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  More Than huMan
  This Mandate Archive is meant to provide a GM with the tools 
  for modeling several of the tropes beloved of transhuman science 
  fiction. In the following pages, you’ll get guidelines and rules for 
  body-swapping, genetic augmentation, post-monetary societies, 
  matter compilation devices, and other artifacts of a future where 
  “humanity” has become more of a habit than a necessity.
  To help ground these rules, the example “pocket setting” of 
  Threshold Sector is briefly described. In these isolated, storm-
  tossed worlds, the technologies of this archive have developed 
  to their full flower, and the men and women who inhabit these 
  worlds are left to struggle over their hopes for the future rather 
  than their immediate material needs. Transhuman fiction often 
  exists within a post-scarcity society, where material goods are no 
  more difficult to acquire than sunshine and oxygen. Conflicts in 
  such a setting require different motivations than the conventional 
  tropes of gold and land.
  Transhuman science fiction has its own flavor, and that style 
  isn’t always compatible with the feel of the existing Stars Without 
  Number game. All of the rules in the following archive should be 
  treated very much as optional additions, to be used if you feel it 
  would improve your game or help you achieve some specific genre 
  emulation. In many or even most conventional games this tech 
  will not fit well and should be avoided save as examples of alien 
  super-technology or perhaps some ancient experimental Mandate 
  science.
  Children of The STorM
  At the far edge of the galaxy, out on the brink of the deep black 
  empty, humanity has survived for the long centuries of the 
  Silence. Ever since the explosive metadimensional shockwave of 
  the Scream rolled over space, the colonies of the rim have been 
  trapped in a great storm of catalyzed metadimensional energy. The 
  worlds of the Threshold Sector survive in a bubble of less energetic 
  void, surrounded on all sides by tides of inexorable force. Escape 
  is impossible without incredibly powerful spike drives and an 
  intimate knowledge of the Tempest’s roiling currents.
  Within this hot-house bubble of worlds, human technology has 
  advanced in ways unknown elsewhere on the frontier. The meta-
  dimensional surge of the Tempest provides enormous amounts of 
  free energy to the nanofacs and matter compilers of the Threshold, 
  and the rich supplies of raw materials ensured a swift restoration 
  of the civilization that the Scream threatened to destroy. Human 
  researchers in the Threshold have labored on projects unfettered by 
  the dead hand of the Terran Mandate and without the interference 
  of powerful Perimeter agencies bent on stopping maltech prolifera-
  tion. They have worked wonders, and these wonders have become 
  common on the worlds of the sector.
  But the sector remains trapped. Travel between worlds is far 
  more difficult than it is nearer to the core, and exploring the 
  space beyond the sector’s limits is impossible with the available 
  technology. The metadimensional currents are too strong, the 
  radiations too fierce for existing spike drives to withstand. Each 
  of the powerful factions that operate within the sector dreads the 
  thought of their rivals escaping first and remaking human society 
  in their image, so cooperation among them is limited and rife with 
  treachery. And all the while, reckless explorers from the Threshold 
  worlds plot perilous courses into the Tempest, trying to find a 
  safer path through the maze of polychrome lightning and star-hot 
  doom.
  The TeMpeST
  No one is entirely certain why the Tempest surged in the wake of 
  the Scream. Some hypothesize that the wave of metadimensional 
  energy was a kind of transliminal match to the dry kindling of 
  the rim. Others blame the Tempest on whatever sinister cause 
  provoked the Scream. A few simply credit it to the cold equations 
  of natural law, a cyclical phenomenon that manifested when it did 
  with no concern for the actions of mere mortal creatures.
  There is no doubt, however, that the Tempest has sealed off 
  Threshold Sector from the rest of human space. Travel between 
  the stars within Threshold space is dangerous, but possible with 
  sufficiently strong spike drive shielding. No ship smaller than a 
  cruiser can survive the transit, barring rumors of experimental 
  drive shields and hypertech scouts. Some cruiser-class hulls are 
  fitted out as tenders, picking up small system ships in shielded 
  bays and carrying them on regularly-scheduled routes between 
  worlds.
  Beyond the borders of Threshold Sector, however, the Tempest is 
  too strong. Nothing the sector can build can withstand the terrible 
  metadimensional currents that whirl around the bubbled stars. 
  Scouts and explorers report small fissures in the energy field and 
  cracks that might lead further outward, but these courses only 
  ever lead to a few isolated worlds before stopping dead. All of the 
  factions in Threshold Sector continue to scout these trails with 
  grim determination. The fact that they almost never share their 
  cartography with their rivals ensures that progress is glacially slow.
  The Tempest has provided the humans of Threshold Sector with 
  a blessing, however- almost limitless amounts of energy. Simple 
  nanite power taps can feed directly off of the metadimensional 
  flux, providing the Threshold’s technicians with the necessary 
  power density and flow to create devices that would be utterly 
  impractical in more placid parts of the galaxy. One early triumph 
  of their work was the first matter compiler, a device capable of 
  converting any amount of mass into a molecule-perfect replica of 
  any object recorded among its templates. Attempts have even been 
  made to weaponize these power taps, though the disruption in the 
  MandaTe arChive: Transhuman Tech
  reSourCeS for a TranShuMan fuTure
  
  3
  extradimensional flux caused by explosive release tends to cripple 
  the taps for large-scale planet-busting.
  The Tempest exists solely in the metadimensional space surround-
  ing Threshold Sector. To the naked eye, the space surrounding 
  these bubbled stars is deceptively calm and placid. Persistent 
  experiments have been conducted in slowboat technology in hopes 
  of bypassing disturbed metadimensional space, but the incredible 
  distances of the far rim stars and the unknown perils of the “big 
  empty” have dissuaded all but the most zealous from trying to 
  build the massive slowships that would be required to bridge the 
  gulf of mundane space.
  The faCTionS
  With the coming of the matter compilers, most Threshold worlds 
  were capable of providing any ordinary material possessions for 
  their citizenry. Hunger, want, and privation vanished almost 
  overnight. Naturally, this obliged the citizens of the Threshold to 
  find new things to fight over, and they were not slow in invention.
  Some groups were frightened of the potential of the compilers, 
  and wanted their use restricted to a trusted elite who could wisely 
  ensure that nothing catastrophic was created. The explosive 
  destruction of dozens of small colonies and isolated states could be 
  directly traced to sabotage and misuse of the compilers, and these 
  Restrictionists agreed that the power of the compilers had to be 
  managed carefully. Their arch-rivals, the Abundants, believed that 
  every man and woman ought to have access to their own compiler 
  and that any damage so produced was simply a necessary price to 
  avoid the tyranny of selfish elites.
  When the body-swapping Hull technology was developed, the 
  Egoists were insistent that each individual mind should have an 
  individual body. Parallel replication of a brain and its identity 
  was an offense against the sanctity of the self and certain to result 
  in the implicit slavery of created minds. The Selfless disagreed, 
  believing that the mind was the possessor’s own property, to be 
  duplicated and embodied as often as desired so as to attain the full 
  scope of human possibility.
  Countless other groups formed, often operating in a shifting web 
  of temporary alliances and provisional wars. Every faction fought 
  ferociously for some good and noble cause and deplored some 
  terrible evil- but their goods and their evils were often not viewed 
  in the same light by their neighbors. Wars were fought for ideas 
  rather than plunder, and were all the more vicious for it.
  In the end, of course many of the believers in these factions 
  were simply responding to the human need to belong. For all 
  their gengineered augmentations and transhuman Hulls, they 
  retained the simple human desire for acceptance and community, 
  and many simply used their superhuman intellects and peerless 
  awareness to construct extremely elaborate justifications for what 
  their hearts told them was true. Some humans pledged allegiance 
  to no single faction, or belonged to paths that sought compromise 
  and negotiated resolutions. Such neutrals rarely found it wise to 
  venture deep into the territories of more zealous factions.
  The ConqueST of fleSh
  Along with the matter compiler, the Hull transference technology 
  was the greatest accomplishment of Threshold’s scientists. With 
  the help of tools and computing resources boosted by the Tem-
  pest’s limitless power, they finally managed to crack the genetic 
  quandaries around the perfect replication and improvement of the 
  human form. No longer would they have to suffer the severe side 
  effects and genetic flaws produced by any significant improvement 
  in the human corpus. They could grant enormous improvements 
  in flesh and mind without crippling the subject with overwhelm-
  ingly deleterious side effects.
  Even more than this, they could capture the lightning of a human 
  mind in a template of properly-prepared quantum substrate. Using 
  much the same technology used to develop artificial intelligence 
  cores, this quantum substrate could be imprinted with a human 
  mind, taking a perfect copy of the subject’s memories and person-
  ality. This template could then be downloaded into a tailor-made 
  body, a Hull, and made to live again. A single template could be 
  downloaded any number of times, so long as a Hull was available 
  to receive it. Updating the template was a simple matter of a few 
  hours of recording time in a properly-equipped laboratory.
  Living creatures, however, were much more difficult for the 
  matter compilers to create than inert matter. The constant flux 
  of biochemical and neuroelectric reactions cascading through a 
  macroscopic living body made it almost impossible to replicate 
  successfully. By the time the compiler had created the second half 
  of a body, the first half had died. It was necessary instead to grow 
  Hulls in tanks and vats, carefully constructing them with the 
  aid of automated expert systems. This left Hulls among the few 
  objects that had actual value among the Threshold worlds, as they 
  required human attention and labor to successfully create them.
