The Avalon has a dedicated Dr. of Cybernetics in Dr Alder. It's important to note that he is not an Iteration X cybertechnician. He is a Son of Ether and as such his creations are not only stylish and functional but quite often fantastic and sometimes unbelievable. He has always been something of a rebel, even among the quirky Sons of Ether. As the cyberdoctor of The Avalon he has ample opportunity to ply his trade without having to worry too much about Paradox or Unbelief.
Name: Dr. Marcus Alder
Nature: Avant-Garde
Demeanor: Deviant
Essence: Dynamic
Tradition: Sons of Ether
Attributes
Str 1, Dex 3, Sta 2, Cha 2, Man 4, App 2, Per 5, Int 5, Wit 3
Abilities
Expression 3, Instruction 4, Intuition 4, Subterfuge 2
Cybertechnology 5, Drive 1, Firearms 1, Research 5, Technology 5
Computer 4, Cosmology 4, Culture 3, Enigmas 4, Investigation 2, Linguistics 5, Medicine 5, Occult 2, Science 5
Backgrounds
Allies 3, Avatar 3, Familiar 2, Library 4, Node 5, Resources 4, Sanctum 5, Talisman 2 (
Cybereyes)
Spheres
Correspondence
Entropy
Forces |
3
4
5 |
Life
Mind
Matter |
5
5
5 |
Prime
Spirit
Time |
3
2
4 |
Advantages
Arete: 6, Willpower: 8, Quintessence: 4, Paradox: 4
Image: Dr. Alder has a shock of wild hair that juts off the top of his skull. His personal nurse robot shaves him every day but it's hair styling skills are limited to brushing. His hair is usually white, but sometimes turns blue, purple or violet. His eyes are cybernetic and allow him to magnify what he's looking at up to 200x. They sometimes flare up green or red. He is constantly pontificating about something or other when he's not talking to himself or harrassing some poor young girl.
Cybernetics
Normal cybernetics are made of plastic and metal. They have hyperconducting batteries that power electric motors. They connect to the body of the user through complex neural interfaces with loads of computer power. Or at least that's what the Technocracy says. Dr. Alder though, follows his own muse. The cybernetics that Dr. Alder makes are created from a unique metal that is virtually indestructable. In fact most marines who get vaporized will leave behind shiny cyberware untouched by the devastation that killed them. Effects used to destroy the metal which these cybernetics are made from use Entropy 5 (As if the metal were an idea and not a material.), Matter 5 (To make it weaker.) and Prime 4 (Removing its Quintessence.). Dr. Alder calls this material Aldermanteo but every Tradition Mage who's not a Son of Ether would call it Mithril after one look. It shines like silver, it's not naturally conductive and it is a high resistor. Since most things can't destroy it, marines who have a cybernetic limb made from it will use it to block blows and parry attacks. For a power source Dr. Alder prefers to use microscopic nuclear reactors. These fusion reactors use hydrogen for fuel and liquified lead for the heating element. This way the heating element is also the shielding element. These minature reactors power incredibly small hydraulic engines that use mercury which expands fast with heat and cools fast when vented. Instead of neural interfaces the cybernetics of Dr. Alder use Kirlian receptors to mirror the motion of the missing limb or the desires of the user. No computers means no feedback, which means that any sensation from the cyberware is actually phantom sensation created in the user's brain. Because of this cyberlimbs experience pain, pleasure, tickling and every other physical sensation, but only if the person with the cyberlimb is not concentrating on the limb at the moment. If the person is aware of the limb and isn't distracted by anything else they can choose not to feel anything at all. People with cyberlimbs will act like the prosthetic is a natural limb until that odd moment when they look down at it and remember that it's not.
Prosthetics
Cyberlimbs in a variety of styles are available to marines who stick their natural limbs into places were they don't belong and where they can't get them out again. The marines keep losing limbs and Dr. Alder keeps replacing them with metal contraptions that are better than the originals. At least in combat, which is what matters most to the marines. As might be expected marines will sometimes request cyberlimbs when they don't really need them. For the most part pilots and crewmembers avoid cybernetic limbs because of the odd sensations and the obvious robotic appearance of the limbs.
One of the major problems with cyberlimb replacement is that no matter how strong the cyberdoc makes the limb, it is still attached to a flesh and blood body. Dr. Alder of course, would not be satisfied with superstrong limbs that rip out of their sockets when used by less than superstrong recipients. So he came up with quite a few different solutions any one of which can be found on a cyberlimb he has installed. The first is an inertial projector that allows the cyberlimb to project force without transferring it to the socket mount. This one allows the limb to deliver the full force of the blows in short kinetic bursts. However it doesn't allow the limb to lift any more weight than the person could lift unasisted. After that he created limbs with gravity negators. These allow the user to lift almost limitless loads but they don't strike very fast or with much force. This option was good but Dr. Alder thought he could do better. So he also invented a cyberlimb mount that spreads micro tendrils of Aldermanteo throughout the body. That one allows the cyberlimb to be used to full effect both in and out of combat. The drawback of this system is that the total strength of the cyberlimb can't safely exceed twice the amount of the user. Also the microtendrils cause repetitive stress syndrome throughout the body whenever the cyberlimb is used beyond the capacity of the recipient's body. Over time this causes the person to lose strength and mobility as muscles heal slower and bones lose their integrity.
Cyber arms
Strength: +1 to +10 for inertial projector and gravity nullifier limbs, +1 to +5 for microtendril anchored limbs.
