus increasing the
likelihood of the “cure” succeeding.
Naturally, the entire premise was
doomed to failure the moment other Vec-
tors found out about it.
Conflicts of interest that had not
existed before exploded overnight as soon
as the intention of the raccoon populous was
discovered. Vector kind largely didn’t have an
issue with Laterals; as far as they were con-
cerned, they were part of the breed. A difficult
part, yes. An undesirable condition, probably. But
still part of what a Vector was. That was their life,
and a part of their culture, and humanity (who,
frankly, was not considered the best judge of ethical
behavior at this point) was attempting to “cure”
them of it, as though they could sweep a mistake
under the rug. Naturally the scientists involved had
thought they were doing what was best for Vector
kind, but this marked the first noteworthy conflict
between the last remnants of humanity and the
young race of Vectors. The “cure” was scrapped
mere hours before the growth process began, and
raccoons were added to the race of Vector as stan-
dard members, rather than as genetic assassins.
History, alas, does not hold an accurate account
of exactly what was needed to convince those in
charge to scrap their idea. It’s not without its irony;
while the “cure” was removed, the genetic pre-
disposition toward Lateralism was not. Raccoon
children are close to 30% Laterals, a massive
increase over the general Vector population,
whose Laterals range between 1% and 5% 31
on average depending on location.
As species go, raccoons are much less
team-oriented than other members of Canidae, and
typically work in small groups or on solo projects
when it can be managed. They’re social
enough, but they tend to want things
done their way, and don’t fall into
hierarchies very well. They’re often
hired as consultants or specialists, and
are usually discontent with having to
answer directly to someone else un-
less they happen to be someone
they find either
personally
appealing or
unquestion-
ably supe-
rior in their
particular
field.
32
Feliforms
Mongooses
Easily mistaken for weasels at first glance,
the mongoose is a Felidae wild card, with the
emphasis on wild. While most of the Felidae fam-
ily shows a distinct aptitude for manipulating the
system and maneuvering the nuanced corridors
of commerce and power, mongooses are personal,
patient and vicious tools to be wielded by those
with fewer scruples than most. Mongooses typical-
ly exhibit little drive for personal glory or excessive
power, but make for great personal bodyguards or
extensions of your will when you need to send a
message. Even the rest of Felidae tends to give them
shifty glances from time to time, when they’re not
busy hiring them.
Attitude, more than appearance, kept the
mongoose out of the Mustelidae family. Though
similar in body to ferrets and weasels, the differ-
ences in lean limb shape and jaw structure are ap-
parent when placed side by side, and the difference
in personality is equally apparent. Where weasels
are generally bright, energetic and active, mongoos-
es tend to skulk and brood, and usually withhold
comment until solicited for it. They’re so conspic-
uous it’s inconspicuous, and they’ve learned to use
that to their advantage. So have other members
of the felidae family, and as such, they’ve earned a
permanent home there.
Mongooses provide one of the clearer ex-
amples of Vectors deviating in behavior from their
animal templates in their relationship with snakes,
who they actually work rather well with. Both
species tend to be patient and meticulous planners
with a cold detachment and an eye for detail, and
both tend to approach targets, be they literal or
figurative, with the intent to remove them via the
most effective means possible. They recognize each
others’ value and usually make for effective team
members. On the other hand, they’re notoriously
problematic when paired with birds. Probably be-
cause they both have a tendency to go a little fur-
ther than the situation calls for, sometimes violent-
ly, and with each other.
Hyenas
Hyenas and mongooses both exist in the
Vector pool to provide anatomical variety to the
Felidae family. At least, that’s the party line. Most of
these single species inclusions were wrapped up in
larger tests to prove certain technologies or check
certain theories and wound up being too functional
to outright “discontinue,” so they were added to the
bulk population for the sheer purpose of boosting
the headcount and providing more genetic variety.
Hyenas do a pretty good job with that, and are the
Felidae members other members sigh and roll their
eyes about when they come up in conversation.
Hyenas are known for a degree of code-
pendence. They work well in groups and have an
almost canine pack mentality toward many of their
activities, but they tend to be unfocused or outright
undisciplined when forced to work alone. Felines
are known for being social butterflies al-
ready, but hyenas take the family trait
and knock it up a notch. They’re very
good at making new friends; they just
have a hard time figuring out when it’s
time to leave.
Most hyenas don’t have an in-
nate need to pester people, but they do
seem to have a knack for the process,
and it makes them very well suited for
pressure-related work. A job that re-
quires a certain degree of stalking, intimi-
dation and social pressure is ideally suited
to this species, and their somewhat gruff
appearance makes them all the better
at it. Jackals share many of the same
personality traits, and the two
are some of the more commonly
found famous Canidae/Felidae
teams. Hyenas are somewhat
noteworthy in the Felidae world
for being very fond of their Lateral
members instead of viewing them
as tools or burdens. Lateral hyenas work
alongside their own kind in most fields, and
are granted liberties to make up for their
shortcomings. It’s suspected the bipeds
find them “cute,” but the reality
is probably closer to a
need to keep one’s fami-
ly close when one is the
only type of their particu-
lar kind.
33
SPECIES Rodentia
Ursidae RAT: Operate, and 2 proficiencies of your choice
* This family cannot make tail attacks with-
out surgical assistance. Mouse: Repair, and 2 proficiencies of your choice
Squirrel: Science, and 2 proficiencies of your
BEAR: Navigate, and 2 proficiencies choice
of your choice Rabbit: Pilot, and 2 proficiencies of your choice
Black: Science, and 2 proficiencies of Bat: Bats are capable of flight, and receive 2 profi-
your choice ciencies of their choice.
Grizzly: Command, and 2 proficien-
cies of your choice Ungulatae
Polar: Survival, and 2 proficiencies of
your choice HORSE: Athletics, and 2 proficiencies of your
Panda: Investigation, and 2 proficiencies choice
of your choice Cow: Medicine, and 2 proficiencies of your choice
Deer: Express, and 2 proficiencies of your choice
DelphNIdae Goat: Deception. and 2 proficiencies of your
choice
DOLPHIN: Express, and 2 proficiencies Gazelle: Streetsmarts, and 2 proficiencies of your
of your choice choice
Bottlenose: Athletics, and 2 proficiencies
of your choice Order: Caniforms
Orca: Sneak, and 2 proficiencies of your
choice Seal: Inspire, and 2 proficiencies of your choice
White-sided: Operate, and 2 proficiencies of Raccoon: Operate, and 2 proficiencies of your
your choice choice
Spinner: Deception, and 2 proficiencies of your
choice Order: Feliforms
Selachii Hyena: Express, and 2 proficiencies of your choice
Mongoose: Sneak, and 2 proficiencies of your
SHARK: Intimidate, and 2 proficiencies of your choice
choice
Nurse: Medicine, and 2 proficiencies of your
choice
Tiger: Survival, and 2 proficiencies of your choice
Thresher: Navigate, and 2 proficiencies of your
choice
Mako: Athletics, and 2 proficiencies of your choice

34
MORPHISMS
This section includes new Morphisms avail-
able for any species in HSD, including those from the
Core rulebook and other expansions. Additionally,

MORPHISMS
there are a few modified rules in here for applying
previously existing Morphisms to some of the new
species in this book, as their physical construction
is different enough to warrant it. Players playing
Aquatic characters should note the Aquatic rules as
well. Public reactions in this book have been expand-
ed to include individual species, social groups, and
even other Morphisms rather than just families.

Morphism
Modifications
Lateralism
Members of the Selachii family
who take this Morphism have their bite
attack Base Damage changed to: Body:
Strength *2 and their size to Large.

Twin-tailed
Aquatic Vectors are not susceptible to this
Morphism, as their tails were the result of differ-
ent engineering in their bipedal forms and do not
contain the same vulnerability.

Ungulatae
The Plantigrade/Digitigrade Morphism is
not available for Ungulatae characters. They may
instead pick the “Hooved” Morphism and gain either
the Hooved benefits or the benefits described in
Plantigrade/digitgrade.
Ungulatae characters that are not horses
usually have some sort of horns or antlers. This
is a part of life and does not give the benefits of
the Horns Morphism. If your character has taken
particular pride in their horns and you wish to use
those abilities, you can take the Horns Morphism to
reflect that. Otherwise, they simply exist as narra-
tive anatomy and are largly ignorable.

35

HORNS
Also applicable to antlers, this Morphism
has triggered growth in your skull to include
MORPHISMS
protrusions generally reserved for
members of the Ungulatae family. The
configuration can vary, even including
shapes typically not found in the wild,
such as a single horn or a unique rack
of antlers. While generally considered
to be physically attractive, they make
everyday life rather difficult. Most
people with this Morphism will either
shave their horns down to more manage-
able spikes, or be lucky enough to live in
an environment that doesn’t begrudge them
the headgear.
The horns Morphism may be ignored
if a character shaves their horns down to
within two inches of their head, at which
point they become more a plot element than
a mechanical one. There are enough Vectors
with horns that helmets are constructed to
accommodate the protrusion of smaller ones.
Pros and cons are written for fully formed
horns.
Drawbacks:
Helmets do not fit on you. Custom helmets
for face and head protection can be ordered (add 10
credits to the cost of the armor, or helmet if purchased
separately), but will not provide you with vacuum
protection and as such are not space-rated. There is
no commonly purchasable solution for this: antlers
are not a luxury one gets to maintain outside of the
atmosphere. Your character will need to purchase
a custom helmet for any vacume suit they wish to
wear (add 10 credits to the cost of the suit) or cut
off thier horns, which will regrow in about a month.
Additionally, depending on the size and shape of
your horns, you may be considered to be taller or
wider than many door frames. This comes down to
you and your Guide, but is generally reflected as a -1
to your movement score while inside buildings.
Perks:
Culturally, even outside the Ungula-
tae family, horns are viewed as a luxury
36 and somewhat exotic, and have the rather
unique benefit of being a reflection of the owner.
They can make you look classy and distinguished,
or grungy and dangerous. Maintaining a set adds +1
dice to ALL Community rolls with the exception of
Community: Acuity, but your character must dress
the part. Walking into a drug deal with a street-worn
jacket, ratty jeans and antlers that look like they
were just lacquered and polished will send a mixed
signal, possibly even hurting your image rather than
helping it. Additionally, Horns are certainly dense
enough to hurt someone, but they also break and
Vector necks are not intended to support the sort of
impacts required to use them effectively. To reflect
this, their combat potential is factored into their
momentum ability rather than in a weapon profile.
Momentum Trigger:
Successfully grapple an enemy.
Momentum Effect:
You gain a new Grapple ability. Activate it
like any other Grapple ability. If successful, you
do Body:Strength+1 lethal damage to your enemy
that cannot be parried and does not require you
to release your grapple. This technique targets the
face, and has no effect against an enemy with a fully
enclosed helmet (your horns will break before the
armor does).
Momentum breaks when:
Your grapple is broken or redirected.
Public Reaction:
Rabbits: You lucked out! Jackalopes are
considered good luck on ships; you might be able to
pull in a job on looks alone.
Delphinidae: That’s juuuust about the
oddest thing I’ve ever seen on a phin. It’s hard to
take you seriously. Trim them maybe? They might
look alright as little spikes...
Ursidae: I like it! Keep ‘em big, they sit well
on a bear’s skul-OW! ASS, CUT THEM OFF!”
Avialae: I’m genuinely shocked you haven’t
trimmed those off. They can’t make flying easy.
Jackal: I’m going to be so disappointed if you
trim those off. I need someone to be my public face,
are you interested?
 Public Reaction:
BIOLUMINESENCE Ursidae: Aren’t you a shiny little eyesore. I’d
keep that covered up; it’s not going to do you any
This is a ghost in the genes; no one is entirely
favors.
sure what caused it to begin with. No Vectored family
Delphinidae: I always wished I could
has this trait as an inherent function of its members,

MORPHISMS
get that. Maybe I’ll have it implanted
and records of experiments with it are sparse, usual-
some day. Between you and me, aquat-
ly consisting of its observation rather than its initia-
ics wear it best.
tion. Nonetheless, Vectors with luminous fur or eyes
Reptilia: Well. That’s a thing.
or mouths have cropped up from time to time. The
Mustelidae: Can you do light
effect is pretty, if a little distracting. Vectors don’t
shows? YOU CAN. I love you.
have direct control over their luminescence in most
Rats: Contain that distraction
situations, but practice can usually teach them how
while in public, please.
to fluctuate their brightness.

Drawbacks:
Bioluminescent Vectors generally have at
least six to eight individual points of illumination on
their body: two on the face, two on the torso, and a
varying amount on the arms and legs. If any of these
points are physically visible, anyone attempting to
locate the Vector visually receives +1 dice to their
Spot roll (unless the setting is of full-daylight bright-
ness).
Perks:
As the Atypical Patterning Morphism.
Additionally, you can force your illumination to be
high enough to serve as a diffused light emanating
from yourself. This ability works underwater. While
in use, the Spot bonus from your Drawback increas-
es to +2.
Momentum Trigger:
Use a supportive action to gather chemical
energy. Roll Body:Presence+Athletics or Science.
Take note of your number of successes. You may
only do this once per combat, for one turn.
Momentum Effect:
You may add +1 dice to a parry check or grant
yourself +1 cover against an enemy that is using Fire
a Single Shot. You can do this as many times as you
rolled successes. At least half of your luminescent
areas must be visible.
Momentum breaks when:
You run out of accumulated charges from your
supportive action.
FOLLOWED
Though qualified as a Morphism due
to its nature as a clear aberration of gener-
al Vector DNA, followed Vectors were not
modified because of some mistake in a genet-
icists lab. They are the children of parents
who both had transcendent implants of high
enough Cuil to alter them on a fundamental
level, and their progeny bear the stigmata of
that transformation.
Followed Vectors do not have their own
shadow. Instead, their shadow resembles some
twisted variation of a completely different form;
an outline of a larger, otherworldly creature with
distinctly different anatomy and posture. Its actions
follow its owners, but only in the sense that it stays
attached to your feet like a shadow should. Beyond
that, it will move, sway or otherwise behave like the
shadow of an entirely different creature.
The physics of the phenomenon are as
baffling as its appearance, and followed Vectors are
currently classified as “stable abstractions” by TTI
scientists. Essentially, it’s believed that somewhere
between themselves and the surface their shadow
falls on is a Cuil effect that, as yet, has not been quali-
fied. To the owner, it makes little difference. They are
forever left with the question of whether or not the
thing on the wall is themselves through the lens of
another reality, or something else entirely, following
them around.
Followed Vectors are immensely unnerving
to those around them, though it isn’t always
obvious as to why. In diffused light their
shadow might not be any more obvious than 37
 a splotch on the wall, but it moves when they don’t,
and leaves those around them with the feeling that
something is lurking just out of view. It’s also a very
new phenomenon, and a great deal of people have
no idea what it is or what causes it. By far
MORPHISMS
violent action depending on where you are and who
you’re talking to. Additionally, TTI scientists are
presently forbidden from installing transcendent
implants into people with this condition. Very little
testing has been done on the interaction between the

the least common morphism, followed shadow and the implant, but enough evidence exists
Vectors only began appearing after the to suggest they would not coexist favorably. People
introduction of transcendent implants, with this Morphism may only receive Transcendent
and only with the breeding of two such Implants through non-official channels, and as such
implanted people, and even then, only will never benefit from the presence of TTI hospitals
in rare occasions when the implants or employees during its initial manifestation.
resonated in the right way.
The condition has a century
of recorded history behind
it, but it happens so rarely
that most have only heard of it,
if even that.

Drawbacks:
This condition cannot be hidden.
Armored, clothed, nude or otherwise, the
shadow you cast will always be that of
a wholly alien creature. While it mimics
your motions in a general sense, at times
it will twitch or turn on its own, as though
reacting to things that aren’t there. It is no
more vivid than a normal shadow, and as such
does not typically affect attempts to hide out of
sight or in a shaded area, but in spots where it can be
noticed it can range from unnerving to terri-
fying depending on the viewer.
There is no dice mechanic for
this, every viewer is different.
As a general rule, though, unless
there is direct lighting and an
absence of other movement in the
room, it’s tough for someone who
is unfamiliar with you to really pin
down what’s wrong. Almost universally,
though, upon discovery you will be
mentally linked with TTI, any
local stigmata associated with
transcendent manifestations,
and a security risk, as it is the
general public opinion that
the creature in your shadow is
something else entirely. This could result
in anything from a nonchalant
38 dismissal of the whole situa-
tion to an aggressive and
Perks:
Much like your drawback, your perk is relat-
ed to who’s looking and why. To some, you’re an
interesting novelty, and that quirk might serve as
a conversation starter. Others may be interested in
asking about it, we’re going to have to take you off
the air, I’m sorry. I can’t risk this network’s reputa-
tion getting tied with...whatever caused that.
Corporate leadership: Excellent intimida-
tion tool, frankly. I want you at my side in

MORPHISMS
business opportunities in exchange for research or meetings. Don’t speak, just sit there.
observation rights. As a player, this is a difficult quirkKeep them looking over their shoulders.
to leverage, as generally people who are too inter- R&D: I’m afraid your shadow
ested may go to somewhat extreme measures to get represents a potential security risk;
what they want, but it does open up Guide dialog and you’re going to have to stay behind the
story opportunities that might otherwise not exist. line. Tell me what you want, and I’ll get
Additionally, your shadow is aware (at some bizarre it for you.
level) of the presence of transcendent phenomena “R&D”: Hi! Glad to meet you!
in your general vicinity. Its behavior will change Hey, why don’t you come with me into
when you are within 100 feet of someone with a the back room here and tell me if this rag
transcendent implant, or if the Cuil Bloom in your smells like chloroform or not.
general area has changed. The shadow’s motions are General public: One is not supposed
too erratic already for anyone other than the owner to hold children responsible for the actions of
to really detect a change of behavior, so the owner their parents, but seeing you, I can’t imagine
must declare that they’re looking at their shadow the apple fell far from the tree.
to see if it’s reacting oddly, at which point the Guide
will inform them if it is. The shadow does not change
its behavior based on direction or vicinity, though, LEVER-STANCED
so it cannot be used to locate specific things, just to
warn you if something nearby is odd. Taurs and Laterals make up the major-
ity of aberrant body types among Vectors, and
Momentum Trigger: just about everyone has met one or the other
A Transcendent Implant within your visual at one (likely several) point in their lives. Lever-
range is activated. stanced Vectors are distinctly rarer, and mark one
of the few “natural” morphisms that even Vectors
consider to look a bit weird.
Momentum Effect:
Lever-stanced Vectors have robust legs and
You may immediately surrender your entire
reinforced hips and tails that allow (well, force)
next turn to drag the Cuil level the implant is activat-
them to adopt an almost T-shape as they move,
ing at down by one level (5 becomes 4, 4 becomes
vaguely akin to the assumed posture of many
3) to a minimum of 1. You may only use this ability
bipedal dinosaurs on Earth (though it’s unlikely any
once per combat, and not on your own implants.
Vector would catch the reference). This morphism
This is an instinctual ability, it happens off-the-cuff
makes for a very high degree of mobility and agility,
and cannot be accessed outside of a combat situa-
but also involves a nearly complete internal restruc-
tion (though many scary people in lab coats would
turing of the body. It typically results in large, thick
love to know how you did it).
legs, an upper torso with almost animal-like styling,
an extremely long tail that’s held aloft to counterbal-
Momentum breaks when: ance the forward body, and grasping, clawed feet. A
Used. longer neck and almost wedge-like shape to the face
is also a typical trait, as it allows for a greater range
Public Reaction: of head motion while the body is tilted forward.
General media: Okay, we’ll need to make sure The lever-stance is significant for another
the lighting is diffused when you appear on streams. reason: it’s the only morphism specifically
Keep the cameras off the floors and walls, we don’t known to be a deliberate result of human
want it appearing in press releases. If people start meddling. Some hold suspicions about 39
 taurism due to the complexity of its anatomical
changes, but the lever-stance was no mistake; there
is nothing remotely like it in the Vector genome of
any family that might “accidentally” result in it’s
spontaneous creation. Someone invented
MORPHISMS
Reptilia families may take this Morphism. This
does not include any Orders associated with those
families. Snakes may take this Morphism and regain
their arms and legs to assume the described posture.
Lever-stance Vectors take up two hexes like

it at some point during the second taurs do, and follow the same turning limitation.
generation, and keyed it to specific Armor and equipment is purchased using
Vector families, where it has stayed taur prices+5 credits, as it needs to be customized
ever since. Like many mysteries from even further to fit this abnormal shape.
the bygone age of humanity, this one -1 to Body:Presence rolls to hide in crowds.
too has no certain answer, but suspi- -1 to Operate or Pilot checks if they involve
cions range from experimentation to sitting in a cockpit or small control center; your
outright negligence, and a few (mostly posture does not conform to most seating or control
those who hold that the Master’s Voice layouts.
phenomenon was a deliberate attempt
at a human safe-word) feel that it adds Perks:
to the ever growing stack of evidence that
While jumping, ignore the maximum distance
there was more to the Vector program than
limitations.
is taught in the history books. While climbing, if a lever-stance Vector has
access to a ledge or pole they can grip with their
Drawbacks: feet, they can ascend at full speed rather than half.
Only Canidae, Felidae, Avialae and While falling, begin calculating damage at 20
feet rather than 10.

40
 tially thicker than your other teeth. They won’t help
Momentum Trigger: your bite much (if anything, they get in the way) but
Successfully grapple an enemy they’re actually quite solidly built, and offer your
jaw a fair degree of protection. Avians with this
Momentum Effect: Morphism have beaks that end in a blunted

MORPHISMS
You have access to the Skylift grapple action shape with two long “fang” shapes to the
despite not being able to fly. Rather than rolling sides rather than a hook in front.
Body:Strength+Fly, roll Body:Strength+Athletics.
The remaining rules apply. You will require your
arms to hold the enemy and your legs to leap. Your
character only ascends 15 feet in this version of the
maneuver; however, the fall damage to the enemy
will begin calculating from that height rather than
ignoring the first 10 feet as normal.

Momentum breaks when:

Your grapple is broken or redirected.

Public reaction:
Canidae: You have the skills our business is
looking for; however, I’m afraid I can’t find a position
for you at this time. Once your body-replacement
operation is complete, come back and talk to us
again.
Felidae: Okay, I admit it, I like it. The long
tail is super neat, and you’ve got this sort of leggy...
thing..going for you. I’d be jealous if not for the fact
that I enjoy sitting in chairs.
Reptilia: I don’t know what it is, but we seem
to wear this well. I mean, you still look odd, but
oddly...less...odd. As genetic lotteries go, I’d much
rather be you than a taur.
Avialae: I won’t lie. You’re horrifying. In a
neat way, mind you, but still.
Mustildae: You ever walk down the street
and see someone you’re fairly sure wants to eat Ungulatae like to call this “antlers for cheat-
you? That’s every L-stand critter ever. You all look ers.” In many families, saberteeth hold similar style
like you’re looking for a way to get away with canni-and appeal to horns and antlers and are generally
bali-stop that. You’re doing it again. Stop that right
considered a distinguished, if not attractive, trait.
now. Unlike antlers, these teeth are only inconvenient
to the owner and not a terrible impediment to the
TUSKS other people in the room, so Vectors who have them
will typically keep them. Getting one’s own fangs
Saberteeth also fall in this category. Your scrimshawed by talented artists is a status symbol in
mouth has been re-sculpted to include an impres- many circles both wealthy and otherwise. One saber-
sive, if somewhat inconvenient, set of tusks or toothed tiger, CEO of a multi-billion credit company,
saberteeth. Though not generally as large on Vectors made headlines when he dropped nearly fifty
as they are on their animal counterparts, these will thousand credits in the lap of a street artist
easily extend past your lower jaw, and are substan- in return for scrimshawing one of his fangs 41
 in a full-sheath. The etching was done right there
on the street corner, while his bodyguards shared a
bench with the artist’s friends. So beloved was the
fang that after his death, it was placed in a MarsCo
(who eventually purchased his company)
MORPHISMS
with us, but at the same time I’m glad I didn’t end
up with any tusks. They seem like they’d be a pain.
Saberteeth, though, on a harp seal? That would be
the most ador-er. Well. I think it would work better,
anyway.

museum, and is currently valued at Mice: The absurdity of this is priceless. GO

five times what he paid for the work. KICK SOME ASS.
Ironically, the artist himself was lost to Felidae: Once you’re done polishing we’ll be
obscurity when his fifteen minutes of ready to shoot the commercial.
fame ended, and the tooth itself doesn’t Canidae: Heheh, that’s worth having just to
even have his signature on it. make the cats grumpy.
Avialae: At first glance I thought you might be
Drawbacks: injured or something, but the look sort of grows on
Your headgear must be customized if you after a while.
it’s going to fully enclose your face. Add 10
credits to the cost of the armor (or helmet
if purchased separately). Additionally, your HOOVED
character loses their Bite attack. Vector facial
structures, both Lateral and normal, are not The default leg structure of the Ungulatae
designed to open wide enough to allow teeth family is a digitigrade leg terminating in a hoof. That
of that size to do much more than obstruct a configuration has hopped families to you. This can
good offensive bite. provoke a mixed bag of reactions from attraction to
revulsion, but as practical detriments go, it isn’t a
Perks: huge detriment to your quality of life. After all, an
Like antlers, saberteeth and tusks are gener- entire family of Vectors has legs like these; there
ally thought of as a distinctive feature when is plenty of clothing and seating available for you.
properly maintained. “Properly” is contextual. When selecting this Morphism, choose whether you
Some corps like to see them clean and crisp and will have cloven hooves or a fused hoof.
white, while some organizations may want to see
them stained red or showing some kind of person- Drawbacks (both types):
alized adornment like rings or carvings. Gain +1 to -1 to Swim checks unless some sort of
all Community checks except for Community:Acuity mechanical assistance is employed. -1 to Sneak
in situations where the way your tusks look meshes checks unless your hooves have been silenced by
well with the local culture. some sort of shoeing.

Momentum Trigger: Perks:
Successfully grapple an enemy. You gain access to a new sort of footwear:
shoeing. Shoeing treatments are typically spray-
on, cost 15 credits and last about two weeks. They
Momentum Effect: are always on once applied, and can’t be removed
Every time the enemy attempts to resist or without grinding them off at a store that sells relat-
redirect the grapple, they take Body:Strength+1 ed products. When clad in coverage-level 3 armor,
lethal damage. This does not apply if the enemy is your hooves are assumed to be covered and this
armored. Morphism is effectively disabled.
Rubberized: A gel-like, dense silicone spray
that provides you with extra grip and a silent stride.
Momentum breaks when:
+1 to Athletics checks related to balance or stability
Your grapple is broken or redirected.
outside of combat. This shoeing negates the -1 to
Public Reaction:
42 Seals: You know, it’s a natural thing Sneak checks.
Plated: A metallic sheath that armors your
hoof and grants it a cleat-like grip. +1 to Athletics
checks related to climbing or running. When moving
over difficult terrain in combat, you get one more
free hex than your Athletics score normally allows.
Polished: Polished, shined and buffed, your
hooves are the natural equivalent to a nice pair of
shoes and help make you look more “exotic” and less
“genetic freak”. +1 to Express checks assuming the
rest of your attire supports the look.
MORPHISMS
Momentum Trigger:
Dedicate your entire battle pool
to as many movement actions as you can
make. You may not take attack actions
this round.
Momentum Effect:
Your movement is unaffected
by difficult terrain caused by uneven or
rough surfaces or steep climbs (but not
actual, vertical climbing). Some degree of
logic should be applied to this: if the terrain
is difficult because of something entirely
unrelated to the floors, this does not apply.
Momentum breaks when:
Used.
Public reaction:
Ursidae: That’s a solid attention-getter
right there.
Delphinidae: Ah, there we go. THAT’S the
oddest thing I’ve seen on a phin.
Felidae: At least yours are cloven. The fused
ones always looked clumsy to me. People who
have them seem to manage well enough, but the
appearance is just chunky.
Aviale: I’m not even sure how to classify you.
I wonder if that makes it easier to land, or harder?
Mustilidae: They’re like built in all-terrain
boots! I’d put up with the staring for the utility.
43
 The alligator beside Charon giggled and twisted her
prosthetic around, expanding her view to a variety of different
directions before letting go to allow it to hover in the zero gravity
environment of the ship. Charon tried to hold back her laughter,
with less than stellar success.
“Sexy, darling,” she said sarcastically. Inno leaned back
and grinned proudly while her eye remained aloft on the cord in
her socket.
“Why the tether?” Charon asked, “It doesn’t need one,
does it?” Inno winked with her remaining organic eye and the
tether retracted, pulling the prosthetic back into place in her head.
“I spend so much time in null,” she explained, “I figured
it might be a good idea to have a way to keep it attached if I got
shaken around or something. It can be really disorienting if one of
these goes spinning out of your head while it’s still casting.”
“I can believe it,” Charon winced, trying to get the thought
of her vision traveling in two different directions in a zero gravity
collision out of her mind before her breakfast demonstrated a
similar set of behaviors. “But why the optical cable? You could have
left that wireless.” Inno leaned back in her chair and gazed out the
window, absently flicking her finger against the metal frame of her
mechanical forearm.
“Honestly,” she admitted after a moment. “I don’t like
the idea of people looking through my eyes. I mean, I know the
chances of someone breaking into the vision of a random spacer
with no inherent value is pretty damn slim, but...the idea bugs me.”
She shivered a little. “The cable means there’s no signal to abduct.
Unless they want to be awfully obvious about it.”
Charon was doing her best not to laugh, and managed to
make a restrained nod. It didn’t fool anyone, and shortly after she
was defending herself against a hail of tail slapping.
“Sorry!” she laughed, “It’s just a liiiittttle bit paranoi-”
“I know!” Inno retorted, throwing up her arms, “I cant
help it! I’ve had two different limbs replaced, okay? You pick up a
few neuroses along the way.” She crossed her arms in a mock huff
and chuckled a bit. “I think I’m just worried I’m going to walk by
a radio antenna one day and my arm is going to start trying to
strangle me or something.”
“You didn’t want them regrown?” Charon asked. Her
green companion shook her head.
“Sort of a...morbid, tactical decision,” she explained. “I lost
the arm in a routine maintenance operation where a simple mistake
got it crushed to a pulp. It could easily happen again. Frankly, one
time feeling that is enough.” She chuckled a little. “That might be
paranoia too.”
“Maybe,” Charon said with a wince, “maybe not. I think
I’m on board with that one, actually.”
“So...the whole ‘Blip’ thing...” Inno asked, trying somewhat
unsuccessfully to be delicate, “does it bother you?” Charon checked
her console again, peering at the display in front of her.
“Not so much, these days,” she replied, satisfied with
the work. She twiddled with the long whiskers hanging from her
muzzle. “It used to, when I was younger. No one wants to be that
different growing up.”
“But you like it now?”
“I think I always have,” she said, catching a glimpse of
herself in the reflected light on the canopy. “I just didn’t like how
other people reacted to it. It took a long time to realize that those
were two different things.” She sighed a bit and shrugged. “It’s life,
you know? It’s what I am. I’m lucky, in a way. There are plenty of
people out there whose parents put a lot less thought into how their
children would grow up.”
“I guess there’s that,” Inno considered. “Well, then what
has you out here doing runs between planets? I can’t imagine that
was part of the plan.”
The pink Blip smirked.
“I got to thinking I should start working on my own plan,
instead of following theirs. I wasn’t really sure I liked where it was
going.”
Inno grinned.
“Sounds a little bit paranoid,” she said, reclining in her
seat harness. “I can get behind that.”
 BLIPS

Of the millions of potential species on Earth
that could have been included in the Vector project,
the actual number selected was pretty minimal.
Some were chosen for practical reasons, while others
were chosen simply because they were available or
due to a personal fondness of the project managers.
Because Vectors are essentially custom built, incom-
BLIPS

patibility between species wasn’t all that large an

issue, as those qualities were essentially rewritten
into new code anyway. Eventually though, limits had
to be set and the project had to reach a conclusion,
and what made it through, for whatever reasons,
was established as “the Vector race.”
The technology to create a Vector didn’t
vanish when the project ended (though the labs
were disassembled). In the long years following the
conclusion of the Vector project, there have been a
few noteworthy additions to the line (mice being the
largest). Some have not endured to the present day,
either having been shunned to the point of exiting
the breeding pool, or simply not having sufficient
numbers to begin with. Typically though, the whole
concept of adding to the Vector race is a carefully
avoided practice. When you contribute to the whole,
you’re on the hook for it if things go wrong. To this
day, the only company to have successfully integrat-
ed a brand new, equal member to Vector society
and survived to the present day is ASR. Mice are the
footnote for successful organic contributions, but
the corp that made them is long gone.
Independent lifeforms, however, are a very

46
different story. It’s not particularly difficult, or even
expensive, to create a new one-off life form from
scratch provided it follows all the basic rules for
existence (eats, drinks, etc.) and you possess all the
knowledge and equipment for the task. You can’t do
it using the Vector template, as that would introduce
a new breeding member to the overall gene pool and
could have profound repercussions for everyone
further down the line if it turned out your science
wasn’t quite as hot as you thought it was, but if you
make someone from your own template, someone
who can’t breed with Vectors, then the law in most
areas simply treats the new life form as a “child,”
and requires all the things a child would normally
require. It’s a lonely existence; they’ll be the only one
of their kind, doomed to never reproduce, but that
doesn’t mean they can’t live full lives as contributing
members of society on their own.
There are several guidelines in place for the
creation of a Blip, as they’re commonly known, and
how they differentiate from bio-probes and other
artificial life forms. The big ones are ability and intel-
ligence. Blips exist (legally) as a means for geneti-
cists to experiment with different functional combi-
nations over the long term, or as a way for wealthy
families to create unique, designer offspring. For
them to enjoy all the same rights and privileges as
a normal Vector, they have to follow certain genetic
rules. Among other things, they need to be roughly
the same size, have the same brain design, the same
anatomical symmetry, and the same physical poten-
tial as a Vector. These figures are easy to reference,
so with a little testing and documentation a Blip can
be proven to be no more “super powered” than any
other naturally born Vector would be, and as such,
not require any of the careful scrutiny given to things
like bio-probes which often vastly exceed several
of the biological limitations of Vectors. They have
to begin life as newborns, like anyone else would.
Intelligence and free will are also essential to the
creation of a legal Blip; if a Blip is created without
the potential to grow up and exist on its own as any
adult would, it is generally looked upon as a delib-
erate attempt to build a slave. What differentiates
a slave Blip from a bio-probe (which are slave-like
by definition) is a curious and somewhat mutable
moral boundary that has been argued from both
sides for centuries. It would probably shock a great
many people if they could take said arguments and
lay them side by side with similar ones from Earth
during the first days of the Vector project. There are
uncanny similarities.
Blips are pretty uncommon, as they do repre-
sent someone putting considerable work into what
essentially is a normal child that looks differ-
ent from everyone else. They average
around 1 in 500,000 and are extremely
expensive to commission (though the
technology to actually create them is
very cheap, which is why most Blips
BLIPS
are the children of biotechnologists
who have the know-how to do the work
themselves and just need to rent time
on the equipment).
They’re also a risky venture
socially; Blips bring out one of the few
cases of outright racism present in Vector
society. Many Vectors have various views on
various other species, but it’s mitigated by a
feeling of connection due to their common
origins. Blips don’t share that common
origin. They’re the efforts of one (probably
very well-to-do) individual who decided
standard reproduction wasn’t good enough
for their vision of the future and created a
unique piece of work instead. Some Vectors see
this as artistic. Some see it as grotesque vanity.
Regardless of the positive or negative, few see them
as “Vectors.” Even those who are fine with Blips still
recognize that they’re not exactly part of the family.
It can be a difficult life to live. Blips can integrate
very successfully with the right groups, but they will
always be aware of how different they are.
BUILDING A BLIP
Building a Blip follows many of the same rules
as building a Vector, but requires additional support
from the Guide in order to preserve the feeling of the
setting they’re narrating.
Choose your appearance
Begin by deciding how you want to look.
Blips allow players to create characters from any
animal species on Earth, even if they didn’t make it
into the Vector process. They can also allow players
to custom design an appearance of their own,
provided it doesn’t violate one of the stipu- 47
 lations listed above. The Guide should be a part of
this process in order to make sure whatever is being
selected fits the feeling of the game you’re playing.
Some HSD campaigns are humorous and embrace
rather off-the-wall ideas, and Blips could end
up being some pretty silly stuff without
harming the game. Others focus on the
grit and horror factors, and a comedic
Blip would only distract from the
narrative. Where this line falls is up to
BLIPS
books; however, if you and your Guide can come to
an agreement about one you feel better suits your
appearance, you’re welcome to use that instead. In
general, these bonuses should affect no more than
one mechanic or one dice roll, and should not be
related to a specific damage-production mechanism
(such as the ability to aim or to deal direct damage).
Choose one or none of the following
abilities:

you and your Guide, so talk it over.

Hard life: You’ve been the elephant in the room
Define your origin (perhaps literally) your entire life, and have become
hardened to the opinions of others. You receive a
All Blips are artificially created, but bonus die to all opposed checks against Coercion,
there can be many reasons for how the Intimidation, Express or Deception. This also makes
decision to make one came to be. You’ll it difficult for you to relate to people, even if they’re
want to decide on what precipitated your trying to be friendly. You can’t use THBW! dice on
creation, because unlike most Vectors, that any checks involving Community.
force is probably still a factor in your life.
Even though Blips grow up and move on
Something to prove: You’ve made a point to
like most people do, they aren’t “normal”
prove your value to the universe, rather than being
children, and their families (who or whatev-
lumped into a social group and dismissed. Once per
er they may be) tend to have a vested interest
session, you can roll d10s on a Community check
in what they’re doing. The creator of a Blip
instead of d8s. However, you cannot accept, or offer,
has no legal hold over them once they reach
HELP! on any checks without first passing a Mind
adulthood, but that doesn’t mean they can’t
Resist save (attack value 10).
have an emotional one, either positive or negative.
All characters have origins that help define who they
become later in life, but Blips are the only ones that Choose your Species benefits:
will be regularly asked, well into adulthood: “why
do you exist?” It’s good to know how your charac- Blips receive two Proficiency points of their
ter reacts to that question, and what it has done to choice, and a third determined by their Guide,
shape them. following all the usual allocation rules in the Species
section of the Core rulebook. If your Blip has the
ability to Fly, they instead receive a point in Fly and
Choose your Stat boost
one point of your choice. Your Blip may have the
Aquatic template if it suits their design and follow
Based on your appearance, one of your
its rules as well. Blips do have one innate advantage
Body or Mind scores should get a 1 dot boost, as it
over Vectors, rare though it may occur: they are
does with all Families. Discuss the most likely one
not subject to the “Master’s Voice” phenomenon.
with your Guide and look to similar families in the
Whatever unknown reason existed for programming
books for examples. Blips do have a social problem
that feature into the Vector mind does not persist in
due to their very nature, however. To represent
scratch-built lifeforms.
this, Blips must put their d8 in the Community
block, and must select the Community/Economy
box as their 6 point box when assigning scores. Tailor your design:
Additionally, you and your Guide should establish
a light bonus to stand in for your Family Blips don’t have “morphisms,” but can be
physically designed to have the same body shape as
48 bonus. It’s advisable that you select an many of them. This is a deliberate choice on the part
existing one from one of the Families in the
of their creator, and since Blips are already a social
oddity, many of the more neutral Morphisms don’t
make much of a difference, while others are inherit-
ed by default due to your appearance.
Blips will have one of the following
Morphisms depending on how you decided they
should look. Some Blips will qualify for more than
one, so pick the one that best suits your character’s
behavior.
Digitigrade/Plantigrade
Taurism
Microism
Lateralism
Lever-stanced
Horns
Tusks
Hooves
Bio-Luminescence
All the usual pros and cons associated with these
Morphisms still apply; however, the social negatives
compound with any social negatives your Guide sees
fit to impose upon your character for being a Blip. To
many people, a Blip with a distinctively difficult body
to work with (such as a taur) is not only a sign of
someone with too much time and vanity showing off
their “creativity,” it’s also them being cruel, as they
couldn’t even see fit to give their creation a shape
that fits well among the general populous. This can
earn you sympathy, scorn, or apathy depending
on where you are. By that same token, a physically
artistic Blip can earn a lot of adoration among those
with a respect for such things. This is all role play;
feel out your audience before you go showing off.
Surgical templates:
Blips do not qualify for reclaiming surgery, as
they have nothing to reclaim. However, their creators
can pre-program them for specific boons later in life
when they’re created. Blips can’t begin with these
bonuses, as it would make them physically superior
to Vectors and require that they be reclassified as
bio-probes, but they can be preset and “unlocked”
later in life through the purchase of a genetic key,
registered with the parent corp where they were
originally manufactured at birth, so that said corp
can keep track of who has what.
When a Blip reaches adulthood, they can
go to any hospital owned by the corpornation they
were manufactured in and purchase an injection
which will unlock a preset ability that was buried in
their genetic makeup. These abilities are identical
to reclaiming surgeries, and your character is
limited to three of them just as a Vector
would be. However, unlike a Vector, you
must select these abilities when you
make your character. Technically, your
parents selected them before you exist-
BLIPS
ed, but chances are if they picked them
out, they steered your upbringing in a
direction that would make use of them.
The cost of the injection is the same as
the surgery would be (corps don’t give
you an easy way out of paying them) and
it takes the same amount of time for you to
acclimate to the changes as it would anyone
else. The only major difference is that it isn’t
a Pulse operation by default, and that if your
family saw fit to tell you, you may have been
looking forward to these abilities for some
time now, or have no idea what latent ability
is waiting inside you.
Blips can have any three reclaiming
options they want from a single existing Family
option, which their parents used as a template.
This puts them on par with a normal Vector in
terms of what they can and can’t do. However, if
you’re willing to chance things, it’s possible to throw
some randomness in for potential benefits.
Because you don’t have control over what
your creators were thinking when they made you,
it’s possible their plans did not coincide with where
you ended up later in life. To represent this, instead
of selecting your reclaiming options traditionally,
you can chose to select them from three completely
unrelated Families. When it comes time to actually
collect, roll an appropriate die to see which one of
the options within that family you actually ended up
with.
This can result in some pretty curious combi-
nations, but if you choose this option, it is advised
that you stick with what comes up unless it outright
doesn’t fit your anatomy. Don’t beg the Guide for
do-overs just because you didn’t get your dream
combo; the whole idea here is to reflect the reality
of being sculpted by someone else before you
ever had a say in it. If the result is not to your
character’s liking, it factors into that aspect of 49
 their story.
Finish up:
The remaining aspects of character
creation are the same for Blips as they
are for Vectors.
Final notes for Blip characters
BLIPS
Blips allow for an in-game excuse to
make what many people have been
making anyway: their own, un-featured
Vector. While this is a seductive option
in itself, a party full of Blips is a somewhat
unnecessary situation. Remember: the
species selection listed under the major
families in the HSD core rules and this book
represent the majority populations of those
families, however the first “generic” species
choice in each family is purposely vague
and can contain dozens of different options
that exist, but just aren’t very common. If
the character you’re trying to make falls into
one of the family groups already listed in the
rules (a sparrow or a lynx, for instance), you’re
best off using the generic species descriptor and
following those guidelines instead of calling them a
Blip. Part of the in-game interest of these characters
50
hinges on them being the odd man out. While it is
conceivable that a group of them would connect
via networking and go into business together (even
common, they do tend to reach out to one another),
if that occurs it should be treated as a driving force
in the campaign’s plot that affects how the whole
group is treated, not just a “thing” that happened
one day and is otherwise inconsequential.
Lastly, rules in the book and rules in the lore
always take a back seat to what the party wants to
do. Blips allow for a lot of appearance flexibility, but
if you make yourself look monstrous or frightening,
or bizarre or comedic, to the point of alienating your
fellow players and disrupting the narrative, you’re
not serving the play experience. Choosing exotic
animals that weren’t vectored is the most common
and most acceptable use of this char-gen option. If
you start getting into custom creatures, just be sure
you craft a context for them that fits nicely with your
party and the scenario presented by your Guide.
While your party shouldn’t be allowed to hold your
enjoyment hostage, you likewise need to consider
the overall theme of the session your party wants
to play before building something that deliberately
violates it.
BLIPS

1
Exculpation Gala,
Neutral Saturn
orbit
 cling to for some grounding and explanation in the
COGS grand scheme of their design.
Frankly, most of Vector kind was happy to
There is a cosmic irony lost on Vector kind make a new friend.
that shines brightest when viewed from a human There were stumbling blocks, and for
perspective: that the match which lit the fires of a the decade or so new rules for interac-
world-ending war would play no physical role in tion and social behavior would be tried,
its actual execution. Indeed, according to histor- tested, reviewed and rewritten, but in
ical record, no Vector even so much as assisted in time the race of Cogs worked its way
strategic planning, much less lifted a weapon and into the core of post-human Sol. What
dropped on Earth to engage in the fighting. But emerged after their adjustment period

COGS
so powerful were the feelings behind what they was still mechanical, but behaved in a
represented, both morally and physically, that they way that was almost more “living” than
brought a planet to its knees. As is the case with all Vectors themselves.
history, the victor writes the books, and now those
same moral and social ideals have been utterly
changed in a community of creatures who never To be
had human history or philosophy to dictate what
was right or wrong. There has been no shortage of At the center of every Cog is a single,
horror attached to this, and no lack of lines crossed constantly powered unit which serves as
that likely should not have been. But, to its credit, it a continual input recording and analysis
allowed for the creation and acceptance of a second device. A brain, essentially, but one that
new race of intelligent creatures in a matter of years behaves as an electronic analog to the
that humanity would likely not have viewed as biological construct. It experiences the world
equals in centuries, if not longer. through the Cog’s senses, builds bridges
between experiences as a normal brain does,
Cogs emerged from the ASR (then a mere and is only “programmed” in the same way any
subsidary of MarsCo) labs only 70 years after the fall brain is; by reaction to stimulus. It possesses no
of Earth. Enough time for several new generations operating system, no built-in abilities or applica-
of Vector to have been born, but still within the haze tions, and no backup feature. It’s simply an infor-
of post-humanity. Earth was a smoldering wreck, mation sponge. It even looks vaguely brain-like, and
the human population of Mars was dwindling, and is the inspiration behind the ASR logo. Cogs have to
all the new lessons of what was now becoming the live, in order to be living. They attend schools, learn
era of the Vector were pointing toward acceptance about their environment, trade stories and gain skills
and cooperation as a necessary part of life. There through all the traditional means, and as such they
weren’t many other alternatives, frankly. So when build the same sorts of social and emotional bridges
the Core Consciousness, the critical component of Vectors do. None of it is “simulated” any more than
Cog sapience, was demonstrated and explained, a normal person’s laughter or sorrow might be. It’s
they didn’t look at it with a thousand years of human simply a result of stimulus, compared to a lifetime
contempt for machines, or with the self-assured of experience. The system has functioned so well,
security of mastery over their land and pride in that (beyond a few tweaks to make sure things don’t
their cities which they had built on ancient tradi- decay prematurely) it has remained unchanged for
tion and principle. They looked with eyes of a race nearly a thousand years. Its similarity to organic
barely three generations old who were still trying to construction has also led to one of the most univer-
figure out the sheer extent of what had to be done to sal social rules of being a Cog: the idea that being a
keep themselves afloat, and who rather desperately machine does not make you a tool.
needed an ally. A race of beings who were themselves Cogs are notoriously adverse to physical
engineered, and could damn near alphabetize their integration of mechanical augmentation, far moreso
own genome. And mostly, a race that felt very small than Vectors are. To most Vectors, surgical
and alone, with nothing but files in computers to enhancement is a privilege of biotechnology, 53
and cybernetic implants can help you do
specific jobs better. Neither is particularly “personal”
on most social levels. To Cogs though, having one’s
anatomy adjusted toward a task brings them a step
closer to becoming a tool for that task more than a
person. The mental relationship
likely stems from the preva-
lence of robotic tools in the
common era. Cogs are not
equated to general robots in
most minds, but the more they
convert toward a utilitarian
form, the harder it is
to notice the distinc-
tion. To complicate
matters further,
Cogs have hobbies
and physical aspira-
tions like anyone
does, and likewise
want to train
their bodies
to be good at
what they do.
When your body
is mechanical,
it doesn’t “train”
particularly well, and
when your race disdains
physical modification, it’s diffi-
cult to get “in shape” as it were.
ASR’s solution to this problem
went hand in hand with its solution
to “growing,” which was also a puzzler
for a while. In hindsight, most agree that
the whole thing could be accomplished
more elegantly using modern technology,
but no race has ever reacted particularly
well to being told they need to upgrade
themselves. Every Cog is entitled to a chassis
update at set points in their lifetime (3, 5, 7,
9, 12, 15, 18 and 20 years old).
This includes greater dexterity,
strength, increased size and all
the other perks that come with
growing up. At the same time,
these chasses vary in style and form and include
a variety of different specializations which
help tune them toward certain
lifestyles. When the Cog
54 picks their next chassis, they
have the opportunity to move into a body better
suited for the life they wish to lead, without bearing
any social stigmata for the decision. It is, in this case,
a part of growing up, and each new update brings a
Cog closer to the form they feel best reflects them.
Young Cogs typically try several different body
types during their first few updates, but as they
grow older they will settle into one and learn to
harness its full potential, just as anyone becomes
comfortable in their body with time. After 20,
additional updates are no longer free, but most
Cogs will pick up one or two more before
they die, as key points in their life make
them feel as though they’ve outgrown
their youth.
During a chassis update, the Cog’s
Core Consciousness is removed from
their current body and physically
reconnected to a new one. Between
the first and second body, the Cog
experiences a dreamlike state in
which their mind glazes over and
pacifies to help deal with the disori-
entation of being completely devoid
of sensory input. It’s a peaceful, if
somewhat artificial, sensation, and
many Cogs view the concept of sensory
deprivation differently from Vectors
because of it. If nothing else, they
have a unique concept of the “out-of-
body experience,” as they actually go
through it at regular intervals in
their natural lives.
Once in their fresh new shell,
a Cog can spend several years
accommodating and learning
about being larger, stronger,
surer of themselves and more
capable, much as a normal person
would. Cogs even experience an
emotional “puberty,” in which they
begin developing broader under-
standings of social interactions.
The physical portion is somewhat
different, however. Cogs play a
constant game of catching up
with body changes, so when it
happens in their teenage years it’s
no more strange or bizarre
to them than it was the first
four times it happened. They tend to view organic
puberty with amusement. Mostly, anyway. There are
a few things they need to get used to themselves that
weren’t necessarily present earlier.
Where do little Cogs come
from?
Cogs possess gender, as much as anyone
does. It’s a simple thing for them to ignore or change
(indeed, swapping at least once in the course of
their lives to try the other on for size before settling
is fairly common practice) but it helps them draw
the same distinctions Vectors draw. Gender is
reflected in various joint arrangements, curves
and balance points in the Cog chassis, but carries
no inherent mechanical advantage one way or the
other. In essence, it’s a way for the body to reflect the
mind. For Cogs who don’t wish to integrate, this is
usually the first thing to go, but even among full Cog
communities it serves a purpose. There are many
who enjoy being associated with a gender, if only to
help them identify themselves.
Every Cog, regardless of registered gender, is
entitled to the integration of reproductive anatomy.
It isn’t gender specific, or even limited to a single
binary (though you do have to pay if you want
more than what your hereditary code entitles you
to). Typically this anatomy is established by the
birth gender and present in every chassis, but not
attached to any functional reproductive system.
Those faculties begin to activate around the same
time they would in Vectors as their social awareness
begins to tap into physical awareness that wasn’t
there before, usually with the same level of personal
embarrassment. It’s a common part of growing up
that helps facilitate inter-species connection.
When Cogs were invented, the need to
form family groups was considered an imperative
to successful coexistence. Blood, even to Vectors,
is thicker than water, and if they could not form
emotional and physical bonds to their mechanical
co-inhabitants it would spell disaster for their
chances of full integration. Visions of a hard dividing
social line forced by sheer mechanical incompati-
bility demanded a solution. It was remarkably easy
to fix, even if it did make for a disturbing reminder
of just how “artificial” Vectors were to begin with.
From the human standpoint anyway. The Vectors
themselves thought the whole situation was pretty
clever.
Among their reproductive options is a
“womb.” The womb itself went through a long
series of different attempts, designs and
models (some of which were more than
a little troubling) before eventually
arriving at something akin to an internal
manufacturing center. This podlike unit
is capable of analyzing Vector genetic
COGS
information, extrapolating physical
traits from the acquired data, and trans-
lating those traits into the next gener-
ation of Cog. Personality seeds, affinity
toward certain color, various preferences
toward size and shape, overall posture and
size, all are integrated into the background
data that makes up the new Cog’s brain,
effectively making them a product of both
parents. Cogs can choose their chassis as
they grow, but because most grow up with
their parents, and have tastes extrapolated
from both parents, they tend to choose forms
that at least vaguely reflect aspects of those
parents. The sizes of their limbs and overall
density of their chassis is likewise a product
of that pairing. In many ways, Cogs are even
more defined by hereditary genetics than Vectors
are, as they don’t tend to change their appearance
much over the course of day-to-day existence and
maintain many of the shapes given to them by virtue
of this process.
Mother Cogs cannot produce organic
offspring with this unit (that was attempted with the
first few mechanical wombs, and the results were
considered publicly unacceptable. And a little night-
marish.) Father Cogs can, however, produce organic
offspring if the mother is a Vector. The process
is similar, if mirrored, to the mechanical process.
The Cog can have their personality examined and
extrapolated via a special ASR reproduction system,
which will then translate all the relevant data into
genetic structures for use in traditional impregna-
tion. The resulting child will have a body resembling
the averages in height and build of the father Cog’s
chassis over the course of their lifetime, similar
personality traits, and, in most cases, the mother
Vector’s species. Father Cogs can elect to “be”
a species when the genetic data is made if they
want to incorporate it into the equation, but 55
 that will still only give the offspring the usual 50%
chance, like it would with two Vectors. The neatly
arranged and cataloged genetics and engineered
structures of Vector DNA have allowed this process
to operate successfully for centuries, and
Cog/Vector families have a long history
together.
There are still social groups that look
down on interbreeding with Cogs, but
for the most part those same groups
would probably look down on inter-
breeding with anything that wasn’t
their own species. It’s a big solar system;
you’re always going to find someone
who hates something. Pulse corptowns
are notorious for their dislike of mechan-
ical augmentation, but they are surprisingly
accepting of Cog/Vector pairings. The corp
views itself as a family organization that
promotes connection through competition,
and a butt in a stadium chair is a ticket
whether it’s mechanical or not. ASR official-
ly takes the highroad on this subject and
welcomes and encourages interbreeding, but
Cogs who participate in ASR sporting events
in direct conflict with Pulse events tend to
carry that rivalry out of the stadium.
To all things...
Biotechnology and body-replacement can do
some pretty remarkable things with age, but certain
social stopgaps have been in place for a long time to
help curtail the concept of immortality. The biggest
and most relevant is that megacorps don’t particu-
larly WANT immortal citizens. There comes a point
after someone has lived long enough where their
own investments, earnings and opportunities have
fulfilled the majority of their desires for material
goods (especially if that person is wealthy enough
to afford some sort of anti-aging treatment). When
they start wanting to live purely for the sake of
living, rather than for the sake of continued contri-
bution to the economy or scientific community, they
stop being an asset to the corpornation they live in.
If anything, they become a drain. Money goes into
them and doesn’t come back out again, which is just
about the last thing a megacorp wants. As a
56 result, you typically don’t find people with
repeated anti-aging treatments, because it
outright isn’t offered. It has been demanded (many
times, by many people) over the years, but there is
no fundamental right to life in most corpornations.
There’s an incentive to prosper; corps want you to
be happy and healthy and buying and selling, but
once you’ve stopped actively doing it, they don’t
particularly want you around.
In rare circumstances, people have used this
loophole to their advantage. Most commonly it’s
geniuses whose research contracts span beyond
the end of their lifetime, and whose compensation
includes a fresh, younger body in return for continu-
ing their work. The most famous case of this is TTI
scientist Asyen Vnn, who was alive during the first
live Whisper capture, and part of the research team
that worked on it. Due to the exceptional rarity
and extraordinary circumstances of that event, his
insight into Whisper physiology and transcendent
technology has been invaluable, and he has been
renewed numerous times to avoid losing his unique
knowledge.
More commonly, companies will incentivize
people to make their existing lifespans more reward-
ing, rather than offering longer ones. Pulse and
Progenitus are both well known for offering graceful
aging treatments in return for a subscription fee.
These treatments allow you to maintain muscle tone
and clarity of thought well into your 90’s, but part of
the contract includes a termination date, at which
point the treatments end and you gradually fade
over the next decade or so until a “natural” death
occurs. It’s an appealing treatment because it does
typically allow for a ~100 year lifespan, the vast
majority of which is active and youthful, relatively
speaking. Dulling of fur color or scale and various
other telltale signs of aging still appear, but most
people don’t look physically older than about 50 by
the time this treatment ends. The literal “deadline”
also puts a sense of urgency into the purchaser to
really get out and do whatever it is they’re looking
to do as their time ends, and that results in a much
more profitable return than never having a termina-
tion date.
For Cogs, the subject of death is more
metaphysical than biological. As a Cog nears the
end of their life, their Core Consciousness begins to
slowly and automatically integrate itself with the
ASR super-consciousness: a massive collection of
information and heuristics that contains every Cog
mind that has ever existed. A literal digital afterlife.
As the Cog’s mind begins to drift into this new state,
their grip on reality will drift as well. They begin to
slow down, daydream more, and lose clarity. At the
same time, they catch little glimpses of the world
that awaits them. Some of the greatest poetry in
post-human history has been written by
Cogs in the last few years of their lives,
when large parts of their brains are drifting
in and out of the super-consciousness and
bringing back images of worlds of infinite
thought. Eventually, after a random amount
of time unique to each Cog, the last of their
minds will transition, and all that remains
will be an empty shell.
Presumably, they have traveled
to a world in which the thoughts and
experiences of every Cog are held, and
they can benefit from limitless poten-
tial. The truth, well. The truth is
they have been incorporated, but
no one actually knows what that
existence is like. You can’t come
back from it; your mind becomes
part of the whole, and part of ASR’s
pledge to Vector-kind is that the
mystery of the afterlife will be as
much a factor to the existence of
Cogs as it is to Vectors. They don’t
know what’s in there either. Centuries
of information writing and re-writing
and forming into new and greater forms
has created levels of interconnection
unparalleled in anything known to
exist, by a factor of millions. readily enough by other Cogs. There is
Its functionality is maintained by
the Gatekeeper, a title given to a
very carefully chosen ASR employee
whose only task is to have the one
view into the data within the system,
to ensure it’s still running. There are
always two; one to cover for the other.
Beyond them, no living being has ever
seen what the millions of digital souls
inside the SC have become.
Mesh and bone
Cogs live in an occasionally
blurry balance between the habits of
the flesh and the realities of the machine. For the
most part, Cog society follows many of the same
rules Vector society does. They wear clothing for
modesty and personal identity. They socialize over
food, adorn themselves with accessories for
visual appeal, and are even
shaped like their organic
counterparts. Synthetic hair
and articulated faces and
tails are common, for no
COGS
other reason than to help
everyone feel more cohesive.
Aside from social compat-
ibility, this serves the
function of allowing them to
exist and interact in a world
built with a specific body
type in mind, and gain all the
sensory input Vectors get
from that world. On the
other hand, a lot of it isn’t
strictly necessary, and
there are many Cogs who
choose neutral chasses that
abandon many of the organic
parallels common to their kin
(gender identity, external sexual
anatomy, lips, eyes, noses) and take
digital replacements such as light up
displays or augmented reality projections
to allow for expressiveness. Cogs who live
this lifestyle can have difficulty relating
to Vectors, but are generally accepted
a difference between embracing your
machine nature and becoming a tool, and
Cogs recognize this as the former. Usually,
by the time Cogs reach adulthood, they’ll
have mixed and matched many features
of both mechanical and organic facades to
create a unique appearance they feel
best represents themselves.
Prejudice based on appearance
certainly exists in the HSD universe, but
it is somewhat less recognizable or
prevalent than it has been in human
history. As a generalization, most
appearance-based bigotry is
motivated by a difference in behav-
ior or culture, which is then attached 57
and related to a specific appearance, eventually
becoming an “all people who look like ‘x’ behave like
‘y’” sort of mentality. All Vectors (excluding mice)
stemmed from the same source and emerged from
the same labs. While their appearances differ,
they share a very common origin and
history. There are recognizable behav-
iors and attitudes that are prevalent in
different families, but it’s a little more
like judging your neighbor, rather than
judging a completely different culture.
Those stronger feelings of social bias
are far more commonly attached to the
corporation one comes from.
“Brand loyalty” is the modern
version of “patriotism,” and follows many
of the same social rules. Every megacorp
invariably imbues its citizens with its own
company culture, including specific values,
goals, beliefs and morals, much like any
government does. Flagging brand loyalty is
a bit more active than flagging patriotism
though (in most cases). Because megacorps
actually provide products and utilities to
their citizens, it isn’t uncommon for their
people to wear their logos or iconography, or
to prefer their products over others. Rarely will
this result in physical violence, but depending on
people’s attitudes, it can produce a lot of friction.
Bias based on location is usually tied to
whatever corp owns that location, more than the
58
location itself. Europa is a big one; even though TTI
has operations all over the solar system, most TTI
citizens are assumed to have come from, or spent time
in, Europa. Likewise, people on Europa are generally
thought of as TTI citizens. Most are, but it’s certainly
not all of them. Cogs are typically thought of as ASR
citizens by default, even though there are many who
were born in other corps. Crossing rival corp lines
is particularly tough for them, though. Inevitably,
citizen or not, all Cogs return to ASR corptowns to
grow, unless they purchase independent chasses
from smaller dealers. That happens, but only to
families with a lot of money to spend. Cog bodies are
very sophisticated; it’s roughly analogous to buying
a new luxury car every 2 years. It is, however, one
of the few ways a Cog can “scrub off” ASR associ-
ation based on appearance. Custom frame designs
are recognized as an action taken by a Cog who has
deliberately chosen to identify outside the bubble
of ASR. This can occasionally estrange them from
friends or family, depending on just how corp-loyal
said individuals are, but it generally doesn’t cause
much strife among ASR employees. Much as anyone
hates to lose a customer, they recognize the futility
of trying to tell someone who has literally replaced
their body that they’ve made “the wrong choice.”
They just keep their doors open in the meantime
and count on social pressure to bring them back into
the fold.
 are identical to those of creating a Vector character.
COG Cogs learn and experience the world the same as
Vectors do.
CHARACTERS
Building a Cog character follows many of the Cog Special Rules:
same rules for building a Vector, with a few modifi-
cations to account for their rather dramatically All Cogs begin with +1 point to
different origin. Body:Resilience. While their mechanical
complexity is such that what kills most
people kills them as well, being made
The Cog Generation