  The ego templates required physical Hulls for successful implanta-
  tion. Some attempt was made to resurrect templates in purely 
  electronic form, but the results were gravely unsatisfactory. 
  Without a human body, the revived mind suffered progressively 
  worse instability until it collapsed in complete catatonia within 
  a matter of minutes. Exceptionally ruthless researchers willing to 
  perform repeated experiments eventually demonstrated that a full-
  fledged virtual reality suite could restrain the worst of this effect, 
  but the effort of creating such sophisticated and bulky hardware 
  was more than it took to grow a basic Hull. For this reason, minds 
  without bodies are kept inert on their substrate tablets, “slabbed” 
  until a fresh body becomes available.
  War in heaven
  Despite the abundance of material goods and the near-conquest 
  of death in the form of the Hulls, there remain profound tensions 
  in Threshold Sector. Just as in the ancient days, when war existed 
  alongside  revolutionary technical advance that gave common 
  folk luxuries unknown to prehistoric kings, the simple presence 
  of marvels and wonders has not lessened the human instinct for 
  strife. In a way, every war has become personal- humans no longer 
  fight to obtain wealth, but to crush a choice that is hateful to 
  them. Most of the struggles revolve around three different factors: 
  space, data, and people.
  
  4
  With humanity trapped inside Threshold Sector, there is a limit 
  on the available space. Some distant worlds remain relatively 
  undeveloped, but those stars at the juncture of major travel routes 
  or that possess worlds habitable to minimally-modified Hulls are 
  still valuable. Attempts to seize asteroids, set up space stations in 
  hostile areas, or otherwise encroach on territory claimed by a rival 
  faction must be repulsed with violence. Factions are constantly 
  pushing into rival territories while defending against strikes on 
  their own holdings.
  Data is precious to the factions. New tech, secret faction plans, 
  and precious scouting reports of the fringe worlds accessible 
  through the Tempest are all commodities of value. Sometimes 
  factions agree to trade this data with their allies, but most often it 
  must be seized in some cunning coup or covert infiltration. The 
  faction that finally obtains the correct path through the Tempest 
  and the tech necessary to build a shielded ship to travel it will be 
  the first to escape the storm’s prison- and the first to spread their 
  ideals to the waiting human cosmos outside.
  The final target of faction struggle are the ordinary people that 
  make up a rival’s numbers. Human beings are a faction’s most 
  precious resource. Their ingenuity and individual skills are some of 
  the few commodities still valuable in trade, and their inventiveness 
  is the only hope for unraveling the secrets of escape. Granted 
  their importance, they become regular targets in faction warfare. 
  With the prevalence of templating and Hulls, many factions have 
  no qualms whatsoever about the genocidal destruction of entire 
  habitats. True, the end may come in agony and terror for the slain, 
  but they can always be restored from their backups once their 
  faction is able to grow them a fresh Hull. In the meanwhile, their 
  minds are of no danger to the plans of other creeds.
  Hundreds of different factions exist within Threshold Sector 
  in a tangled web of cautious alliances, mutual antagonism, and 
  the occasional open war. Because so many of the struggles in a 
  post-scarcity society are about ideas rather than objects, it’s often 
  necessary to come up with a quick group of zealots to serve as 
  patrons or targets for the PCs’ attentions. Still, not every faction 
  member is equally dedicated, and even members of an extremist 
  faction might be temperate enough to cooperate well with others- 
  for a time.
  Some of these creeds are perfectly content to remain minor fac-
  tions. Their particular belief system may be exclusive to particular 
  phenotypes, body forms, or artistic purposes, and they would no 
  more wish to remake humanity in their image than they would 
  wish to recreate the same artwork in infinite replicas. Others are 
  simply content to live as they do, and hold no universalist belief 
  that must be impressed on the cosmos before their rivals get to it.
  The following table is intended to provide several quick traits for 
  a random faction. If you need a name, you can simply use the 
  political party name generator in the Stars Without Number core 
  book’s resources section. Multiple rolls may result in seemingly 
  contradictory traits; you might choose to simply reroll, or you 
  may find it interesting to come up with some resolution for the 
  seeming conflict.
  playerS and faCTionS
  Depending on the campaign, the GM may already have created 
  a selection of factions for their particular chunk of the Threshold 
  Sector. In most such cases, players should choose their faction 
  from the major players in the sector, selecting creeds that can 
  cooperate with each other with minimal friction. Even in a 
  post-scarcity age, the universe is altogether too dangerous to invite 
  backstabbing motives into an adventuring group.
  It may be that the GM is inclined to let players create their own 
  factions, selecting one or more traits from the following table and 
  brewing up something that fits the player’s preferences. There are 
  countless minor factions throughout Threshold space, eking out an 
  existence in some remote asteroid habitat or deep-space mass-
  mining station, and any conceivable configuration of transhuman 
  society has been attempted somewhere.
  GMS and faCTionS
  As a GM, factions will be providing you with much of the 
  dynamic conflict in your game. Peaceful and ideologically 
  temperate factions are well and good as easy PC sanctuaries, but 
  the major players in your sector should be vigorously dedicated to 
  mutually contradictory goals. With conventional wealth no longer 
  a meaningful source of conflict above the very most impoverished 
  cultures, conflict about land, data, people, and sheer ideological 
  zeal is necessary to provide the needed spark for your game.
  This conflict doesn’t need to take the form of open warfare. With 
  multiple factions conflicting in an area, going directly to military 
  force invites third parties to wait and leap on a weakened victor. 
  Factions might still accept visitors from ostensible enemies and 
  accept bargains that keep tensions below the brink of outright war. 
  Still, many are simply waiting for a rival to be bled out enough by 
  intrigue and sabotage that a short, victorious war is possible.
  As a GM, you might wish to model the various factions with the 
  Faction system from the Stars Without Number core book. Existing 
  asset statistics could be retained and the names and descriptions 
  reflavored to suit the transhuman tenor of the game.
  The PCs might be offered inducements in status or favors to 
  perform strikes against enemy assets or thieve valuable data, and 
  conflict among NPC groups can be quickly abstracted between 
  sessions. A sufficiently charismatic and resourceful PC might even 
  be able to found his or her own faction dedicated to the beliefs 
  that most deeply define their worldview.
  faCTion CreaTion
  
  5
  faCTion TraiTS
  Roll
  Creed
  Belief
  1
  Abundant
  Society should strive to maximize access to matter compilers for all members. They hate material want and love 
  the ideal of sharing resources.
  2
  Architect
  Matter compilers offer the key to a new era of wonderful creations. Terraformed worlds, massive space 
  installations, and marvelous devices await their construction. They love building useful marvels and they hate 
  rejection of any technology.
  3
  Egoists
  The human self should be inviolate, and that creating more than one instance of a mind at a time treats 
  humans as mere instruments to be used. They hate using people as tools and love the individual self.
  4
  Faithful
  Some religion provides vital meaning to their existence and to the world around them. They love obedience to 
  the principles of their faith and they hate things and acts that their religion decrees as abhorrent.
  5
  Godless
  They despise all religions and supernatural thinking and are convinced that humanity was meant to rise above 
  belief in non-materialistic phenomena. They love ideals of pure rationality and utilitarian efficiency and they 
  hate beliefs based on religious adjurations.
  6
  Hedonic
  They exist for the sake of personal pleasure and experience, using their Hulls and the wealth of the matter 
  compilers to experience new wonders. They love pleasure and excitement and they hate all abstentions and 
  restrictions against experience.
  7
  Hierarch
  They are convinced that some people are more suited to rule than others, for whatever reason, and that these 
  people should control society. They love obedience to their chosen elite and they hate defiance of their ruling 
  caste’s will.
  8
  Isolationist
  They believe that the other factions will contaminate the purity of their society, and contact must be firmly- or 
  violently- rejected. They hate contact with outsiders and love exalting the excellence of their society.
  9
  Liberated
  They despise the idea of an elite and believe that society should be built upon decentralized cooperation rather 
  than submission to a central power. They hate hierarchies of power and they love individual freedom from 
  control.
  10
  Luddite
  They are convinced that transhuman technologies will inevitably doom humanity, and that all of them should 
  be abandoned. They hate any tech more advanced than standard pretech and they love independence from 
  transhuman technologies such as matter compilation and bodyswapping.
  11
  Passionist
  They believe that with the perfection of the mind and body, perfection of the heart must follow. They seek 
  love, beauty, enlightenment, and spiritual exaltation. They love human drama and moving artwork and they 
  hate cold rationality.
  12
  Perfectionist
  Humanity is always intended to be more- superior in mind and body, exploring new ways of being no matter 
  the cost. They they hate any restrictions on pursuing personal excellence and they love exploring the frontiers 
  of human capacity.
  13
  Psionicist
  Revere and develop the powers of the mind. While psitech development has not matched conventional tech’s 
  rate of improvement, they retain many powerful arts. They love the potentials within psychic powers and they 
  hate those that would ignore or reject them.
  14
  Restrictionist
  Society needs to prevent the dangers of reckless use of matter compilation and should restrict their control to a 
  qualified elite. They hate dangerous use of compilers and love the ideal of a worthy technocracy.
  15
  Selfless
  The human mind belongs to itself, and should be altered, duplicated, and used in any way the original desires. 
