BIOMODS

Because Long John has made it possible to extensively modify adult humans, the emphasis of biotechnology has shifted from cybernetics and genies to genetic modification. Almost any modifications originally requiring genetic redesign can now be achieved though biomods.

The technology for creating sophisticated biomods has only developed since the advent of Long John. In the past 15 years, genetic modification has become more popular and more widely used than any form of cosmetic surgery or cybernetics. The biomods listed below represent common, established genetic modifications.

Biomodification has been proven to make recipients more susceptible to cyberpsychosis. Double all Humanity Loss to someone who has received a biomod.

MEDICAL BIOMODS

Longevity Therapy

Currently, each treatment metabolically arrests the aging process, but treatments must be received every 10 to 12 months. Subsequent treatments are necessary to maintain the effects granted by the therapy.

• Legality: Legal
• Cost: $50,000 per treatment

Regeneration

The genetic manipulations allowed by Long John give modern doctors the power to heal and repair almost any disease or injury.

• Legality: Legal
• Cost: $2,000–$150,000, depending upon the extent of regeneration

METABOLIC BIOMODS

Adrenal Shunt

Subsequently, if the character chooses to allow the adrenaline rush to occur, he receives a +1 bonus to Reflexes, Movement Allowance and Cool for 3 rounds, as well as a +3 to Strength Feat and Resist Torture/Drugs skill rolls.

• Legality: Legal
• Transformation Time: 2 weeks
• Cost: $7,500

Anti-Poison

This modification gives characters a +3 bonus to their Resist Torture/Drugs Skill for purposes of resisting poisons, venom, or toxins.

• Legality: Legal
• Transformation Time: 2 weeks
• Cost: $8,000

Improved Blood Clotting

Characters with improved blood clotting gain a +3 to Death Saves made when suffering Mortal Wounds. The biomod also provides a +3 bonus to characters attempting to perform First aid on the user.

• Legality: Legal
• Transformation Time: 3 weeks
• Cost: $8,000

Improved Blood Oxygenation

Individuals with this biomod are able to hold their breath for up to 10 minutes, even while physically active. They also gain a +3 bonus to Endurance skill rolls.

• Legality: Legal
• Transformation Time: 1 month
• Cost: $6,000

Mind-Jobs

Legal mind-jobs are prescribed by licensed psychiatrists as a way to help patients permanently overcome problems with anger, depression, or some forms of addiction. Illegal mind-jobs are the subjects of numerous horror and suspense holo-vids, in which unsuspecting individuals are kidnapped and subtly altered so that their personalities are permanently changed.

Legal Mind-Jobs

• Legality: Restricted
• Transformation Time: 1 week
• Cost: $4,000

Illegal Mind-Job

• Legality: Proscribed
• Transformation Time: 1 week
• Cost: $15,000 or more

MultiGlands

The subject controls the output of all hormones, like adrenaline and endorphins, and therefore can control key aspects of physiology, such as the fight-or flight response and emotional state. Multiglands give users a permanent +1 bonus to COOL due to their chemical control over their mental states. This fine control over their mental state makes for excellent liars and users receive a +3 bonus to Persuasion & Fast-Talk skill rolls.

Control over hormone production also allows the subject to effectively block pain, allowing the user to reduce the penalties for all Wounds by one level. Serious Wounds are treated as Light while Critical Wounds are treated as Serious and Mortal are treated as Critical. This does not reduce the chances of death if a Mortal Wound is suffered however.

It is also possible to use multiglands to temporarily increase REFLEXES or BODY by 2. Increasing one or more characteristics takes 30 seconds of concentration, and no characteristic can be increased for longer than a number of minutes equal to 50 + (5 x BODY (before boosting)). After the user stops boosting the attribute, the characteristic drops to 1/2 its normal level (round up) for a period equal to the time it was boosted.

• Legality: Legal
• Transformation Time: 1 month
• Cost: $17,000

Pheromones

The pheromones biomod gives the user a +1 bonus to his Persuasion & Fast Talk skill and +3 to their Seduction skill, as long as he is within two meters of the target. It is only useful against targets of the same species group. Pure-strain humans and transhumans are considered to be a single species group, as are squid and divers. Each species of hybrid is considered to be a separate species group, and orcas and dolphins comprise two different species groups as well.