COGS
of synthetic material does grant a little
Run down: more durability than general skin. They
may not wear living armor however
Skip the Vector character generation steps: (it refuses to activate, making it a few
Family, Species, Morphism. Instead, use the follow- hundred pounds of bulky dead weight).
ing options:
All Cogs begin with 1 Allegiance point
Select your Frame. to ASR, aside from any gained through Schol-
Cogs are “born” into bodies that reflect their arship. While many Cogs go on to other corps
parentage, but as they get older they will usually or independent employment, all of them will
diverge a little into bodies that better fit their own return to ASR repeatedly through their lives
self image. Typically though, they don’t stray too far for Frame updates, among other things. A
from their beginnings. While it’s possible for a Cog Cog may not have 3 points in ASR at the start
to request a completely different frame during one of the game, but may have 2 and 1 in another
of their age updates, they tend to attach at least a corp.
little of their own sense of self to their bodies, just
as Vectors do. Most of them will pick frames that All Cogs begin with 1 point in the Comput-
reflect the body of their parents to some degree. ers Proficiency, representing their natural ability to
This decision will affect various parts of your physi- communicate on a computer’s level. They receive 2
cal characteristics and stats. additional points to divide as they wish in the same
way Vectors do for Species.
Select your Specialization.
Cogs can modify parts of their bodies to Cogs may have transcendent implants, but
better suit specific jobs. While not a “morphism,” may not get them through official channels. TTI
such as is present in Vectors, this decision does carry claims them to be “incompatible” with the procedure.
with it a degree of social baggage. Most Cogs do not The reality is the procedure will work on machines
like to be correlated with “tools,” and specializing as well as it does on organics, but TTI doesn’t want
their anatomy to perform certain tasks can result in that information publicly known.
exactly that. However, by focusing their refinement
on parts of their frame, it becomes less industrial Healing: Cogs are healed through the
and more personal, giving them a degree of physi- Robotics proficiency, rather than the Medical profi-
cal individuality. This section refines the broader ciency. When repairing a Cog, a Patchkit can be used
decisions made in the Frame section and grants in place of a PERK, and allows for the same healing
unique abilities. properties as would normally be gained using
Medical checks as outlined on page 196 of the HSD
Resume the standard Vector character rulebook. Cogs have a lockdown mode that attempts
creation process, starting at Stat Dice. All the remain- to preserve the Core Consciousness in the event of
ing aspects of character creation, from the selection cataclysmic damage, but it is susceptible to
of Stat Dice to the allocation of Scholarship points, failure in most of the same conditions that 59
would lead to death in Vectors. For the purposes
of survival checks when dying or near death, Cogs
follow the same rules as Vectors. Cogs are common
enough that all hospitals include repair centers
equipped to maintain Cogs who get injured,
so standard hospitalization rates apply.
Cogs can sleep-heal like Vectors do
(and they do sleep, and dream, both
of which are necessary for their brains
to organize thought in the same way
organic ones do).
Eating: Cogs are capable of eating being mechanical does not grant a Cog detailed
food if they possess a mouth, but it’s
purely for show. Chemically metabolizing
the meal takes more energy than it’s worth
when the rest of the body isn’t tuned to make
use of it. Instead, Cogs are powered by an
internal reaction system fueled by common
elements in the air. They do, however, need
to drink water regularly to facilitate the
process, assist with cooling, and provide
additional lubrication and cleansing to
internal systems. Cogs drink nearly as much
water weight as a Vector of equivalent size
would consume in food and water combined.
They do possess a sense of taste, but it consists
of a digital analysis of various impurities or mineral
additions and doesn’t really parallel the Vector sense
very well. They drink everything from booze to oil
to acids and bases and take the elements they need
while discarding the rest later. It’s what amounts to
“variety,” and eating dinner with a Cog takes a little
getting used to.
Pressure and temperature: Cogs can
tolerate much higher and lower temperatures than
Vectors, and can function between -40c and 80c,
after which point you should apply the extreme heat
and chill rules as normal. Cogs can also adjust to
low-pressure environments very easily, and are not
bothered by zero pressure environments. However,
they have a much harder time adjusting for high
pressure, especially underwater as they can’t exactly
flood their interior cavities. Crush depth for a Cog is
only 96 feet, at which point the external pressure on
their systems will render them unconscious unless
they’re wearing something protective.
60
Oxygen: Cogs don’t “breathe,” but they do
make use of air for a variety of other critical systems.
It assists with cooling and circulation as well as
element harvesting for their power source. Cogs can
do without air for about 10 minutes before experi-
encing power loss and systems failures. Provided
they aren’t in a radiation rich environment, Cogs can
survive in open space for about 8 minutes before
various internal systems start to experience damage
from the stress.
Computer communication: Simply
knowledge about computers or robotics, any more
than being organic grants a Vector intrinsic knowl-
edge about biology or genetics. However, Cogs do
possess the innate ability to navigate and communi-
cate with a computer’s file structure without having
to use its interface. Because Cogs move digital
information in their brains through the same means
computers do, a Cog that is hooked up to a computer
system can navigate it as easily as if it were their
own thoughts.
Cogs possess a special form of near-field
communication that allows them to communicate
“telepathically” with any similarly equipped comput-
er system (including other Cogs) provided they are
in physical contact with it. Due to obvious concerns
about privacy and abuse, there are a myriad of
safeguards in place to prevent the Cog from doing
anything more than “talking” and “listening.”
In game, Cogs function as their own Toggle,
and can navigate smart surfaces and instruct
machines to do tasks within their abilities without
having to make Computer checks or Operate checks.
Instead, when interfacing with a machine using this
system, make a Mind:Dexterity+Navigate check. A
single success is all that is needed to allow the Cog
to see all the different directions that system can
go in its code, provided none of it is locked off or
encrypted. The Cog can then activate that function
simply by willing it to occur, as it’s almost an exten-
sion of their own body. The limitations of the Cog
near-field are such that they cannot use it to manip-
ulate or reprogram a system in any way. This ability
can allow them to locate the general location of an
encrypted file, but to actually get into it, they will
have to hack it the good old fashioned way. Likewise,
while the technology certainly exists to give all Cogs
everywhere instant and perpetual wireless access to
the Sol Network, it was considered a social danger
to allow them to have it. Cogs must interface with
a networked machine (such as a smart surface or a
Toggle Case) to gain access to SolNet, just as Vectors
do. Once in, however, their rapport with machines
allows them to navigate with unparalleled ease, and
they can move from zone to zone as simply as decid-
ing where to go next, and stepping in. As a general
rule, giving Cogs a faster and more efficient means
of communication with information systems was
not considered a problem for their integration into
society, provided their actual access was limited to
the same areas Vectors are limited to. After all, giving
an infant with no context for judgment unlimited
access to a system-wide network whose language it
understands by default would probably result in a
very troubled individual not long after.
Debt: Debt is common enough in the Sol
system, but centuries of social practice and careful
social rules have put the burden of responsibility
onto corptowns to ensure that prices of day to day
life items are not so high as to forever drown their
populace. There are, essentially, enough other
options available that anyone who began the old
human company practice of digging a debt trench at
the company store would soon be without custom-
ers. Not to say it hasn’t happened, but on a surprising
number of occasions, other corps have swooped in
to dig people back out again, occasionally possessing
the company in the process. Which, conveniently,
gave them a population of new, thankful customers.
Megacorps arrange these “benevolent takeovers” on
a regular basis, sometimes against their own subsid-
iaries. It’s led to the volatile, occasionally violent
hotzones Vectors are familiar with, but also kept
many crippling business practices at bay. Curiously
enough, there is a very large, very obvious excep-
tion, and they have gotten away with it for centuries
because their majority population doesn’t seem to
mind.
ASR shows unrivaled charity to its Cogs.
Frames are free, annual maintenance is free, nutri-
ent water is free, SolNet access is free, all the essen-
tials to allow Cogs to be free, thinking and active
members of the solar community are provided
gratis as part of ASR’s promise to be responsible for
its own creations. But to simply exist is not enough
for most sapient creatures. They need to thrive, to
express themselves, to do all the things other intel-
ligent being do. For Vectors, just about any corp
provides all sorts of salable items that help fulfil that
need, but for Cogs, even though other brands exist,
ASR is the primary choice. And, of course, what
sort of benevolent entity would ASR be if it
forced Cogs to wait until they’d amassed
considerable wealth before allowing
them to purchase those things which are
“necessary luxuries” for self expression?
None at all, that’s what. So they allow
COGS
for purchase on credit, specifically for
personal specialization, specifically for
Cogs. And because the conditions are
limited to a species which is reliant on
them already anyway, it bypasses many of
the general public outcries associated with
that practice. Which is not to say they allow
you to get away with floating a balance forev-
er. Cogs have to square their debts, same as
anyone, and if they don’t, the consequences
can be even more severe than for Vectors.
After all, most of what they’re buying on
credit is actually attached to them. A fair
amount of Cog respect for ASR is due to fear.
Perhaps more than they would like to admit.
Unlike Vectors, it is rather common for
Cog characters to begin the game in debt to
ASR. Various aspects of the Cog character creation
process will include prices, tallied as debt before
the game begins. Resolve this debt as per the rules
outlined in the HSD core rulebook. Rather than keep
debt floating indefinitely, the debt (or lack thereof)
you begin the game with is considered the end of
your current line of credit to ASR (in that you can’t
just go and add more to it by buying out of an ASR
store upon completion).
Surgery: Cogs have unique surgical
requirements which can be found in the Surgery
chapter of this book.
Advancement: Cogs advance using the
same rules Vectors use, with their physical abilities
increasing largely as a factor of them becoming more
comfortable in their body and making better use of
their internal power.
61

FRAMES
When a Cog is “born,” they emerge from their
egg in a default frame whose various anatom-
ical weights and balances have been
adjusted to reflect the Cog’s parentage.
This can give them coloring, shapes
of various external components, tone
and structure of the synthetic muscu-
lature that drives them, and a variety
of detailing that will stick with them
throughout all their sequential bodies.
ASR provides a new body in line with
the cog’s first body at preset intervals in
line with their growth (3, 5, 7, 9, 12, 15,
18 and 20 years), and it’s always a time of
great excitement when a growing Cog gets
to step into a body more in line with their
mental development. The ‘natural’ body is
free; provided by ASR as part of their oath
of responsibility to the race they created.
Of course, Cogs, like anyone, rarely want
to settle for the basic package if they can
afford better. Which frame a Cog is born
with is determined by a variety of things: the
frame their parents have, various conditions
during the pregnancy, and to some degree, actual
planning on the part of the parents (though they
don’t have direct control over it, some body habits
do seem to result in increasing the probability of
one frame versus another). During their first two
body updates, it’s not uncommon for Cogs to want
to experiment a little, and switch between frames.
Various simulators can allow them to experience
different bodies without actually purchasing them,
and during this time of personal discovery, they’ll
probably try out a variety. By the time they reach
their 7 year update, though, most Cogs will pick up
the frame whose design they’ll be sticking with for
the rest of their lives. Cog rigidity on the insistence of
not swapping body parts whenever it’s convenient is
one of the more prominent racial barriers between
them and Vectors, who, for the most part, don’t see
why it would really bother them. The typical Cog
counter is to tell the Vector to hack off their tail and
replace it with an air compressor so they can blow it
out their ass.
Occasionally, they do.
62 Your Cog is assumed to be an “adult”
(running on their final frame). The following frame
options reflect the ones that exist in ASR’s default
line. While you as a player are selecting a body here
for the first time, your Cog probably isn’t “selecting”
a frame at all; they’re simply being transferred into
the next body in line with the shape they’ve had
all their lives. This is known as their “hereditary
frame,” and deviating from it to a new frame shape
does incur a fee (assumed to be already paid when
the game begins), as well as a little social scrutiny.
As a new character, you should decide if your Cog’s
current frame is just the next step in line, or if they
changed frames at their most recent update into
a new shape. If they did, it’s likely they’re a little
estranged from their friends and family at the
moment. Body shifting isn’t exactly “forbidden,”
but it is traditionally looked upon as a disrespectful
practice, as it diffuses a bit of the tie between parent
and child. While Cog frames reflect a whole host
of strange and unnatural configurations, they are
nonetheless considered reflections of the person
inside them. Swapping to a different configuration
is a bit like a full body replacement for a Vector
for purely cosmetic reasons. It happens, and some
people are fine with it, but others will think you’ve
lost a little bit of yourself.
Frame Options
All Cog frames have humanoid torsos,
symmetrical design, and a single neck-mounted
head. Typically, Cog faces are either sculpted like
masks of Vector faces, or simply smooth and blank
with reactive “eyes” displayed on their surfaces, for
conveying emotion. Fully mechanically articulated
faces are a luxury many Cogs spring for in their
final frame, and can be quite beautiful and capable
of showing a full range of emotion. Cog “skin” is a
smooth silica blend that feels roughly akin to dolphin
flesh, and is typically the same temperature as the
air around it. While blank by default, extremely high
resolution prints can be applied to them, and there
is an entire field of artistry specifically dedicated to
Cog skin graphics. Some private manufactures offer
a variety of lesser seen faces, including ones that
appear more mechanical in nature, like a permanent
helmet, and those that are sculpted to resemble
human faces. The choice is purely an aesthetic one,
though. While it is possible to build Cog bodies out of
heavily armored substances, it isn’t an ASR practice,
and they offer the most bodies. Cogs possess all the
senses organics do, and their synthetic surfaces
would lose much of their sense of touch and feeling
if they were replaced with more durable material.
This falls in line with the common Cog taboo about
becoming more “tool” than “person,” and most
would much rather just buy a suit of armor than
become one.
Biped: The most common Cog
Attributes:
+3 to Movement Score.
-You are not susceptible to exhaustion from
continued movement (things like traveling
over distances.)
-Begin calculating fall damage
f r o m 20 feet up rather than 10.

COGS
frame. Most couplings between Cogs and -When making a
Vectors will result in a bipedal Cog (assuming movement action in combat,
the child is a Cog at all). The gene sequencing you can “boost” to move 4x your
used to determine the child’s appearance also Movement Score in a single action,
analyzes the leg configuration of both provided you move in a straight line.
parents and assigns the trait to the This can be used once per
child, resulting in a fair spread of combat turn, and combined
digitigrade and plantigrade with other movement actions.
legs. You count as being behind
Attributes: intervening terrain
Cog bipeds for the purposes of
are generally between 4-6 incoming fire after
feet tall and 100-300 making this move
pounds (their metallic until your turn is
components make over, even if you
them marginally heavi- are not.
er than Vectors of the same
size.)

Wheeled: Many
Cogs change their frame
types at their first or second
update, only to return to their
original at the next one. It’s “a
phase,” where growing Cogs see
someone else they figure has it
better and try to experiment
for a while. Most of the
time, this is the frame they
switch to. Wheeled Cogs
have wheels attached to
their torsos via a shock
absorbing leg-like suspen-
sion system and balanced with precision
gyroscopes. They’re capable of great land speed and
maneuverability, but are awkward in tight places and
over rough terrain. It’s also rather difficult to protect
their wheels from damage with armor, making them
a bit more vulnerable to incoming fire. 63
 -You cannot ignore difficult terrain with your Athlet-
ics score as normal; it will always affect you.
-Your natural swim speed cannot exceed 1
hex per turn, regardless of how many points you
have in the Proficiency.
-While your armor and rapid
movement are effective enough to
grant you relative full body cover-
age against standard fire, if you
are hit with a Single Shot which
succeeds in targeting a specific
limb, and the enemy targets your
wheels, it will deal half its damage
to your actual hitpoints. This counts
even if you’re wearing Coverage
3 armor. Active Armor, however,
is tailored to actively adjust to
your wheel positions and
ignores this effect.
-Your weight
and height are
roughly equivalent
to a Cog biped.
Maglev: Beautiful and elegant to
watch, this frame can levitate over any solid
surface, even if it isn’t metallic, through the
use of advanced electromagnetism. Cogs
with this frame typically don’t have feet to
speak of, just legs that taper to tip-toe points
for standing on, used for turning and manip-
ulating inertia. Maglev actually has quite a bit
of “traction” on the floor, and the Cog travels by
manipulating their own magnetic field to propel
themselves, making it very useful in low-to-no
gravity environments, but the system has a tough
time with dramatically angled geometry. Rubble,
rocky dirt and some metallic grating will slow
them considerably.
Attributes:
-Provided a surface is solid (and parallel
to the pull of gravity) you can levitate between
1 inch and 1 foot above it. As such you will not
be susceptible to any negatives associated with
physical contact with that surface. While
64 it functions fine on wet ground, if there
is nothing BUT water (such as a lake) it
won’t work over it. This includes ice and snow over
a foot thick.
-In combat, you can choose not to halt your
own momentum, as you essentially glide over the
floor. Switching between movement modes is a
movement action made at the beginning of your turn,
and you are always assumed to be starting
from zero velocity once you switch (i.e. if you
were in glide mode last turn, and continue
to be in glide mode this turn, you will inherit
momentum from your previous turn in glide
mode. If you switch, you effectively throw on
the brakes.) While gliding, use the movement
system outlined for ship combat in the Ships
chapter of the HSD rulebook, specifically
regarding preservation of momentum on
page 270 (using your movement score
instead of Thrust, naturally).
-Maglev locks can be achieved
on very narrow surfaces, allow-
ing you to balance and move
on surfaces as thin as two
inches wide without the
need for a check.
-You can be towed to
higher speeds by anything
capable of achieving them (a vehicle,
gravity, etc.). Once you reach a target
velocity (max 200 mph), you can maintain
it by testing with Body:Strength+Athletics
every ten minutes (heeding the Exhaustion
rules as normal).
-You cannot ignore difficult terrain
with your Athletics score as normal;
it will always affect you. Additionally,
if terrain is extremely jagged and
uneven, you will have to perform a
Navigate check using either Body:-
Dexterity or Mind:Acuity to pick
out a path in the rubble you can
move over. On a success, you can
traverse it at ¼ speed.
-Your natural swim speed
cannot exceed 1 hex per turn,
regardless of how many points you
have in the Proficiency. your tentacles.
-As long as a wall has something to grip
-Your weight and height (when not floating) (outcroppings as small as an inch wide are sufficient,
are roughly equivalent to a Cog biped. provided they’re strong enough to support your
weight) within about 6 feet of each other, you
Tentacled: This frame is unique in that can move across it at full speed without
it replaces not only the legs, but the arms as well. making a check. Likewise, you can move
Tentacled Cogs have four long, thick mechanical at full speed across surfaces as thin as
tentacles extending from each hip joint, each nearly an inch wide. You can suspend yourself
four times the length of their torso. When moving from ceilings as well, but must

COGS
together, they can snake across the ground like a make a Body:Strength+Ath-
naga would, or they can be used to traverse complex letics check to do so, must
have things to wrap around
that will support you (your
tentacle has to be able to
wrap completely around
it) and can only move at half
speed. Once latched though,
your position is rather stable
and you can otherwise
therwise
function normally.
normall .

-Difficult terrain does

not slow you down.

-You take up three

terrain by gripping and pull
pulling
ng and lifting, allow- hexes on the game
ing them a startling range of motion. Their arms board. The middle
are likewise replaced with two tentacles each, hex represents your
with great dexterity and motion. The lack of torso. The other two
fingers isn’t much of a detriment to these Cogs, as hexes can actively
their arms can coil, snake and wrap in such elabo- move where you
rate shapes as to allow for powerful gripping and want them to
precision manipulation. While they do, techn
technical-
cal- as long as they
ly, have four arms, the pairs are generally used in stay attached
combination for most tasks, with one serving to to your middle
hold an object and the other providing the manip- hex. They
ulation. While this frame provides one of the most cannot inhabit
robust locomotion methods available to a Cog, the same hex as
it also takes up the most space, and it’s never your torso or each
fun to have someone accidentally step on other unless you spend
your tentacles in a crowded room. a standard action to tuck
them in. If you move again
Attributes: afterward, they will have to be
- -1 movement score. placed to reflect their position
on the map. If you are ever in
-You can vary your a position where they cannot
height between a standard Cog be placed, you are
height (4-6 feet) and double that limited to ¼
height at will, by stretching higher on m o v e m e n t 65
 speed until you can spread out again. Targeting
these tentacle hexes works the same as it does in
taurs; however, they receive a +1 cover bonus.
-You cannot use weapons which are
based on gloves. Things with triggers
or handles are all fine, but not things
which contour to a normal hand.
-While you technically possess four
arms, two are needed to manipulate
most objects that normally need only
one in standard bodies. However, if all
you’re doing is holding an object and
not using it in any way, you can use all
four independently. This can be applied
to any basic motion (turning a door handle,
lifting an object, steering a vehicle with a
single control) but if the object requires any
complex dexterity to operate (typing on a
keyboard or pad, holding a weapon while
manipulating the trigger or angle, applying
strength to a swing or action) then two
tentacles must be used in tandem.
-You may initiate and maintain grapple
checks provided two of your arm tentacles are
free, leaving the other two to continue holding
items or weaponry. You can even continue to use
said items, but doing so uses a special form of the
two-weapon fighting rules. If you possess a medium
sized or smaller melee weapon, it can be directed
against the person you’re grappling while you have
them grappled (after the grapple check has succeed-
ed.) You may reroll as many of the dice to hit with
the melee weapon as you want to, once. The attack
cannot be parried. You cannot combine this with
other grapple attacks (you’re focusing on holding
them still). Your grapple counts as your secondary
weapon in this situation, and the usual prerequisites
for two-weapon fighting apply.
If you possess a medium sized or smaller
ranged weapon, it can be fired at other targets while
you maintain your hold on your enemy (but cannot
be fired at the enemy you’re holding due to issues
with angle, recoil, thrashing and the eminent risk
that you will be disarmed if the weapon is brought
too close). Spend an attack action on the
grapple as normal, and another to fire your
66 weapon. Due to the thrashing enemy in your
arms, your target receives an automatic +1 cover on
top of any other defensive bonuses.
In either situation, if the enemy succeeds in
reversing the grapple, they will gain control of your
weapon in the process!
-Your weight is roughly three times that of
a Cog biped. Height is roughly equivalent to a Cog
biped when not stretching.
Hexapod: The Cog take on taurism is
distinctly more insectoid in appearance, and typical-
ly seats their torso in the middle of a six-legged
system that allows them fast and nimble locomotion
in any direction, and an extremely stable platform.
Despite the long, multi-jointed legs, this frame is
reasonably compact, as the Cog doesn’t need to
stretch them all out to move around and can fold
them under themselves when seated. They do have
a hard time conforming to chairs, though.
Attributes:
-You can vary your height between a standard
Cog height (4-6 feet) and double that height at will,
by stretching higher on your legs.
-You cannot be knocked Prone by physical
means. In shifting floors or uneven surfaces, you
maintain balance and stability automatically. Diffi-
cult terrain does not slow you down.
- You can ascend even sheer surfaces verti-
cally provided they are three hexes across or less,
by stretching your legs out to the side and bracing
against the walls. Make Climb checks as normal, but
no additional tools are required.
-You can still make movement actions while
grappling or while grappled. If already in a grapple,
any checks to maintain or break the grapple for
that turn must be made before making a movement
action.
-Begin calculating fall damage at 20 feet
rather than 10.
-Your natural swim speed cannot exceed 1
hex per turn, regardless of how many points you
have in the Proficiency.
 -When moving, you take up your own
hex and all the hexes adjacent to it. At the end of
your movement, your legs naturally pull inward,
returning you to a single hex space. Your legs can
reconfigure their positions enough to allow you to
negotiate tight spaces, but you are always consid-
ered to have some manner of foot action going on
in adjacent hexes while moving. As a result, you
can’t move into hexes adjacent to enemies and
move at half speed in areas 2 hexes wide or

COGS
smaller. They can, however, move next to you
on their turn, as you only occupy a single hex
at that point. Combat moment emphasizes
speed over the very short timeframe of a
single turn; you can negotiate a hallway at a
normal walking speed when not engaged in
combat.

-You must have footholds on

either side of your body to
balance. You cannot walk on
a singular strip less than a
foot wide.

-Your weight is
roughly twice that of a
Cog biped. Height is
generally a foot taller
than a Cog Biped.

67
 SPECIALIZATION
Cogs tread a fine line when it comes to body
modification. Inherent to their society is the
assertion that they are not tools to be
reconfigured at will to suit various jobs.
It goes beyond a social practice. Cogs
carry a sense of personal value that is
intrinsically related to their indepen-
dence, as is the case with most thinking
creatures. To them, being configured as
a tool for a specific task is almost a form
of slavery. Even if it’s temporary, it’s still
wearing a label that brands their body
and directly attaches a stigma associated
with the work to them. In general, it’s avoid-
ed. However, just as a Vector athlete trains
their body to be toned for their passion and
is generally proud of the result, or a musician
practices tirelessly to position their fingers
just so, there is a part of body adaptation
that is directly related with personal identi-
ty. As organics, this distinction is pretty
natural, but for synthetic creatures like Cogs,
it presents a bit of a conundrum.
The “answer,” socially at least, was to focus
specialization on anatomy that was already
present, rather than trying to add more. It was the
difference between adding a new tool (and thus,
becoming one) and refining the figure you were
built with. As Cogs experience their world, they find
the parts of themselves they need to refine in order
to better reflect the sort of physical being they wish
to be. The traditional analog is “exercise,” where a
runner ends up with a very different body than a
lifter, despite them both starting with the same stock.
The metaphor works, to a degree. As is the case with
most of Cog philosophy, there comes a point where
the comparison ends and it becomes “a Cog thing.”
Specialization options
Select a Specialization for your Frame, or
forego one altogether. Frame specializations are a
common aspect of Cog life, but they’re not provid-
ed for free like the default frame is. If you choose a
Specialization, begin the game 100 credits
in debt to ASR unless the Specialization says
68 otherwise.
Biped
(Specializations for biped Cogs do not accrue debt):
Plantigrade/Digitgrade:
-Receive the Plantigrade/Digitgrade Morphism as
described in the HSD rulebook.
Brace-legged:
-Receive the Lever-stanced Morphism.
Solid-toed:
-Receive the Hooved Morphism.
Wheeled
All-terrain suspension: Your wheels,
axles and suspension have all been reinforced to
allow for maximum torque over rough terrain.
Effect:
-Remove the difficult terrain restriction in the
Wheeled Frame description.
-Remove the exhaustion immunity as well.
-You now treat difficult terrain as normal terrain and
can move across it without penalty, provided it isn’t
physically dangerous.
Tracked: Your wheel system is connected
via a continual track, like treads on a tank. It greatly
reduces their vulnerability.
Effect:
-Remove the armor restriction from the Wheeled
Frame description.
-Remove the Boost movement ability as well.
-When wearing armor, being targeted at your wheel
level will no longer bypass your armor.
In-line configuration: Your mobility
system is two-wheel “motorcycle” configuration
centered below you, with balance maintained via
powerful gyroscopes. This Specialization does not
accrue debt if taken (the wheels have to be there
somehow, might as well be like this!)
Effect: Maglev
-Remove the fall damage bonus from the Wheeled
Frame description. Secondary
levitation systems: Your levitation has
-Because you are naturally balanced on a line
been augmented to counteract some of
already, you do not need to roll checks to maintain
the inherent limitations of standard
balance on surfaces greater than 3 inches
maglev.
wide.
Effect:
-Ignore the terrain limitations in the
Maglev description. You can move freely

COGS
over all surfaces. This ability cannot be
used if you’re wearing armor of cover-
age level 3.

-While you cannot raise yourself above a

foot off the ground, if you are placed there
through other means (step out a window,
for instance) you can maintain a height
of up to 15 feet above solid surfaces.
You cannot maneuver, though. You
will have to glide on your levitation
until you either choose to descend
or impact something. If you descend, you
cannot ascend again. In combat, you cannot
benefit from cover or defensive actions while
floating up high. If anything, you’re easier to
hit. This ability cannot be used if you’re wearing
armor of coverage level 2 or above.

Powered thrust: These back-mounted

microthrusters are often stylized as wings, and
provide increased speed and maneuverability.
Effect:
-Gain the “maneuvering thrusters” rule outlined on
page 270 of the HSD core rulebook for use when
gliding in combat. Remember that maneuvering
thrusters cause you to adjust your current
momentum by one hex to left or right, without
causing you to continue sailing at an angle as
you would if you used actual movement. They
count as a standard action.

-You also gain the Boost move described

in the Wheeled Frame, as written.
These abilities cannot be used if you’re
wearing armor of coverage level 3.
Your thrusters do not operate
while submerged.
69
 Hard locks: Your levitation system can be Tentacled
reversed, hard-locking it to any metallic surface.
Effect: Van der Waals segments: Your tenta-
-You can magnetize your feet (or what amounts cles are specially treated with microfibers akin to
to your feet) to a metallic surface, allowing the setae in gecko feet, allowing them to cling to
you to walk along it regardless of your nearly any surface.
angle. This can be used to scale walls, Effect:
hang from ceilings, or walk normally - -2 to Movement score, instead of -1.
in zero gravity. While in use, your
Movement score is essentially 1. While
COGS

-Ignore the immunity to difficult terrain attribute

the locks are strong described in the Tentacled Frame.
enough to support
your own we weight,
ght, -In the wall and ceiling motion section of the
external forces Tentacled Frame, ignore the need for handholds.
pushing on you can You may move across any surface by adhering to
dislodge them with it directly. When attached with multiple tentacles,
relative ease, making you cannot be forcibly dislodged by any force that
them ineffective as would be insufficient to physically rip your tenta-
tools in combat cles off you. This grants you immunity to grapple
other than effects or Momentum abilities that would physically
giving you relocate you. Lifting other objects or supporting
someplace new them without becoming exhausted will require the
and unexpected usual applicable checks, but your adhesion system
to stand. is strong enough to manage it if you are. This ability
works in wet environments (where moisture is in
the air), but not on wet surfaces (more than a fine
mist). If an area you’re attached to becomes wet, you
will lose your grip and fall. No check is required to
“engage” this ability (in fact, by mechanical necessi-
ty, it is always active anyway.)

Spade-shaped tentacles: Your tentacles

are flattened and tapered near their ends, making
them effective as paddles underwater.
Effects:
-You move at 3x your Movement score while
submerged.

Flowform support system: You have

a Flowform Generator integrated into your body,
specifically configured to supplement your own
locomotion. Rather than mechanical tentacles, your
tentacles are made of water. Flowform systems
can manipulate surface tension enough to allow
aquatic tentacles to grip specific objects firmly and
effectively, but they can’t dynamically keep up with
fluctuating pressure very well. They can, however,
rapidly collect dropped water and reassemble it into
70 the whole, allowing the user to not soak the world as
they move, because the moisture comes back with
them. The result is a whole new way to interact with
its own set of strengths and weaknesses.
Effect:
-Ignore the glove restriction in the Tentacled frame
rules. Technically, flowform support Cogs do not have
individual tentacles, but rather a collective water
supply they can divide and split based on need. This
typically results in two arms with relatively normal
hands (four arms with fully dexterous fingers is
attack value 10 and incrementing as described. You
may continue to hold your weapon while doing this
(it moves to another place in your water limbs) but
cannot effectively wield it. Additionally, because
the enemy is not actually grappled, they can
still attack if they pass their save, but
the obstruction in their eyes will grant
any target they attack a +1 cover bonus,
applicable even in melee. This ability
does not affect Cogs or enemies in

COGS
a little much for the system to support rapidly, coverage 3 armor, but does affect aquat-
especially while maintaining the lower half of the ic Vectors, as the water
body). is being forced into their
lungs.
-You cannot grapple or be grappled.
-Ignore the balance and
-While you still take up three hexes wall-climbing aspects of the
on the grid, being attacked in Tentacled Frame. Because the
your limbs does not harm you in flowform surface tension is not
any way. If hit by an enemy firing a direct parallel to the tensile
a single shot which counts as a strength of metal, you require
limb hit, ignore the hit altogether at least a foot-wide surface to
(unless the weapon would affect “stand” on. You can stand on
things other than the water itself, porous surfaces such as mesh
as in the case of explosives.) While grating without a problem, but
you cannot grapple, your system is they must be at least a full hex
plenty capable of shoveling water in width in order to distribute
into a general area. Use it like you your weight across the supporting
would a grapple (successfully hit surfaces.
twice with a fist attack). During
your target’s next turn, they must -The flowform unit in your
either move immediately at least body is specific to you, and as
two hexes away, or begin taking such cannot control exter-
suffocation tests as described in nal water sources like a
the expanded rules chapter, at a normal flowform can.
rate of 1 per round beginning at However, it is possible
to supplement your
own reservoir with
larger bodies of
water. If you are
in contact with
another mass
of water, you
can extend the
range of your
own influence up
to 100 feet away.
The amount
of water you
can move does not 71
change, however, so if you’re manifesting an arm on Hexapod
the other side of a pond, you lose the one you have
on your side until you’re finished.
Extended segmentation: Your lower
-Your flowform is capable of rapidly reestab- body is extended into several legged segments
lishing the shapes it was designed to instead of just the one, granting you a total of 20 legs
assume, specifically that of your lower (10 per side) instead of 6. Moving them in tandem
motivation and upper manipulation can provide considerable strength.
arms. The Achilles heel of all flowforms Effect:
is that they cannot rapidly assume -Ignore the swim speed limitation; your body is long
fresh, new forms. Because yours is an enough to propel itself through undulation.
extension of your body, it has signifi-
cantly more leeway than most, but it -You can extend upward to 3x your height rather
still isn’t capable of manifesting unique than 2x.
shapes just because you want it to. You
can pilot water in tendril-like forms, and
manifest up to two hand-like structures at a
time from any extension.

-Your flowform is very good at retrieving

fallen water should it become separated
from your mass. Mere contact will draw
it back in. It can also make up for missing
water by pulling from a ready source. If,
however, something happens that causes your
entire supply to become separated from you,
you will be unable to move until a new supply
can be obtained.

-Follow the same size rules

laid down in the Hexapod
Frame entry; however, your
core hex includes three hexes
behind it, which can bend to
fit whatever configuration you
please provided they do not
overlap. You cannot turn
around in hallways less
than two hexes wide, and
must back out instead.
-Each of your leg pairs
is as strong as the next,
allowing you rather
unparalleled drag and lift
strength. If your character’s
72 Body:Strength score is suffi-
cient to carry an object as a biped, that object may Effect:
be carried on your lower body 10 times over, provid- -Remove the fall damage bonus described in the
ed it is evenly distributed. Likewise, if attempting Hexapod Frame rules.
to tow something, you can pull with 10 times your
strength. However, care needs to be taken to distrib- -Remove the height bonus.
ute any stress across your entire lower body, which
usually requires some setup time and a network of -Remove the difficult terrain bonus.
ropes. You can’t simply grab on and start pulling; if Treat difficult terrain normally. You still
the weight is too heavy you will injure your upper cannot be knocked prone.
body.

COGS
-Your movement score is +2 when your
-You weigh roughly 6-8 times what your bipedal wheels are active. Simply declare that
weight would be. In most cases, Cogs with this you’re using them.
configuration are too heavy for elevators.
-You gain the Boost move listed in the
-As long as you can keep your legs under you (Body:- Wheeled Frame description; however, you
Dexterity+Athletics in most cases) you can absorb do not gain the cover bonus. Your chassis
falls from 60 feet up without damage. presents a larger target.

-You count as a stable firing platform as per the -All climb-related checks you have to make
Taurism Morphism. This applies to anyone riding on over slick surfaces are at +1 Complexity, due
you, provided you have not moved on the same turn to the inability of your wheels to actively
they wish to attack. conform like feet can.

-This specialization is the most physically extreme Linear configuration: Your legs
of the commonly recognized Cog frame specializa- are arranged in a traditional taur-like configu-
tions, and really rides the borderline of personal ration, emphasizing forward speed over stability.
expression versus physical exploitation. Cogs and
Vectors with close ties to the Cog community will
Effect:
treat you a little coldly until they are convinced,
-Remove the vertical ascent ability described in the
through your actions or extended exposure to you,
Hexapod Frame rules.
that your choice was an emotional necessity rather
than a means to an end. If they find it appropriate,
-Remove the height bonus.
most will eventually come around. If they see you
behaving like construction equipment, they might
-Remove the knockdown immunity. You can still
start treating you as such. Treat all relationships
travel over difficult terrain without penalty.
with said individuals as having a contextual -1 die
to Community checks by default, which will either
-Remove the swim penalty; you swim as normal.
go away with time, or increase, depending on the
overall narrative of the game.
-Remove the balance penalty; you can arrange your
feet in a line.
-You do not fit in the standard pilot seat of any
personal vehicle. That mass has to go somewhere,
-Your movement score is +2.
bear it in mind when renting cars.
-You take up two hexes on the board in a line with
Wheeled mechapods: Rather than your torso at the front. While you are tauric in
terminating in grip plating like normal legs, your configuration, you have six legs instead of four. Four
legs terminate in small wheels, granting you amazing are up front in a fairly close group, and the
mobility and the ability to switch from wheels to remaining two are in the back.
walking at will.
73
Aesonsi Mansion,
Valles Marineris

COGSUNES
Cogs have been upgraded technologically
over the years just as everything has, but it’s been
a careful and touchy process. By and large, Cogs
today look a lot like Cogs of centuries ago, they just
happen to be more efficient at what they do. Their
internal components are smaller and more robust,
their lubrication sustains itself longer. They’re less
vulnerable to various electronic interferences, with
quicker reflexes and larger tolerances for strain. But
on the whole, they’re the same “creatures” they’ve
always been, to the point that some of the default
chassis options look rather dated next to current
design standards. The reason for this is obvious:
when you change something dramatically and call it
a “new standard”, it says something profound about
all the things that didn’t change along with it. It’s
one thing for a computer to be “obsolete.” It’s quite
another for a person to be.
About 300 years after the first Cogs appeared,
new advancements in biosynthetics had opened
a doorway for a substantial change in the way
artificial life was approached. ASR had developed
technology that could allow them to organically
grow synthetic material. For the first time, implants
could be approached from a fully integrated model,
where things were no longer “attached to,” but
rather were a seamless extension of, an already
existing body. There were still hiccups to overcome,
the biggest being that the existing organic cells had
to be specially treated in order to mesh with the new
biosynthetics. For a person to take advantage of this
technology, they would first have to have their entire
body replaced. The cost alone made its application
as a commercial item unlikely, and the technology
wouldn’t work any other way. As luck would have it,
ASR had a ready solution for this problem. Rather
than try to get people to give up their bodies for new,
untested ones, they’d just start people out that way.
They’d made artificial life before and it had worked
beautifully. Perhaps it was time to try it again.
ASR made tentative probes into Sol’s residen-
cy to see how they might react to a new, different
breed of artificial life. The initial attempts were
met with mixed feelings from the population, with
most of them leaning toward negative. Cogs were
a little concerned about being actively compared
to something made with newer technology, and
Vectors simply weren’t sure something new was
needed anyway. The process was beginning to look
doomed before it began, and because of the nature of
the dramatic change it would inflict on the econo-
my, ASR was unwilling to launch the new line
without a substantial population on
COGSUNES
board to engage with it.
With a huge amount of money
already sunk into the development of
this technology, the company shifted
its focus toward marketing, and began
an aggressive push to make the new
race as appealing as possible lest they
lose the chance to try it. New advertise-
ments and examples of opportunities for
organic augmentation began to appear all
over Sol, demonstrating such advantages as
metabolic repair and increased flexibility and
sensory data. The technology was lauded as
a bridge between flesh and machine, and a
perfect solution to situations where neither
would do. Naysayers had no shortage of
material to work with, but the initial designs
were attractive, and the constant appeal of
fresh technology and a new influx of ideas
was beginning to take hold among the greater
populous. Before too long the public opinion
of the new race started shifting. Tempers were
calming and even the opposition was beginning
to back off a bit. Maybe this was, as they said, just
one more boon to the overall pool of creativity and
ingenuity that was the already diverse population of
Sol.
Exactly one month before the race was to go
public, Aron So, the then-CEO of Applied Sciences
and Robotics, made a public address to the citizens
of Sol about the groundbreaking nature of this bold
step. It was a stirring oratory, congratulating the
pioneering spirit of those involved with the project
and the bravery of the public to accept a new face
into their ranks. He swore on ASR’s centuries of
responsible maintenance that these too would be a
benefit to society, just as Cogs were, and that togeth-
er the strength of the entire civilized union would be
boosted when joined by a new being with new ways
of seeing things. The board was aglow with pride,
and public anticipation was at an all time high. It
looked to all the worlds like everything was
ready to go, until the speech concluded, and
the soon-to-be ex-head of ASR summarily 75
 destroyed the entire endeavor in a single sentence:
“Welcome to the universe, Cog 2.0.” low-to-no gravity environments only. ASR gave them
The first of a series of apologies was
aired within hours of the speech’s
conclusion. Aron So was replaced the
following day. It took three days to
officially scrap the biosynthetic launch,
as most of the Cog population working
for ASR had stopped showing up to their
jobs, which slowed the process down
a bit. By then the rioters had racked
up billions in total damages, and the
collective industries of Sol were nearly
certain they were witnessing the end of an
empire.
They weren’t, and though it took
time and no shortage of begging for forgive-
ness, ASR slowly managed to salvage itself.
Numerous assurances that “Cog 2.0” was
never intended to be part of the speech, and
never part of any of the work documents,
were included in their pleas, but it took the
full release of all the development material
to finally sooth the crippling fires that had
started when the head of their company public-
ly announced “replacements” for an entire race
of people that already depended on ASR for their
growth and livelihood. While ASR had effectively
convinced Cogs that such an act was never intended,
the event had permanently colored the technology.
It was poison now; they couldn’t so much as use it to
sell toys. Even its potential as a surgical augmenta-
tion was lost, as they had to give up all their secrets
and research in order to prove their good intentions
and had no means to moderate it now. ASR was left
with a trillion credit project that wasn’t worth a
dime, and a huge chunk of recent research down the
drain.
Extremely careful marketing managed to
slowly but successfully shift the blame for the social
faux pas over to the now-missing Aron So, who had
disappeared upon his termination without comment
and was presently nowhere to be found. When the
sting had passed and ASR citizens began picking up
the pieces, the corpornation released a document
describing a new, completely unrelated
creature that used the new technology. This
76 new “AI” featured no core consciousness and
looked dramatically different from Cogs. They were
small, physically weak, and designed for existence in
the sterile title “growbots” and put considerable
effort into billing them as little more than general
assembly units that could handle tools dexterously
and maintain themselves via the metabolic mainte-
nance systems in the new biosynthetics. Not a social
threat. Not even competition. You won’t even know
they exist, they said. We have to use the technology
somewhere, so we’re putting them up in orbital
research labs and just letting them work for us,
doing little projects. It’ll let us keep our residents on
populated worlds and delegate space work to things
that need to stay out there anyway. The public was
glad to see them go, and when the first stations were
unceremoniously put in place in secluded locations
far away from the trafficked routes, everyone, ASR
especially, put a great deal of effort into pretending
the whole thing never happened.
They succeeded, and in the eternal rules of
media: out of sight means out of mind. To this day, the
race that calls itself “Cogsune” continues to produce
amazing scientific advancements for ASR while
quietly tinkering away in their own little corners of
the solar system. They’re cheap, efficient, happy, and
terrifyingly intelligent. With their assistance, ASR
has sat at the top of the scientific food chain for ages,
and next to nobody even knows they still exist, much
less thinks of them as potential subjects of genetic
slavery. It’s enough to make one wonder if the worst
ASR presidential mistake in history was ever really
a mistake at all.
The Cogsune
The reality of ASR’s “growbot” is a titch
different from what the public thinks it is. Cogsunes
are roughly two-foot-tall hyperintelligent workahol-
ics that take all the social training that keeps Cogs
from becoming tools and throw it violently out the
airlock. Cogsunes are born to be tools, and they’re
proud of it. Every part of their technobiology is tuned
for efficiency. They barely breathe, hardly eat, take
up next to no space and are sustained by an inter-
nal reactor capable of supplementing equipment
ten times their size. Their construction is modular,
consisting of a head and torso that contains all their
essential components, and removable limbs that
sustain themselves even while unattached. Special
light-based signaling systems grown into their
sockets allow for instantaneous communication
with whatever limbs they may be attached to, and
a personal signal bond can allow specific limbs
to be controlled even while not attached.
Specialized limbs exist for all sorts of
different tasks, from manufacture
to combat to micromanipulation,
and each is fully grown using
the same technology that the
Cogsune itself is grown from,
allowing it to be seamlessly
controlled with sensory input
down to nearly immeasurable
minutia. In stark contrast
to Cogs, who loathe the very
idea of replacing a limb with
something designed to make
them into a utility, Cogsunes
are built for that very concept
from the ground up, and most
have a collection of custom
tools they’ve grown
into swappable limbs,
all powered by their
own internal metabolic
reactor.
Cogsunes are an
extremely specialized micro-
cosmic society. They live in
special space stations built
to their scale, with very
light gravity, three-foot
ceilings in most areas and
extremely tight quarters
by normal standards.
They don’t mind; they’re
anything but claustro-
phobic. Each individual
station is completely
autonomous and
operates as a think tank
in which every member
is free to explore opera-
tions and scientific
procedures that would
be considered anything
from ridiculous to sicken-
ingly immoral even by
Vector standards. To a Cogsune,
nothing is off limits. When you don’t need to worry
about things like social repercussions or reputation,
it opens up all sorts of doorways most organizations
wouldn’t dare touch. Certainly not ASR, certainly
not officially. But ASR doesn’t ask
Cogsunes how they learn
COGSUNES
things. They just collect
the results and provide
the funding and the habitat,
and the little geniuses do their
work. It’s exploitation of the highest
caliber, but the Cogsunes don’t mind
it. To them, it’s a victimless
crime. They’re aware they were
programmed to be okay with
their lot in life, but they’ve never
craved a change. They have the abili-
ty to exercise their skills and abilities
in an environment providing them
scope and opportunity, and anywhere
else, they wouldn’t. Seems as good a
reason as any to stick around.
The devil is in the details.
Cogsunes would appear to any
observer to be perfectly sapient,
intelligent creatures with all the
emotional range of any Vector.
Unlike Cogs, however, that behavior
is programmed in Cogsunes instead of
being emergent. They possess artifi-
cial intelligence. Extremely advanced,
extremely adaptive artificial intelligence,
but fake nonetheless. The tricky thing is,
it’s a damned thin line between one and
the other now. The Cogsune AI has been
learning and adapting and personalizing
for generations. It has all the heuristics
and quirks of any intelligent creature, and
would stomp any human Turing test flat
into the floor. The difference between it
and a real brain is largely inconsequential,
except for the one place where it matters: you’re
not allowed to create sapient individuals for
labor. Cogsunes are classified as machines, and
A S R can do with them what they will. They
probably would have never
gotten away with it if not
for the fact that, at
the time they were
created, no one in 77
Sol wanted anything to do with them, and the issue
has been out of the public eye ever since. The average
civilian doesn’t even know the “growbot” project still
exists, let alone that it provides ASR with some of
the most staggeringly advanced technology
in the known universe. When it wants
to, anyway. One of the perks of auton-
omy is the ability to keep the best stuff
for yourself.
Cogsunes don’t make up ASR’s only
research group. In fact, they’re quite
the minority. But they tackle some of
the really heavy lifting; things that most
conventional labs have ruled too expen-
sive, impractical or outright outlandish to
work. At any given point, when ASR releas-
es a brand new, amazing advancement, what
they’re actually releasing is material the
Cogsunes provided them with a good five to
ten years earlier. The Cogsunes themselves
keep the really cutting edge stuff, which
sits substantially ahead of the curve and
is usually designed to only work with their
internal powersources so as to keep it from
being stolen. While ASR certainly suspects
they’re being held out on, their relationship
with their “partners” has become one of mutual
distance. They want what the Cogsunes provide,
and the Cogsunes need funding and supplies to
do it, so they’re happy to oblige, but they’ll do it
on their terms. Their terms are fair enough, given
the circumstances, so ASR doesn’t put up much
argument. Should the Cogsunes ever decide they
wanted to make trouble for the megacorp it could get
very ugly very quickly, but frankly, they don’t have a
reason to. Aside from their pro-work conditioning
and general contentedness with their lot in life, the
whole species has a pretty healthy contempt for the
Vector lifestyle and no innate desire to give up their
lives of super-science to become bureaucrats and
politicians.
Because Cogsunes are independently
motivated to produce and research, and that behav-
ior is reinforced in their own society, their economic
situation with ASR doesn’t involve them having to
purchase things (and if ASR was trying to sell them
anything anyway, their investors might start to get a
little curious as to why so many recreational
and entertaining goods were being market-
78 ed to what is still classified as a “smart tool”).
As a result there is almost no corporate presence
within Cogsune stations. Nearly all their tools and
equipment are proprietary and built on-site anyway,
and they’re autonomous in their internal affairs.
It’s necessary, as the lack of social pressure allows
them to work and research with impunity. Cogsunes
tend to think of the rest of the populated universe as
excessive and wasteful (though often entertaining).
They use too much energy, waste too much material,
and are generally disgustingly inefficient. To some,
it’s an almost fetish-like interest. Vectors represent
excess and opulence that is, quite literally, larger
than life, and Vector pop culture holds a certain
fascination to some while simultaneously revolting
others. Singing is a noteworthy example. Cogsunes
like music as much as the next person, but singing
uses an enormous amount of oxygen, something
they themselves consume very little of. The fact that
oxygen isn’t a finite resource for them is a non-issue;
it’s the overuse of it that matters. The feeling isn’t
universal among the population, but it’s a common
example of how practices Vectors wouldn’t think
twice about seem inherently excessive in the eyes of
a Cogsune.
Leaving the nest
Much of the Cogsune life is based on exploring
mathematics and theory, but they have to produce
practical material too, and that often requires field
work. This can be challenging, as most people aren’t
inherently aware Cogsunes even exist. But with
a little clothing and the right behavior, it isn’t too
difficult for them to pass as Blips, or even micro
canids of some sort. The biggest challenge is gravity.
Cogsunes were designed to exist in extremely low
gravity environments, and lack the gravity adapta-
tion protocols that Vectors have to allow them to
actively adapt. Only a select few “field agents” are
upgraded with an augmented musculature that can
tolerate higher gravity environments. Such agents
are necessary, but always lead somewhat distant
lives from their kin. They’re noticeably bulkier,
weigh substantially more, are taller and consume
more than four times more resources. By Vector
standards, it’s nearly irrelevant. A field Cogsune
might stand an inch or two taller than her normal
compatriots, weigh 20 pounds instead of 12, and
eat as much as a micro Vector, but to her people,
she’s a ravenous giant. They’re physically different
too, covered with a noticeably thick layer of muscle
under their fluff while most Cogsunes tend to be
wispish, with no bulk beyond what’s needed to do
their jobs.
A field Cogsune could be dispatched to any
given project for a host of different reasons, none of
Stats
Player Cogsunes are all field Cogsunes, and
all have the same Stat Distribution (but may distrib-
ute their dice as they see fit):
Mind