  They hate losing control over their own identities and the love the idea of progressive mental perfection.
  16
  Superior
  They are simply better than other strains of transhuman, and their inferiors must be purged. They hate inferior 
  outsiders and they love demonstrating their own superiority.
  17
  Swarmer
  Their faction must spread at all costs. All efforts must be turned toward creating more Hulls and more adher-
  ents and seizing more territory. Some go so far as to create entire groups of ego duplicates. They love expanding 
  their numbers and influence and they hate valuing the individual over the group.
  18
  Temperate
  Success hinges on the cooperative effort of many factions. They are much more willing to compromise and 
  negotiate than most other creeds. They love building negotiated alliances and they hate uncompromising 
  extremism.
  19
  Unchanging
  They are adamantly opposed to radical alterations of the human body or mind, believing that such changes 
  threaten the basic idea of humanity. They hate heavily altered minds and Hulls and they love the idea of 
  humanity as it has been known.
  20
  Xenophile
  They desire to abandon their humanity for the sake of becoming some better species. Alien races in the 
  Threshold Sector are few, but some of them were actually once human. They love pursuing radically different 
  modes of existence and they hate adherence to traditional human norms.
  
  6
  GenGineerinG and alienaTion
  Transhuman bodies are superior to those mortal forms that nature 
  devised. Even the ordinary man and woman of the Threshold 
  Sector is gifted with a legacy of immunological improvements, 
  genetic repair, and subtle physical augmentations, while those able 
  to obtain the finest Hulls wear bodies that have been painstakingly 
  crafted to perfection. Heritable nanite clusters, genetic alterations, 
  and somatic chemical cues are all used to build bodies that are 
  entirely organic, yet more than mortal flesh could ordinarily allow.
  Most of these shapes are recognizably human, though occasion-
  ally styled or accented in ways normally possible only with 
  extensive postech cosmetic surgery. Unlike the crude and clumsy 
  augmentations of conventional science, transhuman tech allows 
  for genuinely superior performance without the painful drawbacks 
  and side effects of less sophisticated alterations.
  These Hulls breed true as a general matter, falling back to certain 
  baseline protocols of humanity when the biological miscibility is 
  too low. Almost all humans are the product of natural reproduc-
  tion between two or more Hulls, most being born into the 
  equivalent of the basic Hulls described in the next section. Hulls 
  of the same general type produce offspring of the same body form 
  with the augmentations shared by all parents. Hulls of different 
  types produce offspring of the basic Hull type as the genetic 
  protocols fall back to the lowest common denominator between 
  them, assuming their basic physiology allows such reproduction.
  Some xenohulls produce offspring of radically different psychology 
  than is baseline for original humanity. Their developmental 
  neurochemistry and their maturation process in an alien body 
  have a powerful influence over their mental development. Some 
  xenofactions of long standing no longer think or reason in a way 
  comprehensible to their more traditional neighbors, having grown 
  from birth in bodies no longer kin to other humans.
  Wearing these perfected forms can sometimes be more than an 
  individual can stand. Every human has an instinctive sense of what 
  their own body and mind should be like- the product not only 
  of early experience but of hardwired evolutionary cues. Adopting 
  a form too drastically different from the one they were born in 
  produces Alienation, which can hamper a form's effectiveness. 
  Alienation manifests first as a sense of unease and inescapable 
  tension. Then come the phantom sensations from limbs or bodily 
  dimensions that should be there but aren't- "Phantom Body 
  Syndrome", or "the Itch" in common parlance. Severe Alienation 
  can result in sudden breaks of thought, hypnotized fixation on 
  alien sensations, or partial paralysis of limbs. In the very worst 
  cases, the brain dissociates from the body and retreats into a 
  hallucinatory coma of false sensations.
  Most Hulls are designed to accommodate baseline human 
  cognitive processes. Swapping from a six-foot male Hull into 
  a four-foot female Hull with multiple prehensile tentacles and 
  aquaform adaptations may be deeply jarring to a mind, but the 
  built-in dampers and adaptation cues will generally allow for a 
  quick physical acclimation to the form. Psychologically, the wearer 
  may or may not appreciate the new body, but it will obey the 
  wearer’s will.
  Shapes that lack these buffers and cues are more dangerous to 
  a foreign mind. Hulls can have their design margins pushed, 
  comfort and responsiveness sacrificed for pure efficiency and raw 
  utility. Without the genetically hardwired buffer interface between 
  a mind and the raw meat of a Hull, vastly superior performance 
  can be obtained at the cost of increasing Alienation. Some minds 
  are willing to pay that price in exchange for additional power.
  In most cases, those who are willing to push the limits are content 
  with relatively minor tightening of the mental tolerances, acquir-
  ing Hulls with only 1 or 2 points of permanent Alienation. This 
  can prove problematic when unusual tech effects, a poor mind 
  download, or a hasty backup produces an identity with a few extra 
  points of Alienation. Such an event can turn a relatively minor 
  1-point Alienation flaw into the complete incapacitation of a 
  4-point coma. Still, for some, there’s no other way to fit all the 
  desired augmentations into the Hull they have chosen.
  alienaTion effeCTS
  Points
  Problem
  1
  On a natural roll of 2 on a skill roll or 1 on an attack 
  roll, you briefly dissociate, losing your next round’s 
  action.
  2
  As 1, and you also have difficulty accessing your 
  abilities in this body. Every time you fail a skill check, 
  lose access to that skill for 1 hour. Experts may try to 
  prevent failure with their class ability.
  3
  As 1 and 2, plus your connection to the outside world 
  is growing tenuous. Every fight or scene of mental or 
  emotional stress adds 2 points of System Strain when 
  it begins. If your System Strain exceeds the Hull’s 
  Constitution, you fall unconscious until it has dropped 
  below the maximum.
  4+
  Your mind has completely dissociated from the body. 
  The world is a garbled confusion of images and sensory 
  inputs, and you are unable to perform any physical 
  action. Gain 2 System Strain points per day.
  
  7
  hullS and BodySWappinG
  In common parlance, a Hull is simply the body that a mind wears. 
  Many of them are crafted artificially by skilled technicians or 
  expert artisans, but the term is also often used for the body into 
  which a mind was originally born. All meat is fungible in Thresh-
  old Sector, and one’s birth-body is more a sentimental foundation 
  than the final destination for a mind.
  To implant a mind into a Hull, it must normally be artificially 
  created to serve as a host. In a pinch, bodies created by more 
  traditional biological methods can be used for Hulls, but this 
  requires extensive preparatory treatment to prevent ego rejection 
  and the difficulty is greater than that of simply growing a new 
  Hull. This does not stop some particularly brutal souls from 
  literally wearing the skins of defeated enemies.
  Artificial Hulls are created in vats, each one the product of 
  individual effort by a human technician. Mass-produced Hulls are 
  more limited in the sophistication of their augmentations, as ex-
  treme improvements require careful attention by a trained biotech. 
  Most people who are not wearing their birth-skin make do with 
  one of these mass-produced models for the sake of economy. A 
  Hull can be kept "fresh" and serviceable for an indefinite amount 
  of time so long as it is kept in a properly-designed storage pod. 
  Hulls without such facilities survive no better than the average 
  coma-stricken human being, and will die soon.
  Implanting a mind into a Hull requires a little under four hours of 
  careful uploading from an intact identity tablet or an ego-occupied 
  Hull. Faster uploading is possible, but it comes with a distinct risk 
  of permanent Alienation from the new Hull; the technician must 
  make a roll a Tech/Medical check at a difficulty of 6, +1 for each 
  hour of speed increase. For each point by which the roll is failed, 
  1 permanent point of Alienation is gained as long as that Hull is 
  worn. If this leaves the body unusable, the transfer fails and must 
  be repeated from scratch. Transfers require a minimum of two 
  rounds to execute. Transferring from an occupied Hull erases the 
  source Hull’s ego, whether or not the transfer is successful.
  Backing up a mind requires twenty-four hours and the same 
  attention from a technician. Backups that take a full 24 hours are 
  automatically successful, while each 4 hours cut from the time 
  adds +1 difficulty to the base 6 Tech/Medical check. Uploads that 
  fail the Tech/Pretech check produce a flawed identity copy that 
  applies 1 permanent point of Alienation to any Hull into which it 
  is uploaded. Backups require a minimum of ten minutes.
  Identity transfer is intended for use with fully-formed human 
  minds. Children and adolescents who have yet to attain full 
  cerebral development often produce flawed and unstable identity 
  tablets. A Tech/Medical roll must be made to record a child at 
  a difficulty of 20 minus their age. Failure means the tablet is 
  imperfectly formed and will produce a deeply disturbed and 
  mentally altered intellect, while success produces a serviceable 
  tablet. The results of the check are not obvious until after the 
  recording is uploaded into a Hull, and in the case of particularly 
  subtle insanities, may not be clear even then.
  GaMe MeChaniCS and hullS
  A PC wearing their birth-body uses their original, naturally-rolled 
  scores for their attributes. By default, the common human body 
  of the Threshold Sector is equivalent to a basic-type Hull, though 
  some Luddite or exceptionally primitive cultures may lack such 
  advantages. When rolling hit points, take note of the basic roll, 
  unmodified by Constitution- when and if the PC swaps bodies, 
  they’ll need to apply their new form’s Constitution modifier to 
  their basic hit points.
