Chapter Three: Betrayal of Flesh
Tentacle: The host gains a tentacle approximately 3 feet long. This tentacle is normally attached at the shoulder, the hip, or on one of his arms. The tentacle is muscular (it has the same Strength as the host) and grants a +4 competence bonus to Climb checks. It can grasp objects, effectively becoming an additional limb for the host—even to wield a light weapon, although it inflicts no damage in an unarmed attack. The host can use the tentacle to make off-hand attacks, although he is still limited to his normal number of off-hand attacks (usually one). The tentacle also can hold a shield. A host can have no more than two tentacle implants. Chaos Surgery DC 22; Procedure Time six hours; Recovery Period three weeks; Price 18,000 gp Translator: A chaos surgeon implants this organ near the back of the host’s neck (or otherwise near the brain and ear). It allows the host to understand the basics of any spoken language, if not always the subtle nuances. The organ transmits impulses directly into the host’s brain as it receives the sounds. The host cannot use the translator to speak in a language he does not know, nor does it help with reading other languages or dealing with nonverbal communication. As the organ works on a somewhat telepathic level, the speaker must understand what she is saying in the language to be translated—it’s not enough to simply read an unknown language out loud. Chaos Surgery DC 24; Procedure Time eight hours; Recovery Period one week; Price 6,000 gp Vigor Organ: A chaos surgeon implants this organ in the gut of the host. Once per day, at the host’s mental command, it pumps powerful chemicals into his bloodstream that grant him enhanced strength and stamina for a short time. The host gains a +4 enhancement bonus to Strength and a +2 enhancement bonus to Constitution for one minute. Chaos Surgery DC 22; Procedure Time four hours; Recovery Period one week; Price 9,000 gp Web Spinneret: Placed within a host’s wrist, this attachment is small and almost unnoticeable. A Search check (DC 25) is needed to find an implanted spinneret. Four times per day, the subject can spray forth strands of spidersilk that he can weave into a web identical to the effect of a web spell cast by a 5th-level caster (DC 14). Chaos Surgery DC 20; Procedure Time four hours; Recovery Period one week; Price 9,600 gp
Replacements Replacements are enhancements used in place of an existing part of a host’s body (a hand, an eye, and so on), or to replace an already missing body part. They often incorporate organic components as well as inorganic ones. For example, a blade replacement† would have a tough bonelike foundation that connects to the host’s arm, attached to an actual steel blade. While it’s possible that someone with a missing hand might choose to have a blade rather than just a stump where his hand was, it is difficult to imagine anyone but the most insane chaos cultist actually cutting off a healthy limb to replace it with a weapon or device. Frighteningly, chaos cultists just that mad really are out there. Just as often, however, the recipient of a replacement is an unwilling subject, captured and experimented upon, or a servant forced to undergo the procedure for a demented master who believes it will make her a better worker. Unless otherwise noted, the cost of the replacement is included in the price. If the parts are not available, some replacements must be built using the Craft (chaositech)† skill. The Difficulty Class for such Craft checks comes after the Chaos Surgery DC in the descriptions that follow.
53