COGSUNES
which they’re really compelled to share with anyone.
Dexterity: 4
All that’s required is that ASR be informed of where
Resilience: 2
they’re going and “why” (which is often obnoxiously
Acuity: 4
vague, as the Cogsunes are well aware of their own
Strength: 5
leniency within the rules), and a report of their
Presence:2
actions when they return home. The rest is largely
self regulating; the Cogsunes themselves don’t want Body
interference from civilians, so they don’t go adver- Dexterity: 2
tising their existence openly, and ASR doesn’t want Resilience: 1
scrutiny from other corps, so they don’t go talking Acuity: 2
about it either. It’s exactly the sort of corporate Strength: 1
misdirection Spyglass was created to expose. That Presence: 1
they haven’t blown the lid off this one is probably Community
due to them seeking a way to exploit it. Or maybe Dexterity: 1
fear. Technology cares not if you’re two feet tall and Resilience: 1
adorable, and Cogsunes possess some of the most Acuity: 1
powerful technology in existence. Strength: 1
Presence: 1
Economy
BUILDING Dexterity: 1
Resilience: 1
A COGSUNE Acuity: 1
Strength: 1
Cogsunes are unique characters in the HSD Presence: 1
universe and follow unique construction rules. They
also don’t advance in the same way Vectors do, use Cogsune special rules:
different equipment, and play in a different fashion
overall from Cogs and Vectors. Having a Cogsune in
Reinforced bone structure: Cogsunes were
your party can make for all sorts of fun and interest-
designed for low gravity, cramped environments
ing twists on combat and gameplay, but they’re not
where things have a tendency to blow up unexpect-
going to be your neighbor or someone you met in
edly. Naturally, they bounce off walls at high speeds
school. They’re a third party with their own motiva-
with some degree of regularity. When applying
tion who happens to be working with you, and at
the Microism Morphism to your Cogsune, ignore
any given point, they may very well up and leave you
the hitpoint limitation. Cogsunes multiply their
to your fate.
hitpoints by 10 as normal characters do.
The following section outlines how to build
a field Cogsune for inclusion in your HSD game. It
follows many of the standard rules for character Atypical anatomy: Cogsunes cannot receive
creation, but has specific requirements and limita- surgery or implants of any kind using Vector
tions to reflect that Cogsunes don’t share the same technology. This includes medical treatment. Injured
learning and development environment (or anato- Cogsunes must either heal naturally, heal by means
my) that the rest of the Sol system does. of an 07 tail, or make use of their Quantum Backup
system.
79
Quantum Backup: All Cogsunes possess a overruled by any extenuating story elements if the
wireless backup system that taps into a form of
proprietary communication that vastly outclasses
the current technology used in long distance data
transfer. Their bodies stream a constant,
up-to-the-second package of biosta-
tistical data to a receiver on their
home station and redundant receivers
on other Cogsune stations. If ever a
Cogsune should die, they are immediate-
ly “reincarnated” at the nearest
Cogsune station. The practice
is perfectly natural to them, and
is used for everything from rapid
transit to a quick way home to a way
to catch enemies off guard. Super
science is dangerous business; you
can’t afford to lose important knowl-
edge every time some pesky genetic
horror gets loose and kills everyone.
If your Cogsune dies, they are
effectively removed from the current
scene and can no longer participate
in it. It will only take a few minutes
for their new body to appear at
the nearest Cogsune station, but
they will have to secure trans-
portation and arrange reports
before they can return to
the party, to say nothing of
travel time. Roll a d8; the
result is how many days
it will before you arrive
at the party’s doorstep.
This dice roll can be
80
Guide wishes to choose it themselves. It is possible
for Cogsunes to select the station they wish to spawn
at, allowing them to place themselves within 8 days
travel of just about anywhere sunward of Uranus.
Cogsunes don’t have an issue using this
ability casually as a means of getting from planet to
planet fast or as a quick route home, but it’s rather
inconvenient in the field due to how much time is
lost getting back to where you started. Dying ruins
any hope of observation and research and throws
a big kink in whatever operation
they’re in the middle of, and they
tend to look at unanticipated deaths
as a personal failure. In short, field
Cogsunes are not outright suicidal
just because they have a safety
net (though they do view death
with a degree of contempt).
Cogsune quantum backup
systems use a special form of
wireless communication exclusive to
Cogsunes. No technology or materials
available to Vectors can block this commu-
nication system, and it can penetrate miles
of rock with ease. Transcendent phenom-
ena, however, throw it for a major loop.
In areas with a Cuil Bloom, Cogsune
communications and backup systems
can’t transmit. The replacement body
will not spawn until the Cuil returns
to zero, or until positive proof of
the Cogsune’s termination is delivered to
their home station. In either case, the replacement
body will be made from memories taken before the
Cogsune entered the affected zone.
Cogsunes heading back to a work site are
dropped off via one-way pods that are effectively
useless after arrival (though they make for reason-
ably comfy chairs for Micro characters) and previ-
ous Cogsune bodies will incinerate themselves once
a new version has spawned.
Scholarship
Cogsunes are very specialized and have their
own educational guidelines. Select four Proficien-
cies from the Science and Engineering Proficiency
blocks (they can be selected from the same block
or split up) and raise them to the Masterful level.
Raise one Proficiency in the General section to the
Educated level. You may then distribute two Profi-
ciency points where you wish, but cannot stack
them on each other. Alternatively, you can give up
those two points to raise one of your Masterfuls to
the Preeminent level. This means your Cogsune is a
specialist in that particular field. However, because
of the secretive nature of the Cogsunes, your Preem-
inence cannot be leveraged as a reputation the way
a normal Vector could. The public really just doesn’t
know you well enough to accept your word that
you’re as good as you claim to be.
Cogsunes don’t receive
Alliegence points. While technically
eternally partnered to ASR, their
peculiar arrangement with the corp
removes them from the general
hierarchy of things. This doesn’t
mean they can’t earn favors or
friendships in various corps,
it just means such things are
generally personal with specific individ-
uals rather than recorded somewhere.
Cogsunes make it a point to not be noticed
on the large scale.
Morphism:
Cogsunes have the Microism
Morphism (though to them it’s just
normal sized). Different Cogsune
leg sets will award them different
mobility rules, but do not count as
Morphisms.
Ledger:
Ignore Ledger related rules; Cogsunes don’t
have a Ledger. They are likewise not citizens of
any particular corp and cannot officially accept
payment for contracts. Cogsunes will either need to
independently negotiate to be paid for a job, or will
have to be payed by the party out of whatever they
receive. Typically, when a field Cogsune is working
with a group, their modest material needs are
absorbed by the party in return for the substantial
benefit of having a Cogsune around.
Focus:
Cogsunes don’t get Focus abilities (beyond
the one described in their special rules). Focus abili-
ties reflect special techniques honed through use
in the world. Cogsunes have many such talents, but
they relate to their own little worlds in space, not the
larger worlds outside their door. They must rely on
their substantial intelligence to get by in unfamiliar
territory.
COGSUNES
Motivation:
Unlike the more vaporous
motivations of standard characters,
Cogsunes are out in the worlds because
it’s where the work took them.
That
said, the work varies from person
to person. Instead of picking a
Motivation, Cogsunes have a Task.
Select your Task:
When you build your character,
conceptualize the mission they’re
on. It can be large or small, direct or
abstract, with huge ramifications for
the galaxy or just little ones for the
modest advancement of science,
but whatever the reason, your
character is accountable to their
superiors back home about it.
All it really requires is that your
relationship with the party
be in some way beneficial to
your mission. Perhaps your
character is convinced that
the party will be traveling
to areas with important
data about what you’re
researching, or maybe
you just need them
81
 for money and a place to stay, so you’re acting as
support to help finance your goal. Progress, howev-
er, is key. Your Cogsune is not expected to “succeed”
at their task just by spending some time out in the
field, but they are expected to progress their
research. Treat this like a Motivation
with a little extra bite, as you’re actual-
ly accountable to someone for how
effectively you’re working. The Guide
should be aware of this goal, but the
party doesn’t necessarily need to be.
Cogsunes don’t “spy” for corps (they
find it to be a frivolous activity), but
they do observe for their own benefit,
and sometimes it’s best if your subjects
don’t know they’re part of the experiment.
While this takes the place of a Motivation, it
does not afford you the benefits a Motivation
normally does. It is purely for character
development and context. Field Cogsunes
are already “on the clock;” all their actions
are in some way related to their task, even
if it isn’t immediate or direct.
Modular
The most peculiar aspect of Cogsune
anatomy is their modular limbs, which can be
removed and replaced with other units as they see
fit. Coupled with their large internal power source
and the substantial technology that can be integrat-
ed into their techno-organic bodies, each limb can
house considerable power and utility. Cogsunes
are not combat-trained creatures, and rarely think
of things in terms of “what can be shot at what to
kill it.” For them, the laws of science are significantly
more mutable, and while they may not have access
to conventional weaponry, they bring boons of their
own to a party’s combat prowess.
Cogsunes can equip two separate arms, a
leg set, and a tail. Arms typically have affects on the
battlefield ranging from terrain control to matter
manipulation. Legs generally affect how your
Cogsune gets around. The thick tail of a Cogsune
makes it a good location to house more esoteric
technology that can unlock many special abilities
for use during a session. Your Cogsune will begin the
game with the 06 tail, and the rest will be
82 “blanks,” which means they function like a
normal arm or leg would and nothing else.
Requisitioning new limbs
Field Cogsunes aren’t issued the entire
armory of Cogsune limb configurations when they
leave. Aside from being an unnecessary expense, it’s
also a staggering degree of raw power and would
make ASR more than a little nervous. Instead, they
have to requisition new limbs by demonstrating the
need for them. If their request is granted, the infor-
mation for the new limb will be beamed to them via
their wireless connection with their home station
and their blank limb will reconfigure into the unit
they requested. Once transformed, the limb cannot
change back (more for inventory than mechanical
necessity; both Cogsunes and ASR like to know
exactly how many of each thing is in existence at any
given time). Cogsunes who spend a long time in the
field doing dangerous work will sometimes end up
with whole closets full of detached limbs, ready for
use in varying situations (or for terrifying random
inspection crews).
Cogsunes can manufacture a new
blank limb on their own, using a small manufactur-
ing station issued to them when they leave. Great
care was put into these machines to ensure they
couldn’t be abused or provide anything dangerous
to someone who may steal them; they only produce
blank arms, legs and tails, only for the Cogsune they
were issued to, and only if said Cogsune does not
currently have a blank set.
Requesting a new limb is a negotiation
process between the Cogsune and their home
station. Typically, the Cogsune must present a clear
and present need for the new limb, as well as a
convincing argument for how the unit will assist
their task. Central command doesn’t hand them out
very rapidly, either; they will want you to spend
some time with the one you’ve ordered before allow-
ing you to order another. Because all campaigns run
on a different clock of player activity, it’s up to the
Guide to decide when a Cogsune has waited long
enough to successfully request another limb. As a
rule, it should happen about as often as a normal
character might advance in corp Allegiance: after
several successful missions or story events, where
the Cogsune can point to various situations they feel
are on the horizon where the new limb will prove
necessary and useful.
Special limbsets will not automatically
destroy themselves in the event of a Cogsune’s death,
but if they can’t be retrieved within a few days of the
Cogsune returning to the site, their home station
will usually disintegrate them remotely rather
than let them get picked up by an unknown agency.
Depending on the nature of how they were lost to
begin with, getting them replaced may be as simple
as asking for them again, or may require additional
negotiation to prove competency.
Starting appearance
Field Cogsunes stand a little over two feet tall
(not including the ears) and resemble a bit of a mix
between a fox and a kangaroo, with thick tails and
legs and small pawlike feet despite their typically
plantigrade posture. They have very large ears that
end in an angled edge, with holes of tapering sizes
through the tips. They typically have fur patterns
that are obviously artificial in nature, resembling
geometric shapes that almost appear drawn on.
Their limbs feature several ventilation holes that
expose a bonelike heat sink mechanism within their
bodies, and they have limb attachment seams below
the shoulders and at the thighs, as well as a bit below
the base of the tail. Field Cogsunes also appear rather
muscular under their fur, though this is simply the
result of their own breed of gravity adaptation and
does not actually make them particularly strong.
Cogsunes begin with a basic arm and leg
set, which provide them all the abilities and utili-
ty a basic set of arms and legs would for anyone.
They also have an 06 tail, which counts as “basic”
for the purposes of requisitioning new limbs.
Limb selection
Arms: The physics manipulation units in
Cogsune arms are typically used to form pockets in
space where the laws of science behave differently,
so as to test unique technologies that require such
conditions. When used in combat, they can manip-
ulate the conditions of battle dramatically. Because
these tools were originally intended to affect a large
area, they generally encompass the entire battlefield
unless the Cogsune puts considerable effort into
constraining it.
Using an arm’s ability requires no special
check. The Cogsune simply activates it as a 3 point
action, and maintains it from round to round as a
3 point action. Most of these abilities involve taking
a specific attribute (like hitpoints) and multiplying
it. The new, modified score remains as long as the
Cogsune is using their ability. If they should stop, the
original hp values return. Divide the current total
by whatever multiplier the Cogsune applied.
For example: A character with
COGSUNES
15 hitpoints is boosted by an 02 arm.
Their new hitpoint total is 45 (15x3).
The character then takes 10 damage
over the course of the fight, reducing
them to 35 hitpoints. When the Cogsune
stops boosting them, their new hitpoint
total will be 12 (35/3, rounded up).
Once activated, an arm must
remain active for at least three full
turns (including the turn it was activat-
ed). Arms cannot be removed voluntarily
while active. Forced removal of an active arm
will cause a power feedback loop inside of
it that will burn it out, rendering it inoper-
able. This damage is specifically designed
to not be repairable: Cogsunes generally
only get their arms forcibly removed when
they’ve been captured by unpleasant people
who want their technology, so it’s designed to
destroy itself. After all, if they kill the Cogsune,
it’s really not that big a deal.
Cogsune arms are actually designed to be
research and physics manipulation devices for
experiments in space, not weaponry. By their very
nature, they do not affect Cogsunes (who typically
aren’t looking to become parts of their own experi-
ments). Additionally, they must be exposed to work,
so Cogsunes wearing coverage 3 armor cannot
benefit from them. Lastly, tool arms like these are
entirely dedicated to the device they house. While
some still have grasping fingers, they’re for basic
screen manipulation and don’t have the level of
grip or flexibility required for active use in combat.
In effect: the Cogsune loses the use of this arm for
things like wielding weapons or holding objects.
Arms can be ordered as left or right, but
cannot transform from one to the other. Determine
which side you want when you order one. Swapping
an arm is a fast process, requiring one standard
action to release an inactive arm, and another
standard action to replace it with one you’re holding
in your free hand. If you don’t HAVE a free
hand (perhaps because both your arms are
specialty arms) someone else can attach it for
83
 you, or you can dedicate an entire turn to the task. visible glazing over the surface or armor, almost as
It takes a bit of undignified squirming, but it can bethough it’s been lacquered.
done. Effect: Multiply the armor hitpoints of the
There is no benefit to having two of the entire battlefield by 2. Cogs double their hitpoints in
same type of arm, save for redundancy if addition to the armor boost.
one gets hurt. Multiple Cogsunes using Focused: Multiply the armor hitpoints of
the same arm ability do not stack their the enemy by 2, and your own party by 3. All Cogs
bonuses. Bonuses awarded by Cogsune double their hitpoints in addition to the armor
limbs are applied separately from any boost.
other bonus from any other source. For
instance, if a character’s hitpoints were
being boosted by 10 from some other
piece of technology, the Cogsune 02
arm would first boost the character’s
hitpoints by x3, and then the boost from
the other technology would take place,
unmodified.

Limb focus: Focusing the energy of a 02: This arm can actively alter skin tissue
limb requires considerably more resources to harden in response to physical trauma for a split
than using it as intended, but can allow a second upon impact, serving as an ablative matrix of
Cogsune to provide the majority benefit of natural armor. This manifests as a sudden crystalli-
their influence to their own team. zation at the point of impact, which quickly switches
-Only one arm can be focused at a time. back to flesh with far less damage than would
-A focused arm costs 8 battle pool points ordinarily be there.
per turn.
Effect: Multiply the HP of the entire battle-
- Focusing an arm requires a Mind:Dexter-
field by 3. This ability does not affect Cogs.
ity+Science check (complexity 3) every round.
Do this after spending the battle pool points; Focused: Multiply the HP of the enemy by
they will be used regardless of the check’s 2, and your own party by 3. This ability does not
success. On a failure, the arm operates normally. affect Cogs.
If the Cogsune attempts to focus the same arm
twice in a battle and fails both times, they will
not be able to focus that arm for the duration of
the fight.

Arms

03: This arm can interact with electrical

impulses at minuscule levels, allowing the Cogsune
pinpoint control over extremely complex technolo-
gy of their own design. Outside of a lab environment
however, it’s a great way to scatter people’s thoughts
at the last minute.
01: This arm can significantly harden the
Effect: This ability is used in response to an
structure of worn material by supplementing it with
enemy attack. Activate the arm as normal, but select
additional resilience gathered from partic-
84 ulate matter in the air. This manifests as a the target as the enemy attacks. Roll a d8 and apply
the following effect: 1-2, nothing happens. 3-6, the
enemy spontaneously selects a random new target
among your allies for their attack. 7-8 the enemy
selects a new target from all available people on the
grid, including their allies.
Focused: Roll a d10 instead of a d8. Effect: Passive cover now provides
04: This arm supplements the natural healing
abilities of organic lifeforms considerably, causing
them to remain vital even after sustaining massive
trauma. It doesn’t help their overall resilience much,
but with time it will allow recovery from all but
complete bodily destruction. The visual manifesta-
tion is much what you’d expect, and not for the faint
of heart.
Effect: Characters in your party who are
reduced to zero hitpoints will not die unless their
bodies are outright destroyed, and will not have to
roll on the “Surviving the Big One” table. They will
fall unconscious at zero hitpoints, but the regenera-
tion field will restore them to full health in about an
hour. Because the field doesn’t work in any partic-
ular order, they will have to remain unconscious
until it finishes. They are considered injured but
stable in the meantime, so if the Cogsune is unable
to continue treating them after the battle, they can
be brought to a hospital and treated normally. This
ability must be active within one turn of the time of
“death” to function. This ability does not affect Cogs.
Focused: This effect applies to the enemy
as well. This ability does not affect Cogs.
05: Through manipulations of light around
the contours of objects, this arm can allow things to
camouflage with much greater efficiency than they
normally could just by obscuring most of their body.
Visually, objects in the vicinity appear to waver
slightly, as though viewing a mirage, and as things
approach other things their outlines seem to suck in
like water pooling.
a +4 cover save automatically.
COGSUNES
Focused: Your party
recives a +2 cover save in melee (requir-
ing a 10 to hit them).
06: This arm
creates a unique energy deadening field
that disperses acute energy output over a
certain threshold, causing weapons that
propel their ammunition to be little more
than glorified clubs. This ability is directed,
rather than dispersed, and can be seen as an
obvious blue beam between the Cogsune and
the weapon of choice.
Effect: Disable a single ranged weapon.
That weapon cannot be fired as long as the arm is
active. You must maintain line of sight to the weapon
for this ability to work.
Focused: You must see the weapon initial-
ly to establish the effect, but sight doesn’t need to
maintained as long as you maintain focus. The
beam between you and the enemy becomes a bright
glowing aura around both objects instead.
07: Similar to the technology in 06, this arm
reduces energy output of small objects, causing
projectiles that would normally manifest special
effects to contain no more stopping power than the
size of their bodies. It tracks said objects via their
relative speed, so its effectiveness is limited
to projectiles. This manifests as a flash of 85
 light around the bullet, but it happens so quickly it’s
generally lost in the muzzle-flash.
Effect: Disable ammo bonuses. All ammo
is classified as standard ammo unless it is LTL
ammo.
Focused: Select one ammo type
when you activate the arm. All friendly
weapons are counted as being equiped
with that ammo type provided the
weapon can legally use it.
must somehow be affixed to the Cogsune to be lifted.
Cogsunes that ship large objects back and forth
typically pair these arms with Taloned legs, which
can attach to objects of this weight and allow them
to be shuttled around.
Focused: A Cogsune wishing to use their
flight for anything related to combat mechanics
(combat jumping, etc.) must focus first. They still
use the Fly proficiency for these actions. Because
they don’t require swooping room like conven-
tional wings do, they can move around at roughly
head-height in combat without making focus tests,
but will need to focus once they get within 10 hexes
of an enemy.

Using specialty arms out

08: This arm causes the surface area of
of combat
The description of each specialty arm depicts
terrain to fluctuate disproportionately to its
what it’s actually doing and the relative scope of its
size, altering friction and resistance dramat-
abilities. Outside of combat, it’s possible to make use
ically from foot to foot and making it very
of these abilities in far more ways than can actual-
difficult to move freely on the ground. This
ly be listed here. However, they do share similar
manifests visibly as a shifting texture on the
characteristics.
floor.
Arm abilities are spherical and have a
Effect: All open terrain is difficult terrain. range of around 100 feet or so.
Focused: The terrain becomes actively An arm can only be focused for about
difficult, canceling any abilities that would a minute before it becomes too exhaustive to
normally allow difficult terrain to be ignored. maintain.
Standard arm abilities can be kept up
for about a half-hour before a 10 minute rest is
required.
Arms can be focused out of combat to aim
at narrow places, but focus checks will need to
be taken every minute.
Cogsune arms are not designed to kill
people. Though it is easily within their scientific
ability to create such a device, it would also send up
09: This is the only arm set that’s taken as a serious red flags with ASR, which is in neither party’s
matched pair. These wings look (fairly) natural, but best interests. Some of these abilities can be used to
contain powerful antigravity systems within them set traps or arrange dangerous situations, but none
that provide the Cogsune with disproportionately of them can deal direct damage to a person.
large lift. Cogsunes need to maintain a low profile in
Effect: You can now fly. Cogsune flight uses order to effectively conduct their field research
unique gravity thrusters to function and doesn’t without calling undue attention to their activities.
follow the normal rules of flight. Instead of making Using arm abilities in populated areas is anything
Fly checks, the Cogsune simply travels in the direc- but discreet, so most refrain from doing so outside
tion they wish to go at 3x their movement of life threatening situations. For all their utility,
They can also hover in place. The lift when walking around the world it’s often better
86 value. capacity of these wings is 800 pounds, but it to have two good ol’ fashioned working arms than
a pair of bizarre looking deformities that make the
walls bend where they shouldn’t. Being excessively
visible will usually cause a Cogsune’s home station
to withhold future support unless they clean up their
act. What qualifies as “excessive” is up the judgment
of the Guide.
Legs
Cogsune leg replacements are generally
stylized to grant them greater mobility or stability
for whatever it is they need to be doing. Standard,
bipedal legs grant Cogsunes the same mobility
they’d normally get out of a body like theirs, but they
have a few popular replacement options available
for when they need different features. While many
of these options resemble Vector morphisms, the
social training (and size) of Cogsunes are so differ-
ent that many of the same rules don’t apply.
Tauric form: This lateral-looking lower
half joins with a Cogsune at the hips and turns them
into a taur. This is most noteworthy for the increase
in speed it provides, as even with four legs Cogsunes
are too small to carry much extra weight.
Effect: Double your movement score. You
can’t swim with this leg set. Additional ventilation
holes in the new legs cause drag and flooding that
easily outclasses the meager swimming boost
provided by four tiny paws.
COGSUNES
Serpentine form: Much
like the lower half of snake taurs, this
leg set grants a serpentine lower body to
Cogsunes. With so much additional surface
area on the floor, they can better absorb and
disperse carried loads.
Effect: Gain the tauric 25 pound
boost to weight limits, move at full speed in
water. You can’t jump with this leg set, or
climb sheer surfaces unless you can physi-
cally coil around them.
Taloned form: Allow-
ing a Cogsune to adopt a posture
similar to that of leverstanced
Vectors, these wicked-looking
talons are actually advanced
attraction systems that allow the
Cogsune to adhere to nearly any
surface, including other people.
While sharp(ish), these talons are
shaped the way they are to facili-
tate the field they produce, and
don’t make for practical weapons.
Effect: You can walk along
any non-fluidic surface in any
orientation provided your feet are
touching it. Removing you involun-
tarily requires an opposed Body:Strength+Athlet-
ics check, which you receive 2 successes on before
rolling. Alternatively, someone could just hit you
really hard until you decide to let go. This system
interferes with most active armor and EM systems,
so your character cannot wear either with these
legs. Likewise, if they succeed in attaching
to someone wearing such armor (by means
of a grapple, for instance), the active armor 87
will behave as though the wearer had failed their
operate check, and any EM suites will not function
so long as the Cogsune remains attached. A Cogsune
grappling in such a way gains none of the usual
grapple benefits and is more or less consid-
ered a “passenger.” However, they do
have their arms free and can perform
the skylift grapple maneuver if they
have the 09 arm set. You are limited
to two Movement actions a turn with
these legs.
Tails
Cogsune tails are generally long and
thick in proportion to their bodies, and
make them look a bit like a mix between
foxes and kangaroos. The relatively basic
motion of a tail makes it an ideal place to cram
sophisticated self-maintenance bio-circuit-
ry, and most Cogsune tails typically focus
on providing the Cogsune with personal
protection or utility abilities. The port also
serves another function: it can accept exter-
nal power, allowing a Cogsune to use its arm
units indefinitely.
01: This is more of an adapter than an actual that uses proprietary Cogsune communication
tail. It allows the Cogsune to tap into a main power-
line and harness it internally to be used to power
their arms, charge various depleted electronics just
by holding them, or connect power from one area
to another by serving as a physical bridge. Cogsunes
have little to fear from electrocution; their bodies
can allow current to pass with nearly no resistance.
This unit has a retractable 30 foot cable that
can be attached to any main power line to allow
the Cogsune to make use of that power practically.
This is commonly used to get power from one area
to another, allowing a Cogsune to run their arms
longer outside of combat, or simply to use them as
a universal charger, although players may find other
ways to use it.
88
02: This tail serves as a portable sample
analysis engine and is a favorite among field
Cogsunes who work with found materials. It has
multiple slots and ports along its length that can
accept test tubes, slides, mineral shavings and
various other packaged samples for complete analy-
sis, providing the Cogsune with a detailed mental list
of ingredients and features. The tip also contains an
imaging scanner that can map the entire surface of
an object with microscopic detail and save the digital
model for wireless export later to any system that
can support it (or just the Cogsune itself, who can
then mentally examine the object without having to
employ any magnification).
Drawing conclusions from these tests still
requires the use of various investigative skills, but
it is assumed that if there is a thing or detail in a
substance to be found, this tail will find it. It just
comes down to whether it can be recognized after
the fact.
03: This tail serves as an information hub
technology to network users. When requisitioning
this tail, Cogsunes typically request a number of
discreet sub-dermal comm units to inject into the
ears of their party members. This system provides
them with crystal clear sound across astronom-
ical distances without transmission delay, and is
completely undetectable by conventional technol-
ogy. It is, however, limited only to communicating
with each other, and the Cogsune must be wearing
this tail for it to work. It’s also worth noting that,
while it can’t be intercepted by Vector technology,
every Cogsune anywhere can tap into it as easily
as changing a channel. They don’t generally have a
reason to, but they might be up there giggling and
sharing a single piece of popcorn as they listen to
your radioshow.
 a few seconds at a time. In short, this attracts a lot
of attention, and while their bubble might protect
them, there’s little stopping someone from actually
picking up the entire package and running off with
04: This tail creates a personal visual disrup- it, Cogsune and all. The field doesn’t hurt to
tion field that renders the Cogsune completely touch, and takes one hour to recharge

COGSUNES
invisible to the naked eye. They still leave footprints, 100 hitpoints after it’s been deactivated.
make noise and appear to devices that see in the
ultraviolet or thermal spectrum, but are otherwise
completely absent to normal vision. The system is
extremely effective but doesn’t tolerate shock very
well. Firing a weapon, getting injured, falling badly
from a height or running into something, or doing
anything more than moving normally will disrupt 06: The basic Cogsune tail
the field visibly for a good three rounds before it contains a unique compression field that
reasserts itself. Cogsunes can use their arm abilities shrinks objects held inside of it consider-
while thusly cloaked, but the visual effects of those ably. This gives it about 4 cubic feet of interior
abilities will still manifest. Intelligent enemies may space, accessible through a series of different
be able to determine the center of the effect, though holes and seams along the back so it can be
it will probably take some experimentation before properly organized. Objects inside the tail
they try shooting at it rather than at the more appar- are also reduced to about a quarter of their
ent threats. The field handles equipment well, but weight. Cogsunes typically use this system
armor is limited to coverage level 1 and weapons to store tools they’ll need, sometimes even
can’t be more than Medium sized. extra limbs. The field within the tail runs
off the tail’s own bioenergy system and will
continue to function even when not attached to
the Cogsune, but only for about an hour.

05: This tail generates an extremely durable

energy shield in a bubble around the Cogsune. This
essentially turns the hex the Cogsune is standing
in into a piece of 3-foot-high Armored cover that
protects them from all sides. The shield repels all
material, so weapons or characters can’t travel in
or out of it. It’s also solid, in that it preserves the
air inside of it and can withstand external pressure
conditions from vacuum to 1000 feet below the
surface of the ocean. The low respiratory rate of
Cogsunes can allow them to stay in this bubble safely
for hours at a time, and it’s typically used instead of
spacesuits unless the Cogsune actually needs the
use of its hands for whatever it’s doing outside.
Energy shielding like this can make Cogsunes
very useful as battlefield obstructions, but this
technology is not available conventionally in
such a small package. The closest analog requires
enormous power reserves and can only function for
07: This tail provides the Cogsune with a
personal regenerative and restorative system and
is typically taken by field Cogsunes that don’t like
going through the inconvenience of reincarnating at
a station and flying back to their task site. It functions
like the 04 arm, but only applies to the Cogsune
wearing it. It can rescue a dying Cogsune up to one
round after it reaches zero hitpoints, provided there
is still a butt left to attach it to.
Character advancement
Cogsunes don’t advance their statistics in the
same fashion normal characters do. For a Cogsune,
being in the field is a very specific task, not just anoth-
er day in their lives. Their energy is dedicated
to doing what needs to be done. They’ll learn 89
things, certainly, but if they want to hone a
 particular skill the resources they have at home are
far better equipped for it. Their minds don’t work
the same way normal people’s do, so Neuroplexes
are useless to them, and they can’t exactly attend
a school (nor would they want to). Essen-
tially, the stats you begin with are the
stats you’re going to keep with this
character. Guides are welcome to make
specific exceptions to this if they feel a
Cogsune character has, through neces-
sity, adopted a new skill over time, but
for the most part Cogsune players have
to make do with what they have. This
character role is transitory by nature:
they’re here to have an adventure and
complete a job, and when it’s done, they’ll
be leaving. Players are encouraged to keep
playing their Cogsunes for as long as they
want to keep them with the party, but this
particular creature will not be seeking fame,
glory, wealth or personal advancement in
the same way a typical adventurer might.
When their unique play style loses its luster,
they should complete their task and head
home, perhaps to return sometime in the
future as a guest star or NPC.
Cogsune inclusion
Getting a Cogsune into your player party
needn’t be complicated. Cogsunes are not widely
known about, but it’s not because they’re “classi-
fied;” it’s because ASR makes a point not to draw
attention to them. Any character with a penchant
for finding secrets or knowing obscure information
has probably heard of these creatures before, at
least to the point of being able to point one out as
“those things ASR uses as think tanks.” Most charac-
ters have at least passing historical knowledge
of the event that predicated their creation, even if
they can’t recognize them on sight. Few people are
privy to the actual culture or personal behaviors of
Cogsunes, but those are things your party will learn
through interaction.
Tying a Cogsune to a party can be accom-
plished a number of different ways. One of the
simplest is a reference from a trusted NPC, who
informs the party that they’ve located someone who
can be an asset to them if they allow them
90 to tag along. Or, the Cogsune could be in the
general vicinity of operations, working on
something similar, and offer their services in return
for money and transportation (perhaps by proving
their worth with a demonstration). Rescuing a
Cogsune from a situation is another serendipitous
way to get them into a group; Cogsunes have such a
dismissive view on their own termination that they
tend to get kidnapped somewhat more often than
the average Vector, if only for the experience.
Depending on the personality or initial limb
selections of the Cogsune, having them appear as
a “saving grace” can often give them an “in” with
the party. For instance, if a character is disarming
a bomb, or dealing with some form of hazardous
elements, and fails a check. Several Cogsune abili-
ties can save that character from death should they
appear in the nick of time, and upon miraculously
surviving their experience, the PC will already
recognize their value. Cogsunes always scout their
marks before revealing themselves, so it’s likely it
was waiting for just this occasion to introduce itself.
It might have even arranged it.
Cogsunes typically don’t fret explaining their
nature and origin to people they work with. Drawing
major corporate attention to themselves would
require a serious show of power, not just a few
people engaging in odd jobs. They do tend to play it
close to the vest around people with Allegiance level
3, and will actively avoid non-ASR representatives
of Allegiance level 4 or better. Exceptions include
party members who already know them, or can be
individually reasoned with. “Truth, but just enough
truth,” is the Cogsune rule of discretion. They will
generally sum up their existence to outsiders as “we
work in R&D for a closet division of ASR. Various tech
development, long term research projects, that sort
of thing,” and leave it at that. If pressed, they’ll gener-
ally talk more about their own personal research
than that of their race. How far they go beyond that
is really up to the character: some are more forth-
coming with history than others. As a standing rule,
they’re allowed to talk about it, but only with people
they personally feel “need to know.” If building trust
within their workgroup requires that information be
divulged, they’ll talk about it. If they can get by with
a line about being space-midgets who do science-y
stuff, then they’ll leave it at that.
Reguardless, the information itself is not
nearly as volitile as it once was. The event that led
to Cogsune creation took place over 200 years ago.
The event is remembered in history, but the sting
has long faded. Five minutes of interaction with
a Cogsune is generally enough to realize that they
have zero intention of commiting mass genocide
against Cogs or whatever other demonization might
be attached to them. Most people are far more
interested in exploiting their tech than the moral
ambiguity surrounding them.
Working with Cogsune abilities
Many Cogsune limb abilities operate mechan-
ically within the game environment by augmenting
numbers. However, it’s important to remember that
those number represent actual things in the game
universe. “Hit points,” for instance, are an indication
of a characters health and well-being. When that
character’s hitpoints are dramatically increased, it
means they take less damage from incoming sources.
“Less” is not “none.” Players should consider what
that looks like. Did the character’s clothing survive?
Are their limbs stripped of flesh but still in tact?
Did it burn off all their fur? It won’t kill them, but
it’s still an attack. It’s going to cause visible, perhaps
even horrifying, damage to a body, in ways that are
very different from the sorts of wounds normally
received on the battlefield that you can walk away
from. Some characters may be fascinated by this,
even empowered. Others may find it unnatural and
terrible. After all, it still hurts. Don’t get so caught up
in the mechanics that you forget to react to what’s
actually happening.
Multiple Cogsunes
Cogsunes don’t typically work in groups in
the field. They’re rather reliant on having normal
friends to do all the things required to exist in a
normal world, as they don’t exactly “fit in” very
well. While they get along fine with their own kind,
there is a certain inborn rivalry between Cogsunes
that pushes them to greater levels of discovery, and
also means they tend to look for ways to capitalize
on whatever the other Cogsunes around them are
doing. It’s all for the greater pursuit of knowledge,
and they’re very open with their work so as to
find the best ways to save effort and stand on each
other’s shoulders, but their skillsets are extremely
clinical. A team of Cogsunes can work out theories of
antigravity that will levitate mountains, but could be
thwarted by something as simple as buying grocer-
ies simply because they have zero context of how
it works or why. Keep this in mind if the majority
of the party starts looking like they want to play
Cogsunes. In that situation, it might be more fun to
make a Cogsune exclusive campaign that involves
a team exploring areas that don’t include large
sapient populations.
COGSUNES
Enemy Cogsunes
Occasionally, an opposing force
might have a Cogsune of their own
assisting them. Cogsunes consider
themselves on a different social level
than the rest of the galaxy, and while
this doesn’t necessarily translate to
arrogance or an aloof attitude (many of
them rather respect the Vector worlds)
it does give them a degree of professional
detachment from social issues that may drive
Vectors to fight. If a Cogsune can identify the
presence of another Cogsune on the battle-
field, they will generally both stop fighting,
disappear somewhere and share information
about what they’re up to and what they’ve
learned. Cogsunes won’t put their mission or
friends at risk, so they won’t give away vital
information to someone on the team of their
opponents, but to them, they haven’t found an
“enemy,” they’ve found a fellow researcher and
their subjects. Cogsunes have personalities and
friendships like anyone else, and they might even
know or dislike the Cogsune on the opposing side.
But even if it’s someone they’re not fond of, it’s still
a colleague. Besides, if you killed them, they’d just
re-spawn and you’d never hear the end of it the next
time you got stuck in an elevator with them at home.
As is the case with all things, there are excep-
tions to every rule. It is possible for a Cogsune to
get wrapped up in the affairs of their subjects to the
point of affecting their professional judgment. Such
behavior is highly frowned upon in their society, and
means they’re contaminating their own data. Should
your character encounter this (or even be a victim of
it) it can make for a fun subplot depending on their
personal affection for the people involved.
91
Sinaal, Pulse
corptown

EXONYMPHS
There are no terran arthropods outside of
Earth.
That in itself is quite an achievement. One
would think that, in the time of the evacuations and
the occasional quarantine breaches since, something
would have made it from one world to the other. A
few ants, a bee, spider, something. Perhaps they did.
They didn’t last long when the journey was complete,
though. The nymphs destroyed them, and carried on
with their business.
During the terraforming process of Mars,
Earth scientists had a number of problems to
overcome. A major one was longevity. Building life,
on its own, was pretty simple. Building trees, plants,
oxygen producers, they had the technology to make
it happen. Keeping it going after the process was
completed, that was the rub. Plants were only one
part of the immensely large and complex network
that kept the Earth ecosystem running. Insects
played another enormous part. So enormous, in
fact, that the scientific models available at the
time predicted an utter failure of the terraforming
process if some form of active pollination could not
be established. Unfortunately, the type and number
of insects required were totally unmappable due
both to the complexity of the operation and the
uncertainties inherent to the terraforming process.
There was no way to predict how many of which kind
of insect would be needed to ensure proper seeding,
while accounting for local wildlife consumption and
their own reproduction. No one knew how quickly
new breeds of animal were going to take hold, or
how active the plant life would be, or how readily the
newly converted soil would actually nourish the new
tree variants in Mars’ somewhat dimmer sunlight.
Too many of one type of bug would no doubt lead to
the destruction of another type, which could lead to
catastrophes if the now-missing species turned out
to be essential to the fresh and fragile ecology. Too
many variables existed, and with millions of insect
species to choose from, any number of which might
play an unknown but essential role in plant biology
or the balance of their own numbers, this situation
presented a serious issue for the longevity of the
Mars terraform.
The solution was to forego Earth insects
altogether and develop a new creature from scratch
that could fill any role that was required of it, quickly
and in the proper numbers, as needs arose. A super-
bug, whose genealogy was known from the inside
out and whose body could be rapidly mutated to
give it wings, a wormlike form, an arachnid
EXONYMPHS
configuration, or any other body or
behavior it needed. The developers
knew how much and what it ate, how it
behaved, how to manipulate and direct
it, and could treat it like a computer
program instead of worrying about
whether or not they were leaving behind
some critical insect on Earth they didn’t
even know existed. As the terraforming
process began, they ran simulation after
simulation, discovering when, where, and
how many of their new creation to distribute
across the growing world. And when things
went wrong, they could simulate a rapid
seeding of new body types and behaviors to
correct for it, swinging back and forth until
an equilibrium could be established, and
a final value could be found to feed to the
bioconstructors. The new species was given
the name “Nymph,” both as a nod to the young
forms of many insects back on Earth, and as
reference to the small, mischievous creatures of
legend who brought discord and salvation in one
petite package.
Nymphs are a self-monitoring planetary
maintenance animal, and life on every terraformed
world is rather dependent on them. They measure
the health of the ecosystem, they adapt to maintain
plants and animals. They fill niches when something
is missing, and create new ones when circumstanc-
es require them to. Their anatomy is dynamic and
adjustable, and they possess a singularly unique
ability to absorb information from consumed brain
tissue that allows them to seamlessly pick up skills
and abilities from other nymphs they kill and eat,
which they can then use to propagate more, identi-
cal nymphs and create instantly viable replacements
when numbers need to be shored up. They are as
common and visible as insects on Earth are, but
despite all their variety, they are, essentially, a single
species.
93
 The nymph life cycle
Nymphs are typically born in a set form, such
as a waspish body or a beetle-like body, and fill
those roles until they die, doing most of the
things you’d expect a wasp or a beetle
to do. Nothing terribly remarkable.
However, as a nymph goes about its life,
unique sensory organs in its body allow
it collect information on the overall
health of its local ecosystem. How
many other nymphs there are, the ratio
between them and the local wildlife,
things of that nature. As nymphs begin
to detect changes and declines in the
biosphere, they react to rebalance it to a
point of stability.
This process begins with a colony
information exchange. Nymphs of all types
reach out to nearby nymph colonies and
consume one another on a small scale
(typically only one-for-one). The nymph
that does the eating can absorb information
and skills from the one that was sacrificed.
This information is transferred back to its own
colony through unique scents, movements, and
even a limited telepathy, which gives them very
exact information on how many nymphs are in the
other colony, what they’re doing, how they look, and
what their impression of the overall health of the
local ecosystem is. Those colonies will reach out to
other colonies, collecting and compiling more infor-
mation, until a massive net of data is possessed by
every local colony in a declining area. Then, a decision
is made on how things need to be redistributed. The
decision is always unanimous; there are no ulterior
motives. Some colonies will need to decrease their
numbers, while others will need to increase theirs.
Some might need to split so more of the same type
of nymph can be in the area, while others may need
to join them to shore up their numbers.
Once the decision is made, action is immedi-
ate. The nymphs swarm, redistributing their
numbers into neighboring colonies. Their bodies
metamorphose into new shapes to match their new
colony, and they are officially integrated into the
collective by means of a special venom injection
that “retunes” them to the local pheromone
94 language. In a matter of hours, the local
population completely changes, and the
new nymphs carry on with their new lives in their
new colonies, bringing the local system back into
equilibrium. They periodically check and recheck,
trading and transforming to keep things level as
the rest of the world changes around them with the
seasons and the interference of various higher life
forms.
Sometimes, excess is created. Surplus
nymphs are scent-tagged as consumable resources,
which gives their skills and experience back to the
colony while diminishing body count. Some are
spared and reassigned as “traveler” nymphs. These
nymphs are separated from the colony but serve a
valuable function of their own. They travel across
vast distances via various means (their own wings
if they have them, ships, people’s bags, whatever
is around) and enter colonies that are too far away
to contact via the local system. They infiltrate and
are either consumed for their experiences and
knowledge, or strike first and consume one of the
colony members. Either way, through absorption
or communication, the foreign colony learns of
conditions and situations from thousands of miles
away, and the traveler (or the new traveler, if the
old one was eaten) breaks away and continues
onward. Every colony has travelers, and through
their combined efforts, the planet itself has a grid
of constant maintenance and communication that is
accurate down to the day.
modern science
Nymphs are every student’s first look into
artificial anatomy. Vectors are artificial construc-
tions too, but the majority of their anatomy is legacy
equipment from humans that has been tweaked and
tuned up. Nymphs look a lot like insects, but are
internally quite different, and because their patterns
of behavior are so predictable, they make for great
object lessons for things like bio design. Plus, the
kids get a kick out of watching them transform into
different versions of themselves. But nymphs have
an inherent weakness that makes them vulnerable
to excessive tampering, so firmly enforced protocol
is in place preventing large scale experimentation
on the creatures.
Nymphs are all a single primary organism,
and as such, what kills one can conceivably kill all
of them. While this in itself isn’t that big a shock
(a neurotoxin developed to kill one Vector would
certainly kill all of them if the air was filled with
it, too), it does leave them vulnerable to accidents.
Poisons intended to curtail a local population might
end up harming a much larger chunk than intended,
or even the opposite: provoking a response that
results in an explosion of new members. They’re
designed to be resistant to such things, but accidents
can happen, and overzealous chemistry could be
devastating to the population.
Traveler nymphs help defend against this
result. They don’t have many of the pheremonal
off-switches that colonies do, so they’ll enter even
protected areas. This exposes the most chemically
robust nymphs to risks ahead of time that they can
then bring back to colonies as nonmembers, giving
the colony a chance to isolate them if they detect a
chemical threat. Alternatively, they could just die,
and at least they wouldn’t be a colony member
when it happened. It’s a small defense, but it’s what
they have. Much like Earth insects, if someone really
decides they want to kill a colony, there isn’t much
the colony can do to stop it. “Pesticides” are actually
deterrents which key into the pheromone receptors
of nymphs and basically tell them “all is well; you
don’t need to be here,” thus keeping them away
without provoking response from other colonies.
When the population needs to be lessened, chemi-
cals can be released that mimic those applied when
the colony itself decides it’s too large, and they’ll
trim down their own numbers. By and large, this
doesn’t need to happen very often. Nymphs inher-
ently keep their own numbers under control as their
environment changes.
The real concern is the introduction of an
aberrant nymph, a non-measured member, that
creates a new niche in the population and integrates
itself as a colony of its own. This could introduce a
brand new body type that might not mesh well with
the other existing ones, and could throw the entire
population for a loop because of how connected they
all are. Earth’s insects are not making new versions
of themselves on a regular basis. They’ve arrived
at their current state through millions of years of
adaption. The sudden integration of a new type of
nymph could result in the destruction of an old one,
which might then trickle down to create lapses in
the global ecosystem. Vector scientists in this field
serve doubly as observers and enforcement officers,
making sure no one is getting too creative with
nymph biology. The general rule on all terraformed
worlds is to just leave the bugs alone. They’re doing
a job, and they’re good at it.
EXONYMPHS
The inevitable
Naturally, anything labeled a bad
idea is worth trying once, just to make
sure. History has documented multiple
occasions where labs have developed
super strains of Nymph for uses ranging
from surveillance to assassination to
building maintenance. Each has been
methodically destroyed when discov-
ered, in order to avoid destabilizing the
nymph population. The resources required
to introduce a new strain of nymph on a
large enough level to make a real difference
and permanently adjust their structure
requires such a large facility and operation
that it’s pretty impossible to do it without
someone else finding out about it before
you’re finished. In popular culture, attempts
are seen as the modern equivalent to “the mad
scientist,” and many famous entertainment
productions have been based around the idea
of nymphs becoming unstable and turning into
horrific, unstoppable monsters. It’s a Vector cliché,
but less than 40 years ago, it became a secret reality.
Dr. Gelic Saan, a Progenitus bioengineer and
eco-maintenence manager, employed new technol-
ogies to effectively “Vector” a nymph, turning it into
a thinking, intelligent, independent creature while
maintaining all of its nymph properties. His goal
was to create a way to communicate with nymph
colonies on a direct language level, which he felt
could allow them to be used for even greater tasks
by actively reassigning their priorities. It was not a
sanctioned operation, but he was a somewhat obses-
sive individual. When the nymph emerged from the
bioconstructer, it did what all nymphs instinctively
do when they travel into a new colony: it consumed
the nearest brain to figure out how it should be
behaving. Thus did Dr. Gelic Saan end his illustrious
career. However, his knowledge, memories, and
skills were imparted into the nymph, and once they
had all settled and filtered into place, she looked
around the lab, found she had the language
and the names for all the equipment, a shock- 95
 ing degree of bio-technical knowledge, and a rather
profound need to stack odds in her favor before she
was discovered and killed.
Luckily for her, she had the means as well. The
equipment was there, she had the knowledge,
and it was already set up to build more.
She injected the new nymphs with her
convergence venom, which allowed
her to share her knowledge with them
as part of her own colony, and they too
became aware and intelligent. Bit by
bit, over the course of the next month,
the first Vector-sized, intelligent nymph
colony began to grow in an isolated lab
in the Venusian ocean. When the first
team was sent in to investigate Saan’s
extended radio silence, they were captured,
eaten, and their knowledge and biology was
added to the colony. They adapted gills and
wings from the Vectors in the search party,
switched their own hormones to traveler
mode, and split off in different directions to
try and figure out what all nymphs try and
figure out: where they land in the fabric of
the world.
Exonymphs
The new, Vector-sized nymph is called
an Exonymph, and they are just beginning their
struggle to try and find a niche in the larger world
of sapient creatures. Exonymphs are intelligent,
feeling creatures with as much range of emotional
diversity as Vectors, but this property only activates
in them once they have consumed their first Vector
brain. Upon absorption of that person’s experiences
and memories, the capacity to manifest their own
activates within them and they become whatever
personality they’re going to be. It is unique to
them and not a product of the personality of the
consumed person, but their skillsets and education
are a direct result of those skills absorbed through
consumption of their victim. Each new brain brings
new memories, new ideas and new skills. The old
ones persist, but become overshadowed by the
new ones. What an Exonymph is “good at” is often
a product of the last brain they consumed, but what
they “remember” can stretch back through
96 countless lifetimes.
All Exonymphs are “travelers” by
default. They don’t belong to a colony and don’t
have a hive connection. Multiple Exonymphs travel-
ing together can form small colonies within their
group, but it innately won’t grow larger than a
dozen individuals. Their natural awareness of their
surroundings tells them that large colonies would be
dangerous to themselves, as it would attract danger
and disturb the established balance. The “danger” in
this case is Vector attention, and they’re quite right
to avoid it. Almost no one knows Exonymphs even
exist, much less that they’re actively living on Venus.
The very idea of them is terrifically illegal, and for
“public safety,” they would be killed on sight if recog-
nized. Thankfully, they have a natural camouflage
that serves them with remarkable efficiency: the
Blip excuse.
Exonymphs are a new species, but Vectors
have been making nymph-like Blips for centuries
just because they like the appearance. “I’m a Blip,”
will save an Exonymph from further scrutiny from
just about anyone who doesn’t actually have a reason
to suspect that they are, in fact, a brain-eating super-
bug. That’s a very select number of people, and they
typically won’t have to ask. It’s a cautious defense,
though. Blips can’t reproduce, which means there’s
only ever one of any particular type in a given area
in most situations. Some people sell their designs so
that others can produce Blips along the same shape,
and others will produce Blip “siblings” that have the
same design, but it becomes exponentially rarer the
more you see. Three separate Exonymphs in a given
area will likely prompt an investigation into their
“Blip” excuse by local law enforcement, just to check
their references and make sure someone hasn’t
created a fertile creature. Things would degrade
from there in short order.
The brain-eating situation is a publicly relat-
able moral concern, but it’s not the primary problem.
Exonymphs only need to kill once to achieve
sapience. Typically, however, they’ll do it multiple
times over the course of their lives. It’s a tremendous
boon, as it supplements one’s abilities with a whole
lifetime of new information, but it’s also an internal
struggle. Exonymphs learn things like morality and
social behavior both from their innate personalities
and from the memories of the minds they consume,
meaning that each new brain typically affirms the
ingrained social rules that forbid murder. On the flip
side, there’s a gray area in most Vectors regarding
stepping on others for personal gain, and that gray
area grows too. Allowing an Exonymph to live free
is, by its very nature, condoning murder. It may not
happen again, but it happened once. That in and of
itself would be enough to damn them in the majority
of public environments.
desire to make friends, to engage and communicate,
but they’re keenly aware of their own vulnerability.
Often they haunt the sublevels of society, where
people aren’t learned enough in biology or science
to attach any importance to their existence

EXONYMPHS
The real threat, though, comes from the fact
that Exonymphs are still nymphs, and still have
a place within the nymph cycle. They don’t know
what that place is yet, as they haven’t figured out
what their own niche is, but
when they do it could mean
catastrophe on a global scale.
While standard nymphs simply
don’t have the sort of metabolism
required to transform into an
Exonymph, it’s entirely
possible Exonymphs
could absorb the standard nymph
ability to colonize, resulting in millions
upon millions of new bodies, each creat-
ed in order to make up for a perceived lack
of something critical in the ecosystem. Or, just
as easily, the nymph population may determine
that Exonymphs are an unnecessary variant,
and order them to destroy themselves. Or,
the Exonymphs themselves could allow
their now-conscious brains to override their
hormonal programming, setting a catastroph-
ic precedent for any nymphs that absorb
the same ability and begin ignoring colony
orders to balance the world’s ecosystem. They
might even be able to take over existing colonies
and derail their work due to the new presence
of personal ego and self-preservation, which
nymphs innately lack. The possible outcomes
are myriad, and each is more damaging than
the last. The problem is ignorance, as it
always is. No one knows what might happen
if Exonymphs and nymphs actually colonize as
a grouped whole. The system wasn’t designed
to accommodate free will, let alone the size. The
possible dangers are just so large that the attempt
cannot be allowed.