  A PC who adopts a new Hull retains their naturally-rolled 
  Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma scores, modified by 
  whatever special cerebral traits the Hull may have. If the Hull 
  has augmented mental statistics, the PC uses whichever is higher. 
  Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution scores are determined by the 
  Hull being worn. System Strain in a new body is always zero.
  PCs wearing a new Hull also retain their base hit points, as the 
  great majority of a person's hit points reflect not physical damage, 
  but their luck, wit, and combat savvy. If the Hull has a positive or 
  negative Constitution modifier, apply it to the character's base hit 
  points; a 4th level Warrior putting on a Hull with Constitution 15 
  would immediately add +4 hit points to his total, while a crippled 
  Hull with Constitution 3 would apply a -8 penalty. Hit points can 
  never drop below 1 due to a Hull's weakness. NPCs without class 
  levels usually simply have the base hit points of whatever Hull they 
  are wearing.
  Skills, experience level, class abilities, and other traits are usually 
  retained into a new Hull. Psychic powers are not usable unless 
  the new Hull has been designed to contain a psychic mind. 
  Psychic power point totals always progress with the bonuses of 
  the psychic's original body- the Hull's Wisdom and Constitution 
  modifiers do not apply. Psychics can only "torch" their powers 
  while in their original birth-bodies. A feral mind can be backed 
  up, but it will remain demented in any fresh corpus, even one with 
  augmented mental attributes.
  A PC who is killed may be restored from their most recent backup. 
  The backup will have all the skills, experience, and memories of 
  the PC at the time the backup was made, but any memories or 
  experiences earned since then will be lost. Multiple copies of a PC 
  can be restored into multiple Hulls, though many factions have 
  taboos against such personal duplication.
  Hulls are comparatively expensive, and PCs may not always 
  have access to the best possible bodies. Depending on the GM's 
  discretion, the campaign may begin with the PCs wearing their 
  original bodies, or they may have already swapped out into forms 
  more suitable for their purposes. Acquiring access to backup 
  Hulls once the game begins is likely to be fairly high on the PCs’ 
  list of things to do, given the propensity for damage experienced 
  by most adventurers. Factions might well offer such things as an 
  inducement to free agents, either in the form of ready-made Hulls 
  in storage pods or the opportunity to use their facilities to implant 
  as necessary.
  
  8
  ConCepTS of The Self
  The existence of Hull technology has provoked a profound reas-
  sessment of the basic idea of the self in Threshold space. Over the 
  past century, a progressive dissociation of intellect from incarna-
  tion has spread through most factions, to such an extent that some 
  factions have no deeper attachment to their bodies than they do to 
  the clothes they wear. For these radical “discarnates”, attachment 
  to a particular shell is a sign of primitive, backward thinking and is 
  unbecoming in an advanced species.
  Not every faction shares this easy comfort with bodyswapping. 
  Some factions, particularly hard-core egoists and “quintessentials”, 
  view each incarnated mind as a wholly separate individual, one 
  whose existence is circumscribed by the life of their body. For these 
  factions, when a person is brought back from a backup, it is a 
  fundamentally different person who rises from the inception slab. 
  True, they may have identical memories, identical temperament, 
  and a perfect recollection of their shared past, but the quintes-
  sential substance of their existence is different from the entity that 
  made the ego template.
  This attitude often leads to distinct friction between quintessential 
  and discarnate factions. The latter believe that the mind was meant 
  to be liberated from the flesh, wearing different shapes both to 
  expand their own conception of selfhood and to illustrate their 
  freedom from brutish carnal definition. They consider quintes-
  sentials to be hidebound religious zealots or philosophical cranks, 
  defining a self based on history and mystical taboos rather than 
  present, tangible reality. For a discarnate, these strictures threaten 
  to chain them in bodies not of their own devising, shackling their 
  existence to the laws of a dead past.
  Quintessentials see new life in each Hull, new selves born with 
  each inception. Their backups may share their intellectual legacy 
  and the memories of their past, but they are fundamentally, 
  profoundly different people. Their own lives end with their Hulls, 
  and casual bodyswapping is no more appealing than casual serial 
  suicide. Some such factions base their beliefs on philosophical 
  ideas about substance and contiguous experience, while others are 
  frankly religious in character, revering the soul within the created 
  flesh. They consider discarnates to be innocent monsters at best, 
  killing off old minds and birthing consecutive new ones with 
  each reckless Hull swap they perform. Instead of using Hulls to 
  create a legacy of progeny-minds as each original dies in turn, the 
  discarnates turn their own minds into mere tools to be used.
  Most factions float somewhere between the extreme poles of 
  this dispute. Men and women are willing to swap into different 
  Hulls if a habitat or important duty requires it, but most would 
  rather retain their birth-bodies as long as feasible. When they do 
  swap out, it’s usually sequential, wiping their former Hull as they 
  transition into the new body. Most ordinary people have no desire 
  to have duplicate selves, and some factions ban such “sharding” 
  entirely. This doesn’t always prevent it from happening when 
  someone manages to steal or copy an ego template, but punish-
  ment for such crimes is swift and brutal.
  pCS and hull varieTieS
  The following page gives a list of some of the more common types 
  of Hulls available in Threshold Sector. Each one comes with a 
  default status cost, with the details of status-based purchases in 
  a post-scarcity setting described later in this archive. The cost 
  includes implantation services, though there’s no discount for 
  omitting such if the PCs have access to their own inception tables.
  Hulls may be equipped with augmentations as given on the table 
  on the following page. Each augmentation has a point cost, and 
  a given Hull can handle only so many points of augmentation. 
  Some Hulls allow for pushing this limit at the cost of additional 
  points of Alienation. Add 50% to the status cost if the hull has 
  been modified so heavily as to induce Alienation.
  A PC acquiring a Hull from a faction is usually obliged to take 
  whatever suite of augments is available on the Hulls currently 
  being sold. To determine whether or not a Hull with the desired 
  augments is available, the PC should make a Luck saving throw. 
  Add a +4 bonus to the roll if buying from a large, powerful 
  faction, and up to a -4 penalty if buying from a faction with few 
  available Hulls. On a failure, the PC can pick any one augmenta-
  tion, but the GM picks the others based on the role the Hull was 
  most likely intended to serve. On a success, a Hull is available that 
  matches all the PC’s augmentation desires.
  Alternately, the PC can commission a Hull to be grown to their 
  specifications. This takes one week, unless specified otherwise by 
  the Hull description, and doubles the status cost of the Hull.
  
  9
  hull TypeS
  Most of the following Hulls can be grown at any major habitat. 
  Some smaller or less influential factions may be unable to produce  
  bespoke hulls, and a few are unable to create anything better than 
  the most basic varieties of body.
  BaSiC hull
  Status Cost 10
  Basic Hulls are the baseline, minimal requisite for a Hull. Simpler 
  forms may exist on some worlds, but they are usually meant to 
  imprison problematic minds or serve some instrumental purpose. 
  Most humans in Threshold Sector wear basic Hulls, either their 
  birth-bodies or replacements acquired after a fatal accident or 
  change of self-perception. Basic Hulls have the Basic Immunity 
  benefit package, but cannot include any other alterations. These 
  Hulls have a base hit point total of 4.
  ConTainMenT hull
  Status Cost 15
  An uncommon variety of Hull rarely found outside the dungeons 
  of ego inquisitors, these bodies are designed to keep a troublesome 
  ego contained in a safe shape that can be interrogated at their 
  captor’s convenience. Egos must generally be incarnated in flesh 
  before they can be questioned, as the unstable quantum data of an 
  ego tablet cannot be practically analyzed without being embodied. 
  A containment Hull appears as a normal human being, but has 
  the Regeneration and Stabilized Systems augmentations to prevent 
  accidental death during interrogation sessions.
  Xenohull
  Status Cost 15
  These Hulls have a drastically different shape than that of a 
  standard human being, and are favored for those factions that 
  prefer to live in ways impossible for human bodies. Attempts 
  have been made to create bodies that can actually breed true over 
  multiple generations, but the “children” of such efforts rarely have 
  minds recognizable as human in any sense. Xenohulls can take 
  up to 5 points of alterations related to adaptations and physical 
  modifications, and up to 3 more of any kind at a 1 to 1 cost in 
  Alienation. These Hulls have a base hit point total of 6.
  Tailored hull
  Status Cost 20
  These hulls have been modified while still in the vat, and can take 
  a wide range of alterations. Up to 3 points of alterations can be 
  selected from the list in this section. Up to 3 additional points can 
  be taken at a 1 to 1 cost in Alienation and additional purchase 
  expense. These Hulls have a base hit point total of 8. 
  BeSpoke hull
  Status Cost 60
  Everything about this Hull has been individually tailored to the 
  wearer’s psychology and preferences, and the cost of this individual 
  development has been added into the listed status cost. Up to 6 
  points of alterations can be added, and up to 3 more are allowed 
  at a 1 to 1 Alienation cost. Bespoke Hulls usually require a month 
  to produce and add 2 Alienation for any wearer other than their 
  intended owner. These Hulls have a base hit point total of 16.
  eXaMple hullS
  The following Hulls are a sample of some of the more common 
  choices favored in the Threshold Sector.