• Legality: Legal
• Transformation Time: 2 weeks
• Cost: $9,000

Respiratory Filter

This biomod allows the user to breathe highly polluted atmospheres and other contaminated air without harm, as long as sufficient oxygen is present and there are no corrosive compounds in the air.

• Legality: Legal
• Transformation Time: 2 weeks
• Cost: $9,000

Salt Tolerance

This specialized biomod allows the user to drink salt water, safely eliminating the excess salt.

• Legality: Legal
• Transformation Time: 2 weeks
• Cost: $5,000

IMPLANTED BIOMODS

Dexterity Enhancement

This modification provides the user with a permanent +1 bonus to REFLEXES, but only for the modified hand. If both hands are modified, the bonus is +1 for tasks requiring the use of one or both hands.

• Legality: Legal
• Transformation Time: 2 months
• Cost: $11,700 per hand

Glider

The glider receives a +3 bonus to the Zero G skill and can stay aloft in low-g environments indefinitely using the habitats artificial air currents and thermals. The membranes are not large enough to sustain controlled gliding in higher gravity environments such as Luna.

• Legality: Legal
• Transformation Time: 1 month
• Cost: $5,500

Immunological Symbiote

An individual with a symbiote heals twice as fast as a normal person, and can expect a 25% increase in life span. Symbiotes eliminate allergic reactions and asthma and make their host immune to cancer and most infectious diseases. The bonuses from having a symbiote are fully compatible with those from all other biomods. Symbiotes also give their hosts a +2 bonus to their BODY to resist radiation damage.

• Legality: Legal
• Healing Time: Immediate
• Cost: $10,000

Nictitating Membranes

Nictitating membranes are an integrated component of aquaform modifications.

• Legality: Legal
• Transformation Time: 2 weeks
• Cost: $5,000

Organ Composite

Recipients of this mod gain a permanent +1 bonus to their Toughness and a +2 bonus on Death and Stun Saves. Unfortunately, this biomod also imposes a –2 penalty on all First Aid rolls intended to treat the user’s internal injuries.

• Legality: Legal
• Transformation Time: 2 months
• Cost: $58,600

Skinlights

Users can turn the bioluminescent tissue on or off at will, though they cannot control its brightness. For an additional investment, skinlights that illuminate in a variety of colors are also available.

• Legality: Legal
• Transformation Time: 1 week
• Cost: $100 per square centimeter (single-color); $200 per square centimeter (multi-color)

Stinger

Make a Unarmed Combat attack to apply the poison. If hit the target takes no HTH damage but is instead injected with poison taking 4d6 damage per turn for 3 turns. Each turn the target may make a Death Save to halve the damage. A Once used, the venom sac requires 14 hours to refill. A person discovered by law enforcement to have this biomod will be arrested, automatically charged and will have the stinger mod surgically removed.

• Legality: Proscribed
• Transformation Time: 1 week
• Cost: $10,000

Swim Bladder

Users of this modification gain a permanent +1 bonus to their Swimming skill and can stay afloat with no effort indefinitely.

• Legality: Legal
• Transformation Time: 2 months
• Cost: $3,200

Venom Sacs

The character can spray venom up to 2 meters away, not unlike a spitting cobra. To hit the target requires a Brawling or Martial Arts roll with a +1 bonus due to the area of the spray. The attack can be dodged but not parried. If hit the target poisoned taking 4d6 damage per turn for 3 turns. If the target is hit in the head they are blinded for 10 turns. Each turn the target may make a Death Save to halve the damage. A Once used, the venom sac requires 20 hours to refill. A person discovered by law enforcement to have this biomod will be arrested, automatically charged and will have the mod surgically removed.

• Legality: Proscribed
• Transformation Time: 2 weeks
• Cost: $8,000

Webbed Digits

+3 to Swimming Checks and double Swimming Speed.