Life on the run

Exonymphs are solitary, hidden creatures
that spend their lives carefully gauging their situa-
tions and balancing risk of exposure versus reward 97
of interaction. They have social needs like anyone: a
beyond “being funny looking.” So far, the vast major- doesn’t often trickle down to the individual level.
ity of Vector society is unaware that the Exonymph Much like similar global concerns to humanity on
species actually exists, so they’re not exactly suspi- Earth during the human era, the idea of the ecosystem
cious of bug-looking things by default. Their world simply “breaking” one day is a little difficult to wrap
is already full of peculiar bodies; one more one’s head around and relate to. But Exonymphs
won’t throw them into chaos. Howev- have a far more personal problem that individual
er, to those who are socially attuned, Vectors can perceive and react to much more readily
extended exposure to an Exonymph than the vague threat of nymph collapse. Namely:
will start cluing them in to the funda- every intelligent Exonymph is a murderer.
mental differences in their behavior. It’s a touchy situation. When Exonymphs
Even with a different body shape, are born, they don’t technically qualify as sapient
Blips are essentially Vectors, in that creatures. They run on instinct, driven by internal
they advance along the same pathways programming to consume a member of the nearest
of brain development. It’s a require- colony (Vectors, in this case). Once they’ve done
ment, in fact, lest they be categorized so, they awaken as fully formed individuals, and
as something different. So their behavior are smack in the middle of a moral conundrum.
as adults is more or less what you’d expect They don’t need to kill again, necessarily, but they
anyone’s to be. Exonymphs are not Vectors, already have once, and even if it wasn’t “deliberate
and many of their body habits, movements, or premeditated” by the definitions of law, it has still
body language and general behavior are left a person dead. To allow the Exonymph race to
distinctly different. They tend to stalk as continue on an official level is to condone the killing
they move and exhibit more precision in of Vectors. Not even Spyglass is willing to step up on a
their basic gestures than most people would communal level and say “we’re okay with you killing
bother with. They’re hesitant to walk into our citizens in order to exist.” Exonymph knowledge
populated rooms, as their traveler instinct and ability is very valuable, but to condone their
warns them to be on guard in new colonies. existence would open a Pandora’s Box of moral and
They’re typically very open minded, even about legal precedents which would, at best, lead to war
activities or actions most Vectors would find between Vectors who didn’t agree and Exonymphs,
distasteful or troubling, because they have within and at worst, lead to the dismantling of the corpor-
them the innate ability to understand anyone’s nation itself. Megacorps aren’t currently aware on an
viewpoint once they’ve absorbed their memories. official level that the Exonymphs exist at all, and in
It doesn’t mean they’ll agree with it, but it means light of the huge decision they would have to make
they’ll “get where you’re coming from” in a genuine upon that revelation, it’s unlikely they’re going to
way. Exonymphs with several brain “donations” in “find out” any time soon.
their history are almost disturbingly comfortable Exonynmphs are as aware of this as anyone,
to talk to. They have several lifetimes to draw on in and it often drives their behavior. Because their
order to decide what to say. Unless an Exonymph presence in civilized company would demand
is an outright bad individual (which can certainly response, they usually stay in areas with people
happen, but is a result of their own personality, not who attach much lower importance to things like
who they’ve eaten) most people who’ve spent any killing. Criminals, mercenaries, the lost and desper-
length of time with one describe them as pleasant, ate, these people don’t particularly give a damn if
wise, and refreshingly unbiased. Unfortunately, an Exonymph has killed someone before. They live
they’re also natural killers, which makes for a bit of with death every day, in some fashion or another.
an issue. Unfortunately, this sets up an environment of accep-
tance where killing for gain is “okay.” Exonymphs
The Exonymph paradox gain quite a bit when they kill. They gain knowledge
and experience, memory and wisdom, it’s all very
While there is a massive, global real and very valuable, and even the most morally
98 concern about what Exonymphs can and righteous of them have to fight the temptation hard.
can’t do to the ecosystem, that sort of threat In these underworld communities, it’s pretty much

handed to them on a plate, and the killing continues.
Now their original crime is compounded by a second,
which drives them even further from the arms of
higher society, and deeper into the den of those
who would see them continue their pattern. Once
this pattern begins, it can’t really be broken, and
Exonymphs continue to compound their problems
as they try to avoid detection by the society they
would genuinely prefer to be spending time in. For
now, the Exonymph philosophy is to lay low, learn,
and try to figure out the best course of action when
the moment arrives. Without even realizing it, their
loose-knit colony is in information exchange mode,
trying to build a map of the Vector universe. Their
numbers are small and they don’t have the same
networks that actual nymphs do, but eventually, in
ten years or ten generations, they’ll enter decision
mode. It’s anyone’s guess what will come of that.
Playing an Exonymph
The Exonymph player character is a special-
ized option. Unlike Cogs, or even Cogsunes, these
creatures tend to hide. They avoid excessive public
interaction and have a direct need to stay off the
radar, as they have no established infrastructure
to keep them safe if their true nature is revealed.
That typically drops them in one of several camps of
behavior. They’ll lie about their nature and keep their
party in the dark, or they’ll cautiously reveal their
true nature to their party after achieving some sort
of insurance against them (blackmail could work,
as could trust through mutual benefit), or they’ll
forego Vector interaction altogether and travel with
other Exonymphs. Depending on your play party,
it’s possible none of these options really fit the bill.
That’s a thing to consider with Exonymphs; they
don’t fit in every party.
Parties that work well with Exonymph
characters:
Outlaws with few qualms about taking
EXONYMPHS
lives for gain, or few ties to large organi-
zations.
Characters without inherent
suspicion, who are willing to take a
Blip claim without second-guessing
it when something seems off.
Parties with pre-established
history with the Exonymph character
(perhaps they met by chance and
performed some great service for
one another, so the issue of trust has
already been satisfied).
Parties with no inherent interest in
the possible threat of ecological collapse
that may or may not come with the growth
of an Exonymph population (and as such
don’t attach much importance to them
beyond novelty).
Full Exonymph parties (typically
playing a ‘survival’ based campaign about
existence outside of the public eye).
A certain degree of “you hide while
we handle this” should be expected with this
character option. Its position in the lore makes it
an inherently difficult thing to play. Embrace the
challenge and find ways to contribute to your party
outside of the norm. Exonymphs are often intelligent
and multi-talented creatures due to the knowledge
they’ve absorbed. They make good shadow counsel-
ors, helping via radio and lurking in the dark
until they have a clean opportunity to move 99
into the open. Alternatively, you could choose
to hide in plain sight: showing off your exotic form
and walking with impunity through the city streets,
mimicking Vector behavior and working with the
knowledge that most people who see even a bizarre
creature wandering around looking perfect-
ly normal won’t raise a fuss about it.
The greatest asset Exonymphs have is
the lucky fact that, at the moment, very
few people actually know they exist, let
alone have the ability to recognize them
on sight.
Exonymph special sickness among onlookers.
rules
Mutable brain: Exonymphs do not
have compatible neural structures for Neuro-
plexes and can’t use them. Their primary
means for changing Proficiency scores is
with their Gray Meal ability.
Extended memories: An
Exonymph that has consumed at least three
brains can provide Help! to any character on
a thinking or problem solving task, regardless
of if they currently have any points in that
Proficiency. The Help! benefit is +1. At 6 brains, the
benefit increases to +2. It should be noted that there
is no real way to accomplish this without being
officially labled as a serial killer in any legal file if
you’re found out.
In general, people’s experiences are varied
enough that consuming half a dozen lives should
result in a pretty diverse skill set. However, if circum-
stances lead to an Exonymph consuming a very
small pool of very specific skills (perhaps 6 clones of
the same person), the Guide may choose to overrule
this ability until more diversity is obtained. Gained by eating a taur brain.)
100
Not from around here: In public situa-
tions where the Exonymph is traveling through or
having to interact in any way with other cultures,
they must pass a Community:Dexterity+Express
check first. Failure means their motions and body
language are too offsetting to make them approach-
able, and will actually draw negative attention
to them. Likewise, Exonymphs trying to behave
normally or casually, even while walking with their
party, must pass a Community:Presence+Decep-
tion check. Failure will mean they are not moving
properly and will evoke worries of danger or mental
Off the grid: Exonymphs have no Economy
scores or Ledger. They also have no legal identity, and
will show up as red flags if the party is ever detained
or checked by authorities. This can snowball rapidly,
so Exonymphs will typically flee, even at the risk of
personal harm, if it looks like they’re going to be
arrested. They rely on the party to bring them in
on jobs (and are usually rather thankful for it) or
will seek employment doing illegal activities for
people who don’t ask questions or require face to
face meetings. Exonymphs do not begin with any
Allegiance points.
Mutable anatomy: Exonymphs will
change their own bodies to loosely mimic the overall
configuration of the last victim whose brain they
consumed. The ability is limited, but it can grant
them any of the following forms:
Winged (grants a natural Flight ability as
per birds. Gained by eating a bat or bird brain.)
Lateral (as the Lateral Morphism. Gained
by eating a non-snake Lateral.)
Tauric (as the Hexapod frame for Cogs.
Biped (returns them to their basic form.
Gained by eating a biped brain.)
Serpentine (grants a naga-like body as per
snake taurs. Gained by eating a snake brain.)
Aquatic (grants the Aquatic template and
broader swimming surfaces. Gained by eating an
aquatic brain.)
An Exonymph with any form other than biped
has a much harder time not attracting attention to
themselves. All the checks in the Not from around
here rule increase to complexity 2.
Gray meal: This ability is useable once per
week. By consuming a living brain, an Exonymph can
gain the skills and memories of the victim. Represent
this in the following way:
On the Proficiency column, erase all your
current Proficiency scores and roll a d8 per Focus
group. The resulting number is how many dots you
have to distribute in that Focus group. The Guide
picks the location of your first dot, assigning it to
wherever they feel is most accurate for the NPC you
consumed. Distribute the remaining dots among
that Focus group any way you please. You may not
add more than 3 dots to any Proficiency.
Add 1 dot to your Stats in whatever position
the Family dot would go for whatever your victim
was. For example: if your victim was a feline, add
one dot to Body:Dexterity. This can bring you up to 4
dots.
Assign one Focus ability to your character
from whichever focus group has the highest number
of dots (or randomly if there’s a tie). Each time
you perform a Gray Meal action, roll a d8.
EXONYMPHS
On a 1-7, the Focus ability is lost and
replaced with the next brain. On an 8, it
becomes permanent, and your charac-
ter maintains it between brains. They
still get a new one as normal.
Key NPC consumption: If
your character succeeds in consuming
the brain of a major NPC, such as a key
enemy, a prominent member in society,
a major celebrity or other high profile
specialist, they have a chance at permanent-
ly gaining a dot in the Proficiency that person
is best known for. Roll a Mind:Presence
check with no bonuses, complexity 2. If
you succeed, the Guide will assign you
a permanent dot before you distribute
your new Pro�iciencies. This dot remains
every time you engage in a new Gray Meal,
and counts as the base score in that Proficien-
cy (allowing you the potential for 4 dots). This
should be reserved for noteworthy NPCs, as it
reflects those individuals who likely have 4 dot
Proficiencies.
To perform a Gray Meal action, announce that
you’re doing so in any situation where your character
would conceivably be able to do a Summary Execu-
tion. The Exonymph deploys its long tongue with a
noose-like loop toward its base and loops it over the
victim’s head from behind, pulling them sharply into
a set of specially designed mandibles which hold
the skull firmly in place while dense puncturing
fangs pierce the bone and extract the brain within
via powerful suction. This ability can only be used
once per week. Extraction is quick, but the actual
absorption of the new information takes several
hours to take hold, during which time all checks
made by your character are at +1 complexity as
they rearrange their skills and abilities. They do
not gain the new Proficeincies and perks until after
this waiting period.
101
 Surgical incompatibility: Building an Exonymph
Exonymphs cannot receive any surgeries or implants.
They also can’t be treated for injuries at hospitals
(this is due to their need for secrecy. If your party
has befriended a doctor or medical techni-
cian with access to hospital facilities,
it is possible to gain treatment for the
party’s Exonymph through that NPC).
They do have the following surgical
abilities built in, however:
Reclaimed Regeneration
Reclaimed Pheromones
Augmentation: extra arms
(Exonymphs have four arms).
These arms convert to legs in
Lateral forms, granting no partic-
ular additional benefit.
102
Family, Species, Morphism
Exonymphs are a species subtype of the
Nymph family. They do not have morphisms. All
Exonymphs begin with +1 dot in Mind:Presence.
Stats
Exonymphs do not have an Economy
column. Distribute 10 points among Mind,
Body and Community, and select one to
be d12s, one to be d10s and one to be
d8s. The usual 3 dot limit is in effect.
Scholarship
Your Exonymph doesn’t become a
cognitive being until it consumes its first
brain. Perform the Gray meal action
described in
the Exonymph
special rules.
Yo u
should work with your Guide on this to decide who
the unfortunate soul was. Exonymphs are instinc-
tively cunning predators; it is possible for them
to get quite deep into Vector cities unseen before
claiming their first victim.
are only applicable if the people they’re interacting
with are educated enough or concerned enough
to care. Self-serving parties of bounty hunters and
independent contractors probably couldn’t care
less so long as the bug pulls its weight.

EXONYMPHS

Motivation
Exonymphs can have any of the motivations
Vectors have, but their unique origin should be
considered in flavoring how exactly your character
pursues their cause.

Focus
This is assigned through the Gray Meal abili-
ty.

Starting Equipment
Exonymphs receive 100 credits in stolen
equipment from their first victim. You can theme
this to the victim if you want to, with your Guide’s
help. Typically, weapons and armor should be limit-
ed to handguns or light melee weapons and basic
protection. Your Exonymph was able to subdue
and kill this character alone without the benefit of
sapience; they probably shouldn’t be wearing an
arsenal.

Forging the narrative

HSD gives you creative control over many of

its story elements and how you use them. While the
official canon is that the universe isn’t truly aware
of these creatures on a large scale, it’s possible
that, over the course of your adventures, that will
change. Go for it! The book will not light on fire just
because you’ve progressed the story. You’ll want to
consider the ramifications of this action though. Will
there be a movement for coexistence? Will there
be war? Where will your party stand on the issue?
You’ll also want to keep in mind that it would take
a pretty profound action to really shine light on the
Exonymphs. Simply capturing one and turning it over
to the IRPF wouldn’t really do much. Most of these
organizations don’t want to deal with an issue of this
size and are likely to make it disappear if it lands in
their laps. If you’d like to maintain the status quo,
limit Exonymph characters to gutter-running plots
and low-profile parties that live outside the law.
Many of their social problems and dramatic issues
103


“You’re sure I should be awake for this?” Ve’en asked, feeling her stomach turn again. She couldn’t feel
the laser in the cleanfield, but the view was far, far too clear.
“Positive,” the doctor replied flatly. “Aside from this being far too trivial a wound to put you under for, I need you
awake to test the nerve connections.”
“Test?” she asked, swallowing. “What happens if they’re wrong?”
“We do it again,” he replied, “Now hold still.” Ve’en swallowed and looked away.
“This is one of those times I feel like our technology’s made us a bit too apathetic,” she grumbled.
“C’mon, doc. I lost all my fingers. A little sympathy? Just a little?”
“Sounds shitty,” he grunted, “now hold STILL.”
“Let him work, Ve’en,” Captain Selaco said, observing from behind, “tell me what happened.” Ve’en kept
trying not to watch, and kept looking back anyway.
“I was working in junction 12-C,” she explained, “doing a manual rewire. Ship’s been running background
programs in one of the backup servers and we couldn’t get them to stay off. It’s probably an errant program that’s
stuck looping somewhere, and it’s eating up a lot of our reserve processing power, so I went in to manually
disconnect the system.” She winced and turned away as half a connected finger twitched. “I uh, I had my hand
in the access hatch when the fire suppression door snapped shut on it. I must have tapped something with a tool
and not noticed. Stupid...malfunctioning...” she paused for a moment. The captain had stopped talking, and the
doctor had stopped working. They were looking at each other.
“Did..I do something wrong?” Ve’en asked. The doctor returned to his work, and the captain put a hand
on her shoulder.
“It bit her,” the doctor grumbled. Captain Selaco nodded, sighing a little.
“I’ll talk to it,” she told him, “We need to try and curtail that behavior before someone loses more than
fingers.” Ve’en blinked, glancing back and forth between the two of them.
“Someone...wanna let me in on the-”
“Ve’en,” Selaco said, “you’ve worked ASR boats before, right?”
“Sure,” Ve’en replied, “a few.”
“Ever been on one that was undermanned?” She pondered, and shook her head.
“No,” she replied, grateful for the distraction. “Why? Does it matter? I thought they could do that?”
“They can,” Captain Selaco explained, “they’re just not always...happy about it.” She patted the thresher
on the shoulder. “ask next time, before you go poking around in the computer terminals.”
“But I did!” Ve’en protested, “it’s part of my routine maint-”
“No,” Selaco clarified, “don’t ask the manual. Ask the ship.” Ve’en blinked, and Selaco shook her head
apologetically. “This is a transfer flight, all we’re doing is moving the hardware. That means we’re at 10% of the
staff this ship normally needs to operate smoothly,” she explained.
“But the computer supplements that,” Ve’en replied. The captain nodded.
“ASR bots are dynamic thinkers. It lets them handle the fluctuating problems on a vessel like this
when it doesn’t have a living crew to supplement it. Most people think that’s a strain on the system, but it isn’t.
It’s actually easier. When a ship is running normally, we’re only allowing it access to its basic control elements.
It takes our instructions and translates them to action. But now,” she looked around at the walls of the medbay,
“We’ve basically taken the leash off. It gets to stretch its legs and think for itself. It’s obedient, but it’s not...what
you’re used to, not anymore. It can get distracted, and it can get annoyed. You’re going to have to get used to the
idea of communicating with it on a more personal level, or you’re going to piss it off.”
Ve’en was stunned.
“I..” she stammered, “what...really? You really think the SHIP cut my fingers off?”
“You really think you accidentally poked a wire that snapped a fire door on your fingers, only to release
it a moment later?” the doctor muttered. Ve’en looked at him, and he shook his head a bit as he secured the last
finger. “These boats pick up personality, kid,” he said, “from one crew to the next, from one captain to the next,
for all the years they’re in service. They get attitude, and when you open them up like this, it starts coming out.
Some are nicer than others. This,” he finished with the last finger and let out a breath, “this one’s looking like it’s
going to be a mite peckish. I’d watch your step.”
Ve’en was horrified, and looked back to the captain for consolation.
“What does THAT mean?”
“Means it’s going to be an interesting trip,” Selaco replied, “and you should watch out for doors.”
 FOCUS
ABILITIES
These new Focus abilities are avail-
able to any HSD character and can be
factored into new or existing games as
soon as the ability to purchase a new
FOCUS

Focus becomes available.

Science Engineering Combat Communication General

A few modifications Infrastructural Extreme range Emergency channels A few miles
engineering more...
Overcharge Physical law Fluid motion “Expert” Do you feel
lucky?
Ravenous armor Structural Saw it coming Form follows On your guard
weakness function
Thermodynamics Systems Stuck in McGuffin muffins Out of place
redirection

SCIENCE
power source is too small, you can use this ability
A few modifications: Your knowledge to modify the machine to achieve that plot-oriented
of energy and motion makes you capable of goal. This will usually result in the destruction of the
modifying the function of most sensory equip- device after the goal has been met, and depending
ment to make it suit your purposes. on how far you pushed it, it could be dangerous to
Once per session: You can modify any you. This ability is story-based, it has no function in
digital device with an input and an output (sensor of combat and cannot be used to modify the output of
some sort and a screen works fine, but not if the onlya weapon for a combat check.
function of the sensor is video or audio surveillance)
to scan for an energy of your choosing, even if the Ravenous armor: Your knowledge of
sensor isn’t necessarily intended for that function. metabolism and caloric conversions have allowed
The modification is one-way and cannot be undone, you to harness the healing and energy conversion
and is very obvious upon examination. This ability abilities of living armor so that it can consume its
can allow you to make any examination or tracking own body for additional strength.
checks your Proficiencies would allow you to make Effect: You can force a suit of living armor
with proper equipment even if you lack it. you are wearing to convert its own hitpoints to
additional points in either Body:Strength, Body:Re-
Overcharge: By manipulating the power silience or Body:Dexterity. Use this ability as a
control and focusing mechanisms in a device, you standard action in combat, converting 20 hitpoints
can force it to dramatically increase its output, often to 1 point of the chosen trait per use, to a maximum
with strange or dangerous effects. of 5 points in any trait. Every use of this ability will
Once per session: You can use this ability provoke a Blood for Blood check as though the
to force a device beyond its “story threshold.” If, for armor has attempted to heal and rolled double 1’s.
instance, your vehicle is moving too slowly to make The ability lasts for only that round, and the suit is
it to a location in time, or you lack sufficient subject to the normal healing rules for this damage.
106 power to activate a device because your
 Thermodynamics: Your knowledge of
explosive and expansive forces is sufficient for you
to rapidly calculate how much of any given reaction
would be required to produce a specific amount of
energy.
Effect: You can calculate the amount of
power produced by a chemical or physical reaction.
For instance, how much heat would be produced
by burning a pile of paper, or how much explosive
force would be produced by detonating a fist-sized
clump of plastic explosive. The does not tell you how
to engineer a safe detonation model, such as demol-
ishing a building while not harming the buildings
around it, but it will tell you how much energy would
be produced by detonating a stack of fuel tanks in
terms of overall destructive power. Assuming you
don’t mind the shape of the explosion or its collat-
eral damage, you can use this to determine when
you have accumulated enough energy potential to
destroy an object. If you possess more information,
such as how much energy is required to power an
object or propel it through a tunnel, this ability can
tell you how to accumulate that much power from
local reactants if any are available.
ENGINEERING
Infrastructural engineering: Your
knowledge of planning, electrical engineering and
efficiency arrangement allows you to accurately
map the connections of service infrastructures.
Effect: If you can gain access to a point on
a power or fluid grid, and possess an item capable
of retrieving data from it (any system currently
connected to the system will work, or an Progenitus
Omniscanner) or, lacking that, if you can physically
see (or have seen at one point) at least two major
junctions in the grid, you can accurately diagram
how the grid is distributed. This includes the
relative locations of pipes, junctions, reservoirs,
pumps, power stations and relays. This is applicable
to cities, buildings, ships and otherwise, and you can
use it to navigate to key areas on the grid. However,
it will not tell you how to physically get to those
locations, only how far they are in a given direction.
Physical law: Your knowledge of mass,
inertia, and the overall behavior of physical objects
allows you to rapidly and accurately calculate how
much energy would be required to achieve a specific
effect, and how you might harness it.
Effect: You can calculate what sort of
power would be required to achieve a specif-
ic physical result, and how that energy
must be harnessed. For instance: how
much energy would be needed to blow
a 5-foot-wide hole in a specific wall, or
FOCUS
how much would be required to propel
a projectile of specific mass four miles.
Your calculations are very accurate;
however, they do require a measured
quantity to be used effectively. If, for
instance, you use this ability to destroy a
wall, you do not inherently know how much
explosive to use unless you are provided with
the equation for calculating how much energy
is produced per x amount of such explosive,
as well as the density of the wall. Once you
have that, this ability will tell you how
much energy is needed to achieve your goal
without destroying yourself as well as how
to place and arrange those explosives. When
combined with the Thermodynamics Focus
ability, you can accurately determine how much
energy is required to achieve a physical result,
how to get that energy from various local reactants
such as fuel sources or explosives, and how to safely
engineer and arrange them to achieve your goal.
It’s possible (and likely) that said arrangement will
require a device, detonator, or special arrangement
of explosives. These things (crafting, placement, etc)
will still require the usual checks to accomplish.
Structural weaknesses: By examining
the construction of a structure, you can determine
the points at which it is most vulnerable, allowing
you to make better use of the equipment you have
on hand.
Once per session: you can examine a
structure and determine how it could be compro-
mised by the equipment you have available to you. “It
can’t” is a valid answer to this question. The ability
will not tell you exactly what it is you need to breach
or destroy a structure if you can’t accomplish it with
the tools you have at your disposal, though you can
determine why your equipment isn’t suffi-
cient and use that info to plan your next move. 107
 To determine a structures weak point, you need to
have examined it thoroughly. In the case of large
structures, that means an overall tour with visual
access to all the bulkheads. This can be bypassed
by having access to technical diagrams or
blueprints, which you
can use all by themselves
with no access to the real
structure to figure out its
FOCUS
1 hullpoint per 1 Drive point boost on a personal
ship, and 25 hullpoints per 1 Drive point boost on a
battleship. This damage counts as standard damage
during combat in all ways, but when combat ends,
this damage will “regenerate” over the course of the
next hour as your power systems stabilize. The new
Drive score will maintain through the duration of
combat, effectively boosting your battle pool score
for that fight.

easiest points of access

or destruction. COMBAT
The information
provided by this
Extreme range: You’re
ability is always
well-versed at getting the most range
based on data on-hand.
out of a weapon while maintaining its
It is accurate, but only as
accuracy.
accurate as your own infor-
mation. If you are unaware Once per session: You can ignore
of additional structural the cover bonus awarded to a target due
reinforcement, it may thwart to its distance from you. This does
what you thought was a valid not give your gun the ability to fire
weak-point. The longer you beyond its own mechanical short-
have to examine a real struc- comings.
ture, inside and out, the more
accurate your ability to pinpoint
vulnerabilities will be.

Systems redirection:
Starship systems are typically interconnect-
ed so they can all run off a centralized power
system. Your knowledge of those systems
can allow you to rapidly reallocate power
to where you need it most, taking it from
where it isn’t being useful.
Effect: During your turn, you
may feed your ship’s hullpoints into
additional Drive points at a rate
of 1 extra Drive point per 25% of
your ship’s maximum hullpoints,
rounded up to the nearest whole
number. In practice, that’s

108
 Fluid motion: You can throw your weight
around in a literal way. Your body coordination is
sufficient to let you use your body more effectively
than most.
Once per session: You can activate your
Momentum effect by purchasing it as an attack
action, rather than waiting for it to be triggered.
Once you activate it, it follows all of its normal rules channel. All you know is it will be the
and counts as though it was triggered normally.
will be transmitted to all systems connected to the
emergency system you’ve infiltrated.
You do not have inherent knowledge of what
system is local when you use this power unless you
set about seeking it out first. It could be a PA
speaker system, or a wide-blast Toggle
message, or a direct IRPF information
primary public emergency system for
your current position. All emergency

FOCUS
This can allow you to activate Momentum abilities
that normally require movement, without moving. announcement systems do have one
However, if the Momentum effect has a condition thing in common, however; when
attached to it (for instance, it provides a bonus to triggered they will initiate a default
grappling) you must satisfy the described condition reaction to a perceived problem. That
to gain the benefits. default reaction changes per system, but
whatever it is, this will start it.
Saw it coming: You’re an old hand at This is also far from stealthy. By its very
nature, the system will take detailed notes of
charging into short range, and you know the telltale
your position when you use it, and relay it
signs that an enemy is ready to shoot you on the way
to whomever would naturally be informed
in. By paying close attention to their motions, you
of such a thing if an emergency system was
can react even quicker than they can.
accessed. The extent of this tracking varies
Effect: You can spend a standard action by location. Some areas without high securi-
before moving to declare you’re using this ability. ty may just keep note of the closest official
When you enter an enemy’s Threat Response range access node to your location. Others may go so
this turn, you can roll a Body:Acuity+Spot check far as to continue to track your location even
(Complexity 2). If you’re successful, the enemy does after you’ve returned control to the system.
not get a Threat Response reaction against you;
you’ve preempted their ability to react.
“Expert”: You can act like you know more
about something than you actually do, by using cues,
Stuck in: You can maneuver yourself to little details you’ve picked up from conversations,
make it very difficult for enemies to escape you at and a lot of big fancy words.
close range without giving you a chance to strike.
Effect: When making opposed Express,
Effect: When you lock into melee combat Deception or Coercion checks involving communi-
with an enemy, they must remain in that combat for cation in regards to a particular subject while you
an entire round before they can attempt to escape. are the aggressor, you may treat the applicable
Proficiency as though it is one dot higher than it
COMMUNICATION actually is, to a maximum of 4. In addition, you win
ties during the Opposed check made by the person
Emergency channels: You know how you’re attempting to manipulate. However, if they
to slip into systems intended for public broadcasts. win the opposed check anyway, you will not only fail
It’s not stealthy, but it’s a great way to make a lot of to convince them, they will have caught you in your
noise in a hurry, or blow the lid off something. lie, exposed you as a farce, and it should be treated
Once per session: You can use any data as a critical failure.
output system (a Toggle Case works fine) to tap
into a local public broadcasting system and speak Form follows function: You can take
over it. Roll Mind:Dexterity+Lockpick; you can keep visual stock of a structure, ship, or person, and get a
the channel unlocked for as many minutes as you reasonable idea of what it is they do, or what
have successes. What you speak into your device something is for. By picking out universal 109
 shapes and designs, you can assemble an accurate
idea of what it is something was built or tailored to
do.
Once per session: you can look at a piece
of equipment, a ship, a building or even a
person, and gain knowledge about the
role it was designed to fill based off
their construction or attire. This can
give you contextual information about
FOCUS
their setting, their position in a greater
hierarchy, or if something was designed
to function in specific environments, all
without having to examine anything
thoroughly or have prior knowledge of
any details. This power cannot give you
information that could not conceivably be
gleaned from a detailed surface examination.
McGuffin muffins: Through
sweeping charisma and fast talking, you
have an uncanny ability to steer concern
in different directions. This allows you
to assign undue importance to mundane
objects, potentially throwing whole investi-
gations off-track.
Once per session: In a situation in which
a goal of some sort is being pursued by one or
more parties, you can convince said parties that an
object of your choice is directly and intrinsically
related to that goal. For instance, if a group of enemies
is seeking access to a vault, you could convince them
that the code for said vault was chemically encrypt-
ed on a napkin you have. From there, you could use
the napkin as leverage, a hostage, a bargaining chip,
or whatever else you want to do with it. This ability
(in this example) will only convince the enemy of the
validity of the napkin claim; it will not force them to
go along with whatever you demand. You will have
to make further checks yourself to use your item to
your advantage. Additionally, while you can convince
a party of some rather obscure item relationships
using this ability, you cannot convince them of
something they already know isn’t true. If you make
an attempt to (say, the above example, but one of
them knows the code is an iris scan and couldn’t
possibly be on the napkin), your ability use will fail
and they will know you’re trying to fool them. It also
cannot be used more than once on the same
110 group of people unless the first use was of
such grand success that they realistically come to
you asking for the next “item” in their pursuit.
GENERAL
A few miles more...: Planned obsoles-
cence is for chumps. You know how to squeeze every
last mile from a disposable vehicle, and can increase
its range well beyond the point where it’s supposed
to dissolve into a puddle of spare parts.
Once per session (or vehicle): As long
as you are the only driver of a disposable vehicle,
you can increase its lifespan by as many days as
you have dots in Repair. Aside from being a useful
money saver, disposable vehicle companies are not
necessarily aware of these tricks, and will assume
(if questioned) that your car will dissolve in three
days and you are without transportation if a new
one isn’t purchased. This ability also applies to most
other narrative elements that have a mechanical
“expiration date”.
Do you feel lucky?: You know how to use
the din of a battlefield to your advantage, making
it difficult for enemies to predict how many shots
you’ve taken, even if they know your gun well.
Once per session: You can add one more
use to a clip. Make this decision when the last use in
a clip is depleted. It does not work on any weapon
designed to only fire single shots.
On your guard: By paying careful atten-
tion to visual tells, you can spot a hazardous situa-
tion coming.
Once per session: Declare you are using
this ability. The next scene you walk into, your
character will be paying close attention to body
language, awkward speech, perspiration and pupil
dilation, and a host of other tells that could indicate
a potential ambush or deception. If they’re walking
into a trap, they will be aware of it within a few
sentences. “Trap” is defined as something intended
to cause bodily harm. This will not clue them in to
someone trying to fleece them for money in a rotten
deal, but will let them know if following someone
into the next room is likely to involve them getting
bagged and kidnapped. The ability terminates after
the setting or scene it was activated for ends.
 Out of place: You have a knack for noticing
when something is conspicuously placed. Rugs with
a corner flipped up, slightly askew wall art with worn
sides, cracks in walls where there shouldn’t be any.
It makes you good at picking out when something
isn’t what it seems.
Once per session: This ability triggers
automatically every night, when you have time
to reflect on what you did that day. If there was a

FOCUS
spot check that day that failed to reveal a hidden
compartment, passage, drawer or other secret in
a room, this will prompt the Guide to tell you that
your subconscious is gnawing at you to check again.
You can then go back and re-investigate when you
get the chance. To avoid metagaming, it is suggested
that the Guide simply allow you to find it upon your
return, as the player would obviously know there
was something there at that point and the cost in
time and the danger of a return trip is risk enough.
Role play your second search, rather than rolling
dice for it.

111
Unknown coordinates,
Martian subterranean
zone

MOTIVATIONS
Duty: Some are driven by their own goals,
and lack the clarity to discern whether those goals
are worth pursuing. You choose to follow someone
elses ideal, one you have judged to be good and
correct in your eyes. Through pride, obligation, or
perhaps even ignorance of the alternatives, you are
driven to pursue this greater goal. You’re probably
also not alone in your patriotism, as most ideals
worth following have more than one follower.
Suspicion: There is a great lie perpetrating
the galaxy, and you’re out to prove it wrong. Like
those motivated by a need for understanding, your
goal is related to the acquisition of knowledge.
However, you’re looking for specific data, things
related to something large and troublesome you’re
certain is being covered up despite everyone’s insis-
tence to the contrary, and you won’t stop until it’s
exposed. Or even after that! It’s a universal truth:
there’s always another lie somewhere.
Sensualist: Society is drowning in abstrac-
tion. Nearly everything people think they know was
obtained through a book or a lesson or drilled into
their head with a Neuroplex. No one feels things
anymore, no one experiences education through the
practical application of the senses. Your goal is to go
out there and do it all. Collect experiences, touch,
feel, explore and absorb. You can target it toward
specific goals or a general sense of enlightenment,
but you’re out to learn the true nature of experienc-
es by feeling them first hand, rather than assuming
you know just because you attended a symposium
one day.
Spiritualist: Vectors are predisposed
to think of themselves in terms of numbers and
material worth. They’re a manufactured species,
they have X gene sequence and belong to Y family,
they own X amounts of material goods worth
Y numbers of credits, everything about them is
sequenced and cataloged and leaves no space for
the bigger questions that were so important, they
occupied human philosophy for the entirety of their
existence. You seek that greater understanding. You
want to know what the universe is. Not what it’s
made of or how you can exploit it. What it is. What
your existence as a thinking being amounts to. It’s
not a thing that can be measured in numbers, but
you’ll know it when you find it.
Moralist: Vectors have borrowed
MOTIVATION
a lot from humanity over the years,
mostly pertaining to technology and
the structures of commerce. Time has
modified all these things into a unique
form that works within their society, but
there are massive holes in the areas of
moral obligation and a general consen-
sus of “right” and “wrong.” Even crime
is only punished because it is detrimen-
tal to the ability to coexist and maintain a
functional and orderly society, not because
it is a fundamental misdeed. You feel there is
a major need to re-assert principals of good
and evil onto society, that they will achieve
a richness of existence only possible if they
accept that some things are wrong and bad
because the very nature of the universe has
declared it so. With your moral compass,
people will better police their own actions,
and Vectors on the whole will thrive for it.
Likewise, by following a common set of behav-
ioral rules, they will find a unity they’ve never
really had before.
Zealot: This particular concept is a new,
but slowly growing, movement among Vectors. You
believe that Vector-kind has already invented God,
but does not know it yet. Somewhere within the
amazingly diverse abilities of biotech and transcen-
dent phenomena there exists a combination that will
result in the birth of a truly divine being. Perhaps it
has even already been done, and the public simply
isn’t aware of it yet. Your goal is to seek that infor-
mation and push it toward its inevitable conclusion:
the creation of divinity. What form that divinity will
take is largely up to you; the whole point is no one
knows yet. All you know is that within the biological
blasphemies and mysteries of the fall of Earth and
whispers in the dark, there is a chain of technology
already present that will give birth to God, and it is
your responsibility to remove any impediments that
may delay that event.
113
 Legacy memory: Strictly speaking, you choose to have a Compulsion, it will begin as
this Motivation is also a Morphism, in that is is an a negative. As your character grows, it can become
aberration within the Vector genome. However, its a positive. Positive compulsions represent those
existence is almost always reflected in a Vector’s same feelings after experience has tempered them
behavior rather than their appearance and and turned them into a benefit rather than a flaw.
abilities. Legacy memories are snippets Once a Compulsion has become positive, you are no
of human history that have awakened longer compelled to save against it.
in a Vector brain, resulting in them
“remembering” events from the time of Compulsions are optional; any character
humanity. This phenomenon is treated may take as many compulsions as they have empty
a bit like psychic phenomena are treat- dots in Mind:Presence (ie: if you have 2 points
ed currently on Earth: with skepticism in Mind:Presence, you may take 3 Compulsions.)
and a great deal of fraud. Genuine Compulsions come from a common Compulsion
cases of legacy memory are very rare, option pool, but the triggers for them are directly
but they do occur, and usually result in a related to your current motivation. You may take the
Vector that feels almost out of place among same Compulsion multiple times, indicating that it is
their own kind, or views their own existence a severe issue for your character. While the Compul-
as “wrong.” They tend to long for a past that sions have basic definitions, how they apply to your
doesn’t exist, and will usually flock toward character is your choice and should be determined
careers that emphasize ancient human based on your Motivation and overall backstory. Just
behaviors. Seafaring, working in isolated make sure you’ve established your various triggers
and harsh environments like Ganymede’s before the game beings; you don’t want to be arguing
Mean, or heavy combat units. While Vectors with the guide about it during play.
with legacy memories can generally figure out
what it is that’s plaguing their dreams, much If you choose to take a Compulsion, you lose
of the context for the memories they have are the dice benefit of your Motivation. You still have the
completely lost. This usually leads to someone Motivation itself, and should still guide your charac-
who feels as though half of their life is missing, andter’s actions with it, but a Compulsion represents
they tend to be lost and lonely individuals searching your character lacking the general willpower to
for something to fill the void. guide their own actions with the degree of finesse
required to really take advantage of a Motivation,
and as such they will not gain the benefits of it.
Remember as you select your Compulsions that they
COMPULSIONS are intrinsically linked to the decision you made
when you selected your Motivation. If, for instance,
Motivations are a useful tool for helping your Motivation is Wealth, and you choose Posses-
gauge your character’s overall attitude toward sion as a Compulsion, you should consider how your
certain aspects of life in general. While they do help desire to possess things feeds your need for riches.
dictate your actions, they’re generally intended as Be creative, some of these are less direct than others.
an “umbrella” guideline, more than a specific behav-
ior. It is possible for some characters to be more If your character gains a point in Mind:Pres-
motivated, or more impulsive, than others, when it ence permanently, by means of character growth,
comes to acting on their feelings. We can represent select one of your Compulsions and switch it
this with the Compulsion mechanic. permanently from its negative to its positive form.
Life has taught your character how to use their
Every Compulsion has two forms: a positive urges to their advantage, rather than being ruled by
and a negative. Negative compulsions are the them. For the sake of game mechanics this change
default form; they represent impulses that is immediate, however you as a player should take
character is driven to take that will steps to make the in-game realization be smooth
114 your almost certainly get them into trouble. If and natural. People don’t typically wake up one day
with a dramatic attitude adjustment. Additionally,
if you have multiple instances of the same Compul-
sion, you must switch each instance to positive one
at a time. In this situation they effectively cancel out
rather than become positives, and you will have to
get past all of them before obtaining the positive
effect. The positive effects do not stack in this case
unless specifically stated, and there is no mechanical
advantage to doubling up on a single Compulsion,
save for the challenge of overcoming a profound
social obstacle.
Compulsion mechanic:
All Compulsions operate with a common rule:
when your character’s Compulsion is triggered, take
a Mind:Resist save with the target number equal
to 3 times however many empty dots you have in
Mind:Presence. For example, if you have 2 of 5 dots
in Mind:Presence filled, your target value for this
save would be 9 (3 times the three empty dots). For
every Compulsion you have (including the first),
add 1 to that target value. So if the character in the
previous example had 2 dots in Mind:Presence and 2
Compulsions, their target value on any Compulsion
related save would be 11. If you pass the save, your
character can suck it up and ignore temptation. If
not, they are compelled to act. The severity of their
action is up to the Guide and the narrative. It should
be significant enough to be noticeable and detri-
mental, but typically not so bad as to be damaging
or lethal. Exceptions occur when characters have
taken multiple instances of the same Compulsion,
indicating that this is a severe issue for them. In
those situations, their actions should likewise be
severe.
As a rule of entertaining narrative, actions
taken due to Compulsion should never be outright
suicidal, such as being suddenly compelled to
open an airlock or picking a fight with a tank while
armed with a nail file. If your character was that
unhinged, they would not have made it this far. They
can, however, lead to life threatening situations by
virtue of a lack of foresight or a social mistake, or
lead to personally damaging situations in the form
of overdoses or poor life choices.
Triggers
Your character typically needs to be
triggered in some way for their compulsion to
take affect. Those triggers are up to you,
MOTIVATION
but should be consistent and themed
with your Motivation or established
history. It’s good to settle on triggers
with your Guide before a game begins,
so that you’re not arguing them at criti-
cal moments mid-session. Don’t be so
obscure that things never happen, or
so common that you can’t walk outside
without falling victim to your impulses.
As a general rule, Compulsions should
have at least 1 solid trigger: something that,
when witnessed or surrounded by, will always
provoke a Compulsion check. Having about
two soft triggers is also a good idea: things
that, if the context is right and the situation
is not forcing your attention elsewhere,
might temp your character into action. Good
triggers typically hinge on witnessing certain
events or attitudes, finding items, noticing
opportunities or being provoked in some way.
If this feels like handing the Guide a way to yank
your chain, congratulations. You’re correct. That
said, all chain-yanking in a game is intended to be
fun, so if you’re going to engage in a Compulsion,
pick one you’re going to enjoy wrestling with.
Compulsion options
Possession: You are compelled to own
things. This refers to physical, legal ownership
of objects, and can extend to compulsive buying,
repeated searching of areas for objects, excessive
haggling for material goods and trading for meaning-
less trinkets.
Positive: You can appraise the value of any
object whose materials you can identify, as well as
establish fair market value for crafted items.
Revulsion: You are compelled to refuse
things on principle. This typically refers to help or
affection, but can extend to objects as well. Your
default response is to push people away and
attempt to isolate yourself, even if it saddens 115
 you or puts you at risk. Positive: You can use Economy: Dexterity
Positive: Add one THBW! Die to your daily instead of a Community trait in any situation which
total. may require a Community based check, provided
your character can equate the situation to some
Codependency: You attach your form of gamble they’ve succeeded at in the past.
self-worth to the actions or reactions
of other people, which compels you to Addiction: You have an addictive personal-
stay close to them and attribute undue ity, which compels you to seek out certain stimulus
importance to their words. This can repeatedly. This can be exhibited as a chemical
lead to situations where your character addiction of some kind (though it doesn’t need to be,
goes out of their way to do things they emotional or social addictions work too), but even
perceive as important to their relation- if you are purged of it, your mental addiction will
ship with another character or thing, remain and you will seek to fill that void with some
sometimes to their detriment, as well other risky, repetitive action.
as fail to act if they feel trepidation about Positive: Your Body:Resist and Mind:Resist
how someone might perceive it. saves both increase by 1. This benefit applies as
Positive: When you provide Help to many times as you took this Compulsion, but only
another character, you can add your entire takes affect after all instances of this Compulsion
Proficiency score rather than your score -1. have been converted to positive.
You must be the only source of Help.
Consumption: You need to intake. Usually
Control: You have a need to be in this refers to food of some kind, but it can also refer to
controlled situations and to remove their entertainment or sensation of some sort. The behav-
random elements. This differs from domina- ioral mechanisms of this Compulsion are similar to
tion in that it does not mean you need to that of addiction, except that addiction will drive you
actually lord your will over others, but that to seek out your chosen stimulus at regular inter-
you need to pull away extraneous distraction in vals, engage in it until satisfied, and leave, whereas
order to obtain peace of mind. This can lead to you consumption typically only strikes when exposed to
nitpicking character appearance choices, compul- your chosen stimulus and will persist until you’ve
sively rearranging living spaces, insisting on control consumed more than you should.
of documentation, maps, files and data, and becom- Positive: You can smuggle small objects
ing very distressed when a character you’re working in your stomach and regurgitate them later intact.
with has control of something you have no direct The objects can be solid and non food related, up to
access to. about as much mass as your character would be able
Positive: You gain +1 die to checks involv- to store in a backpack sized for them, but can’t be
ing investigation or searching for specific errors or inherently harmful (bladed, poisonous, etc.).
discrepancies in areas or situations.
Domination: You have a need to be the
Risk: You have a need to gamble. This can authoritative of any given situation. This can lead to
mean traditional, money based gambling, but can you speaking for other people, threatening, claim-
also extend to taking unnecessary personal risk ing to do things you can’t or fixating on the control
for the possibility of greater reward. While your of another person’s time or ability. It can also be
character can gamble “smart,” they lack the ability associated with acts of petty jealousy.
to stop themselves once they begin, and usually the Positive: You can re-roll one die when
temptation of any possible great payoff will drive making checks with the Command Proficiency, but
them to try, despite the odds, or risks, against them. not if the only target is yourself. This ability does not
This also works for adrenalin junkies or allow you to issue commands in combat to people
characters who engage in dangerous acts who have elected to ignore you.
116 purely for the thrill of escaping them.
 Submission: You have a need to be told
what to do. There can be may reasons for this, but
the most common one is a fear of responsibility
which is diffused when you’re acting on someone’s
orders. This can lead to you freezing up in situations
where you have to make independent decisions, or a
general inability to commit to action on your own.
Positive: You can benefit from commands
given in combat by other characters even if they
have exceeded the number of people they can issue
a command to. This can allow you obey a command
from someone without them making a command
check. However, they must still possess the prereq-
uisites to issue whatever command they’re issuing,
and it still counts as a command action on their part.
Confrontation: You pick fights where
fights don’t need to happen. You spark arguments,
are quick tempered, and take offense at benign
statements. You also tend to overreact with your
responses. This can turn minor situations into major
ones, and sometimes requires you to be baby-sat by
an ally to help keep you from flying off the handle.
Positive: You can bait people into dropping
their guard or getting angry, even if they’re not
normally prone to. In opposed checks in which
you are trying to illicit that sort of behavior from
someone, you get +1 to your die roll and ties go in
your favor rather than theirs.
Final notes:
Paying attention to Compulsion is the job of
both the players and the Guide. The Guide should
allow for enough description and variety to trigger
Compulsion responses on the part of the players.
The players should be paying enough attention
to notice them, and make mention of it when they
appear. The Guide has a lot to think about, they may
not remember every character’s quirks. Remem-
ber that this is a narrative tool; you’re not taking a
Compulsion so you can try to hide it or avoid it, it
is a part of your character you should want to play,
despite it potentially harming them. If you don’t
want to be controlled in that fashion, simply play
your Motivation normally.
Use your head and preserve the integrity of
the game. While it is possible for a player to take 4
Compulsions and make resisting them nearly
MOTIVATION
impossible, the novelty of being jerked
around by so many impulses will likely
get old after a session or two (if not to
you, then to your party). Remember
that the role play trumps the rules; just
because the game allows you to load
yourself up with flaws does not mean it’s
going to turn you into a more appealing
character down the line. Pick the ones
that reflect your attitude and leave the
others alone, you won’t be “missing out.”
Guides who are concerned with this are
welcome to customize the Compulsion limit
to a point that suits their fancy.
Play Compulsions in a way that
makes you endearing, rather than annoying.
It is possible to use these impulses as a blunt
instrument to repeatedly derail the story,
but neither you nor your Guide are going
to get many thanks from the party for doing
so. Usually, compulsions should force your
character into situations that bother them to be
in, because it reflects a lapse in judgment on their
part. Some might try to hide it so as not to worry
their party, or try to deny it while insisting they can
rise above temptation. Most people can sympathize
with (or at least tolerate) a moment of weakness,
but if your character is just wandering around
looking for ways to get themselves and their party
into trouble, it’s unlikely their party is going to want
them around for long. In a similar vein, be attentive
to your in-game behavior. Many of these personality
traits can be grating if taken to extremes, and the fun
of the game is not being served if your character’s
behavior is making them painful to deal with.
117
 SURGERY
General Surgery

Name Severity Re-Education Corp (x,y) Cost

SURGERY

Diamond weave Moderate - TTI(3,2) 700

Expressive control Easy Severe Spyglass(1,2) 500
Genetic compatibility - - Pulse, MarsCo(1,1) 500
Lazarus gland Easy - MarsCo(3,3) 700
Metabolic backups Moderate Very Easy Pulse(1,2) 700
Nublood Rough Very Easy Any(0,2) 500
Prehensile tail Moderate Moderate Any(0,1) 500
Reinforced claws Easy Very Easy Pulse(0,2) 300
Spontaneous Moderate Moderate Pulse (3,2) 2500
metamorphosis
Telesyncronization Moderate Moderate TTI(3,2) 1500

Diamond weave: This structural
reinforcement augments Hardskin with
additional minerals, making it substantially
more resilient. It also makes it somewhat reflec-
tive and shimmery in light, and is very recogniz-
able. This can sometimes make you a target: when
flayed, the glimmering skin makes for an impressive
trophy, or even armor of its own. Of course, you have
to kill the wearer first, which is no easy task. But that
makes the prize even sweeter.
Effect: Your Hardskin’s hitpoint value is
increased to 300.
Prerequisites: Hardskin.
Expressive control: This neural proce-
dure gives you more direct control over many of
the instinctive movements of your face and body,
including things like blushing, frowning, dilation
of the pupils or sneering with anger. In short: you
are able to control what you look like, rather than
having your emotions doing it for you. This is a
popular procedure among acting professionals or
models who want to be able to have instant control
of their facial expressions or tone regardless of their
mood (or who want to be able to do that
118 eyebrow-lifty thing but haven’t been able to
figure out how despite hours at a mirror),
but is perhaps most valuable in its ability to remove
those tells normally used as visual cues to identify
when someone is lying.
Effect: When making rolls for Express
or Deception, or when you’re simply talking to
someone, it is no longer possible to discern your
motive based on your expression. You can choose
how you look (angry, frightened, genuine, etc.), and
your body will give away no further clues. However,
even though you can control your expressions and
tone perfectly, that doesn’t mean you’re good at
deciding how to arrange them all. This ability allows
you to use Mind stats instead of Community stats
when rolling Express or Deception checks related
to trying to convince people of something or make
them believe you based on how genuine you appear
to be. In addition, you can no longer be caught in
a lie by any device that uses bodily reactions as a
means for determining authenticity, and can deter-
mine how you react to various stimulation visibly
by default (whether you scream when scared, laugh
when tickled, etc.). Even though you can control
your outward reactions, you can’t stop the actual
sensations. Injury, for instance, will still have the
same mentally debilitating effects it ever would, and
hurt just as badly. You can just stop yourself from
showing the pain, or even display it as pleasant.
Lastly, this surgery gives you the ability to control
the sound of your voice with expert degree, even
allowing you to mimic other people or sounds. Doing
so requires a Mind:Acuity+Spot check to make sure
you’re accurately hearing a person’s inflection, but
once you’ve figured out their voice, you can repro-
duce it on demand.
Prerequisite: Express 2, Mind:Presence 2.
Genetic compatibility: Through careful
manipulation of genetic markers, this operation
makes it possible to accept one reclaiming operation
from another species without your body rejecting it.
It typically results in picking up a few body habits
from that species as well, and on rare occasions, can
even tweak your physical appearance.
Effect: This operation may only be taken
once, and the Reclaiming operation you take with
it will count toward your maximum operations of
that type. Select the Reclaiming operation you wish
to receive and add the cost of this operation on top
of it. You may now take that specific Reclaiming
surgery as though you were a member of the associ-
ated species. While you do not become a hybrid,
this will occasionally result in inheriting physical
characteristics from the sampled species. This is
up to player preference, and the alterations usually
aren’t profound enough to matter socially.
Prerequisites: Compatible anatomy
(things such as Reclaimed Large Wing cannot be
taken without wings, Reclaimed Cheetah Speed
cannot be taken without legs, etc.). Augmentation
surgery can provide
any additional anatomy this operation may require,
but the recovery time must be complete before this
operation can be taken.
Lazarus gland: One of the more outright
disturbing developments of the post-Vitae solar
system is the Lazarus gland, both because of its
function and the fact that no one has ever taken
credit for having developed it. The documents and
files for its creation simply appeared in a MarsCo
lab one day, anonymously donated. Since then, it has
been made available only to those whose missions
are of critical importance, and even then, only with
great reluctance. On the other hand, there are at
least a dozen reports on record of people who’ve
turned out to have one and never even known it was
there, subjects of secret and ongoing research.
Effect: If your character is reduced to zero
hitpoints and fails their survival check, they will die
as per normal. The following turn, their Lazarus
gland will activate and begin flooding their
body with Vitae Prime, an extremely
refined form of Vitae with much more
SURGERY
specific functionality than its generic
counterpart. They will reanimate, all
of their Body Stats will fill to 5, all of
their Mind stats will drop to 1, they
will gain 200 hitpoints (from zero) and
the Relentless mindset, and they will
be possessed with the singular task of
completing their mission (whatever it
was when they were killed). They no longer
possess higher level thinking skills and will
essentially advance toward their goal through
danger or obstruction and attempt to physi-
cally remove obstructions in their way with
no thought to personal harm. Players might
enjoy playing out this last hurrah, but essen-
tially, this is now a Guide-controlled NPC. It
will systematically purge the area of threats
and continue with its mission to the best of
its ability. If the mission involves things like
programming or other higher-level tasks, the
character will go as far as they can and stay there
until their Vitae Prime loses charge (6 hours) and
they can finally die. If they succeed in their task,
they will stand motionless until dead. There is insuf-
ficient research at this point to determine whether
or not the mind within the body is dead during this
process, or if it is in fact alive and aware, but unable
to act. Those unfortunate soldiers who have seen
friends possessed by the Lazarus can only hope they
weren’t in some way conscious as they advanced
relentlessly toward the hail of firepower that tore
at them on the way in. Body replacement surgery
cannot save you from this fate; those few brains
rescued after the Lazarus took effect were little
more than piles of gelatinous protein.
Prerequisites: This surgery is not
commonly available. It typically requires at least 3
points of Allegiance with MarsCo and one hell of a
good reason for requesting it. However, it is possible
that characters with important information about
an operation and who regularly engage in
dangerous work might be abducted and 119
implanted without their knowledge. If this
 occurs, they won’t find out until they die, or until Prerequisites: Survival 2.
they have a full-body medical scan for some reason.
It can’t be removed once implanted, but if they really Nublood: This questionable procedure
want it out, they can get body replacement before swaps out all of your blood and transforms the cells
it’s active to swap into a body without one. responsible for its production. The replacement
“Nublood” is a synthetic that’s chemically compati-
Metabolic Backups: ble with your original blood, but has enough specific
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This operation integrates a series of differences to grant it several advantages. It can be

emergency redundancies into your re-typed on the fly with the introduction of a simple
physiology, allowing you to pull from chemical, which makes it great for battlefield trans-
great reserves of strength or resilience fusions. It can purge illness and disease easily, inter-
when you need it most. acts well with other synthetic materials without
Effect: With a successful Body:Pres- decaying them, is less susceptible to infection or
ence+Survival roll, you can add 1 dot to blood poisoning, and is a prerequisite for many of
any of the following things before making the more invasive implant procedures available.
a check: Nublood is a deep purple, almost black color, and
Any Body score except Acuity. turns your lips, eyes and exposed flesh a similar
Any Mind score except Acuity, Dexterity shade.
and Strength. The advantages provided by Nublood are
The Proficiencies: Survival, Athletics, ridiculously slim compared to the effort it takes to
Swim, Fly, Spot, or Sneak. get the procedure done. While it does make you
This can be done as many times per more robust, it’s little better (if at all) than what
day as you have points in Body:Presence. It could be accomplished by a healthy lifestyle and
cannot exceed the maximum allowed dots in modern medication. However, in recent history the
any given section, and cannot boost an attri- procedure has been gaining in popularity dramati-
bute that has already been boosted. It can be cally thanks to a study that revealed that no Vector
used multiple times on a single check (to boost with Nublood had ever been the victim of a Whisper
both the Stat and the Proficiency) but the requires event. They’ve died, certainly, but none have ever
a Body:Presence+Survival check for both, and the served as the spawning point for one. The relation-
second will require two successes. Boosts only last ship is tenuous at best: the numbers don’t exist to
for the check they’re being applied to, and once any prove it as anything more than coincidence, but
given attribute has been boosted by this ability it fear and hope have trumped it up as an immunity
cannot be boosted again that day. Failing the check to Whisper spawning. Time will tell the accuracy of
required to initiate the boost will also stop you from that.
boosting that particular attribute until the next day. Effect: +1 dot to Survival. Nublood
If your hitpoints should fall and you have characters cannot wear living armor (it will refuse
not yet used any of these boosting abilities, your to activate). Nublood supplements Hardskin
metabolic backups will automatically kick in and much more effectively than standard blood does.
stabilize you as your injuries worsen. You will not Hardskinned characters with Nublood do not take
take any of the usual performance negatives for performance negatives for diminishing hitpoints
being at low health, are not required to take any and do not have to roll Survival checks for injuries
Survival checks, and if you should be reduced to unless those injuries are actually lethal. They are
zero hitpoints you will automatically stabilize (the also immune to negatives associated with tempera-
first time. If the enemy should walk over to your tures between -3c and 45c, and lower the attack
unconscious body and shoot it in the head, this value of any incoming Disrupt effect by however
won’t save you). If your metabolic backups are used many points they have in Survival. Nublood does
for this purpose at all, they cannot be used to boost indeed keep Whispers from using their Dive ability
rolls that day. They can do one or the other, against you, but it will not protect you from simply
120 not both. being killed by them the good old fashioned way.
 Prerequisites: None.
Prehensile Tail: Though not a trait
associated with any of the major species in most
Vector families, the genetic keys for tail control were
carefully preserved and cataloged through those few
members that possessed it as a potential advantage
meaner than before. It costs a little flexibility, but
gives back some of the raw power often associated
with their natural counterparts.
Effect: -1 to Operate checks requiring
your fingers. Your fist profile changes
to Lethal, and the damage becomes
Body:Strength+2. Note, however, that

SURGERY
that could be used later. Pulse has wanted to make it is not an actual stat increase. If fight-
this particular trait universally available as a Gener- ing barehanded, you can choose not to
al Operation for ages, but it was, currently, classi- apply the extra damage from this Opera-
fied as a heritage trait for specific lizards and rats, tion (if you’re attempting to grapple, for
which protected it under ancient codes of conduct instance).
put in place to avoid potential unforeseen genetic Laterals who are not Micro and have
complications from the mixing of incompatible claws (hooves count) can take this
genes that might someday result in the sterilization, Surgery as one of their automatic 3
and subsequent destruction, of a species. Only after Reclaiming Operations if they wish. Talk
years of testing, computer models and no shortage to your Guide about whether or not they feel
of payoffs has it finally been reclassified as a univer- this is applicable to your species. As a gener-
sal commodity. al rule, it should only be available to those
Effect: Your tail can function as an addition- creatures whose claws could do knife-like
al limb (lacking fingers). It can carry objects with damage in the wild, not things that could
the same general strength as one of your arms, and only scratch you.
is dexterous enough to type with and manipulate Prerequisites: Body:Strength 2,
controls. There is no effective way to wield a ranged access to a fist attack.
weapon with it (between recoil, aiming, stability
and triggering, your hands can do the job better Spontaneous Metamorphosis:
than your tail ever will), but it can be used to wield a
Forced growth and cellular construction has
close combat weapon. Said weapon follows the rules been a staple of Vector bioengineering for centu-
for two-weapon fighting and counts as your support ries. Applying it to things that are already living
weapon. Wielding an additional weapon beyond was trickier, but the groundwork had already been
two does not provide a combat benefit, but does laid with HemiVectors back in the human era. The
allow you to have the additional weapon “on hand,” potential had always been around to take the idea
so you can actively decide which is going to be your further, but there was no reason to exploit it until
Primary for each attack action. You could also hold Pulse invented one. In their ongoing goal to produce
a shield instead, gaining its benefits as normal, or more exciting, more interesting and more visually
a melee weapon with your tail, and guns in your impressive events, they developed a system to
hands. allow Vectors to dramatically restructure their own
Prerequisites: Mind:Dexterity 3, Body:- physiology at a moment’s notice, transforming into
Dexterity 3, a tail of at least knee length. a completely different shape. The system has its
limitations, but transforming competitors make for
Reinforced claws: By and large, in the one of the more fascinating and vivid combat events
modern era, a hand is a more powerful tool than a on Pulse’s networks. That and it hits that perfect
claw. It can manipulate computers, gesture expres- balance between violence and nudity that keeps
sively, and, well, pull triggers. However, using those viewers coming back for more.
dexterous fingers to slash someone in the face is Effect: When you take this operation,
a pretty good way to break them, rather than do choose one of the following Morphisms:
signifigant damage. Pulse developed digit reinforce- Taurism
ment methods specifically to counteract this, so Lateralism
their hand-to-hand fighters could strike harder and Lever-stanced (the species limitations 121
 apply) in. For instance, a digitigrade character can take a
Microism digitigrade transformation (essentially accomplish-
Hooves ing nothing) but then take Macro surgery and apply
Horns it to the transformed state. This would result in them
Plantigrade/Digitgrade being able to spontaneously bulk up in size. Augmen-
tations such as extra limbs or tails also apply in this
Your character can spontaneous- manner. Surgeries (even Reclaiming surgeries) only
SURGERY

ly transform themselves, replacing apply to the form they were purchased in, as your
their Morphism with one of the body is essentially rebuilding itself every time.
ones listed. Transforming requires a Most mechanical implants are not compati-
Body:Strength+Survival roll. The trans- ble with this operation. Small chips such
formation can be done on demand, but as the Zipchip or removable
is not instantaneous. It takes about a devices like the
minute to complete, and will leave your Utilit-i are
character winded and tired for another
minute afterward. If you score multiple
successes on your transformation roll,
you can forgo that extra minute. It
is a visceral biological process
involving the chaotic growth
and rearrangement of limbs
and bone structures, and
while your character
is protected from the
inherently painful
nature of it, it can
be rather troubling
(or fascinating) to
watch. It also does not
affect anything you’re
wearing, so if you had
armor or clothing
tailored to your normal
shape, it won’t fit if
that shape changes.
The transformation is
governed by a new gland
which stores energy
specifically for this process,
but is limited to two uses
per day (generally chang-
ing once, then changing back
again). Your body needs an hour
between activations to recover. This
operation can be taken multiple times;
however, the number of transformations
per day remains the same.
It is possible to get additional
operations in any of your forms, but they
122 are linked to whatever form you got them
alright, but artificial limbs or ridged structures like
the NCS are not. If your transformation only affects
part of your body (gaining a tauric lower half, for
instance), then the NCS or other brain-based mods
are fine. Clearly, that would not be the case with
Microism. Discuss with your Guide if you’re unsure,
since this is largely based on a logical decision as
in.
Status effects, damage, and any other tempo-
rary condition you receive persists proportionately
between forms. If the character in the previous
example takes damage in their Macro form,
they should determine what percentage
of their max hitpoints has been lost and

there are too many potential variables to list them
all. Transcendent Implants persist between trans-
formations regardless of which form you got them
SURGERY
apply that same percentage to their
normal form when they change back.
Prerequisites: Body:Pres-
ence 2, Survival 2. Not compatible
with Hardskin or Inteliformic
flesh. Micros who take this
operation will be micro in all
forms.