  The Atlantean
  Popular for those factions that inhabit water-worlds, the Atlantean 
  is grown from a tailored Hull base, and includes the augmenta-
  tions of Basic Immunity and Environmental Adaptation/Aquatic. 
  The final point of augmentation varies with the creator’s prefer-
  ences, but Grace is popular for improved swimming performance, 
  as is a boosted attribute.
  The Ripper
  A brutally optimized xenohull that owes equal inspiration to a 
  praying mantis, a squid, and a rabid wolverine, the Ripper is 
  favored by minds planning bloody mayhem. As a baseline, it 
  includes Lesser Boosted Strength and Dexterity, four arms as Ad-
  ditional Limbs, Altered Reactions,and Body Armor/AC -1. Most 
  Rippers carry a pair of ranged weapons in their additional limbs, 
  firing whichever is most effective for the situation, and using their 
  two original arms to wield monomolecular weaponry against close 
  combatants. As with any possessor of additional limbs, however, 
  the Ripper can make only one attack per round.
  The Voidborn
  Favored for asteroid habitats too hostile for conventional basic 
  Hulls, the Voidborn Hull is optimized for deep space operation. 
  Built off a tailored Hull, it includes Self-Sustaining Systems, 
  Environmental Adaptation/Space, and low-gravity Flight.
  The Pygmalion
  Those minds fortunate enough to inhabit a safe and congenial 
  habitat often favor social optimization over brute survival. The 
  Pygmalion offers this on a tailored Hull base, granting Lesser 
  Boosted Charisma, Cultural Harmonization, and Basic Immunity.
  The Voyager
  A popular choice among adventurous egos in search of the stellar 
  unknown, the Voyager is a tailored Hull designed for long periods 
  of isolation from habitat support. It has the Regeneration and 
  Basic Immunity augmentations, and many explorers risk a point 
  of Alienation by adding in a boosted physical attribute or altered 
  reactions.
  The Tyrant
  An upgraded, humanoid version of the Ripper, Tyrant-class 
  bespoke Hulls are always tailored to the wearer’s preferences, but 
  commonly include the following augmentations: Major Boosted 
  Dexterity, Altered Reactions, Body Armor/AC -1, Body Weap-
  onry/Mag Rifle, and Stabilized Systems. A few add an additional 
  point of augmentation at the cost of Alienation, but most prefer 
  to simply fit out any weak spots with advanced technology. Even 
  without the advantage of sophisticated tools, however, the Tyrant 
  can mow down a dozen lesser Hulls with nothing more than its 
  integral weaponry and armor plating.
  
  10
  hull auGMenTaTionS
  Augment
  Cost
  Effect
  Additional Limbs
  1
  The Hull has up to eight additional arms or tentacles, as many as four of which can manipulate 
  objects with standard manual dexterity. No additional attacks are gained, however.
  Altered Reactions
  1
  The Hull has lightning-fast reactions, automatically winning initiative once per hour.
  Body Armor
  1
  The Hull is remarkably resilient, and has armor equivalent to AC 3 which has been grown so 
  as to be concealed from anything short of a close medical examination. Optionally, the Hull 
  has armor equivalent to AC -1 in a form impossible to conceal.
  Body Weaponry
  1
  The Hull is equipped with implanted weaponry equivalent to a monoblade or a man-portable 
  postech projectile or energy weapon. The body itself creates any necessary ammunition or 
  power. One-handed weapon equivalents can be grown so as to be concealed to anything short 
  of a medical scan when not in use.
  Boosted Attribute, Lesser
  1
  One attribute is set to 14. If a mental attribute, the wearer uses the higher of it or his own.
  Boosted Attribute, Major
  2
  As Lesser, except that the attribute is set to 18.
  Cultural Harmonization
  1
  The Hull is designed to perfectly match a given culture or Faction’s tastes in beauty and 
  instinctive social cues. +2 to social skill checks with that group.
  Environmental Adaptation
  1
  The Hull is designed to exist in an environment normally fatal to humans- deep underwater, a 
  methane atmosphere, deep in space, floating in the winds of a gas giant planet, or so forth. It 
  has full normal sensory and movement abilities and can breathe the existing atmosphere.
  Flight
  1/2
  The Hull can fly at a base movement rate of 40 meters per round, either through physical 
  organs or embedded nanite antigrav. For 1 point, this flight functions only in low gravity 
  environments, while 2 points allows its use in any environment.
  Fleetness
  1
  The Hull has a base ground movement rate of 40 meters/round.
  Grace
  1
  The Hull ignores movement penalties due to rough or slippery terrain, never slips or trips, and 
  gains a +2 bonus on skill checks related to running, swimming, climbing, or gymnastics.
  Hypercognition
  1
  Requires at least Intelligence or Wisdom 14. The Hull has subconscious cognitive processes 
  constantly operating. Once per session, the PC can ask the GM for a useful conclusion 
  regarding a topic, and the GM will tell them what he or she thinks is the most useful fact that 
  they might possibly have concluded from their available data.
  Integral Hardware
  1
  For each point spent, two pieces of non-weapon, non-armor equipment are made permanent 
  parts of the Hull. The Hull provides unlimited energy for these devices, but they count against 
  its encumbrance. Items with more than 1 point of encumbrance leave visually obvious signs of 
  their presence. Hardware cannot duplicate the effects of another augment.
  Immunity, Basic
  1
  The Hull gains a +3 bonus on saves versus poison, disease, and radiation. The Hull does not 
  age past physical maturity and has indefinite natural longevity.
  Immunity, Superior
  2
  As Basic, but also immune to radiation, temperatures between -100 and 100 degrees Celsius, 
  and to those poisons and diseases not explicitly created by pretech bioweapon research.
  Metamorph
  2
  The Hull can alter its appearance to that of any creature with the same or fewer number of 
  significant limbs and within 30% of its original size. The change takes one round and grants 
  no special abilities. With a DNA sample, the mimicry is perfect to the genetic level.
  Perceptual Acuity
  1
  The Hull has a wide range of sonar, radar, infrared and other sensors. Its visual perception 
  works normally out to 100 meters regardless of light levels.
  Perceptual Omniscience
  2
  In addition to the effects of perceptual acuity, the Hull’s sensory centers have been altered 
  to track a 360’ radius at all times, whether asleep or awake. The Hull can even listen in on 
  unencrypted radio traffic. The Hull cannot be surprised and may awaken immediately to react 
  to events around it.
  Psychic Compatibility
  1
  This Hull has been prepared with the necessary alterations to receive a psychic mind.
  Regeneration
  2
  The Hull repairs itself and refreshes spent vigor quickly. Regenerate 1 HP/minute, up to a 
  maximum of one-half the PC’s maximum hit points, rounded up. This regeneration does not 
  prevent death at zero hit points.
  Self-Sustaining Systems
  1
  The Hull does not need to eat, drink, breathe, or sleep, gaining all necessary power from 
  implanted metadimensional tap nanites.
  Stabilized Systems
  1
  If reduced to zero hit points, the Hull automatically stabilizes, and revives at 1 hit point ten 
  minutes later. Further injuries while unconscious or damage that could not be cured by a 
  lazarus patch cannot be overcome by this augmentation and will result in death.
  
  11
  poST-SCarCiTy eConoMiCS and STaTuS
  The development of matter compilers produced radical changes 
  in the economic order of the Threshold Sector. The ability of the 
  compilers to transmute arbitrary feed mass into molecule-perfect 
  replicas of any object recorded in their databanks was a blow 
  against scarcity in a host of different resources and commodities. 
  A fistful of carbon or silicon could be fed into a compiler and a 
  few moments later, some fantastically complex electronic device 
  would be dropped into the output hopper. Food, water, oxygen, 
  and all the other material satisfactions of life could be produced in 
  virtually limitless supply.
  Despite this new era of abundance, there were limits to the capa-
  bilities of the matter compilers. They could not create single-piece 
  objects larger than their own compiler chambers, they could not 
  create macroscopic living creatures, and they could not duplicate 
  quantum substrates, a rare few alien artifacts, and some esoteric 
  compounds found on some of the more desolate worlds of the 
  sector. Aside from these limits, an individual or faction with access 
  to a matter compiler and an object description file could have as 
  much of a particular substance or product as could be desired.
  Naturally, the new economy of the Threshold Sector found value 
  in what few stores of scarcity were left to them. Instead of prizing 
  mere objects or raw materials, the factions of the sector value four 
  precious resources that the compilers cannot create- Hulls, data, 
  space, and time.
  Hulls are among the most universally valued commodities for 
  trade between factions. Even a basic Hull without unusual 
  augmentations is precious to a person who fears the prospect of 
  being “slabbed” for an indefinite time. Hulls are the promise of 
  continuing immortality, and the ability to make mistakes and 
  suffer the attacks of rival factions without being permanently 
  consigned to the cold stasis of a backup tablet. To a lesser extent, 
  this value extends to other complex life forms beyond the compil-
  ers’ ability to create, for those scientists or aesthetes who desire 
  the companionship of nonhuman life forms or the decadence of 
  a “natural” meal. Ego tablets and the cores of AIs also require a 
  technician’s personal attention, as their quantum substrate defies 
  the compiler’s dimensional limitations. This inability to replicate 
  tablets and AIs has made individual ego recordings and the cores 
  of braked AIs a regular focus of raiding among rival factions.
