powers

[anaplasiamod]

POWERS

「NERFS」

All canon powers will be nerfed, no exceptions, but characters will find themselves with useful implants.

Nano-Engrammatic Replication Frames, nicknamed NERFs, are implants that limit canon powers in game, provide useful equipment like nano-protective suits, translators, and comm devices, and can also provide powers of their own.

Unfortunately, some of the innate elements of nanite production will block all possible metapowers, only allowing some minor advantages if they're fully rooted in a character's physiology. For instance, a human character with advanced agility from some kind of meta mutation (like Spider-Man) would lose that ability, but if a character is a talking sentient chimp, they'd still have mildly enhanced strength.

There is an upper limit to this, however: any character that has strength, speed, and/or agility greater than the average human due to pure physiology, will find their muscles and tissue have weakened to the point of only having these abilities at the greatest human extremes. For instance, the strength in lifting a heavy object overhead would be limited to the world record for the clean and jerk in weightlifting, 267 kg/588 lbs, the world record for running speed is 44.72 kmh/27mph, and agility couldn't exceed that of an Olympic gymnast. The only other allowed powers will be mild increases to smell and hearing if someone has the biology to support it.

The nanites seem to be aiming for a high human norm and are unable to easily factor in the high end of other species' abilities, re-configuring the body to sometimes weaken it compared to the usual abilities of one's species.

「BASE NERF」

All characters will have a base implant embedded in the spine or some other equivalent connection to the nervous system for their species (such as a memory core, for inorganic beings). The implant can be seen jutting out of the skin of organic beings and firmly installed and rooted into the back for inorganic beings.

This implant cannot be removed due to several countermeasures. Removal can cause extreme damage to the spine or similar neurological structures, which Ishtar would repair and use as an opportunity to reinstall the implant anyway. Even if the implant could be safely removed without damage, away from Ishtar's influence, free-roaming nanites in characters' bodies would allow for a slow regrowth of the base implant anyway.

This base implant is also necessary as it provides translation and communication devices and equipment necessary to survive the hostile environment of the megastructure.

ENKI SUITS

This nano-protective suit springs out from the Base implant with a thought, covering the character's body and providing a clear helmet in hostile environments. If a character has obtained clothes for themselves, these clothes are eaten by the nanites and used to help construct the suit, then the suit is converted back to clothes when no longer in use.

The suits contain an air filtration unit, as well as an independent air supply that can last up to 24 hours. The suit applies enough pressure to the body and air pressure to allow its user to survive the vacuum of space, and protects from pressure underwater up to 1000 feet.

The suit's main function besides acting as clothing is to protect characters from infection by the nanites located in certain areas of the megastructure or infecting certain monsters. Without the suit, the nanites can mutate PCs into monsters.

The suits do not have unlimited ability to withstand nanites. If a character has prolonged direct contact with a large amount of nanites, either due to a deep concentration in an area, or due to a monster shedding them in excess, the suit can start to degrade. Warnings about the rate of decrease in integrity will sound in the wearer's ear and they'll start to see a percentage counting down in an upper corner of their helmet's HUD. However, the suit will still provide much longer protection than they'd normally have, often adding ten to even thirty extra minutes of time before infection to allow them to destroy an enemy or escape the area. In areas with nanite contact that is less concentrated, the suits can self-repair enough to provide protection indefinitely.

Though they're not bullet-proof, the suits are much tougher than normal clothing and are heavily resistant to cuts and tears. If something successfully breaks through the suit, the rip or puncture will instantly gel over with nanite goo in a patch to provide temporary repair until the suit can be fully recalled into the base implant for full self-repair later. This goo will also try to seal wounds to slow bleeding, and destroy any hostile nanites before they infect the wearer, though if there's a deep wound caused by the cut they can possibly be unsuccessful. This goo also provides a mild pain-killing effect but can't compensate for the pain of more serious injuries.

If the suit is facing a breach exclusively by nanites, this patch will often instantly fail due to the integrity of the suit being lost in larger or multiple patches.

The suits can be unpleasant to wear as they are fully form-fitting and have a strange flow and movement to the fabric due to the nanites that makes them feel almost alive.

NISABA GEOLOCATION

Nicknamed NSABs, these are devices build into the wrist area of the suits that house a map system that creates a three-dimensional map of the known areas of the megastructure, built from map data from every other NERF user. This system allows the use of user-made map markers so characters can note areas of danger or interest, as well as indicate what areas of travel are blocked off. The map system is effective at showing ways to get unlost, but can be knocked offline by tech in certain areas, making return to home base more difficult.

Dimensional shifting can also sometimes alter already-mapped areas.