Te l e s y n c h r o n i -
zation: Early bioprobe
experiments involved
a special operation
to grant operators
a form of specific
telepathy so they
could control
bioprobes remotely.
The process was
rather disastrous
and typically resulted
in cerebral hemor-
rhaging and very
angry bioprobes,
but one doesn’t
throw out a good
idea because of a
few setbacks. The
telesync system
eventually found its
home in a biological
construct that already
worked with the minds
of its operator: living
armor. It still has occasion-
al...hiccups...but by and large
it’s a great asset to living
armor users. By synchroniz-
ing their thoughts with their
armor, operators can use this
organ to push impulses
into the living intelligence of their armor, 123
 making it think it’s being piloted. A link is estab-
lished by the recitation of common phrases that have
ingrained responses in your mind and the mind of
the armor (which has your thought patterns as part
of its own). Operators typically use a code
phrase or the lyrics to a song, which,
upon being heard, automatically draw
SURGERY
up the next set of lyrics in your mind
and the armor’s, putting both brains in
sync. It works well, provided you can
keep your own thoughts synchronized
with the armor’s. If those thoughts
drift, the suit will begin to realize there
isn’t actually a person inside of it, and
start to act on its own.
Effect: This organ can allow you
to contact and manipulate a living armor
system remotely. It is not as direct a control
system as an actual remote control would
be, but it adds additional functionality to
an already robust host of features. The link
range of this organ is 1 mile per point in
Mind:Presence.
Make a Mind:Presence+Deception check at
the beginning of your turn to initiate the link to
your armor. Your character is effectively trying
to fool the armor into thinking it’s currently
being piloted. If the check succeeds, the armor will
react as though you are currently wearing it, using
your stats for its rolls and behaving in the way it best
feels you would have it behave, as though mimicking
your brain patterns (which is, essentially, what it’s
doing). You can give it a basic command, such as
“go to this location,” “attack this target,” “follow this
vehicle,” etc. and it will follow that order by behaving
as it feels you would behave if tasked with the same
order. It will use tactics you’ve used in the past and
its mindset and behavior will be as though you’re
inside it, even though you’re not actively telling it
how to behave. Your character does not need to make
the usual Operate checks every turn, but must make
this Deception check every turn instead. Failures are
treated the same way as they would be if the usual
Mind:Presence+Operate check failed. For gameplay
purposes, you control both yourself and your armor
while this link is active, and it will do all the things
you would do in similar situations, like reload, hide,
charge, etc.
124 Awareness: Several things can
cause telesynced armor to realize there isn’t
someone controlling it. If your character is hit by an
attack of any kind, even if it doesn’t do damage, the
Deception check required to fool the armor increas-
es in complexity by one for the following turn.
If your character actually takes hitpoint damage
from the attack, the penalty increases to 2 for the
following round, and falling to 1 for the round after
that. If your character is hit by something with the
Disrupt effect and falls victim to it, the connection
to the armor is automatically dropped. The same
applies if your character dies. If the armor comes
in physical contact with your character, the connec-
tion is automatically dropped. If your armor is in
visual contact with your character, the complexity
of the check becomes 2 (and any other increases
are added to that value). If the armor undergoes
Blood for Blood and you fail the associated Operate
check, the connection will break (and the armor will
not heal). If you ask the armor to do something it
has never done with you before (such as hacking a
console or solving an original problem you haven’t
seen before) the connection will break. If the armor
becomes aware that it is not being worn, it will begin
to act on its own instead of acting like its owner. On
the armor’s turn, have it roll as though you had just
CRITICALLY FAILED an Operate check on it. You can
attempt to re initiate your link to the armor on the
following turn, but the complexity for the check will
be 3 base, with any other modifiers on top of that. If
you fail, the armor rolls again and continues behav-
ing on its own. The complexity to regain control of
the armor drops by 1 every turn.
Berserk: If the armor loses its connection
to the operator because of a Blood for Blood event,
the conditions change. On its turn, it behaves as
though it rolled a 6-10 on its critical operator failure
result. Instead of lashing out at the nearest enemy,
it will lash out at the nearest living character, first
with weapons, then physically (treat it as though it
has a 4 in all Body Stats and 2 in CQC. Its fist attacks
are classified as lethal). If it succeeds in destroy-
ing its target before being killed or controlled, it
will consume the corpse in the following turn and
replenish its hitpoints completely. It does not leave
stragglers; if its target is reduced to zero hitpoints
and survives due to a Survival check, it will be killed
and consumed in the following turn unless control
can be regained or the armor can be destroyed.
Prerequisites: Mind:Presense 3.
 gravity environment, including checks for using a
RECLAIMING Pointshift Gauntlet. You do not need to have prereq-
uisite points in Fly to use that item, either. You don’t
OPERATIONS have an adaptation period for growing accustomed
to weightlessness.
Delphinidae Prerequisites: Swim 1.

SURGERY
Reclaimed Echolocation: You’ve
regained the ability to accurately map your
surroundings with sound. You can use this to peek
around corners without exposing yourself, or get an
idea of distances from things you can’t see.
Effect: In areas where a single, sharp sound
can be produced (by tapping something hard on
something hard, or clapping, etc.) you can function
in complete darkness as though it were fully lit.
However, your “vision” is limited to pulses of
sound, requiring you to repeatedly emit the
noise, or to work off of whatever you saw in
your previous image. You can also use rhyth-
mic sound from a single mechanical source
to track that particular source. A generator
in a basement, for instance. As long as the
environment has solid surfaces, your “vision”
extends beyond corners out to the usual
distance for sight. It cannot go through closed
doors. If you are moving from pulse to pulse
rather than using repetitive sound, treat the
environment as a Low Light environment.
If anything causes you to stop having access
to a steady pulse (combat, for instance) or if
there is too much ambient noise and no single
ping to home in on (say, a factory floor), you
are again blind. Note that while this ability
allows you to see even small physical details in
objects, it does not show anything color based.
Screens, signs, writing, color, markings, or any
digital surfaces are effectively invisible.
Prerequisites: Navigate 1.

Reclaimed Personal Orientation: You

have reactivated the dolphin ability to orient itself
accurately in three dimensions without becoming
confused or distracted. While mostly useful in the
water, this is also applicable in weightless situations,
allowing you to adapt much quicker to zero gravity
environments.
Effect: You don’t need to make any
checks for maneuvering yourself in a zero 125
 RECLAIMING OPERATIONS (Pulse 1,1) (100 credits)

Delphinidae Severity Re-Education

Reclaimed Echolocation Mild Mild
Reclaimed Personal Orientation Easy Mild
Reclaimed Polar Adaptation Easy Mild
SURGERY

Reclaimed Restoration Easy Mild

Reclaimed Sonic Manipulation Easy Mild

Rodentia Severity Re-Education

Reclaimed Auditory Easy Mild
Reclaimed Climbing grip Easy Easy
Reclaimed Iron stomach Easy Easy
Reclaimed Leaping Easy Easy
Reclaimed Sonar Mild Mild

Selachii Severity Re-Education

Reclaimed Ampullae of Lorenzini Mild Moderate
Reclaimed Cartilaginous Skeleton Moderate Very Easy
Reclaimed Dermal Denticles Mild Very Easy
Reclaimed Lateral Line Easy Easy
Reclaimed Nicitating Membrane Easy Very Easy

Ungulatae Severity Re-Education

Reclaimed Horizontal pupils Easy Mild
Reclaimed Horsepower Easy Easy
Reclaimed Iron hooves Mild -
Reclaimed Protrusions Easy Mild
Reclaimed Sure-footing Easy Easy

Ursidae Severity Re-Education

Reclaimed Bear-fisted Combat Easy Very Easy
Reclaimed Metabolic Control Easy Mild
Reclaimed Olfactory Easy Mild
Reclaimed Polar Adaptation Easy Mild
Reclaimed Stature Mild -

126
 Reclaimed Polar Adaptation: Your
skin has adapted to shrug off cold water and resist
freezing temperatures. Even more effective than
that of your progenitor race, this adaptation can
allow you to traverse lethally cold environments.
Effect: Ignore negatives associated with cold
temperatures and environments. This is sufficient to
You must have your face exposed to use
this weapon, and the sound emitted must be in the
audible range of the target. This weapon can be used
under water, but when used outside of water, it
cannot harm cover or armor.
If you possess Reclaimed
Echolocation, you can use this ability to

SURGERY
make the entirety of any water ocean in the system constantly emit pulses above the range
swimmable. It also includes protection against the of common hearing, granting you clear
affects of pressure, allowing you travel between any aural vision hands-free that will not
depths without penalty, to a maximum of 2500 feet. alert nearby people unless they have
(excluding zero-pressure environments). In environ- equipment of some sort that can hear
ments over 90 degrees Fahrenheit, all your checks it. Because your own pulses have a
are at +1 complexity unless you can dedicate a full unique sound, you can even use them
day to transitioning to that environment without to navigate in rooms with high ambient
strenuous activity. Once you’ve transitioned, this noise.
surgery is inactive until you transition back to lower Characters with any of the following
temperatures. Surgeries can hear the full range of sounds
emitted by this ability: Reclaimed Echolo-
Prerequisites: None.
cation, Reclaimed Sonar, and Reclaimed
Auditory.
Reclaimed Restoration: Though not
as famous for regenerative abilities as some reptil-
Prerequisites: Express 2.
ian species, dolphins are capable of restoring even
substantial damage to their bodies without bleeding Rodentia
to death or losing their streamlined shape. This
ability has been reactivated in you. Reclaimed Auditory: Most of the
Effect: You do not suffer the 1-3 or 8-10 species in the Rodentia merged family relied
results of “Surviving the Big One” if you succeed in heavily on hearing in the wild. The ability to discern
surviving a lethal attack. If those results are rolled, individual sounds over large distances has been
ignore them once you have been restored via general reactivated in you.
healing methods. Additionally, any further Surgeries Effect: As the Canidae version.
you receive have their rehabilitation time reduced Prerequisites: Spot 1.
by one step to a minimum of Very Easy. You regain 6
hitpoints per night’s sleep instead of 2, but the usual Reclaimed Climbing Grip: Exercise
restrictions apply. alone can make the human figure quite adept at
Prerequisites: Body:Resilience 2. clinging to craggy surfaces or climbing sheer cliff
faces, but a little structural reinforcement never
Reclaimed Sonic Manipulation: You hurt anyone. This grants you a vice-like grip that
can accurately and repeatedly emit sounds within, can allow you to support your own weight and then
above and below the range of most people’s hearing. some from a single limb.
When focused at close range, this can even be Effect: As long as your hands are free, you
weaponized. can negotiate difficult terrain at full speed rather
Effect: You gain a new weapon with the than half speed while in combat, provided the
following profile: difficulty of that terrain is somehow related to its
physical unevenness and not something in the air.
Damage Type Rate Total Additionally, when grappling, ties go to you rather
of Fire Damage than to the defender. If two people have an
Non-lethal, Flood 0 D8 ability that states this, ties again go to the 127
defender. You gain +1 dice to checks related to
 climbing or clinging to a surface outside of combat.
Prerequisites: Body:Dexterity 2.
Reclaimed Iron Stomach: Effect: This functions as the Delphinidae
The Rodentia family is home to many
scavengers, and while food isn’t scarce
in the Sol system, there are advantages
SURGERY
to having a robust gut.
Effect: You can consume rotting
meat, viscera, just about anything that
isn’t actually classified as a toxin, and
gain nourishment from it (assuming it
actually has some nutritional value).
You can also consume solid objects
and store them in your stomach to be
regurgitated later on demand. Said object
must be small enough for your character to
swallow and fit in an area about three times
the size of their fist, but can be held there,
dry and intact, for as many days as they have
points in Survival. This surgery includes the
ability to selectively determine what your
body does and doesn’t digest, which can
allow you to store even toxic chemicals (like
poisons) internally for use later. However,
emissions from those substances (radiation,
acidic properties, etc) will still affect you, so be
cautious with what you swallow. Characters with
this Surgery typically have bizarre diets, as it also
makes a wide variety of flavors more palatable than
they normally would be.
Prerequisites: None.
Reclaimed Leaping: You’ve reactivated
the ability to prioritize power to your legs, making
you capable of extraordinary leaps when you need
them.
Effect: You count as being equipped with
the Jump ability as described in the Armor section
of the Equipment chapter of the HSD rulebook.
However, this ability is lost when wearing armor
above coverage 1, heavy or obstructive clothing, or
carrying more than 30 pounds.
Prerequisites: Athletics 2.
Reclaimed Sonar: Originally a bat-only
trait, this ability was the subject of a massive
genetic enhancement project when bats
128
officially joined the Rodentia roster, and has
been modified to be active in all its members. It lacks
the sheer energy of the similar Delphinidae ability,
but possesses much of the same functionality.
Reclaiming Surgeries for Echolocation and Sonic
Manipulation combined, with the following limita-
tions:
-You cannot emit sounds outside normal
hearing ranges. They do not need to be tremen-
dously loud to be effective, but they are audible and
typically sound like a squeak or high pitched ping.
-Your sonic ability does not have a
weapons profile. It can be annoying, but it lacks the
sheer force of the Delphinidae version.
-Your ability does not work underwater.
-Because your ability relies on emitted
sound within the usual auditory range, it will
not work in areas with high ambient noise. If you
possess the Reclaimed Auditory surgery, you can
use this ability to home in on sound above or below
usual hearing ranges even in crowded areas, though
you cannot emit them yourself.
Prerequisites: Body:Acuity 2.
Selachii
Reclaimed Ampullae of Lorenzini:
Far more than just an electroreceptor, this sixth
sense organ grants perception of electronic fields,
temperatures, current flow and a variety of other
things. When attached to an intelligent brain,
however, it becomes an even more potent tool.
Effect: This grants your character a new
sense: the ability to finely and distinctly “view”
electromagnetic fields. How you use this is up
to you. Every living thing emits an EM field, as do
all machines. The world itself emits one, and the
ampullae are sensitive enough to detect the direc-
tion of electron flow or the differences between one
field and another. Injured muscles emit different
fields than healthy ones do, and those with medical
knowledge can use this as a diagnostic device. It is
not dependent on light, has a 20 foot range outside
of water, and a 200 foot range while submerged.
Unlike echolocation, this does not show you the
exact definition of shapes or details, only an aura of
energy. It is, however, passive, and cannot be detect-
ed while in use.
To use your ampullae in any fashion other
than simply seeing if a field exists requires checks,
as any sort of diagnostic or spot check would. Treat
it as a sensory organ, such as ears or eyes. Charac-
ters with this surgery often seem as though they’re
looking at things that aren’t there, and will occasion-
ally wander around with their eyes closed if they’re
not concerned with color or detail.
Prerequisites: Body:Acuity 2.
Reclaimed Cartilaginous Skeleton:
While a true cartilaginous skeleton doesn’t lend too
many useful benefits for land dwellers for all the
trauma it would take to have one installed, advanced
bio-structural engineering has created a hybrid
bone system that converts key parts of your existing
skeleton into a sort of hypercartilage that’s lighter,
more flexible and just as strong as your bones are.
It lets you get a lot more use out of the muscles you
already have.
Effect: You can carry up to 40 pounds per
point of Strength instead of the usual 25. Other
weight related effects apply as normal. This does
not grant you L.A.N. capabilities (even if the L.A.N.
weapon is now within your weight limit, the ability
to deadlift the weapon does not mean it can be effec-
tively wielded in combat) or increase your damage
output in any way; it is purely applicable to carrying.
Your character effectively weighs about half as much
as they look like they should.
Prerequisites: Body:Resilience 2.
Reclaimed Dermal Denticles: While
shark Vectors do have somewhat rougher skin than
dolphin Vectors do, it’s far from sandpaper. This
operation brings it up to the level of its underwater
progenitor, and pushes it up a bit further, serving as
a light ablative layer with a few other perks.
Effect: This Surgery adds 5 extra hitpoints
to your character, as well as increasing their Fist
base damage to Body:Strength+1. In aquatic
environments, their movement score is increased by
2 before other modifiers take place.
Prerequisites: None.
Reclaimed Lateral Line: Though not
nearly as sophisticated a sensor as the Ampullae of
Lorenzini, this pressure-sensitive system can alert
you to the presence of objects outside your immedi-
ate view.
Effect: You cannot be caught off guard by
a melee attack. Even if approached from a hidden
position, this sense will alert you to any moving
body within three hexes. It will not expose hidden
bodies that are holding still, however. This
counters any bonuses normally afforded
to a melee stealth attack.
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Prerequisites: Body:Acuity 2.
Reclaimed Nictitating
Membrane: This third eyelid usual-
ly snaps closed on sharks during
the moment of their bite, to protect
their eyes against thrashing prey. That
function (hopefully) has little use in
civilized company, but the anatomy is helpful
when exploited in other ways. This is one of
the only Reclaiming Surgeries that includes
digital components.
Effect: Your character gains the
benefits of a Utilit-i, as described in the
Surgery chapter of the HSD rulebook. It
is installed directly into your nictitating
membrane rather than into your eye itself,
and as such has slightly different rules:
-This implant does not count against your
active implant count, even when in use.
-Instead of lowering your Body:Acuity by
1 when deactivated, it lowers your Body:Acuity
by 1 while in use. Even though your nictitating
membranes are mostly clear, part of the benefits
of a true Utilit-i is the brain interface which allows
you to naturally process the digital signals without
distraction. Lacking that, this version is a bit like
having flashing lights in your eye.
-Technically, this implant is always on. When
you want to use it, no check is required. Declare that
you’re activating your membrane and it will slide
over your eye to provide you with the usual benefits
of this implant and the minuses listed above. If a
future implant requires a Utilit-i as a prerequisite,
this counts.
Prerequisites: Mind:Dexterity 2.
129
 Ungulatae
Reclaimed Horizontal Pupils: Your
eyes have been adapted to mimic those of a goat,
with rectangular, horizontal pupils that
allow for a 340 degree field of vision.
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Effect: Your field of view has
increased to every direction except
for hexes in a line immediately behind
you. You gain +1 dice to Spot checks
that involve searching for or noticing
things in your surroundings, including
enemies that are attempting to hide
from you to execute stealth attacks.
Prerequisites: Spot 2.
Reclaimed Horsepower: The
sheer hauling ability of the conventional
equine was so legendary, it was used as a
generic term for overall power for years
back in the days of humanity. The history is
somewhat missing in the common day, but
the term stuck around. Through short bursts
of metabolic energy, you’ve stimulated your
own muscles to outperform when needed,
though there’s a cost involved.
Effect: You can increase your Body:Strength
score by 1. This effect costs 5 hitpoints to activate and
lasts for 1 minute per hitpoint sacrificed to power
it. Additional hitpoints beyond the 5 can be spent
to extend the effect. Hitpoints sacrificed in this way
count against your overall health in the same way an
injury would, except that they require the consump-
tion of a meal to begin recovering. After eating, they
recover at a rate of 5 per hour until they’ve restored.
The ability can only be activated as many times per
day as you have points in Body:Resilience.
Prerequisites: Survival 2, Athletics 2.
Reclaimed Ironhooves: Most Ungulates
rubberize their hooves and forego shoes unless
they require some form of leg protection. Hooves
themselves are quite durable, but by integrating
mineral replacement technologies, they can be
reinforced with metallic and carbon alloys to
transform them into a naturally growing, extremely
hard material, far in excess of their natural
130 state. Sadly, the same technology cannot be
applied to horns. It seems the resulting transforma-
tions to the skull have unfortunate side effects on
the brain.
Effect: Your feet can now tread over hazard-
ous surfaces with impunity, regardless of tempera-
ture, texture or other harmful effects that may be
associated with stepping on them. In addition, your
feet are now strong enough to be employed as a
bashing or cutting tool, allowing you to do things
like sever cables, kick though surfaces, etc. Your legs
are no stronger than before, so it may take time and
various tests depending on the action, but you are
assumed to possess a hardened tool capable of the
accomplishing the task.
Prerequisites: Body:Resilience 2.
Reclaimed Protrusions: In the era of
modern conflict, having antlers or horns, even sharp
ones, isn’t terribly advantageous. They get in the
way most of the time, and even if they could gore an
unarmored opponent, they’re likely to break in the
process, hurt your neck, or at the very least, require
you to lower your head toward your enemy to use
them. This operation makes use of the genetic keys
required to generate these protrusions in the first
place and redirects them in a way that’s a little more
useful to bipedal living.
Effect: This surgery causes antler-like
protrusions to grow outward and downward from
your head in the form of many firm but flexible rods
around an inch in diameter. This new horn “hair”
overlaps in several layers and forms an almost
chitinous armored helm that provides protection
to the top of your head, neck, and upper back from
most basic attacks. It typically replaces any horns
you already had. Standard helmets can fit over this
hair with a little personal modification, and they
afford some protective qualities of their own.
This counts as a small shield worn on the
back. When damaged, it will grow back to full health
at a rate of 5 hitpoints per day. The effective protect-
ed areas by this shield are the top and back of the
head, the back of the neck, and the upper back. You
cannot claim cover from this shield directly, nor
can you use defensive actions to boost your cover
from it. It simply counts as active if you’re shot from
behind. Unless your enemy uses a Single Shot to
actively avoid it,you’re assumed to be hit here rather
than your exposed regions first.
 Prerequisites: Horns or antlers. This Reclaimed Metabolic Control: You
surgery is available to any character with the Horns can adapt your metabolism to slow down or speed
Morphism as well, regardless of family. up, depending on what’s needed. This can allow
you to achieve a sort of self-induced stasis if badly
Reclaimed Sure-footing: Borrowing
a page from mountain goats, you’ve regained an
uncanny sense of balance and foot placement

that leaves felines feeling more than a little
put-out.
Effect: As
Reclaimed Climbing
Grip for Rodentia, except
that your hands do not
need to be free for it
to work, and you do not gain
the grapple benefit. Characters
with this surgery often bypass
established paths in even urban
areas for alternative ones, even
if the savings in time is mere
seconds.
Prerequisites:
Body:Dexterity 2.
Ursidae
Reclaimed Bear-fisted Combat: You have
reinforced your mouth and hands to withstand the
abuse they’d receive if used in more “traditional”
bear activities. It cuts down your dexterity a bit, but
it keeps you from being disarmed. Unless someone
actually removes your arms. Ursine geneology
makes this operation much cheaper and easier than
it is in many other species.
Effect: As the Reinforced Claws surgery.
Prerequisites: As the Reinforced Claws surgery tend to exhibit odd eating habits and
surgery.
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injured, preventing
the usual shock associated with
major injury that is often just as
dangerous as the injury itself.
Effects: If you are reduced to
zero hitpoints, rather than make a
survival check as normal, you can elect
to hibernate. Your character is placed
at 1 hitpoint and appears dead (they
can naturally still be outright killed by
a vindictive enemy) but is essentially
stabilized and unconscious. They
can remain that way for up to 12
hours before their wounds will
actually kill them. Surviving
the Big One still applies. In
addition, in situations where
your character is in a low-to-
no oxygen environ-
ment, they can
force this affect to
remain alive and
dormate for up
to 10 hours.
Characters
with this
sleep like a rock.
131
 Prerequisites: None. superfood to sustain yourself. Your body preserves
energy through a slower metabolic process while
Reclaimed Olfactory: Canines aren’t you sleep. Characters who have taken this surgery
the only critters around with a legendary sense cannot take Macro Enhancement, and vice versa.
of smell. Yours is even better, though that’s Prerequisites: Reclaimed Metabolic
not always a perk. Control.
Effect: As the Canidae version, but
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once per day you can add your Scent
Proficiency score to another Proficien-
cy you’re using this with (Investiga-
tion or Navigation, for instance) and
roll your check as though they were
a single Proficiency (max value 4).
Characters with this surgery must take
a Mind:Resist or Mind:Dodge save (attack
value variable, but generally 9) in areas of
extreme odor (high enough to make a normal
person feel noticeably uncomfortable) or be
incapacitated by them. They will flee to fresh
air by the quickest route, and if none exists,
must try to control their breathing through
makeshift fabric filters or curl up and gag
until they can wrestle their nose under
control. They can re-test once every minute.
Prerequisites: Scent 1.
Reclaimed Polar Adaptation: Your
fur and skin are adapted to shrug off cold water and
resist freezing temperatures. Even more effective
than that of your progenitor race, this adaptation
can allow you to traverse lethally cold environments.
Effects: As the Delphinidae version. Charac-
ters with this surgery typically try to get away with
wearing as little clothing as they decently can, and
are very uncomfortable in full coverage armor.
A character with this operation and Reclaimed
Metabolic Control can go dormate in space or
underwater and remain alive for 10 hours (assum-
ing nothing irradiates or eats them).
Prerequisites: None.
Reclaimed Stature: Even small
bears are bulky, and the larger ones tower over
the average Vector. You have tapped into that size
without the usual nutritional requirements of
Macroism.
Effect: As the Macro Enhancement
132 general operation; however, you don’t need
IMPLANTS
Bliss emitter: This small implant is
somewhat optimistically named. Its actual function
is to radiate waves in concurrence with brain activity
at certain emotional levels, which causes the people
around you to gradually shift their moods. It can’t
make someone expressly angry or happy, but it can
set up feelings in the general vicinity that can easily
be pushed in one direction or the other by a talented
hand. These units are typically billed for private use
in areas that want to set up a certain ambiance, and
they must be clearly posted as active in the area if
the area is public. Naturally, there are many that are
used in somewhat more illegal fashions. It’s a risky
venture though; if someone realizes that they’re just
not feeling right, the unit itself is easy to detect with
the right equipment.
Effect: When you activate this implant,
declare if you’re going to aim it toward negative or
positive emotions. You don’t have direct control over
what people feel, but the unit will radiate a feeling
of general anxiety, stress and concern if pointed
toward negatives, and soothing, calming giddyness if
pointed toward positive. How people react to feeling
that way is largely up to their own personalities. In
negotiations, this usually serves as a good way to
lower the complexity of a given Community check
by 1, provided the feeling corresponds with whatev-
er you’re trying to accomplish. The emissions
from this unit are easy to detect with a Magic Ear
or just about any other system designed to notice
broadcasting; however, it’s somewhat more difficult
to notice you’re being manipulated by it enough to
warrant checking to begin with. Typically, NPCs will
pick up on this unit if they suddenly start feeling the
complete opposite of what they felt mere moments
earlier (but only if they have an innately suspicious
nature. Most casual individuals will brush it off as
a mood swing). From there, it takes a Mind:Dex-
terity+Spot check at complexity 2 to put the pieces
 Name Severity Re-education Corp(x,y) Cost
Bliss emitter Easy Easy Spyglass(2,2) 500
Drone Controller Very Easy Easy MarsCo(2,2) 800
Fi-op fur Moderate Easy Any(0,1) 500
Hive node Very Easy Easy MarsCo(0,1) 300
Inteliformic flesh Mild Mild ASR(3,2) 1000

Nanoassembler Mild Easy
Prosthetic utility Easy Easy
Pushframe network Moderate Mild
Reinforced Prosthetics Very Easy Easy
Remote vision Very Easy Easy
together about what might be wrong. This implant
only counts as active while in use.
Prerequisites: None.
Drone Controller: This spinal implant
allows the owner to take remote control of prepro-
grammed robotic drones for use in reconnaissance
and combat, allowing them to stay out of harm’s
way and let their surrogates do the dirty work. Very
popular among elite raiding parties, drones can soak
up firepower and do significant damage to thin out
resistance before the live bodies go in to mop up and
do the finesse work. They’re expensive, but it beats
dying, and a skilled roboticist can bring them back
up to working order with easily swappable parts if
they’re damaged.
Drones have a rudimentary working intelli-
gence that allows them to function with reasonable
autonomy, but they’re deliberately not programmed
to be very free-willed (lest the programmer be on the
hook for someone they accidentally kill). For opera-
tions requiring very discerning drone work, opera-
tors with NCS’s can patch directly into the drone’s
body, controlling it as though it were their own. This
significantly increases the drone’s abilities in most
cases, but also leaves the operator vulnerable, and
requires them to be pretty close to the action lest
their signal get hijacked.
Effect: Your character can now host a drone.
Drones will follow their controller around, stay in
locations, and can be given basic oral instructions
like “patrol this area,” “report activity back to me” or
“engage hostiles” without having to roll any dice. The
Drone Controller is a sophisticated identification
system that locks the drone to only your commands,
making them very difficult to hack or redirect while
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MarsCo(0,2) 800
Any(0,1) 200
MarsCo(1,2) 800
Any(0,1) 200
Any(0,1) 150
operating in the field. In order to keep it
safe in the event you yourself are attacked
electronically, the Controller is a separate,
isolated unit from a Neural Connectivity Suite,
even though the hardware doesn’t actually
do anything the NCS couldn’t handle on its
own.
If a character with a Drone Controller
also has an NCS, they can receive wireless
reports from their drone, issue it wireless
orders and addendum to previous orders,
and even take over its body in certain circum-
stances. All signals except the body control are
handled via public wireless networks unless the
operator has a personal network of their own (such
as one provided by a Hive, a Cogsune, or a Wireless
Hub) and as such can be intercepted, but the Drone
Controller’s security system ensures that a drone
will not accept commands or access from anyone
but its operator. At best, an opposing hacker can
stop the outgoing command by scattering signals.
Part of this security system is the digital signal key
that comes from having both an NCS and a Drone
Controller, and as such wireless commands cannot
be sent or received from your drone through other
hardware.
Drone Controllers can use the NCS’s own
wireless abilities to project a short range bubble
in which the drone can be used as an extension of
the operator’s body. This operation is extremely
data-heavy, and in order to keep the exchange secure
and lag-free, it only has an effective range of 100
feet and requires that the operator not be entire-
ly encased in dense material that might disrupt
the signal (locked in a room, for instance).
Practiced operators can use this ability to 133
 basically be in two places at once on the battlefield,
and it makes for a great way to storm corners or
force enemies to fight on two fronts.
Puppetting: Puppetting a drone allows
the operator to exist within the drone’s
body instead of their own. The drone
must be within 100 feet of the operator
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and there must be no ambient interfer-
ence designed to scatter a signal (basic
interference from various signals is
fine, but devices specifically designed
to scatter signals or disrupt electronics
will prevent puppetting). To puppet, a
character must have a Neural Connec-
tivity Suite.
In order to puppet a drone, the opera-
tor must make a Mind:Presence+Operate
check (standard action, complexity 2) to
initiate the link. Failure means they can’t
concentrate well enough to integrate with
the remote body. Critical failure will cause
the drone to reboot, which will deactivate
it for one full turn. Upon a successful link,
the operator becomes the drone. Replace the
drone’s Mind stats and all its Proficiencies
with the operator’s own scores. Drones can
be equipped with weapons beyond their own
ability to use, with the intent of being puppetted
in combat by an operator proficient in such items.
They will be useless until then, however.
The operator must remain motionless while
puppetting (but may otherwise act as normal on
their turn), and the link will be broken if their real
body sustains any damage. If they are attacked but
only their armor takes damage, the operator can
maintain the link by making a Mind:Presence+Op-
erate check as soon as the turn is finished. Drone
systems are carefully designed to be quick on the
uptake if this link should fail, so the drone’s own
AI will kick in immediately if the link is broken.
Operators must roll a Mind Resist save (attack
value 8+the number of rounds the operator was
puppetting) once a link is broken. If they fail, they
are too disoriented to act in their next turn. Because
of this effect, most combat operators will either only
puppet their drones in short bursts, or will entrench
themselves as best they can and use their drone
exclusively, expecting to have to take a few
134 moments to orient themselves when the
smoke clears. An operator may not begin
and end puppetry in the same round unless forced
to by damage.
Prerequisite: Operate 2, Mind:Presence 2.
Drone Controllers will not be sold from anywhere
but a Spyglass corptown to anyone with a criminal
record or known associations with criminals. This
system only counts as active when you have a drone
in your possession. As a legal and safety matter, if
you own a drone, it must be active and linked to your
controller, and you are responsible for its actions.
Drones
There are three basic drones available for
public purchase. None of them come with weapon-
ry upon purchase. Drones of up to Vector size are
considered utilitarian items provided they’re not
armed, but drones carrying weaponry or drones of
above average size are provocative in nature and
are not legal in most public areas without special
dispensation.
Drone hitpoints count as armor for any rules
that have specific functions regarding one vs. the
other. For items that “ignore” armor, the stipula-
tion has no effect and they deal damage as normal.
Drones do not make Survival rolls as they diminish
in hitpoints (it is assumed the damage is superfi-
cial until they reach zero, at which point a critical
component has been hit and they cease to function).
Unlike armor, however, Drones require the Robotics
proficiency to “heal,” and do so in the same fashion
described for Cogs. They can’t be repaired in hospi-
tals, however. No one is going to surrender bed-space
for your toy robot. Drones can be repaired even if
reduced to zero hitpoints (provided the Guide has
determined the damage did not outright obliterate
them) but repairs at that stage will require time
(several days to a week) and a safe place to work.
MC-Aerial reconnaissance drone become profoundly more adept when puppetted by
MarsCo, 400 credits a skilled operator.

MC-At-Arms tactical drones use the

Simple Combatant template from the HSD
core rulebook, with all their stats
set at the lowest end of the provid-

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ed ranges. From there, they may be
equipped as the operator sees fit,
and will be susceptible to any rules
related to weight and strength for
equipment and weapons.

This basic flying drone is a personal favorite

among teams with varied jobs. While not capable
of mounting heavy firepower, its speed and utility
make it ideal for jobs ranging from light suppression
to observation to investigation.

MC-ARD’s use the Light Civil Defense

Drone template from the HSD core rulebook.
They begin with 30 hitpoints and no inventory.
They can mount a single small ranged weapon
and carry up to 3 clips of ammo for it in an
adjacent hopper.

MC-At-Arms tactical drone

MarsCo, 650 credits

This bipedal robot is noteworthy less for its

innate abilities (which are fairly modest) and more
for its compatibility with Vector equipment. It can
wear armor, carry weapons, and provides familiar
anatomy and dexterity when being puppetted.
This allows it to be a formidable force in a combat
situation without having to actually pay for a bigger,
meaner robot. There is a running joke with the
At-Arms tac line of them being slackers unless the
boss is watching, stemming from the fact that their
integrated operations systems have a hard time
engaging even a single target by themselves, but they 135
 MC-At-Arms Bulwark drone
MarsCo, 1200 credits
The Bulwark is mobile cover, plain and
simple. Typically not puppetted, its job
is to stick close to its operator and go
where it’s told, while being shot at.
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Pro�iciencies: CQC:2
Wide stance: The large gorilla-like stance of the
Bulwark drone takes up a T-shaped area one the hex
grid, with the front being three hexes wide and the
back being a hex in the middle. The Bulwark drone is
not slowed by difficult terrain unless that terrain is

They’re large, heavy and expensive, unstable or fragile in some way, as the machine itself
but can make advancing on a position weighs over half a ton.
much safer. The integrated gun mounts
are also handy, but more than one team Ride-able: The Bulwark drone features a stand-
has made the mistake of fixating their ing platform on its back section that can allow a
attention forward while the enemy was character that only occupies one hex to ride it as it
slipping around behind them. moves, maintaining their position relative to its own
without spending movement actions. While riding,
they benefit from the drone as cover, and if they
MC-At-Arms Bulwark drone
spend a defensive action to duck down, they are fully
concealed from incoming fire from the front. Other
Hitpoints: 700
characters can advance behind the two other cover
Readiness: 2
hexes provided by the drone and will benefit from it
Movement: 2
as cover, but must spend defensive actions to boost
Battle pool: 8
that cover as normal. Because the drone is a moving
object and at least partially adaptive to incoming
Mind: d8
fire, enemies do not benefit from the normal 7-to-hit
Dexterity: 1
advantage of shooting directly at cover when shoot-
Resilience: 1
ing at the drone. Likewise, the drone itself is not
Acuity: 1
“cover” and takes full damage from incoming shots.
Strength: 1
Presence: 1
Hard mount: The Bulwark drone features a
weapons mount that can secure up to a L.A.N.-sized
Body: d12
Ranged weapon, to be operated by the person riding
Dexterity: 1
the drone. This removes any Strength requirements
Resilience: 4
of the user (though they must still have adequate
Acuity: 1
Proficiency to use the weapon). The gun
Strength: 4
can only be pointed at targets in front of the
Presence: 1
drone, and the gunner cannot benefit
from ducking down in any turn
they fired the gun (though they can
spend defensive actions as normal
to increase their save). Movement
restrictions featured in any mounted
weapon still apply to the drone.

Big, strong hands:

The Bulwark drone
is not a dexterous
machine. Its forelimbs are
designed for stability and
walking and can’t wield any sort of
136 Vector weaponry, even while puppetted.
It can, however, attack by punching and grabbing. Its
close combat attacks use the Fist template but count
as lethal and do an additional 5 base damage.
Fi-op Fur: This dermal adjustment implant
combines several natural elements to create a
remarkable result. By converting your fur to trans-
parent strands and embedding your follicles with
luminous reactants that can be controlled through a
minor brain implant, Your whole body can be turned
into what is essentially a display blanket. This surgery
is popular among artists and dancers who use their
mind’s eye to “paint” actively on themselves, and is
a great way to call attention to oneself in a crowd.
It has camouflage applications as well, but they’re
somewhat muted. For one, this system isn’t directly
hooked to your eyes, so mimicking your background
is entirely based on your ability to mentally “draw”
the thing behind you on yourself with light and color.
For two, you’d have to be naked.
Effects: Your character counts as having
the bio-luminescence Morphism, but may turn it off
when they don’t want its traits (they don’t need to be
glowing). In addition, this implant can display things
as crisply and clear as a display blanket can, but
isn’t directly translating what you see to your body.
A Mind:Dexterity+Express (complexity 2) check is
required to accurately mimic a texture onto yourself
for the purposes of trying to blend in. If you have
an Utilit-i implant (or something that counts as one)
this check is not necessary, as the eye can transmit
to your Fi-op Fur directly. This implant only counts
as active while in use.
Prerequisites: None. While this is labeled
as “fur” the same technology can be applied to feath-
ers, fur or other biological surfaces. It does not work
on hardskin or intelliformic flesh.
Hive Node: This NCS system creates a local
knowledge hub for you and a collection of other
users that allows them to share their thoughts as
a gestalt consciousness. Its integration in everyday
society has been rocky since its debut. The benefits
to a hive consciousness are rather phenomenal, but
the inherent flaws range from troubling to terrify-
ing. Your mind and memories become a part of the
hive, and are accessible to everyone in it. They recall
your childhood as vividly as you do, can relate to
your experiences on your level, and can use your
skills as readily as they do their own. This can grant
an almost supernatural level of understanding and
contemplation, where many minds can be applied to
any problem and many lifetimes can be searched
for solutions. When united by a common
philosophy, hives typically run smoothly
and beautifully. The problem comes
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from members who aren’t as committed
as they thought they were when they
joined.
Successful hives follow the
ideology of “becoming” a certain thing.
Each new mind helps advance that goal,
and each person is happy because they
are getting closer to that goal with each
integration. Because the hive is everyone,
everyone will benefit from the journey and
destination. They will all be whatever it is
they’re trying to become. They will not,
however, be “individuals.” They will be the
One Thing, reflected through every member.
Those members who end up retracting from
the idea of giving up themselves to become
something greater can inadvertently snap
shut a trap that will destroy them. The mind
instinctively recoils from the judgment of the
hive, but can’t escape. The shared consciousness
becomes invasive rather than invited, and the result
is nothing less than mental rape. Forced hiving is
categorized as one of the most vile tortures available,
as it not only destroys a person’s individuality and
consciousness, it strips them of their mental defens-
es by removing their individuality. Often, their only
recourse is to become a drone: a connected member
of the hive who has lost direct connection to their
body, surrendered their memories to the whole, and
is now nothing but a walking shell to be used and
maneuvered as the hive sees fit.
Transitory hivers (largely considered to be
the “best” way) join the collective whole during set
periods of the day, on a timer, which allows them
to set their thoughts to a rhythm, extend outward
into the hive, and retract smoothly and gradually
back into themselves. Transitory hiving has been
shown to be safe and very beneficial if engaged in
responsibly, but it does have strongly addictive
properties. The other downside (at least in the eyes
of a fully integrated hive) is that a transitory
hive is inherently self-defeating in its goal.
It’s essentially a glorified commune, rather 137
 than a method for the creation of a new and perfect
entity. Win some, lose some.
For obvious reasons, player characters will
rarely, if ever, be full time hive members. Howev-
er, it’s likely they’ll encounter a hive at one
point or another, so it’s good to know
how they function. Hive wireless signals
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typically piggyback off members and
protected hubs owned by the hive
itself. Hive signals cannot pass through
public networks. While hiving is a legal
choice for an adult to engage in, it’s too
dangerous to allow them to be accessi-
ble without invitation. While joined to
a hive, any problem a character is forced
to address is effectively addressed by the
entire hive at once. Small or specialized
hives may be limited by the extent of their
knowledge pool (for example, a hive of
doctors may be perfect surgeons, but just
because they have 100 minds joined togeth-
er doesn’t mean any of them know how
to strip a spaceship reactor), but massive,
diverse hives can usually provide enough
accumulated knowledge to tackle anything.
While this seems fantastic, it’s marred by the
inherent flaw of a communal personality: decid-
ing what to do. Hives are governed by “the Ideal,”
the concept that drew them together to begin with.
Hives with a focused ideal ignore other things that
detract from the pursuit of that ideal. Small hives
with unfocused ideals typically exist just to be a
means to explore and share experiences (transito-
ry hives). Large hives with large, branching ideals
almost invariably become hazardous and need to be
shut down. When the goal is “do everything” and the
task becomes easier by “collecting everyone,” you
have a recipe for disaster.
Effects: Player characters generally won’t
be joining large hives; it’s counterproductive to the
goal of the gaming experience, as they stop being
themselves and start being everyone. However, it’s
only when hives reach about 25 people that the
sensations and immersions become so overlapping
that it is no longer possible to pick individuals out
of the collective whole. Small hives (like the player
party) are far less all-consuming, and can allow
players to share their experiences and
138 thoughts with each other while maintaining
their individuality. While hived, charac-
ters share thoughts, experiences, memories, and
sensations. Other members of a small hive feel like
limbs, albeit very complicated limbs. It is still easy
to discern who is feeling what and how each person
is reacting to that feeling or memory. It isn’t possible
to hide things such as information or emotion (the
very act of trying would alert everyone else to the
intent) so trust is a major factor in a successful hive
situation; however, for small groups who are only
joining for short periods, there is a degree of privacy
that comes from simple lack of exploration. Hives
don’t “download” information into you in a read-file,
they open up memories. That means that people will
only “know” information that they actively attempt
to remember using someone else’s mind. A person
who joins a hive and leaves it an hour later without
ever trying to remember what someone else in the
hive had for dinner last night will not have that infor-
mation to call on once they’re disconnected. If they
tried to remember while still hived, it would come
to them clearly, and that memory would persist
once they’d left the link. In role play, this simply
means that your party members know whatever it
is they actually try to recall while connected; they
don’t have a manual on you they can search at their
leisure.
To activate a hive, characters with a Hive
Node only need to activate it and link up. However, to
hive safely it is necessary to maintain a schedule of
when, and for how long, the link will be maintained.
Without establishing this rhythm, the innately
addictive effects of hiving can quickly overcome a
person’s ability to operate independently of the link.
It only takes about 4 sessions to begin a hive addic-
tion. If the schedule is maintained and discipline is
preserved, then your characters can end the hive
permanently and suffer only a -1 to all Community
stats for a day past the next time they’re supposed to
be hiving. If the schedule is not maintained and they
simply do it whenever the mood hits them, then
the next time they’re “supposed” to (based on the
average amount of time between previous sessions)
, they will suffer dramatic withdrawals. Their Mind
and Community stats will both be reduced to 1,
and they will regain one dot per day until they’re
restored or hive up again.
When hived, any Mind-related check can
be independently rolled by every person in the
hive, with the maximum allowed benefit of Help,
at the highest available Proficiency level, regard-
less of other people’s current activities. If anyone
succeeds, the check is considered successful. Small
hives can’t engage in combat while hived. While the
effect of a massive hive on the combat abilities of its
members is amazingly beneficial, it is reliant on the
gestalt consciousness absorbing the experience and
dispersing it. In a small hive, where the members
damage and contamination. Inteliformic flesh is
hydrophobic and instantly sheds any liquid that
touches it. It also has an adaptive pH, which makes
it immune to acids and most corrosive substances.
The nanoflesh itself is somewhat reactive
to incoming trauma, which lets it seal
wounds quickly and deflect excess

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are still individuals, all the fear and anger and worry energy. It is immune to skin blights and
gets compounded and resonates from single mind flesh diseases. These properties result
to single mind like an echo, and can bring the entire in the following effects:
group to its knees from the first shot fired. Special ammunition does not
Hives are primarily intended as a narrative affect a character with
tool for Guides more than as something for players to this implant. Negate the
take. However, if your party wants a truly challeng- extra effect and treat
ing role play experience, this can be a great one to the ammo as though
try and act out. it were standard.
Prerequisites: Neural Connectivity Suite. If the character is
Hive Nodes only count as an active implant when wearing coverage level 3
turned on. armor, this ability is
negated.
Inteliformic flesh: Megacorps work
together on projects more often than their citizen-
ry would typically believe. The sheer amount of
resources available to these organizations means
that working with each other can produce truly
amazing products. Most often, MarsCo is one of the
participants. Its size and stability makes it a neutral
party. Hardskin, which bears the TTI label, was a
result of one of these joint efforts. The product was
of particular interest to ASR, who wanted something
similar that could be applied to both Vectors and
Cogs. Through a joint operation with the same
MarsCo team that helped develop TTI’s Hardskin,
ASR created the Inteliform system.
Inteliformic flesh is a biologically neutral
nanite-based substance that replaces the flesh of
the owner with a new, smooth, glossy dermis with
a myriad of new protective features. The implant is
based out of a generator installed in the spine, which
converts the owner’s flesh into an inteliformic flesh
(while they’re asleep for the surgery, mercifully).
This new flesh is refreshed on a minute-by-minute
basis from the generator and the circulation of the
owner’s Nublood, which keeps it taut, smooth and
lustrous for the entirety of the owner’s life. Along
with its new appearance, it features a small set of
gill-like slits which help facilitate a cooling and
filtration system. While it doesn’t provide
any natural armor like Hardskin does, it
is actively resistant to certain forms of
 This skin can comfortably regulate your
body temperature in the same ranges that Cogs
can without additional protection. Externally, this
skin is the same temperature as its environment
and is invisible to thermal cameras.
Characters with this skin are
protected from the effects of radio-
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active environments.
Characters with this skin do not
scar permanently from wounds
received in combat, though they can
still lose limbs and suffer internal
injuries.
Characters with this skin gain a
new ability: Inteliformic repair. To
initiate an Inteliformic repair, the character
need only declare it (standard action), and
their body will immediately regenerate d12
hitpoints as their inteliform system patches
up their surface wounds. This can be done
as many times as the character wishes, but
each time, they must roll a d8 afterward.
On a 1, they will advance to the next level of
inteliformic creep (described below). Each
time they use this ability in a day, the chance
advances by one. So the second roll will be a 2
or below, the third will be a 3 or below, etc. They
can still elect to heal normally via the usual means
instead.
Prerequisites: Nublood.
Inteliformic creep: Inteliform nanosys-
tems are self-replicating, but not to an excessive
degree. They’re kept carefully balanced by the
spinal unit and can’t simply consume material to
make more of themselves. However, their self-repair
systems are linked to the metabolism of the owner,
and it is possible to tweak the output of that system
for greater performance. It has a price: as the nanite
population of your body grows, your appearance will
begin to change and more of your anatomy will be
converted to inteliformic replacements. While this
isn’t inherently “harmful,” it does pull you further
and further away from normalcy. People who have
drifted too far down this stream are barely recog-
nizable as humanoid anymore, and their mentality
typically reflects that. Inteliformic creep is perma-
nent; the only way to return to a previous
140 level is to get an entirely new body.
Inteliformic creep can be prevented
on a programming level, but the limiting process
itself is a double-edged sword that has proven to
be a bit of an issue regarding the whole Inteliformic
flesh process. People are aware that it can repair
itself pretty safely, so they’re more inclined to take
risks (it’s often why they get the operation to begin
with). Risks lead to more strenuous repair, which
leads to an overproduction of nanites. Overpro-
duction leads to Inteliformic creep. However, if the
flesh were programmed to not overproduce, the
subject would die from injuries sustained under
the mistaken impression that their skin would save
them. Which would either lead to declining sales, or
worse, homebrew hacks to force the nanoproduction
mechanism to overperfrom, which could result in
horrible consequences. ASR decided the best option
was a big fat warning label and a pretty hands-off
approach to the whole thing afterward.
Inteliformic creep is reflected in three
levels. The first is the most common, and is easy
to maintain so long as you don’t deliberately force
your system to overproduce. This is the level you’re
at post-surgery, with nearly all of your recognizable
features intact (though your fur, if you had any, will
be gone). This appearance is a little startling, but not
all that bizarre. You look a bit like a smoother, more
reflective reptile, and all the various facial expres-
sions and body language people use to feel comfort-
able with other people is intact. Your appearance
speaks of money a bit, as the operation isn’t cheap,
but other than that it won’t interfere with your
everyday existence much.
Second level creep reflects a system that has
overproduced, resulting in excessive nanite levels
that have unbalanced your Nublood support system.
To rebalance before your body succumbs to toxicity,
the Inteliform implant has consumed your skeletal
structure, replacing it with a nano support system.
This process is frighteningly simple to allow, and
most people who end up in a second level creep
never realized they were heading that way. By its
very nature, the Inteliform system has taps into
your pain and sensation centers. When the nanosat-
uration level gets too high, it simply turns off your
sensation systems and redistributes the nanites. You
literally go to sleep one way, and wake up forever
changed.
Second level Inteliformic flesh changes
your posture, making it somewhat more angular
and predatory than before. Because your skeletal
system is less rigid than before, it assists your agility
and dexterity as well. However, muscle memory is
designed to work against rigid bone structures.
When they’re absent and the nanites in your body
react to your emotions, the visual results are now
more dramatic and startling than they were before.
Your mouth is somewhat larger, hands are more
intensity electromagnetic interference. Casual
day-to-day exposure isn’t an issue, but direct
exposure to large emitters such as large radio
systems, CAT scan machines, magnetic lifts or
items specifically designed to blast disrup-
tive electromagnetic energy will cause
the nanites that make up your body to