  Data is another precious commodity between creeds. Small 
  factions are often unable to run serious research programs of their 
  own due to a lack of talented members or time. These factions 
  are forced to trade for the innovations and progressive discoveries 
  made by their more powerful neighbors. In many cases, this data 
  is vital for maintaining security against nanite attacks or hacks of 
  habitat computing systems. Without acquiring the latest security 
  protocols, factions remain vulnerable to any enemy with superior 
  data resources. Even those factions that run their own programs 
  are always eager to buy templates and innovations that improve 
  efficiency and allow new technology. The holy grail of the research 
  programs, of course, is the development of spike drives strong 
  enough to penetrate the Tempest that surrounds the sector.
  Space is also at a premium in the Threshold Sector. All the wealth 
  in the world is of limited enjoyment if one’s body is housed in a 
  twenty cubic meter habitat cell. Factions can always dedicate their 
  efforts toward expanding deep-space habitats, but these void-born 
  homes will always be more vulnerable and straitened than factions 
  based on habitable worlds. Most habitable worlds are claimed by 
  single factions strong enough to keep out enemies, but some are 
  partitioned among struggling neighbors who can agree only on 
  fighting any interlopers, or groups who maintain a tenuous peace 
  through purchase and sale of land claims. Finding an unclaimed 
  habitable world somewhere in the dangerous penumbra of 
  Tempest paths around the sector is a ticket to fabulous influence 
  for those explorers who can live to sell their tale.
  Yet of the four, time is perhaps the commodity most often bought 
  and sold among members of a faction. They usually have all the 
  material goods they desire and they rarely have a personal need for 
  new information or living space, but service and expertise from 
  their fellows is something that can’t be compiled by a machine. If 
  a person wishes to convince a technician to maintain their matter 
  compiler, or a vat artist to grow them a tailored Hull, or anyone 
  else to exert time and effort on their behalf, they’re going to have 
  to pay for it.
  STaTuS
  The currency used in these transactions is known generally as 
  “status”. Different factions will implement it in different ways. 
  Some maintain running tallies for each member, the totals visible 
  to all. Other factions have physical status tokens that are ex-
  changed along with favors or valuable commodities. Some dislike 
  admitting that status is a consideration at all, and make a civic 
  virtue of universal assistance... that just happens to reward the 
  useful before they get around to helping the burdensome. Status is 
  a catchall term for all these individual systems.
  Status is specific to a faction. A PC may be the light and life of her 
  home habitat, able to carpet the floors of her nanodiamond hab 
  bubble with the willing bodies of her neighbors, but a different 
  faction will have no interest in how highly esteemed she is among 
  her own kind. Status measures how much the person has done 
  for the faction and how easy it is for him or her to find someone 
  willing to accommodate their needs.
  Status is measured in two scores for each faction- permanent and 
  temporary status. Permanent status represents deep and lasting 
  bonds of mutuality that can be exercised regularly. A person born 
  into a faction, for example, is almost never going to be denied 
  sustenance, shelter, and the ordinary fruits of the matter compilers 
  in reasonable amounts. They have a permanent status score 
  sufficient to earn that much help from their comrades whether or 
  not they’ve done anything useful lately. An outsider, on the other 
  hand, is going to have to beg, trade, or convince someone to give 
  them such necessities.
  Temporary status represents recent, particular services performed 
  by a person with the obvious intent to “cash in” on the help. A 
  
  12
  person who is clearly racking up favors and building a history of 
  services rendered may have a very high temporary Status score, 
  capable of purchasing extremely large favors or services from 
  members of that faction. Unless she’s invested in her relationships, 
  however, she may not have any permanent status at all, and be 
  obliged to call in discrete favors on a regular basis to obtain the 
  kind of help that more committed faction allies get without 
  demur.
  The difference between permanent and temporary status is 
  essentially the difference between a proven ally of the faction and 
  a useful hireling. Characters who perform services for the faction 
  with no obvious quid-pro-quo involved will gradually build up 
  permanent status as the faction is further convinced of their 
  sincerity. Other members will respect that dedication, and can be 
  convinced to lend assistance even without the specific exchange of 
  favors. 
  GaininG, loSinG, and SpendinG STaTuS
  All PCs begin with 1 permanent status with their home faction. 
  This is sufficient to draw on any normal amount of equipment, 
  daily necessities, basic lodging space, and other requisites of 
  existence. Most members of the faction are unsatisfied with this de 
  minimis life, and will work to impress their neighbors with their 
  usefulness and dedication to the faction’s ideals, earning temporary 
  status that they can use to acquire the services and special as-
  sistance of their peers.
  The status prices given later in this section assume that the 
  amounts involved are for personal use. Asking for enough for 
  a group or for a small army is going to increase the status cost. 
  Regular demands for the service rather than occasional requests 
  will also increase the price.
  PCs earn temporary status based on the services they perform for 
  a faction. Most ordinary work is simply assumed to go towards 
  maintaining the PCs’ standing in their faction, and they won’t earn 
  temporary status from simply performing the duties that might 
  be expected from all members of the group. However, engaging 
  in risky missions or performing work of an unusually skilled and 
  demanding nature can usually command a price.
  As a quick guideline for the GM, an adventure will grant one 
  point of temporary status to a PC for every 100 experience 
  points earned, assuming that experience reflects the danger and 
  complication of the mission. The status gain might be increased 
  for exceptionally good results, earning up to twice as many points 
  as the baseline award at the GM’s discretion. For ease of bookkeep-
  ing, it’s best to simply award based on the total XP granted, and 
  not worry about deciding which parts of the adventure the faction 
  valued and which were merely personal exploits.
  Extreme expertise at a social, artistic or technical skill can also be 
  rewarded. Assuming the PC has an appropriate skill of level 2 or 
  better, they can earn that many temporary status points in the 
  course of a month’s work. If they get a special request from an 
  NPC, their patron can usually expect to pay that many temporary 
  status points for the service as a minimum, with more if the job 
  lasts longer than a week or is unusually dangerous.
  PCs can convert temporary status into permanent status with a 
  faction. The first point of permanent status costs 10 temporary 
  points, representing the favors and help necessary to convince 
  the members that the PC is genuinely sincere in their alliance. 
  Each point of permanent status after that requires five points of 
  temporary status to purchase. It’s always up to the GM to decide 
  whether or not such increased confidence has been justified by the 
  PCs’ behavior and general helpfulness.
  PCs can also lose status by acting against the faction’s interest in 
  provable ways. If a faction member commits crimes or trespasses 
  against the faction’s code of beliefs, status penalties are assessed. If 
  the criminal lacks the temporary status to pay for them, points of 
  permanent status are sometimes lost, each permanent point count-
  ing for five temporary ones. Most criminals earn back their lost 
  status through months or years of compulsory menial labor and 
  performing the least popular duties for their neighbors. Outsiders 
  who infuriate a faction too greatly might find their egos erased, 
  their Hulls recycled for faction use, and any backup identities 
  banned from faction space.
  As might be suggested by the above, people who have performed 
  many great and meritorious services for the faction can get away 
  with a great deal within the society. For truly heinous crimes or 
  profound transgressions against the faction’s beliefs, no amount 
  of status can protect the culprit. In such cases, ego execution is 
  common, sometimes with the destruction of any backup tablets. 
  This “full erasure” is an extreme sanction for any faction, as most 
  criminals sufficiently depraved as to earn the penalty have had 
  the foresight to set up offworld backups. It’s not uncommon for 
  outsiders or ambitious faction members to be tasked with ensuring 
  that full erasure is carried out completely.
  
  13
  STaTuS priCeS
  The following status prices assume the standard ubiquity of matter 
  compilers, in which most faction members can get ten or fifteen 
  minutes of unrestricted time on one on any given day. For factions 
  that invest in the maintenance and upkeep necessary to give every 
  member almost unlimited access to a compiler, costs for physical 
  artifacts should be dropped to zero for anything small enough to 
  be compiled without assembly. For factions that sharply restrict 
  access to compilers, double the costs.
  Prices assume single objects or amounts suitable for personal use. 
  Conventional equipment and vehicles can be acquired for the 
  entire party at double the listed status cost, and in any amounts 
  the GM finds plausible for quadruple the listed cost.
  MaTerial GoodS and properTy
  CoST
  Any piece of TL 4 or 5 equipment listed in the Stars 
  Without Number core book, excluding artifacts
  1
  A man-portable pretech artifact, assuming template 
  availability
  2
  One metric ton of any substance or standard product
  2
  A vehicle listed in the core rulebook
  2
  A fighter-class starship fully equipped with postech
  10
  A frigate-class starship fully equipped with postech
  40
  A cruiser-class starship fully equipped with postech
  160
  A capital ship, assuming the faction even has the 
  manpower necessary to assemble such a massive object
  640
  A private space station equivalent to a Bannerjee-12
  120
  A braked AI core
  40
  A planetary structure smaller than a palace
  10
  Minimal private living space on an orbital habitat
  5
  Opulent private living space on an orbital habitat
  20
  Ownership of one square kilometer on most comfort-
  ably habitable worlds
  40
  daTa
  CoST
  A mildly useful or interesting pretech device template 
  not present in the buyer’s compiler banks
  5
  A very useful pretech device template
  10
  A pretech artifact template such as those listed in the 
  Stars Without Number core book
  40
  Research data relevant to the faction’s goals and beliefs
  1 to 20
  Spike drill course to a periphery world unknown to 
  the faction
  50
  Drill course to a habitable periphery world unknown 
  to the faction
  100
  Drill course to a habitable periphery world not already 
  occupied by a controlling faction
  200
  Drill course that can lead a ship through the Tempest 
  and into normal metadimensional space.
