Cult of the Machine

[silverfoxdmt73]

I am looking at creating an underground group of ex-soldiers, ex-MechWarriors who have been taken under the wing of a retired LAAF surgeon who believes that cybernetics are the way forward.

 I am going to base the campaign on the edge of the Periphery, where high tech equipment is rare but this cult have access to implants & prosthetics that give them the edge over the local government forces. Their numbers are small but the ex-surgeon leader of the cult has wealth and small scale manufacturing capabilities. 

I want to give the cult a quazi-religious feel but not like Comstar. I need suggestions for character builds for the leader and some key figures. Cheers.

[Tai Dai Cultist]

The scenario begs the obvious comparisons to the Manei Dominei.  What's your timeframe you're thinking about... and is this retired surgeon really just a pawn of the Master in secret?

[silverfoxdmt73]

Manei Dominei?

My campaign is starting in 3026, in the Oberon Confederation. 

[Tai Dai Cultist]

Manei Dominei?

My campaign is starting in 3026, in the Oberon Confederation.

If you're not familiar with the name (and I misspelled it, my bad), you might look into them.  There's alot of cyber enhancements going on with them in the Jihad era.. they took it to rather extreme levels (to the point of considering flesh itself a weakness) but their modifications can give you some ideas for your campaign.

Since you're set way before the Jihad, you may or may not decide that your NPC leadership would later join the Word of Blake and help stand up the Manei Domini based on their practical experience gained in your campaign!

[silverfoxdmt73]

Hmm, thanks for the into to them. Seem like an interesting bunch.

The whole 'flesh is weak' certainly fits my idea - disenchanted field surgeon retires to backwater planet and saves a bunch of wounded LAAF vets, forms a cult based on cybernetics being superior to 'regular' un-augmented soldiers.

The leader is maybe a minor noble, high ranking officer with access to higher grade tech than your regular guy, with the ability to do some small scale prosthetic production. I'm thinking the group is no more than a few dozen to begin with. 

[idea weenie]

Of the cybernetics I'd recommend Tier 0-1 as fairly standard, Tier 2 for the senior enlisted/junior officers, and Tier 3 for the senior officers.

So everyone will be physically beautiful (not just repairing war scars), and will have a prosthetic limb (to replace the one they lost functionality in or just lost in combat) that has a weapon or tool in it.  The weapon will likely be a laser that takes advantage of the secondary power supply.

The senior enlisted/lower officers have one of cybernetic ears/eyes/speech (imagine the Plt Sgt with enhanced speech when chewing someone out), plus a communications unit so they can quickly check in.

Senior officers have the boosted comms units, improved prostheses, and multi-modal eyes so they can get situation reports transmitted directly to their artificial vision.  Filtration liver is not allowed for drinking contests.


Now if you want Warhammer40k abilities/implants:
Dark Heresy:
* Augur Arrays (combo energy emissions, motion trackers, and life sign scanner)
* Binary chatter (you can talk to machines better, great for techs)
* Chem Geld (to make sure Kevin doesn't talk too much again)
* Cortex implants (internal computer that can be accessed via cybernetic eyes/ears)
* Electrical Succour (use an external source of energy to get rid of stun damage/fatigue, better might be internal storage tank that takes when excess is present, and releases when low)
* Electro Graft (use a datajack to access a computer directly, instead of reading->storing, or receiving via radio)
* Ferric Lure (mini electromagnets allow you to pull magnetic items to you, such as hold-out weapons)
* Logis Implant (if you take time to concentrate, internal ballistics/targeting calculator makes you more accurate)
* Luminen Charge (use internal power to power something else)
* Maglev (slow down when falling, or hover a short distance over metal)
* Orthoproxy (internal chip reminding you who to be loyal to.  Make sure it is read-only)
* Rite of Pure Thought (remove that part of your brain dealing with pesky emotions, and replace it with a good computer instead)

Rogue Trader:
* Locator Matrix (direction to north, rough location, velocity, altitude, time, etc, but user does need access to maps)
* Memorance implant (links to cybernetic eyes so you can take a picture and store it in memory, plus will display data on the cybernetic eyes based on real world view, such as seeing a person's face and getting data on them)
* MIU weapons link (effectively the smartgun link, user can see where the gun is pointing and fire it similar to Predator shoulder mount)

Semi-real life ideas:
Electronic Skin - read all sorts of stuff from whoever it is placed on, great for medics and officers to know how their troops are doing (with comm units the data from the electroskin can be transmitted upon query)
Respirocytes - store a lot more oxygen than normal.  Will need steady replacements as the originals fail and are filtered out of the blood stream.  Not likely due to being nanotechnology

[Col Toda]

The Thugee Cult is also big into cyberware .  I have seen full cyborgs in old mech warrior games in which Dr Fritz made full cyborgs . Basically brain in life support with nuero implants to control the mechs . The Experiment did not last long as any Clan opposition went over the top crazy when discovered ( They Hate Cyberware ) .