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claw-like, and the Inteliform gill slits and vent fluctuate and become incoherent. When
systems are more pronounced. Second level creep exposed to this sort of interference, you
bodies don’t fit into standard clothing very well must make a Body Resist save (attack
anymore and are unnerving to look at. When they level 12) every minute, or immediately
move, their bodies almost flow a bit, flexing just
a little more than is natural. Second level creep
characters have all the abilities listed under
inteliformic flesh, with the following additions:
+1 Body: Dexterity
+1 die for Athletics, Swim and Survival
checks.
-1 die for all checks involving
Community that aren’t specifical-
ly hinging around viewing your
condition in a positive light. This
includes remaining inconspicu-
ous in a crowd.
This character can
squeeze through areas as
narrow as their brain. The
action isn’t painful, but does
take a while to pull off (about
a minute) and can’t be swiftly aborted once
begun, so it isn’t recommended in combat.
The character must be able to emerge on
the other side; they can’t move while
compressed.
This character gains a new
ability: Inteliformic pseudo-
pods. They can manifest long,
flexible tentacles that can be
used to grip, pull and ensnare
objects or people. These
effectively extend your reach
to three hexes beyond your
own and add +1 die to rolls
to maintain a grapple, climb
surfaces, and maintain balance.
This does not work in coverage level 2 or
higher armor.
Inteliformic
characters of this level
are vulnerable to high 141
 flee. If your character cannot flee the affected area who reach a third level flesh did so intentionally. It’s
within 3 minutes of failing the save, their body will difficult to get unbiased behavioral surveys out of
collapse into barely constrained goo. Its emergen- them; they clearly had some desire to no longer be
cy systems will keep you alive, but you will be what they were to begin with.
nonfunctional until you can be removed Appearance-wise, third level flesh essen-
from the offending energy. Lower the tially breaks down all previous semblances of rigid
Attack level of the save by 1 for each anatomy. Your character will still carry themselves
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coverage level of armor you’re wearing. in a roughly identical shape to what they once had,
You can feel when you’re entering an just out of convenience and because that’s what
area like this: your skin literally begins their brain is used to, but your movements will be
to crawl. Provided you’re not forced more of a diving, slinking, living suspension fluid.
in or it doesn’t spring up around you Solid and liquid at the same time. The expressions
when a high-powered reactor activates you’re used to making and the body language you
in the room, you can typically elect not use for communication will manifest as exaggerat-
to enter when you feel it coming. ed, wide mouths and multiple eye mockeries down
Second level flesh creep characters your body. The sizes of limbs, hands, and overall
can no longer receive surgical operations body structure are more based on your own mental
or implants. impression than they are on any physical require-
If submerged, you sink like a stone. ment, which usually results in exaggerated limbs
Inteliformic flesh and Nublood combined and heads, as those areas tend to provide the great-
greatly increases the relative density of your est degree of sensory input and interaction. The gill
body, and your skin breaks up the surface slits and vents are large and prominent, and the
tension of the water around you, making it entire appearance is frightening and bizarre. People
impossible to swim at this stage. You do still who allow themselves to reach this level typically do
require air to survive. Most second level and so out of a direct desire to disengage from society
above characters avoid deep water avidly, as completely.
it is essentially a death sentence if they fall in. In addition to the abilities listed in the
This can be ignored if you take care to completely previous two levels, third level flesh creep grants
cover yourself, but is a factor in most clothing this the following:
character is capable of weaing. +1 Body: Dexterity
+1 Body: Strength
Third level flesh creep is a total convergence +50 hitpoints
of body matter into inteliformic flesh. This occurs Implant consumption: When your
when nanite replication reaches a point so high body converts to this level, all your implants are
that it is no longer compatible with a mixed system. consumed in the process. Their abilities are likewise
The remainder of the original body is devoured, lost. Transcendent implants you already had are
and all that remains is an inteliformic replica. The unaffected.
complex system of nano-communication is capable Shapeless mass: Characters at this level
of duplicating your original brain patterns accurate- cannot wear clothing, armor, or bags for equipment.
ly enough that you probably won’t even notice you Though their bodies can assume a solid shape, that
no longer have a brain, but to those who know you shape is a result of their memories reflexively telling
well, changes in your behavior and mannerisms will their bodies to mimic familiar motions while moving.
begin to become clear after a while. The jury is still There is no memory engram for maintaining a fixed
out on whether these behavioral changes are a direct form; it’s simply something that happens as a result
result of the inteliformic brain, or simply because of having bones, joints and sinew. Worn equipment
the person who has been converted no longer feels simply falls off after a few minutes. Weapons can be
an attachment to their original race because they’ve carried as normal, as your body remembers how to
become so physically alien. The process is hold things.
entirely preventable so long as you don’t Additionally, your appearance is so fluid
142 force inteliformic repair, so most people and unnerving at this point that you cannot
negotiate or converse without it being an issue.
Community checks of any kind that don’t hinge on
you using your appearance to unnerve or intimidate
will fail unless the person you’re talking to knows
you personally or is otherwise familiar and prepared
for dealing with you. Crowds will give you wide
berths and, in some more conservative settings,
might panic or call the authorities because they
perceive you as a genuine threat. There is no public
area where you can move around in open view and
simply be “accepted,” and any building with security
concerns will likely not let you in without an escort.
Most people who reach this stage no longer engage
with society at large.
Head shots and limb shots no longer have
special properties against you.
Your body can squeeze through spaces
as small as an inch in diameter, and is capable
of moving itself even while compressed, so it
can travel through pipes and tunnels. You have
no innate means of navigating these areas beyond
instinct, however, and it’s not like it’s easy to bring a
map with you.
Though you are semi-fluidic, you are not
“a shapeshifter.” Your body can assume various
forms briefly because your memory instinctively
makes it mimic what you need, but it won’t remain
that way beyond its immediate use. Neuro-
plexes no longer work on you, as your
brain (and eyes) function completely
differently than they used to.
Persistent repair: The
Inteliformic repair ability is
replaced with this ability. At
the end of your combat turn,
you regain d12 hitpoints
automatically. It no longer contributes to creep:
your body is consuming itself to produce itself in
a perpetual dance of technological self-cannibal-
ism. Gruesome, but elegantly effective. You can no
longer be healed through traditional means
(but you really don’t need to be).
Self-sustaining: You do not need
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to eat, drink, sleep, or check for exhaus-
tion while doing sustained activity. Air
is all you require to maintain your body.
If you are reduced to zero hitpoints,
provided you have not been actively
destroyed (parts of your body disin-
tegrated) you will re-congeal in about
half an hour. If you have lost over 25% of
your body mass due to something actively
destroying it (beyond just bullet holes) you
will die, and cannot be revived through body
replacement surgery, as there is no longer
a brain to copy. You must make your usual
Survival rolls as you drop in hitpoints during
combat.
143
 The vulnerability to intense EM interfer-
ence extends to sound at this level. Hypersonics
(such as those emitted in the Echolocation surgery)
and extremely low frequency waves (such as those
emitted by Deadzone projectors) will cause
the same checks listed in the second
level entry in addition to any already
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damaging affects they may have. Check
weapon and item descriptions to see if
they can be included, but this is largely a
judgment call from the Guide. As a rule,
the vulnerability to these effects is not
commonly known. Enemies must have
passed a Mind:Strength+ASR, Security
or Medicine check at complexity 3 to
be aware of this situation, and even then,
they probably won’t be carrying applicable
equipment unless they already knew there
was such a creature in the party.
Sentinels
One would think TTI would be
rather nonplussed about having a compet-
itor in the synthetic skin business, but their
public reaction to the Inteliform system was
resoundingly positive. They applauded its
ingenuity and congratulated ASR on developing
a novel approach to a problem they themselves had
only recently solved. TTI is rarely known for having
the “less invasive” approach to a situation, but
when compared to the dramatic changes that could
occur when the Inteliform implant was pushed too
far, Hardskin looked downright tame. The reason
for their public accolade soon became apparent:
Hardskin and the Inteliform implant were compati-
ble. The diamond weave Hardskin had to be applied
after the flesh creep level had advanced to 3, and
could only be performed by expert surgeons in very
exact conditions, but the final result was the quint-
essential humanoid shock trooper. Both substances
worked to counteract each other’s weaknesses, and
did so beautifully. There are only a handful of Senti-
nels in existence at any given time; they’re simply
too risky to manufacture en masse. It is an honor
reserved for the most loyal career combatants for
TTI and ASR (those who are least likely to turn on
their handlers after the fact).
Sentinels are not intended to be player
characters, so there is no surgical profile for
144 them. They make for good NPC adversaries
and a fun way to retire a creep level 3 character if
you want them to return after “re-training” later in
the campaign as an NPC the party knows. Sentinels
have all the properties of level 3 flesh creep, but
their hitpoints increase by 250 points, they count as
wearing armor, they can function in airless environ-
ments for 10 minutes at a time (even space), they
can swim, and they no longer have the EM interfer-
ence or sound vulnerability. They also now have a
more structured body than before, so they can wear
armor and equipment as normal. Their ability to
squeeze through small areas does drop back down
to the equivalent of a second level creep character,
though.
Nanoassembler: This subdermal network
is a recent addition to the MarsCo product line and
is already serving as a stumbling block from a legal
standpoint. Miniaturized deconstructers embed-
ded in your hands can allow you to pull apart and
internally store complex objects in various cavities
embedded in your bones. You can then reassemble
them later by activating the return system and
having them generate in your hand. It’s a difficult
and invasive surgery, but very handy when you need
to transport something with the ultimate degree of
secrecy.
Effect: This system allows you to store one
object of Medium size or smaller internally without
showing any outward signs of possession. The
object is actually in a disassembled state of stored
particles, and will be reassembled on-demand in
the same condition it was initially stored in. Both
deconstruction and reassembly take 5 minutes
each. Both processes require you to remain still and
steady or the object will be permanently ruined.
While you can only reassemble the same object
you’ve disassembled, it is possible to use the raw
material in alternate ways. Any object you disassem-
ble can be reproduced as raw material, serving as
pry-bar, rudimentary shield of the same volume, or
some other basic, non-complex metal object. Such
an action requires a Mind:Dexterity+Craft check
and cannot be undone. Once you’ve converted the
original object into a chunk of mass, it can’t return
to what it was. This ability cannot be used in combat
or as any sort of offensive system due to the amount
of time it takes to work (though it makes for a rather
frightening torture tool if you have a restrained
victim in a narrative situation).
 Prerequisite: None.
Prosthetic utility: By integrating the
technologies at work in various Cog frames, it
is possible to give much of their functionality to
Vectors. The same variety is not available, but there
are several familiar options that are popular among
people who live in high Cog populations.
Effect: If your Vector has prosthetic legs,
they can give up their Momentum ability and any
movement-related perks of their Morphism and
instead gain the abilities of either the Maglev or
Wheeled Cog frame. They do not gain access to the
Specialization options, nor can they take any sort of
future surgery that would not logically function with
this new anatomy (Cheetah Speed or Pad Feet, for
instance). The technology to facilitate these changes
takes up any storage space in your original prosthet-
ic and dedicates it to this task; you can’t switch back
to normal feet without purchasing a replacement set
at the same cost as this operation.
Prerequisites: All your legs (however
many you may have) are prosthetic. The price listed
is per leg, and all legs must be replaced at once.
Naga-like bodies do not qualify for this operation.
Pushframe network: This implant is
very popular among spacers and Laterals. By increas-
ing the size and power systems of a Pushframe, it’s
possible to greatly increase its overall functionality.
This implant integrates the Pushframe system with
your spine and nervous system, allowing advanced
dexterity and multitasking with the unit as well as
giving it a greater range. The abilities provided by
this implant are useful and entertaining, but it’s
a remarkably unpopular procedure for a simple
reason: if ever you should be arrested or detained,
your system will have to be deactivated for the
safety of the officers. Large implants that integrate
with multiple areas of the body like this one are not
meant to be turned off. They leave a lot of metal and
invasive material sitting idle in your body. It starts to
itch, leaves you feeling like your skin is crawling, and
in some cases can even lead to panic or delirium.
The system can be reactivated upon your release,
but if you are convicted or imprisoned, it is typically
permanently disabled or surgically removed lest
you find some way to use it to escape. The operation
is usually executed with less care than was exercised
when it was installed. This isn’t generally a fear of
those who plan to live their lives within the law, but
one unfortunate night or misunderstanding can lead
to a very unpleasant situation.
Effects: This functions as a
Pushframe, but with the following
changes: It now has a range of 10 feet
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and can lift objects of up to 5 pounds
in weight. This effect can work through
walls provided the wall has no large
metallic components inside (most
homes and basic structures don’t, but
ships, reinforced walls or industrial
complexes will). While still not power-
ful enough to be used as a weapon in and
of itself, it can be employed to great effect
in combat as a means of manipulating distant
objects. It requires a standard action, after
which you can move a light object, close a
door, hang a rope, press a button across a
room, or do whatever else you need to do.
The system cannot produce adequate torque
to yank something from someone’s hands,
but it can remove things from pockets.
This implant allows you to use the same
impulses you would use to move your natural
body, so when manipulating distant objects to
do things that would require a check (picking a lock,
for instance) use whatever Stat you would use if you
were there doing it in person. The implant will not
function in areas with active electromagnetic inter-
ference.
Prerequisites: None.
Reinforced Prosthetics: Boosting the
overall strength of an artificial limb has long term
debilitating effects on a body. Aside from making
you heavier on one side, most bodily actions are
not isolated. Lifting something with an arm involves
muscles going clear down to the legs, most of which
will not share the same power granted to your
mechanical limb. However, it is possible to substan-
tially reinforce a prosthetic with fewer mechanical
sacrifices, if the owner is willing to give up a few
things.
Effect: By removing the internal storage
capacity of an Artificial Limb and the sensory net
typically included on such devices, it can be
made considerably more resilient. It now 145
 functions as though it were made of unfeeling steel,
and as such can be used to deflect incoming attacks as
a Medium weapon, handle hot or cold objects, wedge
things open or generally accomplish anything you
could accomplish with a big metal limb.
There is a basic pressure sensitivity
system integrated on the limb so you
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can tell when something is touching it,
but beyond that, it doesn’t experience
sensation. Attacks made with the limb
tend to hit harder due to the lack of
concern for personal harm, and as such
14
add 2 damage to each unarmed impact. Reinforced
Prosthetics emphasize durability over power, and
are made from very resistant material capable of
enduring a great deal of punishment without break-
ing. When being used to deflect damage, the limb is
considered to have 80 hitpoints, and can be repaired
as Cogs are.
Alternatively, this arm can be restructured
to contain a small to medium sized gun directly
integrated into the limb itself. While not in use, the
gun is completely concealed. The arm will split and
separate to expose the weapon as a standard action.
It is then loaded and used as normal. If you take
this option, pay for the gun with the surgery. Your
limb loses the afore mentioned durability, however.
Just treat it like a standard prosthetic; slamming a
gun barrel repeatedly into an object doesn’t make it
shoot very well.
Prerequisites: Artificial limb. This
implant effectively takes the place of the previous
one you had installed. You can swap back and forth,
if you want to carry it around. People might think
you’re a little weird, though. Every new gun you
wish to purchase for the gun option requires a
limb to be tailored to it, and as such requires this
implant to be purchased again.
Remote vision: This UI upgrade greatly
increases the Utilit-i’s wireless range and
enhances its own signal security. The more
powerful receiver also makes it possible to
intercept other people’s less secure standard
Utilit-i signals.
Effect: The UI’s un-networked wireless
range is boosted to a mile, and now requires
a successful hack check of complexity 3 for other
people to break into. You can also detect wireless
camera signals within a mile and “see” through
them. The security of each signal will vary, but most
basic ones (including unsecured utilit-is) will only
require one success. To make a hack attempt at all,
however, you need a way to mentally interface with
the code. Otherwise, you can only pick up complete-
ly open camera systems.
Prerequisites: Utilit-i. If you wish to hack
into secured signals, a Neural Connectivity Suite is
required. This implant is an upgrade to an existing
Utilit-i, and effectively replaces it once taken. Its
activation rules are the same at the Utilit-i.
 Stimplant: A veritable pharmacy in your in their circles. However, as is the case with most
body, Stimplants can rapidly manufacture a host of
chemical effects to supplement a user’s own abilities
on demand. Stimplants were invented by Progenitus
as a means of combating chemical deficiencies in
the body without radical surgery or organ replace-
ment. It still serves that purpose, but the chemical
manufacturing system in the device is so simple to
reprogram that they’re often abused even by those
who actually needed them to begin with. Stimplants
mark one of the more publicly noticeable failings
in the Progenitus moral code: everyone knows the
majority of Stimplant users are going to misuse
them, but they’re still available with a simple doctor’s
referral. The money’s just too good, and people look
the other way.
Effect: This device can simulate the effect
of any available Stim on demand, without the need
for further injection systems. All the pros and cons
of whatever Stim is being used still apply. Addition-
ally, this machine can simulate biological responses
within a character in response to stimulation, which
has made it popular among infiltration agents who
can key the release of painkillers and depressants to
things that would normally hurt or frighten them. It
does not, however, provide any additional physical
protection, which has led to many individual organi-
zations banning their use. The ability to ignore pain
has been repeatedly shown to lower the overall life
expectancy and efficiency of agents.
Prerequisites: This system cannot be
legitimately purchased without “a reason.” The
reason can be as simple as bribing a doctor or calling
in a favor, but it is still recorded upon installation and
the unit is required to inject “something” into your
body on a daily basis to justify itself. The “something”
can be fairly benign (caffeine, dopamine, serotonin,
etc.) but will still count as using a Stim every day,
thus lessening the overall number you can take
before negative effects begin to set in. Stimplants
must be refilled with raw materials every 20 uses
(not counting the automatic ones) at the cost of 40
credits.
Cog surgical rules
Cogs may select any Implant at the listed price,
Cog society frowns on personal modification with the exception of the Aestus Leech
for the sake of utility, which makes many of the and Transcendent Implants. Cogs can have
standard Vector surgical options rather unpopular Transcendent Implants, but must acquire 147
things, there is a fine balance between “forbidden”
and “forgivable.” ASR did not want to promote a
race that wouldn’t have any need for their other
services, after all.
Within every Cog is the potential
for several mechanical expansions. This
SURGERY
is mechanically limited based on the
established Cog blueprint more than any
specific technological inadequacy; they
can certainly house and access more
than they’re currently specced for. But
Cogs are inherently phobic of exceed-
ing their specifications, for a variety of
reasons. There’s the general social rule
of not making a tool of yourself, as well as
health concerns that stem from overloading
one’s own systems and potentially causing
irreparable damage to one’s core conscious-
ness. But the big one is a fear of obsoles-
cence. If more and more Cogs begin to show
contempt for their abilities and begin to
mod in excess of their design, the entire race
may eventually have to “upgrade” in order to
avoid a major divide in ability. This could have
horrific ramifications for their relationship with
Vectors, with un-upgraded Cogs, and their entire
public image as living beings rather than pieces of
hardware.
Implants and Surgery
Cogs may not receive surgical operations as
described in the HSD core rulebook, with the excep-
tion of General Surgery and Body Replacement, the
mechanical equivalent of which can be performed at
most hospitals.
Cogs may have up to 5 Implants installed at a time,
and they may all be active or inactive at the will of
the owner. Because Cogs already communicate with
their body through digital signals and language,
communing with their implants is a natural sensa-
tion for them. This also makes surgical reeducation
and recovery a lot faster.
 them without TTI’s assistance. This will require
some sort of narrative hook determined by your
Guide, will almost certainly be illegal, and will mark
your Cog as a level 5 enemy of TTI if ever their
implant should be discovered (though they
will pursue you quietly rather than
openly). The Severity of every normal
SURGERY
implant is set at Easy, and the reeduca-
tion period is Very Easy.
In addition, Cogs have access to the
following ASR (2,2) implants that are
exclusive to them:
Name Cost
NuBlood synthesis 500
Power Reserves 1000
Twinning Node 300
NuBlood synthesis: This system
allows Cogs to use Nublood as a replace-
ment for their own fluid systems. Cogs gain
even fewer benefits from this procedure
than Vectors do, but it does grant them one
specific boon that makes it very attractive
to some Cogs in particular: the ability to host
Inteliformic flesh.
Effect: Gain the bonuses listed in the
Nublood surgical entry. This character now counts
as having Nublood for any future implant that may
require it.
Prerequisites: None.
Power Reserves: This implant supple-
ments the Cog internal power distribution system
with a secondary power source that can be actively
reassigned where it’s most needed. This can grant
the Cog superior strength in a pinch, but can’t be
maintained over extended periods.
Effect: Your Cog has a reserve pool of
dots that can be assigned to any Body trait in any
combination at will, for 10 minutes each. When you
activate this implant, roll Mind:Dexterity+Robotics.
For every success, you can assign a dot to one of
your Body traits, up to the maximum level. After the
ten minutes are up, it takes an hour for your power
reserves to restore again. A critical failure on your
power reserve roll results in a power surge,
148 reallocating power throughout your body.
Randomly pick two Body traits (a d10 divided by 2
works well). The first will be reduced to 1 dot, and
the second will be increased to 5, for the duration of
the 10 minute effect.
Prerequisites: Body:Resilience 3.
Twinning node: Body swapping is
medically possible even for Vectors, but it’s a messy
process organically. Things just don’t line up very
well, and it typically results in disorientation and
poor motor function. Cog signals are all digital,
even if they’re not inherently aware of what code is
being sent to where in their bodies. This node maps
that code, and allows two Cogs to seamlessly swap
bodies without any of the vomiting generally associ-
ated with organic attempts. Socially, this implant
is a bit of a touchy subject among some Cogs.
Twinning nodes are calibrated to specific partners.
Once bonded, only those two individuals can swap
bodies. Naturally this implies a certain relationship
between the pair. The relationship itself is not the
problem, it’s more the division in body identity. Most
Cogs view their physical bodies to be as private and
personal as Vectors do. Some Cogs don’t at all, and
centralize most of their identity inward. For those
Cogs, twinning is a useful utility. For the former,
it’s a very personal exchange. It comes down to the
individual.
Effect: As a standard action, once per turn,
a Cog can swap bodies with their established “twin.”
Both Cogs must have a twinning node they have
chosen to link to one another at a previous point.
When swapped, all Mind, Community, and Profi-
ciency scores travel with the personality. Body and
Economy scores stay with the body. Focus abilities
are not usable in swapped bodies (the necessary
familiarity is not present). Swapping requires a
digital handshake to be successful; if either side
should refuse, the swap cannot be forced. Its range
is effectively hundreds of miles provided there is a
wireless signal present between both bodies; howev-
er, signal clarity across interplanetary distances is
not sufficient to transmit this level of information.
Prerequisites: Both twins must have the
same Body:Presence score.

EXPANDED ered nonexistent at any depth beyond a few feet.
RULES
The rules laid out in the HSD core rulebook
for the treatment of several factors were designed
to give you the tools you needed to run a diverse
campaign simply, without loading it down with
detail that may never come up in actual play. The
following chapter expands on many of the rules
regarding environmental interaction, social interac-
tion and various play dynamics in order to provide
greater challenges to groups who want to include
them in their story. These rules are fairly granular;
don’t feel compelled to include them if your group’s
narrative style doesn’t require it. They’re here for
those players that like having numbers to attach to
the world they’re playing in.
As mentioned above, the rules here are
optional additions. Toward the end of this book
is a short addendum and FAQ section which
includes rules that have been officially changed
to make the game as a whole run smoother. Be
sure to check those out, even if you decide your
game doesn’t need the additions listed here.
Brightness: Ambient illumination in HSD
can be measured in the following way: In full daylight
or similar conditions, characters have effectively
limitless visual range. As light gets lower, distant
figures and shapes lose their definition, but things
don’t actually start to vanish into darkness until a
fairly low light level is present, such as a night scene
with only starlight for illumination. In such a condi-
tion, characters can see 20 feet in front of them for
each point they have in Body:Acuity. Characters with
darkness-enhanced vision (as per a surgery or abili-
ty) can see clearly in an environment with any sort
of ambient illumination. Ganymede is considered
perpetually low-light. Europa’s lack of terraforming
means there is very little to obstruct sunlight, and
its lighting is considered normal as a whole.
Underwater environments cut ambient light
much faster than atmospheric ones, and also typical-
ly contain far more sediment and other vision-ob-
structing elements. Low-light conditions occur at a
depth of around 200 feet in broad daylight, but as
shallow as 50 feet as the sunlight wanes. During
any period in which the ambient light above water
is low, the underwater light level should be consid-
At depths of 500 feet and beyond, no light from the
surface exists, regardless of time of day.
Light sources can vary in intensity,
but should be considered one of the two
following types: Focused or Dispersed.
Dispersed light sources typically
illuminate everything within a range
determined by the Guide (usually its
RULES
own hex and two hexes adjacent for
basic lighting) while Focused lighting
(like a personal flashlight) beams
outward from a source in a straight
line of hexes and illuminates things
that get in the way. Hand flashlights
typically have an effective range of 20 hexes
before they dim too much to be effective,
and they do broaden with distance. The
Guide can determine just how much they
show. Underwater, that range is cut in half.
If ambient lighting is in front of you (say, a
party member is holding an ambient light
source in the hex in front of you) you cannot
see beyond the light source. Light that is not at
your back in the darkness actually hurts your
ability to see, unless the light is far ahead of you,
illuminating where you’re going.
Pressure: Atmospheric pressure dimin-
ishes as you get further from the ground, but as a
gameplay mechanic it isn’t much of an issue until
it isn’t there at all. You can reflect thin air easily by
adding complexity to checks involving Athletics,
and by forcing Body:Resilience+Survival rolls at the
end of every round of combat to avoid becoming
fatigued. Characters will acclimate to high altitudes
given a few days, however.
Underwater, pressure is a much larger issue.
To avoid having to perform elaborate mathemat-
ics in the middle of your tabletop game, you can
summarize pressure with the following rules:
Pressure increases by one atmosphere per every
32 feet of water (8 vertical hexes). Characters will
experience decompression sickness upon ascent
from dives of 96 feet or more (24 vertical hexes)
and compressed oxygen tanks become toxic at 216
feet (54 vertical hexes), necessitating either
unique diving abilities due to surgery or fully
enclosed hard-shelled suits to travel deeper.
149
 Suits that are rated for vacuum are not inherently
rated for diving. They will typically function in up to
64 feet of water before they begin to leak. Spacecraft
are the same way, and while nearly all of them
are capable of landing ON water, most will
lose integrity if submerged more than
32 feet. Space propulsion systems can
shrug off water when removed from it,
but do not function submerged.
RULES
If anything should obstruct a character ascend-
ing from a dive that took them to their maximum
successes (for instance, if a character with 3 dots
in Swim needed to dive 50 feet and rolled two
successes), they will begin to suffocate immediate-
ly. If they were interrupted before reaching their
intended depth, they have time to abort and return
to the surface (assuming whatever interrupted them
doesn’t stop them from leaving).

The average depth of oceans on terra-

formed worlds like Mars and Venus is Swim Speed: On average, people swim at
somewhere in the 14,000 foot range, about half their movement speed. Apply this as a
with the deeper chasms going as low catchall score for figuring out how long it takes to
as 7 miles. Europa’s subsurface ocean swim from one spot to another. Note that people
is vastly deeper, extending below 60 with no dots in Swim do not know how to swim at
miles in some areas and averaging over 10 all, even if they’re Aquatic! It is not a universal skill;
times the depth of Earth’s deepest trench. some environments do not maintain large pools
No publicly available submersibles can reach of water to learn in. However, if you’re using Swim
depths lower than 15 miles, and as such speed as a competitive mechanic, apply the follow-
the bottom of the solar system’s deepest ing system:
known ocean is almost entirely unexplored,
save for by the orca bioprobes who long Body:Strength+Swim to swim. You do not need
ago stopped sharing their information, and to roll this check to move underwater, but you do
don’t welcome visitors. Biological solutions need to roll it in any situation that might require an
for the depth problem are vastly more effec- Athletics check on land (swimming hard toward the
tive than mechanical ones, but for reasons TTI surface, swimming against a current, etc.).
does not understand (or won’t talk about), large
deep-diving bioships attract Orcas like magnets,
2 dots in Swim: ¼ of your movement speed per
and they make for poor company. movement action, rounded up.
3 dots in Swim: ½ of your movement speed per
Diving: As an average, use the dive ratings movement action, rounded up.
in the core rulebook under Swim to determine about 4 dots in Swim: ¾ of your movement speed per
how deep you can get without rolling a check, but if movement action, rounded up.
you’re using diving as a competitive mechanic you
can apply the following system: Suffocation: How long you can hold your
breath underwater is determined by your Swim
Body:Strength+Swim to dive. Proficiency (HSD core rulebook, Scholarship), but
2 dots in Swim: 10 feet per success once you run out of air, everyone suffocates at the
3 dots in Swim: 30 feet per success same rate. When the guide determines your air is
4 dots in Swim: 50 feet per success running out, make a Body Resistance save (attack
value 10). If you succeed, you’ve bought yourself
As characters increase in Swim proficiency, another 10 seconds. The next save is attack value 15,
they are also assumed to know proper technique and will only award you 5 seconds. The final save
for minimizing the effects of decompresion sickness is attack value 18, and will only grant you that last
after emerging from deep dives. In a successful few feet to the surface, about one second. If, after
deep dive without the use of breathing equipment, these three saves, you still have not reached air, your
issues with decompression can be ignored (most of character will fall unconscious and drown. They can
these issues actually come from breathing be revived from that state via resuscitation from
150 while under pressure). All deep dive checks anyone with a point in Medicine up to 2 minutes
assume uninterrupted descent and ascent. per point in Survival after they black out. If revived,
they will recover in a few minutes. Alternatively, if
the body has not been damaged it can be revived at
a hospital up to one hour after drowning, but will
need to undergo a General Surgery to reconstruct
the damaged sectors of the brain that have been
deprived of oxygen. Though the character will
recover, they will lose most of their memories of the
last week.
Cold: In settings of high elevation or deep
water, temperature is a paramount concern. It’s
largely up to your Guide to determine how cold
an environment is, but here are a few generalized
rules to use in order to rapidly establish the level of
danger you’re in.
Cold affects most checks equally, and can
be reflected by increasing check complexity by 1
if the temperature would normally require cold
weather gear, and you lack it. If the cold is extreme
enough to warrant increasing check complexity by
2, death by hypothermia is also an issue. Exposed
characters in sub-freezing temperatures (around
-30C) can function for five minutes per point in
Survival. After that time elapses, begin making Body
Resistance saves (attack value 15) and increase the
attack value by 5 every minute until you either leave
the environment or fail. Failing a save will cause you
to succumb to hypothermia and fall unconscious.
Frozen characters can be revived and restored in a
hospital, but will need to pay for General Surgery to
fix the extensive frostbite they will have suffered.
Water freezes at 0 degrees C. Water with high
salt content can be cooled below this level, and the
oceans of terraformed worlds are primarily salty.
Europa’s subsurface ocean is warmed from below,
rather than above, and can be considered to have an
average temperature of 3 degrees C. By comparison,
Antarctic water on Earth averages around 0 degrees
C (-2 at its deepest), and avoids freezing due to its
high salt content. Europa’s ocean is comparatively
warmer than the colder water areas of Earth, but
will still cause hypothermia within half an hour
of submersion unless your character is somehow
protected from that effect. For those with the Polar
Adaptation surgery, the water temperature on
Europa is actually quite comfortable, and even those
without it can swim short distances without injury.
It also doesn’t fluctuate dramatically based on depth,
as it is entirely heated from within.
Mars and Venus have water temperature
curves closer to Earth norms, with an average depth
of around 14,000 feet and temperatures ranging
from a 27 degree bathwater to -2 degrees C, making
their water comparatively colder in the deep
regions. The coldest ocean water (key word:
water; there are large bodies of liquid
other than H2O that are vastly colder)
in the solar system is on Ganymede,
averaging just above freezing in nearly
every location that hasn’t been artifi-
RULES
cially warmed. It is also the shallowest,
with an average depth of only 8,000
feet. It is worth mentioning that a great
deal of Earth wildlife is adapted for
swimming in freezing water, and these
coldwater zones are highly populated with
both Earth-transferred life forms and origi-
nal creations introduced later.
Heat: During their creation, Vector
metabolism was crafted to make optimal
use of their extra layer of fur, feather or
scale, and they tend to run cooler internally
than humans. As heat decreases, their inter-
nal temperature changes, and they can better
adapt to the world around them. The feature
was included with the assumption that much of
the Vector population would end up living further
from the Sun than Earth, which has been proven
correct. While handy for making cold weather
tolerable (most vectors, even reptiles, consider 10c
weather to be comfortable while lightly clothed), it’s
hardly a superpower, and by and large the tempera-
tures that kill us kill Vectors as well.
As heat rises beyond 37c, Vectors begin
experiencing dangerous body temperatures,
reflected by increasing check complexity for any
physical task by 1. Vectors have trouble shedding
heat once they’ve accumulated it, so after 10 minutes
of physical activity in temperatures above 37c, make
a Body Resistance save (attack value 15). If you
succeed, you can continue to function for another 10
minutes before checking again. As long as you have
access to hydration, you can keep this up indefinitely
until you fail a save. If you do not have water around,
the attack value increases by 5 every time.
At 43c, the temperature is officially too hot
to safely function in, hydrated or not. You
can operate in temperatures between 43c
and 48c for one minute per point in Survival,
151
 after which time you need to seek a cooler climate
immediately or collapse. Temperatures in excess of
48c will overheat most Vectors extremely rapidly. If
a character collapses from heat exhaustion, they
can be revived at a hospital for 20 credits
provided they didn’t remain in the hot
zone for more than 30 minutes after
their collapse.
There are many environments in
RULES
post-human Sol that primarily feature
considerably high temperatures
(mercury is a prime example, which
only sports a sparse research popula-
tion in scattered domes but has people
on it nonetheless), but Vectors working
there wear refrigerated suits. Even
on terraformed planets like Mars
and Venus, summertime temperature
rarely exceeds 32C.
Neuroplex costs
Lore-wise, the lessons
taught by a Neuroplex are
not free. In fact, they’re quite
expensive, significantly more
than the unit itself. However,
integrating a price per lesson on
the Neuroplex presented a poten-
tial balance issue among party
members that would be very
difficult to account for: namely
that people could be spending
their money on equipment or on stats, but
probably not on both. Since there are often
situations where equipment has to be
left behind or lost, this would put those
characters at significant disadvantage.
In the opposite case, people who sank
all their money into lessons would be
ill-equipped to tackle challenges that
relied on superior firepower, and could
become a liability to party members who
purchased new equipment as it became
available. Frustrating players is not the goal
of the game, and if the party finds itself in
a “break even” situation in which their
operation costs are more or less equivalent
to their profits, it could take a very
152 long time for them to progress
their Proficiencies. In the hopes of
keeping party members on a fairly level playing field
(and to stop them from grinding their teeth), the
Neuroplex was given a buy-in price and its lessons
were simply “attached” to it in the core rulebook.
This note is here simply to inform Guides that,
should they wish to attach a price per dot learned
through a Neuroplex, they would not be off-base
in doing so. It fits the setting and can slow player
advancement if you’re working on a long campaign
(as well as grant contracting corps another possible
incentive for the party in the form of free lessons).
However, some caution should be expressed to
players against repeatedly buying into lesson after
lesson, or ignoring them in lieu of equipment. Doing
so will likely space the party out in overall balance
and might make it difficult for them to all
participate in the same challenges. If you use
this variant, the first and second dot in
a Proficiency should cost around 100
credits. The third should cost around
200.
Makuru Zevhran
NEW
SYSTEMS
The following section details
new rules and concepts that can add
greater variety to your game, or allow
you to tune your sessions to better fit
your group’s play style.
Learning
The primary reason why rules for player
characters teaching other player charac-
ters skills were not included in the core
rulebook is because of the tendency
to gloss over the realities of time and
practice. Very often in games like
these, anything that consists of a repetitive process
such as memorization or meditation gets abbre-
viated to “I do that for one hour before going to
sleep,” which is all well and good, except that if most
of us had the mental discipline to learn advanced
mathematics or biology by hitting the books for
an hour every night, we’d probably all be signifi-
cantly wealthier. Real learning is a time intensive
experience that doesn’t fit realistically into most
adventures. However, if your Guide wants to allow it,
specific skills can be imparted from player charac-
ter to player character by means of the Express
Proficiency. A character with a Masterful rank
in Express can teach another character tasks
such as hacking, operating equipment, security
knowledge, even the correct way to posture their
bodies in a run, by rolling Community: Presence
+ Express. The teaching character must be at least
Educated in the Proficiency they’re trying to teach,
as well as Masterful in Express. The check can only
be attempted once per day, and the process takes
two hours. If the check is successful, the student
character will gain the Talented rank in the Profi-
ciciency being taught, indicating that they now have
a passing familiarity in it. However, this knowledge
is short term, and will expire after as many days as
there were successes on the teaching check. This
mechanic can only bring a character from 0 dots to 1
dot.
The game represents this knowledge
functionally the same way it represents other
knowledge, but in terms of realistic gameplay
there are important distinctions that should be
noted. Your character has effectively learned all the
basic information they could absorb in a two-hour
lecture, and we’re assuming they were trying to pay
attention. It’s better than nothing, but it’s a far cry
from the knowledge gained from a full course or a
lifetime of actually working in that particular field.
It’s also generally linked to whatever activity your
character is going to need to do in the near future
that precipitated the lesson to begin with. Your
character doesn’t necessarily “forget” what they’ve
learned after a couple days, but the relevance of the
information has either passed or simply isn’t wide
enough in scope to continue being effective without
practice. If your character found the temporary
boost helpful, they should look into plexing a lesson
on the subject.
Dynamic investing
(Ledger Modification)
Using the economy column is a mystery
to some players, either because their game
doesn’t include much purchasing or
they don’t see an immediate function
for it outside the Ledger balance. If this
sounds like you, consider this alternate
RULES
system. It replaces the Ledger balance
mechanic entirely and instead provides
you with a flexible buying pool that your
character can call on when they need to
purchase services. Less bookkeeping,
more spending.
With this system, your character’s
Ledger is actually doing what it claims to do:
actively investing, buying and selling all the
time. When you need to call on your accounts
to pay for services (rides, dinners, hotel
rooms, bribes, various help and analysis
needs, etc.) your character attempts to pay
for them using capital sitting in their ledger,
rather than by spending credits they’ve saved.
Depending on where your ledger is currently
investing, it’s possible to pay for things in the
world without spending any of the credits you
have.
Using the system
When your character needs to purchase
something they’re not going to keep, such as food
(for immediate consumption), a one-time service
(car wash, massage, fly-on-the-wall infiltration),
or a bribe of some kind, they can roll Econo-
my:Strength+Finance to see if their ledger can
cover the cost. If you are successful, you effectively
pay what’s owed without actually spending any
of your credits. What you can actually pay for is
described below, but the complexity of the check
is up to the Guide. It usually refers to how much
personal risk is involved. For instance, buying a
meal with one’s ledger is a complexity 1 check, as
there isn’t really anything dangerous or complicated
to deal with. Paying a bribe to a security guard to
ignore seeing you walk out of the back room can
be complexity 2, 3 or higher depending on how
suspicious you look or how dangerous the
situation is, even though it lands in the same 153
 expense range as the aforementioned meal.
Levels of expense
Not everyone has a robust enough ledger
to use it like a wallet. Service purchases
come in 5 different levels, and your
Economy:Presence score must meet
or exceed the level of the purchase
before you can attempt to roll to buy
RULES
it with your Ledger.
Level 1: Tiny disposable items (gum,
candy, basic drink), tipping for a light
meal or small service (not the service
or meal itself; a tip can be used to help
buy favor), small door charges for entry
or tolls for using roads or bridges. Nothing
in excess of what could be purchased for 3
U.S. Dollars.
Level 2: Small goods or services
(light meal, fare for a local trip or bus
service), bribes for very basic information
(who did you see come in here, who sat in
that chair last night),
drinks of moderate
expense (basic alcohol
at bars for immediate
consumption). Nothing
in excess of what could
be purchased for 10 U.S.
Dollars.
Arokha Sieyes
154
Level 3: Light dinners that serve two (or a
full meal for one), door costs for expensive venues or
bribe money for light offenses (caught in the wrong
area of a low security building, such as behind the
bar at a club), basic services (have someone move
gear and equipment from one location to another
within a mile, door to door , have someone drive a
vehicle around the block while keeping the motor
running for a quick getaway). Nothing in excess of
what could be purchased for 20 U.S. Dollars.
Level 4: Expensive meals, or meals that
feed four people, bribes sufficient to deter security
in low security areas (allow you into the employ-
ees-only section in a store or office building, but not
anywhere that would put lives on the line), fairly
elaborate services (have someone bring cargo from
one location to another within a dozen miles, lock
it up there, have someone access files or locations
for you remotely, or compute numbers and run
basic analysis on data based on your instructions).
Nothing in excess of what could be purchased for 40
U.S. Dollars.
Level 5: Opulent meals, exotic drinks for
immediate consumption, bribes sufficient to allow
access to secure areas (but not immediately danger-
ous ones such as prison release systems or weapons
controls), overnight lodging in most hotels (single
room, bed and bath), delivery and pickup services to
any location within a day’s travel, clandestine obser-
vation services provided personal risk is minimal,
reasonably advanced data-mining and digital
security services (signal examination, evidence
comparison, etc.). Nothing in excess of what
could be purchased for 100 U.S. Dollars .
Investment scope
Your ledger is a quick and adept
system, but it doesn’t simply “pay” for things.
It redirects its investments to pay off in the
favor of your client, and it can’t always do that
if it’s currently functioning in an entirely different
financial sector. To represent this, your charac-
ter must make an Economy:Dexterity+Finance
roll every time they wish to make a purchase
in a different expense level. For instance, if your
character used their ledger to purchase a light meal
at level 2, and later wanted to buy a beer at a bar
at level 1, they would need to make a Economy:-
Dexterity+Finance roll first to see if their ledger
could redirect itself to this new investment area.
If they failed, they would not be able to use their
ledger for the second purchase. On a success, they
could then make the Economy:Strength roll to see
if they could pay for the item. The complexity of
the dexterity check is equal to the number of levels
you’re attempting to shift by. The above example
was shifting by 1 level and required 1 success. If the
character was trying to go from a level 1 purchase to
a level 3 purchase, they would need 2 successes. If
you roll less than your goal, your ledger will advance
as high as it can and stay there. Your ledger stays at
each investment tier for 6 hours, and you can’t
roll to change tiers again until that 6 hours is up.
It begins each day at level 1.
Economy:Dexterity: Used with the category are light and unobtrusive enough
Finance Proficiency for shifting investment tiers as that they can be purchased in the level 2
described in Investment scope. investment tier.
Economy:Resilience: Each dot in Econo-
my:Resilience buys you one reroll on any Economy
dice. These refresh daily.
Economy:Acuity: For each dot you have
in Economy:Acuity, decrease the 6 hour wait time
on your Investment scope by 1 hour. Effectively, all
players have a 5-hour wait time due to their free
dot. This is also the number of times per day you can
use your ledger to purchase things in this fashion.
Failures do count as a use. Critical failures will
disable your ledger for the remainder of the day.
Economy:Strength: Used with the
Finance Proficiency to make purchases with your
ledger. These purchases are for services and favors
only, or for immediately consumable goods. Items
such as armor or weapons that are listed with a
price in the rulebook are purchased normally, using
credits. Food listed in the rulebook is for packable
supplies, not immediate meals.
Economy:Presence: Level of expense
your character’s ledger is capable of purchasing at.
Income: Because this system mitigates much of
the income needs of the party, you should not use the
Ledger Balance mechanic with it. Aside from your
starting funds, your ledger will no longer generate
actual credits for you. Those are received purely
through rewards and compensation for missions
and contracts run in-game.
Forbidden services: This system should not
be used to acquire anything with a listed
price tag on it in general, nor should it
net you anything physical which can be
reused multiple times or persists beyond
the hour or so you bought it. There are
RULES
a few possible exceptions to this, but
Guides should be cautious before allow-
ing them, as they will change the nature
of your game play.
1-credit purchases
Most of the things that fall into this
Rental or bribed weapons and
armor
This is not recommended as a general
rule, but if you feel your party can be respon-
sible about it, it can be fun to use the ledger
to rent weaponry off NPCs for short term use.
This should be treated as a level 4 investment
requiring multiple successes, level 5 if the weapon
is something meaner than a general automatic
rifle, and the owner typically won’t want it gone
for more than a couple hours. I will reiterate: this
is not a recommended use of this system unless you
feel your players will not abuse it. It’s very easy to
rent a weapon, turn around and shoot the owner,
and suddenly own a weapon (and a murder charge)
without paying any credits for it. If this happens, it
is because it was allowed to happen. If you fear it,
make people pay for equipment.
Hospital services
By default, hospital services do not use this
system and must be paid for out of pocket. However,
there is no inherent problem with wrapping them
into here as level 4 or 5 expenses other than the fact
that it may promote players to get hurt more often
because they don’t have to worry about the cost of
healing. That can be a detriment to your game if
you’re trying to keep players from leaping
blindly into danger. However, if you’re actual- 155
 ly looking to increase combat occurrences without for it.
hurting your players’ budget, this could work out
well for you. Consider your party’s needs before Cinematic Rescues
including healing in this system. This optional rule can help add variety and
player confidence to combat situations. Sometimes
Final notes a character ends up on the business end of more
This new system exists to promote damage than they expected to take, which could
players actively using their money to very well cost them their lives. Cinematic Rescues
increase their versatility, rather than represent fate intervening on a character’s behalf,
RULES

just increasing their inventory. It’s pulling them from the brink of death and granting
here so players can make calls to local them a chance to catch their breath.
cab companies to park cars in front of Characters can use a Cinematic Rescue
doorways to block escapes, or email when an attack or combat event would reduce their
data off to various examination services hitpoints to zero (before Survival rolls are made).
while they continue an investigation on Instead of the final killing blow landing, it is
foot, or use props like drinks and meals to retroactively canceled, and the Guide engineers
help negotiations, without having to worry if an event that rescues the character at the last
that purchase is going to cost them the ability possible second. Perhaps the floor gave way and
to buy new armor later. It also removes the you and your opponent both fell onto the level
book-work at the end of each session and below, or the fire alarms went off and flooded the
gives the Guide exclusive control of player room with sound and fog that threw off their aim at
income. It is not a means to equip yourself the last second. The event could be anything, but the
or to pay people to take bullets for you (even result is the character escaping that round with their
at level 5, you’re not going to find willing neck. If a Cinematic Rescue is employed, it cancels
takers for outright life-threatening tasks). the remaining attack actions for the enemy being
You should also remember that the option for rescued from (and should likely obscure any team
purchasing services with actual credits still members they have from subsequently shooting at
exists should you run out of Ledger uses or fail a you themselves).
check. Cinematic Rescues grant “breathing room.”
Generally, they should buy a single round for the
Cinema Events player team to reposition themselves and capitalize
on a new tactical advantage created by the event.
One of the great benefits of a dynamic table- The event caused by the save should usually be
top game is its ability to deliver more content on pretty pronounced. Think of similar lucky breaks
demand. If the players want to play something up in movies; they usually result in the terrain being
or explore something further, the Guide can sponta- rearranged due to an unforeseen explosion, or
neously adapt the game to suit their needs. It’s suddenly getting obscured by a crowd of people that
occasionally fun to trigger a situation like this where chose just the right moment to come through a door.
it isn’t expected, just to keep everyone on their toes. It should make sense contextually, so it will vary
Cinema events represent the players telling from battle to battle.
the Guide they want to push a scene further than the Cinematic Rescues can only be used once
rules reflect. They typically take place in two forms: per character, per battle.
Rescues and Pushes. Rescues allow the players Characters may only have one Cinematic
to call on the fickle finger of fate to rescue Rescue “stored” at any given time.
them from an otherwise deadly situation, while Characters saved by Cinematic Rescues
Pushes allow players to pull off some of the are considered safe until the end of their next
really memorable moments we love from action turn. If they haven’t escaped trouble by then, or
and horror films, even if the rules don’t mounted a powerful counter offensive, they’re out
156 necessarily provide them with an avenue of luck.
Gaining Cinematic Rescues them. Be creative; these Rescues should add more
Cinematic Rescues are awarded by the Guide dynamic effects to a battle, not just freeze it.
for acts of impressive role play. If a player plays their
character in an exemplary fashion, or comes up Using Cinematic Rescues
with a clever solution for a problem that follows As a general rule, players should not
their character’s mannerisms and ideals, they be able to use this mechanism tactically.
can earn a Cinematic Rescue (at the discretion of The characters themselves don’t even
the Guide, naturally). These shouldn’t typically be know they have it; it’s a random act
awarded for anything that simply required rolling of fate. Guides have the ability to deny
high on dice to accomplish; rather they should be use of a Cinematic Rescue if it’s pretty

rewards for thinking outside the box and embracing obvious a player is sending their charac-
a character’s mentality. Guides might even think of ter into a ridiculously deadly situation
it as “karma;” if you make yourself interesting to the knowing they have an ace in the hole.
universe, it looks after you a bit.
Boosting Cinematic Rescues
Sometimes players have particularly
good days. They’re on a roll, and several of
their actions could be worth earning one of
these Rescues. Players can only store one
Cinematic Rescue at a time, but that save
can be boosted if the Guide feels they’ve
earned it through past actions. Each
boost on a Cinematic Rescue allows
it to affect another party member
when it’s used (or to be used to
save another party member who’s
about to die). This generally means
the environmental effect that occurs
becomes more profound and puts a
larger separation between the party
and the enemy. Occasionally, this won’t
directly translate to “players saved,” so
Guides will have to determine how
valuable they feel a Rescue with
multiple boosts really is.
Because of how arbitrary
and narrative-based this
particular mechanic is, Guides
should enforce their own limitations
on how many boosts a Cinematic
Rescue can have. One good use of
a Cinematic Rescue with several
boosts on it is enough to change
the whole nature of a battle
from back and forth combat
to environmental survival by
causing the entire structure
the team is fighting in to
begin to collapse around
RULES
Treat this like you would the “oh come
on!” rule. With everything, though, the
story and the fun trump the rule. It could be
that a player is arranging a situation
that could lead to a really entertain-
ing, epic scene if it’s allowed to come
to a conclusion. It might even be
fun to let them narrate their own
Cinematic Rescue. Play to your
play group’s taste. As long as the
Rescue doesn’t somehow kill the
entire enemy team, it probably
won’t be a problem.
Cinematic Pushes
Pushes reflect a character
requesting that the Guide put a
bit more oomph into their action.
It works a lot like Cinematic Rescu-
ing, but in reverse. In this situation,
the player will initiate an action
and “push” that action further,
indicating that they want it
to affect the scene in a
significant fashion. If it’s an
attack, maybe it will cause
Reno Ca’Wo the wall to cave in or the
floor to collapse, or set off
fire alrams and fill the room with mist.
Pushes shouldn’t outright do “more
damage” to an enemy, but should in some
way dramatically impact the scene (usually to
the party’s advantage).
Unlike Rescues, Pushes aren’t limited
to combat situations. They can be
used any time a player wants to 157
push an action a bit beyond what
 their stats might allow. This can allow for mighty
leaps across building tops to escape explosions,
amazing precision piloting through densely packed
environments, or anything suitably astounding
that would enhance the nature of an excit-
ing scene. There are no guidelines for
what can be accomplished with a Push
(other than that it should accompany
an action like a check, and that check
RULES
does need to pass on its own); it comes
down to what the Guide feels will best
fit the scene. Players should suggest the
action they want to accomplish as well.
For example: Kath is on the wrong
side of a pool of angry tigersharks (not
a shark with stripes; actual half tiger, half
sharks. All of their strengths, none of their
weaknesses. It’s the Daywalker of madscien-
tistism), and she needs to make it to the other
side. It’s a 50 foot gap; a bit much, even with
an impressive Athletics score, but she has
an idea. She tells the Guide she’s going to
Push a balance check, and run across the top
of the sharks like a series of stepping stones.
She rolls the check and succeeds, and with a
Push assisting her, is able to use the half-dozen
vicious, snapping monsters as springboards to
get her across the water.
Pushing is intended to give the players that
area of wiggle room where (like above) their action
really doesn’t seem that likely considering its diffi-
culty. Had Kath tested for that action traditionally
(probably by rolling a rather difficult check per shark
while hoping they didn’t bite her) she would’ve had
such a high chance of failure (and subsequent death
by dismemberment) that her player would probably
not have attempted it, which would have deprived
them of a fun and entertaining scene.
Gaining Cinematic Pushes
Unlike Rescues, Pushes are earned randomly
to give every member of the party their own oppor-
tunity to shine, as well as to avoid the same person
repeatedly using Pushes to steal the spotlight.
Guides can determine the rate they want to give
Pushes away, but it is recommended that they
award one Push to a randomly determined player
via die roll at the beginning of every game
158 session. If they haven’t used it by the end,
they lose it; it doesn’t carry over to the next
play session. They may, however, choose to give
their Push to another player if they feel they’re not
going to get a good opportunity to make use of it
that session. This is an OOC decision, so any gratuity
for the donation should take place in the form of
pizza or sexual favors, not in-game currency. Guides
should keep this rule pretty flexible. Everyone runs
their game session a little differently, so the rate of
Push occurrence should be kept comfortable to the
play style. Pushes are intended to build memorable
events, not just replace bad stats. If you find they’re
being used to make up for character shortcomings
instead of to liven up the story, consider reducing
their occurrence, or limiting their scope.
Combat
Random damage
This optional change should be integrated if
you’re a fan of random damage instead of the game’s
native fixed damage. Apply the following adjustments
to your ranged weapons (“total damage” consists of
base damage and ammo damage combined):
If your gun does a total of 4 or less damage per
hit, it now does d10/2 damage per hit, rounded
down.
If your gun does a total of 5-6 damage per hit, it
now does d8 damage per hit.
If your gun does a total of 7-9 damage per hit, it
now does d10 damage per hit.
If your gun does more than 9 damage per hit, it
now does d12 damage per hit.
When firing a single shot, you may reroll the
damage dice once.
In the C:E combat addendum (page 192),
only the first hit does full damage. This is true in this
system as well. Roll random damage for the first hit
and stack bonus damage on top of it. Weapons that
already use random damage and weapons which
don’t fall into the listed categories (such as grenades
or melee weapons) are unaffected by this.
Standard action: Diving Heavy Repeater) in order to gain one movement
This standard action can be taken in
response to being shot at, provided you have points
left over from your previous round and standard
actions available. If you are currently taking cover
from an object, you can elect to Dive if someone
shoots you from an open angle where you would
not receive cover. Roll Body:Dexterity+Athletics.
Each success counts as a hex of movement that
ignores difficult terrain penalties. Your character
action if Pinning fire has reduced their movement
actions to zero. This can only be done once per turn,
and cannot be done if the character was already
able to move earlier and subsequently lost
their remaining movement by getting
into sight of the character pinning them.
Pinning fire can only be done
with ranged weapons that do not
have the Flood, LAN, Charge, or

RULES
must move to a location where they would receive Annihilate rules, and have a RoF of at
a cover bonus against their shooter from the same least 3. It is limited to targets within
piece of cover. For instance, if they’re hiding behind your second range increment, and
a table and a shooter attacks from the rear, they does use ammunition. Each defen-
can relocate to the other side of the same table sive action used on Pinning fire counts
(perhaps by leaping over it). Upon relocating, they as shooting the weapon. Your character is
will maintain the same cover bonus they established shooting whether they see an enemy or not,
in their previous turn. This operation can only be in order to keep them pinned, so even if they
performed once per round. As close combat attacks don’t emerge from cover you should consider
ignore cover, this ability can’t be used against them. those shots to be fired. Because of the blind
nature of Pinning fire, ignore the actual
Defensive action: Pinning damaging effects of these shots; they exist
Spend a defensive action to initiate pinning purely to limit mobility.
fire at an enemy position. This represents your
character firing blind in order to limit enemy
movement, rather than actually trying to hit them.
Nominate an enemy. For each defensive action you
spend in this way, roll a Mind die. As long as you
don’t roll a 1, the enemy you nominate has their
maximum number of movement actions reduced
by 1 for their following turn. Your character must
be in a hex that is next to an open line of fire (a corner
or window, essentially). You may nominate an enemy
that is completely hidden (in that the cover is large
enough to conceal them completely) for this action;
however, it won’t take effect until they’re about to
emerge from cover. They may move normally while
completely concealed, but if they enter an area of the
board that is visible to your character, the Pinning
action will take immediate effect right before they
enter the open area, draining as many remaining
move actions as were suppressed and halting the
current move before they emerge (they are assumed
to have stepped out, noticed their immediate danger,
and popped back to the hex they stepped out from).
Pinned characters may spend a standard
action on their turn to make a Mind Resis-
tance save (attack value equivalent to the total
damage done by a single unmodified hit from
the suppression weapon. So 3 for a SMG, 12 for a
159
Prof. Tale Cenn, on the Pulse/
Progenitus proposed attack
against the Whisperwerk
construct “Ruby Spire.”
“MarsCo re-does their logo every, I don't know,
20 years or so, just like everyone. The Sphinx is always
in it. But the position she's in says something about the
way the company is behaving. When you can see both
her eyes, it's very active. It's building or working on
some massive, high publicity project or dividing or re-
structuring or something. When you can only see the
one eye, it's quiet. It has been quiet for a long time now,
and it started right about the time Earth turned red. I
can't speak as to whether that was a planned reaction
or not, but here we are, smack in the middle of one of
the most profound eras in Vector history, and our big-
gest entity, our rock, if you will, is silent. And I think,
on some level, all of us, probably Pulse and Progenitus
most of all, are sitting here hoping that Mars is going to
step up and say something. Weigh in on this situation,
commit fleets, even officially refuse to engage. But they
haven't yet, and they haven't said why, and we're all
just sort of sitting here wondering which way the wind
is going to blow. Which is frustrating, naturally, but I
have to figure there's a reason for it.
Somewhere in this massive, sprawling empire

