METABIONIC LORE

Metabionic Stylized.jpg

Image by Nicco Salonga

In the pre-fall world of the ancients, humanity and machinery worked side by side. Mechanical and electronic prosthetics and implanted enhancements were commonplace. It was said to be a halcyon time where one’s physical disabilities were not the impossible barrier that they once were.

The Metabionic Implants of the World Beyond the Fall are a far cry from the instruments of old, using barely refined scrap and strange technologies—but in some ways they serve the new species of humanity even better. With harsh reality setting in at every corner, and danger along with it, much of Metabionic implantation has been made for self defense or the elusion of peril. There are other implants, naturally, such as ocular devices that replace one’s ruined eyes or prosthetics to supplant a maimed arm. And thanks to the Technocracy of the Illustrados Union, these prosthetics are now more than mere replacements—they are enhancements.

Current technological progress in the World Beyond the Fall has even begun to cheat death. With the replacement of ruined organs and the implantation of powerful Metabionic devices, even those inflicted with the worst trauma can survive terrible tragedy. This is not without its costs and burdens, of course; Metabionic individuals report a recurring ache as well as strange phantom sensations and minor hallucinations. These symptoms are often attributed to the prosthetic attachment as well as the effects of a miniature Magnetic Mana battery within their body.

Choose this Stigmata if:

  • You want to play a character with robotic or cybernetic features and/or personality

  • You want a Stigmata that supports strong, tough, or technological characters

  • You want to play a magic user that combines tech with eldritch madness

  • It is known that the Technocracia was the first to report success in their Metabionic experimentation. Guillermo Neal-Gibson is often credited with this breakthrough in 60 BTF, but he was aided by Michaella Neumier and the rest of her team. Neal-Gibson’s work is said to be galvanized by the losses suffered by his sister; Estephania Neal-Gibson was almost killed while defending Ciudad Juanita from attack.

    Estephania was the first successful recipient of the Magnetic Mana Core and her story is often held up as the achievement of knowledge and science over death and darkness. Estephania was also the vanguard to ensuring the rights of Metabionic individuals in Union society, though that was a harder and more uphill battle.

    The secrets to the Neal-Gibson core have since proliferated across the World Beyond the Fall, allowing for the rise of different Metabionic types. Illustrados Metabionics tend to be composed of refined and pleasing shapes, sometimes with indicator lights. Free Tribe Metabionics are far more scrappy and mismatched, but are often as well-made than their more aesthetically crafted counterparts. There are also variants to the core, including one that uses strange otherworldly energies to empower and to enhance the implanted individual.

  • The physiology of the human body is changed utterly by the introduction of the Metabionic Core (sometimes called the Neal-Gibson Core), in addition to the added mass of the artificial implants. The energy emitted by the Core affects the behavior of various organs and must be mitigated by further implantation and treatment. This is of course, in addition to the body’s reaction to this invasive process.

    Metabionics often report recurring aches, phantom sensations and minor hallucinations. They are also said to be unable to reproduce, with any attempt to do so stymied by the energies coursing through their bodies. Without continued maintenance via the induction of certain reagents, Forged individuals are subject to the deterioration of their Metabionic Core and a painful death. However, with upkeep, a Metabionic individual is expected to add at least 10–20 years to their lifespan, if progressing technological trends do not increase this even further. Certain studies have even reported that a Metabionic can withstand several weeks of starvation and lack of sleep so long as their Core is maintained, although this process is far from ideal to the individual’s optimal functionality.

  • Not all who are Forged can journey upon the path of sorcery. Indeed, only those blessed and cursed by Eldritch-Tech can become Arcanists and/or use the Etheric Arcana skill.

    Those that do, however, are dynamos of energy and strength. Many are adept at the flashier aspects of magic, such as Projection and Infusion—these individuals blast away at their assailants and at the monsters of this broken world.

  • These are simple role-play notes that you may choose to add to your character that reflect the influence of the Metabionic Stigmata upon their personality. You may pick any or none of them for your character.

    — Detached: The Forged are still human beings, despite their mechanical components. However, many feel displaced from the “mundanes” of the world. This may manifest in a callousness for others beyond one’s selfish needs or a driving force to discover something that could hold their interest. A rare few go in the other direction, becoming busy-bodies that interfere and help in everyone else’s lives to quell their own doubts and silences.

    — Motivated: For many, the hum of their Metabionic Core, the itch of sub-dermal plating, and the unnatural creak of their augmented limbs is a constant reminder of some past failure or simply an irritating stimulus to be subjected to. While a few Metabionic folk simply manifest this in grumpy irritability, others dive into work or play with great gusto—anything to distract from the goings-on within their flesh.

    — Technical: Being partially mechanical sometimes ignites an interest in the technical for some individuals. They marvel at new technologies and are attentive to item maintenance. They find immense beauty in the intricacies of clockwork devices and the sheen of a newly crafted device. Some become miserly and possessive of what they have while others are happy to show off that which they find delightful and precious.

  • — Apex-Tech Subtype (Apex Forged; requires an Apex-Lab): The Apex-tech Subtype is characterized by a marriage of function and fashion, with the most advanced and costly technologies of the land at a Metabionic individual’s disposal. Some of these pieces resemble elegant, steam-based machinery while others are more akin to a minimalist, slim aesthetic that was believed to be more common in the last days of the World that Was. Apex-Tech Metabionics can gain Apex-Tech Traits (and Scav-Tech Traits using a Milestone)

    — Eldritch-Tech Subtype (Eldritch-Forged; requires a Scrap-Shop): Made possible by the invention of the Eldritch-Core, Metabionics of this Subtype are able to wield magical energies and become Arcanists. These parts and pieces prominently display arcane runes (whether Futhark, Kanji, Abyssal, or other) upon their surfaces. Their aesthetic can run the gamut of graceful and curved to jagged and demonic. Eldritch-Tech Forged have access to Eldritch-Tech (and Scav-Tech Traits using a Milestone).

    — Scav-Tech Subtype (Dura/Scav-Forged; requires a Scrap-Shop): This is the most common type of Metabionic Subtype, found not only amongst the Scavers and Grailguard but also in the fringe areas of the Illustrados and the Talon Conclave of the Templars. Its pieces and limbs are characterized by a jury-rigged or bulky look that emphasizes adaptability and function over form. Scav-Tech Metabionics can gain Scav-Tech Traits (and Apex-Tech or Eldritch-Tech Traits, using a Milestone).