• Legality: Legal
• Transformation Time: 1 week
• Cost: $2,500

SENSORY BIOMODS

Amplified Hearing

+1 Awareness when using auditory cues.

• Legality: Legal
• Transformation Time: 3 weeks
• Cost: $4,000

Echolocation

Standard echo only functions underwater, with a range of about 30 meters. Improved echo may be used in both air and water. This improved variation has a range of 40 meters in air and 100 meters underwater. Echolocation does not require light and cannot perceive color. Echolocation allows the user to replace all close-range vision rolls with hearing rolls.

• Legality: Legal
• Transformation Time: 3 weeks
• Cost: $6,000 for basic, $9,000 for improved

Enhanced Smell

Increase Awareness via smell by +2. Allows scent tracking

• Legality: Legal
• Transformation Time: 3 weeks
• Cost: $5,000

Night Vision

Night vision removes all vision penalties caused by poor lighting conditions. However, even night vision remains useless in complete darkness.

• Legality: Legal
• Transformation Time: 3 weeks
• Cost: $5,000

Perfect Pitch

This biomod confers a +3 bonus to the user’s Performance skill when performing music. Users with both the echolocation and perfect pitch biomods gain a +1 bonus to their rolls when using echolocation.

• Legality: Legal
• Transformation Time: 2 weeks, plus a week of training
• Cost: $3,000

Sense of Direction

Always know where magnetic North is. If on a different planet it has to be reapplied or it is useless.

• Legality: Legal
• Transformation Time: 2 weeks, plus a week of training
• Cost: $4,000

Telescopic Vision

This biomod gives the subject’s eyes variable magnification up to 5X. The character gains a +2 bonus to Awareness rolls to see things at a distance.

• Legality: Legal
• Transformation Time: 3 weeks
• Cost: $5,000

FULL BODY BIOMODS

All existing varieties of genies can now be produced as biomods. These transformations are among the most common full-body biomods, since the risks and problems associated with these physical forms are well known. Many other fullbody transformations are available, but transformation into radically different forms can be prohibitively expensive and may have unexpected side effects.

Accelerated Neurons

+1 Reflexes and +1 Movement Allowance. This modification does raise the metabolic energy demands of its recipients, requiring them to both eat and drink about 20% more than previously.

• Legality: Legal
• Transformation Time: 2 months
• Cost: $5,000

Body Sculpting

Basic Body Sculpture

• Legality: Legal
• Transformation Time: 2 weeks to 3 months depending on the extent of the alterations
• Cost: $5,000–55,000 depending upon the degree of modification

Body Duplication

• Legality: Proscribed
• Cost: $70,000 or more

Double Joints

Users of this biomod receive a +1 bonus to their Reflexes in situations where bodily flexibility is important.

• Legality: Legal
• Transformation Time: 3 weeks
• Cost: $10,000

Myo-Skeletal Enhancement

They receive the improved Blood Oxygenation biomod, and have nearly unbreakable bones giving them +2 BODY. This transformation also adds up to 25kg to the recipient’s mass.

• Legality: Restricted
• Transformation Time: 5 months
• Cost: $150,000

Photoskin

With a sufficient water supply, photoskin can help the user stave off starvation in dire circumstances giving them +3 to Wilderness Survival checks.

Legality: Legal
Transformation Time: 2 weeks
Cost: $8,000

Shock Trooper

The Shock Trooper modification integrates various other biomods in the transformation. These integrated modifications are equivalent to an immunological symbiote, night vision, telescopic vision, amplified hearing, enhanced smell, improved blood oxygenation, respiratory filter, and accelerated neurons.

Shock Trooper Modifications:

• +2 Body
• +1 Reflexes
• –1 Cool
• +1 Movement Allowance
• +3 Endurance Skill
• Hold breath up to 10 minutes
• Weight +30kg
• +2 Body against radiation
• Skin is armored at SP 6
• Night Vision
• Cyberware: neuralware Link and Interface Plugs (2d6 HL not doubled)

Legality: Restricted
Transformation Time: 6 months
Cost: $500,000c (available to select GEO personnel only)