of commerce there is some entity, be it a committee or
individual or computer or something, that has found
our ancient ties to Earth to be so important that it has
persisted human aesthetic and architectural values to
this day, centuries beyond the point that anyone living
gave a damn about it. I can't rightly believe it can look
at Earth today and not feel something. I can't fathom
that it can hear of this proposal and not have some
stock in the outcome. We just don't know what it is yet,
and I don't think we're going to know until Mars de-
cides to wake up again. Maybe it just takes that long for
Landria, Mars
the Sphinx to stir, you know? She's enormous, it's hard
to fathom how large this business actually is. Millions
of subsidies. BILLIONS of employees. But that decision
will come, eventually, and you can bet your ass that
Mars will determine if that attack happens or not. If
they say go, it will be a force this solar system has never
seen. And if they say stay, not one ship is making that
flight.
I think that's why Pulse is working so hard to
drum up support for this thing so fast. They're worried
mommy's watching.”
“Are...you lost?” ses troubled her. Not that it was particularly menac-
ing, it was just...wrong. In her admittedly brief 10
The hooded figure that towered over the year life, she had never heard someone talk that way.
young Felidae tilted its head at her question. She “I don’t know,” she replied, and her tufted lynx
couldn’t make out the details of its face, but the eyes drooped, “It was just a place to look. They’re
width and length of the tail under its coat made not anywhere else.”
her lean toward crocodile. Maybe. They usually had He was silent for a moment. Long enough for
long faces though, and this one wasn’t sticking out her own helplessness to catch up to her. Why not
beyond the thick hood over its head. Some sort of tell it all? Hell, she had nothing to lose, at this point.
reptile though, definitely. Or its poor ears would be That was why she was down here to begin with, in
all squished. the levels below the active grids, in the parts of the
“Nooo,” it replied. Strange voice. Sort of megastructure that had long ago been sealed and
scratchy and low, but not like a growl, more like... quarantined as part of general urban renewal.
like its mouth wasn’t shaped right. Like the words “They’re missing,” she said suddenly, looking
were coming out weird. Male, though. Probably. up, “They’ve been missing for over a week and no
“Arrre you?” he asked. one knows where they went and no one will help
“Um,” she hesitated, her tail twitching. She me look for them and I’ve checked everywhere
wasn’t supposed to be talking to strangers, but she and the corp’s going to take the house if there’s no
was somewhat out of her depth at the moment. It one paying for it and I don’t know where to look
had been over an hour since she had seen another anymore!” her voice choked as she finished her
living thing. It was dark, she was alone, and frankly, sentence, and she slumped to the gritty floor of what
yes. She was quite lost. was once, decades ago, a major thoroughfare. Off in
“I was going home, and I took the wrong lift,” the distance, a few of the forever-lights flickered as
she explained, “and I sort of lost track of how to get a power surge rumbled toward some distant part of
back to it.” the city-structure. Beyond that, there was silence.
Tall. He was really, really tall. Probably 7 feet, “Your shadooow,” he spoke, a moment later,
and he was hunching a little. Macro, maybe? Why “isss broken.”
would a macro be down here? She’d always thought “No shit,” she grumbled, then clamped a hand
they were supposed to be athletes and stuff. No one to her mouth. “Sorry! Sorry, I just...it’s why no one
was supposed to be in this part of the city except will help me, I think. They say there’s a monster in my
people who couldn’t get anywhere else. shadow.” She didn’t bother to look back at it behind
That reality settled on her shoulders for a her. They weren’t on good terms at the moment.
moment. There were, supposedly, no good people “Isss there?”
down here. “I don’t know. Maybe.” She sighed, and sniffed.
“Therrre are nooo lifts...to theeese levels,” he There weren’t many tears left, at this point. She had
replied. The words dragged a bit, here and there. cried pretty hard after 12 hours. Even harder after
The emphasis was on the wrong syllables. It made 24. Seven days later, it was hard to find a lower place
them feel slow, even though they weren’t being to sink. “Maybe that’s why Mom and Dad are gone,
spoken particularly slowly. She swallowed a little, too. Missing,” she corrected, “missing.”
and disguised a half-step backward as she rubbed “Yooou do not beeelieve that.”
the back of her head. She looked up again. She could see the glint
“I was just exploring,” she tried again, though of eyes under his hood, but they had a strange shape
even she could detect the deception in her voice. to them, as though situated on a malformed face. She
That wasn’t going to work; she was too deep in the could feel the gaze though, heavy as the weight of his
Gray levels to play that card. He stood, face shaded statement. He was right. She hadn’t believed that for
by the dim emergency lighting, looking down at her. days.
His tail swished behind him, and she coughed. “They love me,” she replied softly, “They
“I’m looking for my parents,” she said quietly. would never leave me.”
“Why wooould they be herrre?” he They wouldn’t, would they. They wouldn’t
replied. That strange transition of vocal empha- 163 have left. Oh, there were the tears.
 “I think they might be dead,” she could barely emotional release, or the surreal experience she was
recognize her own voice. It felt like someone else currently having. All of it, probably. But the crying
speaking. had stopped. Something about this thing in front of
“Iii thiiink,” the towering figure knelt down her, this monster, was comforting. She was accus-
in a smooth, surprisingly graceful motion for tomed to monsters. She had one pinned to her feet.
something so big, “yooou may beee right.” And for all the fear it seemed to provoke in other
Her vision blurred as the sobs took over, people, it had never tried to hurt her.
and she flung herself forward, throwing her arms “Myyy name isss Stranger.” the pale figure
around the cloaked neck of the stranger and bawling said. Elsie laughed a little.
at the finality of actually speaking what she must “I’m not supposed to talk to strangers,” she
have felt in her heart for five days now, maybe more. said, aware of the irony.
She could vaguely feel his long arms wrap around “A wiiise precaaaution,” he replied, “but I
her from behind and hold her close. Strange smell, thiiink, perhaps, an exceeeption should be maaade,
strange clothing, everything about it was wrong. But just thiiis once.”
it was a hug, and she so needed a hug. She nodded, and moved shakily to her feet.
“What am I going to do?” she whimpered “You can help me survive?”
between shudders. “Ohhh,” his block-like mouth split into an
“Suuurvive,” he replied. That voice was closer eerie grin, “I can. And yooou can help me.”
now, and she could feel his jaw move under the hood. “How?” she asked. He didn’t look like a thing
Wrong. Felt wrong. No muzzle. What didn’t have a that needed help surviving.
muzzle? “Waaalk with me, littllle monster,” he replied,
She stepped back a little, and the low light and her mouth twitched into a shaky smile at the
of the derelict sector played over his face in front of new nickname, “aaand tell me...about yoour world.”
her. Three yellow eyes, two where they should be, She sniffed, and swallowed the sobs. They’d
one above, in the middle. No fur. No muzzle. No ears, be back later.
no nose, no hair. Flesh, like the dolphins had, but “What did you want to know?”
pale and gray, and a mouth like a twisted smile made
of pointed blocks, bigger than it should be. He...it... Understanding your world
pulled his hood off and gracefully ascended on one
leg, standing on it like a dancer with the other turned The following section of the book will illus-
up and to the side as though sitting cross-legged. She trate, through a combination of narrative and expla-
could see his tail now, long and smooth and power- nation, how the general universe of HSD works. To
ful, and a pair of eyes near its base blinked at her in keep things clean, OOC (out of character) sections
the dim light. The feet had toes. Too many toes, like (which include rules, ideas, hooks and concepts and
some of the Hemis had. But he wasn’t a Hemi, and practical information) will be colored orange and
he wasn’t a lizard. Blip, maybe? Some sort of custom follow the narrative portions. Narrative portions
thing? include information too, but are more concerned
“Are you...” she looked behind her, at the with providing perspective than encyclopedic data.
twitching, alien silhouette that had followed her Tidbits raised in the narratives will be repeated
around her entire life, and then back to the thing in and clarified in the OOC sections, so if you want to
the coat, “are you my monster?” seek facts quickly, stick to the orange colored areas
“Nooo,” he replied, “I am a difffferent monster and explore the narrative when you want to see the
entiiirely.” He lifted his other leg and allowed his world through the eyes of its inhabitants.
weight to be supported by his tail, which easily
snaked back and let him lean forward with his face
near hers. “But Iii could beee your frieeend, if you
would liiike.”
She found herself nodding.
“My name is Elsie,” she said. She was still
trembling a little. Maybe it was the shock, or the 164
Housing be locked up and yanked out of the overall complex.
It’s fun to watch. They pull out the old one and swap
“I live on the 6th floor of level 3, East,” Elsie in a new one and the people move back into it, and
explained, “in an apartment we were given by TTI as then I guess they refurbish the old one somewhere
part of my parents’ jobs.” She forced past the subject else or something. Sometimes, with big projects,
of her parents and focused on Stranger’s question. they shut down a bunch of those and it takes some
Having the ‘monster’ to distract her was helping; time for the replacements to arrive.” Elsie looked up
somehow it was just easier to talk about mundane and pointed around to the dim lights and dilapidat-
things with someone who, as far as she knew, was ed structures around them. “That’s where we are
unaware of most of them. right now, in a gray zone. This one’s been gray my
“This is a TTI corptown megaplex, did you whole life I think. The population in this particular
know that?” she asked, “It’s sort of like a city block megastructure hasn’t gotten big enough to need
in a building. I’ve actually been outside of it a few replacing it I guess. No one’s supposed to be down
times, on trips and stuff, but I’ve known a few people here.” She shivered, and looked around, as though
who’ve never left. You don’t really need to, I suppose. trying to pick out shapes in the dark. “Of course,” she
The building pipes natural light in through solar continued, “you’re here, and I’m here, so chances are
tubes and each of the levels has its own sort of ‘sky’ I pretty good there are other people down here too.”
guess. The building is something like two miles tall, “Feweeer, now,” Stranger replied. She gave
so there’s a lot of space for even flying things to move him a quizzical look, but he didn’t explain. She
around in here. Every quarter mile or so, you get a continued after a few moments.
floor, and the next level starts. I’ve never been to the “Each level has its own stuff, like food and
very-very top before; you need special clearance to entertainment and housing and stuff. There’s some
get outside on the roof, but Dad said it’s really cold of the same things on every level, but a few levels
and hard to breathe. Outside, I mean. I think inside have one-of-a-kind things to sort of make them
all the climates are pretty much the same. into travel destinations. Like, there’s a huuuuuge
“We get weather and stuff like they do flow-form park on our level. More than a million
outside, but it’s all on a schedule to keep it consis- gallons of water floating around, it’s really neat. My
tent.” She pondered that for a moment. “I bet it mom’s a dolphin, so I think TTI was trying to give
would be really weird to not know when rain was her a place where she’d feel less caged-in. Dad’s a
coming. Or big storms, they have those outside lynx, so I don’t think he much cared one way or the
sometimes. Our building can open its walls up on other, but I always thought it was neat to swim in.”
huge sliding panels to let the fresh air in and save Was. Was a dolphin. Was a lynx. She felt
on environmental power; it usually does that in the her heartrate quicken. Maybe Stranger could tell,
summer. Sometimes for days at a time. I think that because he spoke up again.
makes some people nervous, though.” She gazed “Whaaat about the peeeople outside?”
off in the distance for a moment, and tried to keep She blinked and swallowed, focusing on the question.
her lip from trembling. “Mom always used to scoff “Well, there are lots, but this structure is part
at that. She called it a shut-in mentality. There’s of a much bigger city outside that includes struc-
nothing wrong with the world outside, but people tures owned by lots of different corps. Level four has
get stuck in here, you know? They start thinking a huge bridge that connects to the next megastruc-
there wouldn’t be walls if there weren’t some need ture. It’s half a mile long and a thousand feet wide,
for them. All they’re really doing is holding the next something like that. MarsCo owns that building; I
floor up, though. think it’s the biggest local one, but I’ve never really
“Every once in a while, big chunks of the gotten to explore it much. It has bridges to a bunch
building need maintenance, right? Urban renewal. of other buildings nearby. If you’re going to live in
Depending on what’s wrong with it, people get the city itself you’re probably living in something
moved or layouts get reconfigured, but sometimes like this, but if you head toward the edges you’ll start
you have to shut down big zones and actually pull seeing smaller buildings dedicated to just housing,
them out of the structure like blocks. I think and the people get their supplies and stuff from
something like every 1000 square feet or so can 165 places outside.” She made a face, as though the
idea was perplexing. “I’m not sure how you’d do it Understanding Environments
really, if you don’t know when the weather is going
to change. I guess you just get all wet.” Elsie’s experience with her world is somewhat
“Yooou havvve never beeeen in a storm?” limited, but her observations are accurate. Not every-
Elsie shook her head. one lives in a massive internal habitat, though, nor is
“Have you?” she asked. Stranger nodded. it particularly common to spend one’s life inside one
“Do they hurt?” without ever leaving. It just happens to be possible,
The tall creature smiled, and his eyes and as such, there are people who choose to do so.
narrowed a little. This scene is set on Mars, most of which is
“Onnly the gooood ones” he said, in a tone MarsCo owned in one fashion or another. Even
that made her hackles raise. Elsie peered at him in buildings owned by other major organizations
silence for a moment. (like Elsie’s building) are constructed off MarsCo
“Are you...going to eat me?” she asked, trepi- templates, which tend to be modular and utilitari-
dation in her voice. He raised a hairless brow. an in design. It’s a great place to introduce culture
“Nottt aaall at onnnce.” shock if your character is from off-world. Europa, for
She maintained her gaze for a tense moment, instance, has almost no construction like this and all
and giggled hard when his smile widened. its major population zones are domed. Venus is more
“You’re terrible!” she declared, and he diverse in its architecture and doesn’t build as tall
nodded. or as tightly packed. Space-born Vectors often feel
“It goooes with beeeing a monster,” he replied a sense of agoraphobia their first time on a planet;
in what she took to be a nonchalant manner, though even large space stations are nothing compared to
it was still difficult to pick out his speech patterns. the views off Mars’ massive towers.
She hadn’t expected humor from him, and it was Moving back and forth between megastruc-
remarkably reassuring to hear it. She hadn’t laughed tures is a great way to make use of the oft-forgotten
in days. Longer. Community:Dexterity trait, which can help describe
“Hooow do youuu get around?” he asked. your ability to pick up on cultural differences
“Well, there are the lifts, you know about between people who spend their whole lives in
those,” she said, “They go between levels. There are one of these blocks, and those who travel and just
roads for personal conveyance, but we don’t have happen to have a residence there. It’s also a good
any full-sized vehicles in here that aren’t for mainte- setting for building up one’s reputation and actually
nance. There isn’t really a need for them. I’ve been in making use of it, as the fairly close quarters of these
them outside, though. I even got to sit in traffic once!”
structures make for fast-traveling news.
She looked momentarily proud, before waving it off. The adaptive musculature of Vectors makes
“Once was enough, though. them function more or less identically in any given
“If you’re trying to get around the city outside,
gravity, but architecture does not. Mars’ compar-
there are the bridges; they have conveyors on them atively low gravity means the already powerful
that can let you get from place to place pretty quick. alloys used in modern buildings can be pushed even
And telecommuting, I think a lot of people in these further, and most Martian structures extend far into
buildings work in the net, so they don’t really need to the sky. As a result, your adventures in Martian urban
leave to get where they go everyday. You could glide, zones should make use of the myriad of cat-walks
too, if you know how. Dad has a half-wing he uses to and sky bridges that connect these structures, and
um...get from platform to platform,” she swallowed, they represent considerable square footage on their
“He told me I could learn to use it someday.” own.
“You shaaall have tooo do so,” Stranger On lower ones that exist in comfortable
replied, “Aaadd it tooo the list, after ‘survive.’” Elsie
temperatures, there are shops, restaurants, parks
nodded quietly, and said nothing. and recreational zones attached right to the bridges
to allow for spectacular views of the city or good
launching points to other bridges for those with the
means to fly there. Higher bridges are generally
166 enclosed to protect against cold and thinner
air. While Martian buildings are large and tall, few corps operating with IRPF contracts don’t necessar-
possess docking facilities for actual spacecraft on ily have IRPF agents on their ships, but rather teach
their upper levels. The Spear of Heaven on Europa is their own security forces to follow IRPF doctrine
somewhat unique in the solar system for extending while on board. This satisfies their contract while
high enough to be used as an orbital docking station. keeping the ship free of foreign influence. As a result,
Without such a tremendous height, it’s actually ships are occasionally used as havens for people
easier to descend all the way to the surface and land seeking amnesty from corporate pursuit. It’s rare,
on a larger platform than it is to try and hover in though. For the most part, even rival megacorps
the wind next to a large building. They do, of course, don’t want to step on each others’ toes. Appealing
possess multiple platforms for landing atmospheric to individuals is a more direct route to salvation in
craft. most cases, and you can usually narrow down the
Many corp-owned facilities are themed to one you’re searching for through discreet inquiry
cater to the needs of their employees. The flowform into a corp with a vested interest in protecting you.
park in Elsie’s building is a recreational feature,
but the many research centers and relatively high Education
population of “shut-ins” is common in TTI residen-
tial centers. By comparison, Pulse buildings are “Hooow do yooou learn?”
entirely open, foregoing the retractable doors for Elsie blinked at the question, and twitched a
a truly free, levitating lifestyle. When describing a tufted ear.
structure, consider who built it and what they built “You mean my school?” she asked, “I guess
it for, and remember that every corp is attempting to you probably didn’t have a school, huh. They don’t
reinforce its core message. They will generally make like me much; I don’t think they’d manage you very
the things that they are famous for prevalent and well.” She sighed and kicked a fractured piece of
readily accessible. pavement. “It’s just a school, like any school. We all
Home “ownership” is a rare thing in the go in and get inter-lects on stuff. It’s kinda a screen
modern era. Very few Vectors actually own their desk thing that supplements the lecture with inter-
own property, as most of them have houses built active pieces. And it keeps track of what you’re doing
on corp-owned land. There are contracts that will so the teacher knows when you’re goofing off.” She
buy you certain privileges to make your home more smirked, “You can trick them, though, if you know
stable, such as paying to be protected from reloca- how. I got mine to pay attention to the girl that sits
tion if the corp wants to develop near you, or paying next to me so I could read stuff.”
to secure a certain square-footage of an area and “Hooow?” Stranger asked. Elsie grinned.
protect it from higher bids, should someone with “Paper,” she replied, “They’re designed to
a lot of money come along and simply sweep your monitor data downloads and EM fields and stuff
land out from under you. It’s typically the space, not so they can tell when you’re screwing around with
the structure, that corps care about. Most buildings, a Toggle or something. But it doesn’t know when
especially residences, are printed structures that you’re looking at a piece of paper. It wasn’t built to
are easily dismantled and reconfigured, and families detect that kind of thing.”
almost never move from one established home to “Youuu bypassssed supeeerior technology
another established home. Instead, they secure a wiiith obsoleete technology,” Stranger appraised.
plot, and have their home printed. When it’s time to Elsie looked up and nodded vigorously. He had an
move to a bigger home, the original is dismantled, odd vocabulary. Some things he seemed entirely
recycled, and printed back in the same location with unfamiliar with, others he knew the exact words for.
the new upgrades. Deconstruction and reconstruc- “Yeah!” she exclaimed, “Dad used to say that.
tion of most standalone homes only takes about a Sometimes you can get around sophisticated stuff by
day. thinking backwards instead of forwards.” She smiled
Ships represent some of the only truly sover- a little, “He’s kind of...sneaky. I don’t even know what
eign environments in the modern solar system, in he does for a living, he never really told me, he just
that they are owned by a single company and sort of joked that he...” Her eyes widened. “What
don’t operate out of shared corptowns. Even 167 if that’s it? What if he was some kind of spy?
What if that’s why he’s d-” They’d have fact without experience.” She rolled her
“Tellll meee about the schoool, Elsie,” Strang- eyes, “I’ve met a few kids who were over-baked a
er interrupted, and the young lynx bit her tongue. little longer than they should have been, it’s the same
“Whhhyy aren’t yooou taught...wiiith a Neuroplex?” sort of situation. It’s like listening to someone recite
Elsie refocused on the question and slowed junk they got in an encyclopedia with no real idea
her breathing. There it was again: a peculiar selec- of how to apply it to the world. Adults are allowed
tion of information. She was vaguely aware that she to because they’ve already pretty much done all the
was being kept from spinning out of control by the social growing they’re going to do I guess.”
steady stream of conversation, though, so she didn’t Stranger seemed to ponder that for a
press him on it. moment.
“Oh, uh, heh. I’m sure plenty of us would “Thiiis...is enforrrced?” he asked. He didn’t
like to, it’s just not allowed. I guess it’s for a good turn his head, but the eye near the base of his tail
reason though. Something to do with context.” She was looking at her at head-level. How strange must
tried to remember the speech she been given on the that be. He must see things in all directions at once.
same subject. “It’s the difference between ‘knowing’ Did they look like little screens in his head, or one
and ‘learning,’ right? ‘Knowing’ is what computers giant, combined picture?
do. They have hard data about stuff and they can “Well, yeah, I think,” she replied, “Here, at
provide you with specific facts when you need them. least. People go kinda crazy if they get nothing but
But it doesn’t know anything about its own knowl- programmed education. Like they don’t know how
edge, you know?” She frowned, and tried to form the to cope with things in the world that don’t fit in their
right words. narrow understanding, so they get really frustrated,
“The computer doesn’t think about where and because they haven’t experienced how to deal
knowledge comes from, or its own mindset when it with their feelings in a real setting, they get violent.”
got it, or how it works with a completely different He turned his head this time, and glanced
thing that might have some similar aspects. It’s just down at her from his lofty elevation. There were
there, sitting in memory, with no real life context to nubby, hooky, pointy things along his head that
help guide its use or branch into other things it’s seemed to pivot and tilt a bit, almost like ears did.
doing. Because it’s just knowing, right? It isn’t learn- “You’re raaather knowledgeable abooout
ing. There’s no practice or mistakes or knowledge of this,” he commented. Elsie laughed a little, and
what happens if you tweak this or that. It’s just data. rubbed her eye with a palm.
“‘Learning’ is what school does. Part of it is “Every kid asks to skip school and plex a
about gaining knowledge, but a bigger part of it is lesson at one point or another,” she replied.
about learning to be a person. It’s about attaching
what you got in the class room to whatever it is you Understanding Education
saw three weeks ago or overheard in a conversation.
Or maybe watching the same teacher for weeks on The future holds a great many tools for assist-
end and figuring out through observation that when ing the process of education. It has also learned many
they come in unshaven it’s because they’ve been lessons about what not to do. Beaming information
working late, but if they come in wearing fragrance, into someone’s head might teach them facts, but it
it’s because they’ve been drinking.” She smirked. “I gives them no life experience to attach those facts
had one like that. But see, if I got that fact in a Neuro- to. Knowing how to draw, for instance, is more than
plex, I’d have no idea what conditions led to that knowing how to construct shapes on a page. It’s
knowledge. I’d never be able to apply that learning having the experience with a pencil, the training to
process to the next person. control your hand and apply the correct amount of
“If all school were Neuroplex-based, you’d pressure, the understanding of what angle the page
end up with a bunch of people with textbook knowl- should be at to be most comfortable for you, or how
edge about their items and science and stuff and no the room lighting should be arranged so as to best
clue about what it is to exist together. How to read facilitate your thought process. These are things that
people’s moods or learn about being a friend, are learned through practice, experience, time,
or what they love or hate and for what reasons. 168 trial and error. They are not constants, and they
change from person to person, or even from day to “Wooooow,” she breathed, “You could get
day. anywhere, couldn’t you?”
Using characters who have had mixed educa- “It goooes with beeeing a monster,” he
tions can make for a great hook for exploring new replied, “but I generrally limit myseeelf to only going
personalities. Consider how much of your charac- into plaaaces people don’t want meee to be.”
ter’s education was acquired through hands-on The lynx giggled.
learning, and how much they absorbed techno- “Have you ever gotten caught?” she asked.
logically. What sort of mistakes might they make if He stood up on one leg again, which she had come
they possessed knowledge without context? How to accept as his “seated” position. It looked like it
would they behave socially? The benefits of social would be awfully hard if she tried it, but Stranger
education are profound enough that megacorps still was bizarrely flexible and strong. He made it look
use it despite the considerable time and expense it easy.
represents, but that doesn’t mean everyone ends “No,” he replied, after a pause. “Not..innn
up attending. This can be a fun way to put some so many words.” She frowned a little. He always
variety into your NPCs, too. Reflect this on character seemed to leave something out. “Whaaat happens
sheets by withholding points from Proficiencies like tooo people who arrre caught?” he asked, tilting his
Express and Command. It could hurt your reputa- head, “What isss your ‘juuustice’?”
tion as well; many people who learned through “Caught what, caught breaking in? Or you
one method are contemptuous of those who used mean bad stuff in general?” She took it for the latter,
another. Neuroplexes are useful in general, but they and hmmed as she reclined against a piece of built-
have not replaced continued education facilities for in furniture in the entryway. It felt a little squishy
exactly this reason. against her back, and she made a face. The place
It is a safe generalization to assume that must have been treated with a softener to help
education has improved over the course of the past loosen up the bonds of the printed objects for easier
seven centuries. Teaching methods have refined, deconstruction later. It made everything feel a little
study habits now embrace technology to help gummy.
coordinate memorization with sight and tactile “Well, this building follows IRPF justice rules.
response. All in all, most people have a firmer grip I think most of them do. There are some special
on most topics at a younger age in the modern era exceptions because it’s a TTI building, but on the
(hence Elsie’s fairly mature grasp of language and whole I think it’s pretty standard. You get certain
information). It is, however, very specialized, and rights, like degrees of privacy and protection of
you can expect that after the universal topics are identity and trial and due process and stuff. Can’t
covered most corps will begin shuffling people into own people, can’t attack people unless defending
specific areas of study to fill niches they’ll be neededyourself, can’t steal stuff, no carrying lethal weapons
for later. MarsCo is one of the few that embraces a around without corp permission,” she waved her
more holistic approach. hand in a rolling motion, “You know, the usual things.
And TTI has to abide by the agreement or they don’t
Crime get the contract, which wouldn’t be great for them.
Most people want to live in IRPF-contracted areas;
Stranger dropped to all fours for a moment as it’s sort of scary if you don’t.” Her words trailed off
they approached a building with a breach in its wall. a little toward the end of her statement. Maybe that
With a simple push of his feet, he inverted, turning in wasn’t true. If her parents were dead, and no one
a slow handstand to deftly slip his feet through the knew why, was it really any safer here? The thought
hole and slide his body through the remainder like stuck in her head as she continued to speak.
water down a drain. Elsie felt her jaw drop. It would “If you’re caught doing something you
have been hard enough for her to get through, much shouldn’t, they hold you, collect evidence, maybe
less something twice her size. The door opened have a trial if it’s a big enough deal. If it’s a corporate
from the inside, and the tall, pale creature stooped crime you get pushed off to TTI to handle internally.
to a low bow and held out his hand to usher her So like, stealing company secrets or trying to
in. 169 sabotage a project, that sort of thing. Or illegal
distribution. I think most people in the higher levels why Dad was talking about it to begin...with.”
of a corp don’t actually control what they make, so Elsie looked up slowly, as though trying to
if you develop something and then try to use it for read Stranger’s face for information. She didn’t
something TTI doesn’t like or something like that, know his tells, if he even had any, but he was looking
it’s theft. Personal crime like violence and stuff is at her with his head. He didn’t really seem to bother
IRPF’s job. TTI has a code of conduct and justice with that in most situations.
too, but...” she paused again. That felt like another “Mom and Dad tried to jump corps after I was
piece of the puzzle. “...but Dad once said that if you born,” she said, “Three times. Each time TTI found a
did something bad enough to get taken out of IRPF’s way to keep them in. The most recent was 7 years
contract and pushed into TTI’s, it would probably be ago. That’s when we moved here, and they gave us
the last thing you ever did.” the new place...”
“Whaaat if yooou evade justice?” Stranger “Youuur parents... must haaave been verrry
asked. Elsie considered the possibilities. valuable tooo them,” Stranger replied. It was the
“I guess it depends on what you did,” she said, first time he hadn’t pushed her past the issue. She
“It’s usually pretty easy for the IRPF to find you if nodded slowly.
you’re carrying around a lot of registered tech. Your “Mom was a researcher,” she said softly, “Dad
Toggle, your accounts, data storage, all that stuff was always sort of close-mouthed about his actual
gets logged when you use it on someone’s network. job, but I think he sort of...looked for stuff that was
You’d really have to get off the grid if you wanted useful for Mom’s research, or something. Like a
to hide. I guess you could trade things with people, collector. Both of them had been operated on.” She
or try to get to a place that doesn’t have the same looked down at the twitching form on the floor,
restrictions. Or maybe pay someone? If you’re good the shadow with too many limbs and anatomy that
with computers you might be able to get to your defied her own. “That’s why I have this thing.”
credits through a fake name or something. I don’t “Haaave yooou been operrrated on?”
know what you’d do about your Ledger though, She blinked, and looked back up. Somehow,
those are supposed to be keyed per person.” that question seemed more profound than she
“Caaan they beee removed?” Stranger asked. would have expected it to be.
Elsie was forced to shrug. “No,” she replied, a little surprised herself,
“I think? I know they can move from corp to “Never.”
corp. I think you’re always supposed to be able to “Doooes TTI owwwn you?”
have access to it, even if you’re a criminal, but they Elsie blinked a few times, and tried to figure
can track your access. Dad said you can buy new ones it out in her head. “I don’t think they...can...according
from people who sell theirs. Some people don’t want to their IRPF contract.”
them, usually because their wealth isn’t tied to public Oh. Not her, no. but...
trade or something. Like people who own a specific “They might own my shadow...”
product or resource or inherited a lot of money There was a cold silence following that state-
and don’t really need to worry about the things the ment, and Elsie trembled slightly against the soft
Ledger is supposed to do for you. So they put it up wall of the hallway. Her eyes were wide.
for sale. It’s legal, but I think it’s more valuable if you “I don’t think I should go home anymore,”
buy it illegally, without a name attached to it. That she whispered. Stranger bent down to her level and
way you could use it to be someone new.” nudged her face up to his with his agile tail, until his
“Would thaaat allow you to evaaade justice?” trio of narrow yellow eyes were all she could see.
“Well, I don’t know,” Elsie replied with a stern “Corrrrect,” he said.
look, “I wasn’t exactly taught how to be a criminal.
I think it just means you’d be able to access your
Ledger and finances without anyone knowing it
was you doing it. It might make avoiding corp notice
easier. If you were trying to get away from the corp
that holds your Ledger and didn’t want them
knowing where you were going with it. That’s 170
Understanding law ence is in how they’re being employed. Commu-
Handling law in an environment with no nity:Acuity is generally a passive action, such as
government can be a little perplexing at first, but observation or examination. If you want to use the
on the whole, it functions pretty similarly to how information you’ve collected in a new environment,
it does in contemporary parallels. Most megacorps you could use Community:Dexterity+Express, or
(excluding Spyglass) contract with IRPF in the way one of the other social Proficiencies. Communi-
Elsie described, which will in turn trickle down to ty:Strength, which is often used in conjunction with
smaller entities inside their corpornations. But on a social check, is not applicable in a community you
independently owned space stations or frontiers have never entered before as you have no estab-
without ownership (such as Ganymede’s Mean) lished reputation or contact within that community.
IRPF contracts are too expensive to maintain. In Community:Dexterity would be the primary driver
those occasions, the law is more or less whatever of your social checks until which time that the
the public agrees on, and is typically strictly upheld Guide has decided your own reputation and actions
by its own citizens so as to avoid anarchy. Elsie’s within that community have advanced enough to
concern about TTI taking an active role in the killing allow you to call on Community:Strength instead. Of
of her family is justified; megacorps rarely sink down course, you could choose to ignore their practices
to the individual level unless they absolutely require altogether and try to garner support or assistance
results. In those situations, they tend to pull out all through sheer charisma or reputation, which would
the stops to make sure the job gets done. Naturally, be Community:Presence in most cases. And if you
it’s kept out of the public view. fail, you may need that Community:Resilience to be
Aside from Spyglass corptowns, which have pretty high in order to avoid being forever branded
always functioned on the curious “justice” of the for your embarrassing attempt.
corp itself, the most well known examples of atypi- Weaponry and attire are important things to
cal law are in Grottos scattered around the solar consider when trying to exist in a lawful environ-
system. Places like Longbow, the Elysium, and other ment. Under IRPF contract, small, nonlethal person-
stations which have united around a banner outside al defense weapons are legal for adults to own and
of corporate gain will usually have a different code of carry publicly, provided they’re concealed so as not
conduct. When structuring law for an environment, to be provocative. In cities, that’s about as far as
consider that most law exists to promote the growth you can get, but as you travel outward into lighter
of society toward a common goal. The common goal populations with more local pull, it’s not uncommon
of the setting you’re developing will determine what for people to carry handguns and other lethal, but
is “right” and what is “wrong” there. In areas that small and non-automatic, firearms. Specialized
are considered owned by an organization and are ammunition of any kind (other than LTL) is consid-
outside IRPF contracts, they have no jurisdiction and ered above and beyond what’s necessary for personal
will not typically enter, even in response to distress protection, and can land you a jail sentence if you’re
calls. Progenitus ships will typically respond to caught carrying it around without special dispensa-
distress calls regardless of location and ownership, tion from a contract. Armor more conspicuous than
and deal with the legal fallout later. Because Progen- a bulletproof vest will usually get you questioned by
itus contracts with the IRPF, this inevitably drags authorities, just to make sure you’re not expecting
IRPF officers into fights their own doctrine tells trouble, and full body armor, active armor, and living
them to avoid. It is one of many factors that breed armor, are all considered too large a risk to allow
friction inside that particular organization’s own you to walk around public areas in (if you were to
ranks. start trouble, you’d be too difficult to stop). Getting
Figuring out the laws and social cues of a new your gear from place to place without wearing it
environment can be critical to not getting your ass is a good way to make use of various utilities and
kicked within five minutes of entry. Community:Acu- services like hiring a delivery service to transport
ity+Spot is a good check for trying to observe how your equipment, or grabbing a disposable vehicle to
behaviors may be different in one place vs. another. do it yourself. The same is true of weaponry. If it’s
Community:Acuity and Community:Dexterity too big to hide under a shirt, it’s not something
have some overlap here, but the primary differ- 171 you can walk around town with. Exceptions are
places with established anarchy, such as the Mean her on all four limbs in a bizarre but eerily graceful
and areas that corps have chosen not to endorse. stride. “Peeerhaps you know?”
You’ll know them when you see them: everyone will He led her into the building and to a large
be packing heat. room with abandoned and emptied vending units
around the walls. Two were still active, and a low
NEEDS pulsing light was blinking above them. Elsie made a
face and stuck out her tongue.
For a good forty minutes after they had first “You’ve been living off ration blocks?” she
entered the building, the pair had moved in relative asked, looking none-to-thrilled about the idea. “Ick.”
silence. Elsie had lost her speaking momentum, “Ittt is unpalatable?” he asked, turning back
and the weight of the day was sinking into her toward the machine.
bones. Walking was difficult. Her body felt cold “It tastes bad, if that’s what you mean,” she
and sluggish, and she kept shivering. Stranger had replied, “Can’t you tell?”
helped her, from time to time, and it made her feel a “Myyy sense of taste isss somewhat less
little better. She wished she could figure out what he diiiiscerning thaaan your own,” he said, “Whaaat is
was. Some sort of morphism she’d never seen before, it?”
maybe. Or something different? Human, maybe? “It’s sort of like...what you eat if you can’t
There were pictures of humans in the history texts, afford food,” she explained. “All the corptowns have
but they didn’t look at all like he did. Maybe they got them. I think Pulse actually has some that taste good,
it wrong? Pondering his existence was easier than it’s in their commercials. But they scout from every-
pondering her own. where, so they’re not really trying to attract wealth.”
By now she had more or less cemented She took a seat on one of the generic tables that were
an idea of her situation in her mind. TTI was the seamed to the floor and looked at the flashing light,
offender. They wanted something from her mother for lack of other places to fix her gaze. “Between
and father, but it probably wasn’t her parents bio-printing and protein growth techniques and
themselves. After all, they’d been operating on their medical science and artificial agriculture, there isn’t
own for a while now, and TTI already knew all the really an excuse for letting people starve anymore.
various operations they’d been involved in. But Elsie With the waste products from larger meat farms
herself could be an appealing target. She was a freak alone you could feed, I dunno, thousands, and it
mutation; they’d probably want to know about her, would actually cost less than trashing it. Water’s
maybe even feel entitled to knowing about her. It the same way; you can purify waste water with an
would explain why her parents had worked so hard industrial flowform for less than it costs to find some
to distance the family from the corp. It might even nasty place to store it all. Basically, if someone dies
explain what...happened to them, if they kept getting from starvation, it’s ‘cause someone let it happen,
in the way. If that’s what happened. If this was true. not because of a lack of stuff to feed them.”
“Herrre,” Stranger said, and Elsie jerked with She gestured toward the dispenser. “That
a startle out of her dazed state. He was standing in thing is part of that system. What you’re eating
front of a new structure, an old office building by is basically the stuff that didn’t get used when a
the looks of it, but she realized he was watching her protein culture was turned into a meal. It’s the flash
behind him at the same time, through eyes on his on the edges of a fillet some restaurant grew, or
shoulder blades that peered through cut slits in the the stray meat from a rib culture that was grown
coat he wore. What did that make now, seven? There for someone’s dinner. It gets dissolved and rebuilt
was nowhere she could stand that he couldn’t see. into ration blocks. All the nutrition is there; I think
For some reason, that was more comforting than it they’re actually supposed to be pretty good for you,
was troubling. She rather wanted to be looked after but it’s not an actual...thing, you know? It’s not a
right now. muscle or a leaf or a thing with real circulation and
“Here?” she asked, “Is this where you live?” all the stuff that makes food taste good. It’s just a
“Foorr the moment,” he replied, “it seeerves block of what you need to live. It’s free for citizens of
me. It provides fooood and water, though I’m not the corptown, but no one really wants to eat the
sure whyyy.” he dipped low and crept alongside 172 stuff. You can’t even store it for trips or anything,
it goes bad fast. It gets constructed as you order it, illegal to have kids below an income bracket that can
so there’s nothing in it to keep it fresh.” support them.”
“Buuut it isss publicly avaaailable?” Stranger “Whaaat if it happeeens anyway?” he asked.
asked, “Eveeen herrre?” Elsie nodded. Elsie frowned a little and shrugged.
“Sure. That light up there means it’s part of “It doesn’t,” she said simply, “I think you just
the emergency grid. It’s the same power that runs get sent to the doctor or something and they fix it if
the forever lights and other stuff that still works you’re not at the right level. I think you can put them
down here. It’s designed to keep working no matter on reserve or something, if you can’t afford them. I
how damaged the building is, so it sort of doesn’t know MarsCo will store an infant genome for later
make sense for it to have an ‘off’ switch. No one replication if you ended up not meeting the right
really eats that stuff unless they don’t have another income bracket but want to make sure you have that
option, so if you were to disconnect them, you’d be specific baby when you can afford it. There’s some
starving people.” sort of contract involved, I don’t know all the details.”
“Hooow magnanimous of theeem,” Stranger Stranger was quiet for a moment, and for the
mused, “Yooour world haaas a straaange gamut of first time, she felt uncomfortable under his gaze.
moraaality, little monster.” Elsie didn’t catch most Like she was being judged for something she didn’t
of that sentence, but she had a reasonable idea of understand.
what was boggling him. She tried to explain as she “Yooou have neveeer met someone borrrn
grimmaced at the food she was retrieving. below thaaat line?” he asked, a few seconds later.
“I think people just don’t let the big corps get She shook her head.
away with stuff they know they can solve,” she said, “Never heard of it. I think it would make the
“It’s all the stuff they don’t know about that they corps look bad.”
get away with. Lots of things are free, if you need Stranger was quiet a moment longer, before
them, right? They don’t want customers to die, that turning back toward the blinking light on the wall.
doesn’t help them. If people are scraping by just to “Eaaat, little monster,” he said at last. Her
barely afford food, that’s not helping anyone get ears drooped in concern and a lack of understand-
anywhere. So you make the food free and the water ing, but she didn’t ask what was wrong. She turned
free and you cram them into little homes.” She point- instead back to the unappetizing meal before her,
ed upward, toward the large open interior of the and reluctantly took the first bite.
building, where dozens of doors led to tiny rooms “Whaaat is ‘over-baked’?” Stranger asked as
consisting of little more than a patch of soft floor to Elsie made a painful show of swallowing her third
sleep on. “Like those, right? And it’s uncomfortable mouthful of the thick, grayish ration.
and miserable, but you’re not going to die. You’ve “This, maybe,” she said, “Or maybe it’s not
got food and a place to sleep and you can maybe put baked enough. I’m not sure if any kind of heat or lack
your money someplace that actually does the corp thereof is going to rescue this thing.”
some good. It doesn’t really cost them anything to “Yooou meeentioned a chiiild was over-baked
feed you protein run-off, you know? In the end it fooor too long,” Stranger clarified, “I assuuume
helps get money back out in the open.” they’re not paaart of the freee food.” Elsie coughed
“Thhhe syyystem...is not oveeerburdened?” and laughed.
Stranger asked. His twisted speech patterns didn’t “No! No, I uh, I’m sorry,” she looked a little
convey surprise very well, but Elsie thought she embarrassed, and tucked her ears flat, “It’s not a
detected it. “Eveeen when peeeople who rely on it very nice term, I shouldn’t have said it. It’s sort of
reproduuuce?” slang for people who were in infancy-bypass tanks
“Reproduce?” It was her turn for confusion, for longer than their first year.”
“What, like, have kids?” Stranger nodded, and she Stranger tilted his head, which, for him,
furrowed her brow. “You can’t have kids below the tended to include a full bending of the body. He
family income line,” she said. The very concept was moved in an almost serpent-like fashion, like his
alien to her. The gaunt figure in the coat actually joints were more suggestions than actual mechan-
looked dumbfounded. “What?” she asked, “It’s ical requirements.
part of your annual income projections. It’s 173 “What isss aan infaaancy-bypass tank?” he
asked. Elsie looked at him, waiting for the joke. It come out thinking the world is supposed to be a
didn’t come. certain way and it isn’t. That girl I mentioned earlier,
“You’ve really never heard of them? You I think she was like two years adjusted when they
didn’t use one?” She bapped her own head with her took her out. Her parents were part of some critical
palm. “Of course you didn’t use one, I’m sorry, I just.. negotiation or something, their contract forbade
you’re the only other person I’ve met that wasn’t them from caring for newborns while it was going
boosted.” on, and they didn’t want to have to leave her behind
“Iii am not a peeerson,” he corrected. with someone, so they skipped her up to the local
“Maybe that’s good,” she muttered, poking at childcare ages.” She shook her head, “She always sort
her protein loaf, “I don’t think I’m very happy with of felt like talking to a wall. Smart enough, really, but
‘people’ right now.” She sighed and leaned back. it took forever for her to attach ideas together. You
“Infancy-bypass is a thing newborns get in couldn’t tell her something was ‘hot’, right? You had
order to skip over the parts of babyhood where they to tell her something was hot and it would hurt to
need constant attention, you know? Corps don’t touch. The idea of ‘hot’ and ‘hurting’ and ‘touching’
want to lose their workers for...whatever long it takes. were further apart than they should have been.” She
Six months or something? It’s not a big deal in some looked sympathetic. “They say you grow out of that
businesses but it’s reeaaally expensive to lose talent eventually, but I don’t know. She was still doing it
for that long in higher level jobs. So they provide this when we were seven.”
treatment that’s kinda like a growth chamber and a Stranger slowly righted his posture, and
Neuroplex all at once, and the newborn goes in and looked down at the lynx sitting at the table.
sorta super-grows.” She swallowed down another “Thiiis,” he asked, “is nooormal for you?” She
bite. Nasty as it was, the food was helping settle shrugged and nodded.
her tremors. It had been a while since she’d eaten. “Yeah, I think it happens most everywhere. I
“I’ve seen it in action before, on a field trip, it’s mean, you gotta work, right? The universe doesn’t
pretty neat. They grow at something like a month take a nap for a year ‘cause you had a kid.” She gave
per week or something. So while they’re in the tank, up on the loaf for the moment and pushed it aside.
the parents can keep working, and when they come “I only missed it ‘cause Mom and Dad tried to leave
out they’re however old they’re supposed to be and TTI right after I was born. They left Europa; I had
don’t require constant attention anymore.” a private doctor or something, I don’t know all the
“Thiiis treeatment...is mandatory?” he asked, details,” she chuckled, “It’s not like I can remember
having not yet righted his posture. The little lynx it. But by the time TTI settled with them for the first
tried to tilt her own head to meet his, but couldn’t time, I was already too old to be worth the effort of
achieve the angle without stumbling. jumpstarting.”
“I think it depends on your contract,” she “Arrre there nooo childcare seeervices?” he
said, trying to remember the details, “or where pressed, “Doeees no one contessst this poloocy?”
you’re living. Pretty much everybody shaves off the Elsie gave him a look.
first six months. I’m actually the only person I know “Well sure, I guess. A few people,” she replied
who didn’t. Some people go a year. Not in the tank, of with a shrug, “I think you’d have to be awfully
course, I mean like they come out a year old. That’s wealthy, though. I mean, it’s a big solar system,” she
getting close to the danger zone though.” She twirled said as she sipped her drink, “Even talented workers
her finger by her head, indicating mental damage. aren’t hard to replace if they’re asking for like, a year
“It’s like that plexing thing, right? They’re off or something. That’s a lot of time. Besides,” she
being fed knowledge and experience but there’s looked perplexed, “who’d want to? Don’t babies just
no context involved. With babies they get fake cry and sleep a lot anyway?”
memories to try and help that, but it still means “I wooould not know,” Stranger replied. She
they didn’t do any experiments on their own. No was quiet a moment, before tugging on his sleeve.
one’s ever definitively proven a problem with doing “Stranger...are we bad, or something?” she
the first year....I think...” she frowned, “At least, not asked, concerned. He blinked at her through the
that I’ve heard of. But the further out you go the eye on his tail, and even that averted its gaze a
more adjustment issues you end up with. They 174 moment later.
Understanding morality When using morality in a narrative, it’s
Playing games with morality can be particu- important to remember that Vectors have never
larly interesting in the HSD universe. Consider the existed under the control or influence of what we
setting: the solar system is run by corporate giants commonly think of as morality. Even for the brief
with nearly limitless wealth and power and control decades where Vectors were old enough to really
over just about every aspect of individual life. It’s a interact with humans while they were still around,
recipe for disaster, really. To their credit, the organi- they were not talking to the greater mass of human
zations in HSD all stemmed from a common mission society, but rather a select few individuals who were
statement laid down by the Mars corporation 700 part of the Mars mission and those who were select-
years ago; a message of freedom, personal liberty ed for evacuation during the war. They have had to
and the right to not be contained and controlled by come up with much of their own philosophy, and it
stagnant powers that could not keep up with their has been in a very different context.
population. As publicly owned companies, they’re Vectors typically don’t have many scruples
accountable to their stockholders, who expect them about scientific experimentation, surgery, genetic
to respect that concept. Vectors have a long histo- manipulation or the general change of “natural”
ry of ending problems before they start, and more things to better suit a purpose. They tend to focus
than a few tyranical organizations have been torn on justification, rather than action. The creation of a
down from within when they became too obviously new entity, for instance, purely so it can be abused
corrupt. or harmed, would generally be considered “bad.”
It’s the slow and steady creep of what is The creation of the entity itself, however, would not
“acceptable” where the real danger lies. Over the be. Vectors were themselves created in such a way,
course of 700 years, what that concept actually and they don’t consider that act to be a bad one.
means has drifted, and what large entities can now Most Vector societies value efficiency and
get away with can be shocking. Figuring out where dislike waste, which tends to drive them down
it landed and how your character behaves in the paths that favor conservationism and push for a
modern age can make for very fun role play. philosophy of replacing what you take when you
Elsie mentioned how child rearing has modify an environment. However, the means of that
changed in her conversation. A common point of replacement does not typically follow human moral
moral drift in HSD stems from how the convenience scrutiny. Vectors would never, for instance, hunt a
of biotech and advanced technology has made it very wild animal to extinction. To do so would destroy a
simple to skip over parts in our lives that tend to unique and beautiful aspect of their environment.
take a lot of time, only to eventually end. Education, However, their solution to that problem would not
growth, personal fitness, things that eat up hours in be “to stop hunting the animal,” but rather to figure
the day that might be put toward larger projects (or out how to clone or simulate the animal so that
just work). Corpornations rarely “force” people into existing hunting patterns would not significantly
doing anything. They choose instead to make certain affect its population. As engineered creatures
actions very attractive, so that people will flock in themselves, they tend to care less about many of
that direction on their own. Collecting personal data the classic human arguments against such practic-
through social media in return for social rewards, for es. The concept of a “soul,” for instance, has been
instance, or getting parents back into the job force almost completely redefined in the modern age, if
quickly by offering free “child-care” in the form of not outright forgotten.
an infancy-bypass. After years and years of similar Vectors have also been socially trained to see
practices, the initial reluctance begins to fade, until their world in degrees, rather than absolutes. There
they become commonplace and the people who is no “privacy,” for instance. There are “degrees of
don’t use them are thought of as the odd ones. privacy.” Such is true of most white collar crime,
Presentation is everything, and many children like invasions of property, and acts of violence. In certain
Elsie have never heard of infancy as anything more areas, you should expect your legal protections
important than a small screaming creature with no against such things to drop by various degrees. This
intelligence that then, somewhere around the is generally reflective of how much security is
one-year stage, suddenly becomes a bit smarter. 175 being contracted for a given area, but might also
be intentional depending on the owner. Few areas than being true to the setting, be true to your players.
promote (actively, or by means of turning a blind If they enjoy the challenge of constantly having to
eye) violence, however. Fearful, injured citizens do outwit security systems or work around cameras,
not participate in the economy. Happy people spend, then leave them in. If they find that tedious, you
and that’s the goal. could limit observation equipment to only certain
Most Vectors are aware that they are fairly areas so your players know where to avoid, or give
constantly monitored, but if they are in an area (their them a simple, in-game way to scramble low priority
home, for instance) with a high degree of privacy, signals. Likewise, sometimes less security is more
information gathered on them is considered protect- security. TTI and ASR research facilities are well
ed and not public. Being born a Vector is a little like known for having advanced security at the access
clicking the “I Agree” button on an end-user license points to their labs, but almost nothing inside them.
agreement for your life. You will likely never witness There are too many secrets and projects floating
any particular problems associated with it, but around to risk them being recorded on security
your agreement is nonetheless valid. Information footage and hacked or leaked. Pulse likewise tends
gathered on common activities, right down to the to eschew recordings in areas with high profile
brand of brush you use, is captured and reported to atheletes and celebrities. Scandals are good for
the corp that owns your building. Corps have better news, but horrifically expensive for managers. Many
things to do than stamp that personal information want as much plausible deniability as they can get.
all over the network; it just makes them look bad,
and they don’t want to piss off their customers, so Faith
you’re unlikely to actually feel like your privacy is
being violated. But the information is still being “Dooo you knooow what it is?” Stranger
collected. asked. Elsie held up the bracelet he had handed to
Technological ubiquity has certainly her and squinted at it in the dim light.
produced a big-brother situation in the modern era. “Yeah,” she replied, “it’s a Thorn bracelet.
The primary difference is that while a government Pretty one, too.” She pointed to the raised motif
might want to know who you’re sleeping with so of the droplet on the curved silver surface, “They
they can catch you in an act of sedition or moral usually just etch this on the top.”
depravity, a megacorp wants to know who you’re “I haaave seen severaaal,” he said, “but I do
sleeping with so they can sell you fancy lingerie that not knooow their fuuuunction.” Elsie chuckled a
fits the personality profile they’ve accumulated on little.
your partner over the years. It’s entirely possible “Yeah, it’s popular around here,” she said,
the ad for exactly that will appear in your inbox the mostly to herself. She turned it over to look for
following morning. Vectors have more or less gotten additional features. “They don’t have a ‘function,’
used to it. It extends all the way to the products it’s more like a symbol. For Universal Sanguinists.”
you buy. Weapons are especially noteworthy for it; She pointed to the raised droplet. “That’s their
if players purchase grenades from a buyspot, they symbol. Sanguinists believe that all the truths of the
should expect that the corp they bought them from universe can be found through biotech. It’s sort of a
will be wirelessly informed of the location in which ‘look inward’ kinda thing. You get a lot of them in TTI
the grenade exploded. It makes it easy for them to towns. It’s sorta...circular.” She made a motion with
find out if that automatic rifle they sold you last her hand. “Brains make technology that examines
week is being used in places it shouldn’t. body which reveals mystery which fuels brains to
That said, be cautious about over-using build technology to examine mystery within body,
technological ubiquity in your narratives. In the they’ve got this little chant thing, I don’t know it
modern era, cameras and wireless signals are easily all. But it comes down to all the answers being in
good enough to have damn near every inch of every here,” she pointed to herself, “even to the questions
corner of every structure constantly monitored, and that are out there,” she gestured outward in a
in many high security areas that’s likely the case, general motion. “They don’t really have a worship
but that sort of constant observation can make center, they practice by researching and sharing
it difficult for your players to maneuver. Rather 176 results.” She smiled a little as she looked at it.
“Mom had a friend who was a practicing Sanguinist. her shadow twitch and seethe on the wall.
She always used to joke that it was holding her back “It’s alive,” she said finally. “That thing there,
because the corp couldn’t trust her with secrets.” is real, whatever it is. It’s not a light-trick. Something,
“It isss a religeeon,” Stranger concluded. Elsie somewhere, is making it. All the books and the
nodded. teachers and the doctors say it can’t be, but there
“Yeah, one of many. That one’s just one of the it is.” Her voice was surprisingly even as she spoke.
popular ones in a corptown like this. It’s pretty old, This particular subject was one that had consumed
but it’s not one of the humanist ones I don’t think. a great deal of her thoughts, for a very long time.
There are a few that stuck around from before we Frightening though it was, it wasn’t new.
even existed, right? I always thought that was kind “I think if it can break my shadow just by
of neat. It’s one of the only things from the human existing, then if it ever actually gets here, like really
era that’s still active.” gets here, it’s going to break a lot more than that.”
“It isss unchanged?” Stranger seemed She shook her head. “The way we understand the
surprised. Elsie shrugged. universe is wrong. That’s TTI’s motto, kinda. I think
“Well, I wouldn’t really know, would I?” I’m proof. It’s going to happen someday. Either we’re
she replied, “But I think so, yeah. Most of the ‘God’ going to find something we weren’t ready to find, or
religions were pre-Vector. A lot of the newer ones we’re going to make something we weren’t ready to
have technology and stuff in them.” She looked over make. If we haven’t already.”
at her shadow again, and gestured toward it with a “Therrre are many who shaaare this feeling?”
flip of her hand. “And then there’s all the ones that Stranger asked.
popped up when this stuff started happening. I think “It’s been a growing feeling for a while, I
TTI accidentally invented a dozen different religions think,” Elsie replied, “It made TTI rich, right? No one
when Transcendent Implants showed up.” paid them much attention until after they started
“Perhaaaaps you arrrre chosen of God,” showing off things science couldn’t explain. Before
Stranger suggested. She was beginning to get the that they were just a hostile environment research
hang of his inflection now, and recognized the and exploration corp.” Elsie’s knowledge of TTI’s
humor. history was extensive, having lived in various TTI
“Don’t even joke,” she muttered. “I met corptowns her whole life. Like it or not, to her, their
someone once who thought I was. He called me a message was a pretty obvious one.
harbinger. I don’t even know what that MEANS, but “There are only a few major religions that
he kept saying my shadow was ‘a lens through which really practice it, I think. Mostly it’s Universities.
one could see the shape of Eternity.’” She chewed her They’re little groups or organizations that are really
lip a little. It had been a frightening encounter. The into a belief. Kinda fanatical, right? Religions are sort
man was very...enthusiastic...about his discovery. of...ways to live your life. Universities are more like
“That was before we made it to here.” ways to END your life. They’re all about “transform-
“Yooou do not wiiiish to be significant?” ing” into something more in-line with their thinking.
“Not to them,” she shook her head, “At least It gets kind of scary.”
with the pre-Vector ‘God’ ones, the God seems like “A cult,” Stranger said.
a decent person. It might not make a lot of sense “A what?”
sometimes, but it’s not mean. A lot of the new ones Stranger tilted his head and considered.
that popped up after Terra started turning red talk “It isss a...forgotten word,” he explained, “but
about paving the way for something to come find us. apparently nooot a forgotten conceeeept. Are they
And even though they all seem sort of excited about dangeeerous?”
it, the thing they all describe sounds...bad.” She “Oh yeah,” she breathed, “very. More danger-
tightened her grip on her own arms a little. “Mom ous than criminals, I think. Criminals are sort of
called him a Rapturist. I don’t think we’re supposed predictable, right? They’re trying to get money or
to survive it when whatever they’re trying to find something. Maybe do something personal. But some
shows up. If we’re lucky.” of these Universities, they’re trying to send a message.
“Dooo you belieeve it?” Sometimes the only way to make a message
She was silent for a moment, watching 177 stand out in front of all the other messages is to
do it in a way that can’t be ignored. People usually damp with its fluids. Her vomit. Twisted metal like
die, when that happens.” She briefly pondered a broken bones, shattered carapace. This was what
religious motive behind her current predicament, happened to them. She was sure of it. Just like this.
slotting it into the theory she had previously formed Just like this. Just...
in her head. It didn’t fit well enough though, so she When she awoke, Stranger was sitting next
dismissed it. Mother had told her not to compound to her. There was an open PERK beside him, and
problems with problems. Things were bad enough it looked like it had been used. Her heart wasn’t
at the moment without inventing more motives. pounding anymore, and she could breathe again.
“Where did you get this, anyway?” Elsie Carefully, gingerly, she lifted an arm. It trembled a
asked, holding up the silver droplet bracelet. little, but not like before.
“It waaaas attached...toooo a robot,” Stranger “Wellllcome baaack,” came the now-familiar
said. Elsie lifted a brow, confused. dragging tone of her monster.
“A robot? What, like on the controls or “What happened?” she whispered. Her
something?” she asked. Stranger shook his head. mouth tasted bad. He presented her with water, and
“Onnn the wriiist,” he clarified, holding up it helped.
his own and pointing to it. Elsie’s look of confusion “Shock,” he replied, “Yooou are restored, now.
changed to concern. I waaas prepared.” His craggy grin widened. “You are
“Did...did it have a grabby arm thing or a strooong peeerson, Elsiiiie. I have been waaaiting
something?” she tried again, “Maybe someone left it for that for hours now.”
on there.” She turned toward him slowly, and judged
“Follow,” Stranger said, and slipped from the her breathing. It had happened so quickly, she was
rail of the balcony back into the building in a single worried it would happen again. She was worried that
smooth motion. Elsie got to her feet and jogged after worrying might MAKE it happen again. Stranger’s
him to keep up with his longer strides. hand arrived at her shoulder, and held her firmly.
“‘Cause it doesn’t make much sense for it to “Yooou are alright,” he said. She breathed,
just be attached to a robot,” she said as they walked, and nodded.
traveling down the dimly lit hallways whose only “You knew how to fix that?” she asked after a
illumination was emergency floor lighting and what moment. He nodded.
little filtered in from the windows looking out into “I haaave a passsssing knowledge of
the gray zone. “Unless it was a vending machine? Is emergency treaaaatment,” he said, “It has proooven
that what you mean? I haven’t see-” a useful skill, more thaaan once.”
“Theeere,” Stranger interrupted. He had It took her a few minutes to sit up, and a
rounded a corner and was pointing to a pile a few few more of remaining motionless, breathing, and
feet away. Elsie clapped her hand over her mouth organizing her thoughts. They kept drifting back
and spun, looking the other way and gasping for air. to the body on the floor, and would startle and pull
“Oh no,” she whispered, “That’s a Cog. That’s away, worried about a relapse.
a dead Cog.” “Theee robot troubled you,” Stranger spoke,
She sank to the floor and tried to slow the “I diiid not expect the reaaaction.” It occurred to her
rushing sound of the blood pumping through her that he might be attempting to apologize. Monsters
ears. Things were flooding into her mind that she’d might not even have a word for ‘sorry.’
been forcing down for hours now, keeping at bay “It’s not a robot,” she said, “it’s a Cog...” She
with food and Stranger’s questions. She had erected waited a moment, testing the word, feeling out how
a careful barrier to keep the reality of her parents’ it made her react. She felt a little more stable now.
deaths from overwhelming her, and the corpse in Maybe talking about it would diffuse the anxiety.
the corner had completely destroyed it. She was “Therrrre is...a dissstinction?” Stranger
vaguely aware that she was speaking, but she had asked. Social indignation cut through the haze in
no idea what the words were. She couldn’t breathe, Elsie’s head.
couldn’t pull the air in for the flood of words that “Of course there is!” she replied, “A robot is a
were spilling out. Her chest burned. The shiver- tool, a Cog is a person. They’re totally different!”
ing was back. Dead. Destroyed. The carpets were 178 “It isss mechanical,” Stranger pointed out.
Elsie wanted to slap him. core...something,” Elsie replied, trying to remember
“And I’m organic,” she retorted, “That doesn’t the word. “If it loses power all their memory goes
make me a ration loaf.” away, it’s like being braindead.”
“Thaaaat depends on the consumer,” Strang- “Can it beeee rebooted?” Stranger inquired.
er countered. She blinked, and snickered a bit. He Elsie made a sickened face and shook her head.
was kidding. He was baiting her. And she felt a little “They wouldn’t be themselves anymore if you
better. did,” she said, “The mind, the memory, it’s just like us.
“It issss intelligent?” he asked. She nodded. If you don’t have it, you’re just a pile of moving flesh.
“You’ve been hiding under beds a long time if You could put power back into the core, but all the
you’ve never seen a Cog,” she commented, “They’re stuff that made him..HIM, would be gone. He’d just
all over the place. They’re people, they’re just...metal be a robot.” She shivered a little, and it had nothing
people.” She struggled to find the words to describe to do with the temperature. “Cogs call them Husks.
them. It had been a fairly baffling thing the first time They have all the pathway...program thingies they
she’d asked about it herself. Cogs just...were. Same had when they died, but it’s like...well like booting
way dogs were and lizards were. up a computer. It’s not REAL like it was. They’re just
“Theeey arrre constructed?” he asked, puppets. Creepy...lifeless puppets.”
“Prograaamed?” She shook her head and waved a “Doees this happen ofteeen?”
hand in front of her. Elsie shook her head.
“It’s not like a computer,” she said, “er, well, I “It’s an aberration, they’re really illegal.
mean they ARE computers, but it’s not like you give There’s stuff you’re not allowed to do anywhere
them a fake personality or something. They grow, because it grows into bigger problems. Special
like anyone does. They’ve got this thing that runs stuff with technology and biotech and things that
their brain, and it’s always on, like our brains are, are outright banned because it could blow up into
and it forms the same sort of connections. So none a whole lot of unsolvable problems.” She gingerly
of their knowledge is ‘fake,’ it’s all the same thing reached out, not even sure why she was doing it,
anyone gets from living life.” and touched the Cog’s leg. Cold. “It happens anyway,
Stranger turned back toward the body, and everything always does. But the punishment is
Elsie reflexively followed his gaze. Her heart rate pretty heavy. I think some corps even execute you if
quickened again, but she breathed, and looked, and they find you doing it.”
let herself detach from the reality of the situation. “Whaaaat qualifies?”
Shock had given way to a morbid curiosity. In some Elsie exhaled and thought it over.
distant part of her mind, she was vaguely aware of her “Weapons that do lasting harm to people
altered state of consciousness. Stranger had proba- who weren’t shot by them,” she frowned, “There’s
bly sedated her in the process of solving her earlier... a name for them, I think it’s ‘persistent fallout’ or
issue. Instead of the terror and sickening rush of something like that. Things that poison the air or
emotions she had felt before, she now experienced a the ground and leave it that way even after they’ve
sort of comfortable numbness. Almost analytic. She been used. Things that self-replicate, that’s another
blamed a TTI upbringing for that. This was a person, one. I mean like on a really big scale. It’s why nanites
on the floor. But right now it was hard to think of it aren’t used in construction, even though they could
as more than a pile of broken parts. be. Nanomachines that can eat stuff to make more
“How did he die?” Elsie asked softly. Stranger of themselves are super illegal in large applications.
hesitated to answer, likely concerned about continu- Bringing Cogs back to life, that’s one. Making Vitae
ing down a line of inquiry that had produced such a demons out of corpses,” she shivered, “Making
debilitating result earlier. certain types of bioprobes. Gorgons, they’re called.
“Traaaauma,” he replied eventually, “Perhaps I wrote a report on them.”
an impaaact of some kiiind.” He slinked around the “Hooow does one construct mooore of this?”
body, examining it from new angles. “If theeeey can Stranger asked, nodding toward the body. Elsie got
replaaace their shell,” he mused, “hooow does one rather quiet, and shifted a little, trying to disguise
know if theeeey are dead?” her awkwardness. She was almost surprised at
“There’s a thing in their brains called a 179 her own embarrassment. Today had been an
odd day for emotions. collection...”
“Um,” she started, “I don’t think I’m really “The booooks are relevant?” Stranger asked.
supposed to talk about...that.” Elsie thought back to the handsome shirtless figure
“Manufaaacture is a forbidden topic?” he on the file cover gazing wistfully out to sea, and
pressed. She giggled and scratched her head for lack the auto-populating self-portrait of the reader that
of anything else to do with her hand. appeared in his embrace, and flattened her ears.
“No, it’s, you know. When two people..love “A bit,” she replied. She was a little embar-
each other and stuff, there’s things that happen, rassed, but there was something else on her mind.
and-” She was just frightened to ask it.
“The macchine is seexually proficient?” “Did someone kill him?” she blurted out, and
Stranger asked, his own voice tinged with doubt. bit her lip immediately afterward. Stranger didn’t
Elsie barely managed to choke down the water she turn to face her, but crossed his arms slowly behind
was drinking. his back. He didn’t provide a response, and she didn’t
“Don’t just SAY it!” she corrected him, though want to ask again.
she wasn’t entirely certain why. “They...well yeah, I
mean, we all live in the same solar system, and we Understanding faith
all share the same space and stuff, so we’ve all got to
be...compatible.” Religion provides explanation where none
“Theee machiiines do not resent the impos- exists (or none can be found). The explanation
ssition?” can vary pretty dramatically in its accuracy, but
She hadn’t really expected that question. it’s something to work with, and a way to find
“Well, technically they don’t need to have... reason when one’s own knowledge or tools cannot
stuff, for that. It’s more so they can be like every- explain a situation. Vectors did not face many of the
one else. We outnumber them, and if we couldn’t questions early humanity faced as it tried to come to
connect as families...” she stalled, pondering. She was terms with its own existence. To them, their bodies,
a victim of her own ignorance at this point. It had their existence, their location, even their function,
been explained to her, but there were steps missing. was rather neatly stored and cataloged in computer
Somehow there was a profound social benefit to this files. Mathematics, physics, biology, astronomy;
but it hadn’t really sunk in. this knowledge was considered essential when the
“Your familial uniits incluuude pairings with Earth war turned global and was preserved on Mars,
thessse Cogs?” Stranger asked. His head hadn’t and as a result there were few questions about the
straightened out in a while. Apparently this whole nature of the universe that Vectors could not answer
situation was rather baffling to him, which didn’t scientifically. Human religion did come to Mars in the
make Elsie’s already awkward job any easier. form of scientists who were still active practitioners
“Well yeah,” she replied, “Of course. Have of their faiths, but a practitioner is not a preacher,
forever.” and much of the momentum behind established
“Theeey can produce offspring?” he asked. theological powers was diffused after the loss of
She shifted uneasily. Terra. Money was a large part of that equation: Mars
“Yes..” did not have a Vatican, or any other major sources
“How?” he demanded. She coughed. of religious wealth. Much of the influence held by
“This would be a lot easier to explain with those organizations dwindled when they lost their
dolls or something...” she stammered. Stranger infrastructure.
righted himself, having at that moment realized his Many of the monotheistic religions merged
error. over time, as their message became more and more
“Yooou are not educated innn this subject?” muddled and the memory of humanity grew more
he asked, almost apologetically. She shook her head and more distant. At the same time, new faiths
and coughed. emerged, fueled by a need to explain and under-
“Bio/mech anatomy isn’t until next year,” stand what even Vector science was at a loss to
she replied in a small voice, “I’m uh..just going define. Some sprung up during the first Earth
off stuff I read in the books I stole from Mom’s 180 missions when mysterious figures appeared
on the camera feeds. Others centralized around the collectively, learning about what their technology
discovery of alien architecture on Europa, and the can NOT do for them when it has always served in
subsequent revival of remnant DNA in its oceans. the past. That growth is at once frightening, and
But the greatest influence to modern religion by far sublime. Sometimes, player entertainment can
has been the appearance of the Whispers, and the be gained by attaching associations you wouldn’t
sudden creation of Transcendent technology. necessarily expect to different characters. The Cog
For many Vectors, the quest for something featured in the narrative appears to be a Universal
“beyond” their borders is a spiritual motivation that Sanguinist, which is not a faction one would inher-
is difficult to ignore. Vectors are somewhat framed ently expect a machine to be a part of. But, much
by their technology, and as much as their scientific as human faiths branch into different factions that
knowledge has given them clarity and purpose since each focus on specific factors of their beliefs, faiths
their creation, it has also boxed them in. It is difficult of the future can view the world in different degrees
to “reach for the stars” as humanity once did when as well. After all, Cogs know they were invented by
you, as a people, have always known what the stars biologics. Perhaps this one is searching for some
contain. That period of cultural growth and turmoil greater truth to that action beyond just “the whim of
was not present for Vectors, and so much of the ASR.”
mystery and romance that accompanied it was lost All Vectors were designed to be able to
as well. successfully procreate without hybridizing, in
When Transcendent technology first arrived, order to ensure that the race as a whole would
it opened up a whole new field of discovery that remain distinct rather than gradually homogenizing
raised voice to the very real possibility that much of into a single, mixed creature who may encounter
what Vectors took as “fact” was far more subjective unexpected genetic problems which might lead to
than immutable. For this particular culture, that was the extinction of the race. The design has been very
the first time the impossible had truly redefined successful, and even with the errors that emerged
itself the way it had consistently done so for human- during the second generation, 95% of the Vector
ity every time a new aspect of the universe made population is without morphism (or rather, are
itself clear to them. But unlike a scientific discovery digitgrade/plantigrade or hoofed according to the
or a natural law, this was a snapshot of a situation rules). The remaining 5% break down roughly in
that couldn’t be scientifically explained. TTI can put the following way on a system-wide scale, but their
words to how it generates Transcendent implants. local population changes dramatically depending on
They can measure their Cuil, can harness their where you are.
energy, can even build new ones through careful
applications of previous discoveries, but not even Taurism 13%
they truly comprehend what it is they’re dealing Microism 5%
with. Like a child with building blocks, they can Atypical Patterning 10%
arrange the pieces they have available into recog- Hemi 15%
nizable shapes, but have almost no understanding HDTGT?! 8%
of the nature of the pieces themselves. That gray Hybrid 3%
area has been a mix of wondrous and terrifying for Lateralism 10%
almost a century, and has given birth to theology Twin-Tailed 5%
ranging from the worship of transcendent entities Horns 8%
to the vicious and aggressive hunting of them. Bio-Luminescence 4%
If you wish to include these aspects in your Followed .1%
narratives, consider the larger issue at hand, as it Lever-Stanced 5%
goes beyond aggressive cults or a quest for spiritual Tusks 5%
understanding. It is a matter of personal growth for Hoofed 8%
the entirety of Vector civilization, as this is the first
time in their history they’ve truly had to deal with When Vectors reproduce, the resulting child
something they do not understand and can’t will be a single species (in most cases) identical
explain. Like a reverse-enlightenment, they are, 181 to either the mother or the father, but possessing
physical characteristics from both. Hair, eye color, the new race into a label of inferiority that would
the overall shape of the muzzle or the sound of their damn their attempts at equality from the get-go. The
voice, build or posture, many of these things cross scientists involved wanted to distance their creation
the species line into children even when species from humanity enough that they would be familiar,
does not. On very rare occasions it’s even possible but not so familiar as to seem like “a worse version
for children to not share a species with either parent, of the same thing” by critics.
but rather inherit it from a grandparent instead.
Though some Vectors (avians and reptiles, Opportunity
mostly) are based off of creatures that do not give
live birth, Vectors themselves were engineered from “We’re just going to leave the body there?”
blank canvases and endowed with animal traits for Elsie asked, scrambling after Stranger as he moved
distinction. Likewise, they are not necessarily bound smoothly through the rubble. He had guided her
to the exact physical behaviors of their contemporary away from it after he felt she was able to move safely
families. Birth method is determined by the father; if again, and was now leading her up the dilapidated
he is a male of an egg-laying species, the child will be stairs of the building’s interior. It might’ve been
born in an egg, regardless of the species of the child pretty once, but the softening enzymes had muted
or the mother. Likewise if the father is a live-birth all the color and dulled the detail.
species, the child will be born live regardless of its, “Yooou would raaaather carry it?” he asked
or its mother’s, species. This can result in a number in return, and she looked a little downcast.
of occurrences we as humans see as unnatural (cats “Well, no, I just...it seems a little heartless,” she
laying eggs, birds giving live birth, dogs hatching muttered. Had that been the fate of her own family?
out of a shell, etc.) but which the Vector community Were they lying in a sealed off section somewhere,
has been accustomed to since the third generation. beaten and broken and-
While it makes for a notation on a birth certificate, “Teeelll me aboooout your shadow,” Stranger
there is little importance beyond that as far as said, interrupting her thoughts as he moved through
the child’s upbringing is concerned. Gestation for an archway on a higher floor. She grumbled. It was
live-birth takes around 9 months, egg-laying takes a very old topic, even at her age. She’d gotten tired
around 6, with anywhere between a month and two of the song and dance. Still, he was a new audience,
months of warming via incubator before hatching maybe he’d have a new take on the whole thing.
takes place. “It’s called a morphism, on my school regis-
Mechanically, there was no genetic require- tration thing,” Elsie said, “but I don’t think that’s
ment for the diversity of birth methods in the Vector actually what it is. I just think that’s how they’re
design (in fact, it took extra work to design them describing it, so they have something to write down.”
that way) but it was included, like many things, to They were on some sort of balcony now,
give them their own unique existence rather than overlooking what was left of the dimly lit block. A
making them appear as a sort of “sub-human.” second lobby, maybe. Elsie could see power junctions
Vectors are their own race, with their own quirks, in the walls and various areas that once housed
and were to be respected as independent. The war computer terminals and smart glass. Some of it was
would prevent anyone from really knowing if that probably attached to the emergency grid and still
attempt was successful, but the idea was in place functioned, though she had a feeling someone would
before the first experiments began. This is known to probably notice if she accessed her home storage
be the reason why no primates were ever attached from here. That was how everyone always got
to the Vector project. Even though the actual gap caught; digging into stuff from places they shouldn’t
between human and monkey is larger and more be. Stranger was watching her shadow as it thrashed
complicated than the general public perception of it, against the wall, occasionally leaning this way and
that perception is what mattered. It was determined that, as though searching for something. It did that
that the creation of talking apes would immediately sometimes. She recognized the behavior, even if she
drive the majority of human observers into perceiv- didn’t know what caused it.
ing them as a step that humanity itself had “Whhhy not?” he asked, “Iss theere a distiinc-
already taken and evolved beyond, thus lumping 182 tion?” She nodded.
 “Morphisms are kinda like...I don’t wanna put sound into the air.
say ‘deformities,’ but that’s sort of what it is. But “I was supposed to finish school here,” she
they’re part of the code. Our code, they’ve been with said, “Primary school, I mean. Assuming we didn’t
our race from the beginning. Like taurs and Laterals break away from TTI, but I think after ten years of
and stuff like that. This,” she gestured toward her trying we’d sort of given up on that.”
shadow, which appeared to get reluctantly tugged “It iss difffficult, to leave a cooorp?”
along with her arm but did not follow its shape, “this “Not usually, unless you owe them money,”
is new. I’ve never seen this on anyone else.” she explained, “but they didn’t want to let Mom and
“Arrre the other moorphisms common?” Dad go. It was those operations they had, I think. And
Stranger asked. Elsie wiggled her hand back and Mom’s research. Really secret stuff, really important
forth a bit, shrugging. to bigger projects. They couldn’t even tell me about
“Some,” she said, “But not...a bunch? I knew a it.” She slumped a little. “I wish they had. Now I don’t
Lateral once, she was nice to me. Little otter. But her even have that.”
family moved.” She let her feet sway as they dangled “I immagine it was fooor your oown proteeec-
from the balcony edge. “And I had a teacher who had tion,” Stranger offered. The sandy colored cat huffed
stars in his fur two years ago. He might have dyed it, and turned away.
but I think they were real.” “Doesn’t seem to have helped,” she muttered,
“Is thiisss baaddd?” he asked. She had expect- “Not very safe now, am I?”
ed the question, but she still wasn’t sure how to “Yooou are alliive,” Stranger said, his head
answer it. She rocked back and forth a little, working swooping down to her level as he braced himself
it out. between the balcony rail and the wall, “It is a staaart.”
“This is one of those ‘knowing’ and ‘learning’ Somehow, she took little solace in that.
things,” she said at last. “No, it’s not supposed to be “Yeah, but where do I go?” she asked, throw-
‘bad.’ It’s like I said, they’re nothing new. But..” she ing her arms in the air, “What about continuing
puffed out a sigh, “it marks you, you know? They get education? Normally you get a whole second school-
treated different. Even by each other. Having stars ing program for technical skills and specialties!
on your fur is no big deal. But that otter, she had to Or my first contract? I don’t even have a contract!
use a head-thing to move stuff around. Pushframe. You’re SUPPOSED to get a contract that puts you in
They’re neat, but it didn’t work on everything, and your first position after you learn what your educa-
she wasn’t big enough to open doors so she had to tion package taught you.” She counted the steps
use the little Lateral doors and those always sort of off on her fingers. “You get your primary, and your
looked like pet doors, so, you know. She got teased a secondary, and they test you for aptitudes, and you
bunch.” move into lessons that work with what you’re good
“And yoou? Weeerre you teasssed as well?” at, and if you’ve got the drive for it, you specialize in
Elsie watched her shadow creep along something, and you get your contract and they ship
the wall, manifesting more limbs than it should, you off to wherever that skill is needed and you...you
which twisted and writhed as though tangling with know...live!”
something she couldn’t see. Its head was up, slowly “Thaaat...is a uniiiversal ouutcome?”
swaying on a thick neck before disappearing into Stranger asked. Elsie grunted and wiggled back
the darkness of its collected form. She felt like it was into her feet from the balcony edge. She felt like
facing her. There wasn’t a great way to tell, but she pacing. Sitting was aggravating at the moment.
felt like it. “Well no, I mean, if you’re good at stuff and can
“No, not really,” she replied in a soft voice, “I leverage it on your own, you can do your own thing
scare people.” I guess. Services, mostly; it’s pretty tough to beat a
“Youuur monster scares peeeople,” he corp at manufacturing. Or special jobs on retainer,
corrected. Elsie slumped. I think Dad was like that. They sent him on a lot of
“Same thing,” she muttered. trips, and he never wore a uniform or anything for
Stranger was without comment, but Elsie it so I think they were sort of...special trips. Secret
didn’t want the silence this time. She swallowed jobs or missions or something. They’re all really
and kept talking, if for no other reason than to 183 BIG, right?” She held her hands over her head
and made a large circle. “They deal with a lot of stuff, of an agent who would most likely be categorized as
and they’ve all got these other departments dealing a player character rather than an NPC, in terms of
with a lot of OTHER stuff, and I don’t think they can importance and relative autonomy.
really talk to each other really well because no one Don’t worry too much about trying to
is really sure what anyone else is up to, ‘cause it’s so connect each of your players’ characters with a
BIG. So I think they cut through the tape by hiring common history or motive. Coincidence is a great
people who are just...good at things, to just go DO tool for launching a story, especially if you want
them, so they get done. Possibly illegally.” She made the players in the dark for the beginning portions.
a face at that. She’d often wondered just what it was Having them stumble upon an unusual event, or
her father did that made him so valuable. receiving an unidentified object in a package, or
“Aaand if yoou do not compleeete that even being asked strange questions, can all get the
educaaation process?” ball rolling on a plot that takes them out of their
Elsie looked downcast. comfort zones and unites them despite having
“Then I had better get used to that ration different backgrounds. It’s a good way to combat the
loaf,” she whimpered, “or hope some Pulse scouter initial “how do I know you?” question that occasion-
finds me reaaaally entertaining.” ally plagues new playgroups. Just make sure you’re
using it to begin plots rather than end them. Having
Understanding opportunity a problem resolve itself out of sheer cosmic chance
is unfulfilling to the players involved. Once your
Elsie’s perception of her situation is colored characters have worked together once in any official
by the short life she’s led, and is not necessarily a capacity, it’s easy to keep them together convinc-
universal truth. While most Vectors do follow an ingly from job to job. Corps record their contracts
educational path like the one she describes, there (the legal ones, anyway), and they keep track of who
are options available in many directions once one worked on which successful endeavors. If your team
develops certain skills. Player characters are the performed well once, there’s justification for hiring
quintessential example of this. The tricky part the same group on again. Even other corps can draw
comes from deciding when your character decided on these records if they need a team to accomplish a
to “break out of the cubicle” so to speak. similar task. Corp rivalry is real, but it doesn’t really
In a science fiction setting, technical skills are factor into everyday life until sensitive information
fairly important. Most characters have likely gone becomes involved. Typically, if your party is all
through an extended education process or been operating at that level, they’re being hired less for
personally trained by family, friends or an appren- convenience and more because they have history
ticeship. This can be reflected in backstory, and can and talent directly related to the task at hand.
help color your personality a bit. Player characters Count on your partnerships. Party members
are typically more talented than your average filling in for missing skill sets is at the heart of
citizen, and have exhibited skills that allow them to team-based adventuring, and even if nobody knows
dynamically cope with situations. Your motivation is how to do that thing you need doing, the party
important when figuring out why you didn’t take the can no doubt rope an NPC into doing it for them,
well-marked path in life. Being an independent agent via some manipulation of their abilities. Problem
is difficult and dangerous, and your character would solving through combinations of talents helps breed
not have chosen to be one unless it suited a need they party cohesion, and is usually a sign of a game going
truly cared about. Of course, there’s also the chance well. The check system in HSD was crafted to allow
that going out and risking your butt is actually part for successes in most attempts that are made by
of your day job. Playing loyal employees can be a lot characters with some degree of skill in that area,
of fun when your missions or assignments include especially if they have help. Your characters are
asset retrieval or aggressive negotiation. Corps need capable people, you just need to make sure you’re
people to do the work that doesn’t make it to the playing them to their advantages, and counting on
headlines. Sometimes that work is just secret. Other your teammates.
times it’s decidedly unpleasant. Elsie’s parents HC SVNT DRACONES does not force a partic-
would still be around were it not for the actions 184 ular plot onto your personal game. You don’t
need to save the world, or uncover a conspiracy, or Exploration is a unique experience in this
fight an ancient evil or topple a corporate empire. setting. Strictly speaking, there is no paleontology, no
But you can, if you want. Or you could be investiga- search for lost civilizations, and no need to explore
tors, or delivery people, or scientists on missions of the depths of the ocean or thick of the jungles to find
discovery. No matter what you as a group of players unknown life, because everything that ever lived
decide to do, sculpting the mood of your theme goes on a non-Earth landmass was put there by Vectors.
a long way toward making your game immersive But that reality makes the discovery of something
and memorable to the people playing it. new all the more compelling, because not only is
Give your players plenty of room to move it an unknown encounter, somebody somewhere
around, but not enough to get lost in. Pulse environ- caused it. Massive experimental bioprobes roaming
ments typically include lots of venues for keeping the ocean floor, created without permission and
your heart racing. That doesn’t mean an explosion destabilizing the local ecosystem. Mutations caused
around every turn, but they build tall and open to by new food supplements, or illegal experimenta-
provide spectacular views and the feeling of the tion. Whole new species that were engineered as
wind on your face, and their environments are someone’s artistic magnum opus and released into
crafted to reward you for moving through them on the wild without consideration for their impact and
foot. They can be great cities for chases, races, rapid must now be tracked down and captured; there are
combat and competition. hundreds of plots you can wrap around the concept
A sense of grandeur can be found in almost of exploring the choices people with too much
any environment, depending on where you are, but money and technology and too little foresight and
space operas love to capitalize on the feeling of being restraint have imposed on the galaxy. Anytime the
the lone point of light in the dark. Don’t let the solar words “we don’t know what could do this” appear
system scale of this game fool you into thinking it’s in Vector society, it is somewhat more frightening
“small.” The distance from Mars to Jupiter alone is and compelling than it would be to humans. They’re
over 3.5 times the distance from the Earth to the rather used to knowing exactly what is where, so
Sun, and there’s nothing saying you need to go in when something is there that shouldn’t be, it raises
only one direction. Stretched throughout Sol’s orbit worrisome questions of who made it and why.
can be anything from enormous abandoned projects Lastly, “the tavern” has been an RPG staple
to thriving standalone stations, or whole fleets of for decades, and there’s no reason why the same
vessels that can be doing anything from corpo- premise can’t exist in the future. Most buildings with
rate trafficking to waging their own private wars. social centers will include places to eat, drink, talk,
Megacorps make for great titans to throw at one and browse local information feeds. This is a good
another, but they’re hardly the only game in town. location to drop hooks for players. “Looking for
Most moderately successful corporations can own a work” ads that are beamed into local zones to find
ship, or even small fleets. Make good use of the scale, qualified workers for odd jobs, little newscasts to
and give your players shipyards and manufacturing catch player attention, even passing conversations,
centers they can be awestruck by. Moving down all can be used to give player parties some options
rather than up can be awe-inspiring in its own way. that they can accumulate at a single stop for an
Mars’ terraforming process left it with huge caverns evening. Official corp jobs and freelance gigs are all
and interlinking tunnels large enough to hide cities easy to reference from any active smartglass system.
in in some places, and all manner of bizarre chemis-
try has accumulated into the nooks and crannies Leverage
just out of sight. Venus was once a flat world due to
its massive atmospheric pressures, but the roaring “Dooo you requiire rest?” Stranger asked.
storms and low-pressure zones produced by its Elsie had been slowing over the past ten minutes,
terraforming process and the almost cement-like and was now barely advancing at all. The shivers
mixture of new chemistry and old surface matter were coming back, and what food she had in her
produced enormous spires and rock archways, most stomach wasn’t sitting well. Mostly, though, it was
of which are porous and big enough to hide her own conclusions that were weighing her
whole towns in. 185 down. She’d arrived at several, and had no idea
what to do about them. has a little one, he always said it was one of the only
“I think I’m in a lot of trouble,” she whispered, things he actually owned.”
“I’m just...thinking about it, and I don’t see how I’m “Yoour father possesses a spacecraft?”
supposed to get out of this. I don’t have a f..fam- Stranger asked. His powerful tail flicked with inter-
ily anymore. No one will talk to me. I don’t have est. She rubbed her arms together, fidgeting to help
anywhere to go. And there’s...there’s got to be herself concentrate.
someone out there trying to GET me, right? If the “Yeah,” she replied, trying to remember what
company really IS after me? What am I supposed to he’d taught her, “I think it can fly itself to a Progen-
do about that? I’ve got nothing! ” itus ship. It’s part of the public health plan, you can
“Incorrect,” Stranger replied. Elsie blinked buy an autopilot thingy that will automatically point
through her hazy vision and looked at him. He was your ship toward the nearest emergency facility and
perched at an angle on a piece of decaying wall, take you there if you’re damaged. We’d just need to
looking at her. “Yooou possessss an asset.” get up into orbit so it doesn’t take us to a hospital.
“I do?” she asked. His fractured smile It’s Mars, there’s bound to be a Progenitus ship up
widened. there somewhere close by...” Her enthusiasm waned
“You are vaaaluable,” he replied, “Someooone a little, and she let her hands fall to her sides.
wants yoooou. Nothiiing is valuaaable to only one “I don’t know if it matters, though.” she
person. Sooomeone elssse will always want it, iiif muttered. “I don’t know how to fly it, even that far. At
only for spiiite.” school kids would always talk about how they could
She frowned a little, but it relaxed a moment fly a ship ‘cause they saw it in a show or ‘cause their
later, slowly transitioning to realization. parents were pilots or something. I’ve seen Dad do
“Progenitus might protect me, if I could talk it, but I don’t know what any of it means. Even if I got
to someone important enough,” she whispered, it in the air I’d probably get towed back down for not
considering, “but I don’t know how I would. They’re doing some filing thing or something.” She could feel
sort of unfriendly with TTI, and I think...I think it tears in her eyes again. “And, it’s protected all over
would be right up their ally to say they were protect- the place. Dock has a code, ship has a code, there are
ing a civilian from something TTI was doing. They’re guards to the port entrance. Even if I knew how to fly
sort of like that, they butt into things a lot. But I don’t it, I could never get into it.”
know where I’d go, or who to-” Stranger’s fractured grin widened a bit. Elsie
“Is therrre an emmbaasy?” Stranger asked. frowned, but the frown slowly faded.
The lynx twitched her tail and tried to turn his “Could...you?” she chanced.
dragging speech into a word she could understand, “It goooes with beeeing a monster,” he
but failed. replied. Her ears perked up.
“I’ve never heard of that,” she admitted. “If..if you mean that...”
“Iiit is a place reseeerved by foreign poweeers “I caaan,” Stranger replied dismissively, and
to represent their inttteeerests,” he explained. She swayed from left to right in what almost seemed like
thought it over for a moment. contentment. Her look was met with an amused hiss
“Progenitus has hospitals in the city, and a of a laugh. “A storrrry for anoooother time. Thiiis
few offices,” she mused, “but I don’t think they’re brings your asset cooooount to threee. ”
allowed to really make decisions like that. They’re “Wait...what was the second?” she asked.
part of the MarsCo corptown, so their decisions “Your piiilot.”
would have to get discussed with a MarsCo board, She felt a smile creep onto her face. It was a
who would probably bring TTI in on it, and that testament to her situation that the prospect of flying
would...” away on a hijacked spaceship with a monster at the
“Be uuundesirable,” Stranger concluded. helm to start a new life was preferable to taking the
“A ship,” her ears perked, “If I got onto a elevator up to her empty house and the people near
Progenitus ship, that would work. Ships are always it who turned the other way when they saw her in
directly owned by the corp, even if they operate out the halls.
of someone else’s port, so captains can make “What about my things?” Elsie asked as she
decisions on their own. I know that ‘cause Dad 186 chased behind Stranger’s long strides.
 “I shaaall secuuuure your essentials once “But!” she swallowed again, “What if...no one
yooou are onboooard,” Stranger replied, dashing up wants me? Where am I going to GO? I don’t know
the structure of an old, decaying building. “We caaaan if Progenitus will take me! I don’t know if anyone
put the ship’s security to usse in your defeeence.” will take me! I told you, I...” her voice broke a little, “I
Elsie laughed a little. “Um,” she commented, scare people...”
holding up a hand, “I don’t think you’re going to be “Yooou do not,” he replied simply, “Your
able to get all the way there without someone notic- moooonster scaaares people.”
ing. You kinda stand out.” She frowned in irritation, and pointed in
“Onnnly when I’m seeen.” anger toward the shadow on the floor.
“We’re really leaving?” she asked. He nodded, “I told you, it’s the same thing! It’s attached to
without looking back. At least, not with his head. me!” she countered, “I can’t exactly leave it behind!”
She could plainly see the eyes on his shoulderblades “Thaaaat,” he said, “is not your monster.”
peeking through slits in his coat, keeping track of Elsie blinked at him, her anger giving way to
her. confusion. What could-
“It isss essential,” he replied. He turned, and raised his hand toward the
“But-” she grabbed his coat, “shouldn’t we... sealed wall of the edge of the gray sector. Painted on
make sure they’re dead?” she whispered, “What if the surface was the massive tesseract that formed
they’re just stuck somewhere-” the majority of the TTI corporate logo, and their
Stranger turned to face her, which was more name stamped in sharp letters just below it.
direct than his usual sidelong glances. “That is.”
“What if,” he cut her off, “iss the lassst The young lynx tried to put the message
phraaasse on the lips of the deeead, Elsie. It is nooot together in her head, but it was leading somewhere
a luxury you haaaave time for. Ifff they are alive, she didn’t want to go. Someplace more frightening
theeeey will find you. For now,” he pivoted on a foot, than a strange-looking shadow on the floor.
coiling down to her level and pressing a finger to “Your shaadow is juuust a shaaadow,”
her forehead, “yooou must surrrvive. You will not Stranger said softly, “Your mooonster...your REAL
accooomplish that here.” monster...gives free fooood to its ppooor, while it
“But no one’s come looking for me yet,” she kills fammilys to get to theeeir children. It wriiites
countered. His responses had always been so brief laws to keep ittts streeeeets clean, but ignooores
and inquisitive up to this point that she was surprised them when theeey’re inconvvvieeenieent. Yoou will
when he took on an authoritative tone. It was new, not fiiiind salvaaation from it in its ooowwn home.”
but she found herself thankful for it. It was the voice A cold wave of realization washed over Elsie.
of someone who knew what they were doing. She They had all known. All the neighbors she’d asked
needed that reassurance, but the mounting fear of for help, all the teachers she’d tried to contact, they
leaving the last connection to her home was holding weren’t scared of her shadow. They were scared of
her back. “It’s been a week, if they killed my family, what wanted it. Her breathing was quickening with
wouldn’t they-” her heart rate, but her body was warming again, and
“Onnne does not hiiire a killer to kiiidnap,” the shivers were dissipating. Somehow, as horrible
Stranger said, withdrawing his hand. “Ittt would a revelation as this was, it was steeling her resolve.
proviiide them with a vaaaluable asset thaaat could There was nothing left for her here. This place was
then be usssed against the cliiient.” He turned beaten, but she had the means to leave it. It was the
his head back toward the direction they’d been clearest she’d seen since coming home to an empty
moving, like an owl on a branch. “If TTI waaants you house a week ago.
colleeected, they would dispaaatch somone theeey “Shaaall we leeave this place?” Stranger
could trust. The tiiime between when the successss asked, lowering his long fingered hand to her level.
of the kiiill is repooorted, and when your colllector She nodded, her jaw set.
arrives, is all you haave to get awaaay. They asssume “Yes,” she said, and took his hand, “please.”
you arrre without help, they will not look wheeere
they don’t beeeelieve you can go,” he grinned his
twisted grin, “Weee can exploooit that error.” 187
Understanding leverage possible. The assassins they hire are largely based
on reputation and the ability of their contacts to find
The task of forging game narratives around them, and are typically hired independently through
organizations as large as the HSD megacorps can be several channels so as to be easily disconnected from
daunting if you approach it from the top. It generally any corp attachment if the need should arise. There
takes quite a bit for an entire corp to take notice of are enough unscrupulous people in the galaxy to hire
something. Typically, problems and tasks are taken that corps don’t typically need to dedicate a section
care of at more immediate levels, meaning that of the payroll to them on a permanent basis. Better
in many situations the upper levels of a megacorp to hire them when needed through a long enough
aren’t acutely aware of what the lower levels are line that they don’t even realize who they’re working
doing, and vice versa. Player characters can often for, or why. It has its drawbacks though: having such
make a good go-between for these areas, as they tend distance between employer and employee means
to be independently associated with some agency the employee could be someone completely different
within a corp. Remember: NPCs are people. You can than the corp expected, and they may never know
contact them with things you discover, consult them it. That occasionally makes accountability difficult,
about problems you find within an organization, or if the employee vanishes without completing the
even elect to keep them out of the loop if you don’t job. To try and counter this, corps will usually split
trust them. Emergent plots can be crafted this way, a job into sections, saving the illegal portions for the
with the Guide dropping hints and plot points into anonymous hire, and the “questionable” portions
various aspects of your adventures that gradually (like collecting Elsie after the parents are dead)
add up to something more profound, allowing the for someone on the payroll. Player characters can
players to follow it up to higher levels of an organi- stand in for either or both of these jobs, and it often
zation without being prefaced with something as makes for fun narratives to gauge their reactions to
obvious as “we’re going to do the big plot now.” being “the cleaners” after vicious but unseen events
Just because a company is everywhere doesn’t take place, especially if they discover the events
mean it actually knows everything about what’s are motivated by something that wasn’t what they
going on around it (or even within it). Even if all that originally thought. Depending on the situation, it
information is collected (through spies, ubiquitous might even make a good opportunity to switch up
technology, what have you) someone still needs to be a character’s Motivation. It’s very likely that Elsie is
monitoring and parsing it to figure out what matters going to look at her universe differently after this
and what doesn’t. Furthermore, there are many experience, for instance.
operations a corp doesn’t want itself to know about.
Plausible deniability is a great tool for turning parts Layers
of a corp against itself without painting the entire
organization in a single color. It is entirely possible, Stranger set the bag down beside the Cog’s
for instance, that TTI as a corporate whole had no body and knelt over its...his...fractured torso. Elsie
idea the hit against Elsie’s parents was ordered. It was safe in the ship now, waiting for his return. No
may have been a subsidiary within the company trouble. He had what equipment he felt was manda-
directly related to handling long-term research on tory from her house. Getting there undetected was
Transcendent anomalies, who are simply classifying simple enough if you knew where to go. He did; he’d
the expense as “asset containment” and reporting it been there before.
upward. Spyglass and TTI are both well known for It was blinking. The small orb in the cracked
this sort of behavior, and will sometimes smuggle body of the android. He’d wondered what that
their own material on board their own ships. It gives meant earlier, but his conversation with Elsie had
them the safety of knowing the protocol used on clarified a few things. This creature still had power,
board, and the security of an oblivious crew. it was just too broken to do anything with it. How
With illegal or immoral operations like these, curious. What must that be like, to be trapped in a
megacorps actually have surprisingly large gaps in broken body, waiting to die? It was lucky Elsie hadn’t
their information. They’re not supposed to be noticed it at the time. Stranger was fairly sure it
doing it, so they have as little hands-on time as 188 would have been considered a tragic situation.
She’d had enough tragedy for one day, and he was
not without his own form of sympathy. He plugged
the wires back into the system responsible for the
Cog’s voice he had previously torn out, and listened
to him gurgle to life.
“Are...you there?” The machine asked, “Can’t...
see..can’t...feel..”
“I aamm,” Stranger replied, “Yooou have been
liiistening.”
“What...are you?”
“Irrreeelevent,” he said flatly.
“Please,” the Cog choked, “contact TTI, tell
them where...am. Leave...girl. You can have my half...
contract. Won’t...hurt her. They just want to-”
“She coooomes with meee now,” he growled,
peering into the broken, clicking interior of the
fractured body on the floor. “I fiiind her siiiituation
dissstasteful.”
“You...hired to do...job, you can’t think-”
“Myyy jooob has beeeeen completed,”
he interrupted, “Yooou have siiimply faaailed at
yoooours.”
“They’ll follow you,” the Cog insisted, “They’ll
chase...asset for as long-”
He tilted his head and placed a foot against
the small glowing sphere in the machine’s chest.
“Theeeey will need to seeend better than
yooou,” he said in an even tone.
The Cog gurgled as the pressure increased,
but he didn’t have any way to shove it off. Stranger
pulled the Thorn engraved necklace out of his pocket
and placed it in the broken machine’s hand.
“Yooours, I beeelllieve,” he said.
“Thank...ou...consideration,” the Cog
stuttered, “Were...ou so...kind...to her parents?”
Stranger put the weight down on his foot and
crushed the glowing sphere beneath it. The machine
didn’t so much as spasm. It just went dark, and stayed
there. Slowly, he withdrew his foot, and watched the
body for a moment or two before retrieving the bag
off the floor and turning back toward the launch
bays.