Cost: • • to • • • • • • (
Add 2 to cost for non-Avalonians)
Cyber Legs
Speed: 20 to 120, Can levitate with Gravity nullifiers, Adds +1 or +2 to damage of Kick attacks
Cost: • • • to • • • • • (
Add 2 to cost for non-Avalonians)
Replacement Body
Armor: 6 to 10
Cost: Not normally available
Note: Sometimes a marine will get into more trouble than his body can handle. Sometimes all that makes it back to The Avalon is a burnt, mauled wreck that is barely recognizable as human. When the whole body is replaced, the person is pretty much a robot with a human brain installed. These bodies are without exception custom creations each and every one. With dozens of features and enhancements as well as superhuman strength, speed and endurance. Obviously Dr. Alder gets very excited whenever he gets the opportunity to completely remake a subject with cybernetics. Some of his most impressive creations are complete Cyborgs. Some of his most disastrous failures also started out as complete cybernetic reconstructions.
Sensory Enhancements
Sensory enhancers are different from other cybernetics in that the information they provide has to go directly to the brain. Dr. Alder doesn't believe in computers, if anything can be done by computers then it can be done better with dedicated electronics. And dedicated electronics can't be infected or subverted as easily. Dr. Alder believes in connecting sensory electronics directly to the brain and then stimulating the brain to adapt to the input. If the connections and the intensity of the signals closely resemble the natural input of information then the brain will adapt to interpret it the best it can. Of course there are many problems with this system. The first of which is that no two systems will be interpreted by the brain in exactly the same way. A common ocurrence is a transposition of colors or phantom odors. Dr. Alder has created substitues and enhancers for all six senses and even invented a Telepathic tranciever. Usually the recipient of a sensory enhancer is a marine or pilot who has a functioning set of sensory organs, but who is trying to get an edge in combat. Most Avalonians who are lacking in one or more senses will usually go to Dr. Leinart, who will replace the natural organs with vat grown cloned replacements.
Cybernetic Eyes
System: +2 to firearms dice pools, effective vision in all lighting conditions, rangefinder, magnification up to 20x.
Cost: • (
• • for non-Avalonians.)
Cybernetic Ears
System: +2 to Alertness dice pools, immunity to sonic attacks.
Cost: • (
• • for non-Avalonians.)
Cybernetic Tounge
System: Instant chemical analysis of any substance. +2 to Investigation Pools when analyzing clues.
Cost: • (
• • for non-Avalonians.)
Cybernetic Skin
System: +1 to Stamina.
Cost: • (
• • for non-Avalonians.)
Cybernetic Odor Sensor (
Cyber nose)
System: 5 dice to Tracking pools. +1 to Alertness pools.
Cost: • (
• • for non-Avalonians.)
ESP modulator
The ESP modulator gives the recipient a sense of impending danger and were it might come from.
System: Provides 4 dice to Dodge pools and increases the difficulty of attacks made against the recipient by 2.
Cost: • • (
• • • for non-Avalonians.)
Cybernetic Weapons
What would a cyborg be without claws, plasma guns and micro-lasers popping out of every orifice? Dr. Alder is determined to leave that question unanswered. Sometimes the odd civilian recipient of a bionic replacement limb will find that it has a hidden laser or plasma torch that he never even asked for and sometimes didn't even know about.
Claws
Damage: Str +2
Cost: • • (
• • • for non-Avalonians.)
Plasma Ejector
Range: 20
Damage: 5D10 Lethal
Cost: • • • (
• • • • for non-Avalonians.)
Micro Laser
Range: 18
Damage: 2D10 Lethal
Cost: • • (
• • • for non-Avalonians.)
Rail Gun
Range: 100
Shots: 8
Damage: 8D10 Lethal
Cost: • • • (
• • • • for non-Avalonians.)
Other Systems
Most doctors will let a patient die if the brain shows no activity. Most doctors would not replace a patient's blood with anti freeze. Dr. Alders is not like most other doctors.
Artificial Brain
Very few people would see the need for an artificial brain. But Dr. Alder created a process whereby he could scan a dead brain and copy the neural pattern onto an artificial vessel. With the artificial brain many a dead marine has been put back in service with a robot body to match. At this point it is no longer accurate to call them cyborgs. Technically they are androids. Most marines don't care and view this morbid immortality as a twisted badge of honor.
System: A dead brain has to be mostly intact but if 80% of the brain mass is recovered then the deceased intelligence can be saved with minimal loss of memory and faculties. For each health level of damage suffered beyond deceased by the body, reduce all Mental and Social Attributes, as well as Willpower, by One.
Cost: Not Available
Artificial Blood
System: Replaces the blood of a marine, and only a marine, with a chemical compound that can carry oxygen through the bloodstream. A marine with Artificial Blood is unaffected by disease, gases, toxins or any other foriegn agent.
Cost: • • (
Not available for non-Avalonians.)
Artificial Organs
Most people on The Avalon know better than to go to Dr. Alder when they need a replacement organ. They go to
Dr. Leinart instead because she will give them a servicable clone organ that is as good as the original and is as brand new as a thirteen year old's organs. However marines are overly courageous and none too bright. Dr. Alder likes to 'create', and he doesn't really mind experimenting on a few adventurous marines.
System: Specific bonuses are up to the Storyteller. One or two dice for Athletics Pools are common as well as Two dice for Soak Pools against diseases. It all depends on which organ is being replaced.
Cost: • (
• • for non-Avalonians.)
All Images are Copyright © 2002 William Adams and cannot be reproduced without permission.
Some Characters are inspired by the TV show Buffy The Vampire Slayer and their use here does not represent a challenge to any pre-existing copyrights or trademarks.
Warning: This comic may include adult situations and suggestive dialogue not suited for minors.
Send me an Email
Pillars of Faith is hosted on Keenspace, a free webhosting and site automation service for webcomics.