Map data can sometimes be scavenged from the ruins, showing sections the group hasn't gotten to yet, though sometimes mapping of the area connecting their current location with new ones isn't there, meaning they have to find their own way to the spot they're searching for. This scavenged map data is sometimes marked with important areas of interest, like data centers that have useful data, supply caches, medical bays where medical supplies can be scavenged, and dangerous threats that need to be stopped before they reach home base. The deeper the characters go, the more any recovered map data will hint at strange areas of interest that may provide answers to their questions.

GILGA-MESH LIFE PRESERVATION

This is a life preservation system that allows fatally injured wearers to have a chance of survival. If someone faces a fatal injury anywhere other than the brain (which is fully fatal and impossible to revive from), the Gilga-mesh system activates, internally flooding the brain case with a protective nanite mesh to shield it from injury, as well as nanites and enzymes meant to cryogenically cool and preserve the brain's cells and structure. If the Gilga-mesh is activated and an enemy were to attack the head of a downed user, they'd find it harder to damage the brain within due to the internal cushioning and shielding of the brain case. If the body of the person is nanite-infected post-mortum, this shielding will also protect the brain from nanite infection, taking advantage of the lack of blood flow to have time to shield the brain before the nanite infection reaches it.

For nonhuman users, the system shields data cores or other equivalent organs to the brain, with appropriate technology to preserve it.

This preservation can last for up to 24 hours, providing time for others to regroup and recover a body if it was left behind, or recover the body if it's stolen by an enemy. Even if the rest of the body is decimated by the point of recovery, including the skull, if the brain is still in its protective Gilga-mesh coating, revival is still possible. This means that it's possible to bring the person back for recovery even if all that's left is their brain or head.

Gilga-Mesh systems will also divert all power from every other part of the suit to powering up a recovery beacon. Unlike the other general locator beacons, which can sometimes be blocked, the rerouting of power from all functions allows this to work regardless of shielding in an area, making it impossible to block.

If others manage to bring the person's body or preserved body to the Gula chambers in the Medbay, revival is possible - up to a point.

A sign that someone's Gilga-mesh has kicked in is that metallic, mercury-like nanofluid will sometimes leak out of their mouth, nose, and tear ducts.

NABU COMMUNICATIONS

See the network/translation section in the faq for info about network and translation provided by the Base NERF.

「OTHER NERFS」

Alongside the base implant, characters may have two other types of NERFs, primary ones, often used for combat, and secondary ones, used for non-combat skills. Players can choose one of these NERF combinations:

• (1) primary NERF + (1) Secondary NERF


• (2) Secondary NERFs


• (1) primary NERF or (1) secondary NERF, aka hard mode


• (0) Nerfs, aka ultra hard mode

The type of abilities each NERF taps into is called an Area of Replication Control, aka an ARC. Due to low-level nanite shedding, ARC users will find that any weapons with moving parts sometimes malfunction for them, due to nanites jamming them, making them unreliable. The most complex weapons they can potentially use are projectile small arms, and players can opt to have their characters not even be able to use that much.

「PRIMARY NERFS」

Use of primary NERFs often entails a slightly painful and unpleasant transformation of the body, where the user is far more acutely aware of the presence of the implants being threaded through their system. To make room for the temporarily produced weapons or specialized organs required for powers, they will feel organs and bones shift as their body takes a slightly different shape, with nano-metallic parts often liquefying over appropriate body parts - or transforming into nano-metal.

Primary NERFs all form out of nanites and are therefore more effective against nanite-infected enemies like Anzu, leaving nanite-riddled wounds that the Anzu's infectious nanites struggle to heal quickly.

BLADE ARC

The user is able to transform their fore-arms into blades, form bladed finger claws, spring blades from the feet, and shoot blades and spikes from the body in showers of dangerous metal. For more accuracy, they can take them in their hands and throw them first, though this limits the number to what they can reasonably throw for their skill level. These blades can be incredibly sharp, not quite on the level of a monomolecular blade but close. Though some materials can't be cut due to their makeup, and forcefields can bolster other surfaces, weaker metals can be cut by these blades with enough force behind the blow.

IMPACT ARC

The fists and forearms can be hardened into rock-hard solid husks of solidified nano-metal, and all attached body tissues that still need to be organic to move are reinforced to help absorb the shock of throwing any blows. Roaming patches of nanites can also solidify on the body to provide shielding, though it's limited in thickness. Someone can choose between a thin layer over large swaths of body surface that can maybe (just-barely) turn a knife away to concentrating a patch large enough to cover just the abdomen or chest that's thick enough to be bulletproof. The more body surface is covered, the weaker the shield is. This shield can be transferred to be over top their Enki suit in circumstances they must be fully shielded against nanites in the environment.