  Priceless
  ServiCeS and CoMMon fineS
  CoST
  One week of non-dangerous labor by a person 
  with a given level in a skill.
  Skill Level
  One week of hazardous labor by a person with a 
  given level in a skill.
  Level
  x2
  One week in a job virtually certain to result in 
  Hull death. Add the price of a replacement Hull 
  to this.
  Level
  x5
  Creation of a identity backup on an ego tablet
  1
  Inception of an ego into a hull. This price is 
  included in the default Hull purchase costs.
  2
  Favors
  A minor favor or assistance, such as overlooking 
  a faction ordinance or granting an unusual 
  appointment
  2
  A major favor or assistance, such as involves 
  substantial risk to the subject’s Hull or social 
  standing
  5
  A favor that pushes the outer limits of what the 
  subject will consider doing for a proven ally
  10
  Fines and Penalties
  Fine for disruptive behavior or property damage
  2
  Destruction of non-replicable property and 
  uninhabited Hulls
  Item cost x2
  Intentional murder of an occupied Hull
  Hull cost x3
  Actions threatening a habitat’s viability
  All status
  Murder of a victim with no ego backup
  Full erasure
  STarTinG STaTuS and equipMenT for pCS
  Player characters begin play with 1 permanent status with their 
  home faction and a tablet with a fresh ego backup. Their begin-
  ning permanent status is usually sufficient to kit them out in any 
  material possessions listed in the equipment section of the Stars 
  Without Number core book, with the exception of vehicles, pretech 
  artifacts, or starships. PCs have as much of this equipment as is 
  reasonable for a single individual, and can get more with more 
  than a half-hour’s effort among their fellow faction members. 
  Their status is sufficient to kit them out, but it’s not enough to buy 
  gear for their comrades as well unless further temporary status is 
  acquired and spent to cover the additional cost.
  Most PCs will begin play in their birth-bodies, though some GMs 
  may start the campaign with PCs in more advanced Hulls. If the 
  group is new to these rules, it’s recommended that the GM design 
  their Hulls for them the first time around to spare the time that 
  might otherwise be spent in mulling over the options. Players will 
  have plenty of time to decide what kind of tentacular horror they 
  want to be between sessions, and can direct their status-garnering 
  efforts accordingly.
  
  14
  neW equipMenT and TeChnoloGy
  equipMenT
  STaTuS
  enC
  Ammunition Compiler
  1
  0
  Ego Tablet
  2
  1
  Emergency Backup Scanner
  5
  0
  Eternal Cell
  2
  0
  Inception Table
  20
  -
  Matter Compiler, Personal
  20
  1
  Matter Compiler, Stationary
  160
  -
  Tablet Scanner
  5
  1
  Vat Complex, Basic
  100
  -
  Vat Complex, Tailored
  200
  -
  Vat Complex, Bespoke
  400
  -
  Ammunition Compiler: While transhuman energy weapons 
  simply fuel themselves through integral nanite taps, some 
  weaponry requires physical ammunition. These specially-designed 
  magazines draw in atmospheric feed mass to rapidly create mag 
  slivers or bullets as needed. Ammunition can be created quickly 
  enough to allow constant use of burst-fire mode.
  Ego Tablet: Also known as an ego backup or a “slab”, these 
  palm-sized tablets of quantum substrate composite can be used 
  to record a sentient mind with the help of an inception table. 
  Their unstable quantum state makes it impossible to create them 
  via matter compiler, so each must be hand-crafted by an expert 
  Pretech technician. Tablets can be erased and reused as needed.
  Emergency Backup Scanner: A last-ditch tool for recovering the 
  mind of a downed teammate, the EBS resembles nothing so much 
  as a collapsible metal skullcap. When applied to a living subject 
  or one who has been dead for no more than five minutes, the cap 
  unfolds, grips, and burrows into the subject’s cranium to translate 
  their ego into a tablet provided by the user. Incepting a Hull with 
  an ego recovered in this messy way is difficult and dangerous to 
  a mind- the technician must succeed on a Tech/Medical check at 
  difficulty 8 or the tablet is ruined and the inception fails. An EBS 
  can only be used once before it burns out.
  Eternal Cell: Most transhuman tech is operated by integral nanite 
  taps that siphon the endless power of the Tempest to fuel the 
  device’s operation. Occasionally additional power is needed, or 
  some antiquated device requires a standard power cell. These cells 
  function as normal type A or B cells, but never run out of power.
  Inception Table: A shorthand term for the complex equipment 
  necessary to record egos and implant them in suitable Hulls, the 
  inception table requires at least five square meters of space for all 
  the necessary equipment to be laid out. Anyone with at least Tech/
  Medical-0 skill can attempt to use it to record or implant an ego, 
  assuming they have access to an ego tablet or Hulls.
  Matter Compiler, Personal: Most matter compilers are large 
  devices, easily five cubic meters on a side. The large scale of the 
  components makes maintenance easier, and the large compilation 
  chambers allow the creation of larger objects in a single pass. Some 
  compilers are designed for personal use, however, taking the form 
  of a collapsible box that unfolds into a flexible cell large enough 
  to compile an object of 1 Encumbrance or less in one minute. 
  Any standard object can be replicated, as can unique or unknown 
  object that have been processed with a one-hour scanning pass in 
  he device.
  These devices require a month of finicky calibration during 
  creation, and so are more status-costly than most conventional 
  objects. They’re also prone to jamming and going out of calibra-
  tion. After every 10th object is created, the user must roll 1d6; on 
  a 5 or 6, the compiler jams and requires a difficulty 8 Tech/Pretech 
  skill check to clear, with the check taking a half-hour. Personal 
  matter compilers cannot create other personal matter compilers.
  Matter Compiler, Stationary: These massive compilers can 
  fabricate anything of gravcar size or smaller in a single one-minute 
  compilation pass. They do require the constant attention of a 
  half-dozen trained Pretech technicians to keep them functioning, 
  however, with maintenance costs of 24 status per week. Matter 
  compilers can create duplicates of themselves, but such construc-
  tion requires the compilation of individual pieces and their careful 
  calibration and installation by techs. Total costs usually come to 
  half the price of a compiler bought whole.
  Tablet Scanner: This small device is designed to scan and dupli-
  cate ego tablets. It requires a minimum Tech/Medical or Tech/
  Pretech skill of 1 to operate, but can instantly reveal the name and 
  general details of the ego embedded in a given slab. With four 
  hours of careful scripting time, it can also copy a slab onto a blank 
  tablet, creating a duplicate. Faster copying is possible, but runs the 
  risk of spoiled results- the tech must make a Tech/Medical check 
  at difficulty 6, +1 for each hour shaved off the requisite time. 
  On a failure, the copy is unsuccessful. Failed rolls will unsettle 
  the source tablet’s quantum architecture for four hours, making 
  copying impossible until it has had time to settle. Tablet scanners 
  are semi-legal in most factions for fear of identity theft.
  Vat Complex: Available in three different complexities of basic, tai-
  lored, and bespoke, vat complexes allow for the creation of Hulls. 
  Basic complexes can create only basic Hulls, tailored complexes 
  can create anything less sophisticated than a bespoke Hull, and 
  bespoke complexes can create anything within the technical limits 
  of the host habitat. All of them require the oversight of expert 
  Medical technicians, as Hulls cannot be fabricated through simple 
  matter compilation. They also require large amounts of space, with 
  even a basic vat complex requiring a four hundred square meters 
  of room, and a bespoke complex demanding as much as an entire 
  level of an orbital habitat. 
  Basic Hulls require Tech/Medical-1 to fabricate, bespoke hulls 
  require Tech/Medical-3, and anything in between requires level 
  2 expertise. Most Hulls require a week to create, while bespoke 
  models require a month and the active cooperation of the intended 
  wearer. Up to ten technicians can be working in a vat complex.
  
  15
  TranShuMan CaMpaiGnS
  Many readers who have picked up this document will be interested 
  in running a transhuman campaign in their own setting. They will 
  already know the kind of conflicts, adventure opportunities, and 
  anticipated PC concepts to expect from their group, and all they 
  need from these pages are the mechanics to translate transhuman 
  staples into their Stars Without Number games. They’ll strip out 
  the example Threshold Sector setting, tweak the Hulls and status 
  costs to fit their own campaign, and roll on. Such a tactic is an 
  excellent choice, particularly since this brief offering can’t hope to 
  encompass more than a few hints as to the full scope of transhu-
  man adventure and potential settings.
  Others, however, will need more of guiding hand for making use 
  of the material here. With that in mind, here are some tips for a 
  GM new to the transhuman genre.
  TranShuMan reSourCeS
  “Transhumanism” is a relatively recent science fiction genre 
  revolving around the exploration of a “post-human” humanity. It 
  considers the ways in which human society and existence might 
  alter once it is possible to surpass the ordinary limits of mortal 
  flesh and limited resources. As such, you will find many different 
  takes on the same general concept, as authors spin out their ideas 
  on human nature, post-scarcity economics, and the consequences 
  of crystallizing minds into transferable data.
