Mechani

Base Cost: 41 points

F       A       S       E       R       I       P       Res     Pop
Gd 10   Pr 4    Gd 10   Gd 10   Ex 20   Gd 10   Gd 10   Ty 6    Sh 0

*off    *dex    *mgt    *res    *log    *alt    *will   *mat    *pub
Gd 10   Fe 2    Ty 6    Ty 6    Gd 10   Gd 10   Ex 20   Gd 10   Sh 0

*def    *bal    *vgr    *sta    *mem    *awr    *cha    *$      *sec
Gd 10   Ty 6    Ex 20   Ex 20   Rm 30   Gd 10   Ty 6    Pr 4    Sh 0

Health: 34      NH:     22
Karma:  40      MH:     22

Origin:

The Mechani are a race of silicon-based life forms that can be found throughout wide swathes of the cosmos. They travel far and wide both to explore the universe around them and to adopt ever-newer technologies that they can incorporate into their very bodies.

Known Powers:

Agelessness: to be sure, the bodies of Mechani are subject to wear and tear, bits and bobs breaking down over time due to various reasons. However, their unique physical nature allows them to incorporate all-new parts into themselves whenever they feel the need to.

As such, Mechani can effectively be considered ageless in nature. The ravages of time they suffer from can be readily countered with replacement parts, whether by design or by improvisation, much as they can sort out any other physical damage. (6 points)

Assimilation: related to their technological reformation ability, Mechani have the power to temporarily absorb just about any device into themselves for later use. They do this by physically accomodating it within their frame, and can store up to their own weight in items.

Working at Remarkable (30) ability, this power makes it difficult for others to extract items once a Mechani absorbs them, without causing physical damage. It even lets them override the will of sentient devices, this power rank working against their Endurance or Psyche, as required. (6 points)

Body Armor: inorganic by nature, Mechani are made of generally sterner stuff. Assuming they're in pristine shape, Mechani 'skin' can provide its possessors Good (10) protection from injury, a defense that can be described in the following fashion:

Gd 10 / Pr 4 / Sh 0 / Sh 0 Sh 0

Of course, this is assuming no holes in their overall defense. Mechani that have to improvise with lesser technologies to heal injuries (say, absorbing consumer electronics like a boom box) may suffer negative Column Shifts to this rating - or have entirely unprotected ares. (4 points)

Radio Transceiver: though not inherent to their 'base' physiology, virtually all Mechani incorporate radiowave equipment into their bodies. Sure, they prefer to communicate in a conventional, verbal fashion, but sometimes prevailing conditions prevent this practice.

Mechani can transmit radiowaves to communicate with Excellent (20) ability, allowing them to coherently send signals within one hundred miles of their current position, assuming nothing is blocking their signal (whether physically or via interference). (extremely limited, 1 point)

Reformation: Mechani have the ability to incorporate technologial matter into their bodies to repair any damage their frames suffer. This ability works with Excellent (20) ability, restoring two lost points of Health each turn, assuming one ounce of Health per donated material.

The thing with Mechani reformation is that it is extremely limited, such that whatever technological material they incorporate into themselves can be reshaped, but its composition cannot change. This lends Mechani who are frequently damaged a somewhat patchwork appearance. (2 points)

Resistance / Invulnerability to Disease, Poison, and Pressure Variance: since they are not organic, Mechani possess considerable resistance to poisons and diseases designed to harm fleshlings. In other words, Mechani are completely invulnerable to these carbon-based threats.

Additionally, lacking the cellular structures those beings have, Mechani are also highly resistant to low pressures, if not actual crushing damage. They benefit from Unearthly (100) protection from low pressure areas, letting them function in space without issue. (15 points)

Limitations / Enhancements:

(none)

Equipment:

Mechani typically carry at least a quarter of their own weight in devices secreted within their body, the obviousness of their presence depending entirely on how large they happen to be. These devices may be off the shelf or may account for their remaining available points.

Quirks:

(none)

Talents:

(none)

Contacts:

The Mechani tend to look upon themselves favorably, at least in relation to other alien species should it come down to a choice between Mechani and others. This isn't some sort of weird superiority complex so much as it is familiarity in the face of an inexplicable and hostile universe.

Characteristics:

The strange, silicon-based species known to the universe as the Mechani are driven by an inherent, intense curiosity. They constantly fling themselves across the cosmos out of a need to understand how the universe works, their place in it, and the point of it all - if any.

Appearance:

To human eyes, Mechani resemble highly advanced robots. Sometimes they take a humanoid form, occasionally they resemble a mere collection of devices loosely connected together. Some are very sleek and refined, while others appear threadbare or tacked together from spare parts.

Ecological Niche:

Where they initially came from, Mechani fit perfectly into their environment, being but one among many different silicon-based species. They often have the effect of advancing the technological levels where they travel to - at least until it reaches a parity with their bodies.

Story:

Mechani as they currently exist are not the same as what evolution made of them. Coming into being on a world whose life was based on silicon instead of carbon, they developed a very cerebral nature; their minds were much faster than ours, but their bodies acted much slower.

The Mechani in particular evolved to absorb external technology into their very bodies, using it to heal damage suffered and improve their physical and mental capabilities. As their technology advanced, so did they, until they were barely recognizable as living, natural beings.

Their culture having advanced long before their technology, due to the nature of their evolution, the Mechani managed to avoid wiping themselves out in petty disputes over tribal god images or ideological extremes. This allowed them to focus on expanding their knowledge.

To this end, Mechani choose an area of study, and once they've mastered the basics, fling themselves into space to master their field. Sometimes this involves hitching a ride on a spacecraft, and other times they just strap a rocket to their back and pick a random direction.

This has prompted the Mechani to spread across vast swathes of the cosmos. While explorers at heart, Mechani are individuals, and it's hard to say none of them are up to no good. But they generally get along well with most cultures they interact with - at least on their part.

But even allowing for criminal Mechani, one is highly unlikely to bumble into areas of space ruled outright by them. Even in worlds they've built up from the ground up, Mechani are very cosmopolitan in nature, and cheerfully allow others a seat at their proverbial dinner table. Mostly.

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