PROJECTILE ARC

Sun's out, guns out. The arms can be transformed into metal guns that fire solidified nanite projectiles (no blaster type weapons are possible, however.) What kind of gun their arms can turn into will be different from individual to individual, usually corresponding to a real world weapon when it comes to rate of fire and caliber. For weapon types that lend themselves to long-distance sniping, a scope can form as well.

While reloading isn't necessary, the more the body expends nanites, the higher the risk of overuse effects. As bullets often impact deep within surfaces, this material can't easily be recovered.

TRANSFORMATION ARC

The body can form metallic, spiked, tentacles of considerable strength but they draw from the body mass, creating a great risk of losing too much mass if a tentacle is lost since they're one of the largest possible cybernetics that can be formed. The user also has some general ability to morph smaller body surfaces. With enough practice, they can do things like form a finger into a key or shapeshift their face (though not their full form) to look like an individual.

ARCHERY ARC

The arm can turn into something approximating a bow, with the other hand forming metallic arrows that can be drawn and fired. While draw speed is slower than bullets, and they can't fire off arrows as fast as Blade ARC users can fire spikes or blades, Archery ARC users have greater control over their projectiles. They can control them after they've been fired, curving them towards targets. If they have a good sense of the target they're directing them at, they can even angle them around corners.

「SECONDARY NERFS」

Secondary NERFs provide support abilities. They can act as a good supplement to attack powers or someone can have secondary NERFs only, positioning them into more of a support role.

MEDICAL ARC

Medical ARC users can create a metallic lattice bridge between themselves and the person they're trying to heal, then pump them full of healing nanites or use their nanites to actively reconstruct and knit together body tissues. This is most effective when they're directly directing the lattice into a specific wound, but any melding of nanites through the patient's skin can still lead to enough control to help urge healing along. Usually they can heal one person, whether themselves or someone else, of serious or fatal injuries before facing overuse effects. This can even include minor damage to the brain - something important to preserve it in case the person dies so they can be revived by the Gula chambers. This nanite usage only works while the patient is still alive, before they die and have the Gilga-mesh system kick in.

FABRICATOR ARC

Users can build materials out of their own body but only in very tiny amounts. This material can be almost anything, with just a few limitations, as long as they have some concept of the molecular structure they're trying to construct - info that can sometimes be found in Uruk's various computer systems.

That said, it can be much harder - and more dangerous - to form unstable or radioactive elements or isotopes. But most materials are possible in very small amounts, allowing for small components to be made. This material can be melded with other material as long as the Fabricator is touching the surface of the object they want to adhere material to. Several individuals can also work together to combine their efforts, such as a group of Fabricators reinforcing a broken door together by welding it shut. If working solo, a fabricator can only make very small components before needing to rest for some time, however, often several days. Think on the level of computer circuitry or small machine components. They may find their efforts are best spent repairing broken material that already exists or welding parts together.

TECHNOPATHY ARC

These users are able to infiltrate circuitry with nanites as a way of bridging gaps between themselves and computer systems. While some of these systems can be directly controlled with their minds, such a simple door locks or basic databases, others may need to be actively hacked by a computer. Still, the technopath's connection can allow wired access to an otherwise closed circuit system for a handheld computer.

They'll find that complex AI like Ishtar are generally almost impossible to control or glean information from - though special circumstances may allow it.

PSIONIC ARC

Psionic ARC users are capable of several minor advantages due to stimulation of their brains by nanites. They have the capacity to sometimes sense lying (though this is difficult) and some minor precognitive warnings of danger, often rooted in the emotions or instincts of whatever threat is approaching. They also have the capacity to release psionic energy in a single blast that staggers, stuns, or even knocks out any opponents in a 4-foot radius - sparing any allies. This blast will leave their psionic powers dead for 24 hours, however, and leaves them more vulnerable to any opposing psionic forces, like some of the strange mind-altering forces in Uruk.

STEALTH ARC

Stealth ARC users have stealth based abilities to allow them to better sneak around threats. They can spread nanites over their bodies - including over their Enki suits - that create a cloaking field. This can make them nearly invisible and silences any subtle sounds from their body like heartbeats, breathing, or foot falls (however speaking wouldn't be suppressed). Only the tiniest shimmer can be seen in the air and usually only if someone knows to look. They can sustain this field at full strength for 10-15 minutes without overuse effects, needing at least a half hour's rest between each charge. If they push themselves into overuse they can sustain the field for up to 30 minutes, but this is the absolute maximum and causes overuse effects.

At half strength, a lower level version of the field can make someone slightly hazier and hard to see, allowing them to blend into the shadows better, without being totally invisible. The field also allows them to move more quietly, though not silently. While not conferring total stealth, this can help accentuate someone's own stealth skills. This half strength field can be sustained for a much longer time, 30-40 minutes until overuse, with a 1 hour maximum after overuse kicks in.