  A quick search online will lead a reader to a wide variety of science 
  fiction material related to transhumanism. RPGs that explore 
  the topic in greater depth include such games as Eclipse Phase, by 
  Posthuman Studios, Steve Jackson’s GURPS-powered Transhuman 
  Space, or Project Donut’s FreeMarket.
  SeTTinG up your SandBoX
  If you’re not using a premade setting for your transhuman fun, 
  your first step is going to require creating your own Threshold 
  Sector. Travel between stars is difficult in the energetic space of the 
  sector, so you shouldn’t feel obligated to create an entire sector all 
  in one swoop- just one star system, perhaps with its immediate 
  neighbors.
  That single star system should have at least three active, powerful 
  factions, all of which have at least one serious point of disagree-
  ment with the others. Conflict between these factions should drive 
  the initial play events and provide adventure hooks for groups 
  interested in doing free agent work. As such, it’s probably best to 
  ensure that PCs come from minor factions that could feasibly hire 
  out their services to any group, unless the PCs are interested in 
  potentially working against their own home society.
  Aside from the factions, you should plant at least three or four 
  interesting exploration locations in the system. Abandoned habitat 
  stations, blasted-out surface colonies, dangerous alien ruins, 
  or derelict faction facilities all offer opportunities for salvaging 
  data, unique artifacts, or personal territory. Not every group will 
  immediately want to play mercenary free agent, and some will 
  prefer to explore their new home before they start picking sides.
   Once the exploration sites are settled, set up a means of getting 
  out of the system. A cruiser-class drill tender might be making 
  regular sweeps through the system, operated by its own faction of 
  neutral-minded starfarers, or a local faction might be willing to 
  give a ride to trustworthy agents. Access to this transport should 
  depend on favors and useful services- if the PCs go to the effort 
  of obtaining passage, it will give a GM forewarning that their 
  destination needs to be fleshed out.
  ConfliCTS and reWardS
  Material rewards are much less important for motivating PCs in a 
  transhuman game. Even the rawest new PC can usually just pick 
  whatever gear they care to have, and take advantage of whatever 
  tech suits their purposes. Only unrecorded artifacts and a few rare 
  commodities actually have value in an era of widespread matter 
  compilation. You’re not going to be able to motivate your PCs 
  with most forms of loot.
  Instead, wealth takes the form of friendship- of favors done, 
  alliances cemented, and services performed for dedicated 
  compatriots. You need to offer this status in exchange for services 
  the PCs might perform for a faction, and you need to be willing 
  to let them spend it in getting help for their own plans. The higher 
  a PC’s status, the more convinced a faction is going to be that 
  cooperating with them will advance their own ultimate goals.
  This also means that the PCs need to have goals defined by ac-
  complishing things rather than accumulating things. In a conven-
  tion game, “become filthy rich” is a perfectly good motivation for 
  adventure. In a transhuman game, the PCs are already filthy rich. 
  They need to want to create a particular change in the world or 
  accomplish a particular end. As a GM, you need to get them to 
  define the sort of change in the world they want to effect.
  This also means that the conflicts you build into your campaign 
  aren’t often going to revolve around material objects. Conflicts 
  are about data, or people, or space- not about things that can be 
  replicated with trivial ease. The more extreme factions struggle 
  because they are convinced that their rivals plan a future for 
  humanity that is utterly monstrous, and that preventing their 
  poisonous ideas from infecting the rest of human space is a cause 
  worthy of their devotion. This kind of certainty leads to ruthless, 
  unremitting conflict, and if it doesn’t break out into outright war 
  it’s only because the combatants don’t think the time is right.
  Ultimately, your PCs have the ability to set up their own factions 
  and embody their own concept of a good society in their followers 
  and fellows. You should emphasize this ability to choose, this 
  power given by the technologies involved in transhuman under-
  takings. The PCs really can create a new world in the stillness of 
  the stellar dark, and remake the old ways into something new and 
  bright. Provided, of course, that more powerful rivals do not find 
  their dream to be an abomination to be snuffed.
  
  player’S handouT for The ThreShold SeCTor
  The Threshold Sector is a far rim region at the edge of the galactic 
  arm. Six hundred years ago, the Scream swept over the rim worlds, 
  leaving the psychic minds of the sector in smouldering ruin. Even 
  worse, the Scream appears to have catalyzed the metadimensional 
  space around the Sector into a roaring confusion of impassible 
  energy currents and dimensional storms, known commonly as the 
  Tempest. Travel from world to world within the sector is difficult 
  for all but the largest ships, and escaping the sector entirely is 
  impossible. No ship has the drive shielding strong enough or the 
  drill route accurate enough to escape Threshold Sector.
  Despite this catastrophe, the Tempest offered opportunities to 
  the survivors. Simple nanite power taps allowed the locals to gain 
  access to an almost unlimited amount of free energy. Combined 
  with the rich resources of the sector, civilization rapidly rallied, 
  and soon inventions were developed that leveraged the unlimited 
  power into incredibly sophisticated technology. The two greatest 
  inventions were the matter compilers and the Hull transplant 
  process.
  Matter compilers are capable of taking raw mass and converting it 
  into a molecule-perfect replica of any object recorded in their data 
  banks. With a few exceptions, any inanimate object or microscopic 
  living creature can be created in unlimited amounts by the 
  compiler. As such, even the “poorest” denizens of Threshold Sector 
  have access to almost any personal possessions they might desire.
  The Hull transplant process allowed technicians to incept a 
  human mind into specially-grown “Hulls”, bodies improved and 
  augmented beyond any ordinary human norm. Human minds, or 
  “egos” could be recorded on special quantum substrate tablets. By 
  “backing up” their mind, a human could return from death, swap 
  bodies freely, or even incept multiple copies of their own intellect 
  into vat-grown Hulls. As Hulls are organisms too sophisticated to 
  be duplicated by the compilers, they form one of the few objects of 
  real worth in Threshold Sector. Most men and women work hard 
  to earn enough status with their faction to afford a backup Hull in 
  case of the death or disabling of their current body.
  With the coming of these revolutionary technologies, humanity 
  started to splinter into various ideological factions. Each had their 
  own idea about how human society should be ordered, and the 
  sudden abundance of material wealth allowed them to seek their 
  own paths in deep-space habitats or engineered asteroids. Some 
  were strong enough to take over whole habitable worlds on which 
  to exert their beliefs. Most factions have two or more core beliefs 
  that inform their worldview; the GM will provide you with a list 
  of factions operating in your home system, or allow you to create 
  your own as an origin culture for your PC.
  These factions compete to spread their ideas and quell their rivals. 
  The ultimate dream of many of them is to perfect the drill routes 
  and spike drive shielding necessary to escape the Tempest, the 
  better to bring their enlightenment to the remnants of humanity 
  closer to the galactic core. Research data and scout reports are hot 
  subjects of espionage between factions.
  Who are you?
  You are men and women dissatisfied with calm life in your faction, 
  discontent with simply performing your necessary duties and whil-
  ing away your hours in idle recreation. You want more. Perhaps 
  you disagree with your faction, and seek to find a more congenial 
  creed- or become influential enough to establish your own. Maybe 
  you think a certain rival faction is growing too strong, and want to 
  crush it before it destroys your home. Maybe you yearn to explore 
  new worlds and see alien sights with your own eyes.
  Whatever the specifics, you want to accomplish something big. 
  Work out the details with the GM before play begins so he or she 
  can take your plans into account.
  WhaT do you do?
  Often, you work for factions, either your own or others. They need 
  agents willing to go places, retrieve valuable data, or destroy things 
  for the common good. The prospect of death is less frightening 
  when good backups are available, but it can still be hard to find 
  men and women willing to leave their comfortable existence and 
  risk excruciating suffering for the good of their faction. PCs are 
  often those people, willing to risk much to gain much.
  At other times, you’ll be explorers or freelance adventurers, 
  hunting out valuable data or unreplicable commodities for trade. 
  In the centuries since the factions first formed, countless numbers 
  of them have fallen prey to war, disaster, or cultural collapse. 
  Exploring the ruins can often turn up valuable data files of interest 
  to modern factions, and the occasional technological device 
  unknown to standard compiler databanks.
  In the lawless depths of unclaimed space, every faction is its 
  own police and guardian. Some factions are too weak to defend 
  themselves from outside enemies, and are often desperate for men 
  and women with the cunning and strength to strike at their assail-
  ants. Adventurers might well be hired to provide that strength.
  hoW do you GeT paid?
  These favors or commodities buy status with a faction. Status is the 
  catchall term to cover the myriad economic systems used among 
  the factions. You earn it by doing favors and convincing the 
  faction that you’re a dedicated ally, and you spend it in acquiring 
  help, services, or compiler products from them. Status is individual 
  to each faction- good feeling with the Unified Mind isn’t going to 
  cut any ice with the Red Star Collective.
  Status comes in two kinds- permanent and temporary. Permanent 
  status represents a deep, confirmed dedication to the faction. You 
  can requisition whatever you need from a faction without cost, 
  provided the price isn’t greater than your permanent status with 
  them. Temporary status represents a backlog of favors owed, and 
  you spend it down as you use it. You can convert large amounts 
  of temporary status into small amounts of permanent status if the 
  GM agrees that you’ve proven your dedication to the faction.
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Stars Without Number/Stars Without Number Supplements/Mandate Archive/Mandate Archive Transhuman Tech.pdf