189
Illuminor Temper Victoria,
on TTI refusal to join the
Pulse/Progenitus spire
assault fleet project.
A lot of people are pointing the finger (at TTI refus-
al to commit to this attack) and claiming ulterior motives
right now. I see it every morning, I read about it, I’ve seen
it on your program too, with (some of your other guests).
They claim we don’t want to see the Whispers harmed, or
that we’re trying to keep the spire intact for some secret
experiment, or something equally outlandish. Those are the
more dramatic ones. There are other people claiming we
just don’t want to follow Progenitus into a fight. And you
know? I’ll grant the skeptics that one. I’ll even grant them
the first one. It does seem like a likely reason for TTI to not
play along with this. We’ve had the most history and expe-
rience with the Whispers, I could see some people thinking
we might have a vested interest in preserving them. More
reasonable people might conclude instead that we know
what we’re talking about and they should follow our lead.
If you dig past the enormous PR machine that is Pulse and
actually listen to those in the know, we’re not the only ones
trying to shoot down this endeavor. Seasoned soldiers,
analysts, researchers and generals all over Sol are calling this
a really foolish move. The big reason staring everyone in the
face is: “Why?” Why do it? What good will it do? Lets say,
for argument’s sake, that the strike succeeds and the ruby
spire is destroyed. What have you accomplished? Do you
know what that thing does? I don’t. My superiors don’t. It’s
not responsible for Whisper attacks, that’s for sure. We were
getting those long before the spire solidified. It doesn’t seem
to “power” them, they don’t look like they’re making more
of it, it’s not radiating any signal we can detect. It just exists.
We could be committing the largest fleet ever assembled to
an attack on their toilet for all we know.

Proponents for this attack are shouting that (the Whispers)
wouldn’t have built such an enormous structure if it wasn’t
in some way critical to their growth as a species. That’s
supposition. It’s conventional thinking applied to a species
so astoundingly alien from us that we don’t even know how
they think at all, much less what they’re thinking. It could
just as easily be bait. And I’ve seen the eye-rolling that
comes with that argument, too. The assumption that they,
surely, must not be an intelligent species of our great and
exalted level. After all, we have ships, and technology, and
big fancy guns and crotch-enhancement surgery. Surely,
we are the superior beings. I think those people need to be
reminded of a fact that has gone bizarrely unspoken over
the course of these interviews.
The Spear of Heaven,
Europa
Terra was not tidally locked to Luna before the spire ex-
isted. Right now, it is. Think on that one. Think how many
ships were involved in spinning Venus up to a roughly 24
hour day back when it was terraformed. Thousands. With
ground crews and subterranean systems and countless other
factors. And here, on Earth, we have a species that did the
same thing to Terra with none of that. No ships, no visi-
ble technology, no emissions we could map. They just did
it. Reached out and touched Luna like it had been sitting
there all along. Maybe it was easy for them. Maybe it was
difficult and we just don’t know how it affected them. The
point is, we don’t know. That ignorance is astronomically
profound. We have no idea how that process happened, we
have no idea what they can strike back with, and Progenitus
and Pulse want to go shoot missiles at it. Brilliant! No. We
refuse.

COMBAT ADDENDUM
The following changes should be implemented in
every HSD game. Contributions from the community and
overall use since the release of the first book have shown them
to be beneficial adjustments. This will be available for free
to all players (even those who don’t own Core:Extended) to
download and attach to their games. It will also be included as
an insert to the official HSD core rulebook .pdf. Rules written in
this book and in future books will be written using the changes
written here, and the character sheet in the back of this book
reflects these changes.
Armor changes
Passive armor hitpoint totals in the HSD core
rulebook have been doubled. Hardcase plating now maxes
at 80 and goes in incriments of 10 instead of 5. The negative to
movement occures at 70 hitpoints. Active and living armor
hitpoints in the HSD core ruleook have been trippled. This
includes Hardskin.
Attack and weapon changes
The Battle Pool has been reduced by 2. It is now
4+Readiness.
The attack action cap is now ½ Mind: Dexterity
rounded up. A character with 1-2 dots in Mind:Dexterity can
make a single attack action per turn, 3-4 dots can make 2 attack
actions, and 5 dots can make 3.
Reloading a weapon is now an attack action, not a
standard action. The “Battle pacing” Focus ability allows
you to reload without spending an attack action, but you
must still pay the 3 points from your battle pool.
Ammo no longer has a separate damage stat.
Combine the listed ammo damage and base damage of the
core rulebook weaponry; that is now their total damage.
In weapons which have random damage (such as some melee
attacks) roll the damage as the attack is made and add it as
before (or add it only when triggered, as is described in the
Hard-edge).
Only the first successful hit from a ranged weapon
deals its total damage. All dice that score hits beyond the
first hit deal x damage each, rather than the weapon’s
full damage. X is based on the weapon’s size. Small and
medium=1 damage, large=2, LAN=3. This does not affect
melee weapons.
Defensive changes
Defensive actions can now boost cover beyond
the original +5 limit. Any reference in the rulebook to 192
things that increase your cover but not above the +5 limit no
longer have that limitation.
When locked in close combat, ranged attacks from
an enemy you are locked with can be parried as per the
usual rules for parrying attacks. Any sized weapon (except
LAN) can be used for this, and will not suffer harm for it as
they would for parrying a melee weapon, as it’s essentially
just pushing the gun aside as it fires. Anyone who disengages
from a locked combat and attempts to fire on the person
they just ran from treats them as though they have +4
to their cover bonus that turn and is in Full Defense as
described below.
Full Defense
If you have spent every available defensive action
to boost your cover bonus, and an enemy’s incoming
ranged attack only hits you with a single die of their total
dicepool, that attack does half damage rounded up. This
is generally referred to as full defense and does not apply to
single shots, weapons described as only firing once per use,
grenades, or flood weapons. Any situation described in the
HSD core rulebook as granting someone an automatic +4
cover bonus (such as Threat Response) also grants them the
full defense status.
Movement changes
If a character uses an ability that takes them
beyond their base calculated movement score in a single
action (Cheetah speed, Combat flying, Cog boosting,
Wheeled frames, etc. Anything that takes you further than
Body:Resilience+Body:Dexterity), any enemy they use a
ranged attack against that turn counts as having +2 cover.
Additionally, Large and LAN weapons can not be
used in the same turn in which you exceed your calculated
movement score, and weapons with the Flood type you
fire this turn include your own character in their effec-
tive area. Abilities which grant you additional movement
actions do not count for this (provided you don’t exceed your
movement score per action of course).
Drifting characters (such as Maglev Cogs in glide
mode) trigger this effect if their total distance traveled (normal
movement+drift) is further than what could be achieved by
spending all their movement actions normally. For example,
a Maglev Cog with three movement actions and a movement
score of 4 can spend all three to move 12 hexes. They can then
glide 12 hexes in the same direction next turn without spending
movement actions and without suffering a performance penal-
ty. If they were to spend a movement action to push themselves
up to 16 hexes that turn, they would suffer the penalties above,
and for every turn thereafter, until they slowed down again.
If a character has moved to a new hex from their
previous turn (by means of a move action or anything
else that physically relocates them), headshots
through the Fire a single shot attack action require 4
successes instead of 3.
Cover addendum
The hitpoint values given to cover in the HSD core
rulebook work well in small firefights using light weapons, but
quickly decay in larger ones. While this is reasonably accurate,
it also renders a large chunk of the combat rules ineffective at
a certain point unless you have a great deal of armored cover
to hide behind. In this addendum, cover repels all attacks that
are not specifically designed to destroy cover.
Cover is now immune to most damage unless it is
specifically listed as vulnerable to it. If the incoming damage
is not among the listed vulnerabilities, the cover will not be
harmed by it. Additionally, cover is only harmed by attacks
that specifically target the cover itself. Misses from firing
at targets beyond the cover are no longer factored into the
cover’s remaining hitpoints. Weapons which specifically cite
cover in their descriptions (such as the Perforator) will affect it
as described on the weapon even if they don’t meet the vulner-
ability requirement. If something succeeds in dealing damage
to cover, it does no more than 2 damage per hit (unless listed
as doing otherwise in the weapon description, such as the
Perforator. Melt effects fall in this category, so a Melt weapon
will always do 7 damage to cover it shoots at directly).
These new rules apply to shields as well. Small
shields follow the rules for Soft cover, Medium and Large
shields follow the rules for Hard cover, and LAN shields
follow the rules for Armored cover. As implied, this does
mean enemies can target your shield directly if you’re actively
using it, and if they choose to do so, it will not gain a cover
bonus of it’s own. If your character is not using a shield for
cover (they just have it on them) it cannot be targeted. If a
character is using a shield to parry, it takes only 2 damage per
hit, as described above. LAN melee weapons, however, will do
their full damage to shields (even LAN shields).
If cover is struck by a single shot which does
equal to or greater than its hitpoint value, it is destroyed
regardless of what type of attack it was. This overrules the
2 damage limit to incoming fire.
Cover vulnerabilities
Soft Cover (redefined as plants, basic walls, light
metals and flimsy structures): Can be hurt by any attack which
targets it directly.
Hard Cover (redefined as heavy furniture, heavy
doors, good walls or built-in structures, thick trees, etc.): Cut,
Melt, Charge, Annihilate, LAN melee and LAN ranged weapons.
Vulnerable to standard guns if equipped with Ap ammunition
and targeted directly.
Armored Cover: Charge, Melt, Annihilate, LAN
melee weapons. 193
As a point of storytelling, I want to encourage Guides
to pay attention to the amount of times bullets miss their
marks and hit the cover, and factor that into their narration
(possibly even destroying it after they feel enough damage has
been taken). Applying a requirement of this within the rules
resulted in less realism and more book keeping, so it has been
removed, but that doesn’t mean it can’t still be a dramatic
factor in your combat narration.
Ammo and upgrade addendum
High Explosive ammo now has the following
properties, instead of the ones listed in the rulebook:
“Weapons armed with this ammo can damage cover
even if the weapon type or ammo type is not listed as a vulner-
ability. The normal 2 damage limitation does not apply.”
High Explosive ammo is now 20 credits for all
magazine sizes.
Hollow tipped ammo now does 1 damage per
hit beyond the first when hitting armored targets or soft
cover, and 3 damage per hit beyond the first when hitting
unarmored flesh. This replaces the damage usually done by
that weapon’s size for subsiquent hits.
Incendiary ammo now does 2 bonus damage per
round. The remaining details of the ammo are unchanged.
In special cases where a weapon’s incendiary properties are
specifically labeled (such as in a flamethrower) the specific
damage is used (d12, in that case).
Armor piercing ammo now does 1 automatic
damage per hit beyond the first to an armored target’s
hitpoints. The 60 hitpoint limitation on armor vulnerability
still applies, but the section regarding how it affects targets in
cover has been removed.
In the Charge weapon type entry, replace the entry
under “if the shot hits,” with “add the weapon’s RoF bonus
damage to the hit, as though it had hit with every die of the
RoF.” The weapon still has a one round cool-down period and
must still be reloaded.
The Vibrox now grants the following ability,
instead of its original one: “A Vibrox weapon will destroy
any object used to parry it (except a shield or another Vibrox
weapon) on contact. The parry will still be successful (once)
but the defending weapon will be unusable afterward. If
someone attempts to parry a Vibrox weapon with their body,
do damage directly to their hitpoints or armor as though a
hit has been scored.” It is still limited to Cut weapons, and the
stipulation listed on Cut weapons that says a Vibrox allows
them to damage (but not bypass) all armor is still true.
 of the team will break.
FAQS A: That is not the case, but the phrasing of the
condition could do with some restructuring. On page
The following clarifications are listed to address 198, the sentence: “A character wearing armor will
some confusion that has stemmed from wording in the not take Nerve loss.” Should probably be phrased as “A
core rulebook. As always, I endeavor to be as clear and character wearing armor, alone or in a team, will prevent
understandable as possible when I write mechanics, but Nerve Pool loss for themselves or their team.”
there will inevitably be some confusion that pops up over As long as anyone in the team is immune to
time. I hope this will help clear up some questions you Nerve loss, they are all immune (much like a Relentless
may have. team member grants the same mentality to the rest of
their team). The team’s Nerve Pool will not deplete until
Q: Do family bonuses like: “Felidae characters there are no longer members in it who are immune. If the
always receive +1 when performing tasks of manual whole team is armored, no one loses Nerve until there
dexterity or balance.” apply in combat? is no armor left anywhere (unless someone has an abili-
A: They were not intended to, no. No family ty that bypasses it somehow). Additionally, the initial
bonus is intended for combat use with the exception of Nerve Pool remains at the same size even as people are
the avian ability to fly (which still requires Proficiency removed from it by dying. A team with 4 armored people
to use) and the Reptilia ability to resist poisons, which is and a total Nerve Pool of 40 will still have a Nerve Pool of
rather specific to conditions. I could see Guides making 40 if three of its members die and the last one is stripped
exceptions to this during supportive action checks, as of armor. That last member will then start losing Nerve
those do represent using one’s skills to assist in opera- out of the 40 point pool.
tions, but in general these perks were intended for use To use the Nerve system to force enemy surren-
in a narrative or utility fashion. A canine staying up late der, you must strip every enemy of anything that would
to keep watch, or running after a fleeing suspect. prevent them
A feline rapidly entering data or hopping from suffering
across slippery rooftops. If attack Nerve loss. It is
actions are being used, these bonuses intended to be
do not apply. This was designed to a difficult and
avoid punishing players in combat deliberate action
for playing the species they want to requiring player
play, and to attempt to avoid the “singu- restraint suffi-
lar combat build” inherent to many cient to knock
systems. off an enemy’s protection
without killing them. In most
Q: Can you clear up combats against armored
how Nerve loss works in opponents, Nerve probably
combats with multiple won’t even be a factor, as
people in mixed armor? chances are enemies will
It seems as though die one at a time while
as long as one person their comrades are still
can be stripped of wearing armor.
their armor and Silvoth Infinite Character person-
killed, the rest alities trump this, of
course. If someone
sees all their armored
friends getting their
asses kicked and figures
they’re not going to
live, they can choose to
surrender regardless of
the Nerve score.
194
 Q: There is a missing Focus description for Prior-
ity Instructions.
A: Yes there is, I apologize for that. The ability has
the following profile:
“You have established a rapport with your party.
They know your voice and trust your judgment. Because
of this, when you issue commands in combat, they pick
up on them when they otherwise might not.
Once per Session: You can use a command action
in combat without rolling any of the associated checks. It
simply goes off. Furthermore, this command affects your
entire party, regardless of their range (provided they’re
on the battlefield and can hear it). The command used
with this ability cannot be used again this combat once
this ability has been used.”
Q: There is a discrepancy between shield sizes
for micros listed on page 165 and the size of weapons
listed for them earlier.
A: This is a typo. Shields are two size categories
larger for micros, not one. Micros treat a Small shield as
a Large shield. In use, this means the shield requires 1
hand, and grants a +3 cover bonus, but still only has 15
hitpoints.
Q: What does having 4 arms do for you?
A: This is largely a logic-based situation. You can
carry things with one set while performing actions with
another, or type while holding onto a ledge without taking
penalties. Typically though, you can’t perform complex
actions with both sets. In combat, for instance, you can
carry additional weapons with your second set of limbs,
but you can only use two arms at a time to fight with.
This gives you the benefit of having additional weapons
on-hand. Shields and melee weapons are a good choice
for this, as they allow a character to move from shooting
to melee without having to drop a weapon or draw anoth-
er one. They also serve as a general “advantage” when in
situations where having extra grip is beneficial, such as
climbing, hanging, or holding onto someone (assuming
you’re not also trying to hold onto a weapon). In these
situations, provided the Guide feels it’s appropriate, you
can add an extra die to any applicable rolls.
Q: What is the unit of measure for the 3x3 square
in the Nullification implant?
A: In Cuils 1-3, it is inches. This equates to 1d8
damage to a target that ignores their cover bonus(though
the target must still be visible). On the 3 Cuil manifes-
tation of this implant, there is a typo. Instead of pulling
away 3 3x3 squares, you should be pulling away
d8 3x3 squares (hence the rolling of the die in 195
the line above). “Scatters like a grenade” refers to the
actual removal action itself. In this situation, center the
“grenade” on your target and ignore the usual accuracy
roll. A 7-8 will land on target instead of forcing further
deviation. 1-6 will deviate as normal.
Q: The falling damage for micro characters is a
little baffling.
A: There is more language here than is necessary
for the intended effect. In practice, Micros take the same
amount of fall damage as regular Vectors do when falling
from the same height. The two references to a difference
in damage and starting fall height was an attempt to
illustrate that even though Micros fall proportionately
further than Vectors from the same height, their small
bodies and compact construction effectively counteracts
the additional distance as far as the game is concerned.
Q: Is the H-101 Longarm really a LAN weapon?
A: No. Change this weapon’s size to Large. It is,
however, a rather sizeable and conspicuous rifle.
Q: Under the new attack action cap, can an Aviale
character with Excessive take 4 attack actions per turn if
they have 5 points in Mind:Dexterity?
A: No. The cap is 3. Excessive allows Aviale
characters to reach that cap before other families.
Q: Do Momentum abilities such as the one listed
for Plantigrade/Digitigrade allow you to go past the 3
attack limit?
A: Yes, but it does require a hit with every die
rolled in order to trigger, not just a sucessful hit among
misses.
Q: Do Vitae demons ignore the first 10 damage
per attack entirely, or to a minimum of 1 like Vitae ports
do?
A: This is a typo. They ignore to a minimum of 1
damage as Vitae ports do. An attack that does 13 damage
to most enemies will to 3 damage to a Vitae demon
(ignoring the first 10). An attack that does 9 damage will
do 1 (minimum damage).
 2 hits are scored. The opponent chooses to parry and
NEW rolls 2d10(Their Mind:Acuity score)+2 (their CQC score)
COMBAT EXAMPLES for each successful hit. The first roll is 4, 8. The hit is
negated. The second roll is 5,7. The hit gets through. One
A character with a d12 mind, 3 dots in Mind: successful hit from the handgun does 5 damage.
Dexterity, 4 dots in Mind: Acuity, and 3 dots in Ranged
Combat fires a MC-300 Torrent (a LAN weapon) at an A character with a d10 mind, 2 dots in Mind: Dexterity, 2
enemy with a +3 cover bonus (requiring an 11 to hit). dots in Mind: Acuity, and 2 dots in Ranged Combat fires
This character has a total of 2 attacks. an assault rifle (a medium weapon) at an enemy with a
Attack roll 1 begins with 12d12 plus 3 per roll, +4 cover bonus (requiring a 12 to hit). The enemy has
resulting in 14, 4, 7, 15, 8, 6, 7, 14, 14, 12, 11, 15. Seven used all their available defensive actions. This character
results at or above 11. The first hit does 9, the remaining has a total of 1 attack.
six hits do 3 a piece. Attack roll 1 begins with 5d10 plus 2 per roll,
The final damage total for this attack is 24. resulting in 6, 11, 8, 6, 12. One hit. The damage is reduced
by half because of the full defense.
A character with maximum scores in all values The total damage for this attack is 4.
fires the same weapon at a character with no cover
bonus, requiring 8’s to hit. This character has a total of 3
attacks.
Attack roll 1 begins with 13d12 plus 4 per roll, ACKNOWLEGMENTS
resulting in 14, 8, 7, 15, 14, 6, 15, 8, 14, 6, 14, 13, 8. Ten
hits. The initial hit does 9, the remaining nine hits do 3 a
piece. Playtesters
The final damage for this attack is 36.
Alairan
A character with the same stats firing a Heavy Alex Hirschfeld
Repeater (a large weapon) at the same target rolls 9d12
Alex Reinwald
plus 4 per roll, getting 8,15,11,12,14,12,8,6,7. Seven hits.
The first does 13, the remainder do 2 each.
Alexandrite Draconis
The final damage for this attack is 25. Amanda Numainville
Anthony DiGeorgio
A character with a d10 mind, 2 dots in Mind: Billy M
Dexterity, 2 dots in Mind: Acuity, and 2 dots in Ranged Captain Awesome
Combat fires an assault rifle (a medium weapon) at an Draconican
enemy with a +1 cover bonus (requiring a 9 to hit). This Elijah Foxfire
character has a total of 1 attack. Eric Canapini
Attack roll 1 begins with 5d10 plus 2 per roll, Erik Huang
resulting in 6, 12, 8, 6, 12. Three hits. The first is worth 8, Merek Hennelly
the remaining are worth 1 a piece
Michael Stransky
The total damage for this attack is 10.
Moti
A character with the same stats firing a handgun Mykal
(a small weapon) at the same target rolls 3d10 plus 2 per Nariala
roll, getting 9, 5, 11. Two hits. The first is worth 5, the Paul Schroeer-Hannemann
second worth 1. Red The Hunter
The total damage for this attack is 6. Rosanna Foxfire
SirRage
A character with d10 in Body and d10 in Mind Steve Streza
and 2 dots in every Mind and Body stat is locked in Thea
combat with another character with the same stats. That Yvonne Lumetta
character fires their handgun. The attack has 3d10
and adds 2 to each result because of the character’s
ranged combat skill of 2. It needs 9’s to hit. 5,9,10. 198
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