The field can only be run at full or half capacity, with no other possible capacities.

While the cloaking field can cloak most objects that can be carried, they won't work on other people.

「OVERUSE EFFECTS」

Overuse of implants can lead to catastrophic effect. The more a user's body is forced to produce nanites, the more negative consequences there are from nanite programming instructions becoming erratic or actual body material being cannibalized. This can be slightly offset by recovering pieces that have been fired off the body and reusing the nanites, such as as blade or archery users recovering blades and arrows.

The point of overuse can vary based on each situation and each individual but can be assumed to start within a half hour of nonstop use. Breaks in use can grant more time. More intense use (like an incredibly dense bullet barrage) can reduce this time to minutes, necessitating a break to avoid negative effects.

Of the primary NERFS, Projectile ARC and Transformation ARC lend themselves to the worst risks of overuse. It's easy to lose a whole tentacle and possibly not get to retrieve it, or to bullet spam without realizing how much mass has been fired off. With bullets being harder to recover than, say, blades, it makes it more difficult to replenish nanite mass. Medical ARC and Fabricator ARC can also be at higher risk of overuse due to high expenditure of nanites involved.

But really any ARC type can lead to overuse effects if someone pushes hard enough.

Exhaustion and anemia is a default overuse effect every time. Alongside that, players also have to pick from one of these overuse effects if their character overuses their ARC, but they will not have to pick them in advance. They can choose one in the moment (and possibly choose a different effect each time.)

• migraines, nose bleeds, and bleeding from the ears
• mild depression
• paranoia
• anxiety/panic attacks
• dehydration and dangerous and possibly deadly electrolyte imbalance
• seizures
• sudden loss of body fat or muscle mass
• sudden death

LONG-TERM OVERUSE

If someone dips into overuse too frequently, they'll start to find long-term effects happening to their body. These effects are only reversible if they start to curb their overuse habits quickly.

• gradual cybernizatioh: the body being replaced with cybernetic parts
• loss of all physical sensation
• replacement of skin with artificial material
• loss of emotions
• anhedonia
• being more easily influenced by Ishtar
• being more easily influenced by psychological effects in the megastructure
• loss of individuality

「NO NERFS」

If a player wants no primary or secondary NERFs, characters will only have the base implant and the technology from it. For these individuals, Ishtar thought they'd be useful additions to the crew but primary and secondary implantation was incompatible for unknown reasons and the surgery failed. In keeping with the survival and scavenging elements of the game, any canon weapons will not be provided, as it was assumed by Ishtar that they'd just receive implants. They will have to find equivalents or alternatives during play.

They'll start with very basic weaponry from the nearest armory, with the most advanced being equivalent to modern day small arm projectile weapons. They'll have the option of improvising stronger weapons from nearby basic materials, engineering weapons from scavenged tech, recovering powerful weapons from caches or armories in the megastructure, or bringing weapons back from missions if they want an alternative to the implants stronger than basic weapons. These weapons will be powerful enough to do damage, but not as effective as the abilities from NERFs. However, a lack of NERFs will allow these individuals to be free of the side effects of NERF overuse, allowing them to not be hindered by it during combat, even as NERF users around them start to suffer from the effects.

They'll also be immune to some anti-NERF weapons meant to target users of primary and secondary NERFs.

Opting out of the base implant is not possible as characters wouldn't be able to survive the megastructure without the suits.

「MAGIC」

Magic is a tricky thing in the megastructure. While magic can be somewhat unrooted from a character's biological abilities and thus less limited, due to the implants and due to Uruk being such a scientifically made, slightly eldritch monstrosity, characters with magic will find any magic extremely weak and slightly tainted.

As such, it can still be wielded alongside implants, but only occasionally, and it will be incredibly weak and sometimes go haywire to negative effect. Basically, players can't expect magic users to be able to use it easily in the day to day. Spells may take a long time to formulate and prepare for, and sometimes ingredients from the city must be harvested as something to ground or fuel a spell. Or spells can possibly be limited in needing to be done in certain locations. Depending on the spell, characters may have to, for instance, find small grottos of nature or places of death and suffering, to be able to cast it - whatever aligns with the nature of the spell.

Magic use will remain weak on mission worlds due to the implants but finding nature or other necessary elements to ground spells will be easier.

Please note your character's magic in their app for approval in the powers section if you want to include it. The mods will let you know what can be kept and what limitations there may be. While magic on missions can be used with whatever general, ongoing limitations the mods assign, all magic use in the city itself must also be approved each time, as these are meant to be limited events and not ongoing instances of regular power use. You can submit requests for it in the mod contact.